Connect with us

Atlanta, GA

3 Burning Questions Facing the Atlanta Braves Midway Through Spring Training

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.





Source link

Advertisement

Atlanta, GA

2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say

Published

on

2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say


Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.

The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.

Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.

Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.

Advertisement

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.

Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.

Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.

At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”

“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.

Advertisement

The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.

Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.



Source link

Continue Reading

Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More

Published

on

Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More


On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.



Source link

Continue Reading

Atlanta, GA

Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo

Published

on

Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo


play

An NBA player from an opposing team has called on the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves around celebrating a well-known local gentleman’s club.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet asked the Hawks to reconsider their “Magic City Monday” plans for a March 16 game against the Orlando Magic in a letter posted to Medium on Monday, March 2. Atlanta’s ownership group and front office recently touted the one-night collaboration as an ode to an “iconic cultural institution,” citing Magic City’s role and impact in Atlanta’s Black communities and hip-hop culture in the announcement.

Advertisement

But Kornet wrote that “the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.’ “

“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet continued. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”

Advertisement

Magic City Kitchen is also slated to serve two versions of its “world famous” lemon pepper wings – Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ – at the March 16 game. The flavor is named after three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner, Lou Williams. Rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime and limited edition Magic City merchandise will be available to purchase at the game.

Magic City celebrated 40 years with a five-part STARZ docuseries, ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’ that was produced by Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri. Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney and T.I. are scheduled to record a live podcast from inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena before the game.

Kornet, 30, hopes the Hawks and NBA officials listen to him instead.

“I’d like to encourage the league, its owners, employees and fans to hold the Atlanta Hawks to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting,” Kornet wrote. “I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision. We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”

Advertisement

Luke Kornet stats

Kornet is averaging a career-best 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first season with the Spurs. This is the sixth team he’s played for in his nine NBA seasons, with his previous four years spent on the Boston Celtics.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending