It would have been easy for the Atlanta Braves' decision to call up Didier Fuentes to make his debut when they did to backfire in spectacular fashion. Fuentes was not ready, got roughed up, and then became the butt of jokes from beat writers and fans alike. This is the sort of thing that can (and has) completely derail young players' careers through no real fault of their own. Thankfully, the combination of Fuentes being built different, as well as an ace-in-the-hole on the Braves' roster, didn't let that happen.
The vast majority of the credit goes to Fuentes himself. The Athletic's Jesus Cano wrote a great piece talking about how Fuentes took those hard lessons from his first call-up and used them to get even better while jumping at any and all chances to get better and contribute. Other than a weirdly rocky appearance against the Red Sox on Tuesday, Fuentes has been awesome after being pressed into service as a reliever, and that speaks to his character and work ethic.
However, as Cano's excellent piece pointed out, Fuentes has a great support network of veterans that the Braves have assembled on their pitching staff.
Didier Fuentes' 2026 rebound has, to a certain extent, the Braves' veteran pitchers to thank for it
In Cano's piece, considerable attention was given to Fuentes' explanation that, "It’s thanks to the veterans in the bullpen and rotation. They’ve taught me so much about preparation and sequencing, but at the same time, they’ve helped me mature as a person.”
Now, this isn't lip service. The piece goes on to highlight Fuentes' strong relationship with and mentorship by Carlos Carrasco during his time in Gwinnett. In addition, Fuentes has received guidance and support from other Spanish-speaking veterans like Martin Perez, Raisel Iglesias, and Robert Suarez. Hard to beat having a crew like that, having your back.
Again, Fuentes deserves the credit, and every single member of the Braves would say the same thing. As Walt Weiss said best, "You wonder, when a young kid gets up here and gets beat up a little bit, if it’s going to really affect him and maybe even ruin him. He’s the opposite. He took those lessons, made some adjustments, and he’s already maturing at 20 years old before our eyes.”
It looks like Weiss was spot on so far, and one hopes that Fuentes can carry this success over when he eventually gets another shot at a rotation spot. Thankfully, the Braves have the right people around him to make that happen, too.
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