Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects: 81-100

September 30, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun (56) slides into third base in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Top 100: 86-90

90. Robby Nesovic, 21 (3/31/94), 1B/3B, GCL
Stats: .242/.377/.293, 6 SB, 15.6% BB, 18% K
Nesovic was drafted by the Braves out of the University of California – Santa Barbara in the 27th round in 2015. Most would see a guy drafted that late from college and think “org filler”. Nesovic in college was even a utility guy, playing 2B/3B/1B. While he’s not likely going to play much at SS, Nesovic does have a tremendous eye at the plate, and his .377 OBP in the Gulf Coast League was no fluke. Offensively, he really does not have a skill that stands out, likely not going to ever hit .300, hit 20+ home runs, or steal 20+ bases, but he’s got an above-average eye that will allow his average skills across the board to play up offensively. I don’t know that the Braves will move him to Rome to start 2016, but that level of move wouldn’t surprise me at all as he’s the type of guy who never stands out along the way, but ends up having a ten-year career as a utility guy, and ends up as a starter a couple of seasons in the league.
Professional comparison: While currently, Justin Turner is the best comparison to Nesovic’s skill set, the guy who I see when I watch Nesovic is Bill Mueller. While Nesovic doesn’t have Mueller’s contact skills, he has that same ability to recognize pitches that Mueller had and similar defensive skills.
Likely 2016 starting destination: Danville
Expected time of arrival: 2019

89. Joey Meneses, 23 (5/6/92), 1B, Carolina
Stats: .239/.298/.327, 7.4% BB, 18.5% K
Many will look at Meneses’ final line and wonder how he even ended up on this list. He caught my eye earlier this year, though, and I just can’t shake how solid his swing is. Meneses’ big issue is pitch recognition, but when he gets his solid right-handed swing on the ball, he puts a solid drive into the ball. Meneses is still quite raw as he was signed at 19 out of Mexico, and he’s shown to be a slow learner, often relying on his natural skills rather than waiting for the best pitch of an at bat. Meneses does have the ability to play the outfield at a very solid level, though he did play most of his time at first base in 2016.
Professional comparison: Meneses’ swing reminds me a ton of Kole Calhoun’s swing. He’s not the high-level defender in the outfield that Calhoun has shown to be, but he’s a guy who, like Calhoun, would be a guy hitting the majors at 25ish.
Likely 2016 starting destination: Depending on where he’d get the best instruction, I could see Meneses at Carolina or Mississippi.
Expected time of arrival: 2018

88. Jason Laguna, 19 (1/8/96), RHP, DSL
Stats: 4-0, 33 IP, 2.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 5.1% BB, 21% K
Signed out of Nicaragua in 2013, Laguna struggled in his debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2014 with his control. Laguna is known for his breaking stuff, only offering a low-90s fastball, but his tremendous reduction in his walk rate is one to watch going forward. Laguna may come state side this year, but he’s still a ways off as he works to control his off speed stuff at a level that could be effective in the majors.
Professional comparison: Also a guy who leads with his breaking stuff, Erasmo Ramirez is a quick comparison to Laguna, and Erasmo also happens to be from Nicaragua. Laguna, like Ramirez, could jump levels fast once he gets stateside.
Likely 2016 starting destination: GCL
Expected time of arrival: 2020

87. Bradley Roney, 23 (9/1/92), RHP, Carolina
Stats: 33 appearances, 11 saves, 48 ⅓ IP, 3.35 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 17.8% BB, 35.4% K
After being drafted in the 8th round of the 2014 draft, Roney leaped up three levels in 2015, and interestingly, he performed better in Carolina than he did in Rome. Roney has high-end velocity and a ridiculous slider. Roney was a two-way guy in college, and now that he’s just pitching, you can see that his velocity jumped from 95 to topping out at 98 last year. The other thing that usually improves when a guy focuses on just pitching after working both ways is command, and Roney’s slowly progressed through the season, but by the end of the season in Carolina, his command was tremendous.
Professional comparison: Justin Grimm moved through the minor leagues as a starter, but after the Cubs moved him to the bullpen, he’s put up the sort of numbers that we can hope to see from Roney in the future. They also have similar builds and athleticism off the mound.
Likely 2016 starting destination: Mississippi
Expected time of arrival: 2017

86. Kelvin Estevez, 19 (11/17/95), RF, Danville
Stats: .264/.304/.350, 5.4% BB, 32.4% K
The Braves signed Estevez in 2013 out of the Dominican for a six-figure bonus, and the power just hasn’t shown up – yet. The swing is absolutely there, but Estevez has poor bat control and pitch recognition at this point in his development. He’s got solid athleticism and could play well in right field with a power arm in the outfield and solid defensive outfield range, but he’ll go as far as the bat will take him.
Professional comparison: Randal Grichuk was selected one choice ahead of Mike Trout, and he has similar swing and recognition issues as Estevez, but as was seen this year with Grichuk in St. Louis, if he gets on a hot streak where he sees the ball well, his poor plate discipline becomes less of an issue as his natural skills will put up numbers.
Likely 2016 starting destination: Danville
Expected time of arrival: 2020
 

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