Cristian Pache is a young center fielder who plays for the Oakland Athletics.
He was part of the return package the franchise received in the Matt Olson trade from the Atlanta Braves.
As a contending team, the Braves perhaps didn’t have the patience a prospect like Pache requires, because that patience often comes with lots of non-competitive at-bats and plate appearances.
However, the rebuilding A’s can certainly give him all the time he needs to become a quality major league hitter.
He seems to be growing fond of Oakland already, and fans already like him, as evidenced by this short, but meaningful chant in the A’s home.
Priceless moments! 🐘💚💛⚾️
Thanks @mollywhopppp and all the A's fans for their great support.pic.twitter.com/LjjhpA8e5A
— Cristian Pache (@cristianpache25) April 19, 2022
“Priceless moments! Thanks @mollywhopppp and all the A’s fans for their great support,” the player tweeted, with a clip of some people yelling his name under a popular Latin American sports tune.
The A’s Fans Already Love Pache
Pache isn’t off to a terribly promising start, hitting .243/.243/.351 with a homer in 11 games.
The lack of power and walks is concerning, but the 23-year-old outfielder is still very, very young and raw as a hitter.
He has plenty of developing to do: the most important thing is that he has the right spirit and approach.
Hitting is not his strongest suit anyway: he is best known for his defensive ability and speed.
He is the prototypical center field prospect, with his fielding and running grades well above his hitting and power marks.
He does have some untapped offensive potential to make him an average, or slightly above-average hitter some day.
The A’s will need to be patient, but so far, the crowd is with him even if the results aren’t quite there yet.
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