Spencer Schwellenbach was a massive surprise for the Atlanta Braves in 2024. He barely had any professional innings under his belt, but proved to be one of Atlanta's best pitchers last season.
The talented righty refined his pitches and ended the season with an 8-7 record, a 3.35 ERA. 23 walks, and 127 strikeouts in 123.2 innings. He was incredible at inducing chase and his ability to limit walks may be the most impressive part of his debut season.
Had Paul Skenes not existed this season, Schwellenbach may have gotten more love in the NL Rookie of the Year race. Braves fans know full well how special he is and that his performance was abnormal for a rookie. Atlanta has found another talented arm with an extremely bright future.
Schwellenbach recently had an interview with 680 AM The Fan and talked about his excitement to return to the mound in 2025.
Braves rookie sensation Spencer Schwellenbach has the mentality to overcome sophomore regression
2025 is Spencer's year! 🤝
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) February 3, 2025
FULL INTERVIEW 🎧 https://t.co/WPaJ6jFP0q pic.twitter.com/NAJXoOo57B
His first season was likely a blur as he was called up mid-season and responsible for helping the team compete for the division. You couldn't tell Spencer was a rookie as he composed himself much like a grizzled veteran would.
During the interview, he spoke about how it went by so quickly and wasn't able to reflect on anything until the season ended. He concluded that it was a successful season and seemed proud of his accomplishments.
There is the chance Schwellenbach could suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump and regress next season. A big part of that is his mindset and he mentioned during the interview how he enjoys the pressure that comes in important game moments. He's able to amp things up when he needs to and relax when the moment calls for it.
His mental maturity is something that stands out the most about him. That's why he seems primed to avert any prolonged struggles during his second season with the Braves. He wants to just build on his success last season and improve some things to take the next step.
Spencer mentioned his goal is to stay healthy and do the things needed to get through a full season. Looking at his advanced metrics, the only thing he needs to improve performance-wise is inducing a bit more ground ball outs and less hard contact. If he can do that, Schwellenbach may have an opportunity to push for a Cy Young-worthy season.
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