Braves Rumors: Max Fried return, trade deadline explained, prospect debut coming

Braves Rumors: Could Darius Vines make his debut soon?

The Braves farm system isn’t the strongest in MLB for a reason, as Alex Anthopoulos has stockpiled young major-league talent by being willing to trade away some top prospect capital. However, in 2023 Atlanta has seen the surprising emergence of several key cogs to their future, including A.J. Smith-Shawver.

Soon, another Atlanta pitcher could make his way to the big leagues in the form of Darius Vines. At 25 years old, Vines is one of the older prospects in the Braves system. He’s ranked seventh overall via MLB Pipeline, and has an ERA under one in two brief starts with Triple-A Gwinnett so far this season.

Vines spent the majority of this minor-league season rehabbing from a shoulder injury, but assuming he’s throwing well in the upper levels of the Braves system, he’s certainly in play to receive a spot start or two as Atlanta’s No. 5. By no means is Vines an explosive pitcher, as his fastball sits mid-90’s at best. He’s no Spencer Strider, but he’s effective at pitching to his defensive alignment.

MLB Pipeline described Vines in a similar fashion this season:

"“While Vines is never going to wow with electric stuff, his feel for pitching has enabled him to get outs at the upper levels of the system. His secondary stuff is better than his fastball, starting with a plus changeup, thrown around 81-82 mph with deception and depth. He’ll throw it at any point and commands it well, getting swings-and-misses in and out of the zone. His low-80s slider isn’t quite as exciting, but it’s an average pitch that misses bats as well. He does have a slower curve he doesn’t throw as much.”"

In many ways, Vines secondary stuff more than makes up for his slightly lower-than-average fastball velocity, which is what makes him an intriguing prospect.