Atlanta Braves Prospect Report - AFL, Week Two
Drake Baldwin continues to get a bulk of the playing time for Peoria and is performing well with it
The Arizona Fall League is used in different ways by MLB teams, depending on the organization. The most common uses of the offensively-focused league by MLB clubs is as either a prospect finishing league, getting upper-level prospects ready for their MLB debuts, or as a makeshift “Last Chance U”, where minor leaguers with a looming 40-man decision or uncertain prospect status get a final chance to make their case for protection from the winter’s Rule 5 draft or inclusion in the team’s plans going forward.
Additionally, most organizations also use it as a chance for injured prospects to catch up on missed time, getting valuable at-bats that help them get closer to their original development timelines.
And for Atlanta, it’s all three.
The Braves have sent a wide variety of prospects to Arizona this year, with top position prospect Drake Baldwin being joined by corner infielder David McCabe and first baseman Drew Compton. Baldwin is clearly in finishing school - the 2022 3rd-rounder spent just over half the season in Triple-A Gwinnett (batting .298 w/ a .891 OPS) and is looking to make his MLB debut in 2025. Compton, meanwhile, is one year removed from Rule 5 but is also not a rated prospect in the organization - joining Atlanta on a UDFA deal after being passed over in the 2023 MLB Draft, he’s looking to establish a prospect pedigree at first base in an organization that doesn’t really have any depth at the position behind MLB starter Matt Olson.
(McCabe’s in the third boat - having Tommy John surgery early this year, the burly infielder got in only 35 games this season for Double-A Mississippi, batting just .137 with an OPS under .500.)
What are Atlanta’s minor leaguers up to in Arizona? We’ll tell you.
(AFL week one’s prospect report is HERE)
Catcher Drake Baldwin
Total AFL line: .310/.375/.517 w/ 1HR, 1 3B, 1 2B, 6R, 4 RBI, 3BB to 5Ks
Baldwin continues to get almost full playing time in Arizona, starting in four of Peoria’s six games last week (three behind the plate) and hitting either 2nd or 3rd in each contest.
Baldwin finished the week 4-16, scoring two runs and driving in one additional. While he didn’t go deep, he did collect a TRIPLE for his only extra-base hit of the week.
Corner infielder David McCabe
Total AFL line: .385/.429/.462, 2B, 2R, 0 RBI, 1BB to 4Ks
Don’t let the overall line fool you - McCabe’s gotten in just three of Peoria’s nine games so far. He seems to be on a pretty strict rotation of a DH start followed by two games off before re-entering the lineup at DH.
He was remarkably consistent in those two starts last week, however, going 2-4 in each. All four hits were singles.
First baseman Drew Compton
Total AFL line: .235/.333/.353, 2B, 3R, 2 RBI, 2BB to 3Ks
Speaking of a rotation, Compton’s on a schedule, too: One game on, one game off.
Batting eighth, fifth, and cleanup in his three games, Compton combined to go 2-10 with two runs scored, an RBI, two walks and two strikeouts. He had one extra-base hit, a double, which was his first of the fall slate in his five games played.
Atlanta’s pitching in Peoria
Listen, pitching’s hard to do in the Arizona Fall League. In many ways, from the ballparks to the collection of hitters and even the restrictions most teams put on their arms, almost no one shines from the mound in Arizona each October.
Even with that caveat, this is rough.
Reliever Ryan Bourassa has gotten into three games, going 0-2 after allowing seven runs on eight hits in three innings.
Starter Adam Maier has allowed eight runs on twelve hits in just 4.1 innings1, walking four with the same number of strikeouts. He took the loss against Salt River on Friday, allowing six runs on seven hits in just 2.1, with Caleb Durbin tagging him for a two-run homer in the third on what looks to be a pretty bad place to leave a sinker:
It’s not all bad for Atlanta’s arms, however.
Hayden Harris has the best performance of the rest, allowing just two runs in four hits in his 4.2 innings, striking out nine against only two walks. The lefty reliever’s fastball isn’t overpowering, averaging just 92.1 in AAA Gwinnett this season, but hitters just can’t seem to pick it up very well.
Peoria’s innings leader is Landon Harper, who has six full innings pitched with only four runs allowed (three earned) on eight hits
Isaac Gallegos has gotten into three games, pitching 3.2 innings, and has allowed two runs on just one hit…although he has walked seven. While he also struck out seven, it’s a pretty rough loss of control, even for a guy that walked fifteen batters across 27 regular season innings.
That’s an ERA of 16.62, if you’re keeping score at home.