The Braves are moving Tate Southisene again, and this one says plenty about how quickly they’re willing to push a premium young talent.
Per Geoff Pontes of Baseball America, the 19-year-old and 2025 first-round pick is headed to Double-A Columbus. That’s a major jump for a player still in his first professional season, but Southisene has forced the issue at every stop.
He opened the year with Low-A Augusta and wasted little time making the organization take notice. In 51 games there, he hit just under .300 with eight home runs, a league-best 36 stolen bases, and a .929 OPS. That kind of production is hard to ignore, especially when it comes with the kind of athleticism Southisene brings.
His move to High-A Rome wasn’t instant fireworks. He had four hits in his first four games, but it took a couple of weeks before he really settled in.
Since the calendar flipped to July, though, he’s been rolling. Over his last 15 games, he’s hit safely in 13 of them and has turned in five multi-hit performances during that stretch.
The appeal is obvious: power, speed, and a bat that already looks advanced for his age. Southisene is a terrific athlete and a natural in the batter’s box, which is why he’s now just a few rungs from the majors.
The promotion also adds a little more clarity to how the Braves view their top young players. In a recent interview, Alex Anthopoulos described one prospect as close to untouchable.
A lot of people figured that was Eric Hartman, who put together a 20/30 first half in Rome. But Southisene may have been even higher in the organization’s eyes than some realized.
He’s a year younger, and he’s the one getting the first shot at Columbus, even if Hartman and others likely aren’t far behind.
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