Braves Sign Contact-Hitting Dominican Shortstop: Report
The Atlanta Braves have yet to add a shortstop to compete with Orlando Arcia this offseason. But to open the international signing period, the Braves signed Dominican shortstop Yassel Garcia.
Former Braves international scout Luis Santos-Bejarán hyped Garcia as having good contact at the plate.
"One of the best things for a young Latin player is the ability to put the bat on the ball," Santoa-Bejarán wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "That's what Yasser brings to the table. This kid has average to above average contact skill."
Although it was a very small sample, Garcia went 4-for-6 with four singles and a run scored in 11 games while playing in the Cuban National Series. He turned 23 years old in Oct.
Garcia is one of three players the Braves signed on the first day of the international signing period. The other two were outfielders Diego Tornes, who received a $2.5 million signing bonus and Elias Reyno.
The Braves are also expected to sign two other shortstops from Venezuela -- Angel Carmona and Manuel Campos. Finally, Dominican right-handed pitcher Raudy Reyes is projected to ink a contract with the Braves as well.
Clearly, the Braves appear to be targeting shortstops on the international market. That's interesting considering Atlanta already has a few top shortstop prospects in their minor league system.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. is the No. 4-ranked prospect in the Braves sytem according to MLB.com. Shortstop Jose Perdomo is only in rookie ball, but MLB.com also rated him as one of Atlanta's top 10 prospects heading into 2025.
Infielders athletic enough to play shortstop, though, can typically transition to another infield position. Shortstop prospects tend to also hold a lot of value on the MLB trade market.
Atlanta's shortstop situation in the minor leagues isn't likely to deter the Braves adding an MLB-ready shortstop for the 2025 season. Orlando Arcia is returning, but the Braves could pursue an upgrade over the final few weeks of the offseason.
Arcia hit .218 with a .625 OPS in 157 games last season.