This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- When Spencer Schwellenbach learned he was jumping from Double-A to the Majors to join the Braves this week, he said he felt “totally taken off guard and very happy about it.” He wasn’t the only one surprised at the news, forced to reroute his travel plans, and thrilled

A spate of serious injuries has the Braves in leak-plugging mode, and not just with regards to Ronald Acuña Jr. The team also found itself with an unexpected rotation hole after AJ Smith-Shawver was diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain last week, with which Smith-Shawver, their No. 1 prospect,

PITTSBURGH -- Brian Snitker learned AJ Smith-Shawver could be sidelined for the next two months and then he watched Ray Kerr struggle in his first career start. It was just another fun Friday night for the Braves skipper. Suffering an 11-5 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park put a

CHICAGO -- If you accounted for how little AJ Smith-Shawver had pitched in high school, it was unreasonable to expect him to taste immediate success last summer, when he arrived at the Major League level at just 20-years-old. Now a year older and seasoned by last year’s valuable experiences, Smith-Shawver

If Wednesday night's Mississippi doubleheader is any indication, the future on the Braves' hill looks scary good. As in the opposition should be scared. Two of Atlanta's top three prospects, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach, dominated their respective starts en route to the Double-A Braves' sweep of visiting Biloxi at

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. For David Kerr, working in Minor League Baseball means keeping the following mantra in mind:

The role of the reliever continues to evolve in baseball, but there’s still something to be said about closers. They’re the ones who get the entrance music and the light show just for coming out of the bullpen in the biggest of spots. (Think of what Edwin Díaz has done

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Fans of the Braves' High-A affiliate in Rome, Georgia, got to see a brand new franchise take the field at AdventHealth Stadium in Friday's 4-0 season-opening victory -- and with that, a brand new on-the-field celebration. Previously known as the Rome Braves, the club unveiled its new identity as the

Triple-A Opening Day arrived across the country -- from Syracuse to Sacramento and many stops in between -- last Friday. Now the Double-A, High-A and Single-A levels will begin play. In other words, the season is in full swing. As is tradition around these parts, let’s get you ready for

With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where the Braves’ Top 30 prospects are projected to start: 1. AJ Smith-Shawver (MLB No. 65), RHP -- Gwinnett (Triple-A) 2. Hurston Waldrep (MLB No. 86), RHP -- Mississippi (Double-A) 3. Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP -- Rome (High-A) 4. JR Ritchie, RHP

ATLANTA -- An incredibly fruitful farm system has given the Braves a chance to thrive throughout this decade with the likes of Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider. Each of these homegrown products have helped the Braves construct what has been one of

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Spencer Strider, Michael Harris II and AJ Smith-Shawver each recently experienced a meteoric rise to Atlanta. So as many of the Braves prospects participated in Spring Breakout on Saturday at JetBlue Park, there was reason to wonder which of these future stars might be the next

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Spencer Schwellenbach’s collegiate experience as a pitcher consisted of spending one season as the University of Nebraska’s closer. But it took him just one professional season to make the Braves feel even better about selecting him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Many

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- The Braves' formidable lineup should be set for the next several years. They have deals with Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy, Matt Olson and Austin Riley that extend at least through 2027, including club options. All of them except Harris were

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TAMPA -- For a prospect, it might be hard to imagine a better year than AJ Smith-Shawver had in 2023, which he began with High-A Rome and finished in the National League Division Series as a 20-year-old. But this spring, Smith-Shawver said his main goal is to “keep getting better”

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Drake Baldwin have made strong impressions as they have both experienced their first big league camp this year. Their talents will be spotlighted when they team up with other Braves prospects to play against a team of Red Sox prospects during MLB's

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- AJ Smith-Shawver entered last season looking to earn a promotion to the Double-A level. The heralded prospect catapulted himself to the Majors by the end of May. Smith-Shawver might not begin the upcoming season as part of Atlanta’s rotation. But as he completed a scoreless effort

They say you can never have enough pitching. The Braves are trying to make sure they do. The top five in their new Top 30 are all right-handed pitchers. Ten of the top 15, with just one lefty, make their living on the mound. And unlike last year, when they