The Tomahawk Take Top 20 Prospects: 16-20

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The Tomahawk Take staff got together recently and submitted their top 30 prospects. From that, we’ve aggregated a list to the top 20. This is not the opinion of any one particular writer, but the consensus of everyone on the staff that participated in the rankings.

We’ll be presenting the list 5 players at a time, finishing with a review of a number of players that weren’t ranked in the top 20 but should be on the radar of Braves fans.

Hit next to continue on to the list.

20. Alec Grosser, Right-Handed Pitcher

The 20 year-old Grosser was drafted in the 11th round in 2013 by the Braves from T.C. Williams high school in Alexandria, Virginia (of Remember the Titans fame). The 6’2, 190-lb pitcher has a low-90s fastball, slider, and changeup, which he mixes well with success in rookie ball the last two seasons.

He projects as a mid-rotation starter that could eat a ton of innings with an upside comparable of James Shields and more likely comparable of Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang. That’s a very valuable piece in a rotation to save the bullpen innings.

Grosser will start 2015 in Rome, most likely, but he could jump up quickly if he can keep his walk rate under 8% as he moves up to full-season ball.

19. Dian Toscano, Outfielder

Toscano was signed this offseason from Cuba. He’s coming into 2015 with a lot of mystery to exactly what he could be due to a lack of scouting that has been done on him. His contract is really not a major gamble, roughly a $1.5M per season gamble that they found someone solid.

Scouting reports from Ben Badler and others are very scattered on the 25 year-old, but they seem to focus on his on-base ability. His Cuban stat line was .300/.399/.427, which looks great, but we’ll have to see how that translates to the big league club.

He’ll likely start in the high minors unless he shows in the spring that he’s ready immediately for the big league club.

18. Mauricio Cabrera, Right-Handed Pitcher

Cabrera came into the 2014 season as a very highly-rated high-upside pitcher. There were many prospect writers who were labeling Cabrera as a sleeper type to keep an eye on. Injury issues with his forearm limited his season to 33 total innings, mostly from the bullpen as he rehabbed.

The 21 year-old has a huge fastball that runs up to the upper-90s along with a nasty slider with a solidly built 6’2 frame to support his velocity. His change-up is behind the power fastball and wicked slider, which leads some to see Cabrera as a possible future dominant reliever.

The Braves will likely send Cabrera to Zebulon, NC (home of the Carolina Mudcats – our new high-A affiliate) to start the season, but if he ends up moving to the bullpen permanently, he could quickly jump up the ladder. If he could harness his control to a walk rate around 9-10%, his stuff could play up to a top of the rotation starter.

17. Garrett Fulenchek, Right-Handed Pitcher

Fulenchek was the 2nd round pick of the Braves in the 2014 draft and still doesn’t turn 19 until early June. He has a well-built 6’4, 200+ pound frame that screams “future ace” to many, and his stuff projects as a front-line starter as well.

He struggled with control, specifically of his off-speed stuff, with the GCL Braves. The Braves will start him likely in Danville and his ability to harness his control will determine how quickly he moves to a full-season team. His probable projection is a Derek Lowe type of starter with his heavy sinker.

16. Mallex Smith, Outfielder

The 5’9, 170-lb Smith projects as the player that you’d imagine at his size – a contact-led speedster with tremendous defense in center field. Smith was extremely impressive in the Arizona Fall League, as were a number of players acquired by the Braves this offseason.

While Smith has only spent a half-season at high-A, at 21, he’s still young enough to really build on his 2014 season that saw him hit .310/.403/.432 between two levels with 88(!!) steals. Braves fans can be encouraged by his better line as he was promoted to high-A, where he hit .327/.414/.475.

Smith added power was in the California League, which is known for exaggerating power, but his .414 on base at that level is certainly promising. His speed could be an absolute game-changer.

The biggest issue for Smith going forward would be his strikeout rate. While he did have a great walk rate, he also struck out at over 18% at both levels in 2014. If he can get that around 15% or lower with his speed, he’ll be one to watch as he likely will jump quickly if he can continue that level of contact and on-base skills.

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