Braves 2021 Prospect Profile: No. 29 Logan Brown

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Vaughn Grissom

Today we keep our Braves 2021 Prospect Profile series going by looking at a player many in Braves Country probably haven’t heard about in a while, catcher Logan Brown. As always, be sure to check out SportsTalkATL’s 2021 Top 30 prospect list as well as my post on the organization’s potential under-the-radar prospects for the upcoming season. Also, below is the list of Braves prospects we’ve covered thus far:

 

#29. Logan Brown, C

  • 6’0″, 195 lbs.
  • 24-years-old
  • 35th RD / 2018 MLB Draft

It feels as if Brown has been in the Atlanta organization for a lot longer than he really has, yet many haven’t even heard of him. The Southern Indiana product is ranked primarily for his defensive skills at a premium position, though as you’ll see, Brown has also had a knack for making a lot of contact with the bat. 

 

What has Brown done so far?

Coming out of a Division 2 school, Brown’s 35th-round selection in 2018 made him just the eighth Southern Indiana draftee in school history, but he was the second Brown taken as his father was a 2nd round pick back in 1994. Three years at SIU, Brown’s collegiate career featured a .310 AVG and .800 OPS in 140 total games, earning him a solid $150,000 signing bonus with the Braves. 

As a 21-year-old catcher, Atlanta started Brown in the Gulf Coast League in 2018, where he immediately showed an above-average ability to put the bat on the ball. Through his first 37 games as a pro, Brown hit .272 and slugged 8 XBH while throwing out 35% of would-be base stealers. 

With 20-year-old William Contreras coming off a big year in Single-A Rome and High-A Florida the season prior, in 2019, the Braves pushed the older Brown and started him in Rome. The lefty-hitter picked up right where he left off from the GCL, and in 51 games in Single-A, he slashed .301/.351/.383 with 13 XBH and 26 RBI. Brown also had the opportunity of catching newly-acquired starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel while the former Cy Young stretched out for the Braves in Rome. Keuchel had good things to say about Brown after his first outing as a part of Atlanta’s organization:

“Logan did a great job behind the plate and as a pitcher, a good catcher, a good backstop, always makes your job a lot easier.”

That continuation of high contact earned Brown a promotion to Florida in late June that season, and despite Contreras regressing a bit with the Fire Frogs, he was also promoted, moving up to Double-A Mississippi. While Contreras struggled to match his 2018 numbers with the M-Braves, Brown also took a step back at the plate at the High-A level (his caught-stealing rate also dropped by 4 points). After an eight-game stretch to start his Fire Frogs stint that featured a .300 AVG, Brown finished up in the Florida State League with a .240 AVG and career-worst .549 OPS in 2019. However, overall for the year, it was another strong showing in the minors as Brown matched his .272 AVG from 2018 while tallying 18 doubles and 46 RBI across the two levels.

Last season, as a bit of a surprise, Brown was invited to the Braves alternate site, where he helped work with the system’s top-tier prospect pitchers. If anything, it was a nice reward for having put together a rather strong showing in the minors over the last couple of seasons. 

 

What to expect from Brown in 2021?

I really wish we could’ve seen Brown play in 2020. And though we may say that about literally all of Atlanta’s prospects, Brown’s situation is perhaps even more disappointing. At the moment, he’s basically fourth on the Braves catching depth chart, not counting whatever the big league catching group winds up being this coming season. Right now, it feels as if Contreras and Shea Langeliers are neck and neck in terms of the future at the position, with Alex Jackson more of a capable back-up. 

Speaking of back-ups, I believe that’s where Brown is headed when projecting his future as a potential big leaguer. He’ll turn 25 in September, and though this will be his third year in the system, he still could use another 50 games or so in High-A, given his obvious regression there in 2019. The way I see it, Contreras is most likely slated to start the 2021 season as Triple-A Gwinnett’s catcher, followed by Langeliers in Mississippi, leaving Brown to rack up his ABs in Rome (remember, the Florida Fire Frogs were contracted, with the new Augusta team taking Rome’s Single-A slot).

The upcoming season will be an interesting one as far as Braves prospect catchers go, and we’ll learn more about Brown. However, with the talent at that position in Atlanta’s system already, he certainly has an uphill battle. 

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