<img alt="All-Star Futures Game" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oBdsUt2aYtAMhPHJr-mNMvh33Mo=/0x0:5244x3496/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73484085/2161920516.0.jpg">
Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
We’ve reached the pinnacle of our list, and the top name is a familiar one in this spot It’s time to talk about the best prospects in the Atlanta Braves system, and many of the names at the top of this list are ones that have are repeats from our preseason list. The only significant graduation this year has been Spencer Schwellenbach, leaving the talented (and currently injured) top pitchers still rookie eligible. The Braves have as many as four guys that we at Battery Power think are top-100 worthy, including the number four prospect who has been the biggest breakout prospect from this season.
I look forward to seeing what you guys think in the comments. This was a tough list for us because many of the guys at the top of the system have been injured and struggled for playing time. The true pitcher breakout - Spencer Schwellenbach - reached graduation the Sunday before we started rolling out our list. However, we feel confident that this is the best top six the Braves have put up in a long time, and I could easily see any of these six on top 100 lists by this time next season. I would like to thank Matt Powers, Brady Petree, and Gaurav Vedak for all of their work on this list, all of their work all season, and especially all of their work on the draft last week. Also a thank you to everyone who consistently reads and interacts, as without your support Battery Power wouldn’t be able to bring free, high-quality (we think) coverage as much as we do.
- JR Ritchie - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, Compensation A round draft pick
JR Ritchie created a lingering excitement just off of the strength of his four outings in 2023, enough so that even though he quickly went down and needed Tommy John surgery he remained high on most rankings. Ritchie had what I would consider to be one of the best handful of games we’ve ever seen, showing off a pitch mix that could easily fit in the front of a major league rotation at his best. Ritchie was well on his way to earning top-100 consideration before the injury.
Ritchie returned relatively quickly from his rehab, already having thrown five games in 2024. He has certainly looked rusty, with his velocity down a bit and his command not nearly at the level it was in 2023, but that’s all par for the course with a guy recovering from Tommy John surgery. The goal now is just for Ritchie to stay healthy, where many believe a full 2025 season could see him rocket to the top of prospect lists. Ritchie features a fastball that has reached into the upper-90s, along with a wipeout slider that has flashed 65 potential and a changeup that has shown above-average potential as well. He dominated Single-A in 2023, and even with the injury recovery slowing things down I wouldn’t be surprised to see him slotted straight up to High-A in 2025.
The reason Ritchie is below some other guys in the system is because he just has not proven he can handle a starter’s workload. In high school and in the professional ranks, he has always struggled to hold his mid-90’s velocity deep into games. A concern that proved even more significant when he was quickly injured. If he proves his health and starts to hold velocity deep into games, there is no doubt he would be a top 100 arm and that’s why he’s remained so high despite having little professional experience. It’s an electric talent who has also shown that he can command the ball well and is still just 21-years old. He may be the riskiest arm in the system right now just with the volatility of whether he can handle a starter’s workload, but it’s clearly MLB caliber stuff that worst case could be useful in a late-inning bullpen role as well.
- Cam Caminiti - LHP
How he got to the Braves: 2024 MLB Draft, 1st round draft pick
The Braves jumped at the chance to select Cam Caminiti at pick No. 24 in the 2024 MLB Draft. Caminiti was expected to come off the board much earlier but slid to the lower part of the first round. The cousin of former NL MVP Ken Caminiti, Cam is a 6’2”, 195-pound lefty. He is very young for the high school draft class, having reclassified to graduate high school early and the former LSU commit won’t turn 18 until August.
Why he was so highly rated is easy to see. Caminiti was a legitimate two-way star in high school who is now going to focus on pitching full time. He has already hit 98 MPH with the fastball, and has the potential for more. He’s got both a curve and slider, and really showed promise with the change as well. Add that four-pitch arsenal to the fact that he throws strikes and has the athleticism to repeat his delivery and you’ve got the raw tools you need to project a future top of the rotation arm if everything comes together for him.
Caminiti is already in the conversation for the most upside among the pitching prospects in the Braves system, though he’s very young and has yet to see the field in a professional game. Those reasons and the fact it’s hard to envision a world where he gets to the big leagues before late-2027 in even the most optimistic projections, are the only things keeping him from being higher on this list. He’s similar to Jose Perdomo in that he’s an exciting prospect with massive upside who is many years away, but should be fun to watch develop coming up the farm system over the next handful of years.
