Spring training 2.0 for the Atlanta Braves is getting closer and the team announced a first 56-man pool on Sunday. With four open duty rosters, Atlanta has the flexibility to expand its pool from outside the company or add more prospects to the list at a later date. So keep this in mind when people like Trey Harris and Greyson Jenista are missing. Another thing to keep in mind is that this group of players is split into two groups and trains at Truist Park and Gwinnett. It’s a big part of the decision to take seven catchers to handle the 30 jugs in the pool.
Lefties (12): Tucker Davidson, Grant Dayton, Max Fried, Cole Hamels, Tyler Matzek, AJ Minter, Kyle Muller, Sean Newcomb, Philip Pfeifer, Chris Rusin, Jared Shuster, Will Smith
No real surprises in the left-handed group. Both Tyler Matzek and Chris Rusin were in the spring camp and Matzek was particularly impressive. It’s no surprise that they would stick to a few more left-handed help options. Kyle Muller is one of the team’s best pitching candidates and probably not far from a chance. The other non-squad player is Jared Shuster from the first round in 2020, who will get his first impression of the professional ball with the big club.
According to reports, the Braves expect Cole Hamels to be ready when the season begins. Hamels was slowed down by shoulder infections in the spring and should miss at least the first month of the regular season. Atlanta may try to limit its workload early, but it should be ready to face a setback.
Right-handed (18): Ian Anderson *, Jasseel De La Cruz, Mike Foltynewicz, Shane Greene, Felix Hernandez *, Luke Jackson, Chris Martin, Mark Melancon, Darren O’Day, Chad Sobotka, Mike Soroka, Josh Tomlin *, Touki Toussaint , Jacob Webb, Patrick Weigel, Bryse Wilson, Kyle Wright and Huascar Ynoa
The right-handed group includes three non-squad additions to Ian Anderson and veterans Felix Hernandez and Josh Tomlin. It looked like Hernandez was on the way to secure a place in the rotation before the spring training ended. He will resume this move when the camp opens next week. Anderson seemed set for a debut in 2020 and could be an option as the Braves will undoubtedly be charging weapons early on. Tomlin was brought back at the beginning of spring for reasons of depth and could serve as a relief option for several innings.
Atlanta put reliever Jeremy Walker on the 45-day injured list earlier this week, freeing up a place on the 40-man squad. If the team adds more than one non-squad player, a subsequent 40-man squad move is required.
Catcher (7): Logan Brown *, William Contreras, Travis d’Arnaud, Tyler Flowers, Alex Jackson, Shea Langeliers *, Jonathan Morales *
This is a large group, but keep in mind that the Braves will train 30 pitchers in two different locations, and Atlanta currently has four catchers on the 40-man roster. Shea Langeliers is the big name here and he was impressive at the Big League Camp this spring. Logan Brown spent the past season in Rome and Florida, while Morales was organizationally deep at the time.
Many roster projections had teams with three catchers, but I don’t think the Braves are able to do this. Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers are the clear starters, apart from injuries. With Alex Jackson and William Contreras already on the 40-man squad, Atlanta could assign you to the taxi team and activate you if there was an injury to d’Arnaud or Flowers.
Infielders (12): Ozzie Albies, over there Alonso *, Johan Camargo, Charlie Culberson *, Freddie Freeman, Adeiny Hechavarria, Pete Kozma *, Peter O’Brien *, Austin Riley, Braden Shewmake *, Yangervis Solarte *, Dansby Swanson
As expected, Atlanta brings many experienced infielder to the camp as insurance. This group includes six non-squad players, including Braden Shewmake from the first round of 2019. The others over there are Alonso, Charlie Culberson, Pete Kozma, Peter O’Brien and Yangervis Solarte. Culberson is the most likely representative of the group fighting for a roster position. However, keep an eye on O’Brien, who could be right-handed from the bank. The others are available if an unexpected violation occurs.
Outfielder (7): Ronald Acuña Jr., Adam Duvall, Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Marcell Ozuna, Cristian Pache and Drew Waters *
Top prospect Drew Waters is the only non-squad recruit for the Braves outfield group. I don’t particularly see Waters as a likely option for the team in 2020, but inclusion in this pool should support its development. It will be interesting to see what happens to Cristian Pache, who is already on the 40-man squad. At the moment he seems to be outside and is looking at an already crowded situation, but could be driving the problem forward like Austin Riley last season.
Another thing to keep in mind with this outfield group is the status of Adam Duvall, who has type 1 diabetes and could cancel the 2020 season.
In the end there were no big surprises with this first pool. The Atlanta farm system is top heavy and this is reflected in this group as some of their top prospects have already made their Major League debut or are knocking on the door. The position player group seems to have a lot of veteran depth, while each of the 30 pitchers in the camp could realistically see some action.
