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 an Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects 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, #31-40 on the list!
Editor’s Note: the next installment (#’s 21-30) will be delayed until late in the day or possibly tomorrow morning; we apologize for this, but circumstances require the situation. As you were.
This spot will likely surprise a lot of people and be a brand new name to many others. Vasquez was part of this year’s international signing crop, though he technically could have been signed last summer, as he was 16 as of April of 2015.
Vasquez went straight to DSL once he was signed and simply was the best player on the team from the moment he arrived until the end of the season. He finished with a line of .333/.416/.374 with 11 stolen bases and an 11/22 BB/K over 113 plate appearances.
In talking with those who have seen him, Vasquez has incredible range, but he has an arm that is average with rough accuracy that makes it play down. However, those who saw him at second base absolutely raved about him there, so he could have a future position already, though he does have the range to handle short if needed.
The big thing about Vasquez is that he has a frame that you can dream on with a 70 to 80 grade on his speed. He has a contact tool that received grades ranging from 55 to 65 from those who saw him, and one scout told me that he’d put a 55-60 on future power for Vasquez.
What’s that all translate to?
Essentially, if Vasquez hit his ceiling in those tools, he would be a guy who could hit .290-.300 with 15ish home runs and 30 steals at an up the middle position. That would be the absolute elite of the elite in offensive production for those positions. Add in that he’s considered a very good defender at 2B, and that’s a big-time prospect.
Obviously, we’re talking about a kid that will still be 17 when the season opens in 2017, so there are a wide range of directions that his career could go from here, but to say that his first impression was positive would be putting it lightly.
He’ll likely be placed in GCL to start 2017.
Feb 22, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Ellis fields the ball during spring training workouts at ESPN /
Ellis is an Alabama native that attended Ole Miss before being drafted in the 3rd round by the Angels in the 2014 draft. After reaching AA in his first full season in the minor leagues in 2015, Ellis was widely considered to be the Angels’ #2 prospect behind Sean Newcomb.
Ellis was acquired with Newcomb in the deal that traded away shortstop Andrelton Simmons. The Braves sent Ellis to AA, as the AAA rotation was full at that time.
Ellis responded with excellent statistics, though with unimpressive visual results. Ellis had a 2.75 ERA with Mississippi in 13 starts, throwing 78 2/3 innings with a 1.13 WHIP and a 35/61 BB/K ratio. Ellis allowed only 54 hits, but he seemed to not have a clue where his pitches were going, but AA hitters continued to bail him out.
The Braves promoted Ellis to AAA Gwinnett, and that lack of control continued while the hitters were much more disciplined. The results were pure disaster.
Ellis’ final line was 6.52 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and a 52/65 BB/K ratio over 67 2/3 innings across 15 starts, so he threw 2 more starts in AAA, but threw 11 less innings due to how badly he was being beaten up by AAA hitters.
In the winter, I did a review of Ellis when he was acquired, and I noted that Ellis was an emotionally reactive pitcher. He was notable in the games I reviewed in responding negatively whenever he got the short end of a close call or any such situation. He would press, and then he’d end up losing his release point, and thus, his control.
Ellis has stuff that when he is on top of it can play very well, especially his low-90s fastball that can touch 95-96 with a lot of movement based on his grip. His curve is an average offering that runs in the mid-70s, but his better off-speed option is his change that sits in the low-80s and has similar ability to manipulate for considerable movement.
Ellis was a reliever until mid-way through his draft season at Ole Miss, and I wonder if his future is there again. I had a concern about his mechanics last winter, and they didn’t seem to get any better during the season. When he’s on, he can throw a 7-inning, dominant outing, but that’s so rare for him to hold his mechanics that long that I just think the bullpen is his future.
Ellis will likely be given the chance to start again with Gwinnett to open 2017. He’s 24 at this point, so he’s not young by any means, so this is probably his last shot to work as a starter. If he doesn’t make it there, his build, arm strength, and stuff would immediately make him a very intriguing bullpen piece.
I was describing my list to someone before doing the write-ups, and they asked me where the guys who are “my favorites” are. I said, other than the elite talents, of course, that it seemed that my favorites were bunched from about 31-41, with others scattered around. Curcio definitely fits into that bill.
Curcio was drafted in the 6th round in 2014 by the Braves. He pushed to Rome in his first season in the system, hitting a combined .283/.358/.435 across two levels in just 55 plate appearances.
In 2015, he started with Rome and was a hitting fool before being promoted to Carolina. After a rough start, he had a very good finish to the season. In all, he hit .265/.327/.369 with 10 triples, 4 home runs, and 24 stolen bases.
Curcio returned to Carolina in 2016, and he was the one constant in that Mudcat lineup all season, finishing with a .271/.352/.389 slash, 8 triples, 3 home runs, 24 stolen bases and a 54/64 BB/K ratio over 534 plate appearances.
Curcio is about the perfect definition of a baseball grinder. He’s a guy who just goes out every day and does what it takes to help his team win. The video I posted above him was one of my favorite moments that I caught live watching the minors this year. Curcio’s joy after that home run in the playoffs for Mississippi was palpable through a computer screen.
