Atlanta Braves pitching preview: 5th starter options

Atlanta has several internal options contending for the 5th spot in the rotation

The 2023 Atlanta Braves starting rotation, headlined by Cy Young runner-up Max Fried and featuring two dynamic young talents in Spencer Strider and Kyle Wright, as well as veteran Charlie Morton, projects to be one of the best in all of MLB. But the fifth starter role, two weeks into camp, is still one where no one has risen to the challenge and claimed it as their own. 

Here's the options Atlanta is digging through for that 5th spot:

Ian Anderson - 10-6, 5.00 ERA, 22 starts, 111.2 IP, 1.51 WHIP, 1.80 SO/W, 81 ERA+ 

Ian Anderson burst onto the scene for the Braves in the shortened 2020 season, making six starts to close the year, and then repeated the performance as a key cog of the World Series winning rotation. He famously had a no-hitter going through five innings of World Series Game Three, which Atlanta won on their way to their first championship since 1995.  

But in 2022, Anderson's hallmark control failed him. The righty, struggling with ineffectiveness, was sent down to AAA Gwinnett on August 7th, posted a 5.40 ERA over four starts with the Stripers before an oblique injury ended his season.  

“The competitor in me thought I could figure it out on the fly,” Anderson said. “But I wasn’t in a good space to do that. Getting hurt [stunk], and missing out on the playoffs [stunk]. But I think it was good for me to have a complete reset, get healthy, finish the rehab process and get started on what I wanted to work on.”

One of the things Anderson worked on, reportedly, was a new slider, using Wake Forest's vaunted Pitching Lab to develop the pitch. 

He debuted the pitch this spring, to mixed results. Anderson's made three appearances (two starts) in Grapefruit League action, sporting a 6.43 ERA in the small sample but with only two earned runs in his last two appearances, covering six innings combined against the Yankees and Rays. 

If Anderson's returned to his 2021 form, it gives Atlanta the deepest starting rotation in all of baseball, with proven playoffs experience up and down the staff.

Michael Soroka - DNP

Soroka, dubbed "Maple Maddux" after his stellar 2019 All-Star season, is still trying to work his way back from catastrophic injury. He tore his Achilles trying to field his position in the shortened 2020 season, and then re-tore the same Achilles the day in 2021 that he finally had his cast removed and was cleared to begin walking. 

Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Soroka was able to make it back onto the mound late in 2022, with five rehab starts in AAA Gwinnett, but was not added to the roster for postseason play. The day before he was scheduled to report to 2023 spring training, he strained his hamstring and hasn't yet appeared in Grapefruit League action. 

Cleared for his first short bullpen session just last week, Soroka almost certainly won't be ready for Opening Day and undoubtedly will make his first start of the season for AAA Gwinnett as he attempts to pitch again in the big leagues for the first time since 2019.  

Kolby Allard - (with Texas) 1-2, 7.29 ERA, 0 starts (10 relief appearances), 21 IP, 1.29 WHIP, 3.17 SO/W, 55 ERA+

Allard, a one-time Braves first-round pick back in 2015, is back with the organization after being acquired in the Jake Odorizzi trade with the Texas Rangers in November 2022.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The lefty started one Grapefruit League game for Atlanta, going two innings against Boston, before being put on the injured list with a strained oblique. He is not expected to be ready for the start of the season.  

Bryce Elder - 2-4, 3.17 ERA, 9 starts, 54 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 2.04 SO/W

The big Texan was Atlanta's final selection in the truncated 2020 draft, going in the 5th round. He debuted in April, going 5.2 IP against Washington for his first major league win. After four starts, he went back to Gwinnett and remained in AAA until August, where he was frequently called up for spot starts the remainder of the season.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Ending the season with a bang, Elder threw a complete game shutout of the Washington Nationals on September 26th, using 106 pitches to scatter six hits versus one walk with six strikeouts on the road.  

Someone not currently on team? 

Is there a possibility that the 5th starter isn't currently on the team? It feels unlikely - this farm system, after promoting multiple young players and then subtracting pieces to acquire Matt Olson and Sean Murphy via trade, doesn't have the depth considered necessary to make a major trade at this time.  

It's entirely possible a veteran gets waived at the end of camp - veteran salaries vest for the season on Opening Day - but it appears that Altanta's sticking with internal options for this one. 

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