Atlanta Braves 2018 Minor League Review: Right-handed starters

Upper minors

So, six guys that could make the major publications’ top 100 lists, and five of them made the major leagues. Of course, we’ll lead off with the one who did not. Ian Anderson came into the Atlanta Braves system with so much question due to his pick at #3 overall. Anderson received plenty of scrutiny due to his draft slot.

This season, Ian took a significant step forward, and the Braves rewarded him by letting him exercise his tools all the way to AA, and he incredibly performed better at AA. Overall, Anderson made 24 starts, tossing 119 1/3 innings, with a 2.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 49/142 BB/K ratio.

The definition of a guy that every team wants in their farm system, Enderson Franco had incredible value this year, pitching between AA and AAA, though just one of those was at AAA. He mad 29 appearances, 21 of them starts, throwing 133 1/3 innings. He posted a 3.85 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, with a 45/131 BB/K ratio that defined just how important he was to the organization, being able to hold down Mississippi’s rotation all season as multiple pieces were in flux.

Last June, the Atlanta Braves drafted Connor Johnstone in the 21st round out of Wake Forest. No way they would have imagined how quickly he would take to the role of org arm. His exceptional control and consistent performance may not be such that he’ll have a long major league career, but he’s had enough success in the upper minors that it cannot be put aside. Over the season, pitching for high-A Florida, AA Mississippi, and AAA Gwinnett, Johnstone made 30 appearances, 12 of them starts, tossing 87 1/3 innings. He posted a 3.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a 26/71 BB/K ratio.

Originally undrafted out of Jackson State Community College, Wes Parsons had a lean, wiry frame that could fire hard-breaking pitches when the Braves brought him into the organization in 2013. He immediately made an impact with Rome’s rotation, but injuries and struggles with consistency in his delivery has set Parsons back.

Over the last two seasons, Parsons has maintained not just health, but performance, excelling as a swing man in the upper levels, posting a 2.76 ERA between AA and AAA over 24 games and 21 starts, with 117 1/3 innings and a 35/104 BB/K ratio. He even earned a promotion to the major leagues and made his major league debut this season.

Another of an impressive group that the Atlanta Braves have put together that is able to fill in the AA/AAA rotation or work effectively as a swingman, Andres Santiago was in his second year in the Braves organization in 2018. Overall, he pitched in 26 games, 15 of them starts, hurling 105 1/3 innings, with a 4.61 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 38/78 BB/K ratio.

Before the 2018 season, Mike Soroka was widely considered the top pitching prospect in the Atlanta Braves system. He did nothing this year to dissuade that opinion, posting a 1.76 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in the minors with a 6/34 BB/K ratio. He was shining in his time in the majors, battling through adjustments to a 3.51 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 25 2/3 innings with a 7/21 BB/K ratio before an injury to his shoulder kept him out for the rest of the year. He’ll figure prominently in the plans for the 2019 rotation.

Perhaps the pitcher who has moved himself forward most in the immediate plans of the team this year is Touki Toussaint. Simplifying his delivery and focusing his grip on his pitch to allow his change to play with more effect allowed Touki to make 24 starts between AA/AAA, pitching 136 1/3 innings, with a 2.38 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, recording a 53/163 BB/K ratio. He’s come up to the major leagues, and he’s made a strong push for a playoff rotation spot by posting a 4.18 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 28 innings with a 21/29 BB/K ratio. The walks are concerning, certainly, but he’s shown enough to be very, very excited for his future.

One guy I’ve been keeping an eye on since his draft is Jeremy Walker, who is on this list due to one AAA start to finish his season, though he spent most of his year in high-A. Walker’s inconsistency was shown well by his monthly splits. Walker spent 3 of his 5 months with 2.67 or lower ERA and 1.28 or lower WHIP, but then had two months over 6 ERA and over 1.65 WHIP. He finished the season very strong, and over his final 9 starts, he posted a 2.50 ERA in 57 2/3 innings, 1.16 WHIP, and an impressive 14/46 BB/K ratio to finish the year.

