The Atlanta Braves haven't been afraid to think outside the box with relievers. They snagged Dan Winkler away from the Rockies in the Rule 5 Draft when most thought his arm was done. They scooped up Tyler Matzek after he was forced to pitch in independent leagues following well-documented command issues earlier in his career. Hell, the Braves have even turned south of the border when they brought Jackson Stephens in from the Mexican League. Now, it looks like they might pull a similar trick again.
Most Braves fans won't know the name Tyler LaPorte, and that is understandable. He has only been in the organization for two seasons after being signed out of the Frontier League, and his 2025 campaign was pretty uneven. However, after a strong showing at Rome in 2026 and getting some attention down in the Arizona Fall League, LaPorte could be knocking on the door of the majors if he plays his cards right.
After an unlikely journey as a professional, Tyler LaPorte could force his way into the Braves' bullpen picture soon
LaPorte's backstory is admirable, and it is honestly remarkable that he is still pitching professionally. As MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis recently profiled, LaPorte started his baseball career as a shortstop before shifting to the mound in college. Just four appearances in his new role, LaPorte's elbow gave out, and he required Tommy John surgery. After recovering, LaPorte failed to get traction in the MLB Draft League with scouts, and he bounced around the independent leagues before the Braves gave him an opportunity.
LaPorte's profile is pretty straightforward. He throws both a two-seam and four-seam fastball, and his velocity typically sits in the mid-90s and occasionally pushes a tick higher than that. While his heaters tend to get a lot of groundballs, his low-80s slider is LaPorte's swing-and-miss pitch, and he goes to it often when he is ahead in the count. Just looking at the quality of his stuff, LaPorte looks the part of a big league reliever.
However, one persistent issue has been with walks. After walking 28 batters in 49 innings against a whopping 73 strikeouts at Double-A Columbus, LaPorte walked seven batters total in his eight appearances in the AFL. While his 2026 walk numbers aren't completely disqualifying in the majors if he is striking out more than a batter an inning, it is certainly flirting with danger.
With over a season of experience at Double-A now, LaPorte is a mortal lock to start the 2027 season at Triple-A, where he will be just one roster move away from the majors. He probably isn't a closer-in-waiting, but the stuff is legit, and we know how much Alex Anthopoulos values having a strong bullpen. If LaPorte comes into camp and throws more strikes in 2027, don't be surprised if he gets a longer look at a bullpen spot than expected.
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