The Braves are set to promote top outfield prospect Cristian Pache, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports. Pache is already on the Braves’ 40-man roster, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard.
Still just 21 years old, the Dominican-born Pache has been hailed as an elite prospect for a large portion of his Braves tenure, which began in 2016. That hasn’t changed in 2020, as Keith Law of The Athletic (No. 5), Baseball America (13), MLB.com (14), McDaniel (17) and FanGraphs (20) are among those that regard Pache as a top 20 farmhand. McDaniel writes Pache “could be a perennial All-Star if he hits his above-average offensive ceiling,” owing to the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder’s Andruw Jones-esque defensive skills, speed and increased power.
Pache spent the majority of 2019 in Double-A, where he slashed .278/.340/.474 with 11 home runs and eight steals in 433 plate appearances. His numbers dipped in his first Triple-A action, as he hit .274/.337/.411 with one homer in 105 trips to the plate. However, Pache was extremely young for the level, and he did cut his strikeout rate by 7 percent after the Braves bumped him up.
Now that he’s moving up yet again, Pache will join an Atlanta team whose outfield has been missing its top player, Ronald Acuna Jr., who went on the IL last weekend with left wrist inflammation. Fortunately, the Braves have gotten very good to great production from outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Nick Markakis this year, while Adam Duvall has performed decently. On the other hand, Ender Inciarte has endured a miserable season. That and Acuna’s injury combined to open the door for Pache, at least for the time being.
At this stage of the season, the Braves don’t worry about having to burn a year of service time in calling up Pache. Depending on how long he stays up, though, it could have an effect on future Super Two status.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
It’s about time!
I don’t think he is close to mlb ready. Extremely over rated. Top 20 prospect? He isn’t even in my top 200. Don’t know what these scout sites are seeing. But this season and situation why not, see what the kid does. Very least will provide defense.
While I do think he’s overrated a bit, he’s still a top 75 to 50 guy. He hasn’t really done bad at any level, nor has he really done fantastic. However he’s arguably the best fielder of any professional outfielder, can run, throw, and any offensive vaue, even if it’s a .270/.340/.400 hitter is going to easily be a 5+ WAR player.
Coppy sighting
@1225 you think Pache is overrated.. apparently by everyone who rates prospects because they all rank him very high..even as you have predict him to be a 5 WAR player? Kind of scratching my head on that one there.
I don’t think he’s a top 15 prospect, but he’s definitley a top 50-ish guy.
Well..if you know better than Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, fangraphs and Keith Law. Either way, a 5+ WAR player is a little difficult to over hype.
Not saying I know better, but a .283/.331/.404 batter throughout the minor leagues isn’t all that great. He’s only ever once posted a .750+ OPS at a single level where he recorded over 300 plate appearances once. I know that when you’re looking at prospects, their bottom line numbers aren’t what their judged by. But Pache just reminds me of a Byron Buxton. He only has a 45 future hit tool per Fangraphs. He also doesn’t walk a whole lot, nor does he post exceptionally low strikeout rates. I’m not a scout or anything, but I wouldn’t rank him as a top 20 guy. More like a top 50 or so.
I just don’t see the big attraction to him. Could be the best defensive outfielder in all of MLB, has outstanding speed, but his overall resume with the bat, and how Fangraphs projects it only having a 45 future hit grade, 45 future game power grade aren’t all that impressive to me. He does have a 55 future power grade, but still. I see more of a 2017 Brett Gardner at his worst, or 2019 Byron Buxton at his best in terms of offense.
His high rating is based on his glove. If you think that’s not deserving of his position then maybe you undervalue defense.
If you aren’t tracking to be a starting pitcher catcher ss or 30 hr guy then you aren’t making my top 100. Being a top 200 or 300 is still a great prospect. I just reserve my top 100 for guys on track to be super star 100 million dollar guys.
