In response to outfielder Nick Markakis‘s potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus, the Braves have recalled their #1 prospect to the majors.
The Player
Cristian Pache, OF
Age: 21
Bats: R
OFR Prospect Rank: 1
2019 Level: AAA Gwinnett
The Results (2019)
.277/.340/.462 (AA/AAA)
126 wRC+
12 HR | 8 SB
8.0 BB %
22.7 K%
The History
Pache was an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in the 2015 signing period, signing with Atlanta for a $1.4 million bonus. Pache had a strong pro debut in 2016, hitting well in first the GCL and in Danville.
Pache started and finished the 2017 season with Rome, and put on a season-long defensive clinic for outfielders. Offensively Pache started slowly, but progressed throughout the season, doing his best work in the final weeks of the season, hitting .317/.361/.366 over his final 25 games.
Pache began his 2018 season at high-A Florida, nearly completely re-making his swing to try to avoid the extreme groundball tendencies that sabotaged his raw power in his prior seasons. This allowed him to show nearly across-the-board offensive improvement, including allowing him to hit the first 9 home runs of his pro career. After the season he played in the elite Arizona Fall League.
Pache firmly grabbed the title of top Braves prospect in 2019, showing a mixture of power and patience in AA Mississippi, and earning a late-season promotion to Gwinnett. After some initial struggles, Pache finished the season strong, hitting .365/.400/.596 in the final two weeks. In the offseason, Pache was named the #13 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America.
This spring Pache looked ready to challenge for a spot on the major league roster immediately, but even without the COVID-19 shutdown, he would likely have started the season in the minor leagues in order to preserve an extra season of control for the Braves.
The Report
Since joining the organization, Pache has steadily put on muscle, adding 30 pounds since his rookie league season. Combined with revised batting mechanics designed to get the ball in the air, Pache is now a threat for annual 25-35 home run power in the majors. Pache’s bat control is strong, partially offsetting a tendency to get fooled by off-speed pitching.
Even if Pache’s bat is slow to get going upon first contact with major league pitching, Pache will provide value in the outfield. On the short list of best defensive player in the minor leagues since he started his pro career, Pache gets tremendous jumps, allowing his plus speed to let him glide to fly balls other outfielders would have to dive for. He complements this with a strong and accurate throwing arm, to the point that minor league baserunners simply stopped testing him after he recorded 17 outfield assist for Rome in 2017.
If there’s a flaw in Pache’s game its his baserunning. Despite his plus speed, Pache has not developed into a high-percentage base stealer. Pache gets poor reads off pitchers and his slide technique is still a work in progress. Pache’s speed does allow for good first-to-third and second-to-home times.
What’s Next
Pache didn’t get into Tuesday night’s game due to the late call-up, but Pache should start as long as he’s up in the majors. The question is if he’ll go back down again, or if this is the start of what promises to be an exciting new era for the Braves outfield. In Pache and Ronald Acuña Jr. the Braves have a dynamic, multi-tool duo that has an average age of just over 22 years.
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