MLB Pipeline names McCabe, Smith-Shawver as Atlanta's top prospects for 2023

MLB Pipeline, the prospect arm of MLB.com, have named the Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year for the Atlanta Braves, giving the awards to David McCabe and AJ Smith-Shawver.

Here are the Hitting & Pitching Prospects of the Year for each organization, a list that includes 14 Top 100 prospects and just one repeat winner from a year ago: https://t.co/zI4h7zCWIv pic.twitter.com/ZkRw5LrZth
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 12, 2023

Here's what MLB Pipeline said about the pair:

3B David McCabe

McCabe, a 2022 4th rounder out of UNC-Charlotte, raked in his first full year in the minors. Opening in Single-A Augusta and being promoted to High-A Rome in late May, McCabe spent most of his time at third base, starting 109 of his 123 games there. (The rest were starts at DH, and he played one single inning at first base for Augusta)

Here's what MLB Pipeline said about McCabe in their write-up:

Of all Braves Minor Leaguers who still qualified as prospects, no one had a better wRC+ than McCabe (133). He finished with a .276/.385/.450 line to go along with 17 homers and 10 stolen bases across two levels of A ball.

(The distinction of minor leaguers "who still qualified as prospects" is meant to separate McCabe's production from Vaughn Grissom, who made some history in Gwinnett but also graduated from prospect eligibility in 2022 when filling in for an injured Ozzie Albies.)

RHP AJ Smith-Shawver

Smith-Shawver, who rose from High-A all the way through the minors and debuted on June 4th, was selected as the pitcher of the year. Here's what MLB Pipeline had to say about Smith-Shawver:

Just 20 years old, Smith-Shawver started the year in High-A and touched the big leagues, making the NLDS roster. Along the way in the Minors, he posted a 2.76 ERA, .169 average against and 1.13 WHIP across 62 innings, striking out nearly 11.5 per nine innings in the process.

In last night's NLDS game three, Smith-Shawver pitched 2.2 innings with three runs allowed on three hits (all solo homers), walking one and striking out three.

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