Takeaways From First Week of Braves Spring Training

Here are some observations from the first week of Atlanta Braves Grapefruit League action

There are some clear takeaways so far from the Braves' first week of spring | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are now just over a week into their Grapefruit League slate. It's been a handful of games, but the chaos has allowed us to learn a thing or two about how this team is shaping up.

Let's look at four takeaways from the start of spring training so far. It'll be a mix of observations and evaluating individual performances.

ABS is a Total Play Thing Right Now

The current strategy for the automatic ball-strike (ABS) system has led to some fun overturned calls. Matt Olson was able to tell that a ball was out of the zone by one-tenth of an inch. It led to him drawing a walk against Paul Skenes.

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Challenges have been used early and often, but that's sort of the plan. Manager Walt Weiss said earlier this week that he wants his players to take advantage of the environment to get a feel for the new system. Later on, they'll develop an actual strategy, one that likely saves them more often than not for later in games.

It makes sense that they're toying with it right now. Unless you played in the minor leagues the past few years, this is a completely new doohickey. Like the pitch clock, they need to make sure it's part of the routine.

No Clue Where Ben Gamel Fits, But He Looks Great

Last year would have been the perfect year for Gamel to look this sharp at the plate in spring training for the Braves. His competition for a spot as fourth outfielder would have been Jarred Kelenic, Bryan De La Cruz, and a then-unestablished Eli White. You can include Alex Verdugo, even if he arrived late in the spring.

Fast-forward a year, and the Braves have five outfielders. Acuña (who's healthy this year), Harris, Profar and Yastrzemski are the four starters, and Eli White earned his way to staying on the active roster last year. There doesn't seem to be much of a chance this spring of being added to the 40-man.

That being said, what a strong start Gamel is having to spring. In nine plate appearances, he's batting .375 with a 1.694 OPS, two home runs and four RBIs. Keep him in the system if he has a strong performance the rest of spring. Having another bat ready and waiting is always helpful.

Braves Have Avoided Being Bit By Early Injury Woes (For Now)

Yeah, I know. I said it. In the current state of the Braves' rotation, it's doable for them to overcome the loss of Schwellenbach and Waldrep without an external addition like Zack Littell or Lucas Giolito.

We know it will happen eventually, but for now, they've managed to go a couple of weeks without a pitching injury after losing a couple of arms within a few days. It wouldn't surprise me if they keep everyone healthy until opening day.

I can buy into Chris Sale and Spencer Strider staying healthy. Grant Holmes seems to be making a case to convince me as well. Reynaldo López is one of concern.

It's not just because he missed all of last season. If that was his lone injury with the Braves, then it would be OK. Sometimes, pitchers have one major injury, and that's it. However, he had troubles later in the 2024 season. He had two stints on the injured list and pitched just 14 innings across four appearances in September. If last year's procedure did the trick, then great. But we need to see if he holds up.

Let's Be Honest, Bryce Elder is the Fifth Starter

The only way Elder doesn't break camp as the fifth starter is if JR Ritchie is just that good the rest of spring training. Carlos Carrasco isn't swiping his spot. We've gotten one look at both Martin Perez and Joey Wentz out of the bullpen; the latter could likely nab a bullpen spot since he, like Elder, is out of options.

Carrasco and Perez could very well stick around and pitch in Gwinnett, and probably should. However, it doesn't feel like there's much open competition. It's Elder's spot to lose, and he pitched well enough to start. The Braves don't want to lose the option because he is out of options.

Elder seemed pretty unfazed by there being open competition for the fifth rotation spot. He has every right to be. It