Apr 4, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; The teams lineup and the flag is pulled across the outfield prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; The teams lineup and the flag is pulled across the outfield prior to the game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
The Atlanta Braves have an incredible farm system, and Benjamin Chase has taken up Tomahawk Take’s minor league coverage of that system. This is his top 100 prospects in the Atlanta Braves system!
An Introduction
This is my second undertaking of a top 100 list. I will be honest – it was much tougher this season. Last year, I did consider just under 150 names that I considered as worthy of being on the top 100 list, but the qualifications were basically “did not look bad statistically” or “heard at least one positive thing”. This year I knew was going to be much deeper, so I upped my personal requirements even for consideration, and I had 173 names on the initial list that I made to start sorting out from.
First, the methodology. This list is not a list of the guys who have the most talent from 1-100 as that wouldn’t tell us what we really want to know. This is an evaluation of who has the talent, the mental makeup, and the work ethic to turn their talent into a major league baseball player. The reality is that of these 100 players, the Braves would be doing exceptionally well if 25 of them played more than a brief stint with the major league club. That part does need to be kept in mind as we continue through this list.
That does not mean that someone who is a #98 on this list can’t have a major league career. What I look at is the level of impact a player will have IF he does make the major leagues. A guy who will be an impact hitter or not make it at all will likely get rated higher than a guy who won’t make it as a starter or a late-inning reliever, but he has a good shot to be a major league middle reliever.
All players who have not exceeded rookie requirements are eligible for this list, even if they’ve played in the major leagues already.
I will have a post on Friday after the entire list is revealed that presents the list in a pure list format with no evaluation on each player for reference in the future. These posts will have more in-depth evaluation of each player in the list. I also intend to update this list sometime before spring training begins with any off season acquisitions that the Braves make, so I won’t be updating the list as each trade/rule V pick/waiver claim is made, it will all be at that time.
With that said, let’s take a look at this post’s focus, #81-90 on the list!
Rangel was part of the 2014 July 2nd international free agent class for the Braves, signed out of Mexico. Rangel is a tall lean guy with very long arms and legs on his frame. He’s listed at 6’2, but many have said he’s likely added an inch or two to that, but his listed weight of 165 pounds is likely quite close.
Rangel has a fastball that sits in the low-90s and touches up to 94 along with a very good curve and a good feel for a change for an 18 year-old kid. He has good over-the-top mechanics to generate plane on his fastball. While Rangel may not have elite velocity, his combination of pitches is difficult for hitters to drive, as seen in his low home run rate this year (0.4 HR/9).
On the season, Rangel threw 46 2/3 innings for the Gulf Coast League Braves. He posted a 3.28 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 10/47 BB/K. He does a good job of attacking the zone on hitters, and he forces hitters to hit the ball into his defense.
Rangel will likely be heading to Danville in 2017 to open the season, but with a strong spring or a strong start in Danville, it’s very possible that he’ll finish next season in Rome with his excellent maturity on the mound in attacking hitters.
Mejia was brought up to GCL this year, and the 19 year-old struggled to show the same success he had the previous year in the DSL. Mejia has been tagged with solid defensive skills, and he has been labeled with a solid gap-power bat with above-average speed and good strike zone judgement. He did avoid strikeouts at a similar rate with GCL this year, but his walk rate plummeted from nearly 15% to more like 4%, and whether that’s due to lack of playing time, injury, or what, I have not received any clear confirmation.
Mejia has smooth hands around the infield and an average arm that he throws accurately with to play it up to likely above-average. He played mostly at third base, and he probably fits best long term as a utility infielder that can field multiple positions. The guy who I hear Mejia compared to frequently by people who review him is a young Martin Prado, and that defensive flexibility and solid contact would be excellent, though Mejia has some work to do to get to that level of production for sure.
Phillips was a North Carolina high school product that chose to attend college a North Carolina-Wilmington rather than signing as a 33rd round selection with the Royals in 2012. The Braves plucked him out of UNCW in the 17th round of the June draft in 2015. Phillips was initially sent to Danville, and he threw so well there that he worked his way to Rome, finishing his 2015 season with 18 appearances, 29 2/3 innings, a 2.73 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 12/37 BB/K ratio.
This season Phillips started with Carolina, and he worked in concert with Chase Johnson-Mullins as co-closers for the Mudcats at the beginning of the season before CJM was suspended for behavioral reasons and Phillips was promoted to Mississippi’s bullpen. After really working on getting hitters to pound the ball into the ground, Phillips made an adjustment in his approach to hitters with highly-reputable Mississippi pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn, and it led to a significant jump in his strikeouts, though he did find his stuff a bit more hittable initially.
On the 2016 season, Phillips totaled 43 appearances, 62 2/3 innings, a 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a 24/62 BB/K ratio. I did note that he was used much more in multi-inning appearances with Mississippi, and his stuff was much less sharp after about 25-30 pitches into an appearance, when he seemed to get off in his landing spot, leading to a notably higher walk rate at AA (10.6% BB rate in AA versus 7.2% with high-A Carolina). Landing spot issues for Phillips will be something to note due to his near-slide-step move to the plate and that putting his foot down a slight moment early can really throw off the rest of his delivery.
