The Atlanta Braves believed they had a championship team in 2023. Their thoughts were sound. The eventual outcome was not.

Atlanta won 104 games in the regular season and a National League East title, then were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. It was back to the drawing board – or more accurately, the trading route.

The Braves added veteran pitchers Chris Sale, Marco Gonzalez and Reynaldo Lopez, outfielder Jarred Kelenic and infielder Luis Guillorme to the power-laden team.

It hardly seems likes there would be any room for a kid prospect to make the team in 2024. Pitchers Hursten Waldrep, Darius Vines, Dylan Dodd and Spencer Schwellenbach along with infielders David McCabe and Keshawn Ogans may have different opinions.

The Braves’ farm system hasn’t exactly been growing weeds while sluggers Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Sean Murphy, Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna and Orlando Arcia thrill crowds in Atlanta. There’s more talent on the way.

Waldrep has pitched 29 1/3 innings in the minors with some command issues. His stuff is so over-powering, however, that the 22-year-old could be ready for prime time after the all-star break. A 99-mph fastball and split-changeup are tough to hit, especially when mixed with a hard upper 80s slider.

Vines, 23, is just the opposite type pitcher. He shows decent command of several more ordinary pitches. His mix-and-match approach could play at the back end of the rotation or in middle relief at some point this year.

Dodd, 25, is a lefty version of Vines. His fastball is a bit better and he misses bats with a sweeping slider that could play even better out of the bullpen.

Schwellenbach, 23, has just 65 pro innings under his belt after one season as a reliever at Nebraska where he was a two-way player. He has an upper-90s fastball, good slider and change from an effortless delivery. He just needs experience and may zoom past the others to contribute later this year.

McCabe, 23, has power potential while Ogans, 22, appears to possess the perfect skills of a utility infielder. Both showed skills in the 2023 Arizona Fall League that could earn them some playing time in Atlanta this season should injuries crop up.

McCabe crashed 17 homers across two levels of Class A ball in 2023 and there is more potential from his 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame. The switch-hitter has been more adept thus far from the left side at bat, but the Braves believe his strong right arm plays better at third base than first, where he has the most experience.

Ogans plays short, second and third, makes contact at the plate and does the little things it takes to contribute. He has a nice .354 on-base percentage in two years in the minors and had nine homers and 67 RBI with 10 steals at High-A Rome (Ga.) a year ago. He’s not going to make anybody forget Albies, Riley or Arcia – but could give any of those regulars a bit of rest here and there.

Every Part Is Important

The Houston Astros have dominated the AL West in recent years with “spare parts” from the farm system playing key roles. They helped the team win, then grew into winners themselves.

Future pitching stars Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier were worked into the mix year-by-year. Young infielders Tyler White, Tony Kemp, Aledmys Diaz, Myles Straw and Abraham Toro filled in for the big stars. It worked well enough for the Astros to keep soaring.

The Big Red Machine

When Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” was rolling over opponents in the 1970s, 19-year-old Don Gullett came up to go 5-2 as a reliever and help the Reds win the NL pennant. He was then moved into the starting rotation as the machine went into high gear and won two World Series.

Starters Ross Grimsley and Pat Darcy and relievers Rawly Eastwick and Will McEnaney turned bit appearances into starring roles. Young Doug Flynn, Dan Driessen, Ken Griffey and Ray Knight gave veteran sluggers Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and George Foster an occasional rest and developed into valuable regulars. The machine kept rolling.

Charlie Finley’s Fighting A’s

At the same time, the Oakland A’s were churning out Gene Tenace, George Hendrick, Claudell Washington, Phil Garner, Mike Norris and Glenn Abbott in support roles.

They joined scrapping stars Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi and Sal Bando who often were at odds in the clubhouse but a fine-tuned juggernaut on the field. The kids eventually claimed starting spots for the American League’s most dominant team. The scrappers kept scrapping.

The Perfect Mix

The Braves continue to rely on a strong farm system to develop players while shrewdly buying free agents. It’s the best of old-world development like Branch Rickey’s 1930s St. Louis Cardinals and George Steinbrenner’s spend-to-win New York Yankees of the late 1990s.

The San Diego Padres tried it Steinbrenner’s way the past couple of years and failed. The Los Angeles Dodgers soared into a new stratosphere of spending this winter. Time will tell how that works out.

The Braves have spent money and grown players for 2024. It should be fun watching.