Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects: #12 Braxton Davidson
Braxton Davidson Scouting Report
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Braxton is listed at 6’2 and 210 pounds, and he’s a left/left player, hitting and throwing from the left side.
Hitting
Braxton has a huge swing that is obvious from any viewing of game footage. He swings big, but he also has the ability to hit any pitch, not just fastballs. I enjoyed watching a game where Davidson took a slider breaking down and away and doubled opposite field. Davidson is much more athletic than he’s given credit for, and we’ll cover that later, but he’s shown an ability to move well on the bases, and especially out of the box. Braxton does frequently release his hips early on a pitch, which leaves him vulnerable to late break, which is where he struggles most in his strikeouts. Braxton handles velocity tremendously well, which is a huge plus in his favor already.
Base Running/Fielding
For a guy who was rumored to be a first base only sort of defender and has a total of 1 stolen base in 7 attempts in the minor leagues, you’d assume he’s an absolute stiff defensively and on the base paths, but that’s just not true. Davidson certainly could use work in his base stealing, but that will never be what the team asks of him regardless. The thing that is impressive is how well he does turning the bases on his own hits and reading fly balls to get good jumps on tags. In fact, it’s absolutely a base running oddity, but with the reports I’ve got coming out, I’ve watched a lot of speed in the Braves system, and Davidson is absolutely the best guy at getting down the line from third on a sac fly in the system that I’ve watched. His instincts on the base paths when it comes to grounders aren’t as well-honed, but at 20, he’s got time to work on those skills as he moves up the system.
Fielding is where Braxton made the biggest impression to me throughout the year, and watching video for this report certainly did nothing to dissuade me from my previous stance. Those who labeled Davidson as a first base guy were pure wrong, and his time in right field this season absolutely showed it. While he handled left field well and wasn’t necessarily good nor bad there, he showed solid instincts in right and above all, he showed a tremendous arm. Davidson’s 10 assists were not a result of teams toying with the big guy based on a poor reputation. He was still making big plays late in the season defensively. One of my biggest disappointments was in not finding any defensive highlight videos to include in this report. Needless to say, while he may not be Jason Heyward or Ender Inciarte in right field, he will absolutely be above average in range and fielding the ball, and his arm could be borderline elite.
Next: 2016 outlook
Video
Braxton Davidson 2016 Outlook
Davidson has been tagged with the label as the next great power hitter since his drafting, and I rather like the fact that the Braves have traded for, drafted, and signed some guys on the international market who can alleviate some of that responsibility from being solely on Braxton’s shoulders. He has a pure power stroke currently that with minor modification could be the type of stroke with his batting eye that could produce a .260/.375/.500 line in the majors if he realizes his potential.
Next: Braves Top 100 Prospects Updated
Davidson will likely start 2016 in Carolina, and I do think the Braves will continue to be patient with his bat, moving him one level at a time, unless he truly pushes their hand. That would put him on pace to see the majors in September of 2018 as a call up and 2019 full-time. If he continues to build on his 2015 strides, the Braves could be very happy with the guy they slot into right field once he arrives in Atlanta.