Braves News: Prospects dazzle again, clunker in Atlanta

I don’t feel like talking about the major league Braves game from Saturday, so instead I am going to do a bit of prospect talk, as there are some guys I am excited about down on the farm, particularly on the pitching side. Owen Murphy and AJ Smith-Shawver are the two guys I want to talk about here, but JR Ritchie has been impressive as well, with a few other guys coming back from injury on the pitching side and with Ignacio Alvarez doing some nice stuff on the hitting side.

Owen Murphy doesn’t have the most electric velocity or the most projectable frame, but he seems to have about as high of a floor as a high school pitcher can have, with great fastball shape despite the lackluster velocity, the makings of good secondaries, and an athletic build that contributes to an easy delivery, resulting in good command. He has absolutely dominated low-A batters through the beginning of his first full pro season and is a guy that is very easy to envision eventually becoming a good third starter on a contending team. His advanced command could allow him to be a relative fast-mover for a prep arm as well.

AJ Smith-Shawver is a little bit of a different story than Murphy. Smith-Shawver appears to have stuff that is absolutely electric, with a mid-90s fastball that has good shape in it’s own right and a frame that is very prototypical. That combined with what could be two legit plus pitches in his slider and newer curve, mixed with an occasional changeup has the stuff to be a legit ace. The command isn’t fully there yet for AJ, but since he was a two-sport star in high-school who perhaps couldn’t dedicate himself to pitching and who has an athletic build, it’s not hard to believe in him finding that command as he develops. If his command can get there, he appears to have the stuff to be a bigtime pitcher at the top level. AJ has also been dominant to start the season, putting up Spencer Strider level strikeout totals in the minors for his entire pro career thus far. He is an easy guy to dream on.

Braves News

Braves 2022 first round pick Owen Murphy dazzled on Friday, continuing a fantastic start to his season.

The Braves had a pretty rough game and really beat themselves in a 6-3 loss to the Astros on Friday.

MLB News

Sandy Alcantara is skipping his next start with tendinitis, but is expected to return in time to face Atlanta.

The Padres are taking Joe Musgrove off of the IL.

Rockies’ Kris Bryant is dealing with an injury in the hip/glute area.

The Pirates are extending manager Derek Shelton.