In-Depth Look At The Atlanta Braves Newest Acquisition – Travis Demeritte
By Jeff Schafer
TT: Braves General Manager John Coppolella mentioned that he may get the opportunity to play left field for the Braves. Atlanta already has Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies slated for the middle infield so this either puts him at third or the outfield, right? He’s never played out there at the pro level…how do you think he’ll do?
BD: He’s a very good athlete, so I wouldn’t be too worried if he does move to the outfield, especially left. His arm is fine – not particularly great, but certainly not a weakness.
Footwork in the infield is good, so all that should easily translate to left field. He has some speed, so perhaps he could even see a bit of time in center, or as a fourth outfielder/super utility type depending on how much of his ceiling he can actualize, but all that is ultimately secondary to the bat; if he hits the way he’s been hitting, they are going to find a place for him to play, and he’s enough of an athlete that the Braves will have a lot of defensive options in which to slot him.
TT: Baseball Reference has him listed at 6’0 180 pounds. Seems a little small for a power-hitting outfiedler…what do you think? Does he need to add weight?
BD: Yeah, he’s lean and has a little bit of room to add some good weight. 6’0″, 180 lbs. is probably a pretty fair take on his size, having seen him all summer long before the trade, so it’s not a stretch to imagine he could get to 200 lbs. or so when it’s all said and done.
That being said, he has such strong, quick hands and such good bat speed, he’s not a guy that needs weight to muscle the ball out of the park, and actually, trying to add weight for the express purposes of muscling the ball would probably be counter productive to his athleticism and overall game.
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TT: What do you think the timeline for him is to reach the majors?
BD: You’ll probably see him in the majors by mid/late 2017, all things being equal. Obviously it’ll depend how he finishes up this summer in Double-A, and long term it’ll really hinge on how well he can recognize and spit on off speed pitches, but he’s certainly going to play a huge role in the Braves’ rebuild attempt in the immediate future.
TT: What do you think his ceiling is?
BD: Honestly, his ceiling is an Alfonso Soriano-type career.
That might be shooting for the moon, but it’s that same type of athleticism and power, and appropriately enough based on what’s been rumored, perhaps that same move from second base to left field. He may fall well short of that, of course, and become an interesting super utility/bench power bat one day, too, but he’s going to get every opportunity to start and get every day at-bats until the Braves figure out whether or not he can be what they are hoping for at the highest level.
TT: Who do you think won this trade?
BD: Tough to say, since the trade is two different teams/tales/directions. The Rangers probably got what they need, or what they feel they need, to help their push this year. The Braves got what they need to help their push in 2017/18/19/etc.
Taking team performance/standings out of context, though, the Braves pulled off a coup here – a Futures Game participant for two guys that weren’t part of their organization in the first place until, what, the end of May? Impressive.
Demeritte is a lottery ticket, and could easily bust considering the holes in his swing, but if he can connect on a little bit of the power he’s already shown in his career, this could prove to be an extremely shrewd move long-term for Atlanta.