The Braves have spent much of the offseason restocking their farm system with pitching prospects, and added yet another Thursday by trading a pair of minor leaguers to the Angels for 17-year-old left-hander Ricardo Sanchez.
Sanchez has a low- to mid-90s fastball and impressive curveball, and posted a 3.49 ERA in 12 appearances (nine starts) in the Arizona Rookie League while striking out 43 in 38 2/3 innings.
The Venezuelan was rated the Angels’ No. 3 prospect by Baseball America, which has Sanchez moving into a Braves top-10 prospects list that’s been upgraded significantly in a busy offseason for president of baseball operations John Hart and his top assistants.
The Braves believe Sanchez has top-of-the-starting-rotation potential, though his major league arrival could be several years away. They got him in exchange for a pair of 24-year-old minors leaguers, right-hander Nate Hyatt and third base prospect Kyle Kubitza.
Kubitza, a third-round pick in the 2011 draft, was rated the Braves’ No. 10 prospect before they added a few others this winter who would’ve moved ahead in updated rankings. He made strides the past two seasons, but there remained questions as to whether he would hit enough to play third base in the big leagues. He batted .295 with 11 triples, eight homers, 55 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in 132 games last season at Double-A Mississippi.
Hyatt, a 13th-round pick in 2012, was 9-7 with a 2.88 ERA in 98 relief appearances over three seasons in the low minors, with 165 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings. He had a 2.71 ERA last season at high-A Lynchburg.
Sanchez was among the top-rated pitchers in the 2013 international class when he signed for $580,000 in July 2013. He was originally signed by Lebi Ochoa, who was with the Angels at the time and is now a Braves senior advisor to player development.
When he arrived from Venezuela, Sanchez was throwing 94-95 mph, but was advised to take a little off his fastball in order to improve command.