- Drake Baldwin - C
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, 3rd round pick
Drake Baldwin was a part of that potentially significant 2022 draft that has net the Braves seven Top 30 prospects. Eight, if you include Cole Philips who was used in the trade to acquire Jarred Kelenic. Baldwin was the team’s best player at Missouri State, won multiple academic awards, and was overall enjoyed by his teammates. He’s a true athlete, having been a two-sport star in high school, where he lead the state of Wisconsin in scoring as a Junior in basketball, before focusing on baseball in college. It was during his junior year, where his draft status shot up after hitting .341/.448/.647 leading him to be taken by the Braves in the third round.
Baldwin made two stops after being drafted. Three games in the FCL where he hit .375/.400/.625 and showed he was clearly too good for that league. He then settled in at Low-A Augusta where he hit .247/.396/.284 across 21 games while playing the most games he’s ever played (84, 2022 was previous high at 43). 2023 saw more success as he hit .260/.385/.466 in 92 games for the Rome Emperors before being promoted to Mississippi where he hit .321/.390/.396 in 14 games before finishing the season off in Gwinnett. So far this year, Baldwin hit .244/.313/.337 for Mississippi before being promoted to Gwinnett. Since that promotion, he has thrived hitting .284/.424/.474 and has firmly planted himself amongst the Top 5 prospects in the Braves organization.
Baldwin has a solid hit tool, especially, considering his position. He doesn’t expand his zone, and has a good approach at the plate that resulted in an outstanding 19% walk rate to go with a meager 15% strikeout rate. He’s got good bat speed and really good raw power that is beginning to show very well in game power. He’s hitting for power to all parts of the park. He handles a pitching staff well and is respected by not just his peers but also coaches. He has a solid arm that can help keep a run game in check. It’s not often you get catching prospects that are so well rounded and Drake Baldwin is certainly one of them.
- Owen Murphy - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, 1st Round Pick
Cracking the Top 3 on our midseason prospect list is 2022 first-rounder Owen Murphy. Murphy had a stellar start to the 2024 season before he was sidelined with an arm injury. Murphy posted a 4.72 ERA between Low-A and High-A In 2023. Normally for younger guys, it’s walks that plague them. While his numbers weren’t great — 32 walks in 89.2 innings — Murphy was consistently leaving too many pitches up in the zone which allowed hitters to take advantage.
After ending his 2023 season with Rome, Murphy was sent back to High-A to begin 2024. This time, the 20-year-old dominated hitters after seemingly flipped a switch. In seven starts, Murphy posted an elite 1.54 ERA across 41 innings to go along with 60 strikeouts. However, as mentioned above, Murphy suffered a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery which ended his season prematurely.
Prior to his injury, Murphy’s stuff obviously looked as good as it ever has. His fastball still sits in the low 90’s, but despite a little lower velocity, it is one of the best fastballs in the system. With his low release and good spin traits there’s a lot of carry behind it and it tends to get on hitters a lot quicker than the velocity suggests. The biggest development for Murphy this season was with his breaking stuff. Both his slider and curveball have shown potential, but the spin had been inconsistent and he hasn’t missed as many bats as hoped. Murphy has great command that could end up being plus or better.
Murphy will most-likely start his 2025 campaign on the IL barring any type of accelerated recovery. Whenever he’s deemed ready, he’ll most likely be back with Rome for a few starts to get his arm strength back up to speed before being bumped up to Double-A. As we’ve seen time and time again, the Braves are aggressive with arms they like in getting them to the majors, and Murphy fits that mold ten times over.
- Hurston Waldrep - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 MLB Draft, 1st Round Pick
Waldrep was aggressively ranked following an incredible professional debut in 2023, which saw him make it all the way to Triple-A in his draft year. Despite this rare feat, he was sent back to Double-A to start 2024 where he struggled early. The Braves felt it necessary to have Waldrep focus on his fastball and slider command, and reduced the usage of his splitter to force him to use those two more often. He struggled with this for awhile, but got more of the hang of things and started dominating hitters once again. Then they added back in his splitter and it wasn’t long before he forced his way up to Triple-A where he opened with 11 strikeouts in his first outing. That was enough for the Braves to give him a call up to Atlanta, where he struggled in two starts before going on the injured list with some elbow soreness.
