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Atlanta Braves 2012 Prospect Review: Tyler Pastornicky

By Trent Dickeson

May 9, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Tyler Pastornicky (1) starts a double play against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves second baseman Tyler Pastornicky (1) starts a double play against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome back to the 2012 Prospect Review series. Last time, we looked at Joey Terdoslavich. Up next, we have the Atlanta Braves 7th ranked prospect from 2012, Tyler Pastornicky! Check out the previous editions here:

Tyler Pastornicky is the first prospect in this series that was not actually drafted and signed by the Atlanta Braves. Instead, he came to the organization by way of a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 14th, 2010, the Braves traded Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes to the Blue Jays in return for Alex Gonzalez, Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky.

Pastornicky’s scouting reported showed a batter that was tough to strike out and one that could be viewed as a prototypical leadoff hitter if developed correctly. Early reports also thought he could stick at the premier defensive position of shortstop. We will start with his minor league production while in Toronto.

  • 2008 Rookie: 50 games, 186 plate appearances- .263/.349/.356 1 HR, 32 R, 17 RBI, 27 SB, .340 wOBA, 106 wRC+
  • 2009 A: 109 games, 459 plate appearances- .269/.336/.346 1 HR, 63 R, 31 RBI, 51 SB, .322 wOBA, 96 wRC+
  • 2009 A+: 15 games, 66 plate appearances- .270/.303/.317 0 HR, 9 R, 3 RBI, 6 SB, .291 wOBA, 81 wRC+
  • 2010 A+: 77 games, 331 plate appearances- .258/.348/.376 6 HR, 50 R, 35 RBI, 24 SB, .340 wOBA, 112 wRC+

Defensively, question marks were starting to rise about his ability to stick at shortstop. However, even after being traded to the Braves, he was still trusted to play shortstop as his primary position. Now for his time with the Braves.

  • 2010 AA: 38 games, 160 plate appearances- .254/.333/.366 2 HR, 22 R, 15 RBI, 11 SB, .325 wOBA, 94 wRC+
  • 2011 AA: 90 games, 395 plate appearances- .299/.345/.414 6 HR, 50 R, 36 RBI, 20 SB, .343 wOBA, 105 wRC+
  • 2011 AAA: 27 games, 117 plate appearances- .365/.407/.413 1 HR, 15 R, 9 RBI, 7 SB, .373 wOBA, 131 wRC+

The Braves were impressed enough with Tyler Pastornicky that they actually selected his contract on September 28th, 2011 but he would not see any major league action that year. It would signal that the Braves saw something in Pastornicky. That something translated into the Braves naming him the 2012 opening day shortstop.

Pastornicky would record his first hit in his first game on April 5th, 2012 off of Ramón Ramirez of the New York Mets. His first big league home run would take place on April 10th against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. However, the Tyler Pastornicky experience did not go well. From April 5th to May 30th, he would hit .248/.281/.324 with 1 HR, 17 R, 12 RBI, 2 SB with a .267 wOBA & 64 wRC+ in 157 plate appearances. The bigger issue was the glove. He was the lowest rated defensive shortstop in all of baseball. Yikes.

This would force the Braves to option Tyler Pastornicky back to Gwinnett. In the corresponding move, the Braves would call up another shortstop prospect all the way from AA Mississippi. A guy that will be featured in a few articles in this 2012 prospect series. That new shortstop was none other than Andrelton Simmons.

Pastornicky’s time as the Braves shortstop already looked to be over. Simmons shut the door. We will talk more about Andrelton Simmons soon.

The 2012 season for Tyler Pastornicky did not go as planned. He would make it back to Atlanta but would have to transition to second base more to get playing time. Overall, in 76 games and 188 plate appearances, he would hit .243/.287/.325 2 HR, 21 R, 13 RBI, 2 SB with a .269 wOBA & 66 wRC+. Defensively, Pastornicky was worth -16 DRS at SS in 332 innings. A disaster defensively.

He would spend the next two years bouncing between Gwinnett and Atlanta (mostly Gwinnett), only appearing in 48 more major league games. Following the 2014 season, Tyler Pastornicky would be designated for assignment on January 8th, 2015 before being officially released on March 18th. Thus, bringing an end to his tenure with the Braves organization.

Tyler Pastornicky Bounces Around

Pastornicky would not have to wait long to find a new home. He would sign a deal with the Texas Rangers on March 22nd. He would be assigned originally to their AA affiliate, the Frisco RoughRiders before being promoted to the Round Rock Express, the AAA affiliate of the Rangers.

In 28 games in AA, he hit .276/.327/.314 0 HR, 14 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB with a .302 wOBA & 83 wRC+. In 53 AAA games, he hit .283/.319/.394 1 HR, 30 R, 19 RBI, 3 SB with a .318 wOBA & 88 wRC+.

On August 10th, 2015 he would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations. In 25 AAA games in the Phillies organization, he hit .286/.358/.367 1 HR, 10 R, 4 RBI, 1 SB with a .341 wOBA, & 115 wRC+.

This would be his last stop in any organization in the MLB. I did not find any international stats after this time. It does appear that Tyler began working as an agent after his playing career ended.

It may not have worked out for Tyler Pastornicky, but he did reach the major leagues which is an impressive accomplishment in itself. It does appear he is still involved in baseball somewhat with his work as an agent.

Up next, we move on to the Braves 6th ranked prospect at the time, Sean Gilmartin.

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