Curcio has shown the ability to handle second base as well as being passable in center and left. He’s probably never going to win a Gold Glove at any position, but he won’t hurt you anywhere he plays.
On offense, he’s not going to be a big power guy, but Curcio does have very good speed and above all, excellent baseball instincts that allow him to use that speed to get an extra base, whether by steal or by taking an extra base running the bases.
While Curcio may never be an elite starter, he’s continued to show his value as a player that keeps working hard, and he has enough talent that he could certainly be an excellent bench piece in the majors if not a guy who could start for a few years at his best.
Curcio will likely open 2017 in Mississippi and his performance there will dictate his future role – bench or fringe starter.
While many noted the trio of excellent high school starters that the Braves drafted with their first three selections in the 2016 draft, their 4th round pick out of high school in North Carolina had probably a more storied background.
In his senior year of high school, Wilson threw three no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game in the first round of the state playoffs!
Wilson has a bit of a long arm motion in his delivery, which could lead to control issues in the future, but certainly in the GCL, he didn’t have any issue with that.
You could make a legitimate argument that Wilson had the best GCL performance of any 2016 HS draftee, throwing 26 2/3 innings with a 0.68 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 8/29 BB/K ratio.
Wilson has a fastball that can top out at 96 but sits more like 91-93 with a slider that was impressive in its break. His change is the pitch that needs the most work currently as he struggles to have consistent arm angle with the fastball to change.
The big question going forward will be how well Wilson keeps his delivery, and if he can do that, he has enough in his current repertoire to do very well as a starter. If he struggles with that delivery, he could make a very, very good reliever.
I’d wager that he moves to Danville to open 2017, likely starting with fellow 2016 draftee Kyle Muller as a very exciting 1-2 in that Danville rotation.
Morales came to the Braves as a 25th round draft selection in 2015 out of Miami-Dade College. The Puerto Rico native came out and hit very, very well with the GCL in 2015. He hit .304/.377/.511 with 7 home runs and a 14/14 BB/K over 152 plate appearances.
The Braves wanted to push Morales to Rome to give him the experience of catch the elite stuff of the Rome pitchers. Morales did show marked improvement behind the plate in 2016, framing pitches tremendously well and showing the work he’d done on his footwork to allow his plus arm to shine through in mowing down opposing runners, throwing out 50% of base stealers.
At the plate, it was a very up and down experience on the season. Morales hit .295 but had a 3/12 BB/K in April. He had a .578 OPS in May and June combined, but he had a 15/23 BB/K over 182 plate appearances in those two months.
Overall on the season, Morales hit .269/.313/.356 with 25 doubles, 4 home runs, and a 25/55 BB/K ratio in 462 plate appearances.
Morales has a very solid swing when he keeps it, being quick through the zone and also having good power in the swing. He made a couple of adjustments in his swing this season, and it did level out his swing some.
He will get the chance to keep moving up with the Rome staff most likely as he developed excellent rapport with them. He’s shown tremendous defensive growth, and with arguably the best present bat among catching prospects, he could quickly move through the system if the defense continues to impress.
Moore was originally drafted by the Rangers in the 7th round of the 2015 draft. Moore hit .271/.376/.565 in his pro debut, knocking out 7 home runs and stealing 15 bases in just 69 games.
He was sent to Hickory of the South Atlantic League to start the season and after hitting very well there, he was sent to High Desert. The Braves acquired Moore from Texas in the Jeff Francoeur trade. He finished the regular season in Carolina before moving up to Mississippi to replace Ozzie Albies after his injury.
Moore has played all over the infield in his major league time, playing double-digit games at all four infield spots. His most frequent spot has been first base, though. Moore has the defensive ability to handle short or second quite well with soft hands and a good amount of range, though he’s not an ideal starter at shortstop.
Moore has a solid blend of speed and power at the plate, though he has an average contact tool. He has shown the ability to work the count well so far as well.
I’m curious to see how Moore responds to AA. He’s already 24, so he doesn’t exactly have a lot of time for leeway in his development. He’ll need to make an impact soon to keep on track as a big league possibility.
Acquired in a trade that sent Kyle Kubitza to the Angels before the 2015 season, Sanchez pitched the entire 2016 season at 19. Okay, that’s not entirely true. His first start of the season, Sanchez was still 18 years old!
One of the top-rated pitchers in the 2013 international free agent class, Sanchez threw well in 36 2/3 innings for the Angels Arizona Rookie League team in 2014 in his pro debut.
The Braves pushed him up to Rome in 2015, and he fought through injuries most of the season, only throwing 39 2/3 innings.
Repeating Rome this season, he didn’t have a pretty ERA, but he made some significant strides that for a teenager are notable and a sign of very positive things to come.
Sanchez is not a big guy, standing right around 6′ tall and likely weighing in around 180 pounds. He works with a sharp fastball that reaches 96 and sits 90-92. He has a curve that has a deep 1-to-7 break. The big pitch for him, as for many teenage pitchers, is his change.
