When the Atlanta Braves recalled Jim Jarvis from Triple-A Gwinnett, it was debatable whether Jarvis was being promoted for his strong showing in Gwinnett, despite his lack of prospect status, or whether it was out of desperation because of the Braves' anemic shortstop production.
At first, Jarvis had a few base knocks that found holes, but were not batted balls that were particularly well struck. However, Jarvis has seemingly unlocked something with the bat since the Braves' series in Pittsburgh, and if it's sustainable, could change the Braves outlook at the trade deadline.
Jim Jarvis is crushing the ball all of a sudden and that changes things
Including Jim Jarvis's brief cup of coffee in May, Jim Jarvis had an average exit velocity of just 82.2 MPH entering Atlanta's July 5 game against the Pirates. If he did this across a full season, it would be the lowest exit velocity in baseball by 0.9 MPH. Jarvis was slashing .211/.250/.211, which was better than what Ha-Seong Kim and Jorge Mateo provided the Braves in June, but still far from the production you'd want from a big leaguer.
Then, in the series finale against the Pirates, Jarvis went off, crushing his first career homer, and adding a double off the right field wall. The next day, he laced a 102.2 MPH single, and two days later, he smoked a liner 102.4 MPH that just stayed in the park. The rookie revealed after the game that he had made some small adjustments to his posture.
Over his last four games before the All-Star break, Jarvis had an average exit velocity of 90.7 MPH, which was an improvement of over 8 MPH. Of course, judging a four-game sample isn't always the wisest move. Then Jarvis came out of the gate with a 103.8 MPH single and a 90.9 MPH double, and a 99.3 MPH barrel that was caught by the center fielder. It was starting to look like whatever adjustments he's made at the plate were for real.
Jarvis has increased his bat speed from 70.6 MPH to 71.5 MPH. His ideal attack angle has gone from 40.5% to 75.0%, which has resulted in harder hit balls hit at a more optimal angle. Simply put, Jarvis is putting on a much better swing, which is resulting into much better hits. He's not needing to rely on 70 MPH bloopers to drop to get on base.
Of course, if these changes are for real, then that means the Braves need to improve at shortstop are suddenly alleviated. While they could still pursue another bat, Atlanta could decide to dedicate more of their prospect capital to shoring up the rotation, rather than spreading their prospects across different trades, or for lesser talent.
With the 2026 MLB trade deadline just two-and-a-half weeks away, Jarvis's bat could shape how the Braves approach the deadline.
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