LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Prospect Aaron Blair gets a couple of starts within the first two times through the Braves rotation this spring, while left-hander Manny Banuelos isn’t scheduled to make his spring debut until March 12.
Those were among the points of interest Monday when Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez announced his starting-rotation plays for the first nine Grapefruit League games.
Williams Perez will start the Braves’ spring opener Tuesday (1 p.m.) against the Baltimore Orioles at Champion Stadium, and Blair gets a start Wednesday when the Braves bus over to face the Orioles again in Sarasota, Fla.
Gonzalez is giving a few of the organization’s top pitching prospects a start or two apiece in the first part of the Grapefruit League schedule, to give them a taste of big-league competition and give the coaching staff and team officials a chance to see them before they’re sent to minor league camp.
Blair might be the closest to the majors among the group of four top Braves pitching prospects that could make their big-league debuts at some point during the 2017 season.
The others are No. 1 pitching prospect Sean Newcomb, who gets the Game 3 start Thursday against the Tigers; Lucas Sims, who starts Friday against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla., and Tyrell Jenkins, who was the Braves’ minor league Pitcher of the Year in 2015 but only has 25 starts above Single-A.
Jenkins wasn’t among the pitchers listed for starts in the first nine games.
Planned opening-day starter Julio Teheran is scheduled to pitch his first game in a minor-league scrimmage Friday while Sims pitches the Braves’ main game.
None of the prospects are expected to compete for a spot in the opening-day rotation. However, if several others struggled or got hurt, Blair or another prospect might get consideration for the opening rotation
Still, the Braves have about eight other pitchers competing for spots in the rotation to begin the season, and Gonzalez indicated five who’d get the most starts this spring to get “stretched out” for the season were Teheran and, in no certain order, second-year starter Matt Wisler, veteran Bud Norris, and non-roster invitees Kyle Kendrick and Jhoulys Chacin.
Norris is set to start the fifth game Saturday against the Pirates, followed by Kendrick on Sunday against the Mets, and Blair in his second start Monday against the Blue Jays. Wisler makes his spring debut with a March 8 start against the Mets, and Teheran gets his first start March 9 vs. the Astros.
Gonzalez was asked why Perez, after starting the Grapefruit League opener, wasn’t scheduled to start again in the next eight games. He said it was because the right-hander is a known commodity.
“Williams could start, could come in as a reliever, be that swing guy,” Gonzalez said. “But we know him, we’re comfortable with him, so let’s watch some of the other guys (early in camp). He could come in as a reliever and get some work. After the first game he could come in and fill in any of those games.”
Gonzalez said Sims, the former first-round draft pick from Brookwood High School, might “piggyback” with Teheran on March 9 and pitch 2-3 innings after Teheran leaves the game.
Banuelos, who had arthroscopic surgery in September to remove a bone chip from his previously Tommy John surgery-repaired elbow, is a little behind other pitchers. Another of the Braves’ young starters, Mike Foltynewicz, is coming back from surgery to remove a rib after having blood clots in his arm in September, and he’s also behind other pitchers.
“We’re just making sure, following the protocol with Banuelos,” Gonzalez said. “With Folty we’re not ready to give you a date” when he’ll be ready for games.
Banuelos is set for his first start near the end of the second week of games. That could still give him enough time to get ready if he were to break camp as the fifth starter, since the Braves won’t need a fifth starter until April 12 in the seventh game of the season.
But, Gonzalez said, “Let’s not pencil him in to be the fifth, because there’s a lot of good competition — really. Chacin is throwing the ball well.”
