LHP, Age-26 season
$750,000 salary for 2024 estimate
Arbitration-eligible after 2026, team-controlled through 2029
Other Previews: Ian Anderson | Ben Bowden | Aaron Bummer
The season started with some high hopes for Dodd, who opened 2023 with just 53 innings above A-ball - including a 6.2 innings start with Gwinnett. But he had handled everything thrown at him, was an advanced age arm out of Southeast Missouri State, and the Braves hoped he could do a little more swimming than sinking in the fifth spot.
That unfortunately did not happen. After a decent enough debut where he shut down the Cardinals over five frames without a walk, Dodd would get blasted by the Padres next time out and soon became a frequent member of the Gwinnett/Atlanta shuttle. He made a pair of spot starts in May and another in June before missing a month due to injury. He took the ball once in September and started the Braves' final game of the season on October 1.
His numbers were pretty ugly. In seven starts, he had a 7.60 ERA over 34.1 innings. The traditional numbers were putrid - 53 hits, 29 runs, 9 homers, 12 walks, and 15 K's. The advanced metrics were just as bad with an 8.53 xERA and 6.50 xFIP. You'd like there to be something, anything, to build on here, but there were no hidden metrics. No surprising fact. Nothing.
His numbers at Triple-A weren't good either and that's even after you accept that offensive production was absurd last year at that level. Due to injuries and consistent roster shuffling, Dodd only threw 112.1 innings so he finished the year with nineteen frames in the Arizona Fall League. You have to imagine that the list of players to go from being on the opening day roster to finishing the year in the AFL is quite small.
Unlike Jared Shuster, Dodd remains with the team as camp opens this year. He's unlikely to sneak onto the roster this time and, if he did, that means the team has an injury problem. Dodd enters camp part of a group of similar pitchers like Allan Winans and Darius Vines - too old to be prospects and they were never that big of a prospect to begin with. They have to deal with AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep, the Braves' top two pitching prospects, along with Reynaldo Lopez. Hell, Huascar Ynoa is my pick for the sleeper hit of the spring so let's not forget about him.
It's easy for Dodd to get lost and that might be for the best. He wasn't ready for the big time last year. He did all he could, but he needed time to marinate. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dodd get a start or two this season, but that might be it as he tries to re-establish himself in the pecking order for 2025 and beyond.
Walk-Off Walk 2024 fWAR prediction
-0.2 fWAR
Other Previews: Ian Anderson | Ben Bowden | Aaron Bummer