Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday, July 20

1 of 8

Jul 12, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; World Team infielder Ozhaino Albies hits during batting practice before the All Star Futures Game with the U.S. Team at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday

After a week of travel and poor internet, we’re back with the weekend review. The Braves system is within a few games of .500 at the top 3 levels, yet from Rome on down, only Danville is playing near .500 ball right now. While player development does not require winning teams, specifically the GCL Braves and Rome team getting a taste of winning would be good.

We’ll begin with a quick review of Ozhaino Albies’ performance in the Futures Game. Albies easily got good wood in his first at bat on a fastball that was 95-96 depending on which scout’s gun you heard from. His second at bat was against Nationals prospect Lucas Giolito, whom many consider the best pitching prospect in all of baseball. To say Albies looked rough against Giolito would be an understatement. Albies looked very solid in the field, and I’ll tell you that many scouts who saw the game remarked on how while his build doesn’t lead one to think Albies will contribute much power, he has the ability to get the best part of the bat on balls better than most thought, which when paired with his incredible speed will allow Albies to routinely rack up extra base hits, whether or not those balls leave the park.

My highlight player this week is Carlos Franco, playing 3B for Carolina. Franco is a guy I had very high hopes for in 2012 when I was able to see him in Danville for one game, which enhanced his tremendous stats that year. Franco is in the midst of a hot streak, but he is someone who could surprise us all and play a very solid 3B, offering the ability to take a walk and drive the ball hard. He does strike out more than one would like, and he’ll never hit .300, but Franco has a tremendously powerful swing that has led to 34 extra base hits in 89 games this season, as many as he had in 123 games last season for Rome. Keep an eye on him as he could really move up the system fast if he continues this power streak.

Next: Gwinnett Braves Report