MLBTR’s Jeff Todd has recently taken a look at some potential impact rookies throughout the AL Central and AL West. Steve Adams handled the NL West. Now let’s move on to the NL East, which was one of the strongest divisions in baseball in 2019, with four teams finishing .500 or above. 2020 figures to be just as competitive. Perhaps a strong rookie season could be a difference-maker for one of these teams. Who could it be? Let’s take a look at some of the contenders.
Braves
The Braves already have a crowded outfield at the big league level. But if any kind of opportunity should present itself, Cristian Pache is going to be waiting in the wings. The 21-year-old has received more praise for his defense and speed than for his offense. But his bat seemed to turn a corner in 2019. Over 433 plate appearances at Double-A, he put up a slash line of .278/.340/.474, good enough for a wRC+ of 134. His Triple-A numbers aren’t as strong, with a line of .274/.337/.411 and a wRC+ of 92. That was over a smaller sample of 105 plate appearances, though, and he was only 20 years old.
Pache could have competition in the form of fellow outfield prospect Drew Waters, who is following a similar trajectory. Waters was also 20 last year and spent the bulk of the season at Double-A, where he managed a lofty 144 wRC+. He also had a cup of coffee at Triple-A, where his wRC+ dropped to 84 at Triple-A. While both Pache and Waters while played 26 games at Triple-A, Waters dwarfed Pache in the strikeout column, 43 to 18.
On the pitching side, the Braves have a pile of young arms who are slated to be in Triple-A to start the year, fighting to be the first one to get the call. The 24-year-old Kyle Wright has electric stuff but hasn’t been able to translate it into success at the big league level yet. It’s a similar story for 22-year-old Bryse Wilson. Ian Anderson is only 21 and isn’t on the 40-man, but he has already been bumped up to Triple-A after dominating in Double-A.
Marlins
The rebuilding Marlins already have lots of promising youngsters on the roster right now, and there are more on the way. Sixto Sanchez hasn’t reached Triple-A yet, but after dominating in Double-A with a 2.53 ERA over 103 innings, it’s possible he won’t need too much time there. Same goes for Edward Cabrera, whose Double-A ERA was just a smidge higher at 2.56, though in a smaller sample of 38 2/3 innings. Evaluators are split as to which of the two should be ranked higher. If you’re the Marlins, that’s a good problem to have.
In terms of position players, the most exciting options are outfielders. Jesus Sanchez has a tremendous bat but lacks plate discipline. Monte Harrison’s defensive skills give him a decent floor. But the bat will need to take another step for him to reach his ceiling. He put up a decent line of .274/.357/.451 in Triple-A in 2019, good enough for a wRC+ of 97, just below league average.
Mets
The Mets’ rotation took a big hit when it was announced that Noah Syndergaard will undergo Tommy John Surgery. And while they may turn to veterans like Michael Wacha or Seth Lugo to pick up the slack, they could also look to some of the rookies they have in the minors. David Peterson hasn’t reached Triple-A just yet, but he threw 116 Double-A innings in 2019, with an ERA of 4.19 and 9.47 K/9. Franklyn Kilome missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018, but he was the Mets’ fifth-best prospect at that point. Stephen Gonsalves was once a highly-touted prospect in the Twins’ system, though an injury-plagued 2019 led to them losing him to the Mets on waivers. He’s still 25 and could be a wild-card factor if he can get healthy and regain his form.
As far as position players go, shortstop Andres Gimenez is an exciting prospect (mostly because of his speed and defense). The 21-year-old swiped 66 bags from 2018-19, so the big question is how he’ll do with the bat. Gimenez spent 2019 at Double-A, slashing a mediocre .250/.309/.387, but he’s still young. And since the Mets have plenty of middle infield options such as Amed Rosario, Robinson Cano, Jeff McNeil and maybe even Jed Lowrie, it will be difficult for Gimenez to contribute as soon as 2020.
Nationals
For the Nats, the most important rookie is definitely Carter Kieboom, one of the best prospects in baseball. The infielder had an excellent 2019 at the Triple-A level, slashing .303/.409/.493 for a wRC+ of 123. The 22-year-old wasn’t able to carry those numbers into his MLB debut last season, but it was only an 11-game sample size.
With Anthony Rendon moving to California, there’s an opening for Kieboom to be the everyday third baseman. He’ll have to earn it because the Nats brought back Asdrubal Cabrera as a fallback option, but they’d surely prefer for the 22-year-old Kieboom to take the job. That would enable the Nats to use Cabrera in a utility role.
Phillies
Alec Bohm’s calling card is his bat. As a 22-year-old in 2019, he played 22 games in A-ball and produced a wRC+ of 196. In A+, he played 40 games with a wRC+ of 165. In 63 games at Double-A, the wRC+ was 146. If he can keep hitting in Triple-A, the question will be where to put him. Bohm mostly plays third, but many evaluators feel that his defense is too weak for the hot corner and suggest a move to first. The Phillies would surely love for Bohm to prove those evaluators wrong because they have Rhys Hoskins entrenched at first. Their current plan for the rest of the infield is to deploy Jean Segura at third, Didi Gregorius at short and Scott Kingery at second. But since Segura can also play shortstop or second, Bohm could nudge his way into the picture if any one of them goes down with an injury.
On the mound, the big name to watch is Spencer Howard. Despite injuries limiting his total output in 2019, he still put up great numbers when healthy. In 30 2/3 innings at Double-A, his ERA was 2.35. And Howard, 23, capped off his season with 21 1/3 innings of 2.11 ERA ball in the Arizona Fall League. The Philly rotation is a bit flimsy, with guys like Vince Velasquez, Zach Eflin keeping a tenuous hold on back-end spots, so a healthy Howard could shove his way into the equation.
