Miguel Cabrera will have a statue in Cooperstown one day. Period. In an era that has featured spectacular pitching, Miguel Cabrera remains one of the best hitters this league has ever seen. The two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star has a lifetime average of .321 and 405 home runs. He’s perhaps one of the most underrated stars this game has seen. In 2012, Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win the triple crown.
With all this being said, it’s hard to ignore that the Braves have reached a verbal agreement with a prospect that many scouts are reporting to be comparable to Miguel Cabrera. It’s a story that’s flying under the radar, but Keith Law has reported that the Braves have a “handshake agreement” in place with 15-year old shortstop Kevin Maitan. According to reports, Maitan has already been receiving 7-figure offers from multiple teams. Are these offers legal per se? No, but they are nevertheless common in today’s game.
It’s been rumored for a while now that the Braves plan on going big on the international signings in 2016. The Braves reached agreements with international prospects Derian Cruz and Cristian Pache in July, but made a flurry of trades for international pool money to avoid penalties for 2016’s period. It’s easy to see why.
If Maitan can live up to the hype and maintain his verbal commitment, this transaction can be one of the highlights of this franchise. It seems odd to be comparing a 15-year old to a future Hall of Famer, but hey, Cabrera was a highly touted prospect as well who made the MLB with the Marlins by age 20.
The Braves have made a ton of smart moves to stockpile young pitching in recent months, but there is still just a handful of noteworthy hitting prospects in the farm right now. Perhaps Hart’s plan is to find his bats on the international market. It’s no doubt that international players are some of the most electrifying players in the league, and it looks like Maitan could potentially be a generational talent. Having our team linked to a player that highly touted is huge for the Braves’ future plans.
You can see Maitan in the video posted below: