<img alt="MLB: OCT 01 Mets at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UePNIIv9tSfZfDBKDMIvIhJfpGs=/0x377:2400x1977/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73560990/1235637339.0.jpg">
Spencer Strider made his regular season debut on October 1, 2021. | Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Going back to 1990, here’s a brief review of each season’s expanded roster and notable debuts or additions. Starting last season, MLB has allowed teams to only call-up two additional players on September 1 (excluding double-headers) in a change from the prior rule that allowed up the entirety of the organization’s 40-man roster to be on the active roster, if so chosen.
While a 40-man active roster led to issues as modern baseball evolved to include more specialists, reducing the roster limit to 28 still seems like an overreaction. Hopefully in the future, the September 1 rosters will increase to 32 or 34 players - even if game-day active roster is instituted - to allow more players to see MLB action and give teams more flexibility in the season’s last four weeks.
With John Brebbia and Eli White added on September 1 this year, Braves fans aren’t likely to remember much about the 2024 season’s roster expansion a decade from now.
But that hasn’t always been the case. Going back to 1990, here’s a look at some of the notable Atlanta Braves roster additions that happened after September 1.
The Nineties
1990: Pitcher Paul Marak made his major league debut on September 1. He made seven starts for the Braves from then until the end of the season and never pitched in the majors again. For those wondering, Steve Avery debuted earlier in the season and pitched in September, starting five games, but averaging only three innings per start.
1991: Damon Berryhill and Mike Bielecki. With the Braves nearing the end of their iconic worst-to-first season, the Braves traded to prospect Turk Wendell - and fellow pitcher Yorkis Perez for catcher Berryhill and starting pitcher Bielecki late in September. Because the trade happened only days before the end of the regular season, neither player was eligible for the playoffs, but both played a role on the 1992 team. September 1 also saw the debut of infielder Vinny Castilla.
1992: The Braves had a loaded minor league system in the early 1990s. Although Castilla debuted in ‘91, ‘92 saw the debut of pitchers Armando Reynoso, Pedro Borbon, Jr. infielder/outfielder Ryan Klesko and catcher Javy Lopez.
1993: One big thing jumps out about the post-September 1 roster expansion: The much-anticipated debut for future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.
1994: We all know what happened 30 years ago. There was no September.
1995: It was the World Series-winning season. The Braves pulled off a trade at the old August 31 waiver-wire deadline to bring in former late-inning reliever Alejandro Peña, who would make his season debut with Atlanta on September 2. Several prospects also debuted, including pitcher Terrell Wade, infielder Ed Giovanola and franchise stalwart Eddie Perez.
1996: All the action in ‘96 took place in late August when the Braves traded for Denny Neagle in what was ultimately a swap of starting pitchers with Jason Schmidt going to Pittsburgh, but that deal happened in the last couple of days of August.
1997: Another quiet year after September, with the Braves did pick up catcher Greg Myers in mid-September for some added depth and bring up first baseman Randall Simon for his debut. The most notable name that was added after September 1 is one of the reasons why expanded rosters can be so important to the players. The team added outfielder Tommy Gregg to the roster. Gregg spent parts of nine season in the majors - including a run with Atlanta from 1988 to 1992. Gregg battled injuries throughout his career and only appeared in 100 or more games twice, but the 13 games he saw action in during 1997 - primarily as a pitch-hitter - marked the last of his MLB career during the regular season. He hit well enough that he was included on the team’s post-season roster and he pinch-hit in four games in the ill-fated series against the Florida Marlins.
1998: Although they didn’t have the same impact as some of the players who debuted a half-decade before them, the September roster expansion allowed for five of the organization’s top prospects to debut. That included starting pitchers Odalis Perez and Bruce Chen, infielders Wes Helms and Mark DeRosa and outfielder George Lombard.
1999: The was the last World Series team until the 2021 team with a few players added, none of whom had much impact. The team added several major league depth pieces - catcher Jorge Fabregas, pitcher Sean Bergman and outfielder Freddy Garcia - and minor league pitcher Everett Stull.
<img alt="Braves v Cubs X" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UT8m0Mhdved63IIU_epfg7fxZiE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25601270/609633.jpg">
Julio Franco was a spry 42 when he returned to MLB in 2001.
The Aughts
2000: Not much to see here other than catcher Mike Hubbard getting a few games as a Braves, Pedro Swann making his debut and Kevin McGlinchy making his last MLB appearances.
