Outfielder Jurickson Profar isn’t an elite hitter, but he’s the kind of hitter the Braves need. They’ve got power hitting covered with sluggers up and down the lineup. Profrar, who signed the Braves Thursday, provides the on-base boost they need by consistently putting bat-to-ball and drawing walks at a good rate. He’ll help the Braves generate offense when their all-or-nothing cycle is at its low point.
At least, that’s what Profar will do if his 2024 season wasn’t an outlier. He set career highs with 24 homers, 4.3 WAR (FanGraphs) and a .380 on-base percentage. The six players with higher OBPs than Profar in 2024 are among the game’s best: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrerro, Yordan Alavaraz, Shohei Ohtani and Bobby Witt Jr.
Profar, once the game’s top prospect, earned his first All-Star selection in 2024. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said he and his staff ranked Profar as the second-best free agent hitter behind Soto. They attribute Profar’s harder contact to swing changes.
Said Anthopoulos: “The optimist would be us saying, ‘Look, we think he’s found something, we believe in these swing changes. We think this is who he can be going forward.’ Someone on other side, glass half empty, can say, ‘Well, it’s one year.’ And that’s the risk you take with these things, right?”
I think Profar will keep it up. He’s always been a good contact hitter. His increased production was the result of hitting the ball harder, not finding more holes with light contact. Per FanGraphs, last season Profar increased his exit velocity by more than 4 mph from 2023 and boosted his hard-hit percentage from 31.7% to 44.2%. His 11.4% walk rate is in line with his career norms.
Profar, who bats from both sides, projects to begin the season as the starting left fielder. The chances are high that he’ll keep the job once Ronald Acuna Jr. returns from knee surgery. Profar is a better option than Jarred Kelenic, a free swinger who lacks the power numbers to justify it. Kelenic joined the Braves as a reclamation project last season but didn’t do enough to dissuade Anthopoulos from seeking another outfielder.
Anthopoulos found his man in Profar, who turns 32 next month. Profar parlayed a $1 million make-good year with the Padres into a three year, $42 million contract with the Braves. Profar is the first free agent that Anthopoulos signed to a guaranteed deal this offseason. He said the Braves are still trying to acquire a starting pitcher and a reliever.
Anthopoulos joked that he’s been “hearing it all over the place” about the team’s inactivity.
“I’ve completed 13 seasons as a GM, and I feel like I’ve been through so many different offseasons,” he said. “I’ve been through the splashy offseasons, winning the offseason, quiet ones, this and that. And at the end of the day, what matters is once the season starts and the wins and losses.”
Profar isn’t a splashy acquisition. But he’s the kind of hitter the Braves need.
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