Unowned
Bryce Ball, IF
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Scouting report
Ball hasn't just hit, he’s mashed everywhere he’s gone. In two years at North Iowa Area Community College, he put up an 1.108 OPS. Transferring to Dallas Baptist for his junior year, he dipped to a 1.057 mark. Still, he wasn't heavily scouted and the Braves nabbed him in the 24th round of the 2019 draft. From there, he just kept crushing baseballs, putting up a 1.023 OPS in his 62-game pro debut. Ball is an exceptionally large human being who combines raw strength and long levers to produce easy, double-plus raw power. What separates him from most power goofs is some intrinsic hitting ability as well, as while he'll never be confused with Luis Arraez, he makes more contact than most players with his profile. His approach got a bit aggressive following a promotion to Low-A Rome in 2019, and he needs to begin focusing more on pitches he can drive as opposed to ones he can merely hit. Ball’s value is entirely wrapped up in his offensive prowess. While he moves well for his size, he’s still a below average runner and inconsistent defender. Bat-only prospects are exceptionally risky, and Ball adds to the variety of outcomes by turning 23 this year (his birthday is in July) and having yet to play a full season in the minors. He’s looked overmatched at times this spring, but Atlanta is no doubt excited to see if he can put up another quadruple-digit OPS line in 2021. (Alternate site)