A familiar name to Atlanta Braves fans has quietly been having a strong season down in Triple-A Gwinnett.
A player with arguably one of the more unknown futures with the Atlanta Braves is 27-year old utility infielder Johan Camargo. A natural third baseman, Camargo appears to have fully been passed by Austin Riley on the depth-chart, and has not necessarily even been able to find a role in Atlanta as a utility player.
Camargo has appeared in 14 games at the big league level so far this season, but is hitless in 15 at-bats including six strikeouts. Because of this, Camargo has spent a majority of the 2021 season down in Triple-A playing with the Gwinnett Stripers where he is having a phenomenal season.
Despite not being in the big leagues, the 2021 season up to this point has not been a total loss. In fact, one could argue that Camargo’s performance is helping both himself and the Braves.
Atlanta Braves utility-player Johan Camargo is having a strong season in Triple-A.
Camargo has been outstanding so far this season down in Triple-A. Appearing in 30 games so far, Camargo currently sports a .319/.417/.513 slash line to pair with an impressive .930 OPS.
In 113 at-bats so far, Camargo has also hit five HR’s with 16 RBI’s while drawing 19 walks compared to 27 strikeouts. While he is a natural third baseman, Camargo has been used primarily at first base this season with the Stripers, where he sports a perfect 1.000% fielding percentage through 23 games at the position.
Johan Camargo has six multi-hit efforts in his last nine games dating back to 6/10, batting .432 with 16 hits and four extra-base hits in that span. pic.twitter.com/5175wxVlyU
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) June 22, 2021
Seemingly on his way to being named a Triple-A All-Star, it’s clear just how good Camargo has been so far this season. However, how does this all tie back in to the Braves?
With Riley now firmly cemented as the Braves’ starting third baseman, it’s possible that Atlanta could use him as a super-utility option off the bench. Now yes, he has already been used in that role before with mixed results, but what if this current run in Triple-A is something that changes his recent trends in the big leagues?
Obviously, Camargo hasn’t impressed in most of his recent stints in the big leagues, which is why trading the 27-year old at this year’s deadline makes sense. When looking at his value, a younger super-utility player like Camargo could be an enticing piece for non-competitive teams looking for players to develop.
When looking for a potential trade destination, the Pittsburgh Pirates are a team that sticks out as Atlanta may want bullpen arms such as Richard Rodriguez, while Pittsburgh could make Camargo an everyday starter at multiple positions. Also, if you don’t have plans to play him in Atlanta, you have to trade him before his value becomes nothing.
It’s clear that Camargo is having a strong season down in Triple-A, which will only help both himself and the Braves. If he is traded, the Braves get back an impact piece while Camargo most-likely becomes an everyday starter. If not, is the 27-year old called back up to fill an important utility role?