Atlanta Braves Minors: Prospects who could debut in 2020
We saw a few Atlanta Braves prospects debut in 2019, let’s look at several that could reach the majors during the 2020 season.
The Atlanta Braves have certainly gotten off to a busy start this offseason — the team recently signed free agent left-handed reliever Will Smith this past Friday — and there will surely be more moves in the coming months, bringing new players to the roster for the 2020 season.
And depending on which route GM Alex Anthopoulos decides to take, pertaining to his additions, there may perhaps wind up being a few opportunities for a few Braves’ prospects to make their debuts.
In 2019 we, of course, witnessed third baseman turned-left fielder Austin Riley make his long-awaited introduction to the majors and the spectacular start that went with it. Wouldn’t it be nice if all prospects could hit the ground running as Riley did?
Of course, a return to earth (and then some) eventually came for him, though all-in-all it was still an exciting debut and most definitely a worthwhile experience for Riley.
In terms of the quantity of MLB debuts, the 2019 season was a bit of a bore, considering only five players were lucky enough to throw their first pitch or take their first at-bat in The Show; especially when looking at the 2018 campaign, a season that featured 12 players making their MLB debut (most notably of course… Ronald Acuna Jr.).
Although, Braves’ prospects that pitch should perhaps feel a bit better about their chances, as 13 pitchers have debuted for the Braves over the last two seasons, compared to just four position-players; that’s not necessarily unique, considering the volatility and health issues that come with throwing baseballs extremely hard.
Much like my most-recent write-up predicting three 2020 Braves’ NL RoY candidates, it would be quick and easy to just select all pitchers, as this pitcher-heavy pattern will likely continue.
But maybe players like Riley and catcher Alex Jackson this past season, and Acuna and outfielder Dustin Peterson in 2018 (remember the hype surrounding him!) should give us hope that there will be at least a couple of hitters to make their debuts in 2020. I haven’t looked beyond the 2018 season, but I’m sure there’s a possible trend to detect.
In any case, the task at hand is pretty self-explanatory: pick a few Braves’ prospects that could make their debuts in 2020.
The format is simple… the following list is broken up into two groups — Not Likely and There’s a Chance. I’ve selected three players for each group.
The Not Likely Group
The reasons may vary somewhat, but the following three players in this group either lack much time in Triple-A or lack a strong performance in Triple-A.
However, no one says a player must master Triple-A before he can be granted permission to enter the royal land of MLB, but considering the expectations of these players, I don’t see the Braves bringing either of these guys up as simply fill-ins.
Meaning, I’m under the impression that the following players will be brought up in a more careful and orderly way, whether it’s because the organization already has a player they feel better about or because the said player is a starting pitcher and the team would like to avoid jerking him back-and-forth as a reliever.
OF, Drew Waters / RHP, Ian Anderson
LHP, Tucker Davidson
Waters fits the “the organization already has a player they feel better about” mold, as I’m willing to bet if one of the two — Waters or Pache — were to be promoted it would be Pache.
However, I also believe that Waters has closed the gap between them substantially, and the two are ranked perhaps as 1A and 1B rather than Nos. 1 and No. 2.
I know we’ve been looking at Waters and Pache as more of a duo for a while now, but the truth is, it’s actually rather doubtful that they BOTH are promoted to the majors at the exact same time.
Roster spots at the big league level are precious — especially with the new rules coming in 2020 — and the Braves will be forced to choose the player they feel the most confident about.
Waters hasn’t yet matched Pache in terms of defense and plate discipline, so if that one spot were to open up… it will likely NOT go to Waters.
Anderson will likely remain a starting pitcher, if for no other reason than that he has dominated as a starter for four seasons now (80 starts, 2.91 ERA, 10.7 K/9).
As a top-3 prospect in the Braves system, as solely a starter, I’m sure you can agree that it’s probably best he stays that way regardless of a promotion to the majors. He’s likely not getting the Max Fried treatment.
A lot will be determined by what the Braves do this winter, but it’s looking more and more like there will be one open rotation spot at the big league level, with Bryse Wilson, Kyle Wright and possibly Sean Newcomb left to scrap over it.
Related Story. Braves have plenty of SP depth. light
I’m no expert in math, but three players to fill one spot will leave two players as depth options. Meaning, theoretically those two depth pitchers will be ahead of Anderson in the Braves reserve-pitcher hierarchy, and rightfully so.
Even with his overall 3.38 ERA and 11.4 K/9 in 2019, between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett, Anderson isn’t quite ready for a major league debut.
Judging by his 5 starts in Gwinnett at the tail end of this past season (6.57 ERA), a full year with the Stripers should go a long way for him.
