In addition to competing for a spot in the rotation, Mike Soroka and Ian Anderson will spend the next couple of months vying for refrigerator space. 

One of the Braves’ most interesting Spring Training battles this year pits Soroka against Anderson for the rotation’s fifth spot, a contest between two talented young right-handers who have been detoured during the early portion of their respective careers.

They are also great friends who will once again live together during Spring Training, in the house Anderson recently purchased near the Braves’ complex in North Port, Fla.

“[Ian is] definitely my best friend on the team,” Soroka said. “We’ve been together for a long time. It’s ironic that we had never played together before being at Triple-A last year. I think we’re both fairly mature and understanding that we’re both going to do what we need to do. We both wish the best for each other.”

A few years ago, it would have seemed ridiculous to think these two would have to fight for a rotation spot. But that was before Soroka twice tore his right Achilles tendon and before Anderson struggled last year. Their paths merged as they spent the final weeks of the 2022 season together at Triple-A. Now they are looking to journey back to the big leagues.

Soroka and Anderson are both wise enough to know they aren’t necessarily just vying for the fifth spot. Yes, there’s currently just one opening, but anything could happen over the next few weeks and months. Both will be going to camp to prove they can again be effective starters.

Even if just one of them is needed in the rotation to begin the season, both will make starts this year as long as they remain healthy.

Soroka is facing a significant challenge after tearing his Achilles in August 2020 and again in June 2021. Time will tell whether he can get back to where he was during his 2019 rookie season, when he ranked third in the NL with a 2.68 ERA. He has always shown great determination and dedication, traits that have carried him through inactivity over the past two years.

But now he must prove he can physically handle the rigors and challenges of performing at the highest level.

“I feel great,” Soroka said. “I’m pretty much where I would be any normal year.” 

Once Dansby Swanson departed, the expectation was that Travis d’Arnaud would be the clear clubhouse leader, as he already at least shared the role during previous seasons with Swanson and Freddie Freeman.

So, at BravesFest this past weekend, it wasn’t surprising to see d’Arnaud deliver the strongest message about how he and many of his teammates are feeling about Swanson’s departure and the possibility that Orlando Arcia or Vaughn Grissom will open the season as the starting shortstop.

“I love Dansby, he's been a tremendous friend of mine,” d’Arnaud said. “He has been a tremendous influence in this organization. He's taught everybody in the clubhouse how to respect the game and how to pull the same rope, basically. We all hope nothing but the best for him. We all understand. It's a business. I mean, if we didn't learn with what happened with Freddie Freeman, how much of a business this is, then you learned it from Dansby.

“I think the Cubs got a great shortstop, a great leader. I think he's going to change the culture in that organization, and they’ll be back to the winning ways. But at the same time, I believe in the guys we have here, and I think we're going to be just fine.”

Along with a tremendous work ethic, Vaughn Grissom has some of the same genuine self-confidence that Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider displayed during the earliest days of their careers.  As Grissom was talking about his opportunity, he delivered a message to the doubters (probably, mainly me) that made him even more likeable.

“The only thing I can do for you guys is just play my game,” Grissom said. “If you guys like it, I'm sure I'll hear about it. If you guys don't, I'm sure I'll hear about it. So, to me, it doesn't matter either way, because I'm just going to go play my game.”

I still don’t know if Grissom is a big league shortstop, but I’m pretty sure he is a winner who could benefit the Braves for many years, possibly at a variety of positions.

Billy Wagner posted a 1.43 ERA while tallying 69 1/3 innings during his only season with Atlanta (2010). Who holds the Braves’ single-season record for the lowest ERA while completing at least 65 innings?

A. Craig Kimbrel
B. Eric O'Flaherty
C. John Smoltz
D. Chris Hammond

Andruw Jones and Billy Wagner both had reason to be encouraged on Tuesday night, when this year’s Hall of Fame results were announced. Wagner received 68.1 percent of the votes, and Jones was on 58.1 percent of the ballots.

Wagner fell just 27 votes shy of election.  With two years of eligibility remaining, the former closer should soon become the next former Brave to be immortalized in Cooperstown. 

Jones’ vote percentage has improved nearly 25 percent (33.9 to 58.1) over the past two elections. He has four more years of eligibility, so perhaps the Hall of Fame will finally find room for the greatest defensive center fielder the game has ever seen. 

D. Hammond produced a 0.95 ERA over 76 innings during his great comeback season (2002). O’Flaherty posted a 0.98 ERA over 73 2/3 innings in 2011, and Kimbrel’s best mark was the 1.21 ERA he recorded during his 50-save season in 2013. 

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