AJ Smith-ShawverATL · SP

2026 review

AJ Smith-Shawver worked around traffic all year, an 18.8 K% and an 11.1 BB% over 144 BF, and it cost him: a 6.61 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 31.1 IP across 9 games and 5 starts for ATL, with 0 wins and 3 losses. He was placed on the 15-day IL Mar 25 for a right elbow reconstruction, transferred to the 60-day IL Apr 3, took rehab assignments Jun 30 and Jul 11, and was activated Jul 29 after missing 126 regular-season days, then was optioned Jul 30 and recalled Aug 18. Once he moved to the bullpen on Sep 14, things shifted, a 4.35 ERA in 10.1 IP as a reliever after a 7.71 ERA in 21.0 IP as a starter. A rare pick at NFBC ADP rank 479, taken in just 3 of 674 drafts, he finished 1089th of 1472 overall in the TDK LABS 5x5 value rank and 175th of 236 starting pitchers. His ERA of 6.61 ran 1.79 above his 4.82 xERA over 144 BF. The TDK LABS card had him optioned right after his return from surgery in late Jul, called the first rotation look rough in late Aug, and by late Sep was still describing a thin, early sample with bottom-tier control.