Atlanta Braves minor league prospects: A view from the outside

I restricted my questions to the Atlanta Braves top remaining prospects and a couple of players who’ve received some hype in the press.

Cristian Pache

I asked about the Braves twin center field prospects, Drew Waters and Cristian Pache.  Like many scouts I’ve read in the past, he feels Pache is the better all-around player, particularly on defense, as he commented that Waters might not stick in center.

McDaniel wondered if Pache’s hit tool would mature and add the kind of power that would raise him to an elite CF. We didn’t see enough of him last year to find out if he’d make the adjustment, but he should easily better than Ender Inciarte this year. He compared today’s Pache to the Rays Kevin Kiermaier with a higher ceiling if he develops some power.

Drew Waters

I’ve heard conflicting views on who Waters future as a major league player, so I asked McDaniel his view.

He believes Waters will move to a corner position for the Braves and sees him as a player with a high ceiling he may not reach, but with a floor high enough to play every day if he makes the adjustment to hitting major league pitching.

He said Waters proved he has the talent on defense, the question is how quickly and well he adjusts to pitching at the next level.

He’s a potential five-tool player who might never reach his best self if he can’t reduce the swing-and-miss in his game. Currently projects better than Lewis Brinson because of his power and is most likely to become a player similar to Starling Marte.

Atlanta Braves catcher; who’s favorite?

Given the chance for another question, I asked McDaniel which of the Atlanta Braves catching prospect trio – Alex Jackson, William Contreras and Shea Langeliers – looked like an everyday backstop. The answer was Langeliers, by a large margin.

Jackson was a first-round pick and forced in a failed position change because of his power stroke. McDaniel described him as a 20-hit, 50-power bat; all-or-nothing hitter with 50 defense. Those credentials define him as a backup catcher.

Contreras was once a top-100 player, but regressed at the plate. He’s not as good as his older brother, but should hit and play defense well enough to allow him a career as a backup catcher.

Langeliers is the best of the group, and McDaniel said he saw improvement in his first year. Langeliers has to potential to flip the switch and shoot through the minors this year. However, the most likely route has him starting next year in AAA, moving up at some point and taking over for the Atlanta Braves in 2023.

Now the Braves pitch

Once upon a time, the Atlanta Braves had a long line of pitchers who seemed ready to come to the major leagues and succeed. The line got shorter in each of the past three seasons, and the waiting room is now almost empty.

Of the remaining prospects on the list, McDaniel projects only Bryse Wilson, Tucker Davidson, and Freddy Tarnok project as potential, long-term, back-of-the-rotation starters.

Tyler Owens could also emerge as a middle to back-end starter. Others will get some starts, before eventually finding their future home in the bullpen.

Arms to watch

The pitching highlights to watch for this year are 2020 draft picks Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider.

Elder worked as a reliever for Texas while a freshman and moved in the Longhorns’ rotation for the following season. Elder’s a feel pitcher who manipulates the ball to get outs; a sinker-slider pitcher who already owned a dependable changeup in college, he looks like a middle-of-the-rotation arm who could move higher.

The Atlanta Braves took Strider ahead of Elder in the fourth round last year, Unlike Elder, Strider’s a strikeout pitcher who consistently blew hitters away for Clemson. When he takes the mound this year, he’ll be two years post UCL-replacement and back to full strength.

Scouts are split on his future role, worst case scenario has him as an elite closer. Best case has him consistently throwing strikes and pitching as a three-starter.

Harris and Harris esq.

The Atlanta Braves have a pair of outfielders named Harris. One of them received a lot of recognition over the past 18 months, so in a shameless attempt to get two answers for the last question of the day, I asked McDaniel to differentiate between Trey and Michael.

Trey Harris has power and speed, but he’s an aggressive hitter who will strike out a lot. How he adjusts as he moves up the system. and pitching improves, will determine what he comes. More walks to the bases and fewer back to the dugout could make him a corner outfielder. However, he currently projects as a bench bat/fourth-outfielder.

Michael is the one to watch. He’s athletic with plus power and a strong arm, which would make him the perfect right-fielder… if we didn’t already have that guy.

McDaniel said Michael is just outside his top-100 list and sees him as a potential breakout player who could force his way on it this season.

That’s a wrap

The Atlanta Braves system is top-heavy generally, but particularly so in the pitching department. I’ve been told we should want a strong system, but not be concerned because the team on the field is young and under control.

I agree with the last part, the engine that drives the machine is in good shape. I also understand that adding quality players at the deadline requires prospect capital that doesn’t rate 45FV or less: when you trade low-value prospects, you get low-value returns.

A strong farm system provides both the depth and capital to take a team to the postseason. Rebuilding the Atlanta Braves system is essential to the club’s future success.