Murphy, Ritchie and Phillips the focus at Braves camp

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Last spring, Michael Harris II was slated to head to Double-A Mississippi, and Spencer Strider was debatably a reliever. The two Braves youngsters went on to sweep the top two spots in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

The Braves' system has a much different theme for the spring of 2023, one focused on much younger up-and-coming pitching. Atlanta used its top three picks in the 2022 Draft on high-school arms Owen Murphy, JR Ritchie and Cole Phillips, the club’s Nos. 2, 3 and 5 prospects entering this season, respectively.

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“Every year is different, depending on where the big league team’s at, where guys who were drafted are starting and whether we've drafted high school or college or so forth,” said Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich. “I think we’re always ready for some surprises as well."

Including Jared Shuster (No. 1) and AJ Smith-Shawver (No. 4), all five of Atlanta’s top prospects make their living on the mound these days, but the first Spring Training for Murphy, Ritchie and Phillips might provide the most intrigue heading into 2023.

Murphy’s riding low-90s fastball and mid-80s cutting slider highlight a deep four-pitch mix that helped him go 20th overall last July. Taken 15 picks later, Ritchie has a similarly deep arsenal and might have the advantage on secondaries (including a plus slider), though his fastball is a tick behind Murphy’s.

Phillips is the hardest thrower of the group with a heater that sits mid-90s and threatens triple digits, but the second-rounder lacks the more varied repertoires of his fellow right-handers. Unlike the other two, he has yet to debut in pro ball as he recovers from last April’s Tommy John surgery, but the trio has found ways to impress their new organization less than one year in.

“The summer after you get drafted is a whirlwind for a lot of these guys,” Sestanovich said. “So I'm always hesitant to draw too many conclusions from a couple months and a brief glimpse of guys. But I think the work ethic and the competitiveness of all the guys we took last year really stood out.”

The Braves tested the mettle of both Murphy and Ritchie by giving the duo three starts apiece at Single-A Augusta, a rare full-season assignment for players who were in prep ball earlier that spring. Atlanta was encouraged through early looks that both could handle dipping their toes into the Carolina League, where they’re likely to return as teenagers in 2023.

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Maybe the aptitude to move quicker than their peers does tie those two with Harris and Strider more than it first appeared.

“I think the players are going to tell us when they're ready for the next level and the next challenge,” Sestanovich said, “but generally speaking, I think we're relatively aggressive with challenging our guys at higher levels. If we feel it's the right decision, we’ll continue to push guys."

Camp standout: Jared Shuster

The Braves’ top prospect tossed two scoreless innings in his spring debut against the Twins on Feb. 28, then he kept the good times rolling with four strikeouts over three no-hit frames in a start versus the Red Sox on Tuesday. That last gem must have been a particular thrill for the Massachusetts native, who enters his third Spring Training on the outside looking in at a potential Major League rotation spot.

The 24-year-old southpaw pops more for his secondaries with a plus low-80s changeup and a gyro slider that added velocity late at Triple-A Gwinnett last season. Shuster’s fastball has lost some heat from his Wake Forest days and now sits around 90-93 mph, but the other two offerings will give him a starting shot when the Braves need to dip into their depth.

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“I don’t think we’re super-super fixated on Jared’s fastball velocity,” Sestanovich said. “I think it’s a good fastball, and most of what we saw from him pitching his second full year in the Minor Leagues was positive across both Double-A and Triple-A. I think with his changeup, it’ll going to allow his fastball to play at whatever velocity.”

Something to prove: Braden Shewmake

With Dansby Swanson joining the Cubs, the shortstop position in Atlanta comes with its fair share of question marks. Youngster Vaughn Grissom and veteran Orlando Arcia headline the competition to win the Opening Day job this spring, but could the Braves’ No. 6 prospect impact the position at some point in 2023? It’ll come down to Shewmake’s bat.

The 25-year-old is Major League-ready with his glovework from the dirt, but he produced just a .259/.316/.399 line and 89 wRC+ over 76 games with Triple-A Gwinnett in 2022. A left leg injury suffered during an outfield collision ended his season in early August.

The left-handed hitter cut his strikeout rate to 18.6 percent at the Minors’ highest level, but his seven homers and low slugging percentage point to a lack of overall impact at the plate. Despite Shewmake’s age, Atlanta believes the 2019 first-rounder needs a little more exposure to the Minors’ top level to lock in even the 45-grade pop he’d need to help the big club in ’23.

“He has pretty good contact skills, but I think we’re focused on putting together good at-bats on a consistent basis,” Sestanovich said. “He has some sneaky raw power in there that we haven’t seen regularly, but as he gets experience, we definitely don’t think he’s just a contact bat."

Breakout candidate: Ambioris Tavarez

“Thoracic outlet” has become two of the scariest words in baseball. Tavarez, a $1.5 million signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, underwent surgery to address the issue last year, limiting him to only 17 games in the Florida Complex League. However, the problem was on his left (non-throwing) side, limiting the concern of how it’ll affect the 19-year-old’s play moving forward.

Tavarez played 12 games in the Colombian Winter League this offseason, when he was Toros de Sincelejo’s youngest position player, and has even gotten in a few Grapefruit League appearances as a late-game replacement. The Braves lack a clear impact bat in the system right now, but Tavarez, who batted .277 during his FCL spin, has a chance to fill that role if he can get a full season under his belt this summer.

“He has above-average power, and I think the athleticism at short is exciting,” Sestanovich said. “Any time you have an up-the-middle player with a combination of speed and power, it’s exciting.”