Victor Caratini got our attention quickly when the Braves second-round draft pick went 4-4 in his professional debut. Well, he's had a couple of 0-for-4s since to prove he's human, but the man seems to be a hitting machine two weeks into his pro career.
A switch hitter, Caratini (a Puerto Rico native out of Miami Dade CC) is batting .385 as a rigthty hitter (5-13, 3 RBI) and .323 as a lefty (10-31, five doubles, triple, 3 RBI). He has struck out 14 times in 13 games, but he also had 10 walks for a nice .455 OBP, and a .977 OPS.
But Caratini's position may be problematic. Listed as a third baseman-catcher when drafted, he's played nine games at third with three errors, and one boot in the one game he's played at shortstop. But the promise of that Opening Day performance lingers on.
The 65th overall pick in the 2013 Draft went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, spraying a triple and two doubles, driving in a run and scoring three times as Rookie-level Danville beat Princeton, 9-1, in their Appalachian League opener.
"He's got a good path to the baseball," said Danville hitting coach Rick Albert, "and what he showed tonight was he can hit the ball hard from both sides. He's able to use all fields. Tonight, left-handed, he hit a ball off the right-field wall, left-handed, hit one to left center, then right-handed hit one through the hole at second and doubled over the left fielder.
"He had four at-bats and he put the ball in play hard all four times. It's a good thing to see."
Caratini was officially drafted as a catcher, but spent Thursday evening at third base, where he also played the majority of his games during his college season at Miami Dade College, where another catcher on the roster managed the bulk of the duties behind the dish. He also saw some time at second base.
Regardless of position, Caratini showed he could hit, as he led that lineup in most offensive categories. In 45 games, he batted .377/.467/.549 with six homers, 12 doubles and 66 RBIs, along with 10 steals in 11 attempts.
CLASS AAA
Durham 0, Gwinnett (38-52) 0 (8th)
SP: Hale 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 K.
Leonard 1-3, 2B; Constanza 1-3, SB.
CLASS AA
Mississippi (7-11) 5, Birmingham 4
SP: Moran 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.
WP: Egan (4-1) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER(1R), 2 BB, 1 K.
Hefflinger 1-3, HR (2nd), RBI; Salcedo 1-3, 2B, R; Pedroza 2-4, 3 RBI.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Lynchburg, idle.
CLASS A
Game One
Rome (7-9) 8, Asheville 2 (7)
WP: L. Sims (4-3) 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Peraza 1-2, R, 2 RBI; Sanchez 2-4, 2B, R, SB; Edmondson 1-3, R, RBI; Meneses 1-1, R, RBI; E. Garcia 1-4, RBI.
Game Two
Asheville @ Rome
SP: Parsons (2-4)
SHORT-SEASON ROOKIE
Danville (5-9) 3, Bristol 2 (5th)
SP: Gil 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.
Lien 2-2, 2B, 2 R; Caratini 2-2, 2B, RBI (.370); De La Rosa 1-2, RBI.
GCL Braves, idle.
DSL Braves, idle.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by thethe