2001: Now we are cooking again. September saw Julio Franco return to MLB after the Braves brought him in from Mexico at age 42. He’d go on to play until 2007. Legend. Reliever Rudy Seanez came over from the Padres and joined Atlanta after the rosters expanded. Several prospects debuted including reliever Tim Spooneybarger and top infield prospect Wilson Betemit who was only 19.
2002: John Foster debuted. As did Trey Hodges. It was a simpler time. Real ones remember.
2003: Ryan Langerhans came up after debuting in 2002. Jaret Wright got starts after being picked up from the Padres before having his stunning 2004 season.
2004: Dan Meyer, who was part of the trade that brought Tim Hudson to Atlanta, debuted.
2005: Chuck James, starting pitcher and window installer, debuted.
2006: Daryle Ward appeared in 20 games after a waiver wire trade?
2007: Julio Franco made his last appearances in MLB.
2008: Shrug.
2009: Maybe this was a mistake.
The Teens
2010: We back! Freddie Freeman, whom you might recall, made his debut on September 1. Although he debuted earlier in the season, September is when Craig Kimbrel established himself, making 12 appearances in September and setting the stage for his incredible run as the Braves closer starting in 2011. Starting pitcher Brandon Beachy, whose career was one of many Braves during that era to see their career shortened due to arm injuries, also debuted.
2011: Matt Diaz returned to Atlanta. Randall Delgado debuted. Although Julio Teheran had debuted earlier in the season, he got three starts in September. The late Anthony Varvaro has been up with Atlanta earlier in the year but was used extensively in September.
2012: Jeff Baker debuted with Atlanta and hit .105. Lyle Overbay appeared in 20 games and received 21 plate appearances. Ben Sheets made his final major league appearance as did Miguel Batista. Did you remember any of those four played with Atlanta?
2013: Freddy Garcia, the pitcher, became part of Braves lore. Christian Bethancourt debuted.
2014: Chasen Shreve saw a lot of action in September. That’s something.
2015: The highlight of the year was the debut of top prospect Ryan Weber after the rosters expanded.
2016: Dansby Swanson began his run as the Braves shortstop a few weeks before rosters expanded and Anthony Recker caught some in September. Josh Collmenter and his crazy delivery made his Braves debut.
2017: Third base prospect Rio Ruiz debuted as did starting pitcher Luiz Gohara. Micah Johnson, now quite the artist, appeared in the final 13 MLB games of his career but in nine of those game he didn’t receive a plate appearance.
2018: Touki Toussaint showed some promise in six September appearances. Kevin Gausman made five starts. I’m sure everyone remembers Rene Rivera’s three games with Atlanta. Remember when Lucas Duda pitch hit in almost every game in September and made the Braves postseason roster? There was lot of roster churn in September. Remember Michael Reed? He was an outfielder.
2019: Good times for obscure catchers in Braves history with Francisco Cervelli playing in 10 games in September and John Ryan Murphy getting a single plate appearance in his only game with Atlanta. Brian McCann came off the IL for his last run in the majors to start the month. The biggest impact of the September roster additions may have been Darren O’Day who made his Braves debut late in September pitched his way into the post-season.
The Twenties
2020: This year was jacked. Because of the late start of the season, players will still getting signed and invited to spring training in the middle of September. Don’t believe it? Ask Pablo Sandoval.
2021: World Series winning season. As with most seasons, relievers, catching depth and reserve roster spots turned over but Dylan Lee made his debut - and then made history when he started a World Series game. Some guy named Spencer Strider also debuted.
2022: The last year of the old expanded roster rules. It brought us Rylan Brannon and Silvino Bracho. Kirby Yates returned from injury to pitch in a few games late in September. Jesse Chavez returned, again, to give the Braves lots of meaningful September innings.
2023: With the new 28-man roster in play, there were a copious number of transactions as players came and went as the Braves attempted to maximize their depth.
As the success of Immaculate Grid showed when it took the internet by storm a while back, people do love their obscure baseball players. That was a silver lining of the old expanded roster rules.
The game has changed in the last 30 years so the days of a top prospect playing all season at Triple-A before getting some big league experience in late September has largely faded away.
Now, so to will the hope of a prospect that has a good three-week showing as the season winds down, only to never find grander success in the show. Call it the end of the Gary Eave generation.
