3 Atlanta Braves rookie of the year candidates for 2020
By Clint Manry
#3. OF, Cristian Pache
ML Experience: None
This may wind up being a rather far-fetched pick, considering it’s highly doubtful Pache is promoted to the majors anywhere near the 1st Half of the 2020 season.
The new roster rules make his 2020 MLB debut even more difficult to gauge, being that teams can no longer load up on in-house additions in September. Starting this season, from Opening Day through August 31, teams are permitted to carry 26 active players on its rosters (that number increases to 27 during doubleheaders).
However, from September 1 until the postseason, teams can carry 28 players, instead of the usual 40 we’re used to seeing.
Presumably, teams will be more conservative with call-ups, most likely prioritizing pitching over anything else. This because other rules starting in 2020 include pitchers being required to pitch to a minimum of three batters in a game, which may very well cut down on pitching changes but will also certainly impact roster and bullpen construction.
On the other hand, at this current time in the offseason the Braves don’t look too inspired to acquire any help in the outfield, as GM Alex Anthopolous recently re-signed Nick Markakis and plans to platoon him with Adam Duvall.
Of course, there’s still a lot of offseason to go, but if that plan holds and the Markakis-Duvall duo goes sideways (or an injury occurs), the Braves may be forced to quickly promote Pache and get him as comfortable in the majors as possible before the games start to really matter at the end of the season.
It’s just a really hard situation to predict, and ultimately it may not be such an unorthodox scenario as above. Pache could very well earn his call-up in September, just as the Braves are more than likely planning.
Although, one month of baseball isn’t going to be enough playing time to win a RoY award, so for Pache to be the Braves representative in 2020… disaster may have to happen.
2020 Steamer projections: 18 games, .253 AVG, 76 wRC+, 2 home runs, -0.1 WAR
2020 BR Projections: None