AJ Smith-Shawver

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AJ Smith-Shawver

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver was taken in the 7th round of the 2021 amateur draft; his signing bonus was $997,500. He began his career with the FCL Braves in 2021, going 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA in 4 starts. In 8 1/3 innings, he had 16 strikeouts. With the Augusta GreenJackets in 2022, he was 3-4 with a 5.11 ERA in 17 starts. He had 103 Ks in 68 2/3 innings.

He made his major league debut with the Braves on June 4, 2023, pitching 2 1/3 hitless innings in relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His next outing on June 9th was his first major league start, against the Washington Nationals. He gave up 2 runs, neither of the earned, on 3 hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win. he pitched 6 games that first season, including 5 starts, going 1-0, 4.26 in 25 1/3 innings. With three different minor league teams, he made 15 starts, going 4-2, 2.76 in 62 innings. He also made one postseason appearance, in Game 3 of the NLDS on October 11th against the Philadelphia Phillies, but he was hit hard, allowing three solo homers - to Trea Turner, Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos - in 2 2/3 innings. The Braves were already trailing, 7-1, when he took the mound in the 5th inning, and lost the game, 10-2.

In 2024, he spent the bulk of the season in the minors, going 3-7, 4.86 in 20 starts for the AAA Gwinnett Stripers, and also made one appearance in a rehabilitation stint with the Rome Emperors. His sole big league appearance was a start against the Chicago Cubs on May 23rd, when he did not allow a run on 3 hits in 4 1/3 innings. In spite of this limited big league exposure, he was tabbed to start Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres on October 1st. The Braves were in a bind that day, as both of their top two starters, Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez, were injured, and they had had to play a make-up doubleheader the day before against the New York Mets to secure their spot into the postseason, putting more potential starters on the shelf. The miracle the Braves were hoping for did not come, however, as AJ got himself in trouble immediately, starting off the game by allowing a single to Luis Arraez followed by a homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. He then allowed the first two batters in the 2nd to reach as well, and after giving up a sacrifice fly to Kyle Higashioka, was removed from the game in favor of Aaron Bummer. The Padres won the game, 4-0, and he was charged with the loss.

He started the 2025 season in the Braves' starting rotation, but was hit hard in his first three starts, giving up 7 runs on 19 hits in 13 2/3 innings and going 0-2. He was sent back to Gwinnett for a couple of starts, then came back on April 29th, when he earned his first win of the season, 8-2 over the Colorado Rockies. He followed that with a gem on May 5th, when he held the Cincinnati Reds hitless over the first seven innings before giving up a single to Santiago Espinal to lead off the top of the 8th. He then completed the inning without further damage and Enyel De Los Santos pitched the 9th inning without allowing another safety as the two pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout that ended with a 4-0 score. It was the longest outing of Smith-Shawver's professional career.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Mark Bowman: "'Wow, we’re here': Smith-Shawver shines in first MLB start: No. 4 prospect becomes youngest pitcher to make first start with Atlanta since 2011", mlb.com, June 10, 2023. [1]
  • Mark Bowman: "Smith-Shawver earns his first MLB win ... at age 20", mlb.com, June 15, 2023. [2]
  • Mark Bowman: "Motivated Smith-Shawver takes no-hit bid into 8th inning", mlb.com, May 6, 2025. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

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