Usually, the safeguard in that strategy is knowing that if you obtain such a high volume of arms that, while most of them will predictably flame out once nearing the big leagues, you might get a special few who manage to live up – or surpass – the expectations. The Atlanta Braves‘ Max Fried might very well fit that bill.
It seems appropriate, in fact, that Fried was actually the first starting pitching prospect that the Braves collected when the rebuild officially went into action.
It’s hard to believe that 4.5 years have passed since the deal with the San Diego Padres took place, sending the left-hander and former top 10 draft pick to Atlanta.