Braves Lose 20-Homer Infielder, Prospect Signs With Brewers

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00:00Braves lose 20 homer infielder, prospect signs with Brewers.

00:04The Atlanta Braves have quietly parted ways with a name that most fans never got the chance to know.

00:10Eddie's Leonard, who is a versatile 25-year-old infielder with flashes of serious power,

00:15officially signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers after electing free agency just five days earlier.

00:22Leonard's departure won't shake the Braves' major league roster,

00:25but it does highlight an increasingly common problem for mid-tier prospects in powerhouse organizations.

00:31Too much depth can be a dead end.

00:33Leonard joined Atlanta in March and spent the 2024 season with AAA Gwinnett,

00:39playing a true utility role at first base, second, third, and even stints in both corner outfield spots.

00:46But shortstop, perhaps the one position where the Braves might have had an opening, saw him just once all year.

00:51That detail alone may explain why Leonard chose to look elsewhere.

00:56Offensively, Leonard's bat continues to hint at untapped potential.

01:00He smashed 20 home runs last season, bringing his career minor league total to 87 since 2021.

01:0738 of those have come at the AAA level, an encouraging figure for any team in need of bench depth or injury insurance with pop.

01:15Leonard's defensive versatility adds value, but with the Braves' infield locked down,

01:21his role felt more like a stagnant backup than an opportunity to grow.

01:26His career, though still young, has already taken intriguing turns.

01:30Once ranked as the number eight prospect in the Dodgers system in 2022,

01:35Leonard came into professional baseball as a $200,000 international signee back in 2017.

01:40Though he never cracked the major leagues in Atlanta, he's earned a spring training invite from Milwaukee,

01:47a team that may be better positioned to take a flyer on a high-upside utility man.

01:52For Leonard, Milwaukee represents opportunity.

01:56For the Braves, it's another small piece of roster churn in a front office that's always thinking two moves ahead.

02:02Time will tell if Leonard's power and versatility find a more permanent home in the big leagues.

02:07Time will tell if Leonard's power and versatility find a more permanent home in the big leagues.