The big improvement for Sanchez was locating his fastball. He worked hard in 2016 to keep the fastball biting low. Sanchez has a free and easy delivery, and his fastball often drifted up into the zone because it just seemed to come to easy. As Sanchez could focus more, he was able to stay on top of his fastball.
As he worked through the season, Sanchez built to his performance at the end of the season, which went drastically under the radar in the loaded Rome rotation. From July 1st on, he made 12 starts, with a 3.48 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 28/60 BB/K over 64 2/3 innings.
His change has good movement that could be an above-average pitch, but right now it’s a fringe-average pitch. As he builds on that pitch, his combination could be such to profile as a #2 starter.
He’ll be pushed forward to high-A in 2017, and it will be fun to see how he progresses this year.
My favorite catching prospect tore up the DSL in 2015 after being signed out of Venezuela, hitting .314/.370/.413 with 4 triples and a 15/21 BB/K ratio over 190 plate appearances.
The Braves sent Contreras to GCL in 2016, but he was stuck in a three-way time share at catcher (when it wasn’t a four-way!), which limited his ability to truly get on track hitting. Still, he managed a line of .264/.346/.375 with a home run and a 7/15 BB/K ratio over 82 plate appearances.
Limited exposure at the plate, but Contreras has made an impression to many that I’ve spoken with. He has a solid right-handed swing that exhibits quick bat speed and an explosive sound when the ball comes off of it.
He currently has excellent line drive power, but he has the strength to develop above-average power, in the 55 grade range. His contact has been given a 45-50 present and a 55-60 future value, which would allow him to have a very good bat indeed.
Contreras has excellent defensive skills. He is exceptional behind the plate in his movement, and he has an above-average arm as well. He experienced one passed ball in 158 innings working with pitchers in their first professional experience frequently, which is tremendous.
I’ve been heavy on Contreras since the reports I got on him in 2015. I’ll continue watching him closely as he moves up to Danville in 2017 most likely, unless the team chooses to move him all the way up to Rome.
was signed by the Braves out of Mexico as a 19 year-old. He was known as a pitcher when he was signed and still pitches in the winter when he returns to Mexico to play winter ball.
The Braves signed Meneses for his bat, however. He has an excellent bat path and good contact skills at the plate. He did, however, struggle some with his shape coming into seasons as he has played nearly year round since signing, and he often got off to slow starts each season.
2016 was a different season for Meneses. He opened with Carolina and was hitting from the word “go” on the season. He wasn’t just hitting singles either, tallying 5 home runs and 19 doubles in 269 plate appearances before he was promoted to Rome.
The problem for Meneses is that he has been playing first base, and there’s a fairly talented player at the major league level playing that position already that will be there a while. So, the team decided to use Meneses’s excellent throwing arm and try him in the outfield.
The experiment was rough at the beginning for sure, but his arm certainly didn’t fail him, and as he began to pick up the trajectory of the ball, he became much more comfortable tracking balls down in the outfield, showing some impressive athleticism that he had not had the opportunity to display at first base.
As he was making this transition defensively, however, his bat was in rough shape. He was focused on his defensive skills, and making those play well was his focus, and he admitted not getting the time in the cage that he really should have.
As Dansby Swanson was getting the call to head to the big leagues, Meneses filled the gap left in the offense, and from August 15th through the end of the regular season, Meneses hit .262/.333/.400 with 2 home runs. He then went on to hit very well in the playoffs, slashing .440/.500/.560 for Mississippi in their playoff run.
Meneses will turn 25 in early May next season, so he will need to show well to continue to have some prospect status. He is also rule 5 eligible this offseason, so the Braves are going to have to consider where to put him on the roster to protect him or face possibly losing him.
I would wager Meneses will start back with Mississippi in 2017 with eyes toward a quick promotion at the first opportunity if he answers the bell.
In the ultimate cheese ball prospecting last offseason, I had Dykstra on the edge of the top 20 in the entire system. Some found that crazy…and then Dykstra spent a good portion of 2016 leading the entire system in batting average.
Now after he missed a significant chunk of the 2016 season and showed some concerns in 2016, I’ll likely get some raised eyebrows having Dykstra this high.
However, it is truly hard to deny a .304/.332/.363 batting average with 17 doubles and 7 stolen bases. He spent the entire season that he was healthy for in Rome, where he had finished 2015 and flashed the skills that encouraged me to put him in the top 20.
On the defensive side of the ball, nothing changed. Dykstra has excellent game feel in the field, often making plays with wit that you didn’t consider being playabale until he does them. That said, he doesn’t possess a single plus tool on the defensive side, so a lot of what he is doing is based on instincts and reading the game.
Offensively, the pitch recognition was a concern. Always a guy who walked little but also struck out very little, Dykstra saw nearly a full percent reduction in his walk rate and a 2 point increase in strikeouts over any previous full season.
Dykstra’s injury put a damper on a very solid season, and it will be interesting to see if the team sends him back to Rome or promotes him up to high-A. His energy and enthusiasm for the team was notably missed, and every team could use a “hustle” guy like Dykstra.
