What the Atlanta Braves are getting in Zack Short

The Atlanta Braves continue to refine their bench.

After some trades Thursday morning, the Braves sent incumbent utilityman Luis Guillorme to the Los Angeles Angels and replaced him with Zack runsacquired from the Boston Red Sox for cash after Boston DFAed him over the weekend.

There are things to like about President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos’ decision.

Luis Guillorme was there because his defense was… good all over the field. Zack Short is the same way, but with a higher defensive ceiling: he can finish a game or a series if you’re injured, but you don’t want him as an everyday starter.

But despite the loss of Guillorme’s left-handed stick, there’s reason to think these two trades can potentially get you more from an offensive standpoint (and not just because he’s faster than Guillorme, although that help): Short has some hidden potential in there. bat.

He hasn’t shown that potential yet, mind you: Short is a career .169 hitter in 469 plate appearances, with just thirteen home runs against 138 strikeouts.

Yet the potential is there.

Here is a list of players who have earned 250 plate appearances since the start of 2023 and have the combination of a pursuit rate below 20%, a contact rate above 80%, and a barrel rate of 8% or better:

Juan Soto
Seiya Suzuki
Lars Nootbaar
Tommy Pham
Mike Yastrzemski
LaMonte Wade Jr.
Mitch Garver
Mike Trout
Zack runs

Do you see where this is going?

Short’s career chase rate is 17.3%, more than 10% better than the MLB average (28.4%). While his power isn’t absurd – his career-high exit velocity is 108.2 and his average of 87.6 is within 1 mph of the MLB average of 88.5 – he has posted a barrel rate of 8.7% in this sample, almost two percent higher than the MLB average. rate of 6.9%.

Simply put: Zack Short may be… short on overall power (sorry), but he’s shown the ability to make optimal contact.

(Making more contact, however, is something I’d like to see Short do. His career zone contact rate – how often he hits balls in the strike zone when he swings – doesn’t is only 78.4% compared to the MLB average of 82.0%).

A guy who hits the league minimum with five years of team control remaining, better defense at shortstop, better speed, and some sort of offensive potential remaining to be unlocked is better than the alternative (Guillorme) , especially when this alternative cost you $1.1 million. and was only there for one more season.

It’s a small gesture, but it all depends on what hitting coach Kevin Seitzer does with it. This could pay off down the line.