Sixto is the next Pedro
God I hope not, I would cry.
so you wouldn’t want a generational talent on your team?
Lol no.
That’s me also thinking he will be good.
I’ve heard of that comp before. If he really turns into the next Pedro Martinez, then bet lol
Yes he’ll definitely become the next Pedro Astacio
i fear that might be true
Next urena
I dont get the Pache love by Braves fans, your getting Ender again with better def
Now Waters has a ton more upside, feels like a fringy All Star- reserve (Mitch Haniger) type player in a couple years for the Of-
I guess with Waters and Acuna they can afford a def first CF in Pache, id just temper the expectations with the bat….. Braves gonna have a nice stretch though this decade of cost controlled, fast,, athletic players coming thru the pipe
Inciarte hit .283 with 13 HR’s in 631 minor league games…
Pache has hit .283 with 21 HR’s in 428 games. 12 of those were last year, so he is trending up in power.
Pache may never be an all star offensive player, but he’s already demonstrated significantly better power than Inciarte with a similar hit tool. I think it’s a bit defeatist to expect Pache to have no power like Inciarte, especially since he’s only entering his age 21 season and already has shown more power than Inciarte ever has.
The ball was juiced at Triple-A last year, so s fair comparison is difficult.
Pache hit 11 of the 2019 HRs in AA.
Until Pache reaches the major leagues you’ll probably never get it. Pache needs a good 3/4 of a season in AAA, if not longer. He is 21, still needs to add some strength to his game and improve his hitting. But if he becomes Ender with better D then he’s a great addition at under a million dollars now isn’t he?
Rhetorical question. The answer is yes.
Yea, what a dumb statement. Who wouldn’t want a dirt cheap gold glove caliber 21 year old centerfielder whose offensive potential continues to grow? If Pache turns into a better version of Ender that’s a win.
Exactly. Huge win while the Braves are contending.
Never questioned the money ; who would want that…. what Im saying is Braves think this guy can is going to be a great all around player…the bat will not live up to their expectations –
The guy is not a great hitter, he will no doubt be a 7 or 8 hitter or possibly a 9 hole hitter his entire days in the MLB – Thats not the vibe im getting from Braves fan but again they are set up nice for the future
If Pache has a 750.OPS with gold glove caliber fielding I would take it as a big time win in center field. I don’t know if waters can hit at the big league level but I hope I’m wrong. I just don’t know if he can make consistent contact
I think thats what he will be losbravos……… my overall point is that I think most Braves think he will be a 850 guy not 750 which is huge-
Im not Hatin here an OF of Waters Pache Acuna can not be beat value wise by any team, the futures bright no doubt
What team do you scout for?
Yeah, it is just really hard to gauge Pache’s stats right now. That’s because it has only been a year and a half since he has completely redone his swing.
Ever since he has retooled his swing, he has produced alot more power, which results in more XBH, but in the process, he has also racked up several Ks..Since Pache is not a guy that likes to take walks, those Ks could become a glaring problem also..
Right now, Pache is still defining himself at the plate, and he is currently still a work in progress. However, due to his frame, the glimpses of power he has shown already after adjusting so quickly, his incredible defense, etc. Pache remains a very intriguing prospect to follow..
He is a bit if an enigma, when it comes to projecting how his bat will ultimately translate at the big league level, but he only needs to be slightly below league average to still be an above average player. Still though, he is a grinder, and I wouldn’t bet against Pache..
Waters is the more polished of the two prospects, but taking everything into consideration, I think Pache will be the better all-around player..Which. for me, that is a bold statement, because I see Waters as a cornerstone guy for the Braves moving forward..
Either way, like you said, with Waters, Pache, and Acuña Jr. good luck finding a spot to drop a ball in that outfield..lol Will easily be the most athletic outfield, but they could also be one of the most versatile, all-around outfields in the bigs…
The love is because he is a good, prospect for their favorite team. Every fan over rates and overvalued their team’s top prospects..lol
Seriously though, why most fans are excited about him is because ever since he has overhauled his swing, the results have been a significant yet steady improvement offensively for Pache. Add that to his already GG caliber defense, and you have a player with not only an already immense floor, but one with incredible potential as well.
I would still only consider moving Lugo back to the rotation if there’s another major injury. He’s demonstrated pretty conclusively that he belongs in the bullpen, despite his personal feelings on it.
If the need arises (i.e. DeGrom or Stroman going down long-term) I also don’t think they have much to lose by giving Gonsalves or Kilome a shot over batting practice pitchers like Walker Lockett or Corey Oswalt.
Think Lugo as a deadly 2 inn pen guy provides so much more value than a #4 starter and helps with health
Jazz Chisholm is the Marlins #3 prospect and baseball’s #66 prospect. He’ll be in Miami this season. Really good player.
Kinda ironic discussion about the Nats there, because it was mentioned how Rendon is moving to California, and the rookie who was brought up was Kieboom, who was, you guessed it, in California in Triple-A last year.
Never questioned the money ; who would want that…. what Im saying is Braves think this guy can is going to be a great all around player…the bat will not live up to their expectations –
The guy is not a great hitter, he will no doubt be a 7 or 8 hitter or possibly a 9 hole hitter his entire days in the MLB – Thats not the vibe im getting from Braves fan but again they are set up nice for the future