Braden Shewmake Forcing Way into Atlanta Braves Shortstop Race
Once Dansby Swanson signed a $177 million deal with the Chicago Cubs and it became clear the Atlanta Braves weren't going to be players in a booming market, everyone assumed the battle for shortstop would be between Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia.
Entering Spring Training, it seemed like the job was Grissom's to lose, and while he hasn't done anything to prove he's not capable, Braden Shewmake has impressed to the point where there is a real battle for the job.
The Atlanta Braves took Shewmake 21st overall in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M where he slashed .323/.381/.487 with 22 home runs over three seasons.
PODCAST: Are we sleeping on Braden Shewmake as a prospect?
He had a great showing to begin his professional career, slashing .300/.371/.425 in 51 games at Single-A and 14 games at Double-A.
Like a lot of minor leaguers, he had a lost 2020 because of the pandemic, although he was part of their "Alternate Site "camp.
But his stock as a prospect really declined in 2021 when he hit just .228 at Double-A in 83 games.
The Braves moved him up to Triple-A this past season and the results weren't much better, although he did improve his walk-rate and strikeout rate before an injury in August ended his season early.
One of the biggest concerns about Shewmake has been his lack of ability to consistently impact the baseball.
Even going back to college, he seemed to regress in the power department going from a .529 slugging percentage as a freshman to .474 in his final year.
Professionally, he's seen his slugging percentage drop from .425 in 2019 to under .400 last year.
One area that has improved since Shewmake was drafted is his defense.
Coming into the 2019 MLB Draft, some scouts said he might have to move to second base because of a lack of arm strength.
There are very few questions about his defense now and the ability to stick at shortstop. MLB Pipeline once graded his fielding as a 50 and now has it as a 60 in their latest rankings.
Both the range and arm were on display during Monday's spring training game.
And now we're starting to see the power come along as well this Spring where he's 7-21 with 3 extra-base hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
Who is leading the Braves shortstop battle?
While it is spring training and we need to see a much larger sample size from Shewmake at the plate to determine if these numbers are real, it was very telling that he got the start at shortstop on Monday with a lot of the regulars and was batting leadoff.
As mentioned at the top, Grissom hasn't done anything to hurt his stock. He's had a solid Spring Training at the plate and continues to look better defensively.
Something to keep in mind, Shewmake is three years older than Grissom and may have gotten the call-up last year had he not been hurt.
And the Braves are a team who prioritizes defense, and even with the strides Grissom has made, Shewmake is way ahead of him defensively.
The job is likely still Grissom's to lose because of the upside offensively, but this position battle has turned into the most exciting storyline in spring training that no one saw coming.
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