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Atlanta Braves Midseason Top 50 Prospects: 50-41

By Benjamin Chase

Jun 14, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jason Hursh (56) throws to the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jason Hursh (56) throws to the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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48. Juan Carlos Negret, OF, DSL Braves

More from Tomahawk Take

The Braves have had mixed results in Cuba, having missed out on signing

Hector Olivera

and then finding him to be a poor choice of a signing when they did trade for him eventually (though trading away Olivera brought in

Matt Kemp

, so there is a silver lining).

The Braves have seen two offseason Cuban signees have a ton of success in 2017, and Negret is the lowest leel of the two. Negret just turned 18 on June 19th, and his listed size of 6’1″ and 190 pounds could be a bit generous, but he’s already shown very well in his first experience with the Braves.

The Braves sent Negret to the Dominican Summer League this season, and he’s hit very well, going .358/.507/.604 with 8 doubles, a triple, a home run, and 6 stolen bases, showing very good plate discipline with a 10/14 BB/K ratio over his 14 games.

However, Negret did not play with the DSL since June 20th, and some I’ve talked with who scout the DSL have said that he’s really out of place in the league right now, so perhaps the Braves could already be considering a move with Negret.

47. Devan Watts, RHP, Mississippi Braves

Watts went to small Tusculum College in Tennessee, where the Atlanta Braves drafted him from in the 16th round of the 2016 draft.

The Braves made no qualms of their intents with Watts, immediately working him in the bullpen with Danville before he was quickly moved up to Rome, where he was an important anchor in the bullpen for Rome’s championship run last fall. He put up ridiculous numbers with a 0.76 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a 6/26 BB/K ratio over 23 2/3 innings in his draft season.

Watts uses a slight delay just as he goes to put his lead leg down in his move toward the plate, and he throws with a very heavy sinking fastball that has been noted up to 96-97, though some of the radars could be a bit on the hot side. He frequently sits around 94-95, though, and the weight of the ball he gets is incredible for a guy just 6′ tall.

Watts uses his slider to get a ton of swing and miss. He manipulates his slider to have it behave like a cutter, like a slurve, and in other ways outside of a normal slider break.

This year with Florida, Watts made 19 appearances, throwing 26 2/3 innings, posting a 2.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 7/34 BB/K ratio. He was recently promoted to AA Mississippi, working to likely make his way to Atlanta sooner rather than later.

Next: 46, 45

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