MLB.com Lists Non-Roster Invitees to Keep an Eye On During Spring Training
It's incredibly hard to break into the lineup of the Atlanta Braves.
The Braves don't really platoon a lot, especially after exchanging the Eddie Rosario/Kevin Pillar platoon in left field for the (hopefully) everyday play of offseason trade acquisition Jarred Kelenic.
But there's still a possibility of making the roster in a bench role, if you're really good at one specific thing. Mark Bowman of MLB.com named his Braves non-roster invitees you should be keeping an eye on this spring. Bowman came up with six guys that you should be watching: David Fletcher, Luis Guillorme, Eli White, Jordan Luplow, Hurston Waldrep, and Ken Giles.
Fletcher is a 29-year-old middle infielder who appeared in only 33 games last season and finished with a .247 batting average. When the Braves acquired him via a trade with the Angels in December, we had no clue what would transpire in the coming months. Since then, Alex Anthopoulos has made a bevy of trades and those trades have resulted in Atlanta having little to no backup players on the bench. Fletcher looks to have a shot to be on the Opening Day roster as the main backup at shortstop but he will have to fight for that spot.
The guy that Fletcher will have to fight with is Luis Guillorme. Guillorme can be used as a backup player in the middle infield or the outfield. He played in 54 games for the Mets last season and finished with a .224 batting average and a .288 on-base percentage. It is quite likely that Fletcher or Guillorme, but possibly not both, will land a spot on the Opening Day roster as a backup middle infielder.
On to Eli White and Jordan Luplow, two guys who have an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster as reserve outfielders if they can beat out incumbent Forrest Wall (or perhaps next to him, as there's four spots). Luplow was likely going to be on the Opening Day roster in 2023 until he was sidelined by an injury. White was one of the best hitters for the Braves in the Grapefruit League last season and if he can do that again, he will grab a roster spot.
For pitching, Hurston Waldrep is like the shiny new toy in the store: everyone wants to get their hands on it to see what it can do. Do I think he will make the Opening Day roster? Probably not. Am I excited to see how he looks during Spring Training? You better believe it. Reliever Ken Giles is a talented pitcher whose career has been impeded by injuries multiple times. At 33 years old, he still has some gas left in the tank. With the Braves having a bullpen as deep as they do, it may be a long shot for him to make the team. I have seen crazier things happen though.
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