Atlanta Braves add Joc Pederson: what fans should expect
By Fred Owens
The Atlanta Braves put a Band-Aid on their wounded outfield by adding a solid defensive outfield with thunder in his bat.
It’s impossible to replace Ronald Acuna Jr., but the Atlanta Braves had to upgrade their outfield defense and replace some of their lost power.
As Alan wrote last night, the team began the process by acquiring Joc Pederson from the Cubs for A-Ball first baseman/DH, Bryce Ball. I was a little amazed by the shock and anger trading Ball aroused in some fans, so I’ll clear up that issue before moving on.
Bryce Ball has light-tower power. I was impressed with that when the team drafted him, but let’s be clear about who Bryce is as a player. The Braves selected the unranked-by-anyone 1B/DH in the 24th round of the 2019 draft. He hit well in Rookie League play but hasn’t shown much of a hit tool this year.
Related Story. It happened last night. light
Ball just turned 23 last week but looks at least three – probably four – years away from a shot in the majors. While he was a 40-future-grade player ranked the 12th best prospect in the Atlanta Braves system, those ranking are relative to the other players in the system. A 40-grade player is “organizational depth”.
According to MLB Pipeline, Ball entered the Cubs system as their 29th ranked prospect this morning and will drop after their drafted players are added to the ranking. Now, let’s talk about Joc.