When the Braves opened their Grapefruit League season with a 9-7 loss to the Rays in Port Charlotte, Florida on Sunday, they took it one step further in the ever-interesting process of building an Opening Day roster.
Here are the top five questions the Braves will face during the rest of the Spring:
Will Cristian Pache start the season as a central player?
While recently investigating reactions to the first day at the home of the late Hank Aaron, I found several newspaper reports mentioning that Braves manager Charlie Grimm was still planning to put Aaron back on the bench when Bill Bruton returned from the injury in April 1954.
This never happened. But this story reminds us that players far superior to Pache have had to prove themselves before entering a Major League formation.
Pache’s great experience in the league consisted of four appearances on the plate before he was forced to become an everyday player during the first game of the National League Championship Series. It is a fairly small sample size. But as he went 4-on-22 with a homer and a double during that tense week against the Dodgers, Pache, 22, was number 12 in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, he created reasons why I think it would be an option. better than Ender Inciarte in midfield.
Braves manager Brian Snitker has said he does not describe its central location as a position battle between Inciarte and Pache. This is understandable. There is no reason to unduly pressure Pache. There is also no reason to shake Inciarte, who will earn $ 8 million in the final year of his contract.
Spring training is not the best environment to make decisions that can have long-term repercussions. But if Pache’s performance over the next few weeks backs up what was seen during the NLCS, I think the club would be happy to use him as a player at the Opening Day center.
That said, the Braves need to be prepared for the possibility that Pache will need more time in the minor leagues. Ronald Acuña Jr. will see a center in the center this spring and Inciarte will be ready for the chance to open one more season as Atlanta’s starting camper.
No one expects Inciarte to be the center of the field for an entire season. But if using it in this role for a month or two improves what Pache can provide over the next few years, wouldn’t that be, at the very least, a good alternative option?
When will Mike Soroka join the Atlanta rotation?
The good news is that Snitker has said Soroka is right in time with everything Atlanta is doing to him. The bad news is that this doesn’t really tell us anything, as the Braves haven’t revealed their schedule for their talented 23-year-old pitcher, who is returning from a torn Achilles tendon on his right.
Soroka has not had any setbacks since he started throwing a mound on a regular basis just over a month ago. Nor has he had any problems while performing running exercises every other day over the past week. But there should still be no reason to rush.
With the low-season additions of right-hander Charlie Morton and left-hander Drew Smyly, the Braves have a lot of pitching depth. At the same time, they will have to control the workload of all their incumbents as they try to spend a full season of 162 games after a reduced 2020.
Yes, NL East could be the strongest division in the game. But apparently it would make sense for Soroka to skip four or five outings if that positions him to be much more durable and effective during the last four or five months of the season.
So I’m thinking that Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson, or even Huascar Ynoa could fill that turning point, while Soroka spends most or all of April making sure her legs and their bodies are ready for this year’s long journey.
Who will start the season as a safety catcher?
William Contreras has been the organization’s best player for the past year. He made great strides while working with his star brother, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, during last year’s shutdown. But William, 23, has played just 64 games above the Class A Advanced.
If the Braves don’t add a veteran over the next few weeks, they could opt for Contreras to start Triple-A Gwinnett and use Alex Jackson as a backup. Jackson has improved defensively over the past two years and has huge gross power. Its high blowing rate could affect its long-term binder status. But it could be useful on paper for at least a couple of months, if necessary.
Who will fill the last bullpen places?
Will Smith, Chris Martin, Tyler Matzek, AJ Minter and Josh Tomlin can be written in five of the available places. How many vacancies remain depends on whether the Braves choose to start the season with just four starting pitchers. A few days off gives them that option.
But for now, let’s assume there will only be three bullpen seats available. Luke Jackson and Grant Dayton are out of options. Therefore, except for a total collapse, I will project that they will fill two of these places. My favorite for the other place would be Carl Edwards Jr., who if he was healthy could team up with Martin to give the team at least two right-hand options for big leverage situations.
Who will fill the last places on the bench?
Without the designated universal hitter, the value of the pinch hitters will increase again for National League clubs. Johan Camargo, Jake Lamb, Inciarte and Jackson are running as top candidates for four of the five places available on the bench. If Camargo proves he can still play on the short field, the Braves’ options for that final place would widen to the point where they could consider bringing Jason Kipnis, who can play at second base or any corner of the field off the field. and horse.
Over the past few weeks, the Braves have added a number of possible quarterbacks or fifth outfielders to their field. But for now, I think his last place on the bench will be occupied by a player who is currently on another team.