Breaking down the NLDS roster surprises

We finally have the official NLDS roster for the Atlanta Braves and there are a few surprises that we've got to talk about. So, without further ado, let's check them out.

Biggest NLDS Additions/Snubs

Surprise Snub: Kyle Wright

This one is a bit of a surprise for me. I thought Kyle Wright would make it due to his postseason experience. I thought we would use him as a middle reliever more than as a starter. What a difference a year makes. Kyle Wright was one of the best-starting pitchers on the staff in 2022. He finished the year 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA. This season he suffered an injury and never got back to his 2022 production. He finished this season 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA.

Surprise Addition: Daysbel Hernandez

I am very interested as to what happened during the Braves intra-squad games this week because apparently Hernandez impressed Brian Snitker so much that he made the NLDS roster. Hernandez has appeared in only four games this year and he has a 1-0 record with a 7.36 ERA. He has given up three runs in 3.2 innings. He hasn't pitched in a game since July 31st against the Angels.

Surprise Addition: Vaughn Grissom

The Braves chose to only go with 12 pitchers and add an extra bat to their bench this year. Vaughn Grissom has not been the best player defensively, but he can hit the ball. He has hit well in Atlanta and in Gwinnett. If anything happens to one of our middle infielders, I am confident Grissom can get the job done.

Surprise Snub: Jesse Chavez

To me, this is the biggest snub. I have questions about this one for sure. Brian Snitker chose to go with Daysbel Hernandez, who hasn't pitched since July, and Michael Tonkin over Chavez. Prior to his injury, Chavez was one of the best relief pitchers in the MLB. Even after his injury, Chavez has looked good lately. He was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in September.

Who is going to fill Chavez's "fireman" role? When things hit the fan for Braves starters, Chavez was the guy who was always brought in to do the dirty work of trying to get us out of a bad inning and get us back on track. So who will do that now? Tonkin? Hernandez? I trust Chavez to get it done over both of those guys. I don't understand this decision at all.

Snitker sees these guys every day so he knows more about the situation than I do. He is a World Series winning manager so I trust his final decisions.

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