John Hart has completely revamped the Atlanta Braves this offseason. He made one last move before the season kicked off, and in doing so, he added yet another promising young arm to his ever growing arsenal.
The Braves sent all-world closer Craig Kimbrel along with fallen star Melvin Upton, Jr. to the San Diego Padres for Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck and the 41st pick in the MLB Draft. Quentin and Maybin are simply placeholders. Wisler and Paroubeck are key components to the future that the new Braves’ General Manager has envisioned.
More from MLB Prospects
- Is Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Ivan Melendez the next Pete Alonso?
- Los Angeles Dodgers prospect talk: Catching up with Hunter Feduccia
- MLBPA secures major victory for Minor League Baseball players
- Phillies: Breaking down the prospects fighting for an Opening Day spot
- What the XFL can learn from minor league baseball
Matt Wisler is a 22-year old righty who was drafted in the seventh round in 2011 by the Padres. He has quickly pitched his way up the Padres ladder and after all of their offseason moves, sat as their No. 4 rated prospect.
Wisler had a solid 2013 over High-A and Double-A going a combined 10-6 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 131 strikeouts over 136 innings. The 6 foot 3 righty struggled in his Triple-A PCL debut, but in the home run happy league, what pitcher doesn’t?
He has a four pitch arsenal highlighted by his mid-90s sinker and deceiving changeup. He adds in a low-80s slider and a mid-70s curveball. Where Wisler struggles is consistency with his mechanics. Last season especially, he failed in repeating his arm slot, which often results in pitches left up high in the strike zone. Mistakes like that get taken advantage of in the PCL.
This is a huge acquisition for the Braves, perhaps not now, but in the not so distant future. The Braves now have Max Fried, Michael Foltynewicz, Manny Banuelos, Lucas Sims and Wisler priming themselves in their farm system. With Julio Teheran and Alex Wood both just 24, the Braves’ starting rotation could be returning to the glory years soon.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
The Braves also added outfield depth in their minor league system, something that is needed with the mix and match outfield they have currently on their big league roster. Jordan Paroubeck was the Padres second round pick in 2013 right out of high school. The 20-year old future left fielder made his debut last season, and it was a good start.
Paroubeck slashed .286/.346/.457 while adding four home runs, 8 doubles and two triples in just 34 games. He is known for his bat speed and raw power, and the fact that he received hitting lessons from Barry Bonds growing up. He is a switch hitter that seemingly hits equally well from both sides of the plate.
Paroubeck is still a work in progress and will likely start the year in Low-A ball. He should quickly ascend the ranks and should he come into his own, Paroubeck could top out at Double-A this year.
The 2015 Atlanta Braves hardly resemble last season’s rendition, but that necessarily isn’t a bad thing. The Braves had high expectations last season, and fell way short of them. Their depleted farm system was a far cry from their storied past of prospects produced on an annual basis. John Hart has taken the reigns and made this his own team. While they won’t be able to compete this season, there are brighter days ahead for Braves’ fans.