Atlanta Braves Trade Rob Whalen and Max Povse For OF Prospect Alex Jackson

Braves Trade For Prospect Alex Jackson

The Atlanta Braves have announced on twitter that they have traded the rights of pitchers Rob Whalen and Max Povse to the Seattle Mariners for Alex Jackson.

Jackson was drafted by the Mariners in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2014 draft out of Rancho Bernardo High School.  The 6’2″, 215 pounder has played his entire professional career in the outfield, but was a catcher in high school.  After drafting him, Seattle decided to convert him to the outfield because of his power potential.

Braves beat writer, Mark Bowman, suggested on twitter that “Jackson has been exclusively used as an OF during his pro career, but there’s a chance he could be used as a catcher.”

Mississippi Braves’ reporter and play-by-play voice, Kyle Tait, posted on twitter that a scout told him that Jackson “has some raw power and intriguing tools. Might ultimately move to 1B.”

Now this is getting interesting…first, we thought that the Braves acquired a power right-handed bat that plays the outfield.  Then, we hear possibly could be moved to first base and maybe a move back to the catcher position.  Now, I’m seeing something about the Braves might flip this talent for something else!!!  Wonder who they think that something else could be?!?  Let’s not speculate yet.

The Braves will receive a PTBNL, but most likely won’t be anything worthy of news.

Jackson was selected 6th overall by the Mariners only a few years ago.  He has had a slow progression through his first two and a half years as a professional as he hasn’t made it above A ball.  Jackson was even sent to an extended spring training to start 2016.

A change in scenery could be what he needs for success.

Let’s first look back before we look forward…

Braves send right-handed pitchers Whalen and Povse to Seattle.  The abundance of pitching prospects helped the Braves in this situation.

Whalen had already appeared in Atlanta and Povse was most likely on his way soon.  Povse stands at a towering 6’8″ and has been progressively moving up the Braves minor league system.  He’s already 23-years-old so I’m thinking he could have started in Gwinnett and made his way to Atlanta in 2017.

Whalen is a back of the rotation guy and possibly just a bullpen arm.  Povse may be the same, but probably had a little higher of a ceiling.  He seems very similar to Mike Foltynewicz…call it a poor-mans Folty.

The Braves drafted Povse in the 3rd round of the 2014 MLB draft out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  In 2016, he made 15 starts for the Carolina Mudcats and 11 for the Mississippi Braves.  Povse had 139 strikeouts in 2016 compared to just 29 walks.

Whalen started five games for the Atlanta Braves in 2016…all in August.  He went 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA while getting 25 strikeouts and surrendering 12 walks.  The Braves acquired Whalen from the Mets on July 24, 2015 for Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe.

What’s Next?

Heading into 2015, Jackson was ranked number 20 overall in the MiLB by Baseball America.  He was Seattle’s number one prospect heading into the 2016 season.  After both years, he dropped dramatically in the prospect rankings.

In 2016 while playing in Single-A, Jackson had a slash line of .243/.332/.408 with 11 home runs in the 92 games he played in.  Over the course of last season, he struck out 103 times in his 333 at-bats.

Good looking swing, gets the ball out of his glove quick…solid video.

He’s got a big frame and could potentially hit for power once he figures out pitching/his swing.  Jackson still could offer big offensive upside and he is young enough to solve the contact and plate discipline issues.  Now it’s the Braves coaches job to help figure out his issues and correct them.

MLB.com has already updated their prospect list…Alex Jackson slots in at number 13 for the Braves.

If the Braves intend to put Jackson behind the plate again, this could be a huge trade.  In his two and a half year MLB career, his bat hasn’t translated to a “power bat”.  Maybe that’s why Seattle wanted to part ways, or maybe it was something else.

Next: Braves Wanted: Catchers for a Framing Job

Either way, we all trust Braves General Manager John Coppolella now, right?  Right!