Spencer Schwellenbach

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Spencer Drew Schwellenbach

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Biographical Information[edit]

Spencer Schwellenbach made the 2023 Futures Game as a pitcher, but that came after having been a two-way player in college, where he was both a shortstop and a pitcher for the University of Nebraska. In his junior season in 2021, he hit .284 in 48 games, with 6 homers, 43 runs and 40 RBIs, and went 4-2, 2.63 in 13 starts - pretty good results after not pitching at all in his first two seasons (although he had also pitched in high school). he was the winner of the 2021 John Olerud Award as the best two-way player in college that year. However, the Atlanta Braves took him in the 2nd round of the 2021 amateur draft with the intention of using him strictly as a pitcher, which is what they did after signing him - but only after he missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. Before going to college, he had been drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 34th round of the 2018 amateur draft.

In his first professional season in 2023, he started off with the Augusta GreenJackets of the Carolina League, making 13 starts and going 4-2, 2.63. After the Futures Game, he was promoted to the Rome Braves of the South Atlantic League, where he went 1-0, 1.98 in 3 starts to complete a successful maiden season. He started 2024 back with Rome, then was promoted to the AA Mississippi Braves after six games. He only had made two starts in the Southern League when he received his next promotion, this one all the way to Atlanta, on May 28th. He was 4-1, 1.80 across the two stops at the time. He made his debut with the Braves on May 29th, two days shy of his 24th birthday, as the starting pitcher against the Washington Nationals. He gave up 3 runs in 5 inning to be charged with a 7-2 loss. On August 27th, he was part of an unusual record when his opponent on the mound for the Minnesota Twins was fellow rookie Simeon Woods Richardson - the two combined for the longest-ever last names by two opposite starters, with 28 letters, beating the previous high of 25. Neither pitcher featured in the decision as the Braves prevailed, 8-6. On September 30th, he was called upon to start one of the most important games of the season for the Braves: the first game of a make-up doubleheader against the New York Mets, with one win ensuring that the Braves would make it into the postseason. He did his part, keeping them off the scoreboard for the first seven innings while his teammates had built a 3-0 lead. However, he allowed the first batter in the top of the 8th to reach, and relievers Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias were unable to stop the floodgates after that, as the Mets ended up scoring six runs in the inning. Atlanta came back to take back the lead in the bottom of the inning, but the Mets won the game, 8-7, with two runs in the 9th, setting up a do-or-die second game.

Further Reading[edit]

  • David Adler: "Braves to call up No. 3 prospect Schwellenbach from Double-A", mlb.com, May 28, 2024. [1]
  • Scott Chiusano: "The longest last name starting pitcher matchup ever is a true tongue twister", mlb.com, August 27, 2024. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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