The Atlanta Braves announced Wednesday afternoon they have invited 26 players not on their 40-man roster to Spring Training and there are some big names on this list.
While the likelihood of any of the non-roster invitees making the Atlanta Braves roster out of camp is low, it is fun to see some of the highly touted prospects play in Spring Training.
The Braves second, third, and fourth-ranked prospects, Ian Anderson, Drew Waters and Kyle Muller, all were given the invitation to North Port.
Along with those three highly-touted prospects, 2019 first-round picks, Shea Langeliers and Braden Shewmake also got invites.
Not many on the list of 26 really have a chance of making the roster.
The exceptions would be Felix Hernandez, who was recently signed with the intentions of giving him the chance to win the fifth spot in the rotation; Yangervis Solarte, who has a shot at being a bench piece with the Braves; and fan favorite, Charlie Culberson, who seems fairly certain for a spot on the 26-man roster.
It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that relief pitcher Thomas Burrows or outfielder Rafael Ortega could make the roster, but they seem destined for Gwinnett for depth.
Here is the complete list of non-roster players:
Pitchers (9): Ian Anderson, Thomas Burrows, Felix Hernandez, Kurt Hoekstra, Connor Johnstone, Kyle Muller, Chris Nunn, Ben Rowen, Chris Rusin
Catchers (3): Shea Langeliers, Carlos Martinez, Jonathan Morales
Infielders (9): Bryce Ball, Charlie Culberson, Sean Kazmar, Pete Kozma, Jack Lopez, Peter O’Brien, Braden Shewmake, Yangervis Solarte, Riley Unroe
Outfielders (5): Trey Harris, Greyson Jenista, Rafael Ortega, Shane Robinson, Drew Waters
Believe it or not, pitchers and catchers report on February 12th, with the first full-squad workout on February 18th. The countdown is on.