Atlanta Braves midseason top 50 prospects – A-ball
Outfielders
Justin Dean – Drafted from Lenoir-Rhyne College in North Carolina in the 17th round this June, Dean has not let his small school background or small stature (5’8″ and 180 pounds listed) stop him from making an impact already. A plus defender in center field, Dean is graded with plus speed, though he shows it on the bases more as a baserunner than a base stealer, so if he could polish those instincts, he could have plenty more value. He’s not likely to be a guy to drive out 20 home runs, but his profile with excellent contact skills and eye at the plate, plus speed, and plus defense should give him plenty of leash.
Jared James – A 34th round gem for the Braves, if James only ever becomes org filler, that’s a successful draft pick. He’s shown the ability to handle all three outfield spots defensively as well as provide a bit of speed and a bit of power. If he could put all of it together, he could work his way to the big league club. Oddly, after a season where he hit .279 with a .352 OBP in AA, James has played all season in high-A this year and hit worse, with a .255 average and .320 OBP.
Greyson Jenista – Considered the premier college bat in the draft class coming into the spring, Jenista did nothing wrong on the spring season, per se. He simply had other hitters have big seasons and move above him while he remained more steady and productive. The Braves were more than happy to get Jenista in the 2nd round, and he’s already shown plenty of production in full-season ball with Rome. Overall, between Danville and Rome, he’s hit .309/.369/.456 with 4 home runs and 4 steals as many view Jenista as simply a power guy, but he is a surprisingly good athlete, which translates to his defense. He should really start to jump up Atlanta Braves prospects lists this offseason as more reviews of his performance in pro ball come in.
Shean Michael – Shean is built and has a skillset very similar to Ray-Patrick Didder, but he has struggled to develop his eye at the plate, and his elite defense cannot keep him on the field in spite of an 80-grade name, akin to Didder’s (Raysheandall Juliandru Vernon Michel).
Jefrey Ramos – Ramos has plenty of raw power, but he has struggled to develop his defensive skills, which were arm-driven when he signed, and now are average-at-best. He has more build than his 6’1″, 185 pound listed size, but he also runs better than you’d think for a guy at his size, so he can cover ground well if he could learn to pick up the ball better. At the plate, he’s kept his strikeout rate respectable, but he’s still struggling to draw walks, which is indicative of the issue he has with pitch selection. With his power, if he were more choosy, he could maximize his numbers by picking out just those pitches he can drive. There’s plenty to like here, though, lest you believe I have a negative view on Ramos. He will absolutely show up on Friday’s list.
Drew Waters – The top-ranked Georgia prep hitter in any draft class is usually a sure-fire first-round pick. After having the surprise of Kyle Wright fall in their lap in the 2017 draft, they got another surprise when Georgia’s top prep player, Waters, fell to them in the 2nd round. Waters has flashed the raw tools that made him so highly regarded, with power and speed to spare this year. While he’s hitting .300 on the season, his pitch selection is still his one on-field area of concern, but it’s a big area, as that one area can derail all the rest offensively. Waters has also had multiple reports of some personality issues that can be just a teen acting a teen on the field, but are also things he needs to quickly grow through.
Isranel Wilson – If anyone wants an example of exactly what a rough result of Waters’ tools would be with a poor hit tool, Wilson is a great example. There may not be an individual player in the Atlanta Braves system with a more impressive raw power/speed combination than Wilson. If he ever can recognize pitches well enough to pick out which ones to offer at, he’ll be a monster.