The Daily Chop: Pache, Pitching, and more

The Braves were rained out on Wednesday, delaying the major league debut of top prospect Cristian Pache. The delay is unfortunate, but buys Atlanta one game that would have been played without Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies. The club will also have the benefit of skipping ahead to Max Fried for their next game on Friday.

Braves News

Cristian Pache: A Statistical Profile on the Newest Atlanta Brave

Take a look at this breakdown of newest Braves outfielder Cristian Pache. Garrett dives into the potential that has so many evaluators excited for Pache to arrive. The 21-year-old has been heralded as a future Gold Glove outfielder, but his offense has been a question mark.

There’s not a lot of doubt that Pache has the ability to be a superstar with the bat. He’s a premium athlete who has shown raw power and contact ability, but his swing mechanics and late development have made him more of a wild card going forward. Pache to his credit has never had a level where it was clear he was overwhelmed and wasn’t hitting, and you can see that in that his lowest batting average through any full season came last year at .277. This all despite him reaching Triple-A at age 20. There are still concerns over his hitting ability though, and they boil down to his numbers beyond just his raw slash line.

An excited Pache more than ready for debut

“I just like to think of myself as a fun ballplayer who works really hard and gives maximum effort out there,” Pache said through an interpreter. “I like to think I put out that kind of performance where I leave it all out there on the field.”

What to expect from Cristian Pache in bigs

Jonathan Mayo gives another breakdown of Pache:

And while it’s possible Pache’s stay could be brief — Markakis could be reinstated quickly — there’s also reason to believe he could get a chance to show what he can do. While current center fielder Ender Inciarte does have a modest three-game hitting streak going, he’s still managed just a .226/.304/.258 line. Pache’s calling card early on has been his defense, for good reason, and he’s the only hitter in the Top 100 with three 70 grades. But his offense has improved as he’s developed and could provide a boost in the lineup should the Braves allow him to stick around even when Acuña and Markakis return.

How To Fix The Braves’ Young Pitching

Garrett shares his thoughts on the current state of the Braves young starting pitchers, who have been a volatile group this season. The group is a large one, which allows Atlanta to experiment in this crazy season. Hopefully the club can find multiple arms that are able to stick around.

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