Listen, folks.
The pitching news continues to be unkind. I promise we’ll discuss (and get your thoughts) momentarily.
But how about we let beat writer Chad Bishop start us off with someone a little more … dependable?
Have Braves-related questions or comments? The Braves Report mailbox is always open for business.
THE BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY
NORTH PORT, Fla. — Injury news has almost become a part of the daily cycle for Braves coverage — but not so for first baseman Matt Olson. (Hey, if he misses some time this year, I will certainly take the heat).
Olson has played in 782 consecutive games, a streak that began during his time with the Oakland Athletics and has continued since he returned to his hometown to play for the Braves. The former Parkview High School great has the 12th-longest consecutive games played streak in MLB history going into this season.
“A ton of luck involved with that, too,” Olson said of the streak. “Playing first base, I will always say, is part of it, the equation there. I’m not spending as much energy as these guys are in the outfield or shortstop or whatever it might be. I’m not stealing 70 bases. I’m not really the guy putting myself in harm’s way that much. I should be out there.”
- Austin Riley needs to hit dingers
- Weiss A-OK with WBC position players
- Yaz jazzed for fresh Atlanta start
Still, all it takes is an errant pitch to break a finger or stretching for a bang-bang play at first to strain a muscle or a baserunner stepping on an ankle to take Olson — or any first baseman — out of the lineup. So Olson’s assessment about the luck factor is apt.
But he also said much of his durability comes from finding “a way to raise your 100% a little bit,” in the offseason in knowing that once you start work in the spring training a player never truly returns to 100% for the next six or seven months.
- Olson could pass Nellie Fox (798) for 11th on MLB’s all-time consecutive games played list sometime in mid-April.
- He could pass Gus Suhr (822) and Eddie Yost (829) in May and Stan Musial (895) in July.
And if he can make it happen, there’s no doubt he will try, because he knows no different mindset.
“Everybody feels this way: If you’re here and you’re able, you should be on the field,” Olson added. “One of the things I love about being here is that tone was set 20, 30 years ago. It’s not something new that we’re doing here.
“You see teams mix it around a lot, matchups, platoons — I like that we’ll have one or two maybe, but you show up to the field you know who’s in the lineup that day, and that builds a little chemistry and gets into a little rhythm of the season that you just can’t match.”
📲 Thanks, Chad. Y’all make sure to follow him at @MrChadBishop — and bookmark this page to keep tabs on his more offbeat spring training adventures.
PITCHING PULSE CHECK
To paraphrase the great Lloyd Christmas: Our pitchers’ arms are falling off.
We’re roughly 10 days into spring training, and Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep are already on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Braves leadership, meanwhile, insists the rotation is good enough to contend.
Maybe that will prove true — but it’ll take an amount of luck unseen around here in years (and a resurgent offense) to make it so.
Until then, we want to know: Who are you most annoyed/upset/angry at over this team’s seemingly never-ending pitching predicaments?
- A. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, what you doin’ man?
- B. The corporate overlords need to get off their fat … wallets.
- C. Don’t we have, like, trainers?
- D. The players and their “loose bodies” and such.
✅ Vote using our fancy form or shoot an email to tyler.estep@ajc.com. Mailbox questions and comments are always encouraged, too.
ON A MORE HOPEFUL NOTE …
Barring further unpleasantries, the Braves’ season-starting rotation likely looks like this: Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder. Or maybe Joey Wentz.
As we told you last week, the last two lack minor league options — which will make it difficult for an upstart to make the cut, at least initially.
👌 But you can expect a JR Ritchie appearance at some point.
The 22-year-old (mid- to high-90s fastball, gnarly sinker, solid change-up) is widely considered the Braves’ most majors ready pitching prospect. He posted a 2.64 ERA across three minor league affiliates (including Triple-A Gwinnett) last year. Baseball America named him the Braves’ Minor Leaguer of the Year.
Hear more from the man himself in our friend Gabe Burns’ new story.
👌 Otherwise, this scouting report from catcher Drake Baldwin paints a pretty good picture:
“I haven’t gotten to see a ton of him this spring so far, but I got to face him — the stuff is there. You see him before practice and everything. The work ethic is there. It seems like some of the other big leaguers who are here. I’m definitely excited for him. Great guy, wanting to get better always.
“I think he’ll definitely be a help for us. You know how much pitching depth we used last year. I think he’ll be one of those guys that’ll step in and be able to fill a role.”
QUICK, SOME OTHER NEWS!
📺 The Braves’ first Grapefruit League game is Saturday against the Rays. Their first televised Grapefruit League game is Sunday against the Twins. Tune in to your local Gray TV station at 1:05 p.m.
- Semirelated: FanDuel Sports Network is shuttering two Atlanta-area offices and laying off several dozen staffers.
🐟 Get you someone who loves you as much as Ozzie Albies loves sharing the gospel of fishes.
👋 Say hi to Antoan Richardson, new Braves first base coach and base-stealing guru. Atlanta yoinked him from the Mets.
💪 Then there’s Robert Suarez, former Padres closer looking to form a potent one-two punch with Raisel Iglesias.
🎤 A familiar face returns to the Truist Park jumbotron this season: Mark Owens, who’s back as in-game host after a three-year hiatus.
🏁 Random but timely: Dayton 500 winner Tyler Reddick will be at Truist Park’s Braves Clubhouse Store to sign autographs today. Time: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. It’s free.
👀 ESPN plans to fill the void left by some “Sunday Night Baseball” games with offerings from the WNBA and NWSL.
🥤 Important: Mountain Dew Baja Blast is now the official soft drink of MLB.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Sweet shades, kid.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Win Column newsletter a shot.
Until next time.
About the Authors
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
