AJ Smith-Shawver

7 February 2025

In mix for starts

Smith-Shawver will get a chance in training camp to win a rotation spot, and figures to get opportunities early in the season even if he begins the year back at Triple-A Gwinnett, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Analysis

With Spencer Strider (elbow) set to begin the season on the IL, Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson are penciled into the final two spots in the rotation headed into the spring. Smith-Shawver will get a look too however, and the 22-year-old right-hander has by far the best raw stuff of that trio if he can learn to harness it more consistently. He made only one regular-season appearance for Atlanta in 2024, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings against the Cubs on May 23 with a 4:2 K:BB, but he strained his oblique during that start, missed six weeks and was never able to regain his form afterward. While his 4.86 ERA in 87 innings at Gwinnett last year wasn't very impressive, it came with a 104:40 K:BB. If Smith-Shawver puts together an impressive camp, he could force his way into the back of Atlanta's Opening Day rotation.