The verdict is still out on how Waldrep will project at the next level. His split-changeup is the best pitch in the system right now. A truly nasty offering that misses bats in and out of the zone. This gives him a certain floor, but his command and other pitches are so far behind that MLB hitters were able to just spit on the splitter in his debut and wait on his fastball. Despite his fastball sitting in the mid-90’s it’s not as effective as that velocity suggests. Waldrep’s high release gives it a cut-carry shape that hasn’t shown the ability to miss bats in the zone. His slider could be plus as well, but he struggles to locate it consistently. All of this is my way of saying Waldrep wasn’t ready yet and I’m not stressing his debut struggles. We knew he was still a work in progress and the move was a move of necessity and not confidence. He will go back to Triple-A where hopefully he will get more time to work out his mechanical inconsistencies and continue to improve the location of his fastball and slider.
Some things I would like to see from Waldrep are a more distinct slider shape, and adding a pitch at a different velocity. He currently throws his slider and changeup at around the same speed. Giving a little bit more deception would allow his fastball to play up more, be it a curveball like the one he threw in college or a true cutter, Waldrep’s arsenal is solid but can sometimes be a bit awkward to fit together. All that said, I don’t want to be too negative here. Waldrep’s splitter is as quality of pitch that few players can even approach, and his fastball velocity is plus as well. He is a high-energy competitor known for being a perfectionist, and works hard to maximize his abilities. Both of which feed confidence that he can smooth over his wrinkles and utilize a splitter that alone gives him late-inning relief potential. If all goes well you could be looking at a No. 2 starter, though given his current skillset I would be more apt to project him as a No. 4 starter.
- AJ Smith-Shawver - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 MLB Draft, 7th Round Pick
It’s well established that the Battery Power crew loves AJ Smith-Shawver. We ranked him as our top prospect in the preseason and he has further improved our projection for him. He was the unanimous pick for the top prospect in the system.
Smith-Shawver has every trait you look for in a starter, and he put it together so much quicker than anyone ever expected that it’s been a whirlwind watching him progress. He has improved his fastball velocity even further to where he now touches 100 mph and averages over 95 mph. He also has above average carry on the pitch which allows the velocity to play up a bit. The Braves made efforts to smooth out a hitch in his delivery and get him moving more downhill and extending better, adjusting his arm slot all of which have added up to better command and an increase in whiff rate on his fastball.
Smith-Shawver works with two breaking balls, and this season the Braves have often moved to favoring his curveball over his slider though both can be average or better pitches. He struggled with his slider spin after making his debut in 2023, but has spun it better and commanded the pitch much better this season. Smith-Shawver locates his curveball better, but many have confidence he will be able to reclaim success with the slider that helped him dominate the lower minors. While his slider is a mid-80’s offering, his curveball comes in at the upper 70’s and it too has seen a stark increase in spin rate this season. If you look at his results in the shadow and chase zones, despite on overall significant decrease in his whiff rate on both his curveball and slider, his whiff rate on his curveball has increased this season while only marginally decreasing on his slider. When he locates those pitches, they are still effective. They just haven’t been properly located often enough this season.
The pitch that has truly revolutionized Smith-Shawver’s arsenal is his splitter, which he has drastically increased usage of this season. He has done a fantastic job of killing spin on the pitch to increase movement, and commands the pitch well given its nascent development. The splitter has been Smith-Shawver’s best secondary and could project to being a plus pitch at maturity which would give him an enviable four-pitch mix for any pitcher. The knock on Smith-Shawver is that he has somewhat stalled out at Triple-A, and I want to use that phrase loosely because he’s 21 and still fairly new to pitching. As someone who follows the system on a daily basis and watches all of Smith-Shawver’s starts, I see why his numbers may not be as dominant as they were in the lower minor leagues, but I also see the direction the process is heading. Smith-Shawver gets praise for his makeup and work ethic, is an elite athlete, and has shown a propensity for learning pitches far beyond his years. He needs refinement, especially in locating and shaping his breaking balls, but he has an arsenal that could fit as a No. 2 pitcher at maturity and is already major league quality. He should get a chance to start for Atlanta full time next season, where we are confident he will stay for a long time.
