Yesterday, the Braves released their player pool with 56 of the initial 60 of the player pool. My last post, I took a stab at the 60 player pool and hit on a lot but swung and missed on others. Today’s piece, “Quick Thoughts on the Braves 60-Man Roster” will take a look at the 56, the surprise additions and surprise omissions.

Quick Thoughts on the Braves 60-Man Roster: Surprise Additions

Here’s the graphic the Braves official account tweeted out yesterday:

Of this list, the big surprises are Logan Brown, Jonathan Morales, and Jared Shuster. However, after looking through the periscope, these 3 guys make a lot of sense. Both Brown and Morales are good receivers and the Braves have 2 weeks to prepare 30 pitchers. Without a real surplus in catching, that feat would be impossible. More to the point, I think both Brown and Morales aren’t long for the 60-player pool and will be shipped out for other players when spring training ends.

First round draft pick, Jared Shuster is the other surprise on this list, but once again, it’s not that surprising after analyzing a bit deeper. He’s a polished college lefty whose calling card is a fastball that’s apparently gained a lot of velo in the past calendar year and pairs well with his already plus changeup. The Braves are in desperate need for a 2nd lefty out of the bullpen, and it’s obvious looking at the list that it’s a desire to add at least one more when camp breaks. There’s also a chance that, like Brown and Morales, he’s there to get a look at what big league camp is like then removed from the player pool when spring training concludes. This might be risky as it would essentially expose them to 40-man removal rules (which is quite preposterous if you ask me), however I don’t think they’ll be claimed.

Quick Thoughts on the Braves 60-Man Roster: Surprise Omissions

Thanks to my friend J.T. Hornbuckle who likes to stick it in the ribs when I miss predictions (messin’ with ya, J.T.!), he read my list and gave me a B+ then let me know who I missed:

The only ones that really surprise me to be omitted are Rafael Ortega, Trey Harris, and Riley Unroe. Ortega seems like the ideal candidate as a “break glass in case of emergency” outfielder. Unroe has a unique skillset that impressed during spring training and would be a great 26th man on a team. Harris is a personal favorite and is a player that’s a hard worker. He’s maximized his skillset and made himself into a prospect by staying on top of technological advances in the game. When the Braves finish making their moves, whether it be trades, additions, and subtractions, it wouldn’t surprise me to see these 3 guys be added to the player pool at the end of spring.

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