3 Atlanta Braves currently on the 40-man roster who won't be back
By Mark Powell
2. Dylan Dodd is trending down in the Braves rotation mix
Dylan Dodd may have a bright future yet, whether it be in Atlanta or for another team. However, he struggled to maintain much consistency last season, and was little more than a sixth starter at best for this team when he was called upon. Dodd spent most of his season in Gwinnett, but in his limited time on the Atlanta roster made a negative impact. He finished the 2023 regular season with a negative fWAR.
Dodd finished the season 4-6 with a 5.91 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 30 walks in 74.2 innings. His issue weren't with control, necessarily. It sounds simplistic, but Dodd didn't offer the fastball velocity to set up his secondary pitches with success. Because of this, when Dodd was hit, he was hit hard. 46.3 percent of the contact he gave up qualified as Hard Hit. His putaway pitch was his changeup, but it hardly got batters out with much consistency.
Dodd will receive another look in spring training, where he made a great early impression in 2023. The Braves rotation is likely decided, but it's not set in stone due to injury issues to Sale and Max Fried. There's a chance we could see Dodd this season yet.