Prospects losing valuable developmental time with season on hold

Bill Shanks has thoughts on the valuable time being lost by prospects in the Braves farm sysem.

Bill Shanks talks about the valuable time being lost by the prospects with the season on hold.

 The season is on pause, and while most of us are focused on how this will impact the Major League Baseball season, we cannot forget about the hundreds of minor leaguers whose development has been halted.

For the Braves, several prospects who were not far away now have to wait even longer before making it to Atlanta.

Some, like Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson, were likely itching to get back to do better in 2020. Others, like Kyle Muller and Ian Anderson, hoped a short stay in Triple-A Gwinnett would have them knocking on the door for a big-league debut sometime this summer.

And then there are the two outfielders, Drew Waters and Cristian Pache. Both are top-rated players who were likely headed to Gwinnett. Waters struck out a lot in spring training, so the Braves are certain to want to see Waters improve at the plate.

Pache showed in March he might be closer to Atlanta than Pache, and you have to wonder if the great defense Pache plays could get him a spot on an expanded roster once the season begins. They may want Pache to play every day, but since he’s the best defender in the organization, the Braves may want him in Atlanta.

Then there are the two draft picks from last year – Shea Langeliers and Braden Shewmake. Both did well in spring training, and the Braves must be anxious to see both in their first full minor league season.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.