It wasn’t a giant sample size, but Tyler Pike’s first two months in the Braves’ farm system were a revelation.
Acquired as the PTBNL in the Alex Jackson trade, Pike came from Seattle’s farm system looking to reboot his career. After confusing development practices left him jumping between High-A and AA for three consecutive seasons, it seemed as though the southpaw was stalling out with the Mariners and needed a fresh start. The Braves have recently had success capitalizing on Seattle prospects whose development arcs were improperly managed (Jackson, Luiz Gohara, and Thomas Burrows); when completing the deal for Jackson, Pike’s arsenal and potential were tantalizing enough to gamble that a change of scenery was all he needed.