Davidson is my sleeper pick, my wild card.. the Braves X-factor if you will. Without delving too much into his early days in the organization, Davidson has gone from a mostly unheard of 19th round pick by the Braves — he pitched at a college in Texas (Midland College) with roughly 4,500 students — to quite possibly a top-10 prospect in the organization (FanGraphs’ THE BOARD is set to update soon).
Despite how great the lefty has been thus far, he still doesn’t have quite the upside as Anderson, even though Davidson actually pitched better in Gwinnett in 2019… small samples notwithstanding (they were both promoted at the same time).
Well if he’s below Anderson, why would I have him listed here? It’s simple: I suspect Davidson’s must-stay-a-starter barometer is currently lower than Anderson’s.
As a lefty who can pump it up in the mid-90s, and one who also has experience in the bullpen (his rookie and Single-A days), the Braves could use the Max Fried treatment on Davidson if they desired.
But remember, this the Not Likely Group, so the chances of seeing Davidson in an Atlanta Braves uniform in 2020 are probably slim to none.
There’s a Chance Group
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RHP, Patrick Weigel / OF, Cristian Pache
LHP, Thomas Burrows
Weigel isn’t on a lot of folks radar, thanks to a Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2017. Since his return — in August of 2018 — the Braves have eased him back rather gingerly (even in 2019).
Also a Mississippi and Gwinnett pitcher this past season, Weigel is already on the Braves’ 40-man and has a great deal of experience pitching out of the bullpen.
In 2019, the 24-year-old made 18 starts and 10 relief appearances, finishing with a strong 2.73 ERA.
If you paid attention to the last slide of this piece, Weigel obviously won’t be competing for a spot in the big league rotation, but in terms of making a 2020 debut out of the Braves’ bullpen… I like his chances better than Tucker Davidson’s.
With so much starting pitching depth in the upper-minors, perhaps we could see Weigel in a limited role out of the bullpen during the latter portion of the 2020 season.
Pache makes the very short list as the most favorable hitting prospect when it comes to making a 2020 debut. The strides he made in 2019 regarding his plate discipline were right on time, as the 20-year-old dropped his K% by seven points and slightly improved his walk-rate.
There’s still work to be done for the Braves’ top prospect, but there’s just a strong feeling that his debut will come this upcoming season.
Whether it’s because Anthopoulos decided to stick with Nick Markakis and Adam Duvall — signing the former to a one-year, $4 million deal — or just because of some weird supernatural sense I’m feeling… it just feels like destiny for Pache in 2020.
Also, as I mentioned last week, Pache is a for-sure add to the Braves’ 40-man roster in the coming days, making a promotion even more realistic for the soon-to-be 21-year-old.
If there are any injuries in the Braves’ outfield during the 2020 season, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Pache is on the first shuttle to SunTrust Park. I think Anthopoulos is ready to see his most talented prospect.
Burrows will also garner some consideration regarding the Braves’ upcoming 40-man additions. As part of his most recent Q&A piece done at MLB.com, Mark Bowman relayed that he wouldn’t be surprised if Burrows were added this week, as there’s a real possibility the reliever could be selected by another team in the Rule 5 Draft on December 12.
As far as Burrows’ chances at earning an MLB debut in 2020… there is perhaps some hope.
After pitching extremely well in Double-A Mississippi this past season — 3.86 ERA, 10.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 — Burrows regressed a bit in Triple-A Gwinnett, finishing with a 5.00+ ERA with the Stripers.
However, I could see him following a similar route as that of Jeremy Walker, who made his debut with the Braves in 2019.
Another thing going for Burrows is that he’s left-handed. With the signing of Smith last week, the Braves now have four lefties in the big league bullpen, but that’s counting Sean Newcomb who may wind up back in a starter’s role by the time it’s all said and done.
I’m certainly not predicting a full-time role in the ‘pen for Burrows in 2020, but a late-season call-up to give a guy a break or to just give teams a brand new look could perhaps be in his immediate future.
So there they are… six Braves’ prospects that could potentially make their MLB debut this upcoming season.
This seems like a year that could go either way in terms of prospects making their debuts, considering the current uncertainty regarding the Braves rotation as well as the team’s plan to platoon Markakis and Duvall (which, I don’t expect to last all season).
With several injuries and a stretch of poor play by a few players, the Braves could easily see multiple debuts by season’s end.
On the other hand, the team could have another campaign of decent health in 2020, resulting in yet another stale year for first-time appearances.
Next. 4 more moves to be made. dark
It certainly would be exciting to see some of these prospects get a taste of big league action in 2020. Let us know what you think. Who are your picks for 2020 debuts?