The 2017 season saw the incredible rise of Ronald Acuna to the top prospect in the game, starting in high-A. Bryse Wilson climbed the same ladder in 2018, and he even made it to the major leagues. In the minors, Wilson tossed 125 2/3 innings, with a 3.44 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 36/143 BB/K. He’s been sparsely used in the major leagues, unfortunately, and he’s struggled to find consistency in part due to the lack of use, posting a 6.43 ERA over 7 innings.

Really, a forgotten man at this point, Matt Withrow is still part of the Atlanta Braves organization, and in early 2017, a pro scout worked a week in Mississippi, labeling the rotation the first he’d seen with five potential major league arms. Another scout later recalled that Withrow was the best pitcher in Mississippi in April 2017. Injuries took him down in 2017, and he has not yet returned. Withrow may end up in the bullpen going forward, but his talented arm is one that people forget when considering the depth of the organization.

Drafted just last summer as the Atlanta Braves first round selection, Kyle Wright flew up the Braves system in 2018. He posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 138 minor league innings, hurling a 51/133 BB/K ratio, numbers that belie just how quickly he adjusted to pro ball and learned on the fly to attack batters. Wright, like Wilson has struggled with a late-season promotion due to inconsistent use, posting a 4.50 ERA over 6 innings, but with a 6/5 BB/K ratio.

Phew! That’s a loaded group! Let’s take a look at the guys who populated the lower levels…

A-ball

In moving Jaime Garcia to the Twins last summer, the Braves received dynamic young righty Huascar Ynoa. Ynoa received much less publicity than his older brother when he signed, but he may be the better overall pitcher, known in the Twins system for a six pitch mix that they forced him to pare down to three. The Braves continued with that this year, and saw some big strides over the year at Rome, though Ynoa struggled in his 6 starts at Florida with consistency.

On the season, Ynoa pitched to a 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, with a dynamic 131 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings and just 54 walks. He will continue to work with the Braves and likely hope to finish 2019 in the upper minors.

The big story of the early season was how Jasseel De La Cruz was putting together his wicked movement at Rome. He then got hurt, and he struggled to get the same feel the rest of the year, but De La Cruz has a low-90s fastball that moves a bunch along with a change and breaker that he can manipulate multiple ways as well. He posted a 4.83 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 69 innings with a 34/65 BB/K. For good idea of how well he was doing in 2018 early on, his April was 4 starts, 17 2/3 innings, a 2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and an impressive 5/20 BB/K ratio. He’ll be one to watch in Florida in 2019.

Not a guy who will ever intimidate physically on the mound, Odalvi Javier is just a steady pitcher who has been excellent for the organization the last few years. He was solid again for Rome in 2018, with 126 innings of a 4.14 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP, posting a 58/133 BB/K. He’s likely going to be the next guy in the footsteps of Franco or Parsons, but that’s very valuable for the organization as a whole.

While the debate over the best curve in the organization could be a number of guys, certainly the guy whose repertoire relies the most on his curve is Alan Rangel. Rangel had a solid season in 2018, putting up 125 1/3 innings for Rome with a 4.09 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 31/105 BB/K ratio. If he can develop his change and consistency with his uptick in velocity found this year, the Braves could have more than an org arm here.

A big upside pick when drafted in June of 2017, Freddy Tarnok is still really learning how to pitch. He began the season in Rome’s bullpen, and he worked his way into the Rome rotation, with flashes of brilliance, but plenty of evidence that there’s a road ahead for the young man who will turn 20 in November. Tarnok’s fastball can blister in the upper 90s deep into a start, but it’s consistency in his command and his secondaries that will determine whether Tarnok’s future is as a front-line starter or a premier reliever. He posted a 3.96 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and a 41/83 BB/K over 77 1/3 innings.

Coming out of Stanford, many knew the big righty Keith Weisenberg would be a stable, org-type pitcher in the lower levels. Few expected him to do what he did in 2018. Weisenberg had command issues at Stanford with his big fastball, but he did much better in 2018, and if he can get consistency out of his secondaries that he flashed at times in 2018, he could be a surprise. Even if not, there’s enough there that the Braves likely found a future back-end reliever.

