Atlanta Braves midseason top 50 prospects – the list

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 closing a midseason top 50 list today.

Rather than present a list number by number with quick profiles of each number, over the last few days, we presented the profiles of all those players who are seriously considered for the top 50. Today, we will cover the list itself. Here’s what the preliminary schedule will look like:

Monday – AAA and MLB prospects
Tuesday – AA prospects
Wednesday – low-A and high-A prospects
Thursday – Rookie ball prospects
Friday – Top 50 list

To preface the list, this is done by Ben, and these are his opinions based on what he’s seen and information from people he’s talked with.

We will go 10 players at a time on each slide, finishing with #1!

#41-50

50. Troy Bacon, RHP
49. Dilmer Mejia, LHP
48. Trey Harris, OF
47. Alejandro Salazar, IF
46. Jeremy Walker, RHP
45. Josh Graham, RHP
44. Luis Valenzuela, IF
43. Chad Sobotka, RHP
42. Gabriel Rodriguez, LHP
41. Justin Dean, OF

If you’ve read along this week, you’ll know that there’s an interesting blend of guys in this back ten of the top 50. Dean and Rodriguez have impressive upside that could see them move up this liste significantly by this time in 2019. There are also a trio of relievers and a few guys who profile as solid bench bats, but without upside beyond a fringe starter most likely.

The guys that could be interesting are the two starters in this group, Walker and Mejia. They really have 2019 to produce or move on as there are a host of young pitchers that will be in A-ball next year and a host that will be on the cusp in AAA, and Mejia and Walker are in a spot where they’re trailing one of those waves and would get swallowed up by the one behind.

#31-40

40. Jacob Webb, RHP
39. Tyler Neslony, OF
38. Thomas Burrows, LHP
37. Derian Cruz, SS
36. Matt Rowland, RHP
35. Travis Demeritte, IF/OF
34. Matt Withrow, RHP
33. Adam McCreery, LHP
32. Nolan Kingham, RHP
31. Drew Lugbauer, C/IF

This grouping includes three elite relievers, two position-flexible players with a chance to be bench players, and two guys who could have upside with lower floors offensively as well.

The injury aspect of this group is quite intriguing as Withrow and Rowland are shaped strongly due to their injury background. Withrow missing essentially since May of 2017 and Rowland having just returned to the mound after missing nearly two years on the mound are two pitchers with much higher upside when on the mound. If both are consistently on the mound, they will move higher on this list.

One significant note here is the struggles of the bats of the hitters at this level, in spite of excellent base tools. Lugbauer, Neslony, Demeritte, and Cruz all have struggled in 2018, but they have higher upsides that they have exhibited on the field, not just on the amateur side.

#21-30

30. Ray-Patrick Didder, IF/OF
29. Corbin Clouse, LHP
28. Alex Jackson, C
27. Jasseel De La Cruz, RHP
26. Riley Delgado, SS
25. Trey Riley, RHP
24. Braulio Vasquez, IF
23. Ricardo Sanchez, LHP
22. Jefrey Ramos, OF
21. Isranel Wilson, OF

The big theme in this group is upside. Wilson, Ramos, Vasquez, Riley, and De La Cruz are all incredible upside guys. Each has a varying level of floor to their profile.

Jackson has really fallen on my list, and he’s a guy I’m concerned about whether he’s going to be able to actually ever have a major league career based on what I’ve seen with him as he’s really not taking the strides in pitch recognition that he will need in order to succeed in the majors.

Sanchez is another that is a weird guy to place. There’s raw talent there to be a legit mid-rotation starter, and you can see the raw stuff at times, but he simply can’t produce it consistently and has continued to be pushed up the system even without finding true success.

#11-20

20. Michael Reed, OF
19. Freddy Tarnok, RHP
18. CJ Alexander, 3B
17. Tristan Beck, RHP
16. Patrick Weigel, RHP
15. Dustin Peterson, OF
14. Huascar Ynoa, RHP
13. Joey Wentz, LHP
12. Greyson Jenista, OF
11. Kyle Muller, LHP

This is where things will start to get argumentative with many. It’s always curious to me that many have strong, strong positions on what number is associated with a player, not anything to do with where that player relates to the other players on the list, but that they had a certain number they want associated with a particular player.

I can tell you that of players that I’m a personal big fan of, they are grouped strongly between 14-17. I’d love to see that group move up the list, but I’m also going to likely be pushing them as much or more than most than most lists.

The big guys to watch here are the two college hitters drafted this year. Jenista has been tremendous this year, and he’s got so much upside left to access along with a very high floor as a college hitter with good recognition at the plate. Alexander may need a new position long-term, but if he keeps hitting like has, he’ll force his way into the lineup constantly.