To be honest, I’m not sure what took the Braves so long, but they have finally decided to call up their top prospect, centerfielder Cristian Pache.
Source: the Braves are calling up top prospect CF Cristian Pache
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) August 18, 2020
No matter what national prospect list you prefer, Pache is considered a top twenty prospect in baseball, thanks to his five-tool potential.
To this point, the most developed aspect of his game is his defense. Many believe he is already the best defensive outfielder in the Braves system, and that includes three-time Gold Glove award winner Ender Inciarte.
With Ronald Acuña sidelined because of inflammation in his wrist and Inciarte struggling at the dish (as he has the last several years), this move is a bit overdue. Given Atlanta’s starting rotation woes, the Braves need as much offense as possible, and Pache should be an upgrade in that department.
The Dominican born 21-year-old spent most of last season in AA Mississippi, where he recorded an OPS of .815 with 11 homers, 8 triples, and 28 doubles before he was promoted to AAA Gwinnett for the last month of the season. Pache saw a little bit of a drop off in the power department for the Stripers, but he still had ten extra-base hits in just 26 games, resulting in a .747 OPS.
We will see how the Braves plan to use him, but with Inciarte looking horrendous at the plate, it won’t take much to earn a full-time starting role quickly.
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