Phillips has a three-pitch mix featuring a fastball that can touch 96-97 and sits in the 93ish range with excellent downward plane from a high 3/4 arm slot. He also utilizes a hard slider and a hard curve. The hard slider is absolutely a ground ball generating pitch, and when he focuses more fastball/slider, he will get hitters pounding the ball into the ground. However, his curve showed growth at Mississippi, and I noted in my scouting report last offseason that when his hard curve was biting well, it’s a strikeout pitch.
I’d wager Phillips works at Mississippi to start 2017 again, and it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if he was moved more toward the back of the Mississippi bullpen in 2017, where I think he could be quite successful with his three-pitch mix if he can keep his landing spot stable and is given the opportunity.
Gotta give a quick shoutout to @TXAgBSBMagic for all they do! Give them a follow for a closer look at Aggie Baseball pic.twitter.com/X0urE2i2EZ
Moss was a senior-sign pick out of Texas A&M in the 7th round this past June. Moss is a guy whose profile is not likely to blow anyone away as he’s got limited power, but solid contact skills and very good speed. However, Moss came out and really hit well in Danville (.333/.380/.441) before being jumped over Rome to Carolina, and he struggled with BABIP stuff at Carolina (.246 BABIP for a guy with excellent speed that will probably be more like a .300-.310 guy going forwrad).
What Moss showed that was impressive to many in the organization and was more than expected was his pitch recognition at the plate. He did strike out at over 19% combined, but that’s certainly not a concerning number, but that he was able to put up a 9% walk rate in Carolina was notable to multiple team people that I had a chance to talk with.
Moss profiles as a left fielder, primarily due to an average-ish arm, but he certainly has the range to handle center, and he’s had experience playing there in college, so he could handle the position well as needed. I honestly thought that Moss could be another version of Keith Curcio in the system, and while a guy like that may have a future at best of a fourth outfielder, a guy like that will also be kept around for a long time for the way he plays the game as long as he continues to keep working hard.
Signed out of the Dominican, De La Cruz threw briefly with the DSL in 2015 without much to write home about in his performance. He started back with DSL this year, and he showed well enough to earn a promotion to GCL, and all he did after his promotion is not allow a run the rest of the season in 15 innings of relief for GCL.
De La Cruz does not touch triple digits or have a curve ball that will tear knee ligaments, but he throws a very solid mix of a low-90s fastball with excellent sink action, a breaker with sharp action that he works low in the zone, and a change that he is working on but still needs some work.
De La Cruz is a guy that certainly got a lot of comments from guys I talked with, many who thought he’d move very quickly through the system if he remained in relief. However, he also worked at least 3 innings in his last 4 appearances in GCL, making only 2 one-inning appearances.
De La Cruz worked on his breaking pitch and being consistent in his arm angle with GCL, and that made a big difference in his control, as he would leave the ball flat at times when he missed his arm angle, and then the ball wouldn’t end up where he expected (nor wanted, at times) the ball to be. He will be a very intriguing arm to watch in 2017 as he likely will move up to Danville and could get a chance to open in their rotation.
Pokorney was a 29th round selection this summer out of high school in Indiana as many thought he would be heading to college for sure, yet the Braves were able to convince him to sign. Pokorney has blazing speed, and his best sport was football as a wide receiver by many accounts in high school until the summer before his senior year.
Pokorney is built like an NFL wide receiver as well at 6’3 and 205 pounds. He’s a switch-hitter that has an unorthodox swing setup, but if you watch his swing path, you’ll see much better things. His path through the zone is very typical from both sides of the plate, if just a touch flat. With his natural strength, he could definitely develop more power with some adjustments to his swing path and natural strength added.
Pokorney put up a .259/.350/.318 line with GCL, though he did have a strikeout issue, fanning 28.9& of the time, which is fairly high for a “speedster” type. Pokorney also played primarily at left field, though he’s got the athleticism and certainly the arm to handle center field.
Pokorney already has a very good natural build, and he has a frame that could add more muscle build without sacrificing athleticism. He’ll likely start with Danville in 2017, and he could be a guy whose natural talents allow him to leap forward on lists like this going forward.
At midseason, Gamez was a big climber on my top-50 list. When I wrote up my list, Gamez was coming off a 7-inning start for Danville where he allowed 1 unearned run on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 4. The report I got from that start was that his fastball touched 95, but more importantly, no one squared up a fastball the entire game as he got tremendous sink on the pitch. His breaking stuff was still an issue to get in the zone, but his change played up as well with the fastball, and hitters really only had a hope if Gamez allowed them to in that start. That start lowered his season ERA to 1.29, and while walks were still an issue, he had a 9/15 BB/K through 21 innings at that point, which was certainly acceptable.
