Atlanta Braves Mid-Season Prospect Reports, Part 2

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Baseball bats in the dugout before the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

8. Braxton Davidson

The Good:

Braxton was pushed in his first full season after being drafted in 2014, placing him in Rome as an 18 year-old (he turned 19 on June 18th). In Rome, Davidson has shown what you would expect from a big power guy, lots of walks, big power, and lots of strikeouts. The latter can be more acceptable with the presence of the first two.

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Davidson has a tremendous batting eye, though in watching him, he may be just a bit timid early in the count as he doesn’t often seem to go after the first pitch. He has walked at a tremendous 18.5% rate this season, but letting the pitcher get a pitch or two into the at bat before swinging also tends to lead to a high K rate, and he’s certainly showing that as well with a 27.1% strikeout rate.

For perspective, that’s roughly the same rate that Justin Upton struck out at last season with the Braves. Davidson’s power is truly dynamic. When he gets the meat of the bat on the ball, it simply explodes off of his bat. One thing that has really impressed me in a few viewings is the huge strides in his defense that Braxton has made. The reviews coming into the season were that he was a 1B-only profile most likely, but he’s not only shown good range in right field, but he has a cannon of an arm that could play very well in right field.

The Not-So-Good:

We’ll get one out of the way right away – Braxton is not fast on the bases. For all the better range he’s shown this year, he’s about as dragging a base runner as one can be. He’s got 20 doubles on the season, but with even average speed, he could have turned 2-3 of those into triples. Of course, that tells you how hard he hits the ball that with his speed, he’s still putting up 20 doubles!

Braxton has also let the ball get too deep into the zone many times, and we’ve noticed in the last few weeks that he’s out in front of the ball more instead of letting it get into him. Interestingly, that’s also coincided with a spike in his batting average, getting over the .250 mark briefly.

The Stats:

Rome (A, 105 games, 421 PA): .243/.392/.374/.766. wRC+ 126. 18.5% BB, 27.1% K, 8 HR, 37 RBI

Davidson may get a sniff of Carolina this year, but he certainly has earned the promotion for next season, even though he’ll be just 19 on opening day there next year. If you’re wanting a comp, think Adam Dunn. Braxton may not have that level of power upside, but he could have similar walk/strike out rates along with a little better batting average to compensate for their difference in power.

Next: Conversion Results in a Step Up

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