Jun 21, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) wears his glove on his head as he returns to the dugout before their game against the San Francisco Giants at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 21, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) wears his glove on his head as he returns to the dugout before their game against the San Francisco Giants at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
Atlanta Braves Mid-season Top 50 Prospects
Every season, I have tried to bring a mid-season 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.
Without further ado, here’s the top 50, in list format: 1.Ronald Acuna 2.Ozzie Albies 3.Kolby Allard 4.Kyle Wright 5.Mike Soroka 6.Cristian Pache 7.Ian Anderson 8.Kevin Maitan 9.Luiz Gohara 10.Travis Demeritte 11.Max Fried 12.Alex Jackson 13.Dustin Peterson 14.Joey Wentz 15.Lucas Sims 16.Randy Ventura 17.Austin Riley 18.Kyle Muller 19.Brett Cumberland 20.Drew Waters 21.Anfernee Seymour 22.Yunior Severino 23.Joey Meneses 24.William Contreras 25.Tyler Pike 26.Patrick Weigel 27.Bryse Wilson 28.Ray-Patrick Didder 29.A.J. Minter 30.Carlos Castro 31.Yenci Pena 32.Touki Toussaint 33.Isranel Wilson 34.Braxton Davidson 35.Jonathan Morales 36.Alay Lago 37.Matt Withrow 38.Lucas Herbert 39.Derian Cruz 40.Tyler Neslony 41.Ricardo Sanchez 42.Livan Soto 43.Akeel Morris 44.Alejandro Salazar 45.Braulio Vazquez 46.Keith Curcio 47.Devan Watts 48.Juan Carlos Negret 49.Ryan Lawlor 50.Chase Johnson-Mullins
Now, any of you who’ve read my top 100 list in the offseason know that I didn’t just pick 50 guys I knew in the system. I have lots more of interest, so flip the page and you’ll learn about a number more that could be top 50 guys by the end of the year!!
Next: Others To Know
Abraham Gutierrez, C, GCL Braves – Second-largest bonus in the big international spending spree last season. Had lost some luster in the scouting community due to what some scouts saw as a lack of attention to his conditioning, but showed up this spring looking great. Had a phenomenal debut, going 3-4 with a double for GCL.
Freddy Tarnok, RHP, GCL Braves – Long and lean, Tarnok is a 6’4″ righty the Braves got in the 3rd round with a sinking fastball that currently sits in the mid-90s and is projected to clear triple digits as he fills out. He has work to do in development and could be a slow mover, but he has a ton of upside.
– A 2014 draftee that missed all of 2015 due to Tommy John, Webb turned heads in 2016 when he recorded 31 of the 39 outs he recorded on the year via strikeout! He’s having a very good year with Florida and projects as an excellent bullpen option going forward.
Corbin Clouse, LHP, Florida Fire Frogs – If there was a #51 exactly, Clouse might be the closest to it behind Gutierrez, and he could be the most valuable of the lefty relievers that are not in the high minors yet. He bounced back from an early poor outing that skewed his ERA, but has put up great peripherals with 34 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings from the left side.
Drew Lugbauer, C/3B, Danville Braves – A big power bat out of Michigan, the Braves will try “Slugbauer” at a number of positions after getting him in the 11th round. He doesn’t project for a ton of contact, but his bat and eye should allow for a three true outcomes type of hitter that has enough athleticism to handle infield and outfield corners along with take a turn behind the plate.
Yoeli Lopez, OF, GCL Braves – Incredibly toolsy outfielder went to high school in Miami, but was born in the Dominican and moved back there to circumvent the draft. Excellent eye allowed for a .382 OBP last year, but big swing and miss concerns in his approach also led to a 28% strikeout rate. Has a lot in common with Isranel Wilson in the raw talent aspect.
Antonio Sucre, OF, DSL Braves – 2016 international signee known for his big power, gets it from a frame that really could add a ton of physicality. Not a great outfield defender, but the power is legit, hitting one of the longest home runs in the DSL this year so far.
Manuel Juan, 1B/OF, DSL Braves – Winter signee turned 17 in October and is already 6’4″ and listed at 200 pounds, but I’ve been told he’s more like 225 and cut. Has not had great success in a handful of DSL games initially, but the scout who talked with me about him said he’s amazed more teams weren’t in on him after watching his big left handed power.
Kade Scivicque, C, Mississippi Braves – Started out very hot this year, which got a lot of people dreaming, but really has ideal backup catcher skills with “just enough” bat and excellent framing skills. Could end up with a long major league career as a backup catcher, however.
Yefri Del Rosario, RHP, GCL Braves – The big gem of the pitching side of the international signing period this last year, Del Rosario showed his excellent stuff in the DSL in a couple of starts before being brought up to the GCL when that season opens. For a Latin pitcher, shows more feel for pitching than a typical 17 y/o.
Adam McCreery, LHP, Florida Fire Frogs – Acquired from the Angels last spring for Jhoulys Chacin, the towering (6’8″) lefty has really found his stride with the Braves organization, as the Braves have a reputation of being able to help taller guys work into quality relievers in their system. Has 49 K’s in 33 2/3 innings right now.
Luis Mora, RHP, Danville Braves – Extremely thin at 6’4″ and listed at 160-165 pounds, Mora has a blazing fastball that can exceed triple digits, but not a whole lot else, and his slight build worries scouts about his ability to handle the rigors of starting.
Kurt Hoekstra, IF, Rome Braves – Drafted out of Western Michigan in 2015, Hoekstra had a solid season with Danville in his draft year, then missed nearly all of 2016 with injury. He’s come back well with Rome this year, being a jack of all trades for the Rome infield, playing first, third, and short.
Juan Contreras, RHP, DSL Braves – A physically developed righty, Contreras is about the opposite of Del Rosario, who is more mature in his pitching on the mound. Contreras has a big fastball and is inconsistent with everything else, but he has the opportunity to grow slowly.
Jeffrey Ramos, OF, GCL Braves – Ramos was signed in 2016, but was old enough to get time with the DSL. He has a big arm from the outfield, and is athletic enough that he could be a plus defender in a corner in time, though his instincts need work. Has a solid power/speed combination offensively with a frame that likely fills out more above-average in both than plus in either one.
Jasseel De La Cruz, RHP, GCL Braves – De La Cruz was really an under the radar signing when the Braves got him out of the Dominican at 18 in 2015. He came out and put up good numbers with the DSL last year, but once he was promoted stateside, he simply put up zeros for GCL, going 15 scoreless innings with a 1/12 BB/K ratio. Excellent feel for pitching with stuff that moves all over the place, but no real plus pitch, though some physical projection left that he could fill out.
Jon Kennedy, LHP, Rome Braves – Big Australian lefty that is listed as 6’5″ with Baseball Reference, but is mentioned as 6’9″ in articles from his home country. Regardless of his true height, he comes from a hard angle for hitters to read and pounds the strike zone, with just 8 walks the last two seasons in 69 2/3 combined innings out of the bullpen.
