Braves prospect AJ Smith-Shawver makes Triple-A debut

Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver made his Triple-A debut with the Gwinnett Stripers Friday night.

Smith-Shawver went five innings in a road game against Memphis, allowing just four hits and two earned runs. Smith-Shawver walked two and struck out five.

Gwinnett edged Memphis 5-4. The Stripers’ Chad Pinder went 4-for-5. Through two games with Gwinnett, Pinder is batting .727 (8-for-11) with one double, two homers and three RBIs.

On May 2, the Braves promoted the 20-year-old Smith-Shawver – their No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline – to Double-A Mississippi from High-A Rome. On Tuesday, they promoted him to Gwinnett after only seven innings (two outings) in Double-A. He only made three starts in High A, then spent just two weeks in Double-A.

Final line for AJ Smith-Shawver (@aj_smithshawver) in his Triple-A debut for @GoStripers: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 SO, 86 pitches/50 strikes.

Fastball topped out at 97.7 mph, slider at 84-88. Good first look at the @Braves No. 4 prospect.
— Dave Lezotte (@DaveLezotte) May 20, 2023

The runs Smith-Shawver allowed Friday were the first he’s given up this season. Before heading to Triple-A , he pitched 21 innings over the first two levels and did not surrender an earned run.

The Braves drafted Smith-Shawver in the seventh round in 2021 out of Colleyville Heritage in Texas.

At 20 years, five months, and 29 days, Smith-Shawver became the second-youngest starting pitcher in Gwinnett history, just behind Julio Teheran when he debuted on April 8, 2011 vs. Durham (20 years, two months, 12 days).

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From the sports staff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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