I know what I am watching, and I do not care for it at all. As a bit of a contrarian, I will offer you this: When it comes to MLB, prospects do nothing for me. I only care about what you can do at the big-league level. The idea of what a baseball player can be is not something I have the bandwidth for. Prove to me you belong here, and I will always have your back. So what about AJ Smith-Shawver?
Well, the greatest idea of an Atlanta Braves high-end pitching prospect ever conceived is back in Triple-A Gwinnett after struggling as a big-league starting pitcher to start the season. Color me shocked! I hate to say it, but he does not have the command I want to see out of a pitcher toeing the rubber for the only team that matters every fifth day. I feel like I am watching Sean Newcomb again (and just ask fans of the Boston Red Sox how that's working out right now).
Should Smith-Shawver have kept his spot in the rotation over the meatball king that is Bryce Elder? You can make a solid argument. What I will offer is Atlanta needs to figure out if Smith-Shawver can pitch at the game's highest level or not. This is why I offer this solution: He may need to go to the bullpen, much like Newcomb did after failing as a starter. Smith-Shawver has good stuff, but is lacking any confidence.
I do not mean to bury the guy, but he has to show me he belongs like Spencer Schwellenbach did.
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AJ Smith-Shawver may be better served in Atlanta Braves bullpen
I understand that Brian Snitker is a players manager, but baseball is a results-based business. The amount of prospects I have heard Braves Country salivate over through the years makes me gag. It is not like the Braves have the greatest farm system on god's green earth; this team wins too much. That being said, it does foster an environment where the cream always rises to the top, almost immediately.
We knew right away that Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman were going to be studs. Although Jeff Francoeur and Jason Heyward pulled on our heartstrings, deep down we knew right away that they were not them. To further drive home my point, it was not that long ago Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider rose to the occasion in 2022. They were built for the moment.
And even though I am sure there is some article out there I wrote about Schwellenbach struggling in his first few months in Atlanta, he chose to get better and made himself an elite pitcher seemingly overnight. So maybe Smith-Shawver is better served for the bullpen? I think anything would be an upgrade over what we have seen out of that unit this past month. He is simply running out of time.
If Smith-Shawver is great in relief, that is fantastic. His stuff would certainly be electric in short bursts, and that limited exposure might help him curb his command issues. I have just been there, done that with him starting.