Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects In Review

Prospects That Rose Up the List

So, I’ve got a few different categories of guys who rose up the list – guys who I either saw more video or read more information about, velocity guys, or young guys that I underplayed in the first go-round.

The guys I got more information on include Gant, whose starts were simply more and more impressive as you watch them, Winkler, who got back his secondary stuff as the season closed, which gives hope that he could return to the rotation long-term, Barker, who didn’t have starts of 13 strikeouts or 8 innings with no hits, but he was just consistently good nearly every time out, Clark, who I finally got to see some good video on and is even more impressive than his numbers, and Minter, who I was able to see pre-draft video on and can now get more of the hype. Hitters include Baez, whose stats really don’t do justice to how hard it is to take your eyes off of him on video, Curcio, whose defense at second was much better than advertised and could carry him much more quickly to the majors as a guy who can play middle infield and center field, and Murphy, who has a power bat that could be as much as a 60-65 grade power bat along with his excellent defensive skills behind the plate.

Velocity pitchers were many in the system, and frankly, my admitted bias against relievers had me overlooking a number of guys who were predicted to be relievers before having a chance to get more of an idea on the velo numbers. The Braves have a handful of guys who can legitimately touch triple digits, and that is incredible. Graham is still working on pitching after transitioning from catcher just a couple of seasons ago so his upside is ridiculous, Cabrera popped a ton of eyes in the AFL by popping 103 on multiple radar guns, Weigel kept the high velocity while working from the rotation last season though he may end up in the bullpen soon simply due to overcrowding, Johnson-Mullins has been clocked at 101 from the left hand side, and Withrow doesn’t have his brother’s amazing velocity, but he keeps his velocity through his entire starts.

Next: Fallers Down the List

I underrated young guys in Ellison and Estevez. Estevez has elite defensive upside that was beyond even what I had thought before, but the real guy to watch is Ellison. I get more and more rave reviews from people who’ve seen him in person, saying he could end up the steal of the 2015 draft when all is said and done, and yes, more so than Riley. Hellinger I had rated before, but I just keep getting good reports, but Barrios, Guardado, Suarez, and Gamez were all guys that I got more good reports on stuff from those who had eyes on. I got some good video on all four now as well, and they definitely belong on the list, though each has plenty to work on in pro ball still, which is why they’re still at the back-end of the list.