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.