The season hasn’t started yet, but the Atlanta Braves are already searching for as much pitching depth as possible.
With highly regarded young starters Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep expected to open the year on the injured list, there’s reason for concern that the Braves could face a situation similar to last season, when they cycled through a franchise-record 46 pitchers. That urgency may explain their latest move to bolster depth in the minors.
Per the team’s official transactions log, the Braves signed right-hander Jack Dashwood to a minor-league deal on Feb. 20, though the signing didn’t appear in the log until several days later.
Dashwood, 28, spent five seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Angels organization, which selected him in the 12th round of the 2019 draft. He elected free agency in November following a year in which he posted a brutal 7.33 ERA in 48 appearances and 54 innings at Triple-A.
Though Dashwood has never had particularly clean minor-league statistics, it’s easy to see why the Braves liked him. He stands 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, and in 260 minor-league innings, he’s struck out an impressive 297 batters. He’ll definitely have to clean up his command, however, if he wants to make his long-awaited major league debut.
The Braves also signed Dashwood’s former UC Santa Barbara teammate, lefty Kyle Nelson, on Wednesday. If either of the former Gauchos turns into a major league bullpen option this season, Atlanta’s late February free agency sweep will have been successful.
