Here's the Braves' Spring Breakout roster
Mark Bowman
@mlbbowmanNORTH PORT, Fla. -- Spencer Schwellenbach pitched in last year¡¯s Spring Breakout game and ended up being one of the most important pitchers in Atlanta¡¯s rotation. Will there be another Braves prospect who travels a similar path this year?
What is Spring Breakout?
MLB Spring Breakout is a four-day event showcasing baseball¡¯s future: the current stars of Minor League Baseball. The second edition will be held from March 13-16 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training. Sixteen exhibition games will be played between teams comprised of each MLB organization¡¯s top prospects, creating a new touchpoint on the baseball calendar that celebrates the sport¡¯s budding talent.
When is the Braves game?
The Braves will host the Tigers on March 16 at CoolToday Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
How can I tune in?
Gil has impressed since receiving a $110,000 signing bonus. The 18-year-old speedster was successful with 40 of the 48 stolen base attempts he combined to make while playing in the Florida Complex League and for Class A Augusta last year. The .553 OPS he produced for Augusta highlighted his need to grow offensively.
Guanipa garnered much more attention when he was given a $2.5 million signing bonus two years ago. The 19-year-old outfielder has impressed with his glove and speed, but concerns about his bat grew as he struck out 25.7 percent of the time and collected just two extra-base hits (both doubles) over 159 plate appearances for Augusta last year.
Ritchie underwent Tommy John surgery less than a year after being taken with the 35th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. So, the 21-year-old hurler is actually preparing for what will be his first unrestricted full season at the professional level. The Seattle-area native struck out 30.8 percent of the batters he faced while producing a 1.95 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for Augusta last year. He posted a 3.60 ERA in the three starts he made after a late-season promotion to High A Rome.
Baumann seemed to be more of a project than a prospect when the Braves gave him an over-slot bonus after taking him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. But the 6-foot-8, 20-year-old pitcher looked like a blossoming prospect as he posted a 3.18 ERA over 19 appearances (18 starts) for Single-A Augusta last season. He tossed seven scoreless innings when he was promoted to High-A Rome to make his final start of the year in September. The 35 percent strikeout rate Baumann constructed over his final five starts indicated he could continue to miss bats as he gets a better feel for his delivery and arsenal.
Why are certain top prospects not listed on the roster?
The Braves have just five of their top 20 prospects participating this year. Each of MLB¡¯s other 29 clubs have at least 10 of their top 20 prospects participating.
Drake Baldwin (Braves No. 1 prospect), AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves No. 3 prospect) and Nacho Alvarez (Braves No. 5 prospect) are all in big league camp, battling for an Opening Day roster spot. As for Cam Caminiti (Braves No. 2 prospect) and Hurston Waldrep (Braves No. 4 prospect), the team simply chose to keep them off the roster.
What is the full roster?