Major League Scouting Report: Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Schwellenbach

Atlanta Braves right-handed starter Spencer Schwellenbach kept his team in the National League Wild Card race with a huge victory September 24.

Schwellenbach, 24, improved to 8-7, with a fine 3.47 ERA, and 1.07 WHIP in 20 starts for Atlanta.

Schwellenbach has thrown 116.2 innings in 20 appearances for the Braves.

Impactful Injuries:

The Braves have endured some very serious injuries this season, and they still have a chance to make the playoffs.

All Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. required surgery for a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament on his left knee. He has missed almost the entire season.

All star right-handed starter Spencer Strider, considered one of the best pitchers in baseball, has been sidelined since mid-April with elbow surgery that required an internal brace.

And to make matters worse for Atlanta, highly regarded third baseman Austin Riley’s season is over, due to a fractured hand.

Starter Reynaldo Lopez, who was having a very solid season on the mound, has been disabled with shoulder inflammation since September 10.

About Spencer Schwellenbach:

The Cleveland Indians selected Spencer Schwellenbach in the 34th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign with Cleveland.

Schwellenbach, who attended Heritage High School in Saginaw, Michigan, chose to attend the University of Nebraska, where he spent one season.

Schwellenbach, who also played soccer in high school, was named the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, as well as Mr. Baseball in his senior year

Schwellenbach played three years of shortstop in high school, and was a two-way player at Nebraska.

At Nebraska, Schwellenbach appeared in 18 games on the mound, all in relief. He earned 10 saves.

Schwellenbach earned the John Olerud Award as the best two-way college player.

Schwellenbach was chosen in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft by the Braves.

Atlanta gave Schwellenbach a $1 million signing bonus.

After the draft, Schwellenbach underwent Tommy John surgery, keeping him off the mound in both 2021, and 2022.

Schwellenbach missed a month of pitching in 2023, with shoulder inflammation.

His injury history dictates care in his use by the Braves staff.

This old scout was fortunate to see Schwellenbach in the 2023 All Star Futures Game in Seattle.

In that game, Schwellenbach threw one inning in relief; yielding one hit, while striking out two.

Scouting Spencer Schwellenbach:

Even though he was an award winning closer in college, the Braves have always used Schwellenbach as a starting pitcher.

Before his big league debut May 24, 2024, Schwellenbach made 24 minor league starts for Atlanta. He threw 110 minor league innings before he graduated to the Braves rotation.

Schwellenbach has a strong frame at 6-1, 200 pounds. He’s an excellent athlete.

A true power pitcher, Schwellenbach relies on both two-and four-seam fastballs as the foundation of a six-pitch mix.

According to brooksbaseball.net, Schwellenbach’s four-seamer sits at 96 miles per hour, but he can increase velocity when needed.

Schwellenbach’s sinker has a bit less velocity, sitting at 95 miles per hour.

Schwellenbach also throws a curve, a slider, a cutter, and a split.

One of the best aspects of Schwellenbach’s approach is his ability and desire to use any pitch at any time in the count. And his pitch distribution is very equal. Here are the percentages of Schwellenbach’s pitch use:

Fourseam fastball-37.24%

Sinking fastball=6.09%

Split (also a form of fastball)=10.77%

Cutter=14.52%

Slider=18.50%

Curve=12.88%

While he strikes out an average of 9.4 hitters per nine innings, Schwellenbach is only walking 1.8 hitters per nine, showing fine command and control of his arsenal.

Schwellenbach has yielded only 14 home runs in his 116.2 innings, which is outstanding.

Schwellenbach is the fifth starter in a solid Braves rotation that includes:

Chris Sale-LHP

Max Fried-LHP

Charlie Morton-RHP

Grant Holmes-RHP

Spencer Schwellenback-RHP

Scouting Grade: 55

For this old scout, Spencer Scwellenbach is a Grade 55 starter, which is a better than average performer.

Perhaps due to the Braves pitching injuries, Schwellenbach graduated to the big leagues quickly. However, he has earned the trust his team has placed in him.

If the Braves do make the playoffs, we may see Spencer Schwellenbach on the roster as pitching depth for a team on a mission.