Atlanta Braves Minor League system is still loaded
The big four
There was no question who the Braves top prospect is. Pache was ranked 12th by Baseball America, 13th by MLB Pipeline, and 22nd by Baseball Prospectus.
Fangraphs Future Value of Pache is 60, which means his role will be one of an all-star and annual WAR of 3.4 to 4.9.
In the first part of 2019, Pache impressed at Double-A Mississippi where he hit .278 with 11 home runs and 53 runs batted in.
He was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on August 4th and was solid for the remainder of the season. Pache hit .274, though the power was missing as he hit just one home run.
From a defensive perspective, Pache is elite and this will be the reason he gets to Atlanta sooner rather than later.
The expectation should be that Pache patrols center field in Truist Park sometime this summer.
The Braves’ first-round pick in 2016 has cemented himself as the top pitcher in the organization and the rankings reflect that.
Anderson as ranked No. 37 by MLB Pipeline, No. 38 by Baseball Prospectus, and No. 44 by Baseball America.
FanGraphs has Anderson’s future value at 55, which means he will be an above-average player with an annual WAR of 2.5 to 3.3.
Anderson started last season at Double-A, where he went 7-5 with a 2.68 ERA in 21 starts. He had 147 strikeouts in 111 innings.
Once promoted to Triple-A, Anderson didn’t find as much success as he went 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA in five starts.
Much like Pache, Anderson should make his debut at some point this season, with him being further entrenched in the rotation this time next season.
In most other organizations, Waters would be the top outfield prospect, as he has grown leaps and bounds since being drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft.
Waters was ranked 26th by MLB Pipeline, 36th by Baseball America, and 42nd in Baseball Prospectus.
FanGraphs has Waters’ future value being 55, so an above-average player with a yearly WAR around 3.
He, like Pache, took care of Double-A pitching hitting .319 but then struggled to adjust to Triple-A pitching. He struck out 43 times in 107 at-bats with Gwinnett.
Waters will most likely be in Atlanta by September, but it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see him stay in Gwinnett this year and then make his debut in 2021.
Still, though, the future outfield is Waters-Pache-Acuna.
Kyle Wright
After being selected with the fifth pick in the 2017 draft, Wright was viewed as the next big pitching prospect in the Braves system, but thus far, he has not met those expectations.
Still, though, he was viewed as a top 100 prospect in baseball. MLB Pipeline has Wright No. 52, while Baseball America has him at No. 64, and Baseball Prospectus has him at No. 89.
He has a FanGraphs future value of 50, which means he will be an average player, with a WAR of 1.6 to 2.4.
Wright made the Opening Day roster last year, mostly because of injury, and was not exactly stellar as he gave up 11 earned runs in three starts (14 innings). He was then sent down to Gwinnett for most of the season, where he went 11-4 and a 4.17 ERA.
It seems like 2020 is kind of “put up or shut up” year for Wright, who will get a chance to win the No. 5 spot in the rotation in the spring.
While there is still time for Wright to make an impact with the Braves, the confidence is definitely waning at this point.