Braves World Series run paid dividends for arch rival, too

When the Atlanta Braves took Shea Langeliers on a whirlwind World Series run, they inadvertently helped the Philadelphia Phillies land their own prospect.

With a much slower news cycle in a locked out offseason, MLB fans turn a microscope to prospective signings as teams survey the landscape for new talent to acquire. In that focus, Phillies insider Jim Salisbury noticed a remarkable connection between the Atlanta Braves and their bitter NL East rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Because the Braves went all the way to an unprecedented World Series victory, catcher Shea Langeliers stayed on with the Atlanta team for their championship run. And because Langeliers was with the Braves, Logan O’Hoppe stepped up to start as catcher.

Initially, O’Hoppe was expected to sneak in reps when he could behind Langeliers. “He would get some at-bats as the designated hitter,” Salisbury described. “There was also some talk about him taking a few ground balls at first base.”

O’Hoppe got to show off his game, featuring more prominently on the Phillies’ radar as one of their top prospects—all because Langeliers was in Atlanta.

“I lucked out,” O’Hoppe said.

Braves catcher Shea Langeliers helps a Phillies prospect get his shot in the big leagues

Before he was called up to the Braves, Langeliers was considered “the best defensive catcher in the Minors.”

Langeliers “showed his power is going to play, with his 22 home runs tying him with fellow 2019 Draft classmate Rutschman for sixth among all catchers in the Minor Leagues,” wrote Jonathan Mayo back in September.

More recently, Langeliers made the MLB’s Pipeline All-Defense Second Team. Langeliers also represented the Braves alongside Cristian Pache on the FanGraphs Top 100 Prospect list.

Even though Langeliers is sitting behind Travis d’Arnaud and Manny Piña, the powerful 24-year-old prospect is “expected to be a foundational piece for future contending Braves teams.”

If Langeliers continues to luck out the way his former teammate O’Hoppe has, he could become the Braves’ starting catcher by 2023.