<img alt="MLB: OCT 01 Mets at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UePNIIv9tSfZfDBKDMIvIhJfpGs=/0x377:2400x1977/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73560990/1235637339.0.jpg">
Spencer Strider made his regular season debut on October 1, 2021. | Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Going back to 1990, here’s a brief review of each season’s expanded roster and notable debuts or additions. Starting last season, MLB has allowed teams to only call-up two additional players on September 1 (excluding double-headers) in a change from the prior rule that allowed up the entirety of the organization’s 40-man roster to be on the active roster, if so chosen.
While a 40-man active roster led to issues as modern baseball evolved to include more specialists, reducing the roster limit to 28 still seems like an overreaction. Hopefully in the future, the September 1 rosters will increase to 32 or 34 players - even if game-day active roster is instituted - to allow more players to see MLB action and give teams more flexibility in the season’s last four weeks.
With John Brebbia and Eli White added on September 1 this year, Braves fans aren’t likely to remember much about the 2024 season’s roster expansion a decade from now.
But that hasn’t always been the case. Going back to 1990, here’s a look at some of the notable Atlanta Braves roster additions that happened after September 1.
The Nineties
1990: Pitcher Paul Marak made his major league debut on September 1. He made seven starts for the Braves from then until the end of the season and never pitched in the majors again. For those wondering, Steve Avery debuted earlier in the season and pitched in September, starting five games, but averaging only three innings per start.
1991: Damon Berryhill and Mike Bielecki. With the Braves nearing the end of their iconic worst-to-first season, the Braves traded to prospect Turk Wendell - and fellow pitcher Yorkis Perez for catcher Berryhill and starting pitcher Bielecki late in September. Because the trade happened only days before the end of the regular season, neither player was eligible for the playoffs, but both played a role on the 1992 team. September 1 also saw the debut of infielder Vinny Castilla.
1992: The Braves had a loaded minor league system in the early 1990s. Although Castilla debuted in ‘91, ‘92 saw the debut of pitchers Armando Reynoso, Pedro Borbon, Jr. infielder/outfielder Ryan Klesko and catcher Javy Lopez.
1993: One big thing jumps out about the post-September 1 roster expansion: The much-anticipated debut for future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.
1994: We all know what happened 30 years ago. There was no September.
1995: It was the World Series-winning season. The Braves pulled off a trade at the old August 31 waiver-wire deadline to bring in former late-inning reliever Alejandro Peña, who would make his season debut with Atlanta on September 2. Several prospects also debuted, including pitcher Terrell Wade, infielder Ed Giovanola and franchise stalwart Eddie Perez.
1996: All the action in ‘96 took place in late August when the Braves traded for Denny Neagle in what was ultimately a swap of starting pitchers with Jason Schmidt going to Pittsburgh, but that deal happened in the last couple of days of August.
1997: Another quiet year after September, with the Braves did pick up catcher Greg Myers in mid-September for some added depth and bring up first baseman Randall Simon for his debut. The most notable name that was added after September 1 is one of the reasons why expanded rosters can be so important to the players. The team added outfielder Tommy Gregg to the roster. Gregg spent parts of nine season in the majors - including a run with Atlanta from 1988 to 1992. Gregg battled injuries throughout his career and only appeared in 100 or more games twice, but the 13 games he saw action in during 1997 - primarily as a pitch-hitter - marked the last of his MLB career during the regular season. He hit well enough that he was included on the team’s post-season roster and he pinch-hit in four games in the ill-fated series against the Florida Marlins.
1998: Although they didn’t have the same impact as some of the players who debuted a half-decade before them, the September roster expansion allowed for five of the organization’s top prospects to debut. That included starting pitchers Odalis Perez and Bruce Chen, infielders Wes Helms and Mark DeRosa and outfielder George Lombard.
1999: The was the last World Series team until the 2021 team with a few players added, none of whom had much impact. The team added several major league depth pieces - catcher Jorge Fabregas, pitcher Sean Bergman and outfielder Freddy Garcia - and minor league pitcher Everett Stull.
<img alt="Braves v Cubs X" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UT8m0Mhdved63IIU_epfg7fxZiE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25601270/609633.jpg">
Julio Franco was a spry 42 when he returned to MLB in 2001.
The Aughts
2000: Not much to see here other than catcher Mike Hubbard getting a few games as a Braves, Pedro Swann making his debut and Kevin McGlinchy making his last MLB appearances.
