Atlanta Braves Make Decision On Two Top Prospect Pitchers

Two of the Atlanta Braves' top ten prospects had been going at it all spring for the presumed one open spot in the starting rotation. As it turns out, there is no loser in this race. 

Dylan Dodd and Jared Shuster have been battling all spring for a spot in the #Braves' rotation.

They've both won.

Shuster (Atlanta's No. 1 prospect) and Dodd (No. 10) will each debut within the first five games of the season: https://t.co/h9pdX1X6IC pic.twitter.com/6EPJfo46u4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 26, 2023

Both Jared Shuster (No. 1 Braves prospect) and Dylan Dodd (No. 4) have earned a ticket into the Braves' rotation to start the year. Kyle Wright will have to start on the injured list, opening up the extra spot.

Shuster, 24, was lights out this spring, posting a 1.45 ERA in 18.2 innings, with an elite 18:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. And his WHIP was simply ridiculous, at 0.59. He allowed just seven hits in those 18.2 innings. 

Shuster was Atlanta's first-round pick in the 2020 June Draft (25th overall).

Dodd's spring was nothing to sneeze at either, as he put up a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings, with a 1.05 WHIP and a 20:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

He was a third-round pick in the 2021 Draft, but the 24-year-old made a quick ascension up the ranks in the Braves' system last year, starting in High-A, and finishing in Triple-A with an overall 3.36 ERA and a 153:31 K/BB ratio.

Both Shuster and Dodd will get a start through the Braves' first five games.

Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports