Smith-Shawver topped 99 mph with three fastballs during his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The 21-year-old right-hander is still learning the nuances of pitching after mostly playing quarterback in high school, so it's not surprisingly that Smith-Shawver is unlocking more velocity. He struck out a season-high seven batters in five innings for Gwinnett on Wednesday, and while Atlanta is limiting his workload by only having him pitch once a week rather than on a regular five-day schedule, he still figures to be an option for the big-league rotation at some point in 2024. After a couple shaky outings to begin the year at Triple-A, he's given up four runs with a 10:4 K:BB over his last 9.2 innings.
Atlanta optioned Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
Smith-Shawver finished with an 8.22 ERA over three Grapefruit League starts but also boasted an 11:2 K:BB across 7.2 innings of work. The young right-hander was always pegged for Gwinnett's rotation to open the season but could wind up making a good number of starts with the big club in 2024.
Smith-Shawver struck out five batters over 2.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, allowing just one hit and one walk.
Facing most of Minnesota's likely Opening Day lineup, Smith-Shawver fired 32 of 48 pitches for strikes in a dominant outing that saw him count Carlos Correa and Carlos Santana among his strikeout victims. The 21-year-old righty is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, but after making his big-league debut in 2023, it may not be much longer before he's pushing his way into the Atlanta rotation for good. Through 4.2 innings this spring, Smith-Shawver has an 8:2 K:BB.
Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver: Mixed bag in spring start
Rotowire
Smith-Shawver gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over two innings during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He struck out three.
He was facing most of Philly's Opening Day lineup, and while the strikeouts were encouraging, Smith-Shawver got taken deep by J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm in the first inning. The 21-year-old right-hander is competing for a rotation spot in camp after a meteoric rise through the Atlanta system in 2023 -- he began last season at High-A Rome but made his big-league debut in early June. He has enticing upside thanks to a high-90s fastball complemented by a slider and curve that can both flash plus. Given the organization's pitching depth though, Smith-Shawver would likely need to dominate this spring to avoid beginning the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.
