"Nacho" average infielder

Braves infielder named as a prospect to watch by MLB.com

MLB.com recently released an article profiling a standout prospect to watch for each team in the majors...and for the Atlanta Braves, it may not be who you would expect. Most people would expect it to be one of the Braves' many pitching prospects that we have on the team. MLB.com's Braves beat writer, Mark Bowman, went another route:

Ignacio "Nacho" Alvarez Jr., an infielder from Fontana, California, and a member of the 2022 draft class, was the prospect named as the one to watch. Nacho was the 155th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of Riverside Community College. In 2022, he played for Atlanta's rookie and Single-A squads. He had a .287 batting average with three doubles, two triples, a homer, and 11 RBI. 

In 2023, he was sent to Rome to play for the Braves High-A squad. He played in 116 games and had a .284 batting average with 24 doubles, seven homers, and 66 RBI. He was a shortstop on those teams but he can play anywhere on the infield. He was invited to Spring Training last season as well and actually played well. He had a .364 batting average in six games of action last year. So far in 2024, he's hitting .375 with a .583 on-base percentage. 

Alvarez will just be turning 21 in April. His future looks very bright with the organization. Orlando Arcia's contract expires in 2025 but he has a club option for 2026. There is a chance that Alvarez could be ready for the bigs by that time. Nacho was ranked the No. 7 prospect in the Braves system last year by MLB Pipeline and they believe his ETA to Atlanta is in 2025. This could all work out perfectly.