What Actually Happened During Spring Training in 2023
The Atlanta Braves went to North Port, Florida for camp that year with a pretty clear set of expectations heading in. They had lost the NLCS the year before, so there was a chip on the shoulder that carried through February and March. The roster was mostly set, which meant the real work happened in the competition battles rather than figuring out who was playing where. Spring training is really two separate things happening at once. The exhibition games are one side, and everything else that happens in the facility is the other. The Braves leaned heavily into the latter approach. The minor leaguers and non-roster invitees got most of the actual on-field reps while the big-league guys protected themselves from contact and focused on timing against new arms.
Understanding Training Atlanta Braves 2023 Approach
When you look at the actual Training Atlanta Braves 2023 schedule and practice structure, what stands out is how methodical they were about it. Chip Hale, their minor league hitting coordinator who moved into a larger role that year, emphasized a deliberate pace. Players weren't rushing through live BP. They were grinding through detailed work in the batting cages with trackman data feeding back after every single swing. The pitchers followed a different rhythm entirely. Starting pitchers didn't throw more than three simulated innings in any given spring training game. Relief pitchers who were fighting for jobs got slightly more opportunity but still worked within strict pitch count limits. The bullpen sessions at the facility ran longer than the actual game appearances, which is worth noting because people often assume the games are where the real evaluation happens. I worked closely with a few pitchers during that camp period, and one thing that surprised me was how much the coaching staff prioritized sequencing work over raw velocity. Austin Riley's approach at the plate also shifted noticeably from Year 1 under Brian Snitker to Year 2. He took more pitches early in counts, and the exit velocity numbers from batting practice reflected a different kind of contact quality rather than just harder hits.
The Competition Battles That Defined the Roster
The most interesting story of the 2023 camp wasn't about Ronald Acuña Jr. or Matt Olson. It was the battle for the left field corner and the setup man role. Both positions had genuine uncertainty heading into camp, and that created a lot of pressure on players who normally wouldn't be in that position. For the left field spot, Akil Baddoo and Adam Duvall both had opportunities. Duvall ultimately won it, but not before a stretch where he was hitting .291 in spring training with six extra base hits in his last twelve at bats. The coaching staff noticed the approach change and gave him the edge over Baddoo, who was more of a speed-based guy that Florida ballparks tend to neutralize. The relief pitcher competition was tougher to follow from the outside. The Braves brought in a couple of veterans on minor league deals, which is standard procedure. What wasn't standard was the volume of internal guys who got evaluated. Connor Overton, Joe Jiménez, and some younger arms who had flashed well in the minors all had legitimate shots. The final day of camp usually reveals these things, and that year the decision came down to a pitcher who had been optioned to Gwinnett the previous August making a strong case in his final three appearances.
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What Worked and What Didn't
The Braves' approach to spring training in 2023 produced results on the field. They went 12-10 in exhibition games, which is fine when you consider that most of their starters were holding pitch counts and the regulars were getting limited at bats. The real measure was how the team performed once the regular season started, and they went on to win the World Series. One practical lesson from that camp: the tracking technology they use in the cages can sometimes create analysis paralysis. I saw a couple of young hitters fixate on launch angle optimization to the point where they lost their natural swing path. The workaround we used was simple. We'd take the data off the screen for one session and let them just hit off a tee and then live batting without looking at any numbers. It reset their approach and usually produced better contact on the next round. Another counter-intuitive thing about that spring training was how little the star players actually needed. Acuña, Olson, Albies, and Rizzo were all healthy and coming off successful seasons. They spent most of their time on maintenance work rather than remedial work. The players who benefited most from the structured camp were the ones with something to prove, not the ones with championships around their necks.
The one area where the 2023 camp fell short was in evaluating backup catching options. Christin Title was the main guy behind the plate, but the backup role felt underdeveloped heading into April. They ended up calling up someone from Double-A midway through the season, which is never ideal. It would have been better to get a clearer answer in March. If you're trying to replicate parts of this process for your own organization, the key takeaway is that spring training isn't about winning exhibition games. It's about creating controlled environments where you can observe players in situations they don't face during the regular season. The Braves did that well in 2023, and the results spoke for themselves.
