Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Looking at the Future
The Cleveland Indians gave Braves’ fans a look at the kind of team Atlanta might be in the process of assembling
Pitching. High-ceiling prospects obtained from the draft. Shrewd trades – even fleecing the Diamondbacks (Trevor Bauer)!
Above all, though, this has been a steadily patient organization that has been built largely through pitching and the draft… and they are winning despite being down three outfielders at the moment.
Last night’s lineup?
- Rajai Davis (free agent signee)
- Jason Kipnis (2009 2nd round draftee)
- Francisco Lindor (2011 1st round draftee)
- Mike Napoli (free agent signee)
- Lonnie Chisenhall (2008 1st round draftee)
- Jose Ramirez (2009 International signee, Dom. Rep.)
- Tyler Naquin (2012 1st round draftee)
- Chris Gimenez (2004 19th round draftee)
- Trevor Bauer (2012 trade with Arizona; 2011 3rd pick overall)
More from Tomahawk Take
- Atlanta Braves 2012 Prospect Review: Joey Terdoslavich
- Braves News: Braves sign Fuentes, Andruw’s HOF candidacy, more
- The Weakest Braves Homers Since 2015
- Atlanta Braves Sign Joshua Fuentes to Minor League Deal
- Braves News: New Year’s Eve comes with several questions about the 2023 Braves
That’s the team that beat up on the Braves last night for 14 hits and 8 runs while allowing only 8 and 3… on a night where Bauer wasn’t really on his game.
That kind of might is coming for Atlanta. It’s just over the horizon a bit.
The bad news from last night – aside from the 8-3 score – was that starter John Gant injured his left-side oblique. Oddly, this is on the opposite side from his pitching hand.
We will probably learn more today, but for a pitcher, that’s probably a minimum of two months away. So without setbacks, that regrettably might mean a cameo appearance or two in September.
Here’s your box score:
Next: This Might Tell You All You Need to Know
Just How Good is this Braves’ Farm System?
International Signing Season for 2016-17 opens on Saturday, July 2nd. Expect a flurry of news, but Kevin Maitan is finally expected to sign with the Braves on that day (more on him elsewhere on The Take today).
He’s been touted as the best teen prospect from Latin America in several years, and the best from Venezuela… perhaps ever.
So that leads to a question:
@BenBadler Would Maitan crack the @Braves top 10 prospects once he signs? Top 5?
— J.P. (@Jaypers413) June 27, 2016
Great system, still very high probability Maitan would be in their top 10. We’ll see who else they add this summer.https://t.co/owcxUa75zQ
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) June 27, 2016
Seriously? Merely “would be in their top 10”? Badler also wrote today that Maitan could be the first to crack their Top 100 before playing a pro game since Miguel Sano in 2009.
Okay: the BaseballAmerica Top 100 currently (from February) has these Braves on their list:
- Dansby Swanson, 17th
- Sean Newcomb, 24th
- Hector Olivera, 55th
- Aaron Blair, 60th
- Ozzie Albies, 63rd
- Kolby Allard, 84th
- Touki Toussaint, 90th
Of these seven, Olivera would clearly come off the list (Blair might by the end of the year), but there could be another addition or two, such as Ian Anderson and/or Joey Wentz from the draft, Mike Soroka, and Chris Ellis. Austin Riley and Dustin Peterson could also be knocking on their door.
None of the rest have done anything this year to drop their future expectations.
What Badler is suggesting is that Maitan could crack that Top 100 near the bottom of the list… guessing something in the 80-95 range, perhaps.
Adding Anderson and Wentz in the same area, plus maybe one of the others noted above, and Atlanta could support ten of their farmhands in the BA Top 100 as next review.
And wunderkind Kevin Maitan might only be the 8th or 9th best of the lot by their reckoning.
Think about that.