Can Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach have a long career?

Spencer Schwellenbach joined an exclusive list of baseball history when he made his Major League debut with the Atlanta Braves on May 29. It had nothing to do with his performance.

His 20-letter name, however, is tied for third longest in the game’s long history. Only Christian Encarnacion-Strand of the Cincinnati Reds and Simeon Woods Richardson of the Minnesota Twins are longer. The Reds infielder has one more character, including the hyphen, than the 26-letter alphabet. Woods Richardson’s full name is made up of 22 letters.

Schwellenbach wasn’t perfect in his debut, although he held the Washington Nationals scoreless for four innings. In the fifth, he gave up a double to Joey Gallo and hit Jacob Young in the head with a pitch after the rookie ran into a bunt.

“It was certainly scary,” Schwellenbach told reporters. “Obviously I’m very happy that he stayed in the game and everything was good with him. They came out and talked to me, it just got me settled and it helped me, it ‘sure. I was able to come back there and continue on my way.

He struck out CJ Abrams, then gave up a three-run homer to Lane Thomas. In total, he had five hits, one walk and five strikeouts in those five innings.

“I thought his work was really good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters. “He behaved very well. His composure, the slowing down of the game. I found it very impressive.”

The right-hander quickly rose to the majors after signing for $997,500 as the 59th player chosen overall – and 23rd pick in the second round – in the 2021 draft. He underwent Tommy John surgery after being selected and did not take the mound again until 2023. In just 24 starts in the minors, he had a 9-3 record, a 2.21 ERA and allowed just 79 hits in 110 innings .

Not bad for a guy who was an infielder at Nebraska until he made 18 relief appearances as a senior. His 0.57 ERA for the 2021 Big Ten champions impressed many scouts. Some of them still preferred him as a successful shortstop who won the John Olerud Award as the best two-way player in college ball that year.

The Braves liked his fastball, curveball and mature approach to the game, believing he was better suited to a starting role. They listed him as a potential top pick until they discovered the medical report on his damaged elbow.

Fully recovered, the 23-year-old now has an arsenal of four-seam fastball (averaging 95 mph, topping out at 99), slider, curveball, splitter and cutter. He locates the fastball well, then gets swing-and-miss results with breaking balls.

He uses the slider and splitter more, but not as much as his curve, which is his most effective pitch against left-handed hitters. Even his new cutter has good moves and this year he was able to command them all.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, he is not physically imposing and could wear down in the second half. He’s already pitched 50 innings across three levels – 15 shy of his career high a year ago.

Will Schwellenbach be able to forge a career that lives up to his long name? He is currently in the rotation due to injuries to others and will likely be handled carefully to avoid another arm going on the injured list. His future looks bright, but it will probably take a few years for him to reach his peak.

Longer than almost anyone

Here’s where Schwellenbach’s name ranks among all-time MLB players, ranked by team and year they debuted:

1. Christian Encarnacion-Strand: 27 characters (2023 Reds)

2. Simeon Woods Richardson: 22 (2022 twins)

3-T. Spencer Schwellenbach 20 (Braves 2024)

3-T. Luis Alexander Basabe: 20 (2020 Giants)

3-T. Christian Bethancourt: 20 (Braves 2013)

3-T. Fautino De Los Santos: 20 (A 2011)

3-T. Jarrod Saltalamacchia: 20 (Braves 2007)

3-T. Valerio De Los Santos: 20 (1998 Brewers)

3-T. William VanLandingham: 20 (1994 Giants)

3-T. Theodore Breitenstein: 20 (1891 St. Louis Browns)

Longest name in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Schwellenbach became the 23,209th man to appear in a Major League game. Of the billions of people alive on the planet since the first championship game in 1876, this shows how rare it is to achieve this status.

Getting to the Baseball Hall of Fame is harder. Only 346 people were inducted, including 274 former professional players, 39 executives/pioneers, 23 managers and 10 referees.

The longest name might surprise even the best baseball fans.

This is not Albert Schoendienst or Cristobal Torriente, each of whom has an 18-letter name.

Schoendienst, nicknamed Red, hit .289 in 19 seasons (1945-63) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Milwaukee Braves as a skilled second baseman. He made nine All-Star teams and solidified his HOF status by leading the Cardinals to 1,041 wins in 14 seasons, winning the 1967 World Series.

Tooriente, a native of Cuba, hit .340 in 10 years in the Negro Leagues, ending in 1932. An outfielder, he also compiled a 13-7 record as a pitcher.

The longest name is also not Alexander Cartwright (19 letters). He never threw a pitch or swung a bat. However, he is credited with the formation of the game and its rules.

The longest name in the Hall of Fame belongs to the man who played the longest in the game. Connie Mack played or managed for 53 years (1894-1950). He was born in 1862 as Cornelius McGillicuddy. That’s 21, a winner.

Sorry Spencer Schwellenbach, even if you achieve greatness, you won’t really catch it.