Given that arguably the Braves' two best inning eating SPs are on the IL for an extended period of time (FanGraphs Depth Charts projected Fried & Wright to pitch the most innings for the Braves this season), then there's been discussion of the Braves potentially needing to be in the market for a SP as the trade deadline approaches. However, there's also been questions of if the Braves have the trade capital in prospects necessary to be able to make much of a push in the SP trade market. So, this FanPost is a mini assessment of the Braves' top-15 prospects, according to FanGraphs, & whether or not their trade value has likely increased, decreased, or stayed the same early the 2023 season.

1. AJ Smith-Shawver - He began the season w/ a 45+ FV in A+, which was a promotion as he finished '22 in A, and he pretty much dominated. He recently got another promotion to AA, where I believe that his only start thus far was rain shortened. Given his dominance of A+ batters & a bit of improvement in his command (Walk% is down quite a bit from last year, but his Strike% only dropped a fraction of a percent), then my guess would be that his trade value is...UP
2. JR Ritchie - He began his first full season as a professional w/ a 45+ FV in A, which is where he finished '22. He got off to an amazing start to the season (0.86 FIP, a K% approaching 50%, & a tick up in command). However, he left his most recent start w/ an apparent injury. Therefore, due to uncertainty surrounding his health, then my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
3. Dylan Dodd - He began the season w/ a 45 FV in ATL, which was a promotion as he finished '22 in AAA. He got 2 starts w/ the big league club - one was good-ish (@ STL) & the other was bad (vs SDP). Since that time he's spent more time in AAA (4 starts) than w/ the big league club (1 start). Of those 5 starts only 1 was really good (his first AAA start, which happened to come against STL's AAA affiliate). The tick up in stuff that he appeared to show in ST hasn't materialized in the early going of the '23 season. Therefore, my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
4. Spencer Schwellenbach - He began the season w/ a 45 FV in A in what is the nearly 23 year old's first taste of professional ball. To me there's nothing over or under whelming that he's displayed thus far. He's simply getting his feet wet at this point. So, my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
5. Jared Shuster - He began the season w/ a 45 FV in ATL, which was a promotion as he finished '22 in AAA. He got 2 starts w/ the big league club and neither was good - mostly due to a terrible walk rate & a low K rate. However, he did manage to avoid the HR ball. His 5 AAA starts since then have been a mix of good & bad w/ 3 good starts sandwiched around 2 bad starts over the 2nd half of April. In the bad starts he walked a ton of guys in the first one & in the second one he got bitten by the HR bug. In the good starts he avoided the HR ball & the K% was up. Due to his mixed bag, then my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
6. Owen Murphy - He began his first full season as a professional w/ a 45 FV in A, which is where he finished '22. He's gotten off to a really good start to the season (2.37 FIP, a K% above 30%, & a solid improvement in command). One slight concern that I have w/ him is that even A-ball batters elevate off him ridiculously easily. He has the lowest GB% in the Carolina League & the 2nd highest FB%, which means his GB/FB is the worst in the league (min 10 IP). However, this definitely isn't a big concern this early in his professional career (it may be something to keep an eye going forward). So, my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
7. Luis Guanipa - He has yet to begin his first full season as a professional. So, given that there's no indication of injury, then there's no reason to believe that his 45 FV isn't...UNCHANGED
8. Roddery Munoz - He began the season w/ a 40+ FV in AA, which was where he finished '22. However, after just one kind of bad start he got a promotion to AAA & was immediately moved into a RP role. His 9 relief appearances in AAA have been a mix of good & bad. The good is that raw stuff is definitely there. The bad is that he's allowed more free base runners than he's amassed strike outs (13 Walks + HBP vs. 12 K). FanGraphs indicated that he was already projected as a RP. So, the quick promotion in level, but demotion in role was probably expected. Combine that w/ the mixed bag of results & my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
9. Ignacio Alvarez - He began his first full season as a professional w/ a 40+ FV in A+, which was a promotion as he finished '22 in A. This young man's bat to ball skill is plus & his plate discipline skill seems double plus. However, he's yet to hit for any power (5 doubles accounts for all of his XBHs this season), but the general consensus is that average-y power is in there. Defensively he's handling SS fine for the time being, but will likely move off the position has he fills out a little more physically. Mash all of this together & my guess would be that his trade value is...UP
10. Diego Benitez - He has yet to begin his '23 season. So, given that there's no indication of injury, then there's no reason to believe that his 40+ FV isn't...UNCHANGED
11. Adam Maier - He has yet to begin his first full season as a professional. So, given that there's no indication of complications from his prior injury, then there's no reason to believe that his 40 FV isn't...UNCHANGED
12. Darius Vines - He began the season w/ a 40 FV in AAA, which is where he finished '22. However, he's been on the IL for the entirety of the season thus far. Because there are no reports of complications as a results of the injury, then there's no reason to believe that his 40 FV isn't...UNCHANGED
13. Victor Vodnik - He began the season w/ a 40 FV in AA, which is a demotion as he finished '22 in AAA. My personal feeling (I'll admit that he's a favorite of mine) is that this demotion was more about a AAA roster crunch than it was Vodnik's development (however, Munoz getting a quick promotion to Gwinnett's pen instead of Vodnik might contradict my feelings here). His AA season thus far has been a roller coaster. He was dominant over his first 4 appearances (1.76 FIP, 33.3% K%, a Walk% below 6%, & 0 HR). His next 4 were not good (8.67 FIP, 21.4% K%, 14.3% Walk%, & 2 HR). His last 3 have been a return back to good (3.01 FIP, 25.0% K%, 12.5% Walk%, & 0 HR). During ST the Statcast numbers on his Changeup made the pitch look like a unicorn pitch that might approach unhittable levels when one combines its velo + its movement. However, command of his high velo Fastball continues to be the thing holding him back. Mash all of this together & my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
14. Cody Milligan - He began the season w/ a 40 FV in AA, which is where he finished '22. His results to begin the season were off the charts. Thru 4/22 he had a 176 wRC+, but there are concerns, because 1) that wRC+ is BABIP fueled (.536) & 2) his K% is way up (31.7%). He went on the IL on 4/25. I'm not sure exactly why he's on the IL, but assuming it doesn't end up being a season long thing, then my guess would be that his trade value is...UNCHANGED
15. Luke Waddell - He began the season w/ a 40 FV in AA, which is where he finished '22. After only 4 games he got a promotion to AAA. This was just as much about his elite bat to ball & plate discipline skills (see Alvarez above) as it was about Grissom getting promoted from AAA to ATL, when Arcia was injured. Also, w/ Shewmake staying in ATL while Adrianza's on the IL, then Waddell has remained in AAA. The results haven't been good (71 wRC+), despite his elite bat to ball & plate discipline skills being on display (maintaining a great BB:K ratio). This seems to be because he's BABIP'ing a surprisingly low .236. I would expect that number to increase as the season goes along, such that it wouldn't be surprising if he's a league average-ish AAA bat by season's end. Defensively he seems limited, because 2B, SS, & 3B all might be a stretch for him, but his ability to put up a professional PA at any moment gives him a MLB bench role eventually. Everything he's done thus far this season likely has resulted in his trade value being...UNCHANGED