What you need to know for tonight’s Atlanta Braves vs Future Stars game

It’s the final game for the Atlanta Braves before they face the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday for Opening Day. From the tease of what the future could hold to the return of a legend, these are the 5 things you need to know for tonight.

Well it’s finally here, the end of spring training. The new season starts on Thursday as the Atlanta Braves start a new chapter for 2018. They’ll be taking on the Philadelphia Phillies, but that’s on Thursday.  Tonight is the Futures Game as the main roster will take on a team consisting of the organization’s top prospects.

1. Are They Ready?

This is it. No more spring training. The question now is if the major league squad is ready. Some might say no, as the team has a spring win-loss record of 13-18. Though to be clear, while spring games mean nothing, they often give some insight on what’s to come.

Many of the current players seem good to go, especially reliever (and future closer) A.J. Minter who has been incredible this spring. Other guys like Tyler Flowers, sitting at an average of .105, have yet to pick up some fire.

Playing a game against the future stars could also be a “wake-up call” for some players, letting them know who could be replacing them soon if they aren’t producing. For others, it’s allowing them to study and see how their future teammates play.

Sean Newcomb, who had a pretty good showing in the majors last season, will be starting for the Atlanta Braves team tonight. Newcomb will be looking to continue his good spring, in which he has a 2.35 ERA and 15 STRIKEOUTS.

2. The Return Of Bobby Cox

Earlier today, the Braves announced that legend and Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox will return to manage the Future Stars team.

This is pretty cool, getting to see Cox come back for another night and the youngsters get to kind of relive what the Braves had from the 1990 to 2010.

Maybe we’ll see him come out to argue a call for one of the young guys.

3. Meet The Players Of Tomorrow

Newcomb’s opposite number tonight is Mike Soroka, who will lead the Futures team on the mound.

For the spring, Soroka has an impressive 1.80 ERA over 5 innings including 5 strikeouts. When talk rose that Luiz Gohara will start the season on the DL, Soroka’s was one of the names mentioned that could fill in.

Last season, Soroka pitched to a 2.75 ERA at Double A Mississippi in 26 games. He will start the season at either there again or at Triple A Gwinnett. Hopefully (likely?), the latter.

Other prospects expected to appear are 3B Austin Riley, OF Christian Pache and LHP Kolby Allard among others.

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All of these guys are expected to debut within the next 2 years.  Pache might not come up until 2020 but you never know.

4. Just Good Competition

Overall, it’s just good competition for everyone. Some of the players on the Braves major league squad right now haven’t even been in the majors for a full season. Guys like Newcomb and Ozzie Albies were called up around the time of the All-Star break.

It’s a chance for the young prospects to get a taste of what it is like to play in a major league stadium. This will be the first time for guys like future stars like Acuna and Soroka, who BOTH could be on the major league team by the break.

For the major league team, it gives them some new faces and new challenges to take on. This is always helpful because it keeps things exciting and allow the players to grow.

5. Ronald Acuna Rises

On Monday, a source stated that Ronald Acuna, possibly the next face of the Braves, had rejected a $30 million offer from the team. The source suggested that it was the Braves attempt to do what the Phillies did with one of their top prospect. Read more about that here.

*Update* Mark Bowman tweeted out that his own source denies the rumor.  More on the back-and-forth rumors about that here.

Whether that is true or not, Acuna is still continuing to prove that he is the best prospect, and possibly best player, in baseball right now.  For spring, he has a .432 batting average with 4 homers, 11 RBIs, 4 steals and overall .727 sluggling percentage.  Arguably the best player right now, Mike Trout, has a spring BA of .289. Spring stats are tricky because each player has different amount of appearances but that’s still an impressive line for a prospect.

The Braves sent Acuna down to the minors last week as an attempt to ensure an extra year of contractual control. From a business point-of-view, it makes all the sense in the world but many felt the young star should’ve broke camp with the major league team. Acuna even stated at the beginning of spring that doing so was his goal.

Whether Acuna is upset or not, the 20-year-old posted a message on Instagram that he’s looking forward to his debut.

Acuna and Soroka will lead the prospects squad against Newcomb and Freeman’s squad for what should be an exciting showdown.

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So will the current major league roster come out on top or will the future stars continue to knock on the door with a win? Game starts at 7:35 PM ET, enjoy the game.