AJ Smith-Shawver delivers best performance of the season with the Stripers
When discussing potential postseason starters, yesterday was a massive day for the Atlanta Braves. Martin Pérez was brilliant against the Mets, tossing six more scoreless innings in the win. And on the farm, AJ Smith-Shawver essentially guaranteed himself a start with the major-league club next week, going 5.1 innings and allowing just one hit with […]
When discussing potential postseason starters, yesterday was a massive day for the Atlanta Braves.
Martin Pérez was brilliant against the Mets, tossing six more scoreless innings in the win. And on the farm, AJ Smith-Shawver essentially guaranteed himself a start with the major-league club next week, going 5.1 innings and allowing just one hit with seven strikeouts over 95 pitches.
AJ Smith-Shawver on Tuesday for Gwinnett in Norfolk: 5 1/3 IP, 1 H (an infield single to the leadoff batter), 7 Ks, 0 BB, 95 pitches (65 strikes), one "hard-hit" ball pic.twitter.com/Arw1Cbxej0
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) August 12, 2026
Smith-Shawver made his season debut a couple of weeks ago against the Mets, but because he was the 27th man for a doubleheader and the Braves were desperate for fresh arms, they felt it was best to option him. That meant he had to spend 15 days in the minors before being recalled — a window that expires Friday.
Had that not been the case, Smith-Shawver likely would have continued ramping up with the major-league club. It’s worked out pretty well for the hard-throwing 23-year-old, though. Over five starts with the Stripers, he owns a 1.66 ERA with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings, and yesterday was by far his most complete outing. He maintained his intensity all the way to his final pitch and showed much better control of his splitter, his go-to off-speed offering.
The upside with Smith-Shawver is something the Braves don’t have anywhere else on the roster outside of Chris Sale. When he’s right, he looks like the frontline starter the club was hoping to add at the trade deadline, flashing a heater that can touch triple digits and pairing it with an intriguing mix of secondary stuff he continues to fine-tune.
In an ideal world, he’ll prove he belongs in the postseason mix over the next six weeks. The idea of squeezing 4-5 innings out of him in a potential Game 2 and then following it up with another hard-throwing youngster in Didier Fuentes is very appealing — and it might be the Braves’ best shot at making a deep run come October.
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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
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