The Atlanta Braves had themselves quite the eventful day yesterday, but we will start with the goings on down in spring training first. Kyle Wright's first spring start was a rough one, but Marcell Ozuna had a three hit game and Matt Olson homered AGAIN to help the cause. In the end, the Braves were able to rally from the early deficit and win by the score of 6-5 over the Rays.
More Atlanta Braves News
The biggest news yesterday wasn't the spring training game, but in regards to the Braves roster. A wave of roster cuts was inevitable as we approach Opening Day, but very few people foresaw that both Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake would be among the eight players sent back to the minor leagues yesterday. For the moment, that leaves Orlando Arcia as the team's starting shortstop and Ehire Adrianza as their bench infielder.
We also saw some changes to the the Braves' TV broadcast crew announced yesterday with the biggest changes being that Paul Byrd and Brian Jordan will not be returning in 2023. We already knew that Brandon Gaudin would be replacing Chip Caray on play-by-play, but we will also get to see Kris Medlen and Gordon Beckham helping out on the analysis side of things.
We also had a look at Eddie Rosario and whether or not he will bounce back in 2023. While nothing is assured, there are at least SOME encouraging signs there. Finally, we got the news that Michael Soroka would be making his spring training debut on Wednesday. It will be very interesting to see how he looks and how long he can go in the game, but it does seem clear that everyone is rooting for him.
MLB News
If you haven't been following the World Baseball Classic, you have been missing out on some awesome baseball. Last night's semifinal matchup between Japan and Mexico was absolutely an instant classic with Japan winning on a walk-off two-run double. The game had everything from highlight reel home run robberies, clutch hits, late inning drama, and electric pitching performances. Seriously, it was awesome.
It looks like MLB could be making some slight changes to the new rules going into place for 2023 very soon. Nothing is confirmed yet, but the Competition Committee did meet to discuss some tweaks which might include some regarding the batter must be set and 'attentive' rules as well as maybe some adjustments to the clock with no runners on. We shall see what things loo