Atlanta Braves Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Breakouts, and Comeback Players
The Braves continue to develop upside players with high ceilings. They have multiple breakout/sleeper arms, paired with a comeback and breakout hitter in 2025.
Deep Sleeper: JR Ritchie, Atlanta Braves
After dominating over his final two seasons at Bainbridge High School (13-0 with three runs and 128 strikeouts over 59.0 innings), the Braves selected Ritchie 35th overall in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft. He pitched well over his first 21 games in the minors (3.14 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts over 77.1 innings), but his right elbow needed TJ surgery in late May of 2023. His command is his ticket to majors.
His missed development time suggests that AAA isn't far off, but Ritchie must build up his arm strength before being considered a viable starting option in the majors. He pitched well in his last appearance in spring training (five strikeouts over two innings with an upper 90s fastball in the first inning). Ritchie must add length to his pitching resume, but he has the tools to slide into the Braves bullpen as early as this year.
Deep Sleeper: AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta Braves
Smith-Shawver profiles as an upside starting pitcher for the Braves, but his best two pitches point to a possible bullpen role in the majors. He walks too many batters to pitch in a closing role. If Atlanta wants to develop his arm, Smith-Shawver could surprise in a big way in their bullpen in 2025. At the very least, he would gain major league experience.
Based on his spring training command stats (three walks and 18 strikeouts over 12.0 innings), Smith-Shawver remains in the mix to start for Atlanta earlier in the year until Spencer Strider returns or Grant Holmes pitches his way out of contention. His right arm could come fast if he throws more strikes.
Comeback Player: Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves
The decision with Albies this year is between potential and injury risk. He plays in a high-scoring offense with a favorable slot in the batting order on most nights. His stolen base output could be much higher while grading well in runs, home runs, and RBIs with 550+ at-bats. On the positive side, Albies has been a top-30 fantasy hitter four times over the past seven seasons, creating value based on his current ADP (64.0).
Breakout: Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves
The first checkpoint for an elite arm is their first pitch strike rate, something Schwellenbach (67.1%) smashed in his rookie season. He even threw 69.3% overall strikes while offering depth in his repertoire. His only negative coming into 2025 is his increased workload (113.2 innings) from his 2023 season (65.0 innings pitched).
When pairing this with his previous right shoulder issue, a drafter must add this information when deciding to invest in this exciting young arm. All signs point to a foundation ace for Atlanta, and he is on a path to make 32 starts in the majors this year. Schwellenbach has a 3.55 ERA, 1.026 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts over his first 12.2 innings in spring training.
Breakout: Micheal Harris, Atlanta Braves
Locking in a favorable slot in the batting order has been an issue for Harris in his career. He doesn’t take enough walks to seize the two-hole job, and Atlanta has too much middle-of-the-order depth for him to earn a premium RBI opportunity. In addition, Harris has been a below-par hitter with runners on bases (RBI rate – 13.7) over the past two seasons.
He handled lefties (.286/19/7/19 over 140 at-bats) well in 2024. I like his potential in batting average (.290), home runs (20+), and steals (20+), setting the stage for a five-category season in 2025. Over his first 12 games in spring training, Harris has eight hits over 31 at-bats with three runs, two home runs, four RBIs; and one steal.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.