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Atlanta Braves: Just how good can Max Fried be?

By Daniel Rasmussen

DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 09: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the Atlanta Braves throws in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 09, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 09: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the Atlanta Braves throws in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 09, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, COLORADO – APRIL 09: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the Atlanta Braves throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 09, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO – APRIL 09: Starting pitcher Max Fried #54 of the Atlanta Braves throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 09, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The Best Is Yet To Come?

It’s true: we always want to believe that highly-touted prospects are going to pan out to be everything they’re hyped up to be.

Most fall well short of those dreams once they hit the reality of playing in the major leagues.

But Max Fried seems to be a different case. He isn’t floundering: he’s flourishing.

And he’s not anywhere near done yet.

In fact, there are some out there who believe that Fried – at his best – could be not just “good”, but “really good”.

Check out what Buster Olney had to say after Max’s Sunday night start:

"Some rival evaluators watched Max Fried’s performance Sunday night and were extremely impressed; see him as a frontline talent, No.1/No.2 type starter."

Consider former pitcher and current FOX Sports South analyst Paul Byrd to also be a big believer in Max – likening him to a young Clayton Kershaw.

Current Brave star Freddie Freeman has high praise of his teammate, as well.

"“I think he’s one of the best pitching prospects I’ve seen in a long time,” Freeman said Monday, via David O’Brien of The Athletic. “Left arms like that don’t come around very often.”"

Those takes (from legitimate sources) are not your typical “mid-rotation piece ceiling” labels that so many prospects are tagged with after a few years of being in a system. Those are All Star-worthy descriptors.

Would it really be a surprise if Max Fried ended up as Atlanta’s best starting pitcher this year, even though he’s sure to get competition from an emerging Kevin Gausman and a healthy Mike Foltynewicz?

And by “best”, we’re talking any metric you want to use: innings pitched, ERA, total WAR. Everything seems within reach right now for this kid, even a roster spot to represent the National League in baseball’s Midsummer Classic (first of multiple?).

If that proves to be the case, 2019 could be a monumental season for Fried’s development.

Provided the injury bug stays away and he continues the many positive trends seen in his performance thus far, this may only be the beginning of a fine career for Max Fried.

Next. A short list of shorttimers. dark

How good could he actually be?  At this point, I wouldn’t rule anything out.

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