If you have never hit Braves Spring Training, I highly recommend it. The fans who have been around the block will have to get accustomed to a new facility in North Port, Florida, but the seasoned veterans know that the earlier you go, the more young and exciting players you will get to see.
The Braves have a star-studded group of non-roster invitees for the 2020 season, from first-round picks to guys with proven MLB track records. Today, they finally released the full list on their Twitter account:
#Braves Announce 2020 Non-Roster Spring Training Invites: pic.twitter.com/A0jFWvXT14
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) January 22, 2020
The Braves will be bringing in a few guys on minor league contracts with major league success in Felix Hernandez, Charlie Culberson, and Yangervis Solarte. We all know about the rise and fall of King Felix, and now he will compete with Sean Newcomb and others for the fifth starter spot, as he attempts to prove he can still provide something for a major league team. The Braves are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with a veteran pitcher as they did with Anibal Sanchez a couple of seasons ago. Charlie Culberson’s year ended early after taking a ball to the face but opted to return to the Braves on a minor league deal rather than sign a major league deal with another team. The fan-favorite will have a good shot to make the roster, but the bench did just get a tad bit deeper after the signings of Marcell Ozuna and Adeiny Hechavarria. Don’t sleep on Yangervis Solarte either. He has had a tough go of things the past couple of seasons but is not a bad ballplayer and can offer quality depth behind the uncertainty at third base at the very least.
As far as prospects go, the Braves are loaded. We will get a chance to see what 2019 first-rounders Shea Langeliers and Braden Shewmake can do against big league pitching for the first time. We also will get to see how close top prospects Cristian Pache, Drew Waters, and Ian Anderson are to debuting in 2020. Tall lefty Kyle Muller will get a chance to prove his worth in a deep batch of pitching prospects, and breakout prospects – Trey Harris and Bryce Ball – have an opportunity to hold their own and prove they are not one-year wonders.
For such a talented team coming off two straight division titles, the Braves still have jobs up for grabs and no lack of talent, which makes things super exciting. Between that and the new Spring home of the Braves, 2020 should be one of the more action-packed spring trainings in recent memory.
You must log in to post a comment.