An overview of the 10 Atlanta Braves’ prospects making the Fangraphs’ top 100
By Clint Manry
Christian Pache (OF/CF)
Standing at the top of the mountain among all Braves’ prospects, the 20-year-old Christian Pache is coming along nicely over his three years in the Braves’ organization. He has now made it up to the Braves’ Double-A team, the Mississippi Braves.
In 2018, Pache played 93 games with the Braves’ Single-A team and 29 games in Mississippi. Most projection sites, including me, look for 2021 to be his time to make his case for the Major League club.
Projected by Fangraphs to be a 70-speed on the 20-to-80 scale (80 the highest), Pache is more of a “slap-hitter” at the moment, but is blessed with exceptional defensive instincts. At this very moment he could play in the Majors on defense.
His Stats
The 6’2″ outfielder has drawn some pretty crazy comps throughout his time in the Braves’ organization. However, hitting is still a work in progress for the Dominican Republic native. Luckily, Pache started the Brave process at the age of 17 and has plenty of athletic ability.
As a teenager in Rookie Ball, Pache played 57 games hitting .309 with 24 stolen-bases and seven triples. Moving on to the Appalachian League, Pache played in 30 games with a .333 batting-average and a .372 OBP. He still didn’t show any power as he failed to hit a single home run, but the talent level was obvious.
The 2018 season featured another year of double-level-duty, as Pache played 93 games for the Florida Fire Frogs (A+) and 29 games for the Mississippi Braves (AA).
In Florida, Pache displayed some power not yet seen, slugging eight home runs and 40 RBI to go along with 20 doubles. His contact skills stayed true as well, as he maintained a solid .285 batting-average. His .431 SLG% would be the highest of his Minor League career.
Once in Mississippi, Pache would hit one home run and bat .260. His ability to get on base dropped tremendously, as he finished the season with a .294 OBP.
Pache was also a participant in the Arizona Fall League – gaining an All-Star nod as well. As expected, he was a defensive standout and hit .279 (again) with 5 extra-base hits with a .323 OBP.
His strikeout rate remaining under control (18 in 94 plate appearances) against what arguably was better pitching than he’d faced during the regular season, though his OPS was low at .683 – largely the result of low power (slugging) numbers.
All together, Christian Pache would play 122 games in the ‘regular minors’ in 2018. He would amass nine total home runs and 47 RBI with seven stolen-bases. The slash line looked decent at .279/.307/.410 with a .717 OPS. His inability to take walks really caused his overall production to fall (only 20 walks in 495 plate appearances).
The Verdict
It still remains to be seen what kind of hitter Christian Pache will be once he develops fully. However, one thing is for sure – his has the defense and athletic ability to play Major League Baseball. As a projected center fielder, Pache will not be expected to put up 20-30 homer seasons.
He will be expected to play solid defense and hold his own against Major League pitching.
Here’s what the team at Fangraphs said (regarding Pache):
"An elite defensive center field prospect like Pache needs to do very little with the bat to be an everyday player, and while his statistics leave much to be desired, he has flashed feel for contact and in-game raw power, just never both for any real length of time."
With the batting-average he has consistently shown that he knows how to hit. I think it’s safe to day that he has upside in the Major Leagues with that ability. His future will be dependent on how far his offensive skills can take him.