Atlanta Braves: four Rule 5 bats worth a close look today
By Fred Owens
Cristian Santana 1B/3B/SS R/R 6-2, 175 pounds
The Dodgers signed Cristian Santana signed for $50,000 in 2013. He didn’t make much noise until 2017 when he batted .363/.390/.563/.953 between Rookie League and A ball.
Promoted to A+ ball in 2018, he tied for the California League lead in homers with 25 and earned postseason MVP honors during the Cal League Championship. That performance made him the Dodgers #14 prospect after the 2018 season ($). Here’s more from that scouting report.
". . . a physical, explosive hitter who punishes fastballs. His physicality and bat speed produce plus power to all fields, sending balls over scoreboards in left field and out over deep gaps in right-center . . .crushes the hard stuff, but . . .aggressive and extremely poor at recognizing breaking balls, fishing below the zone and swinging and missing wildly . . .a plus defender who makes incredible reaction plays at third base. . . mobility on the move needs to improve. His plus-plus arm is the best in the Dodgers system."
Like a lot of the Dominican prospects, Santana grew up being told he couldn’t walk off the island. He has power, and the Atlanta Braves GM likely saw a lot of him while working for LA.
Connor Joe OF 27-years old R/R 6-0, 205 pounds
The Pirates selected Connor Joe in the first round of 2014-draft at #39. Joe came to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Sean Rodriguez in 2017, and the Braves sent him to LA that September for international bonus pool money, just before the scandal broke.
The Reds claimed him in last year’s Rule 5 draft then traded him to the Giants in March for a minor league player and cash. Three weeks later the Giants returned him to the Dodgers as they looked for an everyday player.
Joe hit .300/.426/.503 at AAA Oklahoma city this year. He hit 15 homers, 26 doubles, and one triple, walked 72 times (16.1%), and struck out 81(18.2%) in 446 PA. That comes out to a .402 wOBA and 132 wRC+. He clearly knows the strike zone, doesn’t give away at-bats, and has some power. However, his defense isn’t great anywhere; this is how J.J. Cooper at BA puts it ($).
".Joe’s lack of defensive versatility is a problem — he is really overmatched at third base and is a stretch in right or left field (but) a team looking for a four-corners backup/pinch hitter could do worse."
Alex Anthopoulos was part of the LA front office when they acquired Joe, so he’s familiar with the player at some level. I doubt the GM would consider him for the Atlanta Braves, but stranger things have happened.
That’s a wrap
When I started this I had a list of ten players, I’d like to include Trent Giambrone, Eli White, and Patrick Mazeika, but while they have potential, they aren’t the kind of bat I believe he meant.
Next. Joc in the box. dark
I left first-baseman Roberto Ramos and outfielder Dylan Cozens off the list because their strikeout rates were too high to consider. If he does take a bat Thursday, it’s likely to be Rojas or Tom, they seem the best players of the bunch and might be worth a $50K risk.