Starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver #32 of the Atlanta Braves (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
You can count John Smoltz as being a major fan of young Atlanta Braves star pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver.
The 22-year-old pitcher is in the midst of his rookie season after beginning the year on the Braves’ Opening Day roster. The 6-foot-3 righty is off to a solid start to his career, going 3-2 with a 3.67 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
After initially making his debut back in 2023 and playing in nine games over the past two years, Smith-Shawver now holds a spot in arguably the best pitching rotation in MLB.
Smoltz on Smith-Shawver’s Development
“AJ finally is going to get the ball in five days,” says Smoltz of Smith-Shawver in a one-on-one interview with RG Media. “I felt bad for him. Over the last couple of years, he’s bounced around back and forth to the minor leagues, maybe in the pen. You’ve got to give this guy the ball every five days. You’ve got to let him develop, get his pitches going, and absolutely give him the ball.”
“He’s doing that now, and there’s confidence built in that when you’re looking over your shoulder in this game, it’s not fun,” Smoltz continues. “A young pitcher, Bryce Elder, just went down. It’s a product of numbers. He pitches and he’s a pitcher, but he’s always going to be back and forth because of options.”
Smith-Shawver’s greatest trait, according to Smoltz, is his arsenal of pitches—not his velocity. The 1996 NL Cy Young Award winner compliments the 22-year-old for developing a splitter, which he says is a “big-time improvement in his repertoire.”
“He’s developed that split, and that split’s become the equalizer for him, and he’s throwing it with confidence,” says Smoltz.
“We just over-obsess on velocity, and it just makes me sick. Guys have to learn how to pitch. He’s pitching, and that’s the key. You can throw your velocity, and that’s great. It’s nice to have it, but if you don’t know where it’s going, you’re not going to last very long, you’re not going to be given the ball every five days. He’s handling that very well, and that split-finger has been a big-time improvement in his repertoire.”
Smith-Shawver isn’t the only Braves rookie who has impressed this season. Catcher Drake Baldwin has emerged as arguably the top NL Rookie of the Year candidate—along with Smith-Shawver—with a team-leading .340 batting average, the second-best mark in the NL.
However, the Braves are off to a rough start with a 25-27 record, decimated by injuries to Ronald Acuna Jr.—who recently made his season debut—and pitcher Spencer Strider, who has made two starts this season in his return from UCL surgery.
Rookie of the Year Race
“I hate it for him; eventually he’s going to have a spot, but those two young rookies have to play bigger than expected for the team to have greater success, and that’s happening in the catcher spot with Drake and his bat,” says Smoltz. “He’s doing a great job behind the plate. But I’m more impressed with AJ right now, knowing what he’s been through mentally, to be able to feel like you can check in and be one of those guys and know you’re not going to lose your job.”
Smoltz is high on Smith-Shawver but believes Baldwin has a better chance of winning Rookie of the Year. The betting odds favor Smoltz’s assessment, with Baldwin considered the betting favorite.
“Drake probably has the best chance, because offensively, they seem to lean towards Rookie of the Year,” says Smoltz.
“When you’re making an impact in the field and you don’t know what’s going to happen—if a catcher gets hurt, Murphy misses some time, he plays a bigger role. So there are some pretty good rookies in the league, but it’s good to have two [catchers] on your team, playing well and having a voice in the race.”
Braves vs. Dodgers: Best Pitching Staff
When asked who has the best pitching staff in baseball, Smoltz mentions the Braves, considering they have reigning NL Cy Young winner and eight-time All-Star Chris Sale, All-Stars Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider, along with Rookie of the Year candidate Smith-Shawver.
On paper, Smoltz says the Los Angeles Dodgers have the best pitching rotation in baseball. That list includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto—whom Smoltz considers to be the best pitcher in baseball—Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Dustin May, and Clayton Kershaw. However, Kershaw recently made his season debut, and Snell is on the injured list.
“I still like the Atlanta Braves and what they do,” says Smoltz. “There are so many great combinations of staffs. When the Dodgers are completely healthy, they have the best staff in baseball. But that’s a broken record, because you can’t make that claim until they prove they can stay healthy. They’ve got Cy Young Award winners, they’ve got flame throwers, they’ve got 17 guys they can pick from. The Dodgers have the best staff on paper, but it’s not worth talking about until they stay on the field.”
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports
