Atlanta Braves’ Steady Spencer Schwellenbach Flashes Cy Young Form

In two starts this season, Atlanta Braves right-handed starter, Spencer Schwellenbach, has been almost unhittable.

Schwellenbach, who turns 25 in May, has yielded three hits in those two starts, covering 14 innings. Three.

Schwellenbach has not yielded a run. Not one. Earned or un-earned.

Schwellenbach has walked one, and struck out 14.

Those are statistics from which a Cy Young Award winning season is built.

Schwellenbach’s blazing start to the new season is a dream scenario for Braves manager, Brian Snitker.

The Braves began the season with an unfamiliar 0-7 start.

Now, Schwellenbach, and his starting pitching colleagues are being called up to right the rocky ship.

Snitker can rest his bullpen on days Schwellenbach pitches, which is a luxury in today’s Major League Baseball.

In the past few years, starting pitches have been turning in shorter outings, which taxes and puts extra pressure on the pen.

Schwellenbach’s start also helps reduce some of the sting to the Braves pitching staff, with the departure of starter Max Fried to the New York Yankees, and to losing right-handed starter, Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez is on the Braves Injured List, after requiring arthroscopic shoulder surgery earlier this month.

Schwellenbach’s next start is scheduled for April 10, at home in Atlanta. He could square off against the Philadelphia Phillies, and starter Jesus Lazardo

The Braves look forward to the return of right-handed starter, Spencer Strider, who underwent elbow surgery, which included receiving an internal brace.

Strider, 26, has thrown two impressive rehabilitation starts at Triple-A Gwinnett. In his most recent start April 4, MLB.com indicated, “Strider held the opposition hitless on 74 pitches, over 5 1/3 inning, while striking out eight batters.”

And if Schwellenbach, and Strider are not enough to put the Braves back on the right track, consider that last season’s National League Cy Young Award winner, Chris Sale provides a left-handed anchor to the Braves rotation.

Sale, now 36 following his March 6 birthday, has had a bit of a rough start. Chances are very good he will return to form, giving the Braves the type of rotation outings they have come to expect from Sale.

Like Schwellenbach, Sale’s next opponent will likely be the Philadelphia Phillies, in Atlanta. His probable opponent is highly regarded right-hander, Zack Wheeler.

Schwellenbach Dazzled Last Season:

While Sale was pitching his way to a Cy Young Award, Spencer Schwellenbach was arriving on the Braves pitching scene as a rookie starter.

A second round draft pick of the Braves in 2021, the Braves gave the University of Nebraska product a $1 million signing bonus.

Interestingly, Schwellenbach underwent Tommy John after the draft, and he didn’t pitch at all in 2021, or 2022.

Schwellenbach made a meteoric rise through the Braves player development system, making only 24 minor league starts, covering 110 innings.

Schwellenbach made his major league debut May 24, 2021, against the Washington Nationals. He threw five innings in that game, taking the loss, and yielding five hits, and three earned runs. He walked two, and struck out five in his first big league start.

brooksbaseball.net lists Schwellenbach using a very complete repertoire of pitches; including a four-seam fastball, sinking fastball, slider, curve, cutter, and split-finger.

He uses his secondary pitches fairly equally, behind the 43.42% use of his four-seamer.

Schwellenbach has shown excellent command and control of his arsenal.

Last season, Schwellenbach walked 23, while striking out 127.

There is little question in this old scout’s mind that Spencer Schwellenbach can fashion a Cy Young sophomore season.