Prospects David McCabe and Darius Vines of the Atlanta Braves are dominating in the Arizona Fall League.

Atlanta sent some fascinating prospects to the desert, and several of them are doing well in the Fall League.
The Atlanta Braves didn’t take any chances with their seven Arizona Fall League picks, sending two pitchers who saw action in MLB this season (Darius Vines and Dylan Dodd) as well as intriguing 2022 4th round infielder David McCabe.

And, so far, Atlanta has been rewarded for its confidence.

On Tuesday, Vines had one of the most dominant starts in recent AFL history, striking out nine batters and allowing only one run on four hits over 4.2 innings with no walks.

Vines was sent to the AFL to catch up on innings; he only pitched 69.2 innings between the minors and Atlanta this season owing to a shoulder ailment earlier in the year that forced him to miss the start of the season in June. When he returned, he pitched well, posting a 2.36 ERA in 34.1 Gwinnett starts. His fastball tops out at 90 mph, and he allowed nine runs and three homers in just twenty innings of MLB work late this season, raising concerns about his major league ceiling. Because of the quality of his changeup, as well as his accompanying slider and cutter, he may be able to work in the rear of the rotation.

McCabe has been an offensive force on a Salt River club that has plenty of skill – eleven games into the AFL season, his.510 batting average is second only to Colorado’s Sterlin Thompson for the team lead, and his fifteen walks lead the league. He has yet to hit a home run, but he is batting 11-35 with two doubles, seven runs, six RBIs, and a stolen base.

The excellent defensive work he’s receiving in the corner infield is arguably more important – after a college career at Charlotte that was focused largely on designated hitter and first base, McCabe played mostly third base this season and is moving between the corners in Arizona. Because Atlanta lacks a classic corner infield option on their bench, McCabe has a chance to play utility in the major leagues if he continues to improve and can tap into his NCAA power.