LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - MARCH 03: The glove, batting gloves, and bat of Matt Lipka #86 of the Atlanta Braves it on the field before the game against the New York Mets on March, 3 2014 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – MARCH 03: The glove, batting gloves, and bat of Matt Lipka #86 of the Atlanta Braves it on the field before the game against the New York Mets on March, 3 2014 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
The Atlanta Braves have an impressive farm system still, even after a few graduations. Who are the top 50 prospects in the system as we hit midseason?
Welcoming Benjamin Chase back to Tomahawk Take means that you will get plenty of minor league coverage of your Atlanta Braves on site. We are going to open with a midseason top 50 list, but this will be a different method than you’re likely used to on other places that put together a mid-season list.
Rather than present a list number by number with quick profiles of each number, we will be presenting the profiles of all those players who are seriously considered for the top 50, right now over 100 players in total, and then on Friday, we will cover the list itself. Here’s what the preliminary schedule will look like:
Monday – AAA and MLB prospects Tuesday – AA prospects Thursday AM (due to connection issues!) – low-A and high-A prospects Thursday PM – Rookie ball prospects Friday – Top 50 list
We will start with a couple guys whose gloves got them in the Braves organization but have a chance to be much more:
Delgado was a 9th round pick out of Middle Tennessee State in 2017, known for his exceptional glovework up the middle. He really only had that glove work to hang his hat on in his draft year, as he hit .217/.280/.241, but the refrain that began to come out of a few scouts this spring when asking about the Braves 2017 draft class was that Delgado was one of “Chipper’s boys”. A recent interview with Brian Bridges confirmed that Chipper had an eye on Delgado during draft workouts and was impressed then.
Having the organization’s most recent Hall of Famer and face of the franchise is typically a good omen, and Delgado has seemingly cashed in already in 2018. He has a short, compact swing that likely won’t produce much for home run power, but he sprays the ball throughout the field with consistency, and that’s led to a .320/.374/.386 line across both A-ball levels this year offensively while still flashing the leather up the middle as wxpected. He’s not a guy who will be a fantasy darling with home runs or steals, but he has laced 20 doubles this season, and his sub-10% strikeout rate and lower than 2/1 K/BB rate is a very positive sign that this is not a mirage.
The last name is certainly familiar to Atlanta Braves fans due to his father coming up as a member of the Atlanta Braves in the midst of the division title run era of Braves baseball. Viewed as one of the top 3-5 shortstop defenders in the entire 2018 draft, Graffanino was the Braves 8th round selection this June out of the University of Washington.
Graffanino’s big league father and exposure to the game gives him tremendous natural instincts, and thus far, those instincts have outplayed any pitching he’s come up against, hitting .373/.395/.427 in 20 games, but he is known primarily for his glovework, so it will be intriguing to see how the rest of the season plays out for AJ with the bat. Regardless, his work with the leather will keep him on the field plenty for the Braves for the near future.
Catchers/Infielders
William Contreras – Few in the Atlanta Braves blogosphere have been a Contreras fan as “hard” and as long as have I. Reports from the DSL that he had a world more floor than his brother and could even have a higher ceiling got me very, very excited 3 years ago, and now the fruits of that are beginning to take hold as Contreras very well could end up a top 50-75 prospect in the game by year’s end. His defense has a chance to be plus-plus with a definite plus to plus-plus arm. Add in excellent maturity at the plate and in his approach along with much more power than I was ever led to believe would be there (I had him pegged as a 2004 Johnny Estrada offensive profile with premier defense in my views). This is one of the biggest climbers in the system, and a guy that will not be seen until very near the top of the list on Friday.
Derian Cruz – An elite prospect when the Atlanta Braves signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. He’s still just 19, but he’s starting to already seem like a guy with a ton of potential and no polish. He’s hitting .211/.242/.303 in 97 games, and in spite of plus to plus-plus speed, he’s actually been caught stealing more times than he’s been successful this season.
Braxton Davidson – Needless to say, Davidson is being profiled as a token measure more than as a realistic consideration for the top 50. He may drop off of my top 100 in the offseason as well. Davidson has moved back to first base, and he’s finally hitting for the power everyone has been waiting for from him for ages. The issue is that his contact skills have never improved, and he’s slashing .177/.283/.375 with 16 home runs.
