Atlanta Braves Midseason Top 50 Prospects: 31-40

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When the Atlanta Braves nabbed lefty

Kolby Allard

in the first round of the 2015 draft, many thought he would have been in strong consideration for the #1 overall pick if his back had held up. Many credited his catcher with working with him on days that it was obvious that his back acted up, knowing Allard well enough to know how to handle his pitcher, and showing advanced feel for handling a pitching staff for a high school catcher. The Braves made that catcher their 2nd round pick in 2015 when they selected Herbert.

Herbert really put Braves prospect fans on the look out when he came out in just 5 plate appearances and hit .500/.600/1.250 with a loud home run before shredding his knee in his draft year, leading fans to wonder if the team finally had a guy who was reputed to have an elite defensive profile along with the bat to be a star, hearkening back to the days of Javy Lopez and Brian McCann behind the plate.

Instead, Herbert went out and hit .185/.234/.278 over 96 games last season with an exceptionally bad 18/96 BB/K ratio for Rome, losing out playing time more and more as the season played on.

Herbert came out of the gate rough this season in repeating Rome, but he’s recovered very well, and since a notable change in his ease in the box in a series at home against Lexington in mid-May, Herbert has hit .315/.382/.413 over 23 games with 6 doubles and a home run.

Herbert struggled on the defensive end last season as his offensive game was dipping, but this year, he’s definitely picked up the defense since day one, and if his bat is going to come around as well, he could rocket up this list by the end of the season.

37. Matt Withrow, RHP, Mississippi Braves

The Atlanta Braves have a fairly good pipeline with Texas Tech, and Withrow was yet another Red Raider turned Brave when he was selected in the 6th round in 2015. With a brother, Chris Withrow, already in the major leagues, Matt was used to what to expect and assumed to be ready for the toils of pro ball after an injury-riddled collegiate career.

Withrow was the steady force of the Carolina rotation in his first full season in 2016, making 25 appearances (24 starts), throwing 120 2/3 innings, and posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and a 68/131 BB/K ratio. The strikeout rate drew the attention of quite a few prospect hounds over the offseason, but what caught my eye was a story from within the season.

The Mudcats had played a double header the day before, using 7 of their relievers for at least an inning, meaning there was little in the way of help out there for Withrow. He went out, and he immediately knew he didn’t have his best stuff or even his okay stuff. He could have told his coach, left the game, and he would have saved his ERA and numbers some damage. Instead, he knew that the team needed him to get through at least three innings, and he scraped through exactly that, giving up 11 runs in the process, ballooning his season ERA, but he did what was needed for the team.

That sort of attitude had Withrow heavy on my radar coming into 2017, and then as the least-heralded member of the loaded AA Mississippi rotation, he simply went out and had the best month of April, arguably of any pitcher in the entire Atlanta Braves minor league system.

Then May happened, and Withrow attempted to pitch through injury before succumbing to the DL finally. After a 2.08 April ERA, his current season total is a 4.47 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 22/44 BB/K ratio over 48 1/3 innings. He’s not pitched at all in June. The exceptional strides he made early in the season were real, from my viewing, and here’s hoping he can return healthy and show what he has as a starter.

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Atlanta Braves Midseason Top 50 Prospects: 31-40

By Benjamin Chase | Jun 27, 2017

38. Lucas Herbert, C, Rome Braves

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37. Matt Withrow, RHP, Mississippi Braves