From diaper duty to The Show: Inside Shewmake's debut

ATLANTA -- Braden Shewmake picked a good time to let his wife rest as he handled early-morning diaper duty. Had he chosen to sleep in, he’d have missed the 8:30 a.m. call that brought him and his dad to tears.

“I don't know if I've ever really seen [my dad] tear up at all, and seeing tears in his eyes was a really special moment this morning,” Shewmake said. “It brought tears to my eyes.”

This emotional call led Shewmake’s parents to make an unexpected trip from Texas to Atlanta, where they were united with their daughter-in-law. This trio’s presence at Truist Park on Friday night gave Shewmake everything he wanted as he experienced his MLB debut in a 9-4 loss to the Orioles.

“My parents made a lot of sacrifices,” Shewmake said. “We had a boat growing up and we went out on that thing all the time until I started playing baseball. They said they were going to sell that thing and put that money into me playing baseball. I was thinking this is something that I want to do not just for myself but for them.”

Shewmake went hitless in four at-bats, and Max Fried uncharacteristically made two errors while allowing seven runs (five earned) over six-plus innings. But this debut still rewarded Shewmake and his wife, Emily, for all of the challenges and hardships they have experienced while living the Minor League lifestyle as parents.

“My wife has made a ton of sacrifices with us being on the road while she has to take care of the baby,” Shewmake said. “It’s tough, and I can see it in her eyes every day. She pushes through it, continues to grind and always supports me. To see the smile on her face, too, it’s pretty special.”

With Orlando Arcia still about 10-14 days from returning from the fractured left wrist that halted his role as Atlanta’s shortstop, the Braves opted to promote Shewmake from Triple-A Gwinnett. The first congratulatory text to land on Friday morning came from Vaughn Grissom, who had spent the past three weeks filling the shortstop role in Arcia’s absence.

Grissom’s future as Atlanta’s long-term shortstop has faded as his defensive limitations have become more visible over the past few weeks. Shewmake is a skilled defender, who has the range and arm necessary to be a big league shortstop. The .862 OPS he produced over his past 16 games for Gwinnett indicate he is also trending the right way offensively.

The Braves will continue to give both of these players starts at shortstop. But as the left-handed-hitting option and better defensive option, this seems to be a good time to allow Shewmake to audition for the everyday role until Arcia returns.

“[Shewmake] has come a long way,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s more confident and more sure of himself. He’s been here for a while. He’s got a lot of at-bats. That’s good because he’s a very talented guy.”

Shewmake was considered to be a “reach” when the Braves took him out of Texas A&M with the 21st overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. His offensive struggles above the High-A level extended doubt about his future as a big leaguer. He may have gotten a call last season when second baseman Ozzie Albies had a broken foot and Arcia was struggling as an everyday player.

But he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 6, four days before Grissom was promoted from Double-A Mississippi to fill that void.

Shewmake sent Grissom a congratulatory text when the move was made last year. Now when he got the good news this year, he had the thrill of calling his parents, Shane and Staci Shewmake.

Shane Shewmake is the head baseball coach at the University of Texas at Dallas, a talented Division III team that is currently competing in the American Southwest Conference tournament in Marshall, Texas, which is about two hours east of Dallas and about 45 minutes west of Shreveport, La. He left his team to get to Atlanta to savor a day he and his son worked hard to realize.

“I know how much work he’s put into this, but I know how much work he’s put into me,” Braden Shewmake said. “He’s my dad, but it’s a very special relationship we have, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”