Braves beat writer’s surprise candidate to make Opening Day roster

The Braves don’t have many things to figure out in Spring Training when it comes to the lineup. It’s pretty much set in stone, but that couldn’t be further from the reality of the pitching staff.

There are two spots in the rotation up for grabs. While Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson should be considered the favorites to be on the Opening Day roster, nothing is going to be given to them, especially with Anderson struggling with his control in his spring debut.

As far as the bullpen, I would assume there are probably three spots available for the taking, with Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, Daysbel Hernandez, Dylan Lee, and Aaron Bummer as the locks.

Guys like Angel Perdomo, Dany Jimenez, Anderson Pilar, Allan Winans, and others will have an excellent chance of making the Opening Day roster. Perhaps there will be a surprise or two that comes out of North Port. Braves beat writer Mark Bowman believes a darkhorse candidate to make it out of Spring Training is Jake Diekman.

“Diekman is a non-roster invitee who posted a 2.18 ERA over his final 50 appearances of the 2023 season with the Rays and then constructed a 5.63 ERA in 43 appearances for the Mets last year. The 38-year-old reliever’s bid to make Atlanta’s roster will be influenced by Angel Perdomo, a fellow southpaw who is already on the 40-man roster and out of options. Perdomo had 44 strikeouts in 29 innings for the Pirates before needing to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2023.“

The 38-year-old is coming off a down year with the Mets, for which he was released in early August. He totaled only 32 innings with a 5.63 ERA, with a 27.6% strikeout rate and an eye-popping 16.6% walk rate. If he can somehow limit the free passes, his sweeper is a dangerous pitch that induces a ton of swings and misses.

The Braves bullpen had a 3.32 ERA in relief last year, ranking third in all of the MLB, and their 3.41 FIP was even better, good for second in the league. Without A.J. Minter and Joe Jimenez, that might be a difficult line to replicate. I still wouldn’t rule another acquisition off the table, though.

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