When do Braves pitchers and catchers report in 2024?

The 2023 season is over, so let’s look ahead to the start of the 2024 season.

Sadly for the Atlanta Braves, the 2023 season did not end the way they wanted it to as they were bounced out of the playoffs by the Phillies in the NLDS once again. Still, what they were able to accomplish in the regular season was remarkable and they are already an odds-on favorite to be a top World Series contender yet again in 2024.

To help get ready for the 2024 season, here is a look at when the Braves are set to begin spring training before next season including some notes on their schedule.

When do Braves pitchers and catchers have to report to spring training in 2024?

Atlanta has yet to announce a date for their pitchers and catchers to report. However, we can get some clues from what they did last season. The Braves started their spring training game schedule on February 25th in 2023 and had pitchers and catchers have to report by February 13th. Given that the Braves start playing games on February 24th this coming spring, a strong educated guess would be that Atlanta will have them report on Monday, February 12th. An official announcement is likely to come by January.

What is the Braves’ Spring Training schedule for 2024?

While we don’t have the exact report dates just yet for the Braves, that doesn’t mean their schedule isn’t set in stone. The Braves’ spring training schedule begins on February 24th against the Rays. That link has all the games listed and whether the Braves are on the road or at home, but the macro level view is that they have spring training games all the way through March 26th, get a day off, and then open the 2024 season in Philadelphia for a rematch with the Phillies.

The Braves then travel to Chicago with a series against the White Sox before their home opener on April 5th against the NL champion Diamondbacks. Going against the top two finishers in the National League in their first three series is tough draw, but the Braves should be equipped to weather the storm just fine.

Read more: Atlanta Braves 2023 season review: Charlie Morton’s possible swan song.

Atlanta Braves 2023 season review: Charlie Morton’s possible swan song

The 2023 Atlanta Braves had one of the most exciting offenses Major League Baseball has ever seen. Pitching was often viewed as the one flaw of this team. Let’s take a look at how Charlie Morton’s season went.

Charlie Morton caught a lot of hate in 2023 for inconsistency. His 14-12 record in 2023 was about on par for his performance, and for a starting pitcher is not fantastic but it is not terrible. Morton’s record also looks worse just because of the amount of decisions he received this past season.

Morton started a total of 30 games for the Braves in 2023 and 26 of the 30 starts resulting in a decision which is abnormally high.

Over 163.1 innings pitched, Morton surrendered 66 earned runs, struck out 183 and walked 83. This averaged out to a 3.64 ERA, 3.87 FIP, and a WHIP of 1.43. A lot of Morton’s struggles this past season had to do with control issues. Many of the big innings that teams posted against Morton began from walks.

Outside of command issues at times, Charlie Morton honestly lived up to expectations. The almost 40 year old just finished his 16th season in the big leagues. The two-time all-star and almost Cy Young winner in 2019 (finished 3rd in voting) is at the tail end of his career. Unfortunately his better days are behind him but he still had enough left in the tank to help the Braves in 2023.

While some may feel Morton was inconsistent, he was consistently on the mound every five days until the playoffs came around. Being a veteran presence in the Braves starting rotation while still performing well enough to win half of his decisions should be considered a successful season for Charlie Morton.

Now we wait and see if Morton returns to the Braves in 2024 or retires after 16 seasons of major league pitching.