Calling Up Braves Top Prospect Nacho Alvarez Could Slow His Development

In a desperate bid to solve the Atlanta Braves offensive woes, rushing top prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. to the show could harm his development.

Atlanta Braves prospect Nacho Alvarez has been hot at Triple-A Gwinnett / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve reached the point of sounding like a broken record when discussing the Atlanta Braves offense. Even when they deliver, they can’t win a game where they give up four or more runs. Make that 28 straight losses now. 

It’s been a frustrating season, and fans will want quick fixes to turn the season around. A notable idea has been that the Braves should turn to prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. 

Alvarez is currently the Braves’ No. 6 prospect and their top position player prospect. So far, he’s looked great for Triple-A Gwinnett batting .354 and having a 1.028 OPS. Those numbers are rightfully catching everyone’s attention.

NACHO SAID MY TURN.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. extends yesterday's run party with a 3-run @SoFi home run in the second! pic.twitter.com/g3c0jh6meo

— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) July 5, 2024

Might as well give the young guy a shot, right? Maybe not. 

This is going to be a bit of a hot take given how the season is going, but it might be best for Alvarez to stay in Triple-A for a bit longer. 

Save the argument of how he’s killing it right now in Triple-A. We know he’s doing great. But he’s played in 19 games with 93 plate appearances. We can agree that’s a small sample size. 

Give him another 30 games to see if his numbers are sustainable, especially the power surge. Alvarez’s five home runs in Triple-A are the only home runs he’s hit all season. He hit zero in 48 Double-A games. 

Speaking of those Double-A numbers, Alvarez saw the ball well in his first month just like he currently is in Triple-A. That first month also happens to be a 19-game sample size. He batted .300 and had a .731 OPS. Pretty good for your first month at that level. 

May was a different story. In 26 games, he batted .244 with an OPS of .669. Now that he’s in Triple-A he’s back to seeing teams and pitchers who haven’t faced him before and have less info on him. Another month and that could change. 

If Alvarez had been dominating from start to finish at every level, then it could be concluded he’s ready for Atlanta. But since he hasn’t, we might be rushing to call him up. If he’s still sustaining those eye-popping numbers in about 30 games, then make the call. 

The last thing the Braves need is to call up a top prospect and have him not be ready. Remember when the Orioles called up Jackson Holliday after 10 stellar games? That didn’t go well - he went 2-for-34 (.059) - and Holliday has been back in Triple-A ever since. 

The Braves risk throwing a prospect into the fire just for no fortunes to change. Fans won’t feel any better than they do now. 

There can be a much larger payoff by simply playing the waiting game and being patient with one of the future pieces of the team.