My 5 Favorite Atlanta Braves Prospects

My past Favorites in the Braves Organization

A Tale of Caution- Matt Young

Matt Young’s presence in the Braves minor league system most likely taught me more about prospects than any other I followed closely. Coming in at a whopping 5’8, 175 pounds, Matt hit the ground running at Rome in 2005 showing a good, versatile defensive skill-set along with some pop for a small guy. He had great OBP skills, above-average speed, and a good personality. The problem was that Matt was at Rome, which is Low-A, he was already 22 years old, and didn’t have a body to grow into. I didn’t know much about age in comparison to the level and that was my first mistake.

However, he continued to produce at every level.  Year after year, his OBP hovered around .400, he stole a plethora of bases, he played 2B and CF pretty well, and finally in 2011 at age 28, he got his shot…and it didn’t go well. He stole no bases, had 1 XBH, and ended the year with 52 plate appearances and a .498 OPS. The small frame, which had no big plus skill outside of taking a walk, was exploited in the bigs by the big bad wolves of the mound, and this little piggy’s dream was blown down, bat broken along with his dreams (and mine if we’re being honest). The OPS that was carried by walks and hustle doubles was no more. The organization knew more than I did.

A Tale of Triumph– Kris Medlen

Before Tomahawk Take and Twitter, most of my Braves inside news came from a Braves fan site I still visit frequently: Braves Journal. It was there I stated Kris Medlen could be equally good as Tommy Hanson. At that point, Tommy was mowing down opponents, was the #4 prospect in baseball, and had a frame to build on. Meanwhile, Medlen had just converted to starting, was small by baseball standards, and wasn’t ranked in anyone’s top-100 baseball prospects.

Needless to say, my thoughts were not received well.  Two major attributes led me to believe so much in Kris Medlen: athleticism and demeanor. He was a frickin’ bulldog on the mound,  a sought out shortstop in high school (a switch hitter might I add), and carried a high-K rate and low walk rate.  When he got his call, it was as a swing-man, and it took Kris 4 years (yes there was a Tommy-John surgery in there) to become a stable in the rotation.

Before Hanson’s tragic death, both he and Kris had their share of injuries in professional baseball, obviously causing both  missed time and for Hanson, likely a career that underachieved.  But on the surface, it looks like I got this one right as Medlen went on to give the Braves 512 innings at a 2.95 ERA, while Tommy gave the Braves more innings (635) his ERA was in the mid-3s.

Educate yourself! If you’re just starting out, look for these 3 things!

I tell you these 2 tales because prospects are fun to follow but take the full story and not just the parts you want to hear. Look for duplication of good stats rather than 1 breakout year (especially in hitters), be aware of problematic stats that never get resolved as the player moves up, and lastly, be aware of age in players (especially polished college guys) in comparative to the rest of the competition.

Let’s get on to the good stuff!  My favorite follows of the Minors.