The Future is Now! Braves Shortstop Prospect Pegged as Long-Term Solution
The Atlanta Braves shortstop situation remains a question mark heading into 2025. Even with prospects down the pipeline, we could still be seeing some turnover at the position over the next few seasons. However, the endpoint could see them settle into having a prospect down the pipeline become their guy.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter put out a five-year plan for each MLB. For the Braves, Orlando Arcia is expected to stick around for 2025 and then that’s all she wrote for him.
Nacho Alvarez Jr., the Braves No. 4 prospect in 2024, would then take over the position. However, Reuter gives him three years as the shortstop in Atlanta. Come 2029, Jose Perdomo, the Braves No. 8 prospect, will swoop in and take over the spot.
“[Alvarez] may end up just keeping the position warm for Perdomo,” Reuter wrote.
Alvarez made his Major League debut last season following second baseman Ozzie Albies suffering a wrist injury. It was a short stay with the Braves, eight games, and he wasn’t ready. He batted .100 in 30 at-bats and didn’t draw a walk or have an extra-base hit.
In 64 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, Alvarez slashed .297/.398/.463 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. That’s about 23 home runs and 98 RBIs over a 150-game Triple-A season. He’s shown promise as well in previous Spring Training seasons. Last spring he batted .263 in 19 at-bats. How he performs in a couple weeks will tell a lot about what could be coming.
Perdomo is much further down the pipeline. He signed with the Braves at the start of the 2024 signing period with a $5 million bonus. He was the No. 3 eligible prospect at the time of his signing.
The 18-year-old prospect has played eight games in the rookie-ball level Dominican Summer League. In 22 plate appearances, he tallied five hits (all singles) and two walks and stole two bases. MLB.com doesn’t expect his debut to come until 2029. Talk about timing.
So if this is how it were to play out, the Braves would be continuing to figure out the shortstop position over the next few years. But potentially, there is an end in sight. Perdomo is implied to be the future of the team at this position.