2001: Now we are cooking again. September saw Julio Franco return to MLB after the Braves brought him in from Mexico at age 42. He’d go on to play until 2007. Legend. Reliever Rudy Seanez came over from the Padres and joined Atlanta after the rosters expanded. Several prospects debuted including reliever Tim Spooneybarger and top infield prospect Wilson Betemit who was only 19.
2002: John Foster debuted. As did Trey Hodges. It was a simpler time. Real ones remember.
2003: Ryan Langerhans came up after debuting in 2002. Jaret Wright got starts after being picked up from the Padres before having his stunning 2004 season.
2004: Dan Meyer, who was part of the trade that brought Tim Hudson to Atlanta, debuted.
2005: Chuck James, starting pitcher and window installer, debuted.
2006: Daryle Ward appeared in 20 games after a waiver wire trade?
2007: Julio Franco made his last appearances in MLB.
2008: Shrug.
2009: Maybe this was a mistake.
The Teens
2010: We back! Freddie Freeman, whom you might recall, made his debut on September 1. Although he debuted earlier in the season, September is when Craig Kimbrel established himself, making 12 appearances in September and setting the stage for his incredible run as the Braves closer starting in 2011. Starting pitcher Brandon Beachy, whose career was one of many Braves during that era to see their career shortened due to arm injuries, also debuted.
2011: Matt Diaz returned to Atlanta. Randall Delgado debuted. Although Julio Teheran had debuted earlier in the season, he got three starts in September. The late Anthony Varvaro has been up with Atlanta earlier in the year but was used extensively in September.
2012: Jeff Baker debuted with Atlanta and hit .105. Lyle Overbay appeared in 20 games and received 21 plate appearances. Ben Sheets made his final major league appearance as did Miguel Batista. Did you remember any of those four played with Atlanta?
2013: Freddy Garcia, the pitcher, became part of Braves lore. Christian Bethancourt debuted.
2014: Chasen Shreve saw a lot of action in September. That’s something.
2015: The highlight of the year was the debut of top prospect Ryan Weber after the rosters expanded.
2016: Dansby Swanson began his run as the Braves shortstop a few weeks before rosters expanded and Anthony Recker caught some in September. Josh Collmenter and his crazy delivery made his Braves debut.
2017: Third base prospect Rio Ruiz debuted as did starting pitcher Luiz Gohara. Micah Johnson, now quite the artist, appeared in the final 13 MLB games of his career but in nine of those game he didn’t receive a plate appearance.
2018: Touki Toussaint showed some promise in six September appearances. Kevin Gausman made five starts. I’m sure everyone remembers Rene Rivera’s three games with Atlanta. Remember when Lucas Duda pitch hit in almost every game in September and made the Braves postseason roster? There was lot of roster churn in September. Remember Michael Reed? He was an outfielder.
2019: Good times for obscure catchers in Braves history with Francisco Cervelli playing in 10 games in September and John Ryan Murphy getting a single plate appearance in his only game with Atlanta. Brian McCann came off the IL for his last run in the majors to start the month. The biggest impact of the September roster additions may have been Darren O’Day who made his Braves debut late in September pitched his way into the post-season.
The Twenties
2020: This year was jacked. Because of the late start of the season, players will still getting signed and invited to spring training in the middle of September. Don’t believe it? Ask Pablo Sandoval.
2021: World Series winning season. As with most seasons, relievers, catching depth and reserve roster spots turned over but Dylan Lee made his debut - and then made history when he started a World Series game. Some guy named Spencer Strider also debuted.
2022: The last year of the old expanded roster rules. It brought us Rylan Brannon and Silvino Bracho. Kirby Yates returned from injury to pitch in a few games late in September. Jesse Chavez returned, again, to give the Braves lots of meaningful September innings.
2023: With the new 28-man roster in play, there were a copious number of transactions as players came and went as the Braves attempted to maximize their depth.
As the success of Immaculate Grid showed when it took the internet by storm a while back, people do love their obscure baseball players. That was a silver lining of the old expanded roster rules.
The game has changed in the last 30 years so the days of a top prospect playing all season at Triple-A before getting some big league experience in late September has largely faded away.
Now, so to will the hope of a prospect that has a good three-week showing as the season winds down, only to never find grander success in the show. Call it the end of the Gary Eave generation.
Link to original article
