The Braves may finally be seeing real answers at shortstop coming up through the system, and both of their 2025 draft picks are forcing the issue.
Tate Southisene, Atlanta’s first-round selection, is no longer looking like the reach some prospect voices labeled him on draft day. A lot of those same outlets now have the 19-year-old ranked as the organization’s top prospect, and it’s easy to see why. He handled Low-A Augusta with ease, batting just under .300 with eight home runs and a league-best 36 stolen bases before moving up to High-A Rome.
The jump to Rome brought a brief slowdown, but that has passed quickly. Southisene has now gotten a hit in 17 of his last 22 games for the Emperors, piling up five multi-hit games and two three-hit performances in that stretch.
His OPS in Rome is now well above .800, and across both levels he’s up to 12 home runs and 44 stolen bases. For a player who was still in high school a little more than a year ago, that’s a loud introduction.
What makes the line even more impressive is how complete it looks. Southisene hasn’t just punished one pitch type; he’s been effective across the board.
Against fastballs, he owns a .940 OPS. Against breaking balls, it’s .807.
Against changeups and splits, he’s at .810. That kind of balance is what separates a hot start from a hitter who looks built to stay hot.
Atlanta’s second-round pick, Alex Lodise, is making plenty of noise too. The Florida State product opened the year slowly with the Augusta GreenJackets, but he’s turned that around in a big way. After launching his 20th home run of the season last night, Lodise now carries an .822 OPS.
The power surge has come in a hurry. Twelve of his 20 homers have arrived over the last five weeks, and he’s been especially dangerous lately, with five extra-base hits in his last four games. That kind of run has made him one of the hottest prospects in the Braves’ system, and a promotion to High-A Rome seems close.
Lodise is also the older of the two shortstops because of his college background, so if this pace keeps up, he could move through the organization quickly. For Atlanta, that’s the kind of development that changes the conversation at a position that’s been thin for a while.
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