Braves' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Preview | Chris Sale, Raisel Iglesias, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Strider, AJ Smith-Shawver and More

Let's continue my fantasy baseball team previews with Atlanta Braves' pitchers.

We covered the Chicago White Sox (pitchers and hitters) last week. Check back for the writeup on Braves' hitters, and other stories for other MLB teams.

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

Top Fantasy Pitchers

There's several Braves' pitchers on the FantasySP Average Draft Position list so far. 

Chris Sale is the top guy, going around pick 34. Closer Raisel Iglesias is next, going around pick 73 so far.

Reynaldo Lopez is the second Atlanta starter on the list, checking in around pick 122. Spencer Schwellenbach is another Atlanta starting option, and is going around pick 132. 

Spencer Strider is going around pick 141 and is the last Atlanta pitcher listed.

Sale is projected to lead the Braves' starting rotation again in 2025. He had an elite season in 2024, going 18-3 with a 2.38 earned run average. Sale struck out 225 batters over 177 2/3 innings in 29 starts.

Durability has been an issue with Sale in the past, and that's really the only thing making him be drafted as low as he is. If he can stay healthy for most of the season, Sale should be in the running for the top fantasy starting pitcher again. I think his draft slot is more than fair given the durability/injury concerns. I'd be sure to have a backup plan in place in case Sale goes down for an extended period.

Iglesias will close for the Braves again after a great 2024 showing. In 66 games, Iglesias went 6-2, with a 1.95 ERA and 34 saves. He struck out 68 batters in 69 1/3 innings.

He's honestly a pretty underrated fantasy close going into 2025. Atlanta should be good again this season, affording Iglesias a bunch of save opportunities. I expect him to regress in his ERA, but for most of his other numbers to remain the same. If you miss out on the top-end fantasy closers, landing Iglesias as your top guy isn't a terrible alternative.

Lopez had a surprise showing in 2024, going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA. In 25 starts and 26 games, Lopez struck out 148 batters over 135 2/3  innings.

His ADP isn't too high after the breakout season, and he's worth a pick later in fantasy drafts. I wouldn't be expecting him to replicate his ERA, but more innings and strikeouts could make up for a higher ERA.

Schwellenbach is an under-the-radar fantasy starting pitcher that I love going into 2025. In his rookie season, he went 8-7 with a 3.35 ERA across 21 starts. He struck out 127 batters over 123 2/3 innings.

He ended the year really strong, not allowing more than three earned runs in any of his last 11 starts. He had a 2.73 ERA and 67 strikeouts over 66 innings in that stretch, but only went 4-2. I think there's a chance he is a huge draft steal in 2025, and I'd be thrilled to take him around his ADP, or even a round or more before it. 

Strider is coming off a major injury, but also was one of the game's top pitchers before that, so he's still got plenty of fantasy appeal. He made just two starts last season before having surgery on his UCL.

He is expected to return in April, so he won't miss much of the season. Strider has a 3.46 ERA and is 32-10 across 54 starts and 67 games in his MLB career. He struck out 202 batters in 2022 and then 281 in 2023. 

I think Strider should be going earlier in fantasy drafts, and I think in time, that will become the case. I'm fine taking a chance on him around his ADP, and think the upside outweighs any downsides by a lot.

Other Starting Options

On FanGraphs, Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson are projected to fill out the Braves' rotation after Sale, Lopez and Schwellenbach. The return of Strider will bump Holmes or Anderson from the rotation, and likely into the long relief role in the bullpen.

Pierce Johnson and Aaron Bummer are the top setup men for Iglesias. Dylan Lee, Daysbel Hernandez, Angel Perdomo, Buck Farmer and Anderson Pilar are the other projected bullpen arms to begin the season. 

Joe Jimenez is another reliever option, but could miss the entire 2025 season after knee surgery.

Unless Iglesias goes down with an injury, not many members of the bullpen are likely to be big fantasy assets. Jimenez was the top fantasy non-reliever for the Braves last season, while Lee was a ways behind him.

Holmes was pretty solid in seven starts and 26 games pitched for the Braves in 2024. He went 2-1 with a 3.56 ERA and struck out 70 batters over 68 1/3 innings.

If he can stick in the rotation, he's a deep-league fantasy option and possible standard league streamer. I think he's got a better chance at sticking in the rotation over Anderson.

Anderson has made 46 starts for Atlanta between 2021-22, but didn't pitch in 2023 or 2024. He has a career 3.97 ERA and 262 strikeouts over 272 1/3 innings.

He's another deep-league fantasy option to begin the season, but could be moved to the bullpen in an effort to keep his arm fresh and innings down in his return to the mound. He could be a standard league streaming option too, so he's worth keeping an eye on.

Top Prospects

Atlanta's top pitching is Cam Caminiti, but he's unlikely to debut for a couple years yet as just an 18-year-old who has logged three minor league innings. He was the 24th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Dylan Dodd, Drue Hackenberg and Hayden Harris are some pitching prospects who ended 2024 in Triple-A or the big leagues.

Smith-Shawver had a good showing in 2023, but his numbers fell off big time in 2024. He has 29 1/3 big league innings under his belt, and could maybe earn a spot on the MLB roster with a big spring training.

Waldrep has a career 3.01 ERA in the minor leagues, so probably doesn't need much more time in the minors. He made his debut in 2024, but had a 16.71 ERA across seven innings.

Waldrep could also earn a spot on the big league team with a big spring. Like in the case with Smith-Shawver though, both could be held back in order to manage their innings a bit more in the minors, and only be called up if they are pitching extremely well, or an injury happens to a member of the rotation.

Dodd has 36 1/3 MLB innings under his belt between the 2023-24 seasons. He has a career 4.74 ERA in the minor leagues. Dodd is probably a No. 4 or 5 starter at best, but more likely will become a long reliever or mid-inning reliever.

Hackenberg has a career 2.99 ERA across two minor league seasons. While he posted a 1.52 ERA across 23 2/3 AAA innings, he probably needs a considerable amount of minor league seasoning yet before he gets called up.

Harris has a career 4.30 ERA across parts of three minor league seasons. He's pitched all 87 games in relief and has covered just 106 2/3 innings. He could one day become a decent fantasy asset, but he seems destined for a mid-relief role at best.