The 2024 campaign has not been kind to the Braves this season, at least from an injury perspective. Atlanta’s dealt with numerous injuries to their collection of starters but one pitcher who’s been healthy —and effective — after missing missing time in 2022 and 2023 is Braves right-handed pitching prospect Spencer Schwellenbach. And after rolling through High and Double-A, the 23-year-old is headed to the Majors.
A Look at Schwellenbach
Just a month ago, Braves pitching prospect Spencer Schwellenbach was dominating in High-A Rome. With the Emperors, Schwellenbach struck out 34 over 32 frames and walked just nine to force a promotion to Double-A Mississippi.
The 23-year-old needed just two starts — in which he threw 13 scoreless frames, struck out 17, and walked just one — with the M-Braves to move up to Atlanta.
The promotion ends a three-year odyssey of sorts for Schwellenbach, a former second-round pick out of Big 10 power Nebraska in 2021. Schwellenbach missed all of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and pitched very well for August (A) and Rome, despite missing time on the IL, last season.
As far as stuff goes, Schwellenbach got whiffs in and out of the zone with a very good slider during his time in the Minors this season. He’ll pair that slider with a changeup with good arm-side run, along with a mid-90s fastball with enough ride when he works it up and out of the zone.
The 23-year-old didn’t have problems working in the zone in his college days and that’s mostly remained true as a pro. Schwellenbach allowed just four home runs over 110 pro innings and a career BB/9 rate of 2.1.
Fansided reported that Spencer Schwellenbach will make his MLB debut for the Braves on May 29.
Analysis
The Braves rotation has taken its hits with injuries this season, as AJ Smith-Shawver recently hit the IL, while Spencer Strider is done for 2024. The former’s oblique strain comes after Smith-Shawver threw 4.1 scoreless innings on May 23 against the Cubs.
Atlanta will further dip into their reserves with the promotion of Schwellenbach, who doesn’t have much experience past High-A but does have above-average stuff. And, there’s a precedent of pitchers spending little time in Double and Triple-A having success.
A case in point was in 2023 when Bryan Woo only needed nine Double-A starts to push his way to Seattle.
Fantasy Outlook
Atlanta’s rotation has been excellent in 2024, as Chris Sale, Max Fried, and Reynaldo Lopez have all been key contributors for fantasy players. And while the Braves offense hasn’t been elite in 2024, Atlanta should be in play for wins — and a lot of them moving forward.
That bodes well for Schwellenbach, assuming he can last five or more innings when called upon. Schwellenabch will get a pesky Nationals team in his first MLB start and could be in line for more assuming he can handle Washington well.
Schwellenbach is a name to watch, particularly since he commanded the strike zone well and missed bats in the Minors.