The Atlanta Braves didn’t play it safe with their seven Arizona Fall League selections, sending two pitchers that saw some time in MLB this season (Darius Vines and Dylan Dodd) as well as promising 2022 4th round infielder David McCabe.
And Atlanta’s been rewarded for their faith, at least so far.
Vines put up one of the most dominant starts in recent AFL history on Tuesday, striking out nine batters in his first AFL start and allowing only one run on four hits across 4.2 innings with no walks.
Vines was sent to the AFL to catch up on innings; he got only 69.2 innings between the minors and Atlanta this season due to a shoulder injury earlier in the year that delayed his season debut to June. He pitched well upon returning, putting up a 2.36 ERA in his 34.1 Gwinnett starts. There’s questions about his ceiling at the major league level, however, as his fastballs tops out around 90 mph and he allowed nine runs and three homers in just twenty innings of MLB work late this season. The quality of his changeup, along with his accompanying slider and cutter may allow him to work in a back of the rotation role.
McCabe’s been an offensive force on a Salt River team that’s not hurting for talent – eleven games into the AFL season, his .510 batting average is behind only Colorado’s Sterlin Thompson for the team lead and his fifteen walks paces the entire AFL. While he hasn’t yet hit a home run, he’s batting 11-35 with two doubles, seven runs, six RBIs, and a stolen base.
Of possibly greater importance is the quality defensive work he’s getting in the corner infield – after a college career at Charlotte that was focused mostly on designated hitter and first base, McCabe played mostly third base this season and is rotating between both corner spots in Arizona. As Atlanta doesn’t have a prototypical corner infield option on their bench, there’s runway for a utility role at the major league level if McCabe continues to develop and can tap into his collegiate power.
Here’s how the rest of Atlanta’s AFL contingent is faring so far:
Atlanta’s position players
OF Keyshawn Ogans: After a solid season in high-A Rome, Atlanta’s 20th round pick in 2022 is 12-38, w/ five runs, seven RBIs, 2 BB/7 Ks, and 2/2 on stolen bases.
C Tyler Tolve: The lefty hitting catcher is 4 for 26 in the AFL, with two walks to ten strikeouts. But he’s been focusing on the defense in Arizona, getting extra work in with Salt River coaches in an attempt to stick behind the plate.
Atlanta’s pitchers
SP Dylan Dodd: Dodd, who similar to Vines, missed time this season due to injury, has already gotten two starts in AFL action. Pitching ten innings, he’s allowed four runs on ten hits (two homers) with two walks to fourteen strikeouts.
RP Jake McSteen: He was the only reliever to not allow a run when we discussed him on Tuesday’s episode of Locked On MLB Prospects.
So much for that – McSteen allowed four runs in 2/3rds of an inning after that show aired, giving him a 6.75 ERA across four appearances, covering 5.1 innings. (Prior to the show, he had pitched 4.2 innings with no hits, no runs – earned or unearned – and six strikeouts. The only batter to reach against McSteen was via HBP.)
RP Patrick Halligan: A promising middle-relief option for Atlanta with a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a slider and a splitter, Halligan’s appeared in four games and struck out three, with five walks and six hits.
RP Brooks Wilson: Wilson’s got the exact same earned run total (7) and innings count (3.2) as Halligan, but with both more walks (six) and strikeouts (7). Allowing only three hits on the season, Wilson’s still trying to find his command after Tommy John surgery in 2022 and only 13.1 game innings this season.
