Braves: Which prospects are hurt the most by the lockout?

We are months into the MLB lockout, and according to sources close to the situation, the wait could continue for quite a while.

Both sides believe they’ve made many major concessions and the other side has made very few. Both sides believe the other is being unreasonable. The one thing both sides agree on now? That we may be in for quite a wait.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 7, 2022

For fans, this has been unbearable, but at least the minor league season, which is scheduled to begin in a month from now, will go on whether there is a lockout or not. That’s fantastic news for prospects who already missed an entire season of development because of COVID… Well, at least most of them.

Unfortunately, not all prospects will be able to participate. All players that are apart of the major-league 40-man roster are locked out by the MLB, and there are several key prospects that will be affected by this decision — most notably, Drew Waters and Cristian Pache, arguably the two top prospects in the system.

The past few years have been brutal for Pache and Waters. Following the 2019 season, both were considered top 50 prospects in baseball. However, they weren’t able to play much in 2020 due to COVID, and they both underwhelmed during the 2021 campaign. 2022 is supposed to be a critical year for both players, and now, it’s already being cut short. Hopefully, both players can return to form once the lockout does come to an end, but you have to feel for everything they’ve had to go through while attempting to establish themselves as major league players.

William Contreras is another position player that will be affected by the lockout, and the Braves also have several pitching prospects that won’t be able to contribute, like Kyle Wright, Kyle Muller, Tucker Davidson, Spencer Strider, and others. It’s disappointing we won’t get to see those arms to start the season, but I’m less worried about the pitchers missing some time than I am when it comes to Pache, Waters, and Contreras. Those three desperately need to show signs of improvement in 2022, or their standing within the organization will be in question.