There is no denying that Atlanta Braves first-round pick Tate Southisene's pro debut last season did not go as planned. After being a somewhat surprising selection as an underslot pick, Southisene's first look at pro ball resulted in 27 strikeouts in his first 66 plate appearances in the minors. Given how high he was picked, that was a disappointing showing to many who follow the farm system.
At first glance, the start of Southisene's first full season in 2026 hasn't looked much better. Through 11 games, he has only managed a .214/.411/.381 line, which is both an odd line and one that perhaps doesn't inspire the most confidence when it comes to Southisene's hit tool.
However, a closer look suggests that Southisene is making real progress at the start of the season towards solving his biggest flaw, which could yield big-time results down the road.
Tate Southisene is very clearly working on his strikeout problem...and it is working
Looking at batting average from an 11-game sample to start a season and drawing any conclusions at all is kind of silly. However, it does give us context that we can use in conjunction with the previous data we have to show that Southisene's ability to impact the game consistently at the plate is in question. Everyone is in agreement that good things happen when he makes contact, but the swing and miss is a valid concern.
However, it looks like Southisene is hard at work fixing his strikeout problem. Through his first five games of the season, Southisene had already racked up eight strikeouts, although that did at least come with five walks to offset things a bit. In the five games since then, Southisene has only struck out twice while continuing to walk at a decent clip. His batted balls haven't found many holes lately, but that will come if Southisene continues to maintain a high quality of contact.
Everything begins and ends with Southisene's hit tool, and the Braves know it. Given his size, Southisene isn't likely to be a 30+ home run masher. He is going to have to hit more than he has if he wants to have any chance of using his speed and athleticism to succeed in the big leagues. Thankfully, it does seem like he is hard at work fixing the issue, even if the counting stats don't show it yet.
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