May 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Rio Ruiz (14) throws to first base but is unable to make the out in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Rio Ruiz (14) throws to first base but is unable to make the out in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
Atlanta Braves Midseason Top 50 Prospects
Every season, I have tried to bring a midseason update to the Atlanta Braves top 100 prospect list that I work on every winter. This year will be a little earlier than most, but we’ll discuss the reasoning for that more in the Friday AQA post.
The focus here is on an increasingly difficult task, narrowing a list to 50 Atlanta Braves prospects. The Braves’ system is one of the top 5 in the game without question, and while there are some elite prospects at the top end, what makes the Braves’ system so incredible is the depth within the system – players who are not even on this list are viable guys that could be major league contributors, if even in a bullpen or off the bench.
We’ll look at all players within the system currently, including those who were recently drafted, but only those who have signed and been assigned. The guys who I will be excluding are those who are or have been in the majors and likely to surpass their rookie limits this season if they haven’t already. That meant that guys like Rio Ruiz, Johan Camargo, Luke Jackson, Sean Newcomb, and Jason Hursh did not make this list. While only Newcomb would have factored in the top of the list, it’s still important to note when you do not see the other names, that is why.
That said, any guys who may make it to the majors possibly this season and burn through their rookie eligibility would require projection, so I won’t exclude them as we just do not know.
The schedule will be as such: Monday – 50-41 Tuesday – 31-40 Wednesday – 21-30 Thursday – 11-20 Friday – AQA (with a BIG announcement!), Top Ten, and a post with the full list and other names to know outside the top 50
I think that’s enough qualifiers for now. Enjoy, and feel free to comment below!!
Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic as a catcher, Castro is a great example of the Braves’ continued scouting on players in Latin America beyond just the 13-15 year olds in showcases for the July 2nd signings. Atlanta has been known for finding gems that they signed at 18-19 years old in Latin America, which is usually indicative of a prospect that many teams had passed on at that point typically.
Castro struggled as a catcher, but after he moved full time to first base, his bat took off, hitting .319/.340/.412 in 50 games with Danville in 2015. Castro had never really hit for power nor walked much, so he worked with the Braves coaches to adjust his swing to help him tap into his natural power.
That led to leading the entire Atlanta Braves minor league system in home runs in 2016, with 17 home runs for low-A Rome, in just 84 games, hitting .266/.301/.508.
Castro opened strong with Florida, but he’s really struggled since he was hit in the head with a pitch on May 11th, missing 20 games and hitting .162/.159/.235 since returning.
A Texan lefty with a big arm, Minter was drafted in the 38th round out of high school in 2012, but he had a strong commitment to college at Texas A&M, and after three seasons with the Aggies, the Braves selected him in the 2nd round of the 2015 draft.
Minter was coming off of surgery, which took him from an early first round talent to their second round selection. While some were worried about Minter’s desire to start, the Braves had him do nothing but relieve in 2016, and even then, they were very careful not to pitch him on back to back days or for deep appearances.
The results were dynamic, as Minter left a lot of flailing bats in his wake, pitching 34 2/3 innings, with a 1.30 combined ERA across 3 levels in 2016, posting a 0.84 WHIP and a 11/47 BB/K ratio.
Minter’s small stature and incredible arm speed puts his arm in some future injury worry, and he’s struggled to get healthy this year due to initial arm soreness and then feeling rough after his first appearance of the season. He’s been absolutely dominant as usual when on the mound, but that health will be the big question going forward. So far in 2017, he’s made 6 appearances, throwing 6 innings, allowing a 1.50 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and a 0/10 BB/K ratio.
It is appropriate that the video of Didder is of an exceptional defensive play. Even when he’s struggling with the bat, his glove is so exceptional in the outfield that he is viable at this position.
Originally signed as a shortstop out of Aruba as an “older” signee, Didder struggled at the position over his first two seasons, showing exceptional range at short, but struggling tremendously with his hands at short.
The Atlanta Braves moved Didder to the outfield in 2015, and I got a report that winter from a scout that told me that I needed to get on board with Didder as he was the best defender he’d seen in the outfield on the season at any minor league level, and it was just his first year in the outfield.
