Jared Shuster was a surprise for the Braves coming out of Spring Training in 2023, making the Opening Day roster. The young left-hander had a roller coaster of a season showing that he still needs some time to develop before being a mainstay in an MLB rotation.
Shuster was drafted as the 25th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. He spent time with Rome and Mississippi during the 2021 season and Mississippi and Gwinnett in 2022. As mentioned above, his impressive Spring Training in 2023 led to a promotion to the big league level.
In his first season in the minors, he earned a 4.44 ERA over 73 innings pitched. In 2022, he earned a 3.29 ERA over 139.1 innings with 38 walks and 145 strikeouts. As for 2023 Spring Training, Shuster completed 20.2 innings with a 1.74 ERA including 7 walks and 19 strikeouts.
He and Dylan Dodd filled out the final two spots of Atlanta's rotation as we headed into the start of the 2023 season. However, things did not go the way Shuster expected them to and led to a disappointing end.
No. 1 @Braves prospect Jared Shuster spins his best MLB start to date:
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 21, 2023
6 IP
1 H
1 R
1 BB
7 K pic.twitter.com/j00zKAvFV7
Jared could not find consistency when on the mound, issuing a lot of walks and allowing a lot of hard contact. He walked 26 batters while striking out 30 of them over 11 total starts. He was 4-3 with a 5.81 ERA over 52.2 Major League innings.
He found himself back in Triple-A after posting an 8.31 ERA over two starts in early April. Shuster wasn't missing any bats and opponents were clobbering his pitches.
Shuster was called back up in mid-May and completed 4 starts during the month. His starts improved each time out and it seemed like things were headed in the right direction as he earned a 3.68 ERA in May. Unfortunately, after another rough month in June ending with a 5.02 ERA Shuster spent the next couple of months with the Stripers in Gwinnett.
He would appear in a spot start in late August and again in mid-September. Each time garnering similar results. Shuster just never could find consistency and the ability to replicate the success he found during Spring Training.
It's not like he faired much better in Triple-A either. He earned a 5.01 ERA over 79 innings pitched with the Stripers. He walked 45 batters while striking out 64 of them. That is not a great ratio of walks to strikeouts.
The 2023 season wasn't the one he or the Braves hoped for and now Shuster finds himself with a new organization as he was included in a deal for LHP Aaron Bummer from the White Sox. He was included in a deal alongside Michael Soroka, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake, and Riley Gowens.
Hopefully, Shuster can land on his feet and have a successful MLB career. He has shown flashes of potential but 2023 wasn't the coming out party he'd hoped for.