A Look At the Atlanta Braves Waves Of Minor League Players
This next wave is the group that will likely get late season call ups in 2018, but most likely won’t be expected to make major contributions until 2019-2020, guys who will likely be playing in high-A and AA in 2017. In their rebuild efforts since taking over the front office in 2014, the Hart/Coppy combo and the scouting department under them has gone hard after young arms in the draft and young bats in the international market, which tends to mean that the bats you sign in a summer will be in a wave behind the arms you draft that same summer.
Probably the most exciting bat in that grouping will be Travis Demeritte, though right now it’s as much for his defense as his bat. Demeritte has plenty of questions about his contact ability, but his defense after moving full-time to 2B with the Braves was incredible, drawing some of the highest ratings I’ve ever seen to a guy at second.
There are some other intriguing bats that will be in this grouping, however, though right now they profile more as average starters/above-average bench player types.
Joey Meneses is a guy who showed up in tremendous physical shape this season and made a very solid transition to the outfield where his big arm (he pitches for Team Mexico in WBC games) played well in right field. He’s more of a doubles hitter than a guy who profiles to hit 20-25 home runs, but that sort of hitter can certainly have some value.
In the Mississippi outfield this year should be a pair of guys who have a definite future as 4th outfielders due to their defense, but could be more. Connor Lien has tremendous defensive ability and if he can get his plate discipline where it needs to be, there’s a lot of Ender Inciarte in his game, if even another level of power on top of that. Keith Curcio has shown the ability to handle 2B as well as all three outfield positions with solid defense as well as excellent base running and contact skills. He’s likely a prototype 4th outfielder, but that’s a needed role for any team.
Of the Rome team that was so special in 2016, most likely the only bat you’ll see make a move into this grouping is one that also fits a lot of what Lien and Curcio provide, but seemingly yet to an even higher level, Ray-Patrick Didder. There are already legends among national scouts about Didder’s defense the way people talk about Andrelton’s defense at short.
Tanner Murphy and Jonathan Morales are the two catchers that should work their way into this tier, and they’re both the guys in my eyes who should establish as the top catching prospect in the next season. Murphy finished strong offensively and has always had an elite defensive reputation. Morales made huge defensive strides in 2016 to add to a burgeoning offensive profile. Either or both could be part of this group and provide stability behind the plate for the team.
The pitching is once again where things are deep on the second wave, allowing for plenty of fall off, a typical issue in pitching. Already mentioned before, but guys like Weigel, Mader, and Pike straddle the line with the first and second waves.
Many missed his second half improvement on a bad Carolina squad, but Matt Withrow made big strides in his mechanics that allowed him to really do some big things. He may not have a lot of the elite upside of other starters, but he strikes me as a James Shields type that could lead a rotation and eat up a ton of quality innings if he maxes out.
The bullpen crew with the second wave should be deep as well. Acquired from the Dodgers last summer, both Caleb Dirks and Philip Pfeifer could be solid relief arms in Atlanta. Kyle Kinman has continually produced from his small frame, though he’s struggled to avoid the injury bug.
Chad Sobotka made the move to the bullpen, and his sinker/slider combo worked very well in that role in 2016. He could move even faster now that he’s more accustomed to the role.
The Braves brought in a number of college arms in 2015 that were considered questionable to relieve or start, and while Withrow/Weigel have stayed on the starter path, Ryan Lawlor and Josh Graham moved to the bullpen in 2016 with some levels of success and could move quickly in that role.
The Braves also saw Aussie import Jon Kennedy really show well in his first season with the team. I just put up a scouting report on him as well for more info.
Righties Sean McLaughlin and Carlos Salazar bring different approaches but similar control issues to their advancement, but both could be very solid as well out of the pen.
Next: Wave #3