AJ Smith-Shawver
21-Year-Old
Atlanta Braves AAA
2024 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
0.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
The second-youngest pitcher to make five-plus starts in the majors last year (only Eury Perez was younger), Smith-Shawver has an impressive combination of youth, size and stuff. He dominated over three starts at High-A and two starts at Double-A before spending the bulk of his age-20 season going back and forth between Triple-A and the majors. The 6-foot-3 righty sat 93-96 mph with his plus fastball while touching 98 mph in the big leagues. He has touched triple digits in the past, but command and control have been lacking at times, so he may have dialed back his velocity in favor of more control during his 25.1 innings in the majors. Smith-Shawver threw his mid-80s slider 22 percent of the time while throwing his upper-70s curveball and fourth-pitch changeup each over 10 percent of the time, so it's a true four-pitch mix. All three secondary offerings can flash plus, but his breaking balls are more consistent than his changeup. He missed over two weeks with shoulder inflammation in the second half but returned to make four appearances in September. All told, he tallied 87.1 innings across four levels, so we can hope for around 140 innings in 2024 with good health. The main thing to keep in mind with Smith-Shawver is that he is still developing and could be far from a finished product. His command, secondary offerings and sequencing could all improve over the next couple years. Read Past Outlooks
Velocity ticking up
Smith-Shawver topped 99 mph with three fastballs during his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.
Pitching Stats
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2023
Minor League Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-52%
BAA vs RHP
2024
No Stats
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .240 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 5 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .116 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |||
2024vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2024vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2023vs Left | .240 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 5 | |||
2023vs Right | .116 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |||
2022vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2022vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-60%
ERA at Home
2024
No Stats
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 3.20 | 1.07 | 19.2 | 5.9 | 3.7 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 7.94 | 1.24 | 5.2 | 11.1 | 4.8 | ||||
2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2024Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2023Home | 3.20 | 1.07 | 19.2 | 5.9 | 3.7 | ||||
2023Away | 7.94 | 1.24 | 5.2 | 11.1 | 4.8 | ||||
2022Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2022Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Likely to start NLDS Game 3?
Smith-Shawver could be the choice to start for Atlanta on Wednesday in Game 3 of the NLDS versus the Phillies, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The team was not ready Tuesday to announce their Game 3 starter, and Bowman suspects it could just be waiting until Wednesday to tell Smith-Shawver he's the choice. Bryce Elder is also a candidate, and it's possible the two could both be used for multiple innings. The 20-year-old Smith-Shawver would represent perhaps a riskier but also a higher-upside selection.
The team was not ready Tuesday to announce their Game 3 starter, and Bowman suspects it could just be waiting until Wednesday to tell Smith-Shawver he's the choice. Bryce Elder is also a candidate, and it's possible the two could both be used for multiple innings. The 20-year-old Smith-Shawver would represent perhaps a riskier but also a higher-upside selection.
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Smith-Shawver, an over-slot prep righty whom Atlanta gave almost $1 million to after selecting him in the seventh round in 2021, has one of the best fastball/slider combos in the entire minors. His fastball touches the upper-90s with elite movement and his upper-80s slider is already a monster bat misser. Smith-Shawver is still very raw as a pitcher, however, as his delivery and command need significant refinement. He made 17 starts in Single-A last season and went five-plus innings with two or fewer walks on five occasions, so there were flashes of him putting it all together, but his 13.0 BB% and 1.35 WHIP on the year showcase how far he still has to go. Smith-Shawver's third-pitch changeup isn't very usable right now, but the main thing for him is streamlining his plus athleticism into a repeatable delivery that allows him to throw enough strikes to start. If he does that and stays healthy, the sky is the limit, even with a mediocre third pitch.
More Fantasy News
Sent down to Triple-A
Atlanta optioned Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Fans five against Twins
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.
ANALYSIS
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Mixed bag in spring start
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.
ANALYSIS
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Part of NLDS roster
Smith-Shawver will be on Atlanta's roster for the NLDS against the Phillies, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Solid in short start
Smith-Shawver allowed one run on one walk and struck out two over 3.2 hitless innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Thursday.
ANALYSIS
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