Lucas Herbert – While the defense is solid, Kolby Allard‘s high school teammate has not turned out to bring the stick to go with that defense, and it’s not the level of defense alone that would get Herbert to the bigs, which leaves him as a “tweener” prospect or an org guy unless he figures something out with the bat, but as a high school catcher, that’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Drew Lugbauer – Lugbauer endeared himself well to Atlanta Braves fans by pounding out 13 home runs between Danville and Rome in just 60 games after being drafted in the 11th round out of Michigan. The name “Slugbauer” because commonplace on Braves social media discussion boards, and discussions about the need for the DH in the NL erupted. The 2018 season has not inspired such discussion as Lugbauer is hitting just .241/.323/.395 with 11 home runs over 91 games.
Michael Mateja – From Division III North Central College in Illinois, Mateja didnt exactly have a big profile coming out of high school, and when the Braves drafted him in the 25th round this June, many didn’t think a ton of it, but he’s shown to have a very good control of the strike zone and an ability to make consistent contact while playing 2B/3B/LF. Whether there’s a future utility guy here or just a post-draft spike in performance remains to be seen, but so far, so good for Mateja!
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.
Starting Pitchers
Ian Anderson – Most saw the drafting of Anderson 3rd overall in 2016 as a cost-saving pick only, but just ahead of the draft, there were strong indications that the Atlanta Braves had become big, big fans of Anderson based on what they saw once he was healthy, and they were one of few teams who stayed on Anderson heavy all spring through injury and illness his senior year of high school.
Anderson has been seemingly handled with kid gloves, not going terribly deep into games, partially due to racking up big pitch numbers with some command struggles in his first full season in 2017, but now he’s really getting turned loose lately, and the results have shown exactly what a #3 overall pick should be – one of the most elite arms in all of baseball. He’s got the highest upside of any pitcher in the Braves system, including Touki.
Tucker Davidson – When Davidson’s control is on, he’s got the kind of stuff that can carve up a lineup. When he’s not got the feel for his stuff or his command is off, he struggles mightily. In 2017, he was on, and over 103 2/3 innings, he posted a 2.60 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP, and a 101/30 K/BB. This season, he’s pitched 95 1/3 innings with a 4.72 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, posting a 73/53 K/BB ratio.
Jasseel De La Cruz – A slow burn developer in the system, De La Cruz was signed older than most signees, then worked his way up to the GCL in his first full season in the system. he split 2017 between GCL and Danville. The Atlanta Braves sent him straight to Rome to open 2018, and he opened the season very well before suffering an injury. He’s been up and down since returning, posting a quality K/BB, but often quite hittable, which was not the case early on in the season. He’s not a guy who works into the upper 90s, so he requires late movement, and he’s seen his stuff flatten out plenty at times since coming back from injury. He will be interesting to watch the rest of the season and then track at the beginning of 2019, as he could be a guy to jump multiple levels in a hurry if he makes a few mechanical tweeks to get things right.
Freddy Tarnok – Very raw, with little pitching background when the Atlanta Braves made him their 3rd round pick in 2017 out of high school in Florida, Tarnok has been a guy the team has been careful with in his development. He spent most of the first half of the season in the Rome bullpen, cracking the starting rotation since July. He’s struggled with the transition, but he’s making strides, and showing glimpses now and then.
Jeremy Walker – Coming into the 2017 season, many thought Walker could have the type of season that Patrick Weigel did in 2016. Both had tremendous frames with untapped potential in their arms going into their first full season. Walker has had flashes of turning his “stuff” into production, but inconsistency on the mound has kept him from achieving that. He would play well in a relief role, but with the upside of a potential #3 starter, the Atlanta Braves will keep using him in the rotation until they need to move him to the bullpen.
Keith Weisenberg – Used primarily as a reliever in college, the Atlanta Braves took Weisenberg and immediately saw his potential as a starter, working the changeup hard with him. He has a fastball that can run into the upper 90s with a slider he can manipulate multiple ways. His change has come along significantly in his first pro season, with one scout giving it a 55 grade, big praise for a pitch that got one 45 grade when he was drafted from people I talked to, everything else was lower. So far in 7 appearances, 6 of them starts in 2018, Weisenberg has tossed 32 1/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 10/35 BB/K ratio. He’s still a back end top 50 guy, if that, but he’s definitely one to watch.
