Atlanta Braves: 5 prospects that should be untouchable
Here we look at five prospects in the Atlanta Braves system who should be untouchable as trade conversations start to pick up.
We are just 15 games into the 2019 season and a little over 10 games into the Minor League season, but it’s never too early to think about trade talks with the Atlanta Braves.
Since Alex Anthopoulos took over as the general manager of the Atlanta Braves he has pretty much considered every prospect untouchable.
But now that he has a better feel for the system, hopefully now he knows which guys will definitely be part of the future of this team, and which guys he can consider moving.
In the next week, we will look at five prospects that AA should use as trade bait, but in this article, we are going to look at five players who should absolutely not be traded.
If I’m being honest, I don’t ever consider any prospect to be untouchable. If the right deal comes along that can significantly make your team better, you have to pull the trigger.
Prospects are just prospects until they prove they can do it at the Major League level.
If the Atlanta Braves are going to contend in 2019, they are going to need to trade some prospects to improve the team.
As we all know, the Atlanta Braves farm system is deep with talent, and I think that bites us sometimes. People think just because we’re trying to give them our 14th best prospect they aren’t getting a fair deal.
But our 14th best prospect is a top five prospect in most organizations.
But here are five players that I think have a bright future with the Atlanta Braves, and I hope AA doesn’t even consider trading them anytime soon.
Mike Soroka
This one is pretty obvious after his small sample size with the Atlanta Braves in 2018. Mike Soroka made five starts with the big league club and posted an ERA of 3.51 in 25.2 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.44 last year.
Almost everyone believes that Soroka has the stuff to be a top of the rotation starter for a long time. The only question is the health of his shoulder.
Over five minor league seasons, he posted an ERA of 2.84 in 69 games (67 starts) with 331 strikeouts in 370.2 innings pitched with a WHIP of 1.08.
He is never going to be a big strikeout guy, but he has a tremendous command of all of his pitches, which is something the Atlanta Braves desperately need in their rotation.
Soroka has a minuscule BB/9 rate of 1.9 in the minors. It did jump to 2.5 in his five starts with the Atlanta Braves, but even that is better than most of our pitching staff right now.
The 21-year-old right-handed pitcher missed nearly all of Spring Training and is working his way back with two rehab starts at Triple-A under his belt.
I expect him to be back with the big league club by the end of April.
The only reason I would consider trading Soroka in the future is if his health continues to be a problem and he can’t stay on the field.
Cristian Pache
Cristian Pache got a lot of love this Spring Training as he showed a lot of potential by hitting .361 in 36 at-bats with 2 home runs and 5 doubles.
The scouting report on Pache has always been that he is an elite defender, but his bat is/was behind.
Well, it looks like the bat is catching up and he’s quickly become one of the best outfield prospects in all of baseball.
MLB.com has him ranked as the 34th best prospect in baseball and the seventh best outfield prospect.
Over four Minor League seasons, he’s hit .287 over 1,198 at-bats with 9 home runs and 54 stolen bases.
He hit all nine of those home runs between High-A and Double-A in 2018, showing those in the organization that he has the potential to give the team some power along with his speed and defensive skills.
A lot of fans are already calling for Pache to replace Ender Inciarte on the Atlanta Braves, but let’s pump the brakes.
The 20-year-old is starting the season at Double-A where he’s off to a good start hitting .333 with six extra-base hits in 36 at-bats.
If he continues to hit that well, I could see him getting moved up to Triple-A around the midway point, and then possibly a September call-up.
Either way, Pache is untouchable right now as the plan is for him to join Ronald Acuna Jr. in the Atlanta Braves outfield for a long time.
Ian Anderson
The Atlanta Braves have a plethora of starting pitching prospects, and Ian Anderson may be the best of all of them.
The third overall draft pick in 2016 has already worked his way up to Double-A after two-and-a-half seasons.
Last year he posted a 2.49 ERA in 24 starts with 142 strikeouts in 119.1 innings pitched with a WHIP of 1.14.
Anderson features a fastball in the mid-90s, a curveball, and a change-up.
The righty has the ability to be a frontline starter as long as he continues to control all three of his plus pitches.
MLB.com has him ranked as the 31st overall prospect and the 10th best right-handed pitching prospect.
I honestly think he’s ranked a little low, but if he puts up similar numbers in a full season at Double-A this year, he’ll enter 2019 as a top 15 overall prospect.
Right now things are looking pretty good through two starts at Mississippi with an ERA of 3.24 in 8.1 innings with 10 strikeouts.
He does need to cut down on his walks as he already has five in those 8.1 innings, so that will be something to keep an eye on as the season continues.
Anderson is going nowhere, so teams shouldn’t even bother asking.
William Contreras
The younger brother of Chicago Cubs All-Start catcher Willson Contreras, Atlanta Braves top catching prospect William Contreras has elevated his stock the past year.
There is a really good reason William makes this list, and it goes beyond his talent. He’s really the only promising prospect the Atlanta Braves have at catcher right now.
Alex Jackson has already made his Major League debut with the Atlanta Braves, and I personally view him as more of a back-up catcher in the future.
Contreras looks like he could be the primary backstop for the Atlanta Braves for years to come.
Last year between Single-A and High-A he hit .285 with 11 home runs in 390 at-bats. He also threw out 23 percent of would-be base stealers.
Just for comparison’s sake, his brother Willson had a 27 percent caught stealing rate in his second big league season and that number increased to 34 percent in 2017 and to 43 percent last year.
That is something William can certainly improve on as he gets older.
The Atlanta Braves catching prospect will play this season at the age of 21, and he starts the season in High-A where he’s hitting .243 with a home run in 37 at-bats.
Right now he looks like the catcher of the future for the Atlanta Braves, and because we are so thin at that position, he has to be untouchable right now.
Drew Waters
I’ll be honest, the top four are the only ones I really consider to be untouchable, but I said I would give you five names, so Drew Waters makes the list.
The main reason he makes this list is because an outfield of Acuna, Pache, and Waters for the next eight seasons or so sounds really exciting.
Waters was a 41st overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2017 MLB Draft, and he’s already advanced up to Double-A with Pache.
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Last year he hit .293 between Single-A and High-A with 9 home runs, 23 stolen bases, and a .819 OPS in 460 at-bats.
Even though he’s one of the youngest players in Double-A, that hasn’t slowed him down as he’s hitting .325 to start the 2019 season.
If Waters and Pache grow into some power, the Atlanta Braves could have an outfield that features three 20-20 guys.
That is just a beautiful thing to imagine.
But because the Atlanta Braves are so rich with outfield talent for years to come, it kind of makes Waters expendable.
I view Pache as the better prospect, which is why I think they would consider trading Waters and not Pache.
But still, I think both are untouchable right now.
Week 2 Farm Report. dark. Next
I’m sure these are the names other teams are asking for because they see the same things we do, but they can forget it. These five players should be untouchable.