<img alt="All-Star Futures Game" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oBdsUt2aYtAMhPHJr-mNMvh33Mo=/0x0:5244x3496/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73484085/2161920516.0.jpg">
Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
We’ve reached the pinnacle of our list, and the top name is a familiar one in this spot It’s time to talk about the best prospects in the Atlanta Braves system, and many of the names at the top of this list are ones that have are repeats from our preseason list. The only significant graduation this year has been Spencer Schwellenbach, leaving the talented (and currently injured) top pitchers still rookie eligible. The Braves have as many as four guys that we at Battery Power think are top-100 worthy, including the number four prospect who has been the biggest breakout prospect from this season.
I look forward to seeing what you guys think in the comments. This was a tough list for us because many of the guys at the top of the system have been injured and struggled for playing time. The true pitcher breakout - Spencer Schwellenbach - reached graduation the Sunday before we started rolling out our list. However, we feel confident that this is the best top six the Braves have put up in a long time, and I could easily see any of these six on top 100 lists by this time next season. I would like to thank Matt Powers, Brady Petree, and Gaurav Vedak for all of their work on this list, all of their work all season, and especially all of their work on the draft last week. Also a thank you to everyone who consistently reads and interacts, as without your support Battery Power wouldn’t be able to bring free, high-quality (we think) coverage as much as we do.
- JR Ritchie - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, Compensation A round draft pick
JR Ritchie created a lingering excitement just off of the strength of his four outings in 2023, enough so that even though he quickly went down and needed Tommy John surgery he remained high on most rankings. Ritchie had what I would consider to be one of the best handful of games we’ve ever seen, showing off a pitch mix that could easily fit in the front of a major league rotation at his best. Ritchie was well on his way to earning top-100 consideration before the injury.
Ritchie returned relatively quickly from his rehab, already having thrown five games in 2024. He has certainly looked rusty, with his velocity down a bit and his command not nearly at the level it was in 2023, but that’s all par for the course with a guy recovering from Tommy John surgery. The goal now is just for Ritchie to stay healthy, where many believe a full 2025 season could see him rocket to the top of prospect lists. Ritchie features a fastball that has reached into the upper-90s, along with a wipeout slider that has flashed 65 potential and a changeup that has shown above-average potential as well. He dominated Single-A in 2023, and even with the injury recovery slowing things down I wouldn’t be surprised to see him slotted straight up to High-A in 2025.
The reason Ritchie is below some other guys in the system is because he just has not proven he can handle a starter’s workload. In high school and in the professional ranks, he has always struggled to hold his mid-90’s velocity deep into games. A concern that proved even more significant when he was quickly injured. If he proves his health and starts to hold velocity deep into games, there is no doubt he would be a top 100 arm and that’s why he’s remained so high despite having little professional experience. It’s an electric talent who has also shown that he can command the ball well and is still just 21-years old. He may be the riskiest arm in the system right now just with the volatility of whether he can handle a starter’s workload, but it’s clearly MLB caliber stuff that worst case could be useful in a late-inning bullpen role as well.
- Cam Caminiti - LHP
How he got to the Braves: 2024 MLB Draft, 1st round draft pick
The Braves jumped at the chance to select Cam Caminiti at pick No. 24 in the 2024 MLB Draft. Caminiti was expected to come off the board much earlier but slid to the lower part of the first round. The cousin of former NL MVP Ken Caminiti, Cam is a 6’2”, 195-pound lefty. He is very young for the high school draft class, having reclassified to graduate high school early and the former LSU commit won’t turn 18 until August.
Why he was so highly rated is easy to see. Caminiti was a legitimate two-way star in high school who is now going to focus on pitching full time. He has already hit 98 MPH with the fastball, and has the potential for more. He’s got both a curve and slider, and really showed promise with the change as well. Add that four-pitch arsenal to the fact that he throws strikes and has the athleticism to repeat his delivery and you’ve got the raw tools you need to project a future top of the rotation arm if everything comes together for him.
Caminiti is already in the conversation for the most upside among the pitching prospects in the Braves system, though he’s very young and has yet to see the field in a professional game. Those reasons and the fact it’s hard to envision a world where he gets to the big leagues before late-2027 in even the most optimistic projections, are the only things keeping him from being higher on this list. He’s similar to Jose Perdomo in that he’s an exciting prospect with massive upside who is many years away, but should be fun to watch develop coming up the farm system over the next handful of years.
