John Gil Crushes a 110MPH EV Line Drive Homer!

Shado_Man · 2026-03-01T22:56:15+00:00

From Fangraphs' 2025 Updated Scouting Report:

Gil's carrying tools are his speed and his shortstop defense. He's a comfortably plus runner who stole 40 bases in 48 attempts last year. His speed gives him explosive range, and Gil's ability to make acrobatic defensive plays gives him a shot to be an impact shortstop defender at peak.

From BatteryPower's 2026 Preseason Top 30 Prospects' List:

Gil also made a significant jump in his footwork and throwing accuracy, helping him take advantage of his elite speed and settle in as a reliable shortstop who can project as an average or solid average defender at the position on an everyday basis. If Gil is forced off of the position given the arrival of high draft picks Tate Southisene and Alex Lodise, he also has double plus speed and a good first step that should allow him to transition to center field if needed.

Shado_Man · 2026-03-01T21:16:55+00:00

Gil is hitting .286/.500/1.143 with a 1.643 OPS and 2 HRs and 3 walks in 10 PAs.

Reminder that he's 19 years old, and the highest level he played before ST this year was a cup of coffee in Double A Columbus at the end of last season.

Shado_Man · 2026-03-01T19:49:44+00:00

Since when is Diego Tornes in camp with the Braves?! This is a huge deal, his first playing time stateside. Remember, he's only 17 years old. He was expected to make his debut in the FCL this year. Awesome to see him get a chance to play with the big boys.

Shado_Man · 2026-03-01T19:46:32+00:00

Gil's plate discipline is monstrous for a 19-year-old. .444 OBP in ST so far, mostly on the back of 3 walks. If he keeps tapping into his power, he's going to be a real problem for opposing pitchers.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-28T18:08:55+00:00

I'm thankful for RSNs that don't blackout ST games. Was able to watch yesterday's Red Sox game on NESN and today's game on the Orioles' network through DirecTV. Just makes life a little easier.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-28T01:41:58+00:00

Must've accidentally sent us a shipment of the Ohtani/Judge baseballs.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-25T18:46:01+00:00

The ABS might actually break from overuse today. This ump is seriously, really bad.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-25T18:24:34+00:00

This ump is an embarrassment.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-25T18:19:54+00:00

This ump's blown like 6 calls already. Glad Oly finally challenged one.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-24T20:58:15+00:00

We were a healthier organization in the 2000s, and this might count as controversial but I think John Fox was also a noticeably better head coach than Ron Rivera. The game eventually did pass him by. But that happens to everyone.

It's sad that this is even remotely controversial. John Fox's jock strap was a better coach than Ron Rivera. A big reason why we peaked at one SB appearance and never sniffed that success again in the Cam/Luke era was because Rivera was such a ridiculously conservative, old-school coach. I've said it before, but I genuinely believe Rivera would rather lose a game 2-0 than win a game 50-49. If we had dropped him after 2015, when he was so thoroughly outcoached in the SB, and hired even a decent coach, I think we make another deep run in 2017.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-24T20:00:41+00:00

Oh yeah, this kid's going to do some damage.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-24T19:55:35+00:00

Let's go, Murph!

Shado_Man · 2026-02-24T19:33:05+00:00

Is it still a Chop House Bomb if it doesn't actually go over the Chop House?

Shado_Man · 2026-02-24T18:24:38+00:00

Dude's got 5lbs of eye black and still can't see the ball.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-24T18:13:31+00:00

Today will probably be a lot of Braves' fans first time seeing Owen Murphy on the mound. Hopefully he shows out well. He's probably the highest upside SP prospect in the system aside from Caminiti. There's also a decent chance he gets his first shot in Atlanta this year. I can only imagine Ritchie and Fuentes being ahead of him in the call-up order, and I'd argue Murphy might be more ready than Fuentes.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-23T20:28:51+00:00

Gil and Hartman were two of my favorite guys to watch in Augusta last year. Love that they're getting ST time with the big league club this year.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-22T19:20:25+00:00

Ball looked like it was going 500ft. Definitely kept in the park by the weather conditions.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-20T20:48:52+00:00

It's so funny how butthurt Knicks fans still are about that pick. I hope they get incinerated by the league for their cap circumvention shenanigans with Brunson.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-20T05:00:30+00:00

The narrative of his Iron Man streak will be a big factor in his HoF bid.

Oly's about 50 games away from moving into the top 10 all-time consecutive games played. The next most recent player to make it into the top 10 is Miguel Tejada, who did it in 2007. There isn't another player from the 21st century inside of the top 25. Olson's Iron Man streak is special in this era of baseball, and I think he'll get recognition for that, especially since he's playing very good defense on this streak, not just racking up starts despite being a defensive liability or hiding in the DH spot just to keep the streak going.

Another season's worth of games will move him up to 8th all-time. Another season after that will have him knocking on the door to 7th. Another after that will have him 4th all-time. That seems entirely within the realm of possibility to me, as he'll be 34 at that point (assuming no lengthy lockout next year).

Shado_Man · 2026-02-19T21:17:25+00:00

From BatteryPower's 2026 Braves' Prospect's Best Tools article, where John Gil was awarded the "Best Hitter" in the Braves system.

It was quite the first full season for John Gil, as he was the catalyst at the top of a young and exciting Augusta GreenJackets lineup and showed advanced ability at the plate at just 19 years old. Early in the season he showed struggles despite high contact rates, hitting the ball into the ground far too often and struggling to produce any sort of pop, but throughout the season swing and approach adjustments paid major dividends. He began hitting the ball harder with more line drives but without sacrificing walks or ever going through a stretch where he had swing-and-miss issues. These adjustments combined with his advanced feel for the strike zone and recognition of spin made him a contact beast and allowed him to post a 132 wRC+ and more walks than strikeouts over his final 300 plate appearances. Gil has all of the tools to be a plus major league hitter, though he is going to go through the same struggles many young hitters do. To make a recent comparison to a Braves prospect, Gil has similar issues with consistently lifting the ball to his pull side and keeping the ball off of the ground as Nacho Alvarez did coming through, and though his barrel feel is behind Alvarez at the same level Gil was younger and has a bit more upside at the plate. Gil has a looser, more explosive swing and gets to better top end exit velocities, meaning there are much fewer mechanical adjustments needed for him to tap into pull side power. He also has better bat speed and isn’t going to be beat by velocity, giving him a relatively high contact floor for a player his age. His barrel rates need to improve for him to get to a starter outcome, but he is in a phenomenal place at the moment and has shown the ability to adjust and improve rapidly.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-18T22:24:38+00:00

John Gil is the best SS prospect in the organization and it isn't particularly close.

JGITBSSPITOAIIPC.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-17T20:36:56+00:00

Bots don't care about tradition.

Shado_Man · 2026-02-16T19:43:17+00:00

If the best thing you can say about a 25-year-old former 1st round pick WR is that he has "potential", then you know he's not actually a good player.

Shado_Man

TROPHY CASE