Braves Top SS Prospect Tate Southisene Tearing Up Arizona Fall League

The Atlanta Braves' 2025 first-round pick is making up for lost time over in Arizona after seeing his season end early due to injury

The Braves' 2025 first-round pick is making the most of his action out west | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Atlanta Braves should be thrilled with what they're seeing from Tate Southisene over in the Arizona Fall League. He's played in three games, but he's needed zero time to heat up.

So far, he's 3-for-8 (.375) with an extra-base hit with two walks and two stolen bases. His batting average, .545 on-base percentage and 1.045 OPS are all the best among those playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Southisene was sent out to the AFL to make up for lost time, he's doing just that.

In his first Double-A game, he suffered a wrist injury that ended his season. It put an abrupt end to what had been a spectacular first full professional season. In 90 games, he batted .278 with an .876 OPS, 12 home runs, 46 RBIs and 45 stolen bases.

According to Prospect Savant, he was in the 82nd percentile for his walk rate (15.8%) and in the 83rd percentile for his chase rate (22.7%). His strikeout rate could be improved upon (23.7% and in the 51st percentile), but he's young and has the time to work on it.

He spent his time split between the middle infield positions. When paired up with Alex Lodise in Single-A Augusta, he mainly played second base. However, once he got to High-A Rome, he saw more time at shortstop.

At first, his play at second base was clearly stronger than at shortstop, but he took strides at the latter position during his time with Rome. He saw his fielding percentage improve from .903 to .981. He committed one fewer error in 213 more innings played at the position.

Now that he's healthy, he has a chance to really build upon when he did last season and prepare for 2027. Unlike the MLB season, the minor leagues are expected to continue without much of an issue, meaning you can expect him to be playing on time in the spring.

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