- Drake Baldwin - C
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, 3rd round pick
Drake Baldwin was a part of that potentially significant 2022 draft that has net the Braves seven Top 30 prospects. Eight, if you include Cole Philips who was used in the trade to acquire Jarred Kelenic. Baldwin was the team’s best player at Missouri State, won multiple academic awards, and was overall enjoyed by his teammates. He’s a true athlete, having been a two-sport star in high school, where he lead the state of Wisconsin in scoring as a Junior in basketball, before focusing on baseball in college. It was during his junior year, where his draft status shot up after hitting .341/.448/.647 leading him to be taken by the Braves in the third round.
Baldwin made two stops after being drafted. Three games in the FCL where he hit .375/.400/.625 and showed he was clearly too good for that league. He then settled in at Low-A Augusta where he hit .247/.396/.284 across 21 games while playing the most games he’s ever played (84, 2022 was previous high at 43). 2023 saw more success as he hit .260/.385/.466 in 92 games for the Rome Emperors before being promoted to Mississippi where he hit .321/.390/.396 in 14 games before finishing the season off in Gwinnett. So far this year, Baldwin hit .244/.313/.337 for Mississippi before being promoted to Gwinnett. Since that promotion, he has thrived hitting .284/.424/.474 and has firmly planted himself amongst the Top 5 prospects in the Braves organization.
Baldwin has a solid hit tool, especially, considering his position. He doesn’t expand his zone, and has a good approach at the plate that resulted in an outstanding 19% walk rate to go with a meager 15% strikeout rate. He’s got good bat speed and really good raw power that is beginning to show very well in game power. He’s hitting for power to all parts of the park. He handles a pitching staff well and is respected by not just his peers but also coaches. He has a solid arm that can help keep a run game in check. It’s not often you get catching prospects that are so well rounded and Drake Baldwin is certainly one of them.
- Owen Murphy - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, 1st Round Pick
Cracking the Top 3 on our midseason prospect list is 2022 first-rounder Owen Murphy. Murphy had a stellar start to the 2024 season before he was sidelined with an arm injury. Murphy posted a 4.72 ERA between Low-A and High-A In 2023. Normally for younger guys, it’s walks that plague them. While his numbers weren’t great — 32 walks in 89.2 innings — Murphy was consistently leaving too many pitches up in the zone which allowed hitters to take advantage.
After ending his 2023 season with Rome, Murphy was sent back to High-A to begin 2024. This time, the 20-year-old dominated hitters after seemingly flipped a switch. In seven starts, Murphy posted an elite 1.54 ERA across 41 innings to go along with 60 strikeouts. However, as mentioned above, Murphy suffered a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery which ended his season prematurely.
Prior to his injury, Murphy’s stuff obviously looked as good as it ever has. His fastball still sits in the low 90’s, but despite a little lower velocity, it is one of the best fastballs in the system. With his low release and good spin traits there’s a lot of carry behind it and it tends to get on hitters a lot quicker than the velocity suggests. The biggest development for Murphy this season was with his breaking stuff. Both his slider and curveball have shown potential, but the spin had been inconsistent and he hasn’t missed as many bats as hoped. Murphy has great command that could end up being plus or better.
Murphy will most-likely start his 2025 campaign on the IL barring any type of accelerated recovery. Whenever he’s deemed ready, he’ll most likely be back with Rome for a few starts to get his arm strength back up to speed before being bumped up to Double-A. As we’ve seen time and time again, the Braves are aggressive with arms they like in getting them to the majors, and Murphy fits that mold ten times over.
- Hurston Waldrep - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 MLB Draft, 1st Round Pick
Waldrep was aggressively ranked following an incredible professional debut in 2023, which saw him make it all the way to Triple-A in his draft year. Despite this rare feat, he was sent back to Double-A to start 2024 where he struggled early. The Braves felt it necessary to have Waldrep focus on his fastball and slider command, and reduced the usage of his splitter to force him to use those two more often. He struggled with this for awhile, but got more of the hang of things and started dominating hitters once again. Then they added back in his splitter and it wasn’t long before he forced his way up to Triple-A where he opened with 11 strikeouts in his first outing. That was enough for the Braves to give him a call up to Atlanta, where he struggled in two starts before going on the injured list with some elbow soreness.
