The Braves added infield depth on Monday night time, buying shortstop Nick Allen from the Athletics. Atlanta despatched minor league reliever Jared Johnson again in a one-for-one swap. The acquisition pushes Atlanta’s 40-man roster depend to 38.
Allen has exhausted his choice seasons, which probably motivated this transfer. Going ahead, he must both be on an lively roster or else faraway from the 40-man solely. All groups are going to be quickly dealing with roster crunches, because the Rule 5 safety deadline is simply over every week away.
As a prospect, Allen received loads of consideration for his glovework. The query was whether or not or not he would hit. He definitely hasn’t produced with the bat on the main league degree to date, as he presently sports activities a line of .209/.254/.283 in his 760 plate appearances. He has acquired sturdy critiques for his shortstop protection, additionally spending a while at second and third base, however that offensive manufacturing interprets to a wRC+ of simply 53.
The leads to the minors have been much more encouraging. Over the previous two years, Allen has stepped to the plate 541 instances on the Triple-A degree, handing over a .341/.428/.503 batting line. The previous third-round decide doesn’t must hit a lot to be a viable utility choice given the energy of his glove. His Triple-A numbers are certainly inflated by the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League, however they provide hope that there’s slightly extra potential with the bat than he’s proven within the majors.
Allen has bottom-of-the-scale energy. Even his massive manufacturing within the minors has include simply 12 residence runs in almost 200 video games. He has strong bat-to-ball abilities, making contact at a better than common charge in each Triple-A and the majors. Allen walked extra usually than he struck out this 12 months in Triple-A. The Braves have acquired comparable gamers, Nicky Lopez and David Fletcher, in current seasons. Neither spent a lot time on the MLB roster.
The 26-year-old Allen might have a greater alternative to stay round. Orlando Arcia had a dreadful offensive 12 months in his personal proper, hitting .218/.271/.354 throughout 602 plate appearances. That’s nonetheless higher than what Allen has proven in his main league profession, however Arcia’s maintain on the place most likely isn’t sturdy. Atlanta ought to stay out there for clearer upgrades.
From an A’s perspective, they’re shifting on from a participant who as soon as ranked among the many higher place participant skills within the system. That’s disappointing however not stunning given Allen’s lackluster manufacturing thus far. They’re hopeful that Jacob Wilson is the long-term reply at shortstop, whereas Darell Hernaiz had additionally surpassed Allen on the infield depth chart.
Johnson, 23, spent this previous season in Excessive-A. He had a pleasant 12 months within the later innings, handing over a 2.60 ERA throughout 52 frames. The previous 14th-round decide fanned 26.4% of opponents however walked almost 12% of batters confronted. He’s a lottery ticket bullpen piece who will probably be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until the A’s add him to their 40-man roster subsequent week.
Picture courtesy of Imagn.