Atlanta Braves: Cristian Pache has his opening

Cristian Pache is the Atlanta Braves center fielder of the future, but he could be their right fielder of the present.

It was thought that, at some point in the 2020 MLB season, Cristian Pache would make his presence felt for the Atlanta Braves. The expectation was that he would receive some time in AAA to prove that his improvements in 2019 were not a fluke, with his potentially getting called up around midseason.

At least, that was the thought should the 2020 MLB have occurred in the expected way. Instead, due to the ongoing pandemic, rosters have been expanded to 30 players, and the season has been condensed into 60 games. There was a chance that Pache would have a spot on that initial Opening Day roster or, at the very least, be recalled from the taxi squad shortly thereafter.

Then came the news on Monday that Nick Markakis was opting out for the season. This came on the heels of Felix Hernandez‘s decision on Sunday to opt-out as well. Meanwhile, four members of the Braves, including Freddie Freeman, tested positive for COVID-19.

There are now openings in the Braves lineup. Pache’s defense has been considered major league ready for the past year or two, but there were questions about his ability to hit. He began to answer those last season, producing a .277/.340/.462 batting line with 36 doubles and 12 homers between AA and AAA.

While Pache has primarily spent time in center, he also began seeing action in right last year. His strong arm would certainly play in right field, and he showed excellent range in his 26 games in right last season.

Pache is the future at center, so any move to right field would be a temporary move. But this would be a move that would benefit the Braves, as they would have a pair of Gold Glove caliber outfielders. In the shortened 2020 season, their outfield defense could make a difference between the playoffs and being on the outside looking in.

The door is open for Cristian Pache to stake his claim as part of the Atlanta Braves outfield. If he can show anything with the bat at the major league level, he may never return to the minors.