Top prospect discusses fond time in Rome, shares his quarantine experience
The summer of 2018 is a time that Drew Waters will never forget. The 19-year-old phenom was playing his first full season of professional baseball and just his second season in the Braves organization. After spending 2017 playing Rookie League ball, the Woodstock, Ga., native was called up to Low-A
The summer of 2018 is a time that Drew Waters will never forget. The 19-year-old phenom was playing his first full season of professional baseball and just his second season in the Braves organization. After spending 2017 playing Rookie League ball, the Woodstock, Ga., native was called up to Low-A to play with the Rome Braves.
“I enjoyed my time in Rome,” Waters said via a phone interview in late April. “I think it’s a great city for a young player. It’s easy to focus on baseball which is exactly what I needed to do as a young prospect. Rome has great fans and support, and I had a great time there.”
Waters recalls one of his best memories in Rome coming during the first homestand at State Mutual Stadium. During the home opener on April 5, 2018, the Braves were hosting the Hagerstown Suns. “Kyle Muller is pitching, and he gives up a backside homer to a left-handed batter,” Waters said. “I said, ‘Muller, you left it middle-middle, what was that?’ Come to find out the batter was Juan Soto. It was pretty crazy seeing him that early in the season and then seeing how fast he advanced in the Nationals system.”
Waters’ short time in Floyd County was nothing short of remarkable. He played 84 games that season as a member of the Rome Braves, batting .303 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs. Along with producing quality at-bats, the young outfielder made several SportsCenter-type plays defensively to lead the Rome Braves to a first-half Southern Atlantic League Championship. Just before the Sally League Championship series, the SAL All-Star was called up to the High-A Florida Fire Frogs where he would finish his 2018 campaign.
The legend of Drew Waters did not end with his promotion from Rome; instead, it was merely beginning. He followed a solid 2018 season with an even better year in 2019. Waters became a Southern League All-Star with the Double-A Mississippi Braves by improving his batting average, runs batted in, and number of total hits. The 2017 second-round pick earned a promotion to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers late in the season and had a fine start before the year ended.
Everything was on track for Waters. He was quickly climbing the ladder that is the Braves farm system, improving at every stop. The next step was Truist Park. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s tragedy caused the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season, taking away an entire year of progress for the No. 2 prospect in the Braves organization. However, the 22-year-old is making no excuses regarding his game and instead is considering himself lucky.
“I think COVID affected everybody- so many families, nurses, and other healthcare workers were affected by it, so in the grand scheme of things baseball is such a minor picture,” Waters said. “I can sit around and say, ‘COVID messed me up because I didn’t get the opportunity to play,’ or I can look at it as, ‘I got the chance to get better and learn more about myself to make me better prepared for the big leagues.’”
Drew mentioned that COVID protocols have changed some things, but he is finally getting more adjusted to the new normal. “It’s harder to recognize who’s who with the masks and everything, but at the end of the day you think of why you’re here and that’s to help the Atlanta Braves win the World Series,” Waters said. “I think we can all wear the masks and follow protocols in order to help achieve that goal.”
In 2021, Waters has been participating in minor league camp games. He joined the Atlanta Braves for Spring Training in North Port, Fla., getting five at-bats with the big-league club. “I’ve really embraced the opportunity to play every day and in trying to be the best player and best person I can be,” Waters said. “Success is what we want, and Spring Training is there to help us get ready, so it was great to be out there and playing as an Atlanta Brave.”
The former Rome Brave and current Gwinnett Striper is now considered the No. 2 prospect in the Braves’ farm system and the No. 29 prospect in all of Major League Baseball. While it’s an honor to be so highly ranked, Waters said he doesn’t put a lot into that claim. “It may sound bad, but honestly I don’t care,” Waters said. “It’s cool to be a prospect, but that’s just a title. I want the legacy. The only way you get that is through your performance on the field in the MLB.”
Waters finished the conversation by stating that he is excited to be back on the field this Spring, as he and the Stripers started their season at Charlotte on May 4. He also wished good luck to the Rome Braves in 2021. Rome started the 2021 campaign with back-to-back road trips to Winston-Salem and Greensboro, but will have the home opener on May 18 versus Bowling Green.
The first 500 fans through the gate at State Mutual Stadium on Aug. 20 and 21 will receive a Drew Waters bobblehead, sponsored by International Paper. Tickets to the Friday and Saturday night showdowns against the Greenville Drive, along with tickets to each of this season’s 60 home games, are currently on sale at RomeBraves.com.