Today marks the deadline for teams to submit to Major League Baseball their initial spring training player pools, which can comprise up to 60 players. Players are not eligible to participate in either a spring training or regular season game until they are included in the pool. Teams are free to change the makeup of the pools as they see fit. However, players removed from a team’s 60-man (for reasons unrelated to injury, suspension, etc.) must be exposed to other organizations via trade or waivers.
Not all players within a team’s pool are ticketed for MLB playing time, of course. Most teams will include well-regarded but still far-off prospects as a means of getting them training reps with no intention of running them onto a major league diamond this season. A comprehensive review of 2020’s unique set of rules can be found here.
The Braves’ initial player pool consists of the following players.
Right-handed pitchers
- Ian Anderson
- Jasseel De La Cruz
- Mike Foltynewicz
- Shane Greene
- Felix Hernandez
- Luke Jackson
- Chris Martin
- Mark Melancon
- Darren O’Day
- Chad Sobotka
- Mike Soroka
- Josh Tomlin
- Touki Toussaint
- Jacob Webb
- Patrick Weigel
- Bryse Wilson
- Kyle Wright
- Huascar Ynoa
Left-handed pitchers
- Tucker Davidson
- Grant Dayton
- Max Fried
- Cole Hamels
- Tyler Matzek
- A.J. Minter
- Kyle Muller
- Sean Newcomb
- Philip Pfeifer
- Chris Rusin
- Jared Shuster
- Will Smith
Catchers
- Logan Brown
- William Contreras
- Travis d’Arnaud
- Tyler Flowers
- Alex Jackson
- Shea Langeliers
- Jonathan Morales
Infielders
- Ozzie Albies
- Yonder Alonso
- Johan Camargo
- Charlie Culberson
- Freddie Freeman
- Adeiny Hechavarria
- Pete Kozma
- Peter O’Brien
- Austin Riley
- Braden Shewmake
- Yangervis Solarte
- Dansby Swanson
Outfielders
Only 56 players. Smart to leave some blanks at the start. You can always fill them later.
Better than wishing for blanks after the fact.
Glad to see King Felix make the roster
He was literally barely topping 80mph in spring training, clearly not a Braves fan.
He was throwing in the upper 80s and pitching well. Speed doesn’t matter if you know how to pitch and locate.
See Jamie Moyer. Chipper said his offerings were slow, slower and slowest.
He was pitching against minor league b teams. The one game he pitched against half of an mlb starting team he got smoked. It hasn’t worked in Seattle for years not sure why people think he’s suddenly good again. I’d understand if his pitches got better but they’ve been flattening out for a while now since it looks like he’ll get a chance this year all one can do is hope for some sort of rebound from the 5+ eras he’s had for a few yrs
Really? He was throwing as good as anybody in the spring with some really good outings. And he was throwing in the high 80’s. Pitching isn’t about throwing 100 MPH it’s about command and putting the balk where you want it. You may be a Braves fan but you “clearly” have a limited understanding of how the game works.
I still have so many questions… like how do they plan to manage the other half of these players and keep them game ready? Is there a minor league season of some sort? Or practice… I mean, gez what a challenge
There’s a training camp teams can use for these players to keep them game ready
They planing to use Gwinnet for second site For ST
What is the situation with the international players? Did they stay here after spring training? If they went home, how many are subject to a travel ban? Is there a mandatory quarantine for players from certain regions?
good to see Matzek back. also that’s a darn lot of catchers.
He was throwing the ball well in spring training before it shut down. He still has an outside shot at getting back till the highest level but for the small sample size he has with the braves since last season he has performed really well
You must have the extra catchers for side sessions and stuff. Remember that no one can participate in any training or practice unless they are on this 60 man roster
it just seems like a lot of spots to use just for practice guys. like cant you just hire more BP catchers or even sign some MiLB free agents in that position?
3 of the 7 catchers a top prospects, 2 are MLB starters that leaves 2 “bp” catchers, I don’t see a problem here especially for the pitchers we have on the 60 man roster. As to why not getting MiLB players as stated above players can only play or practice if on the roster. I’m guessing that means nobody will be allowed player wise into the designated 60 man roster facilities.
I would imagine it’s too keep the bevy of live arms ready more than game use. Better to utilize Contreras and Langeliers as much as they can.
Kozma, Solarte, and O’Brien? I think Alonso is a decent backup in the event of worst case scenario, but those three are a long OOF
No need to rush guys up that aren’t ready during a weird, shortened season. These guys at least offer experience and some versatility.
Glad to see Shuster there, but I can only imagine it’s for development and not game readiness unless emergencies. Will be interesting to see how many clocks are starting because of this mini season.
Probably. I do like the fact he was pitching 7 innings in games back in March. It’s a bit of a layoff, but maybe he is more ready to eat innings that others if needed.
The college game has advanced enough to where we should start seeing more guys going one or two years in the minors and hitting the show. If Shuster is advanced enough to prevent the Braves from burning a year of a higher ceiling guy then I would love to use him. Save a year of Anderson, Muller and co to spread out the talent if needed.
Either way, I am just glad to see things ramping up. Just hope this doesn’t go sideways by a large number of players testing positive quickly. Both for their health and those around them, and for the possible cancelling of the mini-season.
Why the hell Are Luke Jackson and AJ on that list? They’re playing 60 games and those dunces will loose at least 5 for them.