Rebuilding Braves Have High Hopes For Kevin Maitan

The Braves made Venezuelan shortstop Kevin Maitan the centerpiece of their amateur talent pool in 2016, when they signed him for $4.25 million and also splurged on Venezuelan catcher Abraham Gutierrez and high school pitchers Ian Anderson and Joey Wentz. They landed the four highest bonuses in franchise history. (Photo by Cliff Welch)

It’s a thrill every scout wants nothing more than to experience. The sensation is akin to champagne bubbles running through their veins when they lay eyes on a special talent for the first time.

Paul Snyder felt that excitement when he traveled to Curacao and saw Andruw Jones.

“Any one of the scouts’ wives would have been in awe,” the long-time Braves scouting director told Baseball America in 1995 while comparing the outfielder to Roberto Clemente. “Great body control, could slide on his spikes if he wanted to. Then when I watched him throw and hit and everything else, it was obvious he was a 21-year-old in a 15-year-old’s body in terms of baseball talent.”

Three years after the Braves signed Jones, he made a splash in the 1996 World Series, when as a 19-year-old he hit home runs in his first two trips to the plate. He proceeded to win 10 Gold Gloves, play in five All-Star Games and earn a Silver Slugger in 2005 when he hit a major league-leading 51 home runs.

Jones was one of the most highly anticipated prospects of the 1990s. Two decades later, another Braves minor leaguer is blazing a similar trail.

Gordon Blakeley remembers well the first time he saw shortstop Kevin Maitan. A special assistant to Atlanta general manager John Coppolella who has long been considered one of the premier evaluators of international talent, Blakeley was scouting a player he does not recall who also trained with Henderson Martinez in Venezuela when Maitan stepped to the plate.

“The ease in which he did everything stood out,” Blakeley said. “He flicked at balls and they went out of the ballpark, both lefthanded and righthanded. I kept saying to myself, ‘This kid is 15 years old and the balls are going way over the fence.’ I saw his bounce and the way he ran around on the field and said, ‘This guy has a chance to be special. This is what the stars look like.’ ”

Blakeley immediately had visions of players he saw around the same age. He scouted Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter when they were in high school. He also evaluated Miguel Cabrera in his mid-teens in Venezuela. While all five standouts were different players based on their strengths and abilities, the overall skill set featured similarities. Maitan, in Blakeley’s opinion, was cast from the same mold.

“When I saw Kevin, I thought he fit in because he just does things different, things that other people don’t do—and at such a young age,” Blakeley said. “The common denominator of the great ones is the way they do things so easy and effortless.”

Clemente’s actions on the field were so smooth and graceful that critics suggested the Hall of Famer was lazy and dispirited. Similar accusations were lobbed at former Braves great Hank Aaron. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but Blakeley said the simplicity the game’s most talented performers display is what separates them from the masses.

Maitan’s quick and powerful wrists are reminiscent of Aaron’s supple swing. At age 17 he already stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds. His hitting prowess draw comparisons with countryman Cabrera, the Tigers’ future Hall of Famer.

A more accurate comparison point, however, may be another Jones who helped spearhead the Braves teams that won the 1995 World Series and two other National League pennants from 1995-99.

Not unlike future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, Maitan projects to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate while residing in the middle of the lineup. He has an advanced feel for the strike zone and outstanding discipline, particularly given his age. Like Jones, Maitan possesses solid athleticism with excellent coordination and footwork for his size as well as high baseball intelligence and a strong and accurate arm. His hands and range at this point suggest he can remain at shortstop, but not unlike Jones, Maitan projects to be an impact player regardless of position, which could be third base or the corner outfield.

Blakeley and the Braves shared their sentiments with the Maitan family once the organization was permitted to communicate with them. Blakeley also explained the team’s vision, which is drawing upon the same game plan Atlanta employed in the late 1980s and throughout the ’90s.

“I told his family, ‘We went the free agent route and it didn’t work for us. We really want to build from within by going after what we consider to be special players,’ ” Blakeley said. “I told his family that I thought Kevin was a special player. I saw him as part of a young nucleus of special players, much like what (manager) Bobby Cox had in the 1990s. Kevin and his family liked that, and with our ownership willing to make the commitment, it was the route they wanted to go.”

On July 2, 2016, the day the international signing period opened, the Braves made Maitan the centerpiece of their huge international haul by signing him to a franchise- and Venezuela-record $4.25 million bonus.

“Our ownership made a commitment to Kevin based on our scouts’ belief he was the best prospect they’d seen come out of Venezuela in a long time,” Coppolella said. “The power is special, the ball just jumps off his bat, and he’s a switch-hitter with speed, good hands and good feet.

“We are excited to have such a great talent and person in our organization.”

A year and a day after signing—and five months after ranking No. 77 among the Top 100 Prospects—Maitan made his pro debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. He missed the first six games with a minor hamstring injury, but was promoted to Rookie-level Danville soon after his return to health.

Maitan seemed overjoyed to be on the field for games that count. In fact, his manager Barrett Kleinknecht said the shortstop looked more comfortable at the plate than he did in extended spring training.

“You can see it,” Kleinknecht said. “It’s the little things that are going to make this kid a really good player. Little things like working on his footwork at shortstop, looking for certain pitches in certain counts at the plate. Not necessarily working hard, but knowing how to work.

“Mentally, we think he’s capable of making those types of adjustments at this age. He’s buying in to how pro ball works and so far he looks really good in the games.”

The Braves note that Maitan would be heading into his senior year of high school if he had been born in the U.S. Instead, the baseball world is watching a heralded prospect take his first steps as a professional, steps that the Braves believe can lead to another extended run of success.

“I think the city is excited about our young and talented players, and Kevin happens to be one of those guys,” Blakeley said. “Our fans are excited about the Braves going after young players who are hungry, and Kevin fits that mold for us.”