I’m not undervaluing his defense. Defense wins games. I was actually really happy to see the Pirates go out and improve the defense by acquring Jarrod Dyson. But defense alone shouldn’t make you a top 20 prospect just like offense alone. Again, I think personally, he’s a top 50, and not top 20. His defense is unbeleviably good. I said earlier that I think he can be better than Buxton or Kiermaier. With but he’s never really done anything offensively over the course of a full season. Like when you look at some other guys around him like Jarred Kelnic, Kristian Robinson, Brandon Marsh, Drew Waters, and Jaason Dominguez, they’re all good defenders, not nearly as good as Pache defensively, but they also bring some value offensively, more than a 90-100 wRC+ batter. I’d sacrifice some defense if it means I get a guy who can consistently be a useful bat beyond a .270/.340/.400 batter.
@mlb1225- I gotta disagree he definitely is a top 15 prospect in baseball. Anybody would want this prospect on there team. I remember hearing how he didn’t have any power. And then he starting hitting homeruns all of a sudden.
I’m not saying he isn’t good. I’d love to have Pache in my farm system as would any other team. That’s not what I’m arguing. I just don’t think he’s a top 15 or top 20 guy. It’s not a lack of power, it’s just a lack of a hit tool. Fangraphs only has it at a future of 45. That’s below average. He does have some power potential with a 55 future raw power grade, but I just don’t see him being better than Buxton was in 2019 when he hit ..262/.314/.513. If he can consistently do that with Buxton+ level fielding, then yea, he’ll be outstanding. But he doesn’t walk a lot, and he doesn’t put up noticeably low strikeout rates.
Like to me, what’
Like to me, what makes him rank as a top 20 guy, and Travis Swaggerty a top 60 guy? Pache is clearly better with an 80 future fielding and 70 throwing grade, but he only has a future 45 hit grade, 45 future power grade, and 55 future raw power grade. Swaggerty is a great fielder in his own right with a 60 future grade, but he has a 50 future hit grade, 50 future game power, and 60 future raw poewr grade. To me, both are guys who could approach 5 WAR, but Swaggerty does it in a different way, providing well above average value fielding, and projected to be a solid batter. While Pache is going to be the better fielder, but not as good of a hitter.
That doesn’t make the least bit of sense as there are not 100 guys currently making $100 million dollars.
Not i. “Your” top 200. So you constantly rate prospects for a living and traveling to minor league games across the country and scout every player?
His bat may not be quite ready and there are a few smaller learning curves mainly base running but his defense is is said to be THE best in all of the minors. And his hitting stats aren’t that far off.
It is completely understandable why he is consistently rated as a top 20 prospect
Your Top 200 isn’t worth wiping with if that is true.
Law has him as the 5th best prospect in all of baseball. To me he isn’t even one of the braves top 5 prospects. I will take a starting pitcher, power hitter, catcher, over a average hitter no matter how good of defender he is. Especially a outfielder. The guy is young and the hitting can come along still but not looking likely. Better chance he is just Inciarte 2.0
I don’t think anyone is going to complain if he can hit like Inciarte did through the first few years of his career (.295/.341/.392) and be the best defensive outfielder in baseball.
Go and look at Fernando Tatis Jr. stats in the minors BA wise .273 .278 and .286 with maybe better home runs power and better at stolen bases. I’m not saying Pache with be equal to or even better than Tatis but look how Tatis stats have jumped since coming to the majors and he played in hitter friendly parks most of the minors.
It’s entirely possible that Pache can channel what he is successful at and bring it all together at the major league level and his power has gotten much better.
I know everybody and their brother wants to give their opinion on top prospects so they can potentially say “I told you so” but the fact of the matter is. The kid is 21 and has plenty of time to live up to a top 10-15-20 prospect.
What the guy has done to this point doesn’t mean that much to me if he can play above average in the majors
@mlb1225 I didn’t say the guy was dog crap. Just that if he is projecting to be Inciarte that isn’t top 20 for me. And that is probably ceiling. They always say the power is coming but majority of the time it doesn’t. Just my rankings. I will take a #3 starter over a average hitting gold glove outfielder every time. You are brutal though. You project him to be a 5 war player and he still can’t crack your top 50. That’s tuff.
