Spencer Schwellenbach makes his final spring start
The Atlanta Braves are taking on the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park in Arizona as spring training is winding down. Spencer Schwellenbach will make his final start of the spring.
Schwellenbach has dominated in his spring appearances thus far. After 18.2 innings he has twenty-six strikeouts to only two walks. This has also come with hitters having a .209 average against him and a 0.86 WHIP. This has resulted in a 2.41 ERA.
It should be noted that ERA in spring training alone is not a good indicator of pitcher performance, as we saw with Ian Anderson. However, Schwellenbach’s other numbers show that he has been a legitimate force.
If these were his rate stats through the regular season, he would likely be the front runner for the Cy Young Award and may even get some MVP votes. Only two players have more strikeouts than Schwellenbach and both of them have walked at least seven batters. Schwellenbach has two.
If we look at strikeout percentage, Schwellenbach has struck out 37.1 percent of hitters he has faced. That is second best in the spring among qualified pitchers. Only Garrett Crochet has been better. Schwellenbach also has had the best FIP among qualified pitchers and second best xERA.
It will be fun to see how he will end his terrific spring in his start today.
As for the offense, roster battles are dwindling down, and the key spots to look at is who will earn the final few bench spots. It appears clear that Eli White is going to be the super utility guy. Nick Allen has impressed and may be putting some heat on Orlando Arcia (although Brian Snitker has been vocal about defending Arcia), and we still are not one-hundred percent sure which outfielders will be on the opening day roster. The addition of Alex Verdugo seems to take up one of the spots once he is ready, but he likely needs some ramp up time in AAA.
The lineup today looks like what we may see on opening day since the Padres will be using a RHP in Michael King.
Schwelly gets the ball!#BravesST pic.twitter.com/z6Hh71FQOa
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 24, 2025
The trend has been that the starters are removed around the sixth or seventh inning, so we may see some roster battles, but this lineup could be indicative that the Braves opening day lineup is pretty much set in terms of offense.
The first pitch is at 4:05 Eastern and can be streamed for free on MLB.tv if you are out of network. If not, the game is available on Gray TV.
The game will also be on WIFN 1340 AM/103.7FM for those who prefer the radio.