Joey Wentz – The Atlanta Braves’ second selection behind Ian Anderson had shown out better in his first two seasons, but the clear better overall talent is Anderson. Wentz has battled through injuries and inconsistent velocity in 2018 to put up some sterling ERA numbers, but he’s seen his K rate drop from 28.8% in 2017 to 19.2% this season as well as seeing his walk rate go up from 8.7% in 2017 to 9.8% in 2018. Wentz leverages his long lefty frame to generate weak contact and plenty of ground balls, but he will need to improve his control along the way to continue success at the upper levels.
Huascar Ynoa – Acquired from the Minnesota Twins in the Jaime Garcia deal last season, Ynoa is the younger brother of former big-money signing Michael Ynoa. However, Huascar is built significantly different and is known for a much different repertoire. Ynoa is being eased into his full repertoire by the Atlanta Braves after the Twins limited him to 2-3 pitches from the 6-8 that he was throwing when he was signing. After really showing out to finish his time with Rome, Huascar has struggled a bit in his first two starts with Florida, but the 9 strikeouts in 6 innings gives a hint of the impressive ability that is there.
Relievers
There are a host of guys at each level that will likely get some big league time as a reliever, and a few of them could succeed and have a much better big league career than any of the guys I’m looking at, but these are the guys with a shot to be among the elite of relievers if all goes well.
Troy Bacon – A money-saving pick in the 4th round last season due to the Wright and Waters picks early, Bacon was still no slouch, with plenty to like in his pitching repertoire. He’s shown well with the Braves two A-ball clubs this season, tossing 41 2/3 innings over 24 appearances, with a 2.59 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 16/39 BB/K.
Walter Borkovich – While working out of the bullpen, Borkovich has been a multiple-inning pitcher for the Braves since they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State last summer. The righty has really stood out for his hard action low in the zone from his 6’5″ frame that plays well for 1-2 inning stretches to help get the team from starter to the power guys at the end of the game.
Hayden Deal – Deal was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and he immediately turned heads with his performance in the GCL. The Atlanta Braves opened him in the Rome bullpen in 2018, and he’s shown himself incredibly valuable in a host of roles. Deal does not have premier stuff, working essentially as a one-pitch pitcher with a plus sinker due to its incredible weight more than its velocity, but his offspeed stuff is much more easily picked up, and when he struggles, it’s not with missing the zone, it’s with straight pitches that can be driven hard. Consistency with the sinker could play up into a back-end starter role, but for right now, the multiple-role role for Deal seems to be working.
Daysbel Hernandez – Hernandez was signed from Cuba in September 2017, and while his numbers in Cuba didn’t really show anything to get crazy about, he had a solid mid-90s fastball with a hard breaking pitch that encouraged scouts in spring. He has been a mixed bag, flashing the ability to completely dominate, but also at times struggling to keep his stuff in the zone. If he can cut down the walks, his fastball/breaker are heavy enough and lead to enough poor contact that they could give him a chance as a 6th/7th inning guy at the major league level.
Chase Johnson-Mullins – A towering lefty, CJM was drafted out of community college due to some off-field stuff that allowed him to fall to the 13th round, in spite of a monster fastball/curve combo. When he’s healthy, there are few comparable to what Johnson-Mullins can do on the mound. His biggest issue has been health, as he’s only been able to appear in 91 games in 4 seasons. He will be eligible for Rule 5 this offseason, so how the Braves handle him after finally just getting back on the mound will be interesting.
Brandon White – With an excellent sinker/slider combo, White would profile ideally as a 6th/7th inning guy. He’s seemingly been stuck at the A-ball level, however, spending 2017 between Rome and Florida only to open 2018 back at Rome. The talent is there, but his struggles since his promotion to Florida make one wonder if he has the stuff long-term. Still, a 1.23 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 9/40 BB/K over 36 2/3 innings with Rome shows just what White can do when he’s on.
So that’s the guys from the A-ball level for the Atlanta Braves that will be considered for the top 50. Anybody missed here? Anyone that is profiled incorrectly? Comment below!!