It’s just me though. I never agree with these so called experts. Sure they prove me wrong, but more often I prove them wrong. They are always late to the game as well. The 2 kids in the marte trade have been in my top 100 already for a year, have these experts put them in theirs yet? I don’t even pay attention to them anymore. Just seen the rankings when I read the article. I know they love Bryan Hayes, not in my top 100. Again not even one of my top 5 pirates prospects. Don’t hate him, just they have 3 pitchers with ace potential, 2 great ss prospects and another that will probably be outfielder or 3b.
Getting to 5 WAR can mean two different things. Personally, I’d rather have a 5 WAR guy who contributes both offensively and defenseively than one who contributes mostly defensively.
Also, you said the dude isn’t even top 200 to you. Any team would take Pache over an average #3 starter any day of the week. Pache, at the worst, is a league average bat who will probably be the best defensive outfielder we’ve seen in a long time. Regardless of his offense, you don’t just pass that up for an average number 3.
That being said, I’d also rather have Pache provide a 5 WAR than a David Ortiz who provides 5 WAR offensively.
Only a complete idiot like you would rate a prospects ranking based on where he plays instead of how he plays. What a dumb comment.
What are you talking about? I’m not rating prospects based on where they play. I’m talking about defensive value they bring. Pache is going to get to 5 WAR by being a great fielder. Ortiz got to 5 WAR multiple times by being a great player in the batters’ box. I’m not basing it off of position. I’m basing it off of value. You could replace Ortiz with JD Martinez, Nelson Cruz, or Giancarlo Stanton and my argument would still be the same.
What I’m saying is that I would rather have a guy who gets to 5+ WAR doing something both offensively and defensively at any position, than one who does one or the other and has 5 WAR. I just happened to use Ortiz as an example. Would you rather have Andrelton Simmons, or Corey Seager? Both have really similar fWAR since 2015, but I would rather have Seager. He’s never been bad fielding wise, quite good actually, but ovbisously not as good as Simmons. But he provides much more offensive value.
Typo. I meant top 100, but they should go to a top 200 what the heck. I like Pache. Physically he can easily knock out 20 plus hrs a year. I don’t like his swing. He has made adjustments that I like. I think more need to be made. Maybe he improves his swing, if so he will be a stud. I thought he needed at least another year in minors if not more. I personally am not putting someone in my top 20 with so many ifs. Lots of other guys who are just as good defensively but play ss or 3b. Or have a better swing and or better results. Or pitchers, I love pitchers for numerous reasons. A lot of pitching talent in minors right now so that bumps down a lot of guys. Even if they don’t live up to potential somebody always thinks they can fix them. Always in demand and easy to trade. If they only develop 1 and a half pitches they are still useful. And by number 3 I am talking about real contending teams. Wash Hou Cle etc. Some teams don’t have a 1 2 or 3. Just a staff of 4 and 5 guys.
That was meant for someone else, I hit the wrong reply button.
so your top 100 is comprised of 10 players… got it.
Cristian Pache isn’t over-rated. In my 20+ years analyzing minor league players – Pache was rated very high. He has great route efficiently, a plus arm and speed – he did a lot of chasing at the plate and needed work on his plate discipline – but greatly improved over the 2018 Arizona Fall League season. He also has 60+ raw power. And lastly, he has a great personality that will help him in MLB. I’ve seen hundred of players over the years who couldn’t handle the stress – Pache can. I was high on him in 2018 and nothing since then has diminished that analysis. He was the most under-rated prospect in the 2018 AFL. He isn’t a Jo Adell, Corey Ray, or Kyle Tucker. If want to see videos/photos of Pache during the 2018 AFL season and my evaluation – Facebook.com/AZmilb.
