You know it’s the offseason when I’m talking about the future 2023 lineup, but it’s never too early to start prepping. Coming off a 97-win season, the Braves still have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball. Atlanta is set up for the long haul, but it will be interesting to see when Alex Anthopoulos decides to make his blockbuster move – if he does at all. Atlanta won the division by several games over the team that won the World Series; they are this close to making a run of their own. Will Anthopoulos use his prospect capital to put the team over the top now or wait and hope a few of these guys reach their potential, turning this thing into a lengthy dynasty.
Baseball America, who recently released their projected 2023 lineup, thinks it will be the latter. Take a look:
Catcher: Shea Langiliers
First Baseman: Freddie Freeman
Second Baseman: Ozzie Albies
Third Baseman: Austin Riley
Shortstop: Dansby Swanson
Left Field: Drew Waters
Center Field: Cristian Pache
Right Field: Ronald Acuña Jr.
Starting Rotation
- Mike Soroka
- Mike Foltynewicz
- Ian Anderson
- Max Fried
- Kyle Wright
Closer: Touki Toussaint
Not too shabby, but this is a pretty simplistic way of looking at things, basically assuming everything goes down a straight path with nothing unexpected. Unfortunately, baseball rarely works like that. Over the next three years, there will be injuries, trades, breakout stars, and faltering top prospects that will shake all of this up, so I’ll give you my slightly different version.
Catcher: Shea Langiliers
First Baseman: Freddie Freeman
Second Baseman: Ozzie Albies
Third Baseman: Braden Shewmake
Shortstop: Dansby Swanson
Left Field: Drew Waters
Center Field: Cristian Pache
Right Field: Ronald Acuña Jr.
Starting Rotation
- Mike Soroka
- Ian Anderson
- Max Fried
- Kyle Wright
- Kyle Muller
As you can see, I didn’t change too much. I think you have some distinct building blocks; Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, and Ronald Acuña should all be starting in 2023 unless something crazy happens. Then you have the building blocks of the farm – Drew Waters, Cristian Pache, Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright, and Shea Langiliers joining the mix. There is the possibility the Braves move on from one or two of these guys, but those are the top five prospects in the system.
Where I do think Anthopoulos ends up making a move is with Austin Riley. The Braves will be trying to re-sign Josh Donaldson this offseason, and if they are successful, Riley is once again without a natural position. He proved he can play left, but eventually Drew Waters, Cristian Pache, or both are going to be major-league ready next season. Someone is going to have to be moved. I chose to stick with Pache and Waters because I love what Braden Shewmake brings to the system and believe he could be the true heir to third base once Donaldson leaves in a few years (hypothetically).
The starting rotation I tweaked a little but kept most of the core. For the Braves to hang on to Mike Foltynewicz, they would have to sign him to an extension. I’m hopeful he can carry his momentum into 2020, but with Folty, you never know, so I sided with the organization moving on when his contract is up. This will be easier to do because a combination of Soroka and Anderson at the top is going to be unhittable by 2023. I also still have a ton of faith in Kyle Wright and believe Max Fried has ace potential himself. Kyle Muller lands the fifth starter’s spot because he’s been a stellar minor leaguer, and other arms around him could be used as trade bait.
What do you all think? How will the lineup shake out in 2023?