5 Atlanta Braves prospects who made big impressions in Spring Training
By Steven Teal
4. Cristian Pache
Cristian Pache is one of the most coveted prospects of the Atlanta Braves. He is the best defensive outfielder in the entire Braves organization. The Braves have simply been waiting for his bat to catch up with that elite defense.
Last year, Pache hit .279 with 9 home runs and 47 RBI playing for both the Florida Fire Frogs and Mississippi Braves. He also struck out 97 times in 495 plate appearances.
| Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Teams | 122 | 495 | 473 | 56 | 132 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 47 | 7 | 20 | 97 | .279 | .307 | .410 | .717 | 194 |
| Mississippi | 29 | 109 | 104 | 10 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 28 | .260 | .294 | .337 | .630 | 35 |
| Florida | 93 | 386 | 369 | 46 | 105 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 7 | 15 | 69 | .285 | .311 | .431 | .742 | 159 |
This Spring saw Pache improve offensively in a major way and we may see him called up at some point late in the season. If he keeps up the pace from this Spring, you could even see him by the summer. [ Now, that most likely won’t happen but you never know with how well some of these young guys perform. ]
The 20 year old prospect from the Dominican Republic has earned a .375/.412/.719 slash line. He has shown some nice power and speed on the offensive side of the ball. In 32 at bats, Cristian has 12 hits including 2 home runs, 5 doubles, and 10 RBI. The defense has been as advertised and Pache has made some tough plays in the outfield look routine.
Cristian Pache is so much fun to watch. Just tracked down a lonnnng fly ball to dead center. Ball was probably hit 410 feet...off the bat I thought there was no shot it would be caught. He makes it look so easy and is having one heck of a spring. #Braves @680TheFan
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) March 16, 2019
This guy is going to be an amazing addition to the Atlanta Braves outfield in the next few years. Imagine his defensive talent and speed alongside Inciarte and Acuna Jr. That would be an extremely tough outfield to have success against.