Braves Journal: DeWayne Wise

Someone saying he was Wise’s high school coach — and that would be a strange thing to claim if it weren’t true — says:

I WAS DEWAYNE’S COACH IN HIGH SCHOOL. THIS KID HAS MORE RAW ATHLETIC ABILITY THAN ANYONE I’VE EVER SEEN. HE IS A 5 POINT PLAYER, HE JUST NEED’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY EVERYDAY. GARCIA CAN’T HOLD THIS GUY’S JOCK STRAP.

First, there’s no need to SHOUT.

Second, we’ve all seen how great an athlete Mr. Wise is. Anyone who saw his triple the other day knows that. The problem is that he can’t really hit and thus isn’t really a baseball player.

There’s a reason that “toolsy” has become a pejorative term among the stathead set; we’ve all seen numerous “great” prospects flop because they can’t hit anything with any break. Wise has had plenty of chances to show his ability in the minor leagues. And he’s a career .252/.301/.399 minor league hitter. If it wasn’t for his great athleticism he’d be selling shoes by now.