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.
Thanks for reading “Quick Thoughts on the Braves 60-Man Roster”. If you enjoyed this piece, stay on top of all of our offseason analysis here!
JonathanFsays:
June 29, 2020 at 7:23 am
I dreamt last night that I saw Chipper hurt his knee running between first and second, though he managed to hobble to second before being tagged. I then realized how tough this 60 game season was going to be without him. With that, I woke up… #ReadyForTheDamnSeason
Tfloydsays:
June 29, 2020 at 8:33 am
@23–your dream deals with a real concern I’ve heard expressed—that the abbreviated “spring” training may lead to more muscle pulls and strains than we are used to seeing in a normal season. So maybe the younger players will have an advantage over the aging veterans.
But I also think this is another reason to sign Julio Franco. He’s in better shape than the kids 40 years his junior. I imagine his muscles refuse to be pulled or strained.
Ummm…Hello?
Hey man!
So, I think if the 7th-string catcher gets in a ballgame in a 60-game season, that means that COVID has ripped through the game, and we don’t have a season. I would probably say that if we need more than 35 players, then the season has been catastrophically damaged.
Well, considering the starting point is 30 and there will likely be injuries, trades and/or positive tests, I’m going to say we see 41 players this year.
I was going to put my number at around 35 or so, but 40 or so makes a lot of sense. I know the rosters will be 30 to start, but is the 30th guy going to get into the game barring a COVID spread?
Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross have opted out of the season.
So Ross currently sits as the most prominent player to sit.
Mike Leake, too.
But to me Ross is an indicative case. The thing is, a guy like Ross would have had to fight for a role, and his career was already on the ropes — there’s a possibility he doesn’t play again. One would think that the argument in favor of playing the season would be stronger for a guy like him than, say, for a guy like Zimmerman who’s already put $100 million in the bank and is coming to the close of a long illustrious career.
So, if Joe Ross feels that he doesn’t want to take the risks involved with playing the season, how many more players will come to the same conclusion?
You can add Ian Desmond to that list and if you have time, seek out his moving instagram post. Really worth everyone’s time.
New thread. Dusty, I’ll bring you over.
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2020/06/30/braves-player-pool-options/