What we learned from this weekend's spring training games
Chris Sale looks to be in midseason form. Ian Anderson and Dylan Dodd, not so much
It’s important to remember that there are limits to what you can learn from a single spring training game - it’s much safer to look at general trends from a stretch of games versus drawing conclusions from a single two-inning start or two spring ABs.
That being said, we can’t help but look at this weekend’s two losses and make some observations. It’s been a long time since we had actual Braves games to talk about, okay?
Chris Sale looked good on Saturday
(We’re using “looked good” as a figure of speech here, as the game wasn’t televised.)
Chris Sale’s gone on the record as discussing what a fully healthy offseason did for him entering last season, with a Cy Young and a NL triple crown being the result.
He looks to be fully healthy now, too. Sale pitches two innings of Atlanta’s spring opener, not allowing a walk or a hit but also not recording any strikeouts. His fastball velo sat around 93.8, a full mph less than last year’s 94.9 mph average but perfectly acceptable for the first start of spring.
He told David O’Brien of The Athletic that he came out of the game feeling good, which was the most important part. “Mechanically, I feel like I’m in a good spot. I felt like I was throwing all my pitches for strikes and was able to kind of locate in situations when I really wanted to.”
A new development that we learned was that Sale and the org have a program to limit his throwing, given that he’s entering his 15th MLB season and understands at this point in his career what’s required to get ready for the season. “I think we are trying to kind of limit that,” said Sale, referring to his devastating slider that as his most used pitch last season. “I guess you can say, save your bullets a little bit. But just really work on the things I really want to work on — command, location, delivery, arm action, that kind of stuff for right now.”
He went on to explain that there is plenty of things he can work on without going full-bore with the sliders. “I would say right now where I’m at, I’m more kind of battling myself,” Sale told O’Brien and the other members of the Braves beat who made the trip to Ft. Myers. “I’m competitive. I obviously want to go out there and do well. But where we’re at right now, it’s more like, ‘OK, how’s the delivery synching up? How’s the arm action?’ And just pitch quality, really. Catcher calls an inside fastball, am I leaving it high and wide? Am I kind of casting breaking balls? I’m just kind of trying to narrow everything down.”
Dodd struggled in relief
Bryce Elder and Angel Perdomo each made it through their relief innings1 without allowing runs, but lefty Dylan Dodd took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits in the eighth inning.
Dodd, who didn’t throw his slider once in the seventeen-pitch inning, stuck with his cutter/four-seam/changeup and allowed six balls to be put into play. Three were hard-hit, including a 96.8 mph single and a 111.5 mph double by slugging prospect Kala’i Rosario.
Answering a mailbag question on the podcast, I (correctly) named Allan Winans as the most likely DFA were the Braves to acquire someone. Dodd’s in danger of being the next man up on that list, a significant fall from a guy who played his way into an Opening Week start in 2023 after pitching to a 2.00 ERA in five spring training starts.
To his credit, Dodd knows how important this spring is for him. “I think it comes down to my performance and how I’m doing. You know, I’ve been given plenty of chances in the past two years and just haven’t lived up to the expectation or the performance I hold myself to. And I think, wherever I start out, if it’s Triple A, I think it’s just a matter of whether I can be more consistent.
“You know, I’ve shown flashes, shown that I can get guys out. But as long as I can show consistency, I know opportunities are going to come, whether it’s early in spring or later in the season.”
Anderson’s slider is back
Ian Anderson’s the favorite for one of the two open rotation spots to start the year, owing to his pedigree and being out of options, but it’s not a done deal.
Today didn’t help him solidify the case.
Anderson made it 1.2 innings, allowing one run on one hit and one strikeout while walking three. While we don’t have full statcast on any game in Atlanta’s CoolToday Park (which is a travesty), Anderson appeared to use both a slider and a curveball in this one, with the slider being mostly a new addition to the arsenal.2
The issue on Sunday was his changeup, however. He bounced several, contributing to some of those three walks he allowed. It’s ultimately still early, but something to watch as he attempts to secure a rotation spot for the first time since going down with Tommy John in 2022.
I’m genuinely not worried, but adding some more velo - he told reporters after the game that he typically adds “one to two mph” before spring ends - should give us a better picture of where his stuff sits.
Eli’s athleticism is an asset
Alex Anthopoulos told us last week that glove-first Eli White, who is out of options, would be working in the infield this spring to increase his versatility.
“We know he can play Gold Glove centerfield. He’s got a great arm, he’s a great outfielder. How viable is he in the infield? He played infield in college and so on; let’s get more of a read on that.”
Alex went on to explain that unlike most teams, Atlanta’s bench is mostly just for situational stuff versus being a true backup that rotates in with a starter. “We're likely not hitting for too many guys on this team. So, you know, I don't want to speak for Snit, but the bench role, assuming health, is coming in late, maybe coming to try to steal a base, giving a guy a day (off).”
White, who started at second base and led off on Sunday, made an impressive defensive play early to cut down a Rays baserunner at second base:
If he can stick in the infield, that allows the Braves to either carry two true utility options in White and Luke Williams or replace Williams with another outfielder, like Bryan De La Cruz, to platoon with Jarred Kelenic in right field before Ronald Acuña Jr. returns.
Kelenic’s swinging it well
Speaking of Kelenic, he led off the game Saturday with a 107.9 mph double off of top Twins prospect Zebby Matthews and had a hard-hit out off of Justin Topa in the 3rd, a 101.5 mph lineout.
Kelenic, who was visited over the winter by new hitting coach Tim Hyers and assistant hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum, is the favorite to start in right field on Opening Day. His competition includes De La Cruz, Carlos Rodriguez, and NRIs Conner Capel and Jake Marisnick.
Two for Elder, one for Perdomo
He threw 22 total sweepers in 2021, out of 2188 pitches thrown in the regular season.
The Braves do not have to choose right now. It seems like the bench spot will come down to Luke or Eli. If the Braves only go with one--who do you have?