Turns Out the Braves Might Be Growing Bats After All
Several bats in the Atlanta Braves farm system made a lot of noise in April
There’s been this deserved reputation for a while now that Atlanta’s farm system was predominantly composed of pitching prospects, with the hitters coming few and far between.
That might finally be turning after an April where several Braves position player prospects put up gaudy stats in their first month of action.
Let’s talk about it. (All stats through Tuesday)
An atypical corner infielder
Quick, think about the platonic ideal of a third baseman. No specific players, although I’m willing to bet you thought of Austin Riley, for obvious reasons.
I’m guessing you pictured a strong-armed slugger, thicker in the lower body but with bat speed for days and a swing geared towards absolutely obliterating baseballs into a different county.
David McCabe isn’t that, but he’s still finally breaking out in Columbus this year. Now fully recovered from his 2024 Tommy John surgery, the burly corner infielder is hitting .293 for the Clingstones with a .447 on-base percentage. It’s a top-four batting average in the system and not only the best on-base, it’s actually above Marcell Ozuna…the guy that leads the majors in walks on the season.
Now, the caveat here is that McCabe’s not much of a power hitter, sporting a career .392 slugging, and he’s sitting on just one homer through the season’s first 18 games. It’s a bit different of a profile for a corner infielder, but if he makes the expected move to first base, there’s precedent - Nathaniel Lowe (career .434 slug) and Yandy Diaz (.431) have set the archetype of an on-base oriented first baseman, one that can bat towards the top of an order and keep the line moving for the power hitters below him.1
For now, McCabe’s still playing third base, moving across the diamond after being drafted out of UNC Charlotte in 2022’s 4th round. But with subpar actions and still suffering from a reduced arm after TJ, I expect him to eventually get moved back to his original college position. Eventually, his high contact and walk rates can get him to Atlanta as a designated hitter and backup corner infielder, potentially as soon as next season.
Read more about whether or not the Braves will re-sign Marcell Ozuna:
A pair of toolsy young outfielders
Outfielder Isaiah Drake is a speedy young prep outfielder, a demographic that I’ve argued is one of the riskiest in the entire draft, but this season’s been a complete 180 for the Atlanta native.
After striking out 100 times in 282 Single-A plate appearances last season (35.46%), he’s brought that down to just 21.25% this year for the GreenJackets. The swing is noticeably different, seemingly oriented to pull the ball to the right side (and hopefully in the air, usually the last part of a swing change to manifest), a recipe for a surge in power production as he continues to physically develop.
The defense, on film and when I can catch Augusta broadcasts, seems to be crisp and decisive, with good reads and routes for his age and skill level. His baserunning is again an asset - he’s stolen seven bags on the season in the first 18 games, although he’s already been caught as many times (4) as he was in 27 attempts last season, so the efficiency isn’t quite there yet.
Joining Drake in the Augusta outfield is 2024 draftee Owen Carey, who’s commonly in a corner while Drake’s in centerfield. The 15th-rounder is already looking like a draft steal, hitting .279/.345/.418 in his age-18 season through his first 19 games. I’ve been impressed with his pitch recognition, watching him confidently recognize pitches in and out of the zone and adjust accordingly. While he can play all three defensive positions on the grass, my expectation is that he’ll settle into an above-average rightfielder who can cover center in a pinch.
I’m expecting him to be one of the biggest risers in the next re-rates coming down the pipeline from the Prospect Apparatus™️.
A cycle? In this economy?
Infielder E.J. Exposito, taken in the 16th round back in 2022, recently hit for the cycle in High-A Rome. It was just the third cycle for the Rome affiliate in twenty-one years of existence, with the most recent coming from Joey Meneses in 2014.
There are a lot of age-to-level caveats that apply here, as Exposito is a 24-year-old playing in High-A (he’s almost two full years older than the average A+ player), but it’s still an impressive feat for a player who can play multiple positions in the infield and has solid speed. He’s played every game so far this season at third base and looks to potentially be a middle infield option up the road if the bat continues to develop.
Check out all four of the hits here, courtesy of MiLB.
Of note, both of those guys have one 20+ homer season to their careers - Lowe won the Silver Slugger for his and Diaz was a Silver Slugger, an All-Star, and a 6th-place finisher for AL MVP.