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 Strider began the 2021 season at the Single-A level and ended it in the Majors. AJ Smith-Shawver was similar in 2023, except starting at High-A, and Spencer Schwellenbach made 21 MLB starts in 2024, despite beginning the season at High-A.
The Braves were aggressively pushing their top young pitchers long before a plethora of injuries forced them to prematurely introduce Didier Fuentes to the Majors. So, there’s certainly reason to wonder which prospect or prospects might make a significant impact in Atlanta this year.
Schwellenbach and Strider didn’t even appear in a single Spring Training game before making their respective Major League debuts. But with this being the Grapefruit League’s opening weekend, here are a few prospects who could create a buzz during the exhibition season.
JR Ritchie (Braves’ No. 2 prospect)
This 22-year-old hurler went from High-A to Triple-A while experiencing what was essentially his first full unrestricted season since being taken in the 2022 MLB Draft. He posted a 3.02 ERA over 11 starts for Triple-A Gwinnett and impressed some of the veterans with his discipline.
“Pitchers can make a difference in the way that they prepare for a game,” veteran catcher Sandy León said. “He does it the right way with his preparation, and I don’t just mean how he looks at the scouting report. He has his routine in the weight room and he has a routine in the bullpen. When you have that, being that young, it’s really good.”
León has had the pleasure of catching Cy Young Award winners like Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello. He says Ritchie’s preparations already mirror those of these aforementioned veterans.
Ritchie was limited in 2024 as he returned from Tommy John surgery, but he had no trouble while totaling 140 innings last year. He has totaled 217 1/3 innings as a pro. A couple encouraging months at the Triple-A level might be enough for him to get his first call to the big leagues.
“I try not to let you know the fact that I'm in Triple-A or that I'm in big league camp, or any of that, affect what I do on a day-to-day basis," said Ritchie. "It's still the same game.”
Didier Fuentes (Braves’ No. 7)
When six different starting pitchers missed at least five weeks during a season, teams will have to resort to some desperate measures. This happened in June, when the Braves called upon Fuentes, who had just turned 20 when the Braves promoted him to the Majors with just six starts above the High-A level under his belt.
Fuentes posted a 13.85 ERA in four starts for Atlanta. He wasn’t ready, but that doesn’t mean he won’t possibly be ready at some point this year. The young native of Colombia has a live arm and a high ceiling. We’ll see how quickly he rises this year.
John Gil (Braves' No. 13)
When talking to an evaluator about Gil earlier this week, he said, “You know who he reminds me of?” When I said, “Wilson Betemit,” he said, “Yeah, physically. But he plays like [Rafael] Furcal.”
That’s quite a combo. Betemit’s impressive athletic frame helped him become one of baseball’s top overall prospects at the turn of this century. Had he possessed Furcal’s speed and energy, he might have become a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Anyhow, Gil has been the prospect who has stood out more than any other for me thus far during camp. Yeah, Owen Murphy has a live arm. But there’s just something smooth about watching Gil take grounders. He fits that age-old saying, “That’s what they look like.”
Gil has physically matured over the past year and he started to show his offensive potential last year. He’ll be 20 in May. It seems he needs another full season of plate appearances before being deemed Major League-ready. But there’s a chance he could make an impact in Atlanta within the next year or two.