NORTH PORT, Fla. – In a little over a week, the Braves will bring 26 players from the CoolToday Park clubhouse to Philadelphia for Opening Day.
Who will they be?
Well, that’s the fun part. There could be surprises, even if the Braves actually had most of their roster set before spring training even started.
The Braves break camp after their March 26 game in Fort Myers versus the Twins. They open the season on March 28 versus the Phillies.
Here’s a prediction for the 26-man roster on Opening Day. We’ll first list the 26 men, then we’ll provide some explanation and analysis after listing the players at each position:
Starting pitchers - Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez
After Sunday, Lopez is still the best guess for the fifth spot. There’s no doubt Bryce Elder can succeed in the majors, but the Braves went out and got Lopez this offseason. They planned to build him up. They’ll pay him $30 million over three years. He hasn’t done anything to lose that job.
The Braves, however, will probably get contributions from Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver and others throughout the season. Here’s a guarantee: They’ll use more than seven starters.
They’ll also need to be cognizant of the workloads of Lopez, Sale and Morton. Since the end of 2019, Lopez hasn’t logged more than 66 innings in a season. Before completing 102 2/3 innings for Boston last season, Sale only threw 48 1/3 frames between 2020-22.
What this means: The Braves are going to need other starters this season. Once again, their depth will be important.
Bullpen -- Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Pierce Johnson, Joe Jiménez, Aaron Bummer, Tyler Matzek, Dylan Lee, Jackson Stephens
The first five were penciled in at the start of spring, and they’ve stayed healthy. With Matzek, the only question was whether he’d be healthy and have enough time to ramp up, and he’s pitched well this spring. Unless the Braves add someone who isn’t currently in camp, Jackson Stephens seems like the best fit to be the prototypical long man out of the bullpen.
Catchers -- Sean Murphy, Travis d’Arnaud
This was easy.
Infielders -- Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Luis Guillorme, Luke Williams
The first four were a given. And all along, it seems like Guillorme has been penciled into the utility infielder role.
Williams would be the 26th man. This means Forrest Wall would not make the team, which would be a shame. David Fletcher and Eli White also would head to Triple A.
Wall has played well enough to make the team. The Braves know this. But the 26th roster spot is tricky. It’s more about fit than talent. That spot doesn’t see the field a lot, which means more valuable players will often go to Triple A to get everyday at-bats in case a big leaguer suffers an injury.
The Braves must have this discussion about Wall. Does he have enough potential that it’d be beneficial to have him play every day in Gwinnett? When the Braves signed Adam Duvall, Wall’s roster chances seemed to take a hit.
Here’s why Williams could be a good fit: He can play in the infield and the outfield. He features more versatility than the other candidates. He can also steal bases.
Fletcher might be redundant to Guillorme. Wall and White might not contribute much with Duvall in the fold. But if necessary, Williams, who is a good teammate, can play anywhere.
Fletcher has had a good spring. But the Braves might want him getting everyday playing time in Triple A in the event that he needs to replace an injured player.
All of the guys mentioned deserve roster spots, but it’s a crowded and competitive camp in North Port.
Outfielders -- Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic, Adam Duvall
These four seem like certainties. Kelenic and Duvall will platoon in left field. Duvall can cover all three outfield spots, which probably negates the need for another outfielder – even if Wall has made a strong impression this spring.
Designated hitter -- Marcell Ozuna
Like many other spots, this was set before camp started.
The Braves could have baseball’s best roster, but will they play like its best team again? And can they show up in October this time around?
It all starts March 28.
