The Braves fell 10-2 last night in their Spring Training, but per usual, the final result is the last thing I’m concerned with. I’m watching certain fringe players that could make an impact on the team. Sam Hilliard picked up another hit in two at-bats, bumping his average up to .375 this Spring. It’s still no guarantee, but he’s making it hard for the Braves to keep him off the Opening Day roster. However, the biggest winner last night was Atlanta’s top prospect Jared Shuster.
The former first-round selection from the 2020 draft made significant strides last season, ending the year in AAA Gwinnett, where he posted a respectable 4.25 ERA over 48.2 innings. There’s a strong chance he makes his MLB debut at some point in 2023, especially if his Spring Training form is any indication of what we can expect from him.
Last night, Shuster was flawless, tossing three innings of no-hit ball with one walk and four strikeouts. That moves his numbers for the Spring to five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
The sample size is minuscule, and Spring Training numbers should always be taken with a grain of salt. However, Shuster is the latest prospect to excel this pre-season, which can’t be considered anything other than great for an organization that is thought to have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. Shuster, along with Dylan Dodd, could both make starts this year, and who knows? Perhaps they play a much bigger role on this Braves team than many thought possible.
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