November 20: Atlanta Braves select the contract of RHP Patrick Weigel
OFR’s Andy Harris ranked Weigel the #14 prospect in the Atlanta system at midseason of 2018, and that was with Weigel yet to throw a 2018 pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery. When he returned for a late, short stint with the GCL Braves, he showed command and velocity. It’s no surprise Weigel has now been protected by Atlanta from the Rule V Draft.
This move wasn’t really about the 2019 Atlanta Braves as much as it was about keeping a notable prospect in the system. Expect the Braves to option Weigel back to AAA in the spring, where he can seek to improve on the 41 unimpressive innings he threw there in 2017.
November 20: Atlanta Braves select the contract of C Alex Jackson
2018 was a rough year for Alex Jackson, so it might surprise some to see the Braves add him to the 40-man roster. After being OFR’s #13 prospect in the system in the preseason, he slipped to #15 at midseason, then dropped to #21 in this year’s ongoing series.
However, a surprising promotion seems fitting for Jackson’s 2018. After all, he began the year in AA hitting a wildly disappointing .200/.282/.329, only to be promoted to Gwinnett in midseason. Jackson continued to struggle at the plate in his first taste of AAA, slashing .204/.296/.426 with a 33.6% K-rate. Now he’s more or less invited to spring training. Like all 40-man moves yesterday, this was to protect Jackson from the Rule V draft. As our Matt Chrietzberg noted, it’s unlikely Jackson would be selected by any team in the draft, making his protection somewhat puzzling.
In this case, it seems to be more about keeping an emergency option in house for 2019 than anything else. Even after the team’s recent acquisition of AAAA catcher Raffy Lopez, teams need catchers, and catchers do get hurt. Jackson is already able to acquit himself defensively at the AAA level, and he’s a player who, despite last season’s struggles, does have some offensive upside. The hits may have evaporated, but the power did stick around. Catchers who can catch and hit occasional home runs get to stay employed well into their thirties, so Jackson has enough value to want to hold onto, even if a lot of the shine on his prospect status is gone. His inclusion in an offseason trade would not be at all surprising, but if he’s still around in February when the team heads south, you’ll know why.
November 20: Atlanta Braves select the contract of RHP Huascar Ynoa
Ynoa’s addition to the 40-man roster was perhaps the most surprising, as it seems unlikely a MLB team would have added a northpaw whose most advanced work was throwing 24.2 innings of 8.03 ERA ball in high-A this season. 8.03 is bad, but that’s what the luck of a .438 BABIP will do to your numbers. After moving up from low-A Rome, where he had a 3.63 ERA across 91.2 innings, Ynoa actually increased his K-rate and decreased his BB-rate at the advanced level. When a guy throws 100 mph, as Ynoa does, and he just posted a 2.95 FIP at A+ Florida, he’s going to at least get some looks for the Rule V draft.
My guess is he would’ve been drafted and probably sent back after Spring Training revealed the necessity for more seasoning. Instead, Atlanta avoids the situation altogether and begins Ynoa’s option clock.
November 20: Atlanta Braves select the contract of RHP Jacob Webb
Unlike Ynoa, the purchasing of Webb’s contract wasn’t a big surprise. He split last season between AA (3.18, 7 saves, 35.4% K-rate, 12.1% BB-rate) and AAA (3.13, 11 saves, 26.6% K, 8.6% BB), and as you can see, did a nice job of retiring batters. Webb turns 26 next season and is unlikely to emerge as a relief star, but he’s potentially useful, and there are a LOT of bullpen openings around the game these days. It’s not particularly surprising Atlanta chose to not let its #45 prospect get away for (almost) nothing.
November 20: Atlanta Braves agree to sign Ryan LaMarre to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training
And you were worried Atlanta wouldn’t target free agents this offseason. It may surprise you to find out that Ryan LaMarre has played in the majors in each of the last 4 seasons. It certainly surprised me. It’s notable that LaMarre has played those 4 seasons for a total of 5 teams – the Reds, Red Sox, Athletics, Twins, and White Sox. This puts him on an excellent pace to one day challenge Octavio Dotel‘s record for MLB teams.
One thing that likely stands in the way of the 30 year old’s travel plans – his career .238/.283/.322 line. That even includes his 2018 line of .279/.322/.382, a line buoyed by a .389 BABIP. Based on his typical batted ball speed and trajectory, MLB’s Baseball Savant site projected LaMarre to have slashed .230/.307/.323 last year. He strikes out around 30% of the time and rarely walks. It’s not an overwhelming exciting offensive profile.
LaMarre does play average to above-average outfield defense, which includes perfectly acceptable play in center. So, while he might not help their run support as much as others, LaMarre should help keep Gwinnett ERAs down.
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