A Salty Situation

Making his debut tonight as the Braves face the Phillies will be Jarrod Saltalamacchia. It is his 22nd birthday so it makes for a nice storyline as well, but the West Palm Beach native needs to contribute right away if this call-up is worthwhile. When I did a top 30 prospect list in the offseason, I put Salty at 2nd behind Elvis Andrus. He has done everything to stake his claim to the top spot on the list, actually, but can he step in immediately and play well?

The Braves need him, too. Here is what I wrote in Raw Numbers #19.

With Salty, his 2006 season needs to be taken into context. He suffered from a wrist injury and considering the fact he turned 21 last May, he was pretty young to play in the Southern League. Whether or not he repeats the level next year, Salty still remains among the crème of the crop as far as prospects go in the organization and one of the top three catcher prospects in the minor leagues. His power struggled last year, but he showed explosive power with Myrtle Beach in 2005. Posting a .200 IsoSLG while playing half of your games in that pitcher’s paradise is astonishing.

Salty has the potential to be the best power hitter the Braves have developed in a decade. His plate discipline is incredible and he is able to rebound as he should, Salty will once again re-establish himself as one of the best prospects in baseball. However, will he go the Andy Marte way and find himself traded or will he be moved to a position so the Braves can get him into the lineup? Hopefully, the latter.

ETA: Mid-to-Late 2008

I was a bit off.