Braves Prospect Drew Waters Wins Southern League MVP
By Parker White
You think the current Atlanta Braves squad is loaded with young talent? There's more where that came from, as one of the Braves' top prospects came away with some hardware on Wednesday.
Outfielder Drew Waters, Atlanta's No. 2 prospect according to MLB.com, was named the 2019 Southern League MVP.
Drew Waters continues to impress at every level of the @Braves minor league system. Today, he was named the 2019 Southern League MVP. @KelsWingert has more. pic.twitter.com/U61Sdtcdvw
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) August 29, 2019
The 20-year-old (yes, another young outfielder in the Braves system) is currently at Triple-A, but during his time at Double-A Mississippi he slashed .319/.366/.481 with 49 extra-base hits (35 doubles), 41 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 108 games.
#Braves OF prospect Drew Waters was named Southern League Most Valuable Player after batting .319/.366/.481 with 35 doubles, 9 triples, 5 homers, 41 RBI, 63 runs scored and 13 steals in 108 games for the Double-A @Mbraves this season.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) August 28, 2019
With this honor, Waters became the youngest player to win this award since Delmon Young back in 2005, and he became the first member of the Mississippi Braves to ever take home the hardware.
Waters' promotion to Triple-A was well deserved, and he's carried his great season over to the top level of the minor leagues, as he's slashing .302/.365/.395 with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI in just 21 games (86 at-bats).
It's unlikely that Waters will get promoted to the big league team this summer, but what he's done at Double-A will certainly force the hand of the Braves front office in 2020.