Atlanta’s signing of Royber Salinas in 2018 out of Venezuela didn’t make headlines, but since coming to the Braves system he has been a consistent strikeout machine. After a decent 2019 season in the Dominican Summer League he came stateside for the 2021 season and took the Florida Complex League by storm. Salinas struck out 49 batters in 25 1⁄3 innings though he struggled with high walk and home run rates. He made three starts for Augusta in 2021 and had a 0.64 ERA with 18 strikeouts and 8 walks in 14 innings.
All of this early performance set the stage for a 2022 opening day start, and he quickly put himself on the map with a fantastic performance.