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| Braves' centerpiece of the future ![]() The Braves' No. 1 prospect, Jordan Schafer, appears to have every tool to star in center. The 21-year-old Florida native hit .324 with 14 RBIs and 10 steals in 26 games in the Arizona Fall League and may be fielding flies at Turner next season. Alas, the surfer-slacker dude thing is forgotten as soon as you see the 21-year-old Florida native do his thing in the Arizona Fall League — racing to the gaps to catch fly balls at the warning track; making strong, pinpoint throws from the outfield; hitting opposite-field line drives; and stealing bases.He continues to impress when you ask about baseball and he gets all serious and focused discussing the game he loves, and his determination to succeed. "Defensively, I feel, truthfully, like I could play in the big leagues and be one of the best outfielders there [now]," said Schafer, who hasn't played above the Class A minor-league level, but has defensive skills that rate at the top of scouts' major league scales. "Offensively, I still have a bunch of stuff to work on," he said. "Pitch recognition, swinging at more strikes, cutting down on strikeouts, being more efficient at stealing bases, stuff like that. I've just got to keep working." The Braves' freshly minted No. 1 prospect followed a breakout 2007 season in Class A by thriving against many older prospects in the just-completed Arizona Fall League. He hit .324 with a .395 on-base percentage, eight extra-base hits, 14 RBIs and 10 steals in 26 games for the Peoria Javelinas. Braves manager Bobby Cox and general manager Frank Wren saw him play three games in Arizona last week. "I had only read about him and heard about him [before last week]," Cox said. "I can tell you this: He's got an above average arm, double-above-average accuracy, he runs above average, he fields above average, and he led all the minor leagues in hits." https://www.ajc.com/sports/content/s...afer_1125.html |
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