The verdict is still out on how Waldrep will project at the next level. His split-changeup is the best pitch in the system right now. A truly nasty offering that misses bats in and out of the zone. This gives him a certain floor, but his command and other pitches are so far behind that MLB hitters were able to just spit on the splitter in his debut and wait on his fastball. Despite his fastball sitting in the mid-90’s it’s not as effective as that velocity suggests. Waldrep’s high release gives it a cut-carry shape that hasn’t shown the ability to miss bats in the zone. His slider could be plus as well, but he struggles to locate it consistently. All of this is my way of saying Waldrep wasn’t ready yet and I’m not stressing his debut struggles. We knew he was still a work in progress and the move was a move of necessity and not confidence. He will go back to Triple-A where hopefully he will get more time to work out his mechanical inconsistencies and continue to improve the location of his fastball and slider.
Some things I would like to see from Waldrep are a more distinct slider shape, and adding a pitch at a different velocity. He currently throws his slider and changeup at around the same speed. Giving a little bit more deception would allow his fastball to play up more, be it a curveball like the one he threw in college or a true cutter, Waldrep’s arsenal is solid but can sometimes be a bit awkward to fit together. All that said, I don’t want to be too negative here. Waldrep’s splitter is as quality of pitch that few players can even approach, and his fastball velocity is plus as well. He is a high-energy competitor known for being a perfectionist, and works hard to maximize his abilities. Both of which feed confidence that he can smooth over his wrinkles and utilize a splitter that alone gives him late-inning relief potential. If all goes well you could be looking at a No. 2 starter, though given his current skillset I would be more apt to project him as a No. 4 starter.
- AJ Smith-Shawver - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 MLB Draft, 7th Round Pick
It’s well established that the Battery Power crew loves AJ Smith-Shawver. We ranked him as our top prospect in the preseason and he has further improved our projection for him. He was the unanimous pick for the top prospect in the system.
Smith-Shawver has every trait you look for in a starter, and he put it together so much quicker than anyone ever expected that it’s been a whirlwind watching him progress. He has improved his fastball velocity even further to where he now touches 100 mph and averages over 95 mph. He also has above average carry on the pitch which allows the velocity to play up a bit. The Braves made efforts to smooth out a hitch in his delivery and get him moving more downhill and extending better, adjusting his arm slot all of which have added up to better command and an increase in whiff rate on his fastball.
Smith-Shawver works with two breaking balls, and this season the Braves have often moved to favoring his curveball over his slider though both can be average or better pitches. He struggled with his slider spin after making his debut in 2023, but has spun it better and commanded the pitch much better this season. Smith-Shawver locates his curveball better, but many have confidence he will be able to reclaim success with the slider that helped him dominate the lower minors. While his slider is a mid-80’s offering, his curveball comes in at the upper 70’s and it too has seen a stark increase in spin rate this season. If you look at his results in the shadow and chase zones, despite on overall significant decrease in his whiff rate on both his curveball and slider, his whiff rate on his curveball has increased this season while only marginally decreasing on his slider. When he locates those pitches, they are still effective. They just haven’t been properly located often enough this season.
The pitch that has truly revolutionized Smith-Shawver’s arsenal is his splitter, which he has drastically increased usage of this season. He has done a fantastic job of killing spin on the pitch to increase movement, and commands the pitch well given its nascent development. The splitter has been Smith-Shawver’s best secondary and could project to being a plus pitch at maturity which would give him an enviable four-pitch mix for any pitcher. The knock on Smith-Shawver is that he has somewhat stalled out at Triple-A, and I want to use that phrase loosely because he’s 21 and still fairly new to pitching. As someone who follows the system on a daily basis and watches all of Smith-Shawver’s starts, I see why his numbers may not be as dominant as they were in the lower minor leagues, but I also see the direction the process is heading. Smith-Shawver gets praise for his makeup and work ethic, is an elite athlete, and has shown a propensity for learning pitches far beyond his years. He needs refinement, especially in locating and shaping his breaking balls, but he has an arsenal that could fit as a No. 2 pitcher at maturity and is already major league quality. He should get a chance to start for Atlanta full time next season, where we are confident he will stay for a long time.
Link to original article
