Five things to watch as Braves begin spring training this week

The Walt Weiss way

This is not Weiss’ first rodeo, of course, having gone 283-365 in four seasons managing the Rockies during the past decade. But it is his first season in charge of the Braves, a team with a longstanding expectation to, at the very least, make the postseason each October.

How does Weiss set the tone over the next month-and-a-half? What is the vibe around his clubhouse? What is his messaging, internally and externally, surrounding his first Braves team?

The answers to these questions will come into focus over the next several weeks.

The shortstop position

Baseball’s season is long, so it’s oft forgotten what transpires for a team over the first two or three months of a half-year journey. Thus, who is manning the six hole for the Braves in September may be far more important than who stands there during the month of April.

However, the Braves undoubtedly need someone to step forward in a major way during the first third of the schedule while they wait for Ha-Seong Kim to recover from an off-field injury.

There are two primary options penciled in to take Kim’s spot: Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo. Dubon spent the past three-plus seasons with the Astros and is a .257 career hitter. Mateo was with the Orioles the past five seasons and stole 67 bases and drove in 84 runs in 2022 and ’23, combined.

Marist alum and former Georgia standout Kyle Farmer was recently added as a nonroster invite to provide more depth and possibility at the position.

Who among that trio will emerge to become the club’s fill-in shortstop for the early — yet no less important — first part of the season?

The strength, and health, of the starting rotation

Chris Sale. Spencer Strider. Spencer Schwellenbach. Those three arms alone would make one potent starting rotation.

Throw in Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, AJ Smith-Shawver and maybe a Bryce Elder or a Joey Wentz and there’s some belief the Braves are in good shape.

One problem: The health and availability of any of those men is far from guaranteed.

Spring-training workouts and outings can’t predict the future of the Braves’ rotation in ‘26, but it could certainly help forecast what to expect in the season’s early goings. And getting through the next few weeks unscathed in the injury department before the games become real will be a win in and of itself.

Perusing the prospects

A year ago at this time, there were not many outside the organization who knew about Drake Baldwin. But the then-23-year-old proved himself worthy of a roster spot coming out of camp in 2025 and went on to become the National League’s Rookie of the Year.

Now, it’s much too much to expect that scenario to play out for prospects in 2026 … but you never know. The spring-training window always provides a peek into the future, and sometimes that future materializes far quicker than expected.

Who’s in the pen?

The offseason signing of Robert Suarez, a 34-year-old Venezuelan and back-to-back All-Star, may have quietly given the Braves one of the best bullpens in the league. If Suarez is penciled in to the eighth inning ahead of closer Raisel Iglesias and after Dylan Lee or Aaron Bummer, the Braves could be awfully difficult to beat if they have a lead after six innings.

Of course, bullpens can be fickle, subject to injuries and prone to streaks and slumps, so which pitchers emerge throughout the spring to provide depth and consistency will be crucial for the ‘26 squad.