Braves' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Raisel Iglesias, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton and More
Discussing the top fantasy pitchers from the Atlanta Braves as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles about the top players at every position, and while those kinds of stories will continue until the regular season starts up, we wanted to make sure we covered as many fantasy players as possible, so it’s time to look at options on a team–by-team basis.
We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:
American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals
National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies
Let’s talk about a loaded Atlanta Braves team next, again splitting things up into two stories. We’ll talk about the pitchers now - the hitters’ article can be read here.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Pitchers
While Atlanta is best known for its collection of hitters, the team also has some talented pitchers.
The first pitcher that appears on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list is starter Spencer Strider. He ranks sixth with an ADP mark of 7.17.
Strider went 20-5 a season ago, with a 3.86 earned run average across 186 2/3 innings and 32 starts. He struck out 281 batters along the way.
While the wins, strikeouts and innings pitched are all solid marks, the ERA leaves a little to be desired. Strider had a 2.67 ERA in 2022, so if he could at least split the difference and get close to his career 3.37 mark, he’d be an even better fantasy asset than a season ago.
I like Strider as a first-round fantasy pick, but think he should go closer to the end of the round. I’d take him at the turn (of a 10-team league), so pick 10 or 11. I think he should be the first pitcher drafted - right now, New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole is going first.
Max Fried is the next Atlanta pitcher on the ADP list, ranking 43rd with an ADP mark of 46.57. He’s projected to be the team’s No. 2 starter after Strider.
Fried made just 14 starts in 2023, but went 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA. He struck out 80 batters over 77 2/3 innings.
The positive with Fried only making 14 starts is that they came at the end of the season, so he’s already shown he can pitch at a high level after an injury. He might have an innings limit this season, but it’s not too big of a risk if you land him near his current ADP. If he ends up around 180 innings and an ERA between 2.50-3.00, then you’ll have a big-time draft steal.
Reliever Raisel Iglesias is next up, ranking 86th with a mark of 90.91. He’s the team’s closer to start the season.
Iglesias had 33 saves and a 5-4 record in 2023. He finished with a 2.75 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 55 2/3 innings pitched.
Iglesias is currently the sixth closer to be drafted. After the top five (Devin Williams, Camilo Doval, Emmanuel Clase, Josh Hader), I like Iglesias in that next group of options. The only thing you really have to worry about is less save opportunities if the team’s offense lives up to the hype again - Iglesias’ ERA is a touch too high and his saves aren’t high enough to take before those first five closers.
Starter Chris Sale is next up, ranking 104th with a mark of 106.83.
Sale joins the Braves after some injury-riddled seasons with the Boston Red Sox. In 2023, Sale made 20 starts, going 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA over 102 2/3 innings. He struck out 125 batters along the way.
The biggest downfall for Sale over his career has been his durability. His strikeout numbers are elite when he’s out there, and on this loaded team, he’s got the chance for a bunch of wins, even with an ERA close to last year’s mark.
Sale is expected to be the team’s third or fourth starter, behind Strider, Fried and maybe Charlie Morton too. There’s always a risk when drafting Sale, but in the 11th round, the upside outweighs the negative.
Morton is the next Braves’ pitcher on the ADP list, ranking 167th with a mark of 150.48.
The 40-year-old Morton won 14 games and covered 163 1/3 innings last season, so there’s still some gas left in the tank. Morton finished 14-12 with a 3.64 ERA and 182 strikeouts over his time on the hill.
Between Sale and Morton, Morton is the much safer pick, and you get him five rounds later on average. The risk with Morton is that he has his innings capped - he's gone down about 13 and nine innings the past couple seasons. He still strikes out plenty of hitters and is at least a streaming option.
Bryce Elder is the projected No. 5 starter for Atlanta. Across 31 starts for Atlanta last season, Elder went 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA. He struck out 128 batters over 174 2/3 innings.
The win-loss record and innings are great marks, but the ERA and strikeouts numbers are what keeps him from being a big-time fantasy asset. If he can improve his ERA or strikeout totals, he might stick with a lot of fantasy teams this season. To start the year, he looks like a streaming option.
With some rotation durability concerns, top-100 prospects AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep have the chance to make an impact at some point this season.
Smith-Shawver made six appearances (five starts) for the team in 2023, but is expected to begin the season in Triple-A. He had a 4.26 ERA in the big leagues last season, striking out 20 batters over 25 1/3 innings. He'll likely be the first call up if any member of the starting rotation hits the injured list.
Waldrep was the team’s first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, but is expected to debut at some point this season. He got all the way to AAA in his limited time in the organization last summer. He posted a 1.53 ERA across 29 1/3 innings in his eight minor league starts overall. He looks like a mid-season call up, although a need could push his debut up.
If Iglesias ever were to get injured or struggles, A.J. Minter is likely the next man up. Reynaldo Lopez is another veteran arm they could turn to as well.
Last season, Minter went 3-6, with 10 saves and a 3.76 ERA across 64 2/3 innings pitched. Lopez pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians, combining for a 3-7 record and six saves over 66 innings pitched - he had a 3.27 ERA.
After reading the Atlanta breakdowns for hitters and now pitchers, you can probably see that this will be an offensive driven team. Their World Series’ hopes probably will come down to the pitching staff, which means a mid-summer splash trade will probably be for an arm.
Guys like Strider, Fried and Iglesias will need to lead the way, while guys like Sale and Morton, Elder, Smith-Shawver and Waldrep will also need to be good at times. With the lineup the Braves have in place, any starting pitcher instantly has more fantasy value. That means you could stream any pitcher that makes starts this season, especially against weaker hitting opponents.
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