@Lovinmlb You saying he’s not top 200 is far more ridiculous than Law saying he’s #5. I think he’s a little overrated in some of these lists. I’d put him somewhere between #20-25. I’ll grant that I don’t value defense as highly as some people, but you can be a below-average hitter and give up runs vs a replacement player that way, too. To me, I see Pache as a somewhat better hitting version of Adam Engel. Excellent defense and speed from both, but a below-average hit tool (though Pache is a little better and definitely has more power). I can see Pache being an All-Star some years if he hits his ceiling, but I just don’t see him as a superstar. If he doesn’t improve his hitting, he’s a defensive wizard who’s a hole in the lineup. Certainly valuable, but not a star.
YES! Worse case, he’s still better than Ender… let’s be honest
LOL True
Wasn’t That long ago that Ender was talked up as a piece they’d be able to build around
Let’s hope this works out a little better than that, I’m an Ender fan, but he just hasn’t been able to hit the past 2 seasons….
the guy is an extreme 2nd half hitter. there isnt a real 2nd half this year. last year though was quite puzzling. someone will get a deal on him as a FA.
I was a Ender fan also, don’t get me wrong. But he’s be beyond terrible and his defense seems to have taken a dive this year. Look, that 2nd half stuff is fine and all, but i just don’t see giving a guy an entire half year of baseball to get it together every year. There is just too much talent out there where someone can at least give consistent perform year long. Ender needs to go in my humble opinion
He’s not been much of a hitter in either half lately.
Talked up by who? The tooth fairy?
From the scouting reports I’ve heard Pache is already as good or better than Ender in the outfield. It really doesn’t take much to hit better than what Ender is doing.
I’ve said this before, but hitters like Ender are only useful if they hit around 280-290. He doesn’t have enough power, stolen base ability, or walks to make him a useful hitter if his average dips below that.
.276/.352/.398 career minor league numbers and gold glove ability. Christian Pache? No. Kevin Kiermaier. Will Braves fans be happy with Kiermaier type of production?
He physically looks like Andruw Jones.
Kevin Kiermaier is better than Ender, so today… yes I’d be happy with it lol. I think Pache will produce a tad better than Kiermaier has and if that is the case, I personally will be happy. .250 hitter but with a touch more power, and I’m hoping, a much better OBP than both Kiermaier and Ender. The guy can hit low 200’s for all I can so long as he gets on base and plays great defense. Hopefully he taps into that touch of raw power and I’m golden. But I’m hoping the “mike trout or Andrew Jones like” hype pans out lol
racist.
That’s fine. I can see him giving the Braves a regular performance kinda like Robles gave the nationals last year. Same kind of BA/OBP(.255/.326), but maybe 5 less HR and 15-20 less SB(so 12-HR, 12-SB). Same GG type defense, likely even better. As long as Braves fans aren’t expecting .270/.350 20/20 type of production. I don’t see his bat or basestealing instincts being quite that good. Obviously his defense is golden!
Everyone is better than ender
Lewis Brinson says hello.
Ender looks Silver Slugger worthy compared to him.
Ender has never been good. Brinson is a bust but you can call them the same player basically. Both well below average. I’m shocked as good as the braves are they haven’t replaced him yet. He’s done nothing for them.
Ender had a solid all=around three or four seasons. There’s a reason why he his an almost 19 career WAR.
Braves fan’s should definitely be excited. Is Tucker Davidson next?
We can only hope! SP has been disgusting. Tucker needs more hype
Him and/or Ian Anderson have to be called up soon.
Nooo… please not Ian yet. The reason the Braves pitching prospects are washing out is partially because so many are being rushed through the system.
Ian was 5 yrs younger than the average AAA player, and he struggled there.
Let the guy have the proper time to develop. I’d rather see the Braves miss the playoffs this year than potentially ruin the guy.
Wasn’t that long ago that Ender had 200 hits in a season and consecutive gold gloves.
Finally. Let’s be honest, Ender isn’t the same player as he was on offense or defense in 2018. Pache is faster and projected to be an elite fielder. I don’t care about his power or overall offensive prowess at this point. If he can hit .230 and play defense, he’s way better than Ender right now. Anything extra on offense is just icing on the cake.