Then what seems to often happen with Gamez came around. His control was too much to overcome in his next start as he walked 3 and couldn’t get the fastball over in 2 1/3 innings, allowing 5 runs. In total, after that 7 inning gem, he threw a total of 8 2/3 innings before going on the DL for the rest of the season, also another common issue with Gamez since the Braves drafted him in the 11th round of the 2014 draft out of high school in Arizona.
The Braves knew all along they were taking a gamble with Gamez, as he was a guy who converted to pitcher his junior year of high school and then only threw 15 total innings in his senior year before the draft. He impressed Braves scouts when he popped 94 with ease in a scouting trip to see one of Gamez’s teammates. He is a baseball rat, the son of a former minor league pitcher and coach who grew up as a kid in a minor league dugout, so he is all about the game.
That passion will serve him well in working toward what he needs to do to move forward, but it may be time to scrap the idea of Gamez as a starter already, even though he’s only 20. His heavy fastball paired with his effective change could be a very nice weapon out of the bullpen.
Crowley was a 26th round selection out of small Reedley Junior College in June, and many have discounted the selection due to his small school, late pick pedigree. Crowley simply went to GCL and hit .327/.375/.385 in 56 plate appearances. This was buoyed by a .381 BABIP, but he’s also a surprising athlete for a catcher, stealing multiple bases in college.
Crowley likely doesn’t have a future as a power hitter, but he can spray the ball well, though he did only have one home run as a professional as his only extra base hit. He’s had a good eye in his past, and his arm is borderline plus, and certainly above-average.
In talking with a couple of people who saw him with GCL this year, the consensus is that Crowley’s defensive skills are definitely going to be his carrying tool going forward as he has excellent throwing skills and framing skills, though his blocking does need some work as he attempts often to glove balls rather than get in front to block them.
With a 6’2, 210-pound frame, Crowley would assume to have more power in his projection, but he does have a fairly short swing that he is very successful with at this point, so how much the team will want to mess with that is to be seen as he moves up in levels. He’s going to be 21 when the season starts in 2017, so it’s likely the Braves will push him up a level (or even two) in order to see what they have with Crowley in 2017 and find out how much of his 2016 performance was “real”.
Hellinger has a long, lanky frame, and since the time he was drafted out of Georgia high school in the 20th round of the 2015 draft, Hellinger has been a guy who has drawn interest of Braves fans, first for his local connection, and then for his performance with GCL in his first pro season, where he posted a 3.15 ERA over 34 1/3 innings, with a 1.40 WHIP and 14/33 BB/K ratio.
Hellinger was bumped up to advanced-rookie Danville in 2016, and he got mixed reviews from those I talked to. His stat line was not as pretty as 2015, with a 4.50 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and 28/47 BB/K over 62 innings. On the positive, he took the ball each time out and 9 of his 13 starts were at least 5 innings, which showed growth in his ability to handle workload. He also finished well, posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 5 August starts.
Hellinger is only 19, so he’s got plenty of time to grow into his long frame and improve his control. He’s added quite a bit of height in the last two years, so it’s not surprising that he’s not got his delivery perfected at that new height and is losing control at times in his delivery.
Hellinger is a lefty that often goes under the radar when talking about young pitching in the system, but if he can get his delivery in line and get his control collected, he’ll leap forward in a hurry!
I have to be upfront. There are a few things that I’m a sucker for in evaluating a player. One of them is going to often keep Salazar ahead of the curve in ratings for me – his defense. Salazar could make a legit claim as the best defensive shortstop in the entire Atlanta Braves organization from the majors on down to the lowest level. He has all the skills you’d like. His arm is borderline plus in strength, but he is extremely accurate with it, which helps it to play better than it’s raw strength. He has smooth hands and plus range at short.
I was surprised to see the 19 year-old (at the time) Salazar pushed to Rome this year, but the Braves’ faith in their young Venezuelan shortstop showed to be well placed as he hit .279/.305/.311 in spite of being one of the youngest every day players in the South Atlantic League.
Salazar is not likely going to be a guy who hits for a ton of power without a major overhaul of his swing, and his body type doesn’t lend to getting a lot of power out of his frame regardless, so rather than shoot for what little power he could pull from his frame, he’d be best served to maximize what he does well. Salazar is an above-average raw runner, but he does not have great base-stealing instincts and could use some work with a coach on the skills of reading a pitcher to improve that skill.
He showed solid pitch recognition in his past, but as he faced more premium velocity and definitely more premium breaking stuff in Rome this season, he did see his strikeout rate bump up about 4% this season, but he still does keep the rate below 20% overall. While he doesn’t strike out at a major rate, he does tend to use his above-average contact skill to put balls in play rather than being patient and working counts. He could use more skill at taking a walk.
Salazar is still only 20, so the Braves will be in no rush with him, and he’ll probably spend his 2017 primarily at Brevard County, unless he takes a monster step forward with his skills at the plate and earns a promotion to AA. With the depth of shortstops the Braves signed in the last two IFA classes, Salazar may have the feeling of needing to look over his shoulder, but even if he’s a Garry Templeton type, that would have value to the club off the bench or be able to swing in a trade well.
