Atlanta, GA
3 Burning Questions Facing the Atlanta Braves Midway Through Spring Training
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Atlanta Braves’ path to the postseason will be a tumultuous one, even though they remain one of the most talented teams in MLB.
In order to clinch an eight consecutive playoff berth, the Braves will have to overcome some tough injury luck yet again, in addition to navigating a division chock full of potential powerhouses. Their ability to do so will be tested this spring, both in the leadup to the regular season and the early days of it.
Reporting live from spring training down in Florida, Fastball On SI staff writer Sam Connon broke down the three biggest questions hanging over the Braves midway through camp.
Will Drake Baldwin emerge as a true MLB catcher?
The Braves got dealt a tough blow when Sean Murphy was ruled out 4-to-6 weeks with a fractured rib on Monday, costing them a bona fide All-Star behind the plate.
Veteran Travis d’Arnaud isn’t around to step up anymore, as he joined the Los Angeles Angels in free agency following five seasons in Atlanta. The only other catcher who saw MLB action with the Braves in 2024 was Chadwick Tromp, who is about to turn 30 and has just 151 career big league at-bats under his belt.
That leaves the door wide open for Drake Baldwin, who isn’t even on the Braves’ 40-man roster.
Baldwin is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Atlanta’s farm system. MLB Pipeline has him pegged as the No. 62 prospect in baseball, which is good for seventh-highest among catchers.
Since getting drafted by the Braves in 2022, Baldwin has hit .272 with 32 home runs, 50 doubles, 158 RBIs and an .807 OPS in 257 minor league games. So far this spring, he is batting .333 with an .883 OPS.
Baldwin figures to be a key part of the Braves’ future, even once Murphy returns to full strength. But if he can prove to be a starting-caliber catcher right out of the gates, then Atlanta could find themselves with one of the best one-two catching punches in the sport all season long.
How will the back end of the rotation shake out?
Max Fried is gone, as is Charlie Morton. Even Spencer Strider is likely to miss the first month of the regular season recovering from elbow surgery.
Reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale remains atop the rotation, supported by Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach. While those three give the Braves’ rotation a high floor, the group’s ceiling could be decided by who fills out the back end.
Grant Holmes posted a 3.56 ERA and 1.1 WAR in 68.1 innings last season, but just seven of his 26 appearances were starts. Ian Anderson may have posted a 3.25 ERA across his first 30 MLB starts, but he hasn’t pitched an inning in MLB since his ERA ballooned to 5.00 in 2022.
Homegrown righties AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep, who have both already made their MLB debuts, are among the most hyped pitching prospects the Braves have. And yet, the former got shelled in the postseason and the latter made two starts in June before getting sent back down.
Bryce Elder also saw his ERA climb to 6.52 in 10 starts last season after he was an All-Star in 2023.
Atlanta has plenty of options when it comes to their fourth and fifth starters. Each one seems like a wild card, though, so the last few weeks of spring training will surely prove critical to how the race plays out.
Can anyone challenge Orlando Arcia at shortstop?
Orlando Arcia was an All-Star in 2023. He was anything but in 2024.
Arcia’s batting average and OPS dropped from .264 and .741 to .218 and .625, respectively. And after being a plus defender during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, Arcia has posted -7 defensive runs saved over the past two seasons.
The most notable outside competitor the Braves brought in to go against Arcia is Nick Allen, who they acquired in a trade with the Athletics. The 26-year-old is a career .209 hitter with a .537 OPS, but he is batting .417 with a .962 OPS so far this spring.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. is the Braves’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. However, the 21-year-old was 0-for-6 in the Grapefruit League before he suffered a wrist injury last week.
Alvarez is slated to return to action in the coming days, giving him a chance to reset the board and come back out firing on all cylinders. Even if he doesn’t match Allen’s exhibition numbers, Alvarez could do enough to prove some doubters wrong.
Arcia’s job is right there for the taking. Now it’s just a matter of whether or not someone can actually snatch it.
Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.
The public is getting its first look at the two pandas that will be heading from China to Zoo Atlanta.
NBC’s Janis Mackey Frayer was able to visit female Fu Shuang and male Ping Ping before they make the nearly 8,000-mile flight. The giant pandas are both 6 years old and are headed to the United States as part of a new decade-long conservation agreement between China and the U.S.
Ping Ping’s keepers say he tends to follow them around, which is atypical behavior for a panda, but may be because of the food they have for him. Fu Shuang — which translates to “double happiness” — is playful, but nervous, and enjoys placing her chin on her paw. She also likes apples and has a penchant for finding them.
“Because we will hide pieces of apples, for example under the tree … she can find them everywhere,” panda keeper Wang Shun told Mackey Frayer, noting her “clever” behavior.
The pandas are part of an international cooperative research agreement on giant panda conservation between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a renewal of panda diplomacy between America and China that began in 1972.
“Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species and to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the continued conservation and research efforts that are the most important outcomes of this cooperation,” Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond B. King said in a statement in April.
