5 probable Braves candidates to fill the void left by Spencer Strider
The Braves are hoping to find a suitable replacement for their ace internally.
Spencer Strider is likely to miss at least a large chunk, if not all, of the 2024 season after suffering a UCL injury. The Braves find themselves quickly scanning their starting pitching depth for answers to the newly vacated rotation spot.
This is not the spot the Braves hoped to be in after building one of the better rotations in baseball. Strider going down and Fried struggling early on has created some concerns for fans.
Allan Winans got the first official crack at claiming it, but after his drubbing Thursday at the hand of the New York Mets, he was optioned back to Gwinnett. Thankfully, the Braves have several choices to which they can turn and we'll take a look at five of them.
Bryce Elder (Triple-A Gwinnett)
The obvious answer is to turn to the man who earned himself an All-Star appearance after posting a 2.97 ERA over the first half of the 2023 season. But as most fans probably know at this point, Bryce Elder did fade down the stretch before being pushed back to Gwinnett to start the current season thanks to the Braves' ample starting depth. Through two starts in the minors so far, Elder has looked solid with a 2.61 ERA and a 26.8 strikeout percentage and remains the odds-on favorite to be the next man up.
However, there are reasons Atlanta may consider leaving Elder at the MiLB level and consider other options. Let's see a few of the alternatives to Elder.
Darius Vines (Triple-A Gwinnett)
If the Braves feel the need to throw a proverbial curveball at everyone, there are plenty of other good options available to them. Former 7th-round pick Darius Vines is at the head of that pack.
He acquitted himself well when making his major league debut last season by throwing up a 3.98 ERA in 20.1 innings of work and much like Elder, he's off to a good start at Gwinnett. While his more limited track record probably puts him behind Elder given their similar pitching profiles, Vines can make a good argument for being given a look in the coming weeks.
Dylan Dodd's final line tonight:
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) March 31, 2024
5.0 IP | 3 H | 0 ER | 7 K 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MKCn181Qca
Dylan Dodd (Triple-A Gwinnett)
Dylan Dodd was given an opportunity right out of the gate last year to run with a rotation job and he did not exactly shine. His ERA exceeded 7 and he only struck out three more hitters than he walked. However, Dodd did right the ship down on the farm in the second half of the season by throwing 38.1 innings of 3.29 ERA ball from July 1 to the end of the campaign. He's continued that good work to start this year and currently sports a 1.54 ERA through his first two starts.
However, with two southpaws already featured in the Braves rotation, it wouldn't make a ton of sense for the team to give Dylan the start every fifth day.
A.J. Smith-Shawver (Triple-A Gwinnett)
A.J. Smith-Shawver represents one of the two high-ceiling options to round out this list but given his rocky start to his time in Gwinnett this season, he appears unlikely to be given the immediate callup. He didn't make it out of the first inning of his first start, giving up 3 earned runs, and only reached the third inning in his second start, once again surrendering 3 earned runs.
The resulting 18.00 ERA isn't pretty to look at but it's not a huge worry when the sample size is all of 3 innings. However, it is enough to put him a bit farther down the pecking order when considering the relative wealth of options at the Braves' disposal.
Hurston Waldrep gets the season started with straight gas for his first strikeout of the year against the first batter he faces pic.twitter.com/TBOzCnClii
— Gaurav (@gvedak) April 7, 2024
Hurston Waldrep (Double-A Mississippi)
Waldrep is coming off a scintillating professional debut last season after being drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft but he has a little more to prove in the minors before being entrusted with getting major league hitters out.
His Achilles heel remains the free pass and Braves brass would probably like to see him throw up a month's worth of solid results before giving him the nod on a major league mound. While he gave up 7 runs in his first start at Mississippi it's helpful to note that over 75% of the balls put in play against him fell for hits. That completely unsustainable number illustrates the bad luck he suffered and considering his 4 to 1 K/BB ratio in the outing it was more of a positive than a negative.
Once Waldrep hones in his command and learns how to handle professional hitters a bit more confidently, he will be a huge weapon for the Braves. His splitter has potential to be one of the best in all of baseball.
Atlanta has a plethora of options available and the team hasn't announced just yet what the timetable is for Strider. It's safe to assume he's done for the year and the team will deliberate in the next few days as to the right decision to make as the team heads off for a six-game road trip.
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