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Atlanta Braves Midseason Top 50 Prospects: The Top Ten

By Benjamin Chase

Jun 4, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson throws against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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6. Cristian Pache, OF, Rome Braves

A guy who was really catching my eye coming into the year, Pache has shown even more than I could have expected. While certainly still raw, Pache will be 18 all of this season in full season ball, and he’s certainly done nothing to show he doesn’t belong.

Pache was part of a two-prong signing that the Atlanta Braves undertook in the 2015 July 2nd class, signing he and Derian Cruz as the two primary expenditures. While Cruz has struggled outside of the GCL, Pache simply has not slowed down since he has hit the ground in the Braves system.

Pache split 2016 almost evenly between GCL and Danville, hitting .309/.349/.391 with 7 triples and 11 stolen bases over 57 games. While he did not hit a home run, he showed excellent barrel to ball ability that gave excellent hope for future power.

Defensively, Pache is flat-out elite. He has an incredible arm, having struck down 21 hapless runners via assist in just 124 defensive games in his minor league career thus far. He has double-plus instincts in the outfield with plus range.

Pache’s swing still needs some work for sure. He has an almost cross-handed effect to his swing, which certainly saps the power from his lightning-quick wrists. This year, Pache has worked to clean that up, and it’s led to more strikeouts as he adjusts his swing slowly but surely, but he has seen more consistent solid contact.

On the year in Rome, he’s hit .287/.342/.346 with 6 doubles and 5 triples with 17 stolen bases. After walking 5.5% of the time and striking out 10.2% of the time in 2016, Pache has seen those numbers move to 8% and 19.3% this season, which is an increase in both, but notably a change from a 2-1 K/BB ratio in 2016 to roughly 2.5-1 in 2017.

One of the youngest players in full season ball, it will be interesting to see if the Braves push Pache beyond Rome this year, though they typically like to let guys spend a developmental year with Rome if at all possible.

5. Mike Soroka, RHP, Mississippi Braves

One of the most polished pitchers in the entire 2015 draft, high school or college, no one could have predicted how well Soroka would have adapted to pro ball, even with all of his known polish and feel for pitching coming into the pro game.

Instead, he’s a guy whose stuff is probably on paper best seen as a back end starter yet the way he manipulates his pitches and sequences allows him to play up those raw pitches to a legit top 50 prospect in the entire game.

Soroka was jumped over high-A entering the 2017 season after a successful year at low-A at 18 years of age for the majority of the season. That meant that he’d be 19 for the season at AA. That was a considerable jump, but he has not just handled it, but thrived, earning a spot on the Futures Game roster for All Star game weekend.

For Mississippi in 2017, Soroka has already matched his 2016 win total as he’s sitting at 9-3 over 14 starts and 82 2/3 innings with a 2.18 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 17/71 BB/K ratio.

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