Rookie Ball

Entering the 2017 draft, the Atlanta Braves were very interested in selecting Tristan Beck in the 2nd or 3rd round as part of a big draft, but when Wright fell in their laps, but money wasn’t there to make it work. Beck went back to school, and the Braves got their chance to get their man in the 4th round this year. Beck only pitched a few innings for the GCL (4 2/3 innings, no runs, 2/7 BB/K) after a long year for Stanford, but he could move very quickly next year, likely opening the year with Rome and possibly finishing 2019 in the upper minors.

In his second year in the organization, one of the Atlanta Braves themes, a late-blooming Dominican arm that they snatched up, Jose Montilla, had success in 13 starts for Danville. Mixed reports on his ultimate ceiling, but many saw an average fastball, above-average breaker, and a change that flashed plus. That could be a back-end guy after tossing 70 innings with a 4.37 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and a 19/53 BB/K ratio. He draws a lot of contact, but rarely a square contact by opponents.

Coming up to the GCL this year, Luis De Jesus showed well, though he may have gotten too late of a start to develop into a major leaguer. He is a late-bloomer that the Braves found that will be 20 next year, but his raw stuff gives him an excellent fastball and a slider that he can bend two ways and already draws plus grades.

Signed out of Westmont this summer as an undrafted free agent, Matt Hartman had plenty of success in his first year in the system, tossing 15 2/3 innings for Danville with a 2.87 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 10/8 BB/K ratio. He works in the low-90s with a high arm slot that allows his curve to play up.

After being drafted in the 11th round in 2016, Matt Rowland became the target of blame for many Braves fans as his contract that some felt cost the Braves others in the draft class. He made his first appearance on the mound after injury this year, and he was inconsistent but definitely talented. Rowland finished the year with 54 innings, a 3.83 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 26/41 BB/K. It will be fun to watch him develop with the Rome staff next season.

Though he did pitch one game for Florida, Albinson Volquez is listed here. He’s a guy that I’ve had an eye on for a few years in the DSL/GCL. He’s 6’3″ and has the velocity to succeed, but consistency in his secondaries is a struggle, posting a 4.70 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 59 1/3 innings with a 26/50 BB/K ratio.

Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Patrick Weigel just got in a few innings with GCL this year, but he should factor quickly into the 2019 plans in the upper minors and possibly even the major league bullpen. Weigel was able to toss 4 scoreless innings, striking out 6.

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Ronaldo Alesandro is 20 and spent his first year in the DSL this year, so his maturity likely allowed him to put up the big numbers (2.60 ERA, 47 K in 34 2/3 IP, though also 22 BB). He is physically projectable, but he is also already 20, so how much more fill there is to his body remains to be seen.

Long and lean with incredible ability to spin hard sinking stuff, Eudi Asencio spent a second season in the DSL at 19 this year. His velocity is not great, rarely topping 91, but he has a sinker/slider combo that is very tough to square, and his numbers showed well in the DSL this year (2.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 52 K, 61 2/3 IP).

Another older arm that had big success in the DSL this year was Jose Olague. He is bigger, more filled out at 6′, and while he is mostly low-90s, he has much more balance and consistency in his delivery. Using primarily a moving fastball, he was able to put up a 2.43 ERA over 66 2/3 innings with a 11/57 BB/K.

A number of young arms have a chance with loose arms but struggles to harness secondaries right now in the DSL like Oscar Nunez, Estarlin Rodriguez, and Rainiery Rodriguez.

The depth of names here in the Atlanta Braves system is absolutely incredible. There are a half-dozen guys who could be back-end starters at the big league level, a handful with a chance at being frontline rotation members, and another handful that could fit in between in realistic projections. Add in the guys with more ceiling projections into those ranges, and that’s a ridiculous amount of talent in just one system, and that’s hand that’s considered the weaker one for the Braves.