The Braves made a slew of roster moves this morning, trimming it down to 55 men, optioning several highly regarded players — like Bryse Wilson and Jacob Webb — to AAA Gwinnett. Other promising prospects such as Bryce Ball, Braden Shewmake, and Trey Harris were sent to minor league camp, but there are still several intriguing prospects among the final 55 players, signaling the Braves are confident they may be able to contribute as early as this season.
Tucker Davidson
Davidson is quickly becoming my favorite prospect in the system. Not only is he a friend of the podcast, but he’s slid under the radar for so long, and now, he might be the Braves most MLB ready pitching prospect along with Kyle Wright. If you missed our interview with him, check it out here. There’s a ton of good stuff in there. Also, our very own Clint Manry has been high on this 23-year-old southpaw for a while. We currently have him ranked #5 on our Braves top 30 prospect list, much higher than many other outlets, and he’s making us look good this spring. In three appearances (4 innings), he’s yet to allow a run. I doubt he makes the Opening Day roster, given he’s only pitched in a handful of AAA starts, but if the Braves need a starter or a reliever in a couple of months, Davidson could be their guy.
Patrick Weigel
Harrison Coburn just did a piece today on how the bullpen race is wide open. One of those arms making a convincing case early on is Patrick Weigel. The 25-year-old would probably already be a substantial piece to the Braves staff had it not been for an unfortunate Tommy John Surgery. In the long run, he could be a starter, but for this season, I wouldn’t even be shocked if he began the year in the bullpen on Opening Day. Weigel’s been that fantastic early this Spring.
Phil Pfeifer
At 27, I’m not sure Pfeifer should still be considered a prospect, and he’s not a highly-touted one. Still, he’s begun to catch some eyes after his performance last year, posting a 2.97 ERA over three levels of the minors in 30 appearances (18 starts). So far this spring, Pfeifer’s tossed 4.1 innings of scoreless ball with eight strikeouts. Given the Braves’ need for another lefty reliever — if this continues — he could find himself a critical piece of the bullpen.
Shea Langeliers
Langeliers isn’t an under the radar prospect. After all, he was the Braves’ first-round selection last year, and some even consider him a top-five prospect in Atlanta’s system. But Langeliers is a couple of years away from his major league debut, and the fact that he’s still up with the big boys is telling. He’s thrived this spring to the tune of three hits in seven at-bats prior to today’s game, in which he recorded an RBI single.
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