Pache, Anderson and Riley among names invited to Atlanta Braves ST

The Atlanta Braves announced 20 non-roster prospects and depth signees that will be joining the club in Florida for spring training

As the days are counting down until baseball is back, the Atlanta Braves added more coal to the fire but dropping the list of non-roster names that will be getting invites to Disney.

Many of the names are obvious such as top prospects Ian Anderson, Austin Riley, Cristian Pache but also there were names like Drew Waters, Kyle Muller, William Contreras and more!

There were also names that were recently signed to minor league deals with invites such as INF Andres Blanco and OFs Ryan LaMarre and Rafael Ortega. These guys are the typical depth moves that receive invites and will either stay with organization after ST and go to AAA or take a release and try to attach to another club.

Who’s On The List

Of the 20 players, there are 6 pitchers, 3 catchers, 6 infielders and 5 outfielders:

• Pitchers: RHP Ian Anderson, LHP Joey Wentz, LHP Kyle Muller, LHP Thomas Burrows, LHP Corbin Clouse, and LHP Tucker Davidson
• Catchers: William Contreras, Carlos Martinez, Jonathan Morales
• Infielders: Austin Riley, Luis Marte, Sean Kazmar, Pedro Florimon, Andres Blanco, and C.J. Alexander
• Outfielders: Cristian Pache, Drew Waters, Greyson Jenista, Ryan LaMarre, and Rafael Ortega

Anderson, the only righty on the list, is ranked as the Braves #3 prospect by MLB Pipeline and their #1 pitching prospect (#2 behind Riley overall) by Baseball America.

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Austin Riley, the next big bat after Ronald Acuña Jr. graduated, is now the organization’s #1 positional prospect. Like I said above, according to BA, he is their #1 overall prospect (#5 for Pipeline).

It was a little surprising to many last season when Riley wasn’t a part of the September call-ups. Now, it’ll seem more unlikely for him to be make the cut for opening day with the addition of Josh Donaldson and the plan for Riley to work some reps in the outfield.

However, he’ll be in Atlanta sooner than later in 2019 if all goes right.

Catching prospect William Contreras is the next in line to be deemed “Catcher of the Future” for the Braves with many speaking highly of him and also getting the rub of being the younger brother to Willson Contreras, who is seen as one of the top catchers today.

Contreras has gradually bypass another Braves catching prospect, Alex Jackson, who has taken a couple steps back in 2018.

The Braves will have two top OF prospects roaming around in Cristian Pache and Drew Waters. Pache recently got A LOT of praise including being named “Best Defender” by Pipeline and received multiple compliments from his teammates during the Top 100 reveal last Saturday.

While Pache is getting recognized for his defense (and improved batting), Waters is believed by some to be the next 5-tool star. Waters hit .293 for Florida and Rome last season and was recently ranked as #86 in Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects to give Braves 8 players in total.

To Finish Up The List

Two guys that have been linked together pretty much since they were drafted by the Braves are Kyle Muller and Joey Wentz (plus Ian Anderson), its similar to how when some mentions Mike Soroka, Kolby Allard would come up in the conversation.

Wentz and Muller are two lefties that have high ceilings and will mostly come up later in the season like Touissaint and Wright did last season.

Jenista, the other OF prospect to get an invite is a fresh name, being drafted just last year. Baseball America gave him the title of “Best Strike-Zone Discipline” of the Braves prospects. In his short period with the organization, he turned in a .265 average with Danville, Rome and Florida.

Other names to keep an eye on are Davidson and Burrows, both who could become bullpen arms in 2019, especially Burrows who pitched to a 2.66 across 3 levels last season.

The Truth

These guys will work out with the active roster through spring training with the possibility of earning a spot on the opening day roster. As of right now, the 40-man roster is at full capacity and already loaded with other top prospects like Soroka, Kyle Wright, and Touki Toussaint.

Many names like Wentz and Pache will most likely not make the cut out of spring training but it will allow to taste what the routine is like in the majors, what it’s like playing with potential future teammates and against possible future opponents.

It will also be a chance for many fans to see what the future looks like who might not catch Gwinnett and Rome games on the norm. It will allow them to see the hype, much like how Acuna Jr. put on a .432 show last spring (man time flies).

Pitchers and catchers will report Feb. 15 and start workouts the next day. The WHOLE team have their first full workout on Feb. 21.