FORT MYERS, Fla. — AJ Smith-Shawver entered final season seeking to earn a promotion to the Double-A degree. The heralded prospect catapulted himself to the Majors by the tip of Could.
Smith-Shawver won’t start the upcoming season as a part of Atlanta’s rotation. However as he accomplished a scoreless effort towards the Twins on Monday afternoon, he strengthened the assumption he’s on the cusp of realizing sustained success on the Main League degree.
“What I’ve seen this spring has been actually, actually good,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker stated. “Actually good. He’s simply persevering with to mature, and he’s going to proceed to get higher.”
Smith-Shawver confirmed how far he has come and the way nice he might turn into whereas recording 5 strikeouts over 2 2/3 scoreless innings within the Braves’ 4-3 loss to the Twins. The 21-year-old hurler lit up the radar gun with a fastball that touched 98.3 mph. He additionally confirmed the potential of each his curve and slider. However his latest weapon, the changeup, created essentially the most encouragement.
“Every part is trending in the correct course, that’s for positive,” Snitker stated.
4 of Smith-Shawver’s 5 strikeouts concluded with the changeup. The Twins whiffed on 4 of their 9 swings towards the pitch. Not unhealthy, contemplating the Braves’ younger hurler used the pitch simply 10 p.c of the time whereas within the Majors final yr.
“It’s nearly getting a really feel for it, and the extra you throw it, the extra you get a really feel for it,” Smith-Shawver stated. “It’s been understanding fairly properly. I simply wish to hold it that approach.”
Smith-Shawver once more ranked on the high of the Braves’ Prime 30 Prospects checklist when the most recent version was launched Monday. He additionally ranked No. 69 amongst all MLB prospects.
“He nonetheless has issues to work on and clear up,” Snitker stated. “However holy cow, he’s rising up. All he wants now’s expertise.”
Smith-Shawver’s uncooked bodily expertise create the assumption he has an opportunity to ascertain himself among the many sport’s elite pitchers. However he’s nonetheless studying the artwork of pitching. He didn’t pitch throughout his first three highschool baseball seasons as a result of he was coping with a progress plate concern in his proper shoulder. However when he returned to the mound for a summer season league crew in 2020, he was instantly throwing 92-94 mph.
Lower than three years later, Smith-Shawver was pitching for one in all MLB’s finest groups. He posted a 4.26 ERA over six begins (5 appearances) for Atlanta final yr. Not unhealthy, contemplating he had totaled simply 110 skilled innings earlier than making his MLB debut. He remembers making simply 9 begins throughout his senior yr of highschool.
However though this pitching factor continues to be considerably new, Smith-Shawver had no bother making some confirmed veterans look unhealthy Monday. Carlos Correa swung by a changeup to finish the primary inning, and Carlos Santana whiffed on a two-strike, 96.7 mph heater within the third.
“He’s maturing,” Snitker stated. “He in all probability wasn’t prepared for what we put him by final yr. However on reflection, we’re going to look again on it, and it’s going to have been nice for him to have skilled what he did. How he dealt with it was the largest factor I used to be so impressed with. His confidence and mound presence was actually good. This leads me to imagine this child’s ceiling is so excessive.”
Rising up as one in all Bobby Witt Jr.’s finest pals, Smith-Shawver was launched to competing with and towards elite expertise at a younger age. The Royals’ shortstop is 2 years older. As he was starting his skilled profession, Smith-Shawver appeared destined to play quarterback at Texas Tech. This plan modified as soon as he began pitching and drawing consideration from groups just like the Braves.
Lower than three years since graduating from highschool, Smith-Shawver finds himself as a key asset for a World Collection contender. He won’t begin the season in Atlanta’s rotation. However he will definitely be wanted because the Braves handle the workloads of two of their projected starters — Chris Sale and Reynaldo López.
“I positively really feel like I’m in a greater spot this yr, by way of psychological house,” Smith-Shawver stated. “I really feel like every time they inform me to throw, wherever that’s, I’m going to be prepared. My factor is to simply hold getting higher, wherever that’s.”
