Despite many highly ranked prospects recently graduating to the big leagues for Atlanta, the club’s farm system still ranked eighth entering the 2020 season according to MLB.com. At the top of this list sits outfielder Cristian Pache, the 13th overall prospect in baseball and a player about which Braves fans should be extremely excited.
With the team sitting at 12-10 and in need of more production from at least one outfield spot, GM Alex Anthopoulos cannot justify keeping the 21-year-old at the alternate training site in Gwinnett much longer. Furthermore, star Ronald Acuña Jr was placed on the injured list yesterday as he continues to deal with wrist soreness and is not expected back until 8/21 at the earliest.
INCIARTE’S STRUGGLES
The natural player for Pache to replace at this point is center fielder Ender Inciarte, who has simply not produced enough at the plate or in the field where he usually thrives. With a .180/.268/.220 slash line and extremely low rankings in hard hit balls and barrel percentage, the Braves cannot expect much less from a guy like Pache at this point. The 29-year-old Inciarte would certainly be expected to regress toward the mean if he continues to get opportunities, but even his 2019 numbers were not significantly better.
The major difference in 2020 has been Inciarte’s defensive struggles, which are surprising for a three-time Gold Glove winner. From 2016-18, he ranked either first or second in outs above average, a metric that shows how many outs a player has saved in the field. This season he ranks 60th in the same metric and has actually been below average. We’ll talk about Pache’s defense in a bit, but this is another area where he could be an upgrade.
Austin Riley is another player who has gotten plenty of playing time in left field while struggling mightily at the dish. His .161 average has been a major disappointment, and he is striking out over 32% of the time as well. Pache’s defensive versatility means he could slot in at left field on nights where manager Brian Snitker might otherwise be forced to use Riley there.
PACHE IS READY
Obviously, there is always a learning curve when players receive their initial call up to the Show, but Pache has shown an ability to consistently produce at each level in the minors. Since the Braves gave him a $1.4 million signing bonus in 2015, he has moved quickly through the levels and performed well at the plate and in the field. He has always been known for his defense, with baseball executives choosing him as the best defensive prospect in baseball for two years running and expecting him to be a Gold Glove-caliber talent in the majors. His tools make him a perfect fit for center field, and with Acuña Jr solidified at a corner spot and Adam Duvall playing well, it makes a lot of sense for him to feature there.
The Dominican native Pache has seen much of his improvement in the minors happen with his bat, where he has cut down on strikeouts and become more disciplined. In 130 games between Mississippi (AA) and Gwinnett (AAA) last year, he slashed .277/.340/.462 with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs. His power is evident, so if he can continue to be patient and make hard contact then he should at least bring more to the table offensively than guys like Inciarte and Riley have so far this season.
As we’ve heard a bunch lately, “every game is crucial” in a 60-game season, and the Braves must have a sense of urgency with some of the unknowns on the current roster. Pitching is not an easy area to address without taking risks on inexperienced guys or scouring a trade market that may be nonexistent this season. The outfield is a realistic place where the organization could improve while taking on very little risk. Pache would not have to play every day unless he warrants it, and he would have very little pressure to succeed with the current state of things. For me, it’s a no-brainer at this point. Call him up.
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