Opening Day for the AAA Gwinnett Stripers is here!

Atlanta's AAA affiliate has a stacked rotation, although the Braves may be pulling a starter from the group soon

Lindsay Crosby | Mar 31, 2023

Happy AAA Opening Day!

The minors kick off their season today with the opening matchups in AAA, and the Gwinnett Stripers have quite the loaded roster as they open 2023 at home versus the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami Marlins affiliate) on Friday night at 7:05 ET.

It's finally here. 😤😤😤 Opening Night presented by @GeorgiaPower is TONIGHT!!!

Get tickets: https://t.co/tXGuz5b8d5 pic.twitter.com/ZJyrmU9Pjt
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) March 31, 2023

The starting rotation is full of pitchers with Major League experience, with the opening weekend scheduled to feature Bryce Elder on Opening Day, Ian Anderson on Sunday, and both Michael Soroka and Jackson Stephens (who has mostly been a reliever at the MLB level) in the rotation. The only other AAA pitchers that are on the 40-man roster, putting them on the shortlist for a big-league call up, are newly-acquired LHP Richard Lovelady and RHP Darius Vines.

Our 2023 Opening Night Starting Pitcher! 👏 pic.twitter.com/GXgTL5o0K2
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) March 31, 2023

In the middle infield, both Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake will be everyday starters. After competing for the starting shortstop job in Atlanta, both were surprisingly optioned to Gwinnett with a week remaining in camp and the starting job was given to veteran Orlando Arcia, who promptly signed a multi-year contract extension.

READ: What the Orlando Arcia Extension Means for Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake

The plan for both Grissom and Shewmake is to rotate starts in the middle infield. Grissom, who needs to work on his defense at shortstop, will start four times a week at short and twice a week at second base. (Minor League Baseball does not play on Mondays). Shewmake, who is seen as the better defender (and the most experienced at short, having played 197 of his career 206 minor league games there) will mostly play second base to acclimate to the position, in case he is needed as an injury replacement in Atlanta, but will get the remaining two starts a week at shortstop.

The team will undoubtedly be evaluating Grissom's defense and Shewmake's offense in Gwinnett - they both took strides to improve those aspects of their games in the offseason, and the player who is best able to sustain that success in the regular season will assuredly be the first to be called up should the need arise in Atlanta for another infielder.

Other infielders include catcher Chadwick Tromp (the only other non-outfielder on the 40-man roster), offseason acquisition Hoy Park, and Joe Dunand.

UPDATE: Also, Charlie Culberson, who the Braves signed today to a minor-league deal

In the outfield, three of the five players are on the 40-man roster, led by Jordan Luplow and Eli White. Both infielders were competing for spots in Atlanta this spring - White in particular looked phenomenal, going 12 for 28 with two doubles, a triple, and three homers in Grapefruit League action. Luplow was injured early in camp, but returned to the lineup for the later part of spring training. Both outfielders are known for their defense and their speed and stand to get a majority of the playtime, with Forest Wall being the favorite for the 3rd outfield spot.

Wall, a former 1st round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2014, is on his fourth organization, having been traded to Toronto early in his career and then playing for both Seattle and now Atlanta. His game is predicated on speed and contact - he stole over 50 bases last season for AAA Tacoma and had a particularly good spring, going 11-28 with four doubles, 7 RBIs, and a perfect 6-6 on stolen bases. While not on the 40-man roster, he's an option should Atlanta need a defensively strong 4th outfielder at the major league level, although his lack of power (47 career homeruns in 735 minor league games and a career .398 slugging) seemingly caps his ceiling just short of everyday starter.

Former big leaguer Matt Tuiasosopo returns for his third season as manager in Gwinnett, with his staff being rounded out with hitting coach Carlos Mendez, pitching coach Craig Bjornson, and assistants Wigberto Nevarez and Steven Wilkerson.

You've heard of Altanta's Wash Work ™. Well, we have Tuiasosopo Tutorials ™ in Gwinnett. pic.twitter.com/60ma0Ejh7i
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) March 29, 2023

Gwinnett's home opener is Friday night versus Jacksonville at 7:05 ET. The broadcast is available on MiLB.TV, and the radio call with Dave Lezotte is available on 99.3 FM locally or online at MyCountry993.com.