By: Mark
Bowman – MLB.com
Though the Braves’ rotation currently lacks an
established ace, the quality depth of this rather young but mature group could
still make it one of the game’s better starting staffs.
“After the layoff we had, it seemed like everybody
came in and hit the ground running,” Braves veteran Josh Tomlin said. “That
bodes well for the club and for the start of the season because this isn’t a
marathon anymore, it’s a sprint from the very get-go. If you have a hiccup the
first 10 games, it can cost you. This group, even though it’s young, held
itself accountable and actually worked during this quarantine.”
It’s no doubt disappointing that Cole Hamels has
been unable to throw off a mound despite having a couple extra months to
recover from the shoulder ailment that sidelined him during Spring Training.
But the Braves have reason to be excited to see how much Mike Soroka, Max
Fried, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb will benefit from the dedication they
showed during the quarantine.
Soroka, Foltynewicz and Newcomb pushed and
supported each other while working out at suburban Atlanta’s Campbell High
School. Fried was back home in California training with his high school buddy
Jack Flaherty, who stands with Soroka as a preseason National League Cy Young
Award candidate.
“Overall, I like where everybody is at,” Braves
manager Brian Snitker said.
Here’s a look at how the Braves rotation will look
to begin the season:
1. Mike
Soroka
Season
debut: Friday at Mets, 4:10 p.m. ET
Soroka will become the youngest Opening Day
starter in Braves modern era history, and he’ll be MLB’s youngest pitcher to
start a season opener since José Fernández in 2014. The 22-year-old hurler left
one last great impression last year, when he limited the Cardinals to two hits
and one run over seven innings in Game 3 of the NL Division Series.
Experiencing this first Opening Day assignment on
the road shouldn’t faze Soroka, who posted a 1.55 ERA outside of Atlanta last
year. In the divisional era (since 1969), Greg Maddux (1.12 in 1995) and Roger
Clemens (1.32 in 2005) are the only pitchers (minimum 15 starts) to produce a
better road ERA.
Soroka appears to be where he needs to be entering
the short season, throwing 60 pitches to complete five innings in an intrasquad
game on Saturday night. The Braves had him continue pitching to get his pitch
count closer to 75 while making his last tune-up. The young hurler ended up
retiring seven of the eight hitters faced in the inning.
“You look at that outing and say it looks like
he’s ready to go,” Snitker said.
2. Max
Fried
Season
debut: Saturday at Mets, 4:10 p.m. ET
Fried notched 17 wins (second most in the NL) last
year and proved himself as a big league starter. The lefty produced a 2.96 ERA
through his first 10 starts, and then overcame some midseason struggles before
being a strong asset down the stretch. The NL East race all but ended on Sept.
5, when Fried limited the Nationals to one hit over seven scoreless innings.
3. Mike
Foltynewicz
Season
debut: TBD
Snitker has not determined whether Foltynewicz or
Newcomb will fit in the third spot, but both are targeted to begin the season
in the rotation.
Foltynewicz will be looking to distance himself
from a rough, injury-plagued season that included both promise and frustration.
After spending some time in the Minors, he posted a 1.73 ERA over his final
seven starts, and then limited the Cardinals to three hits over seven scoreless
innings in Game 2 of the NLDS. Unfortunately, his year ended with him recording
just one out during the 10-run first inning St. Louis put together in Game 5.
“He’s very good at putting the past in the past
and approaching this year with a completely different mindset,” Tomlin said.
“He knows he’s not the reason we didn’t win that game or the reason we that we
didn’t win that series. A large reason we got to that point was Foltynewicz.”
4. Sean
Newcomb
Season
debut: TBD
Had Hamels been ready and had Félix Hernández
elected to play this year, Newcomb might have returned to the bullpen, where he
finally provided some consistent value last year. Now, the lefty will get his
wish to return to a starting role.
Newcomb believes if he’s as aggressive as he was
as a reliever last year, he will find better success as a starter. But until he
finds simultaneous consistency with his changeup and curveball, he will likely
continue to struggle as a two-pitch starter.
Fifth spot
Hamels missed Spring Training with left shoulder
inflammation, and he’s currently behind schedule because of the left triceps
tendinitis that slowed him last week. The Braves are still hopeful to get some
value from the 36-year-old lefty. But for now, they’ll fill this spot with Kyle
Wright, Tomlin or rising prospect Tucker Davidson, who still may be a long shot
to land on the Opening Day roster.
This fifth spot of the rotation will almost
certainly be one in which the Braves use the piggyback system. If Wright begins
the season in this spot, he might be targeted for three to four innings in his
first start. Tomlin, Bryse Wilson and Chris Rusin are among those who could be
tabbed to throw the two to three innings behind one of the starters that is
piggybacked within the season’s first couple weeks.
Mark Bowman
has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.
