The Atlanta Braves struggled a bit with pitching depth in 2024. While the top of their rotation dominated, led by Chris Sale, the backend of the staff was devastated by a string injuries.

Pitchers like Hurston Waldrep and Bryce Elder didn’t live up to expectations. Spencer Strider underwent season-ending elbow surgery, though he’ll likely return to the mound sooner rather than later in 2025. And this offseason, the team lost two of its top four starting pitchers from the 2024 campaign, as both Charlie Morton and Max Fried left Atlanta for deals with teams in the American League East.

Those departures, plus a very quiet offseason from Alex Anthopoulos, has opened up quite the position battle among a lot of different arms this spring. The Braves have three established arms in Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo Lopez, but beyond that is anyone’s guess. Ian Anderson is an intriguing name in the battle. Grant Holmes flashed big-time upside last season. Top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver is also a name to watch.

Out of all the pitchers who could breakout in 2025, Smith-Shawver is the one with the highest potential. The righty recently proved how good he could be in a dominant spring training appearance.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Braves’ top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver dazzles in spring training start

The top prospect got the start for the Braves against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. In his Grapefruit League debut, the 22-year-old turned in two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Beyond that, his stuff and command both looked solid.

Last year, Smith-Shawver was given a shot at the big leagues, but injuries derailed him before he could find his footing. Still, the righty has an incredible arsenal of pitches, headlined by his fastball and slider. In nearly 30 big league innings, his ERA sits at a respectable 3.64.

The Braves will remain hopeful that Smith-Shawver can land with the team to begin the season. He seemed primed for a solid year in 2024 before facing injuries. Atlanta will need him to remain healthy so that he’ll provide an adequate replacement for the losses of Morton and Fried.

Elder, Anderson, and Waldrep are all viable options. Elder was solid for the Braves two seasons ago, but a disastrous 2024 campaign has him on the outside looking in. Anderson — who struggled in his first outing of the spring earlier this week — is a more likely option than Waldrep or Elder, but if Smith-Shawver continues to improve, Anderson could be on the outside looking in, too.