The Braves intended to use Didder’s exceptional range and elite arm in right field in Rome in 2016, but when Ronald Acuna was injured early in the year, Didder slid over to center field and was incredibly good. You would think that teams would have learned by now not to run on Didder after 19 assists with Rome, but he has 10 outfield assists already this season.
Didder has not had the best showing at the plate this season, still flashing his double-plus speed, with elite defense, but his bat has been challenged in the Florida State League, and his solid contact bat has been struggling to make consistent contact, striking out at a 25.9% rate after never topping 20% before in his minor league career. Overall, he’s hitting .209/.326/.299 on the year with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs, and 17 stolen bases.
Interestingly, Didder has played a handful of games each at second base and shortstop, so the Braves could be working to create an elite defensive super sub with exceptional defense.
When the team grabs three high school arms with its first three picks in a draft (all within the first 50 overall picks of the draft), it’s easy to lose perspective on the quality of another prep arm drafted just in the 4th round.
Wilson had arguably the most successful senior season of any high school pitcher in the 2016 draft with no-hitters galore within the year. He seemed to take that success into his time with the GCL Braves after being drafted, making 9 appearances, 6 of them starts, throwing 26 2/3 innings, allowing a 0.68 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 8/29 BB/K ratio.
The Braves moved the 19 year-old righty to Rome for the 2017 season, and he’s simply been arguably the best-performing pitcher outside of Mike Soroka in the entire Atlanta Braves organization. On the season, he’s made 15 starts, throwing 74 2/3 innings, allowing a 2.65 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 20/71 BB/K ratio.
Wilson’s change up will determine his future as a starter or reliever, but his fastball/slider combo, along with his bulldog mentality on the mound will serve him well as he develops that pitch.
A hard thrower with difficulty getting consistency out of his breaking pitches, Weigel went from a 22nd round pick out of junior college before attending the University of Houston, where he worked almost exclusively out of the Cougar bullpen, making 22 relief appearances and one start in his draft year.
The Braves liked what they saw in Weigel’s two breaking pitches along with his fastball that could bump up against triple digit velocity, thinking they could make him a starter. Though he racked up a 4.53 ERA with Danville in his draft year, he showed some good signs.
Weigel’s 2016 was the stuff of legend. The elder statesman of the Rome rotation, Weigel was the unlikely ace in Rome until he was promoted for a trio of late season starts in Mississippi. Combined, Weigel made 25 appearances, starting 24 of them, throwing 149 2/3 innings, allowing a 2.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 55/152 BB/K ratio.
Weigel opened the 2017 season back at Mississippi, and he was tremendous before a promotion to AAA Gwinnett after May 8th. Weigel threw well with the G-Braves outside of one terrible start against Durham on May 18th before he blew up on June 18th, allowing 9 runs over 3 1/3 innings.
Weigel went to get his elbow checked the next day, and he had Tommy John surgery on the 27th, meaning he likely won’t pitch at all in 2018.
A short lefty, Pike showed enough coming out of high school in Florida to be a 3rd round pick in 2012 by the Seattle Mariners. He showed well enough to jump up all the way to AA by the end of his 2nd full season at just 20 years old.
Pike stalled at the level, however, floating between high-A and AA with the Mariners organization until the Braves acquired him in the deal this offseason that also brought Alex Jackson to the organization.
The Braves sent Pike to Florida to work with renowned pitching coach Dennis Lewalyn, figuring he could get Pike back on track to the excellent pitcher he was tracking to become once upon a time. Still just 23, the Braves had hope that he could still develop as a back end starter for the organization.
Pike was elite for Florida, going 5-2 over 12 starts, throwing 69 2/3 innings with a 2.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 27/68 BB/K ratio. He’s earned his way to AA, and though he struggled in his first start, Pike rebounded well in his second start with the M-Braves, and should be intriguing to track the rest of this season.
Next: 24, 23
24. William Contreras, C, Danville Braves
Contreras, whose brother Willson Contreras has become the starting catcher for the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs, comes from a line of baseball players in Venezuela.
I was keyed into Contreras by a scout in the Dominican during the 2015 season as Contreras not only showed tremendous defensive ability behind the plate, but also showed an impressive ability with the stick as well, hitting .314/.370/.413 with 9 doubles and 4 triples over 49 games.
