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Baseball season is approaching, but when exactly should you expect the Braves to report to Spring Training?
Braves fans have been counting the days for a new baseball season, since their historic 2023 season was abruptly ended by the rival Phillies. 2024 will present new challenges, and for the Braves to reach the pinnacle again like they did in 2021, they first need win the marathon regular season. The baseball offseason can feel like a drag at times, but once we reach the new year many fans quickly transition from football to baseball.
Before the race for the NL East crown can take place, the teams have to continue to fill out their roster and navigate a month’s worth of Spring Training games. Baseball still has quite a few big name free agents out there, so moves will continue to be made as we inch closer to Valentine’s Day. However, don’t expect the Braves to be involved in much of those talks. In fact, the Braves are probably more equipped to start Spring Training as currently constructed, more than any other team in baseball.
So when do pitchers and catchers report for the Braves?
Braves fans will love the sights and sounds of pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training on February 14th. From there things will pick up by February 20th, when Atlanta holds their first full squad workout. All of this will prepare them for their February 24th Spring Training opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Their home opener at CoolToday Park will take place the following day against the Boston Red Sox.
The team will then navigate through 30 plus spring training games, getting a look at intriguing prospects and pitchers looking to bounce back from injury. Eventually, the 26 man roster will be assembled for an iconic opening day showdown in the same place their 2023 season ended. That of course being in Philadelphia against the Phillies on March 28th.
Atlanta Braves 2023 season review: Michael Tonkin
Michael Tonkin was fairly unknown coming into the 2023 season with the Atlanta Braves. He ended up being an important part of the Atlanta bullpen, serving as a long-relief option. He did pitch for the organization during the 2022 season but that was spent with the Gwinnett Stripers.
His impressive 3.17 ERA performance over 48.1 innings in 2022 impressed Atlanta enough to add him to the roster for the 2023 season.
Tonkin did a really good job early on for the Braves and provided them with some important outings. Unfortunately, that did not last and he struggled towards the end of the season. Let’s examine how Tonkin got to Atlanta and what happened last season.
The right-hander finished with a 4.28 ERA through 80 innings including 23 walks and 75 strikeouts. That was a career-high for Tonkin as it relates to innings pitched. 2023 was also his first season back in the big leagues since he pitched for the Twins in 2017.
He did a good job in April but he never could find consistency outside of that. April ended with a 2.51 ERA through 14.1 innings. May is when things went sour as he compiled a 4.50 ERA over 12 innings pitched. The next month he improved drastically pitching to a 1.42 ERA over 12.2 innings but again he could not sustain that into July earning a 4.30 ERA.
He found consistency after that but not in the way he or the Braves would have liked. His ERA in August was 4.26 and things fell apart in September and October. Tonkin’s final month saw a ballooned 8.56 ERA over 13.2 innings.
Tonkin also pitched better on the road than he did at Truist Park. Through 23 home games, he achieved a 4.50 era versus a 4.00 ERA over 22 away games. It’s tough because Tonkin had a great first half with an overall 2.66 ERA over that time frame. The second half was just dreadful with an overall ERA of 6.25.
Realistically, the Braves got more than they probably expected from Tonkin but the landing was rough. It led to the Braves non-tendering Tonkin and sent him back into free agency. Tonkin did land a 1-year $1 million contract with the New York Mets for 2024.
