For those who follow prospects, the Atlanta Braves (likely) signing of shortstop Alfredo Sena is incredibly exciting. Sena appears to be one of those generational international prospects that come along every once in a while. He is a switch-hitter at a premium defensive position who has speed, power, and a plus hit tool. In short, he appears to be the total package and destined to be a star and the Braves are ponying up $5.8 million to get him. That said, that doesn't mean Braves fans should get too excited just yet.
It is true that anytime a young prospect shows signs of being special, that team's fans get irrationally excited. One recent example is top Braves prospect, Eric Hartman. By all accounts, Hartman looks like an absolute bargain and one of the better-hitting prospects in baseball. However, it is also true that he has only been THIS good for a couple of months and has yet to face more advanced pitchers. A lot can happen between now and when a guy gets to the majors, and a lot of it is bad stuff.
In fact, Braves fans have already been through this before, although it has been a while. One need only remember what happened with Kevin Maitan as a reminder that hype does not always translate into results when it comes to prospects this young.
Braves fans need to remember that Kevin Maitan was even more hyped than Alfredo Sena, and that did not end well
You have to go back to 2016 to remember, but the hype around Maitan dwarfed what we are seeing around Sena at the moment. Well before he signed, Maitan was getting crazy comparisons, such as to a young Miguel Cabrera, and was called one of the best international prospects ever by others. In terms of international free agents, Maitan was as close to a "can't-miss" guy as it gets.
However, the Braves did miss on Maitan...sorta. Yes, before you send your emails, we are well aware that Maitan was one of the prospects the Braves lost in the big scandal that got Atlanta penalized for years and cost John Coppolella his job. That said, Maitan showed signs of being a bust before that ever happened with his .629 OPS in rookie ball with the Braves being less than awe-inspiring. Maitan may have flamed out with the Angels and Twins eventually, but those who think that Atlanta would have gotten a different result had they been able to keep him are looking at his Braves tenure with rose-colored glasses.
Now, does that mean that no one should care about Sena until he reaches the majors? Absolutely not. This is more a plea for cautious optimism than anything else. At the end of the day, these are still just kids on the international market, and baseball is really hard. Don't believe us? Just ask Kevin Maitan, wherever he is.
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