Tomahawk Take’s Top 20 Atlanta Braves Prospects: #10-6
Tomahawk Take’s #10 Atlanta Braves prospect Hector Olivera
– by Fred Owens, Tomahawk Take Staff Writer
Who He Is
Hector Olivera must be one of the most frustrated players in baseball. After a career in Cuba where he was one of the best hitters in the league and a perennial member of the Cuban National Team he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder that stole a year of playing time in 2012 and limited him to DH in 2013.
In September 2014 Olivera defected from Cuba established residence in Haiti and began working towards permission to play in the US holding showcases in the Dominican Republic attended by a plethora of major league scouts. Rumors about a potential tear of his UCL sprung up as teams began to negotiate for his services but Olivera’s camp strongly denied those rumors and were eventually proved right when his pre-signing physical for the Dodgers revealed no damage to his UCL or need for elbow surgery.
The Braves offered Olivera around $40M but in the end the Dodgers inked him for six years and $62.5 million, including a $28 million signing bonus. On May 11th his Visa was approved and Olivera made the trip to LA. where he was officially signed by the Dodgers on May 19th.
On June 4th he played his first professional game since the end of the 2013-2014 season in Cuba going 1-4 with 2 walks. In six games with Tulsa, Olivera posted a .318/.400/.455/.855 line including a grand slam home run off Mark Peterson on June 9th.
On June 13th he made first of his seven appearances for Oklahoma City where he slashed .387/.387/.581/.968 before being sidelined with a severe hamstring injury. On 7 July he began his rehab with the AZL Dodgers and played in six games for them – two as a DH and four at third base – before the Hamstring flared up again and he remained sidelined until making his first start as a member of the Braves organization for the Gulf Cost League Braves on 8 August.
On 30 July the Braves sent Bronson Arroyo, Luis Avilan, Jim Johnson, Jose Peraza and Alex Wood to the Dodgers for Olivera with Zachary Bird. Paco Rodriguez and a comp round A pick from Miami.
Scouting Report
In January of last year Kiley McDaniel reported a scouting score of Hit: 45/55, Game Power: 45/50+, Raw Power: 55/55, Speed: 55/55, Field: 50/50, Throw: 55/55, FV: 50. McDaniel said Olivera possessed “undeniable talent” and went on to elaborate what he saw.
"“. . . Olivera has above average bat speed, bat control, plate discipline and raw power, which is to all fields . . . He’s an above average runner that can play second base or third base and has an above average arm. That’s an above average everyday player with the statistical track record to give you some confidence that he’ll perform in the big leagues. . .”"
He went on to say that Olivera might be an injury risk and implied that his age might make it hard for him to prevent regressing “in a few years” but an “optimistic outcome” would be a “.260-.280 with a good OBP, 15-20 homers and solid-
Ben Badler watched his January showcase for Baseball America and reported that “. . . scouts said Olivera . . . appeared to be in good physical condition. . ran a 60-yard dash in around 6.7 to 6.8 seconds, depending on the stopwatch, showing slightly above-average speed. . . he looked like a steady defender. . . (but while playing third didn’t show the) plus arm (he had previously.) Like a lot of Cuban hitters, he wraps the bat in his setup, but he has a history of making consistent contact in games and scouts have lauded his hitting approach and strike-zone management.”
2016 Projection and Future
Braves fans pining for Woody will start the year still moaning about the trade. They might be interested to know that fans in LA feel the Braves robbed the Dodgers in the deal leaving them with the second best Cuban. The Olivera Braves fans saw last year wasn’t near major league, that should not have been a surprise because of his long layoff from high level competition and the severe hamstring injury he was still feeling in September. Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer worked with him this winter and told Mark Bowman he liked what he saw.
"“I was so impressed by his work ethic, his intensity, his focus and concentration to detail. It was really awesome. I was really impressed by how much more athletic he was in the outfield. It was fun to watch . . .The dude has the ability to put the fat part of the bat on the ball, which is impressive. That’s the biggest part of the battle. Now it’s just a matter of getting used to the adjustments mechanically to the point where the power starts to come. . . I see him hitting 15 to 20 home runs. If he can hit more than that, then great. If he can drive in 80 [runs], that’s great. If we get more than that, that’s icing on the cake. He’s a pretty talented kid. I think he’s going to make adjustments quick.”"
Next: Prospect Number 9
I expect that given extended playing time Olivera will provide a solid 20 homer RH bat and post a line near the .260/.340/.440/.780 and play a solid left field.