By most outlets, the Braves have a bottom tier farm system. They do have several pitchers worth getting excited about, headlined by AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep, but the position players leave a lot to be desired. An argument could be made that there is only one position player in the entire Braves farm system right now that projects to be an everyday contributor in the future, Nacho Alvarez.
The 21-year-old was a fifth round round pick in 2022 MLB Draft and began sneaking into some top 100 prospects list before the 2024 campaign, appearing at #98 on Baseball Prospectus following an impressive 2023 season which saw him hit .284 with seven homers and a .787 OPS over 116 games in High-A Rome. He’s also highly touted for his defense on the left side of the infield, putting him right in line to eventually take over for Orlando Arcia at shortstop in Atlanta a few years down the road.
Through 19 games in 2024, the move to AA has yet to affect Alvarez, as he’s hitting .300 with a .731 OPS. There are some concerns about his power. He only has eight homers over 165 minor league games, but seven of those came last season, and the hope is that more pop will come with age.
Alvarez is an exciting prospect that every Braves fan should have in the back of their head. He’s continually impressed at each level, and the jump to AA for someone 21-years-old is not an easy one. With another good year, Alvarez is going to have a lot of hype surrounding him entering the 2025 season.
—
Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.