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Braves acquire former Phillies outfielder off waivers from SF Giants

The Atlanta Braves claimed outfielder Dalton Guthrie off waivers from the SF Giants on Thursday. Guthrie made his MLB debut with the Phillies last year.
Marc Delucchi|
Braves acquire former Phillies outfielder off waivers from SF Giants
Braves acquire former Phillies outfielder off waivers from SF Giants

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San Francisco GiantsAtlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves claimed outfielder Dalton Guthrie off waivers from the SF Giants, according to a press release by the Giants. The Giants acquired Guthrie in a minor trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in late June but designated him for assignment when they added right-handed reliever Mauricio Llovera to the 40-man roster prior to the All-Star break. Guthrie appeared in nine games with the Giants Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, hitting .275/.310/.375 with four doubles in 42 plate appearances.

The Phillies drafted Guthrie in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Florida. After struggling early in his professional career, he seemed to turn a corner following the canceled 2020 minor-league season and received his first big-league callup with the Phillies last season. Guthrie has appeared in 37 big-league games, but has primarily played at Triple-A.

Guthrie is on the older side for a prospect at 27. However, he has a career .295/.356/.461 triple-slash with 50 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, and 27 stolen bases in 160 Triple-A games. While that line is far from exceptional, he has primarily played in the International League, a more pitcher-friendly league.

In his 56 MLB plate appearances, Guthrie has had split results in 2022 versus 2023. He had a .976 OPS last season but struggled mightily this year. Overall, he has a .244/.393/.333 career big-league line. More advanced numbers, like xwOBA (.322), have viewed him as a roughly league-average offensive contributor during his time in the majors.

Guthrie is limited by below-average power but has value from his defensive versatility. Guthrie is at least an average defensive outfielder at all three spots and was drafted and developed as a middle infielder. So, with that extensive experience, he is also viable on the dirt at second base, third base, and possibly shortstop.

The SF Giants likely hoped to sneak Dalton Guthrie through waivers and outright him to the minor leagues. However, the Atlanta Braves claimed the longtime Phillies prospect off waivers and he will hope to find his way back to the majors with them.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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