I was quite excited to see how Contreras would do with the GCL Braves squad in 2016, but he ended up in a tough time share with Ricardo Rodriguez, who the Braves had just invested a significant trade chip (Christian Bethancourt) in, so they were going to ensure he had plenty of looks. That led to just 30 games for Contreras, making it tough to get in good rhythm, though he still hit fairly well at .264/.346/.375 with continued excellence on defense.
While the Danville roster has a host of guys who can don the tools of ignorance, Contreraas is the guy who has impressed the most thus far. It’s only 3 games in, but Contreras has hit .364/.429/.455 over those three games.
Contreras has lightning-quick wrists, which serve him well in controlling the run game, even when his pop times are not elite. Those wrists also help him to get around on pitches even after being initially fooled on the offering. Contreras features some of the best pitch framing in the entire organization and moves well behind the plate as well. This could be the future catcher we’ve all been waiting for. While his offensive profile may look more like Johnny Estrada than Javy Lopez, the catching position in the league is such that his defensive level with that level of offense would have Contreras among the league’s best catchers.
A Mexican signee who was a star in his home country as a pitcher, the Atlanta Braves signed the 6’3″, 220-pound right-handed hitter for his bat, with tremendous gap power and contact ability.
Meneses has grown in fits and spurts. He tends to take a full season to adjust to each level he’s been at, yet he’s often been promoted midseason, leading to his numbers struggling as he’s often been promoted midseason, leading to his rough patch to hit at the end of each season.
Meneses opened 2016 with Carolina, but he was promoted after hitting .342/.401/.490 over 66 games aiwht 19 doubles and 5 home runs. He struggled with Mississippi, nearly predictably.
He is hitting well this season, with a .311/.362/.443 line with 6 doubles and 6 home runs over 54 games. He’s played primarily first base after an experiment in the outfield in 2016.
Meneses may be old for a prospect at 25, but he’s shown very well and has only been in the org as long as a typical 22 year old from the international market.
Of the non-Maitan 2016 IFA signees, Soto may have the best chance of sticking at short with his elite glove. Pena may have the best pure hitting projection, with a projectable bat. However, Severino may be the best overall package of the trio.
Severino has incredibly quick wrists from both sides of the plate, a good frame, and the type of barrel to ball feel that is advanced at his age. He does have a lot of bat movement as the bat enters the zone, which leads to inconsistency in the ability of quality contact he is able to generate.
Severino opened the year already with the DSL, before earning the bump to the GCL. He didn’t hit for a great average with DSL, but he showed an excellent eye, going for a slash line of .189/.348/.297 with a pair of doubles and a triple, posting an 8/6 BB/K over 46 plate appearances.
Severino played second base with the DSL club, and it’s widely considered that he will move from shortstop, where he was signed, so that move was a good sight to see. Severino still struggles with his comfort around the second base bag, and there are some who think his eventual home could end up being a corner outfield spot.
Originally born in the Bahamas, Seymour was drafted out of high school in Florida in the 7th round of the 2014 draft by the Miami Marlins. He was incredibly raw, but the switch-hitter’s speed was obvious immediately, as he stole 11 bases in 26 games of rookie ball.
The Marlins sent Seymour to the New York-Penn League in 2015, and he showed solid contact, but no power, stealing 29 bases in just 266 plate appearances.
Seymour opened 2016 with the Marlins’ low-A affiliate in Greensboro before being traded to the Braves, where he stayed in the South Atlantic League and moved to the Rome Braves. His work at second base down the stretch was quite good and helped to add speed into the lineup.
The Braves chose to convert Seymour to the outfield this season, starting him back in Rome. He’s hitting well after being promoted to high-A, with an overall line of .286/.344/.339 between the two levels.
His outfield defense has received sparkling grades, though in a corner outfield spot, though they would settle for just being passable with the glove in order to get his blazing speed in the lineup. I did not that he’s had by far his worst success rate on the base paths this year.
Seymour is an outfield corner version of Billy Hamilton in his skill set, and it will be fun to watch him as he works his way toward Atlanta.