“We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas.”
Pandas are already at zoos in Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Zoo Atlanta maintained a panda agreement with China from 1999 until 2024, when Lun Lun and Yang Yang went back to their home country, along with their two youngest cubs.
Animal behaviorist James Ayala marvels at how pandas mature.
“You see cubs and they seem so cuddly and clumsy and cute. And then they grow up into these big, majestic bears,” he told Mackey Frayer.
Fu Shuang and Ping Ping will be transported further south into a mountainous region where they will be prepped to make the trip to the U.S. It is unknown when they will leave.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Soccer fever took over The Battery Atlanta on Thursday as fans gathered outside Truist Park for a rare chance to see the FIFA World Cup trophy in person.
Children kicked soccer balls across the plaza while crowds counted down to the dramatic reveal of the iconic trophy, widely considered the most coveted prize in international sports.
The appearance marked the first public viewing of the FIFA World Cup trophy in Atlanta.
“It’s the real trophy,” said fan Abdulrahman Dwead. “Nobody is allowed to touch the actual trophy unless you won it or are the president of FIFA. So, me standing beside that cup, that’s an honor to me.”
The trophy stop carried extra significance because Atlanta is one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Local fans said the event gave them a deeper sense of excitement ahead of the tournament.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Melissa Richardson. “It’s something that doesn’t happen often and to be here in this moment is very important to me.”
The trophy was displayed outside the ballpark before moving inside Monument Garden during Thursday night’s Braves game, allowing ticket holders another opportunity to see the historic prize.
Organizers said the event gave thousands of fans a rare chance to experience a piece of soccer history in Atlanta.
“I’m so happy that Atlanta will host eight games,” Dwead said. “I’ve been here in Atlanta for almost 14 years and I love Atlanta so much.”
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
The Atlanta Dream are undefeated heading into their home opener and still finding ways to improve their roster.
The Dream announced Wednesday the signing of forward Amy Okonkwo to a developmental contract. It’s the latest roster move for an Atlanta team that is 2-0 and gearing up to play Sunday against the defending champion, Las Vegas Aces.
Okonkwo brings an impressive résumé despite her young career.
She most recently attended training camp with the Dallas Wings ahead of the 2026 season and appeared in eight games with Dallas during the 2025 WNBA season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field. She recorded a career-high 20 points against Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025, and made history as the first undrafted player since 2000 to average 10 or more points while shooting 60 percent or better through her first two WNBA games.
Her international résumé is equally impressive. Okonkwo has earned back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP honors in 2023 and 2025 while helping Nigeria’s national team capture consecutive gold medals. Collegiately, she played at USC before finishing her career at TCU, where she earned 2018 Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Okonkwo joins a 12-player roster that includes Naz Hillmon, Te-Hina Paopao, Jordin Canada, Angel Reese, Aaliyah Nye, Rhyne Howard, Madina Okot, Allisha Gray, Isobel Borlase, Indya Nivar, Sika Kone and Brionna Jones.
The signing caps a busy stretch of roster moves for Atlanta.
Earlier this month, the Dream claimed guard Aaliyah Nye off waivers after she was selected by the expansion Toronto Tempo in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft and subsequently waived on May 7. Nye brings championship pedigree to Atlanta, having been a member of the 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces as a rookie, appearing in all 44 regular season games and finishing fourth among franchise rookies in made three-pointers with 37.
A guard out of the University of Alabama, Nye is one of the sharper shooters in the league. She finished her college career with 389 three-pointers across stops at Alabama and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. In her final season with the Crimson Tide, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors after averaging 15.2 points per game and setting the program’s single-season record with 111 made three-pointers.
To make room for Nye, the Dream waived guard Holly Winterburn, a move that came with an emotional cost. Winterburn, a Northampton, England native who went undrafted in 2025 before signing with Atlanta as a free agent, said she learned she had been cut just before boarding the bus for the team’s first game of the season on May 9.
“I thought my welcome to the W moment would happen on the court, not as I’m getting on the bus for my first ever game,” Winterburn wrote on Instagram. “But that’s the reality of this business and I will always be grateful for the opportunity Atlanta gave me. I’m built for this.”
Winterburn did not stay without a job for long. The Portland Fire signed her to a developmental contract shortly after her release.
After Tuesday’s road win in Dallas, the Dream return home Sunday to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
-
New York36 minutes agoQuestions Arise About Jack Schlossberg’s Readiness for Congress
-
Los Angeles, Ca42 minutes agoLos Angeles releases searchable list of worst rental properties
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoMLB News & Moments: Mets Gain Much-Needed Momentum by Sweeping Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoWhere to Find Free Street Parking for Shows in San Francisco | KQED
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoDallas Stars Forward Would Be Perfect Trade Target for NY Rangers
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoJetBlue to pull out of N.H.’s largest airport amid capacity crisis, officials announce – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver area events for May 15
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoFriday Roundtable: Free Summer Shuttles