3 position battles that will define Atlanta Braves spring training, and who will win

1. Who will become the No. 5 starter in the Atlanta Braves' rotation?

This is by far the most interesting battle in spring training for the Braves. We all know that Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Chris Sale and Spencer Strider will be starting pitchers No. 1 through No. 4 in some capacity in the Atlanta rotation. Fried and Strider will likely be front-line starters, while the veterans of Morton and Sale will back them up in the middle of it. But who will emerge as Atlanta's No. 5 starter?

Right now, you would expect for Bryce Elder to be the presumptive favorite for that. He was an NL All-Star a season ago for his brilliant first half. While the contact pitcher seemed to run out of gas in the final third of the season, Elder was such a valuable pitcher for the Braves once Fried and Kyle Wright succumbed to injuries. If Elder is ready for a full 30 games' worth of starts, he should be their No. 5.

Of course, there will be several options ready to rock if Elder is not ready to go for whatever reason. Reynaldo Lopez could be an option, but I feel he is destined to be a long arm in the bullpen. From the minor leagues, keep an eye on AJ Smith-Shawver, or possibly even Hurston Waldrep, cracking the rotation. After that, familiar faces such as Ian Anderson or Huascar Ynoa could be in play for this, too.

Unless something drastic occurs, it has to be Elder because he has yet to lose this rotation spot.

Winner: Bryce Elder