AJ Smith Shawver's Power Arm Could Bring Life to Atlanta Braves Pitching Woes

Atlanta Braves pitching depth gets a spark as A.J. Smith-Shawver touches triple digits in his rehab, raising hopes for a turnaround in the team’s battered rotation. Is Smith-Shawver destined for a starter’s spot, or will his elite velocity become a playoff x-factor out of the bullpen? Jake Mastroianni and Gaurav share insider observations on his command, three-pitch mix, and fastball dominance, plus the timing of Owen Murphy’s likely MLB debut after a run of dominant starts. The conversation spotlights Cedric De Grandpré and Lucas Braun’s resurgence at Double-A, examines promising arms like Ethan Bagwell and Davis Polo, and debates which prospects are next to move up. On the hitting front, emerging power from Owen Carey and surging performances by Dixon Williams and Alex Lodise hint at exciting options for Atlanta—whether for big league reinforcements or looming trade chips. Can these young talents stabilize the Braves and fuel a stretch run?   Photo Credit: Dale Zanine   Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub     Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Amazon This Back To School Season, spend less on your kids, with Amazon. With Amazon’s low Back To School Prices, just spend less on your kids. Because every dollar you don’t spend on them, is a dollar you haven’t spent on them.   Proton It’s easy to get started. Right now, Proton VPN is offering our listeners 70% off a two-year plan when you go to https://ProtonVPN.com/LOCKEDONMLB.   Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at https://Indeed.com/podcast   KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything.   Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)       Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.