Although the Atlanta Braves farm system is developing, there are still certain questions we need to ask of those guys.
The Atlanta Braves have a tonne of high-ceiling pitchers in their farm system, and the prospect rankings include many fascinating position players.
What developmental steps need to be made this next season, given that catchers and pitchers report this week to begin the journey to the 2024 season?
Is this a real shortstop situation?
Shortstop is one of the Braves’ worst positions on paper, with just a handful of prospects at the most crucial defensive position according to our rankings of the farm system.
Jose Perdomo (#6), Ignacio Alvarez (#7), and Sebin Ceballos (#14) are the three guys we may consider to be the shortstoppers of the future, and they all have excellent questions.
The most fundamental concern for Alvarez is whether or not he can play the position. Alvarez was selected by Atlanta in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft as a third baseman out of Riverside City College. However, he did not begin playing shortstop until the second part of his post-draft debut, when he was sent from rookie league to Single-A Augusta. There are differing views within the prospect hierarchy on Alvarez’s ability to stay at shortstop. Baseball America has noted that he will struggle with foot speed and range issues there and has speculated that he would likely end up at third base when the time comes.
Similar to Alvarez, Ceballos is a third baseman in college in Oregon, but he lacks the advantage of Alvarez’s 117 career games to start answering doubts about his suitability for the position. However, given his history as a third base winner who won the Rawlings Gold Glove, an attempt will be made to test him at shortstop in 2024 to see if his conditioning and defensive prowess will provide Atlanta with a future option at the position.
(Notably, both of these guys’ position switches need them to remain at shortstop because they currently neither project as having traditional third base power.)
Since Perdomo hasn’t participated in a professional game yet, it’s more of a question for him. Virtually unknown, Perdomo was signed in January as the star of Atlanta’s foreign free agency class. This season, he will make his Dominican Summer League debut. If everything goes well, we should get to watch him play in the Florida Complex League the following summer.
Is Hurston Waldrep able to deliver enough hits?
Waldrep finished the 2023 MLB draft season leading all 2023 draftees in innings and strikeouts, and he started for AAA Gwinnett. Waldrep is regarded as Atlanta’s top prospect (or second, depending on who you ask).
A crucial question surrounds the growth of this non-roster invitee to spring training, who appears to be vying for the #5 spot: Is he able to stick in a rotation with enough strikes?
His professional debut was exactly in line with his collegiate results, walking 4.9 hitters per nine innings. He had demonstrated increased walk rates during his college career, offering free passes to 4.2 batters per nine innings.
