JUST IN: Braves to Name Opening Pitcher for Saturday’s Grapefruit League Game

Now that the Atlanta Braves are playing again, is there a chance that things may alter on Opening Day?

The Atlanta Braves made known today which veterans will be making the trip to Charlotte Sports Park, which is close by, to watch the team play the Tampa Bay Rays in the Grapefruit League opener.

And the question of what this means for Opening Day arises.

Spencer Strider will start the team’s first Grapefruit League game on Saturday, according to manager Brian Snitker’s announcement. In 2023, Strider, 25, pitched a career-high 186.2 innings and set a Braves single-season record with his league-leading 281 strikeouts. In terms of the team’s single-season strikeout record, Strider surpassed 1996’s John Smoltz.
However, there is one significant distinction between Smoltz and Strider: Smoltz scored four times on Opening Day (1991, 1997, 2005, and 2007).

Despite his domination, Strider has never started on Opening Day; instead, Atlanta has given the ball to Max Fried for three years in a row, from 2021 to 2023.

With manager Brian Snitker showing respect for veterans—remember, Travis d’Arnaud and Marcell Ozuna started Opening Day games last year, with Ozuna in left field and d’Arnaud as designated hitter—it’s very possible that Strider’s opening day start in spring training was just a coincidence of the throwing schedule. Monday’s live hitting practice prepared Strider for a routine rest day on Saturday. It makes sense to presume that Max Fried is the best choice for an Opening Day starter until it is said otherwise.

A few veterans traveling with them
Few big leaguers will travel the 12.5 miles to Port Charlotte by bus; among those scheduled to play on Saturday are Michael Harris II and Jarred Kelenic.

Marcell Ozuna, an 11-year veteran, will also be traveling, but he’ll be playing first base instead of designated hitter or outfield. Although Ozuna has been practicing at first base in pregame exercises and even filled in for team games previous season before the NLDS, he has not yet played at first base in a legitimate game, spring training, or regular season.

It is necessary versatility for a Braves squad that, at this moment in spring training, lacks both significant bench depth and the necessary playing time to draw major leaguers to sign on as backups.

The Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays will play spring training at 1:05 PM ET. The Atlanta Braves Radio Network will broadcast the full spring training program; however, there will be no television broadcast available for the game.