This isn’t the first time I’ve hyped up Bryce Ball. Actually, it’s the third short piece I’ve done on him since the Braves selected him in the 24th round of this year’s draft.
The Dallas Baptist product has proven to be a bargain and should start next season at AA Mississippi with a chance to move up the ranks quickly. He began his professional career in the Appalachian League with the GCL Braves where there was no competition for him. Ball led the league in nearly every statistical category before being promoted to Rome, smashing 13 home runs in 41 games.
The uptick in competition hasn’t slowed him down. In fact, the 6’6″ first baseman has been even better in Rome, hitting .371 with a 1.020 OPS, and he just smashed two home runs last night, bringing his total to 17 on the year. Ball’s the type of prospect with effortless power. He’s not swinging out of his shoes or for the fences. The ball simply comes off the bat differently than all of his peers.
If there is one “problem,” which we shouldn’t even be thinking about at this point, it’s Ball’s position. He has a tailor-made first baseman’s body. Obviously, Freddie Freeman occupies that spot in Atlanta and won’t be heading anywhere soon. I only bring this up because Ball is a college bat, and the Braves won’t hesitate to move him up the system. If he keeps raking, he could find himself in Gwinnett next year. It will be interesting to see if the organization tests him out at different positions to see if he could adjust.
We plan to talk to him about all of that and more when Ball joins the SportsTalkATL Podcast with us next week, so make sure you tune in!