MLB Rumors: 3 prospects Braves should avoid trading for Dylan Cease
By Mark Powell
2. Ignacio Alvarez is a rare highly-ranked Braves position player prospect
Ignacio Alvarez is the Braves top-ranked position player prospect in a pool full of starting pitchers. Naturally, Atlanta should try to hold on to Alvarez rather than trade him away, as it would thin out the number of available infield prospects in their system.
Alvarez was drafted in the fifth round in the 2022 MLB Draft, and has impressed so far in the minor leagues. At just 20 years old, Alvarez made it as high as A-ball in Rome, hitting .284 with a .395 on-base percentage, showing a surprising amount of plate presence for such a raw talent. Here is some of MLB Pipeline's summary of Alvarez's skillset:
"The Braves feel they may have found an undiscovered gem in Alvarez, who some teams didn’t even turn in for the 2022 Draft. The right-handed hitter has well-above-average contact skills with quick hands at the plate and a very advanced approach. He drew many more walks than strikeouts during his pro debut, replicating his output at Riverside. He’s definitely hit-over-power, though he should grow into more extra-base authority as he matures."
In the Cease scenario I mentioned earlier, the Braves seem likely to trade Vaughn Grissom in any deal for the White Sox ace. In doing so, they will have dealt two of their top young shortstop prospects in the same offseason, as Braden Shewmake was also sent to the south side of Chicago as part of the Aaron Bummer deal.
Keeping Alvarez around makes even more sense then, as he can play shortstop and third base.