Spencer Schwellenbach’s sophomore season with the Atlanta Braves has been an education in real time—and Sunday’s outing was a textbook case of promise and progress mixed with the growing pains of youth.
The 24-year-old right-hander logged a career-high 11 strikeouts over seven innings in a 5–3 loss to the Padres, but the outing also included two home runs, part of a trend that has quietly shadowed his otherwise steady emergence.
The Dilemma: Too Many Strikes?
It sounds like a paradox—“throwing too many strikes”—but coming from Braves legend Tom Glavine, the critique is anything but superficial. Glavine, a Hall of Famer who mastered the art of deception, understands that not every strike is a good pitch, and not every ball is a mistake.
“Getting two strikes early and not bouncing the pitch when it needs to be bounced or elevating it when it needs to be elevated,” Schwellenbach reflected. “That’s where I got in trouble early in my career last year.”
This self-awareness is notable. Schwellenbach’s command-first approach is a strength but can also make him predictable. In 2025, he’s surrendered nine home runs in 11 starts. That is a red flag that often follows young pitchers who live too much in the strike zone.
Encouraging Metrics, Tangible Lessons
Despite the homer issue, Schwellenbach’s overall body of work is strong:
- 3.38 career ERA
- 1.04 WHIP
- 122 ERA+ across 32 starts
He’s demonstrating above-average run prevention, elite control, and competitive mound presence. Still, Sunday was a case study of how pitch location strategy matters just as much as velocity or movement.
Elevating late in counts, bouncing breaking balls, and giving hitters a reason to chase are subtle tools that separate good from great.
Snitker’s Smoltz Comparison
Manager Brian Snitker put it in perspective by comparing Schwellenbach’s development to John Smoltz’s early years. Like Schwellenbach, Smoltz had raw tools and strike-throwing ability but needed innings to learn sequencing, deception, and situational nuance.
“I think it comes with seasoning and innings and repetition,” Snitker said. “I don’t think it’s as easy to bounce a breaking ball as some guys make it look.”
It’s not a knock—it’s a roadmap. Smoltz didn’t become Smoltz overnight, and Schwellenbach is following a similar path: fast rise, a few stumbles, and the promise of something special once he connects all the dots.
Where He Stands Now With the Braves
Schwellenbach is still very much in the “figuring it out” phase, but he’s ahead of schedule. In just 32 starts, he’s already shown he can miss bats (as seen with his 11-K performance), limit base runners, and compete with poise. The next step is pitch craft—learning when to throw strikes and when not to.
The Braves are leaning on him more and more, and with good reason. He’s not perfect. But he’s teachable, talented, and trending upward—a combination that gives Atlanta one more exciting arm to build around in the years to come.
This outing may go down as a loss in the box score, but in Schwellenbach’s broader development, it was another win.
