Atlanta Braves midseason top 50 prospects – AA
Hitters
The AA squad has a number of guys that blend between infield and outfield, making a more general “hitters” category more appropriate.
Travis Demeritte – Demeritte has spent most of his minor league career on the dirt, playing second base, third base, and even shortstop, flashing incredible athleticism, but also some big struggles with his plate discipline. He moved to the outfield this year in hope to let his tools play more, but he’s struggled at the plate, hitting barely over .200. Though he’s improved his walk rate to between 11-12% throughout the season, he’s also hovered around 30% strikeouts after having made some progress to a 26% rate in 2017. He’s still just 23, and with his level of raw tools, he’ll have plenty of chances to make it, but the total upside is certainly reduced.
Ray-Patrick Didder – On the other hand, Didder did the opposite of Demeritte. After a rough 2017 at the plate, the elite defensive outfielder moved back to the dirt due to the depth in the system in center field, and his incredible arm has played well at shortstop, giving him a profile that should play at an elite defensive level in the outfield and infield with plus to plus-plus speed. That combination alone should give him a few shots at the big leagues, but the fact that he’s hit .329/.424/.466 in 24 games since his promotion to Mississippi also says there’s still a bit more in the bat here.
Tyler Neslony – Our own Josh Brown is one of the biggest fanboys you’ll ever find of Neslony, and after an Aussie League season over the winter when Neslony hit .317/.394/.577/.971 with 9 home runs over 142 PA (for comparison, Acuna hit for a 1.001 OPS in 83 PA in the same league), many were excited for Neslony’s 2018. Instead, Neslony has taken a significant step backward with the bat in AA, and his lack of defensive value requires his bat to carry his profile.
Cristian Pache – The Platinum Sombrero podcast recently had Jason Woodell on to discuss Atlanta Braves prospects, and he mentioned the thing that has always been part of every report I’ve ever received on Pache, since he a signee and hadn’t yet played a game – no one will out-work him. It’s shown on the field as well, as any hole in his game seems to be closed with an offseason of work (and sometimes during the season!) by Pache. He was criticized for his lack of power, and now he’s hit 8 home runs this season. He’s likely going to be asked to take more pitches somewhere along the line to maximize his profile, but at 19 to get to AA without seeming overwhelmed by the pitching and still showing that uber-elite defense in center field is something to dream on! There’s a reason that many around the Braves organization believe Ronald Acuna is a long-term right fielder, and it has nothing with any lack of ability for Acuna in center field…
Alejandro Salazar – Long regarded as the top defensive shortstop in the Atlanta Braves system, Salazar has been moved around a bit in 2018 to get more defensive flexibility as his contact-heavy offensive profile is unlikely to add much in the way of power, and he’s not exactly a burner on the bases, meaning his pro future will be about his glove and making consistent contact, and so far this year while playing 2B, 3B, and SS across high-A, AA, and AAA, Salazar has slashed .297/.326/.348. One scout made a mention to me about Salazar being Camargo pre-swing adjustment, and while there’s some level of truth to that, Salazar has more natural speed than Camargo had as well.
Luis Valenzuela – Another player the Braves are working to build his defensive flexibility as Valenzuela has played second, third, and short. He’s not to the same level defender as Salazar, but he’s perhaps a more consistent and steady player. Offensively, Valenzuela has some gap power, but he’s driven by his contact ability and so far limited by his lack of ability to stay healthy! This season’s 96 games for Valenzuela is a career high.