Though it might not have been comfortable to throw Cristian Pache into the fire during the second inning of Game 1 of last year’s National League Championship Series, the experience gave the Braves reason to believe their top prospect might indeed be ready to be their everyday center fielder.
“Even now, he looks like a completely different guy coming to camp,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He should be more confident in what he’s doing. As they get older and play more, they get a little more confident in what they’re doing and understand what they’re doing. I don’t think he could have performed any better [in the NLCS].”
Pache became Atlanta’s everyday center fielder when Adam Duvall strained an oblique muscle just six outs into the NLCS. He was thrust into this role with his previous Major League experience consisting of four regular-season plate appearances and some appearances as both a pinch-runner or late-inning defensive replacement in the postseason.
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