Joey Terdoslavich: Meeting Braves Prospect

In the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft the Atlanta Braves selected Joey Terdoslavich in the 6^th round out of Long Beach State University. In his first full season of pro ball in 2011 he hit 20 home runs and a league record 57 doubles. He added a line of .286/.341/.526 in the same league of High A Lynchburg. Joey isn’t just another prospect in the Braves farm system, this could be the next star in the making.

Feb 27, 2013; Lakeland, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Joey Terdoslavich (73) against the Detroit Tigers during the a spring training game at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Back in 2012, Gwinnett hitting coach Jamie Dismuke said, “He can just hit. I don’t think it matter if he’s High-A, Low-A, Tripe-A or big leagues, he’s going to hit. He has a real, nice simple approach and he’s confident in what he’s doing from both sides of the plate.”

Yes you read that right, both sides of the plate. Terdoslavich is a 24-year-old switch hitter that has experience playing 1B, 3B and the outfield. Before the 2012 season he was labeled as the “third baseman of the future” for the Braves with only one and a half seasons under his belt. Then in 2012, he jumped from Double-A to Tripe-A but in the process didn’t have the season he wanted.

In the beginning of the 2012 season he was destroying Double-A pitching with a line of .315/.372/.480 with 24 doubles and five home runs through 78 games. With the jump to Triple-A, he saw a downfall in stats. In 53 games in Gwinnett, .180/.252/.263 was his line and with only 4 doubles and 4 home runs Terdoslavich showed he needed more time to develop.

He was invited to spring training in 2012 with the Braves but in limited playing time at 3B his line was .240/.286/.360. Now, in 2013, he was again invited to spring training this time being moved to the outfield. Through the Braves opening games of the spring, Terdoslavich has been ripping the leather off the ball.

He’s had 14 at bats this spring with nine hits, a home run and four RBI’s. After going 4-4 on Saturday afternoon, he has raised his batting line to .643/.714/.929.

Evan Gattis has been getting all the prospect attention this spring but Terdoslavich is making a name for himself. I don’t expect nor do I want him to make the MLB team this year because I don’t feel he is a bench player. His only chance to make the Braves would be a player getting limited time on the field. He needs another year at the Triple-A level to reestablish him as a top prospect. If he preforms the way he’s capable of at the Triple-A level and neither Juan Francisco nor Chris Johnson shows signs of being the Braves third baseman, Joey could be on Turner Field late this year or the beginning of 2014.

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