Braves Beat Writer Makes Bold Prediction For No. 3 Prospect

It's not bold in the eyes of the writer, but the prediction calls for the prospect to take a long-awaited big step forward

The time is almost here for Smith-Shawver in the eyes of this Braves writer | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Saturday night arguably saw the best performance yet from Atlanta Braves’ No. 3 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver. The overall stat line doesn’t reveal such. He pitched four innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight against the Minnesota Twins. 

However, apart from a five-batter stretch that saw both runs score in the second inning, he was solid. Three of his innings were scoreless with a 1-2-3 inning in the third inning. He saw just four batters in the first and fourth innings. 

Because of how impressed he was with this outing, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman took to social media to predict Smith-Shawver’s impact in 2025. He predicted that Smith-Shawver will make 20 or more starts for the Braves this upcoming season. 

To Bowman, this isn’t that bold of a prediction. 

“There's no reason he can't do what Schwellenbach did last year,” Bowman said in his tweet. 

He added the 22-year-old righty has a chance to be in the rotation earlier than Spencer Schwellenbach did. 

The irony in this is that Schwellenbach joined the rotation after Smith-Shawver got hurt one start into his Major League stint last season. Smith-Shawver got his start on May 23 and Schwellenbach made his debut on May 29. 

 He already got a chance earlier than the now mainstay in the Braves rotation. 

Looks like he will be predicted to do it again. 

In his lone start for the Braves last season, Smith-Shawver pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks and striking out four. He started to feel discomfort in the third inning but pushed his way into the fifth. He would miss a little over a month with an oblique injury. 

After that, he went back to Triple-A. He had a 4.86 ERA in 20 Triple-A starts last season. However, he showed some improvement toward the end with a 3.75 ERA in September. 

Currently, Ian Anderson and Grant Holmes are expected to start the season in the rotation. With Spencer Strider returning this season and assuming no one else gets hurt, Smith-Shawver is being predicted to push them both into the bullpen. 

Given that both Anderson and Holmes have also had solid springs, it’s going to take the early months of the regular season playing out in order to see if this prediction hits.