With opening day for all minor league clubs inching closer, rosters for Braves affiliates are slowly being released. The Rome Braves debuted their opening day squad Wednesday afternoon and the roster features perhaps the most upside and intrigue of any Braves MiLB roster we’ll see this season. There are plenty of newcomers to the roster from the 2022 draft as well as some returning players looking to build off of last season’s campaign and make the push for Mississippi.
In terms of pitchers named to the roster, there are a few names that stick out more than most. But the number one arm people will have their eyes on is Battery Power’s top preseason prospect AJ Smith-Shawver, who opens up his year with Rome.
The 20-year-old righty started 17 games with Augusta in his first full season as a pro and now gets the nod to High-A to start the season. In those 17 games with the GreenJackets, Smith-Shawver spun a 5.11 ERA and while that’s certainly not a sterling number to look at, his strikeout numbers with 103. He only allowed 4 homers across 68 ⅔ innings as well.
As Smith-Shawver is surely to garner most of the attention, there are a few other pitchers worth keeping an eye on to start the year. Guys like JJ Niekro and Rolddy Munoz make their return to Rome while newcomers like Luis Vargas are looking to increase their prospect status with a strong showing for the Braves. atlanta braves crocs
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