5 Atlanta Braves minor leaguers who could surprise this year

Prospect rankings tell us a lot, but they don’t tell us everything. Naturally, we’re going to rank things according to importance, potential value, and current value. But, sometimes a baseball prospect can surprise even the best general manager or scout. I’m not saying the Atlanta Braves have “that guy” in their system, but heck, you never know.

Many top prospects have ended up being really good in the majors. Mike Trout was a number 1 prospect, but so was Byron Buxton just one year later. Guys like Darryl Stawberry, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez were all top prospects, just to name a few.

But for many superstars like the above mentioned, there’s many un-ranked players who end up not being terrible. Jim Edmonds was never a ranked prospect according to Baseball America.

Jeff Kent was never ranked by BA or even by his very own organization. Studs like Mariano Rivera, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Robinson Cano, Josh Donaldson, Daniel Murphy, and James Shields were never top-100 Baseball America prospects. Do the Atlanta Braves have a guy like this in their system currently?  Baseball has a weird way of playing itself out and only time will tell.

Here are 5 guys in the Atlanta Braves system who I think could end up surprising fans and scouts.

Outfielder – Tyler Neslony

When I interviewed Mike Soroka last summer, I asked him if there’s a player who doesn’t get a ton of media attention who should. He told me Tyler Neslony was that guy.

Prior to Mike telling me this, I had taken a liking to Neslony’s approach. He’s got a super clean lefty swing and reminds me of a young Nick Swisher. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the kid is good.

Tyler is a former Texas Tech Red Raider and was taken in the 9th round last year. If you follow the draft closely, you’ll notice that the Braves seem to love the Texas area, and have a heavy scouting presence there. Tyler killed it in Danville last year and did decent in Rome. So far this year, with the Braves’ advanced-A club, the Florida Fire Frogs, Tyler’s slashing .375/.512/.719. That’s not terrible.

So far this year, with the Braves’ advanced-A club, the Florida Fire Frogs, Tyler’s slashing .375/.512/.719. That’s not terrible.

We’ll see what Tyler’s really made of if he makes it to Mississippi. Can he hit good pitching? Can he adjust to the adjustments made towards him? Time will tell, but I’ve got a good feeling.

Right Handed Pitcher – Bryse Wilson

Now, I know Wilson is a ranked prospect in the Braves system, but to me, he’s still very under the radar. Perhaps it’s because I don’t see a lot written about him and the guys in Mississippi, and Anderson and Wentz in Rome, are currently getting all the glory.

Bryse has a fastball around 95-96 and a pretty good slider, with a new change-up in the making. So far this year, it’s been reported that his fastball is more around the 93 mph mark. Up until this year, he was mostly a two-pitch pitcher, which often sends guys to the bullpen, but he’s been working on a change-up and reports are that he’s developing said pitch pretty well.

The 19-year-old seems to have pretty good stuff, but what will move him upward will be the six inches between his ears; he seems to be a very smart kid. So far in Rome, he’s thrown 4 starts and is posting a 0.85 WHIP. Still early in the season, still early in his career, but I’m excited about Bryse Wilson.

It should also be noted that when talking to Soroka (this time in December) he told me that Wilson was going to be very good. I’m basically just writing a list of everyone Mike Soroka told me is going to be very good. I’m just kidding.

Right Handed Pitcher – Devan Watts

Devan Watts is sort of a new breed of pitcher. He’s being groomed to be a bullpen guy right out of the gate. Watts was drafted by the Braves last year in the 17th round out of Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee. (Fun fact – Tusculum’s home park, Pioneer Field, is also home to the Houston Astro’s rookie ball club, the Greeneville Astros. It was built in 2004, but looks very old school. Highly recommended.)

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• Atlanta Braves 2012 Top Prospects Review: Zeke Spruill

Our own Benjamin Chase did a fantastic scouting report on Devan several months ago. He throws in the mid-90’s and has a wicked slider so far, but what makes him more intriguing has been his ability to handle guys on base.

When I watched him up close in Rome last year, I saw a guy who didn’t care about the well-being of the guy at the plate or the guys on base. He posted a 0.92 ERA in Rome last year and 23 strikeouts over 19.2 IP. Small sample size, but promising.

Based on his performances in Danville and Rome, we know that Devan has good stuff and can throw. But now we’ll see if he can pitch.

So far in Florida, he’s posted a 2.25 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP. We’ll see if it lasts, but based on his makeup, I think the chances are good. Look for that WHIP to drop before making it to Mississippi.

Outfielder – Anfernee Seymour

Now, if you follow me on Twitter (I’m deeply sorry) you’ve heard me talk about Seymour before.

I’ve been high on him since he came over to the Braves from the Marlins in the Hunter Cervenka deal. While the Marlins certainly don’t have the best farm system in baseball, it is important to note that Anfernee was their number 8 prospect at the time of the trade. He barely ranks in the Braves organization at number 30.

Here’s why I like Anfernee Seymour – He’s insanely fast and he can hit baseballs.

Due to some okay glove work and the fact that the Braves are stacked in the middle infield right now, he’s been moved to the outfield this year and instead of advancing to Florida, he’s starting his season back in Rome.

But this is no reason to panic.

A couple of things to understand. Anfernee only played outfield in high school when the Marlins drafted him, so he could be more natural at his original position (the Alex Jackson approach). And so far in Rome this year he’s slashing .328/.405/.406. Is that good?

If Anfernee Seymour rakes this year in Rome and in Florida like I think he will, it’ll be interesting to see where his path takes him.

The Braves aren’t only stacked in the middle infield, but they have some serious talent in the outfield, too.

Anfernee’s speed and contact will be his ticket to the big leagues, but it’ll be interesting to see which organization he’ll play for when that time comes, given the depth of Atlanta’s farm.