The Atlanta Braves have a few young pitching standouts waiting to make an impact in the minor leagues. However, one of them is seen as the best prepared to jump into action.
Bleacher Reports’ Joel Reuter released his list of most MLB-ready prospects per team and named the Braves No. 2 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver.
He’s seen a decent amount of MLB action already with moderate, so it makes him an easy pick among the rest of the prospect pool.
Along with the experience he already has under his belt, Reuter likes the 22-year-old righty for his arsenal.
“Smith-Shawver has terrific pure stuff with an upper 90s fastball, plus slider and quality curveball and changeup, and he has performed well in limited MLB action with a 3.64 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 29.2 innings,” Reuter wrote.
Reuter expected him to compete with Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder and fellow pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep (No. 3) for a spot at the back end of the Braves rotation.
Smith-Shawver could have potentially already been in the starting rotation if not for an injury he sustained after one MLB start last season. He had a Grade 2 oblique strain and he missed a couple months. After that, he went back to Triple-A.
In 20 Triple-A starts, he had a 4.86 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, a .215 opponent’s average and 104 strikeouts in 87 innings.
He did come back up to pitch the first game of the Wild Card series in October. The Braves opting to start him at least shows they think he was MLB-ready enough to roll the dice.
Even if he doesn’t crack the rotation out of Spring Training, presumably, he will make an appearance with the Braves in some fashion during the regular. The Braves might need a spot starter or bullpen depth and he provides and in-house option with the talent and promise.