Welcome to our annual look at the overall system depth at each position. Left field has been something of a revolving door for Atlanta since the Justin Upton trade that really started the rebuild back in 2014. For this year, the Braves have their left fielder in Marcell Ozuna, who will return to the position after mostly playing out of the designated hitter role in 2020. If that role returns to the National League in 2022, the Braves may have a ready-made replacement for left field biding his turn in AAA this year.
First Base | Second Base | Shortstop | Third Base | Catcher | Centerfield | Right Field | Starting Pitcher | Relief Pitcher
ATLANTA BRAVES
STARTER: Marcell Ozuna
After he lead the National League in home runs and RBI in 2020, re-signing Marcell Ozuna has been the biggest accomplishment to date for the Braves front office this offseason. Ozuna was a consistent force in the middle of the Braves line-up, and his absence would have been a tremendous blow to the offense. With the 2020 designated hitter turning out to be a one-year experiment, Ozuna will return to left field, a position which he played surprisingly badly in his 19 games in 2020. It hasn’t been that long ago that Ozuna was an above average outfielder however, so there should be some expectation that Ozuna can recover somewhat in 2021. The long-term prospects of the National League bringing back the DH rule seem to be good however, so Ozuna should be able to switch back next season, but for now the Braves will happily watch Ozuna swing the bat and cross their fingers when he tries to run down flyballs or make a throw against a speedy baserunner.
Back-up: Just in the past week and a half, the Braves have added a multitude of outfield reserve options. All would likely be options to be late-inning defensive replacements for Ozuna, including incumbent Ender Inciarte and switch-hitter Abraham Almonte. On the right-hand hitting side of the ledger, newcomers Guillermo Heredia or Phil Ervin could emerge here, and both have solid defensive reputations. The Braves have also added left-handed hitter Jason Kipnis, who is mostly known for his work at second base but has some outfield experience.
Upper-Level Minor Leaguers
OF Drew Waters
Projected Level: AAA Gwinnett
The future of left field at SunTruist Park may be Waters, the 2017 2nd-round pick who has zoomed up the organizational ladder. While there are still questions about his approach, with Ozuna now ensconced at least for 2021, Waters will have time to work that out in the minor leagues. Waters already has a touch of AAA experience, reaching Gwinnett in 2019. Waters is a strong defensive performer who could play center or right field, but expect the Braves to mostly have him in left field, the area where he is most likely to see time in the major leagues.
Back-up: The newly-found depth at outfielder should extend down to the minor league level. Guillermo Heredia still has an option, so he could easily be stashed in Gwinnett until needed. The Braves have also acquired veterans Travis Snider, Jaycob Brugman, and Terrance Gore, all of whom could be an option here or another outfield spot.
OF Andrew Moritz
Projected Level: AA Mississippi
Moritz was a career .406/.466/.571 hitter at UNC-Greensboro and he has flashed a strong hit tool as a pro, but he has also been hampered by various injuries. If healthy, Mortiz could thrive at AA where pitchers are better about staying around the plate and spacious TrustMark Park plays to his foulpole-to-foulpole game. Moritz is a good outfielder with good jumps and instincts to help make up for a lack of speed and an average arm.
OF Tyler Neslony
Projected Level: AA Mississippi
There was good news and bad news for Neslony in 2019. The good news is that he set career high marks in slugging, isolated power, and line-drive percentage while lowering his strikeout rate and maintaining a solid walk rate. All these are good things for a defensively-challenged outfielder whose bat will need to carry him. The bad news is that injuries held to only 58 games. If Neslony can show his 2019 improvement carries through, he could interest teams in need for some cost-controlled pop; now 27 years old though, time is not on his side.
Other outfielders that could see time in left for Mississippi are 2019 holdovers Gary Schwartz and Shean Michel.
Lower-Level Minor Leaguers
To put it bluntly, there are more outfield options for the A-ball teams than there are open roster spots. The Braves could align these players pretty much any way and much of this will likely be decided in minor league spring training camp, which starts in April this year after the big leaguers and AAA minor leaguers go north. The outfielders here are listed alphabetically, but I have included my best guess on where they will end up.
OF Connor Blair
Projected Level: A Augusta
The 2019 15th-round pick was a standout as a 21-year-old at the University of Washington. Signing a little later, Blair only got in a half season with rookie league Danville and a few games at low-A Rome, hitting a combined .194/.270/.310. Blair needs to have a good spring and demonstrate that power/hit combo that got him drafted in the first place.
OF Willie Carter
Projected Level: A Augusta
Another colligate outfielder drafted in 2019, Carter spent his first pro season with Danville and had a solid if unspectacular .242/.330/.371 pro debut. The expected power didn’t really show however after Carter hit 19 bombs in his junior year at Webber International. On the plus side, Carter’s defense was better than advertised.
OF Jeremy Fernandez
Projected Level: A+ Rome
After 4 seasons simmering in the rookie leagues, Fernandez finally got his full-season opportunity with Rome in 2019, but hit a disappointing .252/.272/.341. A converted infielder, Fernandez has good bat speed and decent raw power, but needs to turn around a profile that saw him turn nearly fifty percent of the balls he put in play in 2019 into grounders.
OF Jose Palma
Projected Level: A Augusta
A little-regarded DSL outfield prospect in his first two seasons with the organization, Palma made the jump to Danville for 2019 and proved to be somewhat of a sparkplug-type player. His overall .261/.340/.328 batting line wasn’t impressive and he has no power to speak of, but he has a tendency to make plays and is an above average fielder at all three outfield spots. His defensive proficiency may give him a leg up in getting looks in A-ball in 2021.
OF Jacob Pearson
Projected Level: A+ Rome
A Louisiana high school standout, the Angels gave the 2017 3rd-rounder an overslot signing bonus, but quickly cashed him out to the Twins for international bonus pool room to help sign Shohei Ohtani. In three pro seasons Peason hasn’t consistently shown either the pop or the hit that got him drafted, and the Twins left him available in the minor league Rule 5 draft, which is how Atlanta acquired him. An interesting project, all of the raw tools are there still if he and his coaches can unlock them.
OF Jefrey Ramos
Projected Level: A+ Rome
Ramos has serious power potential, as his team-leading 16 home runs for Rome in 2018 demonstrate. That power never showed in 2019 in his first run at the high-A level as he slumped to a disappointing .241/.291/.352 line. A free swinger who emphasizes putting the ball in play, Ramos hits the ball to the left-side infielders too much to be effective at higher levels; still only 22, Ramos has time to show that he’s made adjustments over the shutdown, but competition for playing time is building.
OF Charles Reyes
Projected Level: A Augusta
Another outfielder who struggled with Danville in 2019, the 21-year-old Reyes has so-far untapped power potential and a solid outfield arm. Reyes needs to change his approach to keep from grounding out and allow his above average speed to start racking up some doubles.
Short-Season Minor Leaguers
OF Brandol Mezquita
Mezquita is an intriguing if very raw talent with speed and potential for more power with continued filling out and better outfield defense with experience. If some of that filling out has happened over the shutdown, Mezquita could find himself in Augusta before too long.
Left Field Depth Chart
- Marcell Ozuna
- Phil Ervin
- Jason Kipnis
- Drew Waters
- Travis Snider
- Jaycob Brugman
- Andrew Moritz
- Tyler Nesolny
- Shean Michel
- Jefrey Ramos
- Jeremy Fernandez
- Jacob Pearson
- Jose Palma
- Willie Carter
- Connor Blair
- Charles Reyes
- Brandol Mezquita
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