The Braves have added first base prospect Bryce Ball to their 60-man player pool, per a club announcement. David Lee of bravesprospects.com first reported the news.
While Ball was just a 24th-round pick a year ago, he did nothing but produce in his first action as a minor leaguer. Across a combined 263 plate appearances between the rookie and Single-A levels, the 22-year-old put together a video game-like line of .329/.395/.628 with 17 home runs. Ball now ranks as one of the Braves’ 30 best prospects at Baseball America (No. 16), MLB.com (21) and FanGraphs (22). BA calls Ball the top power hitter in the team’s farm system and writes that he as a chance to wind up as “a late-round steal.”
Considering Ball has so little minor league experience, it seems unlikely he’ll get to the majors this year. Of course, that’s if health issues don’t take a toll on too many hitters ahead of him in the Braves’ 60-man pecking order. They’ve been without one of their top players, fellow first baseman Freddie Freeman, who tested positive for the coronavirus last week. And outfielder Nick Markakis opted out of the season a few days ago because of COVID-related concerns.
This is the perfect situation to try something like this. If he wets the bed, no worries because he wasn’t supposed to be in the majors anyways. If he can get hot for even a few weeks, it could be the difference in a few extra wins in this funky season.
Either way, he’ll resume his development as normal next year regardless of what happens. A perfect situation to do something against the grain.
Bedwetter lmao, really?
He’ll likely never see a game unless Freddie doesn’t return, which is hard to picture. And even then, his odds aren’t good. He’d have to have an outrageous spring
Oh, no doubt. I’m not expecting him to play, just stating if there were a scenario where a late draft pick in rookie ball would make his MLB debut so soon, it’d be this crazy year with Freeman and others on the shelf.
The Braves would be in a ton trouble if Ball sees the roster this season, regardless.
The next Adam Dunn. Hopefully with a better batting average and less strike outs. I can see the home run potential with his size.
So not really Adam Dunn at all?
Yea he isn’t the next Dunn at all. Lol
Bryce Ball has been berry berry good.
Got to love getting hyped over a college bat putting up numbers in RK/A ball.
It’s more excitement for the increasing chance of NOT seeing Yonder Alonso.
Phillies still sparing no expense putting together that 2015 all-star team?
I think you’re the only one hyping anything here. The article is reporting a 20 year old first baseman who is ranked by outside evaluators as no better than middle of the pack in the Braves top 30 is on the 60 man pool.
And then there’s what DMC said.
Better numbers than moniak has put up at any level, ever
Some savage Braves fans. And I was concerned I might be coming off a little harsh.
Moniak is less than 2 months older, didnt play college ball, and played multiple levels higher last year, (AA) but okay
He wasn’t arguing that Moniak isn’t closer to MLB ready than Ball. Just that Ball did better last year, compared to Moniak at any level really.
Dont try to justify the Moniak pick Darkside. Most of that draft bombed at the top
oh im not, its just the statement makes no sense. yes Ball did better, but at a lower level.
Better than moniak did at ANY level moniak has ever played at.
exactly. Moniak played at the levels Ball played at last year when he was younger. that’s my point
The Phillies have horribly mismanaged Moniak by continuing to promote him. He’s extremely young for the levels he’s been playing and hasn’t mastered a single one of them. That’s more on the piss poor management of prospects by the Phillies than Moniak though.
Gotta love when your team is so trash you’ve gotta comment on another team’s roster activity. Spending that $ on Harper locked up 3rd place in the NL East for Philly for the next 12 years .
Just give him a few days in camp so he can launch some BP bombs and show ’em on YouTube. Make the fans happy.
I love that his name sounds like Steve Brule saying baseball.
really though, this guy is overrated. if the guy was drafted in the 1st round he’d just be a guy who got off to a good start, but because he was drafted in the 21st round suddenly he’s amazing. well, its one pro season do it again and maybe there’s sonething there.
So far on this thread there have been two posters saying this kid is overrated and BOTH are Phillies fans. So who has said anything that over values this kid?
every past post where he has been mentioned by someone he’s hailed as some sort of budding superstar.
I mean, no one is planning on letting freeman walk…
But at the same time, he’s a 24th round prospect that went so low because of signability concerns, and he was signed over slot, so I mean, not REALLY a 24th rounder in the typical sense.
Every prospect in every organization is, in essence, hype. If we’re not supposed to be excited about this guy’s great year, what are we to judge these guys on? Draft position is irrelevant, but it is a cool nugget in the story. At the end of the day though, can you honestly say you wouldn’t be excited if Moniak hit .300 and knocked 15 out? Would you say it’s one season, do it again?
Kinda hard to call someone overrated when nobody is expecting anything from him
He’s worth adding to the 60 if only to give him some structured workouts in 2020, like most of the other invited prospects. I don’t think anyone expects to see him in MLB this year.
Fun add. Be cool if he stays hot and breaks the big league roster, especially if Freddie doesn’t return for whatever reason
Ballin’
If health issues take a toll on the Braves system they’ll be picking up someone else’s AAA level 1B. The implication that Ball could see the majors in that scenario is laughable. The dude has 90 abs in low A ball. He was added to help aid his development. This was nothing more than that.