Envisioning An Expanded Braves Roster And Taxi Squad
If and when a baseball season is played, it’s essentially a guarantee that rosters will be expanded.
Players will be asked to get ready for the season in a shortened spring camp, which will especially affect pitchers. I envision at least the first couple weeks of a regular season to look something like late spring training where the majority of playing time goes to the everyday players, and pitchers will throw close to their normal number of pitches, but it won’t be 100 percent for either case.
That’s where extra players come in, such as 40-man guys who are on the outside looking in for an active roster spot, or players who are still battling for a spot in the final days of a normal spring training. You even see the occasional upper-level prospect come back for a couple more at-bats or innings.
The most realistic scenario is a 30-man active roster with a 20-man taxi squad. The numbers can vary slightly, but this seems to be the popular idea for when a season starts.
That would mean the Braves would carry their usual 26-man roster, add four who were on the cusp of making the team this spring, and the taxi squad would consist of the rest of the 40-man roster along with 10 depth players or prospects not currently on the 40-man.
If this scenario plays out, what could this mean for prospects in or approaching the upper levels of the Braves system?
With the acknowledgement that roster moves could occur that change the 40-man roster, I feel safe in assuming every member of that group would be active or on the taxi squad. Among pitching prospects, that would include Tucker Davidson, Jasseel De La Cruz, Phil Pfeifer, Patrick Weigel, Bryse Wilson, Kyle Wright and Huascar Ynoa. Among position player prospects, that would include William Contreras, Alex Jackson and Cristian Pache.
For the 10 additional players included on a taxi squad, the list of non-roster invitees to spring training should serve as a guide. The Braves would certainly choose Felix Hernandez and Josh Tomlin, but you’d also likely see Ian Anderson, Kyle Muller and perhaps some combination of Thomas Burrows, Chris Nunn and Chris Rusin. If they choose a handful of position players to round out the taxi squad, Shea Langeliers could be a possibility or Jonathan Morales, while Yonder Alonso and Charlie Culberson are certainties, Riley Unroe seems likely, some combination of Sean Kazmar Jr., Pete Kozma, Jack Lopez and Braden Shewmake could get a shot, and the same applies to the outfield/first base group between Peter O’Brien, Rafael Ortega, Greyson Jenista and Trey Harris. I would expect to see Drew Waters on the squad. Maybe Bryce Ball?
That’s a lot to take in, so let’s try to break it down.
It seems realistic to expect pitching workloads to change, especially early in the season. Shorter outings, perhaps more openers, more piggybacking, basically everything you see in spring training. This plays into the Braves’ strength of pitching depth in the upper levels.
Prospects like Wright, Davidson, Wilson, De La Cruz, Weigel and Pfeifer would seemingly get more innings than they would have during a normal 2020 season, even if it’s two or three frames at the time behind guys like Mike Soroka and Max Fried, piggybacking behind someone like Hernandez, or opening a game like I’ve envisioned for Wilson in the past. Wright could be the big winner here if he’s able to continue his excellent pitching from this spring. Anderson may experience his major league debut sooner than was previously expected as well.
This could also speed up the inevitable move to the bullpen for arms like De La Cruz, Weigel, Ynoa, Pfeifer and perhaps Wilson and Muller. It seems likely that back-of-the-pen spots will rotate frequently to keep fresh arms on the active roster. This was already becoming a trend during normal times, such as the Dodgers rotating pitchers from Triple-A at a dizzying pace. This would give these guys more chances along with fringe arms like Burrows, Nunn and Rusin.
The extra spots aren’t as important for position players. They also need to warm back up, but that’s more for lower-body health reasons. You’re likely to see a little more depth with an expanded roster, but make no mistake it’s geared toward pitching.
With the implementation of the designated hitter, a big winner could be Austin Riley, who could get consistent at-bats rotating with Johan Camargo at third and DH. Adam Duvall and Nick Markakis will probably get some of those ABs, too, but it should be Riley’s to lose. Without the DH, Ball probably isn’t in the picture. With the DH, his name is worth mentioning as a possible taxi squad member, even if it’s just a few ABs.
The Braves will probably work the catchers in slowly, so Jackson could get more playing time than previously expected and Contreras could make his debut before Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers take over on a regular basis. Perhaps Langeliers or Morales make their debuts, but that doesn’t seem as likely.
The four infield spots are set and Adeiny Hechavarria is the main backup. Behind him, an expanded roster would allow for a rotating spot or two between guys like Culberson, Unroe, Kazmar, Kozma, Lopez and Shewmake. This could help open a door for Shewmake as a utility infielder sooner than expected, especially considering how high the Braves are on his ability to move quickly. Perhaps C.J. Alexander should get a mention in this conversation, too.
The Braves could rotate in Pache on occasion to spell a regular, especially considering his center field glove is the best in the org and may already be one of the best in the game. Maybe this opens up the possibility for Pache to supplant Ender Inciarte at some point during the season. It’ll take a nosedive from Inciarte and a hot start from Pache for that to happen.
The presence of Duvall and Markakis creates a huge roadblock for outfielders like Waters, Jenista and Harris. I can’t see any of them getting a real opportunity if Duvall and Markakis are healthy and somewhat productive, which makes sense from a major league standpoint but is a bummer for someone like Waters who is trying to rebound from this spring and get ABs. O’Brien could get a crack at the roster after mashing this spring.
The winners in the Braves org could be pitching prospects like Wright and Davidson, who would likely get an increased share of innings. Riley is no longer a prospect but appears to be a winner with the new DH rule. Pache could perhaps see his door open sooner than expected, although his timeline probably hasn’t changed that much.
Those who could be affected differently by this situation are the guys who could rotate from the taxi squad but don’t have a clear path toward a consistent role, such as Anderson, Muller, Contreras, Shewmake and Waters.
Fans are no doubt curious as to what an active roster and taxi squad could look like. The 40-man roster and non-roster invitee list should serve as your guide. Roles, however, are murkier, and it’s likely to be an all-hands-on-deck approach for organizations, especially early in the season for pitching staffs.