Braves: Braden Shewmake Could Make Impact in 2021
We take a look at Atlanta Braves prospect Braden Shewmake and how he could help out the big league team as soon as this upcoming season.
As I continue to hunt for ways to improve the depth of that Atlanta Braves bench in 2021, I stopped to consider the possibility that Braden Shewmake could play a role.
The 23-year-old shortstop was the 21st overall pick by the Braves in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M.
He only has 65 games of professional baseball under his belt, but he did move from Single-A to Double-A in that first year after being drafted because his bat is so advance.
However, he did struggle at Double-A — granted a small sample size of 14 games — with his K% shooting up to 21.2% from just 12.8% in A-ball.
Shewmake was part of the alternate site camp during the 2020 season so he at least got some reps there to help continue his progress.
Had it been a normal 2020 season, Shewmake likely spends the entire year at Double-A and is knocking on the door of the big leagues in 2021.
I’m not nearly as high on Shewmake as a lot of prospect evaluators are. Some think he has the ability to be an everyday guy, but I see him more as a super-utility player who mostly comes off the bench and can fill in at multiple infield spots to give guys a rest.
My history of watching Shewmake is extensive as I can remember him as a freshman with A&M and looking like a potential first-overall pick when he hit .328 with 11 home runs in 64 games.
However, the power didn’t progress like many thought it would, and his numbers just kind of remained the same, which were still really good numbers.
His left-handed swing looks a little awkward. He kind of comes around the baseball with his hands, which causes a lot of pull-side groundouts (reminiscent of Jason Heyward’s swing when he’s struggling).
Of course, it’s been nearly two years since I’ve seen him swing a bat, and perhaps some adjustments have been made. That’s certainly something I’ll be looking out for in Spring Training — if we get to see much game action.
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Playing in the SEC, you’re essentially playing in Single-A. Shewmake is a very mature hitter, and if he makes some decent strides with his swings it would not be surprising if he gets called up later in the year and becomes a big part of the Braves bench.