Atlanta Braves scouting report on Cristian Pache
MLB Player Comp
With Pache, there’s such a wide array of outcomes possible. He has worked on his physicality to the point that you could see him becoming an elite defensive player with 30 home runs down the road. He’s also got work to do on his eye at the plate, but he’s working on it, so it’s hard to gauge a good comp for him.
Many want to throw out Mike Cameron with Pache, but Cameron was a guy who did walk at a 10%+ rate and had a crazy high strikeout rate over his career, even if the power/speed and defensive skills fit. Instead, I went further back to the second-best defensive center fielder I’ve seen in my lifetime (of course Andruw Jones is #1).
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Drafted out of high school in New York, Jamaican-born Devon White took his time coming up the minor league chain for the Angels before he finally grabbed a big league job in 1987 at age 24. From 1987-1996, you could make a legit argument that no one was in White’s class defensively. Many will argue for Ken Griffey, Jr., but while Griffey made highlight plays, White glided to the same plays with less publicity.
Over a 17-year career, White hit .263/.319/.419 with 208 home runs and 346 stolen bases, averaging 17 home runs and 29 steals per 162 games, and he posted a career walk rate of 6.7%, but like Pache, his strikeout rate was fairly low, with an 18.9% rate for his career.
Future Role
If Pache can develop into a player like White was, he’d be a potential player in the lower half of the order with production from that spot that could also be an elite defender.
The ceiling with Pache, though, is that he works with his zone and pitch recognition the way that he did with his swing and becomes a guy who could plug into the top of the order with power and speed along with that elite defense.
Either way, the pitching staff for the Atlanta Braves will be very happy to have him patrolling behind them!
Braves rotation is a mess right now. dark. Next
Atlanta Braves fans want to debate Pache and Drew Waters right now, but rather than picking one over the other, fans should enjoy having both players in the organization right now!