Atlanta Braves Rebuild Continues: Hale and Schlosser Head to Rockies

The Atlanta Braves continue to rebuild, as MLB.com reports they shipped out two pitchers from the previous regime for a couple of backstop prospects. The Colorado Rockies are getting two major league ready pitchers who should be able to help their club in 2015. This looks like a move that can help both teams, as it’s impossible to know who this trade favors at this point.

What the Rockies are getting

The Rockies seem to always need pitching help, and David Hale and Gus Schlosser seems like the perfect arms to help out at least until some of their top pitching prospects are ready.

Hale is definitely the most noteworthy name in this trade after coming off a solid year with Atlanta. In 45 games last season (including 6 starts), he posted a 3.30 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. The ERA has always been consistent for Hale through the minors, but there isn’t really anything else that jumps out at you. He has low strikeout numbers (44 in 87 IP) and allowed over a hit per inning. For a pitcher who isn’t going to overpower hitters, walking 39 batters was also a high number.

Having never been a top prospect, it’s hard to imagine Hale becoming a fantastic pitcher. His best pitch is his sinker, which he relies on heavily to induce grounders. His best attribute may be his versatility, as he was able to pitch effectively as a starter and as a reliever last year. There’s a good chance he can become a serviceable pitcher in the big leagues in either role.

Schlosser made his major league debut in Atlanta as a reliever, and he was pretty unspectacular. A lot of his game is similar to Hale, having some success as a starter in the minors despite low strikeout numbers. Schlosser also pitches to contact, trying to get batters to pound the ball into the ground rather than blow it by them.

Unlike Hale, Schlosser didn’t have much success as a reliever in 2014. Some players aren’t as good as others at pitching out of the pen, especially after starting for the previous three seasons. It is probably still worth trying him out of the pen again in 2015, as he might not have good enough stuff to be a full time starter pitcher.

More from MLB Prospects

What the Braves are getting

New GM John Hart is undergoing one of the biggest prospect overhauls we’ve ever seen in one off-season. With Christian Bethancourt slated to be the everyday catcher and the trade of Evan Gattis, the team was definitely thin on catching depth.

22-year old Jose Briceno is the better prospect acquired in the deal after enjoying a very productive season in Class-A ball in 2014. Signed by the Rockies in 2009, the Venezuelan took three years to get out of Rookie Ball after an injury in his 2012 campaign. After not showing much power in his first few years, he has posted double digit homer numbers in 2013 and 2014. He hit for a solid .283 batting average last season, but doesn’t walk a whole lot so his on base percentage wasn’t anything special at .336.

Briceno is more known for his bat, but he is improving as a receiver behind the dish. He has a strong arm as well, throwing out 44 percent of base stealers last season. The 6-foot-1, 210 pounder will probably spend the bulk of 2015 at Double-A Mississippi, where his bat will be very interesting to follow.

Chris O’Dowd (son of former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd) was the other backstop acquired in the deal. The 24-year old spent 2014 split between Single-A and Double-A, posting a combined .271/.335/.385, with five homers and 45 RBI’s. The one thing about O’Dowd’s game that sticks out is his speed. He stole 23 bags last season, while only being caught five times. This is obviously extremely rare as a catcher and could be a valuable skill for him as he progresses through the minors.

If he can post similar hitting numbers as he did last year in a full season in Double-A, O’Dowd could start making a push towards the big leagues. The 5-foot-11, 190 pounder will probably never be a star, but could become a solid backup in the future.

More from Call to the Pen

Home/MLB Prospects