Despite coming into the 2024 season with 65 professional innings pitched and not debuting until the end of May 2024, Spencer Schwellenbach gave the Atlanta Braves one of the best season-long performances out of any rookie in the majors.
The 24-year-old had the 5th-best WAR out of any rookie pitcher and the third-best FIP of any rookie starting pitcher, trailing just Paul Skenes and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
This performance should garner more recognition, and yet when MLB Network released their top 25 rookies of the 2024 season, Schwellenbach found himself slotted at 14th, behind several notable players.
The top 25 rookies of 2024!
— MLB (@MLB) January 5, 2025
According to MLB Network: 🧵⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YxMx2dSjCH
MLB Network continues to undervalue Spencer Schwellenbach
While no one would (or at least should) expect Spencer Schwellenbach to rank in the top five of a very good rookie class, MLB Network still found a way to disrespect the righty as the league's TV network slotted several players who had notably worse seasons than the Braves rookie.
For instance, while Jhonkensy Noel had one of the most exciting homers of the year, his overall season was relatively underwhelming. "Big Christmas" had a 118 wRC+ in 67 games, but his defense limited his overall production to just 0.6 fWAR. Despite this, Noel was listed one spot ahead of Schwellenbach.
Colt Keith, listed at 11 was another rookie MLB Network felt had a better 2024 than Schwelly. Even though Keith got a full season of play, his .260/.309/.380 line only resulted in a 97 wRC+. He only provided 2 OAA (and an abysmal -8 DRS) in the field which meant that he wasn't providing outstanding defensive value either.
Still, with a 1.8 fWAR, Keith was listed two spots ahead of the Braves standout rookie.
Although this final rookie might be controversial to include, Spencer Schwellenbach arguably had a better season in fewer innings. Luis Gil won AL Rookie of the Year, but his 3.50 ERA and 4.14 FIP were rather pedestrian. Both marks were lower than Schwellenbach's marks of a 3.35 ERA and 3.29 FIP. Gil's fWAR was 0.4 lower than the Braves' righty.
Gil, of course, did pitch 18 more innings than Schwelly, which does give him a bit of a bump along with taking home the American League's Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Yankees rookie was placed at third on MLB Network's list which feels like a real reach especially when you compare where Schwellenbach was listed.
Going into 2025, it won't be surprising if the league continues to undervalue the Braves' newest young star. Other teams, however, should be on notice as there is a very real chance Schwellenbach could make this ranking look very, very light.