Duvall has the highest WAR, yet has been “decent.”
No he doesn’t. Acuna, Swanson, Freemen and Fried all have higher WAR.
Maybe he means in comparison to Markakis, Inciarte, and Ozuna, and then only by BWAR. I’d say the sample size is just too small to really look at small differences in WAR anyway.
Acuna, Pache, and Ozuna would be pretty awesome, with Markakis rotating in a good bit.
Looking forward to seeing Pache play. Enciarte in tonight’s lineup.
Maybe Ender needs a change of scenery, too bad nobody would give up any useful players for him
Yayy happy to see him and happy to so enders bat gone. IDK what happened to him. Always been a huge fan but for some reason he lost the touch. Gone from the.300 batting average guy
I think Braves fans are going to be disappointed. He is a great defender but he doesn’t hit a lot.. I’m not worried or scared about him. He isn’t acuna or Soto.
How do you deal with the constant disappointments? You’d have to be a pro by now.
He isn’t gonna scare anybody but he is An improvement. I think your missing the point my friend. He isn’t gonna put up huge numbers or change a game with a bat. He will probably put league average production at the plate and bring gold glove defense in cf. He is a improvement to the team and may help win ball games. That’s what it’s all about he’s most definitely to highly rated but I think sometimes you might want to change the way you evaluate value.
Defense is always the most under appreciated aspect of the game. Nobody is ever worried about about a player posting slash lines that look something like .250/.320/.430 until they start taking away hits and runs with the glove.
No I agree with you. He will help the brave win games for sure.. I’m just saying it’s something about freeman acuna and Soto when they come up. I won’t get that feeling at all when pache is up.
I can understand that. In those big leverage situations or maybe the final out of the game, Pache is going to give you that jelly leg feeling. His contribution will be more subtle than that.
He’ll probably be a met killer so you’re probably right lol
For me, defense is THE most important thing. It’s the only thing that doesn’t go into a slump or funk. Not making the plays leads to more pitches which is never a good thing for starters or the bullpen. It’s the reason why the Mets have ultimately been unsuccessful for the last 10 years.
He’s the next Mays, he’s the next Mantle, blah, blah, blah. Markakis is my kind of ball player, always there when the games on the line. Steady for years. Build up your own reputation, don’t build it on the backs of others.
Can you name one person who ever claimed he was Mays or Mantle. Of course you can’t. You have to say things like that so your argument can mean more. Also, you make that statement as though these are things Pache is saying about himself. Build your own reputation and not on the backs of others? Talk about a straw-man argument.
I don’t understand this comment. Nobody has ever compared him to Mantle or Mays. Also, you’re saying you’d rather have a guy like Markakis than a guy like Mantle or Mays becase he’s consistent?
He looks like Andruw Jones Jr.
I think a lot of my fellow Braves fans are going to find this pessimistic of me, but this very well might be the best thing the Braves do for their rotation. I fully expect the Braves will bring in some kind of pitching and I don’t think it will be Lynn.
Think more underwhelming. Think Cueto or Danny Duffy. Matthew Boyd? No I don’t think so. He is more than the kind of underwhelming I am talking about but I don’t know that the Tigers are ready to give up on his upside.
Bringing in elite gloves to the team will boost your ability to prevent runs as well as pitching. But a blockbuster trade just isn’t going to happen. There is to much risk this season.
The Braves have been contenders for the third year in a row and they haven’t done a big trade yet. It seems mistaken to think it will happen THIS year which is much more risky than the previous two competitive years.
Z might take back Ender just to get rid of Cueto – I dont hate the idea
SF is the place to shop these next 12 days for anything and everything
An upgrade defensively in CF isn’t all of a sudden going to fix 4/5 of the rotation sucking, if that’s what you were saying.
