Atlanta Braves Morning Chop – Players Getting Ready
Prospects
[Editor’s note – while we have yet to produce an updated, comprehensive TomahawkTake.com prospect list, it isn’t for lack of trying… trouble is, John Hart literally keeps moving the floor out from under us. But the dust is now settling and we are starting work on that now. In the meantime, here is Baseball America’s list.
Ask BA: Updating The Braves Prospect Rankings
J.J. COOPER / BASEBALLAMERICA.COM
| CURRENT BRAVES TOP 20 | |
| 1 | Jose Peraza, 2b |
| 2 | Max Fried, lhp |
| 3 | Lucas Sims, rhp |
| 4 | Christian Bethancourt, c |
| 5 | Jason Hursh, rhp |
| 6 | Ozhaino Albies, ss |
| 7 | Ricardo Sanchez, lhp |
| 8 | Jace Peterson, 2b |
| 9 | Braxton Davidson, of |
| 10 | Tyrell Jenkins, rhp |
| 11 | Manny Banuelos, lhp |
| 12 | Johan Camargo, ss |
| 13 | Garrett Fulenchek, rhp |
| 14 | Arodys Vizcaino, rhp |
| 15 | Shae Simmons, rhp |
| 16 | Mauricio Cabrera, rhp |
| 17 | Mallex Smith, of |
| 18 | Dustin Peterson, 3b |
| 19 | Daniel Winkler, rhp |
| 20 | Wes Parsons, rhp |
There have been a few teams who have renovated their farm systems. In the past month, A.J. Preller and the Padres have traded 12 players who were part of the Padres’ Top 30 Prospects. The Angels have shuffled their farm system dramatically; eleven members of their 2014 Top 30 Prospects are no longer in the organization.
We’ll update every team’s Top 10 Prospects list after we roll out the Giants on Jan. 28. But when it comes to acquisitions, the Braves are adding prospects in waves. Our Braves Top 10 Prospects list from less than a month ago looks almost quaint now and is well worth an update.
To take a step back, here’s what the Braves’ Top 10 Prospects list would have looked like at the start of the offseason, before any trades were made. Players who have since been traded away are listed in bold.
That’s a poor system, one of the worst in baseball.
…
For the handbook, you can think of “50 High” prospects as the solid middle that every farm system should have. Nearly 20 percent of the players in the Handbook carry grades of 50 High, which means that they are a risky bet and are often far away, but they have a chance to be an everyday regular.
Before all the trades, the Braves only had 13 players with a 50 High or better BA Grade.
The Braves acquired eight players who carried BA Grades of 50 High or better. All of those players are going to slot into the team’s top 20. Even after trading away two top 10 prospects, the Braves have done a good job of bulking up a farm system in need of help.
Workouts
Some will grind daily.
Early morning lift then getting some swings in. I'm ready for baseball season to start already
— Joseph Terdoslavich (@JoeTerdoslavich) January 7, 2015
Up early to lift then heading out to the field. Baseball season is just around the corner
— Joseph Terdoslavich (@JoeTerdoslavich) January 12, 2015
Afterwards, there are the spoils:
It doesn't get much better than a good home cooked meal after practice #MamasBoy
— Andrelton Simmons (@Andrelton) January 12, 2015
Ultimately, let’s just say that some workouts are better than others:
Pretty neat being able to hangout, hit, and learn from this man. One hell of a guy ⚾️🙌 pujolsfive @… http://t.co/3QlfAaktGO
— Braxton Davidson (@Braxdavidson) January 12, 2015
Braxton Davidson with Albert Pujols (photo credit: Instagram post)