I don’t want them to trade for anyone. This season really doesn’t matter much and if they were to win the WS it wouldn’t really even feel like it. Continue to let their young pitchers get experience, see if they grow, and weed out the shrubs for the future. I would like to see Anderson get a look.
No, I wasn’t saying that at all. Of course Pache won’t solve the rotation. I was saying this could be the best thing they do for run prevention.
But I agree that I don’t want to see any big trades this year.
He’s similar to Grady Sizemore , but I think Grady was more wreckless an outfieldler
I can see that, I would say Buxton from what I’ve seen so far. But love the kids glove.
Yeah like best case would be to turn out like Grady, and Buxron is awesome but he seems to think it the nhl or nba cause he plays about 82 games a year.
Grady Sizemore raked when young/healthy. While I do think Pache is a solid player, I don’t see that kind of upside with his bat.
No I agree , he just a comparison , like if Pache becomes a 25 homer 75 rbi Guy with that defence is quite similar to Sizemore. But yess I don’t think he’s gonna be that good.
Excited to see the D. Have heard many Griffey comps in Cf
He’s going to need to put on 12-15 more good lbs though to be a force with the bat, he’s got time and probably with.the expanded resources MLB gives
Id temper expectations till 2022 with the bat
At least someone is happy to see the D. My wife hasn’t been to happy to see it recently
Every good defender in the minors is gonna be the next pick-your-HOFer… always have to wait to see how the MLB defensive metrics grade it out… the guys that generally play deep and eliminate lots of XBH add a crapload of value, and don’t have to be particularly good at the plate to be immensely valuable.
It’s just easy for guys with good leg speed but questionable judgment and iffy arms to look good in the minors… play shallow to pick off singles and get out of being forced into a lot of deep throws. It looks good in the minors but translates to rangey LF in the majors a lot.
How Pache does will largely depend on each individual’s expectations. He’s going to be one of the best defensive CFs in the game on day one. If you can appreciate that and accept it as his contribution to an injury ravaged club, you’re going to be happy.
If you’re looking for him to produce at the plate, you’re probably going to be disappointed. He’s not yet ready there. The Braves themselves didn’t really want to do this now. They had their hand forced. Even if he fully reaches his offensive potential, with a 45 grade hit tool he won’t be an offensive stud.
It just comes down to managing expectations.
@Outlaw. You win the best post of the article award. This really is the best way to describe it. Some fans will see a slash line that might look something like .230/.330/.420 and wonder what the hype is about. Others will expect great defense and be happy with a middling bat.
Elite defense, but I think Law is out of his mind ranking him #5 overall. Still, glad he’s up, even though I’m not a Braves fan. I like seeing what top prospects can actually do. On the bright side, defense is pretty much he same no matter where you play, so he ought to achieve a large portion of his value pretty quickly.
Elite defense is under valued by alot of these commentors. You do need to have a decent bat in order to stick in The Show, but tell me that D don’t matter when it’s the top of the 8th with runners in scoring position and 2 out and someone hits a screamer towards the gap. Then I think you’ll be very happy to know you have this kid in CF. We (Detroit) have a kid that was a 1st round pick a few years back that was a fringe top-100 prospect named Derek Hill that was also an elite defender (I think her was a 70 grade if I remember correctly) but here still hasn’t made it to the bigs because he straight up cannot hit big league pitching. Hopefully this kid can hit enough to stick because that D will matter greatly in the long run.
White Sox have Adam Engel and the Cubs have Heyward. Elite defense guys who can’t hit. Their glove is good enough that they’ll have jobs, but neither is a star (even though Heyward is getting paid like one). Pache seems to have a floor of right around Engel. His ceiling is higher because of his power, but I don’t think he attains superstar status. The hit tool just isn’t there.
Is this an audition to trade him?
Honestly, I doubt it. They could have an OF logjam in the future with Waters coming up, but with injuries as common this year as they are and no need to rush things, I think they treat this as a learning year for Pache. If they were going to trade him, I’d think they’d have done it before he makes his debut, when dreams of his ceiling can skew expectations.