BOSTON, MA - JUNE 24: A glove and the rosin bag sit on the mound before the interleague game between the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park on June 23, 2012 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 20: Ozzie Albies #1 (L) and Ronald Acuna, Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves battle for a bag of popcorn during the bottom of the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at SunTrust Park on September 20, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
The Atlanta Braves put together an amazing 2018 season, but there is still plenty in the farm system. This is the top 125 prospects in a very deep, loaded system!
In October of 2015, I put together my first Atlanta Braves top 100 prospect list. At the time, it was an incredibly challenging undertaking to get the information required to put together a list that deep, even with the Atlanta Braves farm system on its way up already.
By that January, the Atlanta Braves had made even more trades, including trading away shortstop Andrelton Simmons and pitcher Shelby Miller for a plethora of prospects. That required an update to my top 100 list, including a new #1 overall prospect. That prompted what would become tradition – a longer, profiled top 100 list in the fall and an update before the season to take into account all the new prospects acquired over the offseason.
This offseason may be the first that does not require an update due to an influx of prospects, but perhaps due to trades that send away prospects, and that’s a fun place to be at as an Atlanta Braves fan.
As I began reaching out this offseason, I was flooded with the depth of talent still in the system, and getting to the back end of the list, it was difficult to cut off the list at 100, so I didn’t. This year, you will get 125 prospects in the Atlanta Braves system, not 100!
We will cover the top 125 throughout this week with the following schedule:
I welcome your comments on each prospect as I fully admit that on some prospects (especially Dominican Summer League ones), I’ve not had a chance to do video review yet. I trust my contacts that I’ve made over the years for their information, so I will go with it, but I’m more than willing to discuss when I’m wrong. Heck, that first year’s list (before the update in January) had Hector Olivera #2 and Manny Banuelos #3, above lots of guys that should have been much higher.
Of course, that list also had William Contreras at #29 before updates, and no one had mentioned his name before that, which is why I do trust the folks I talk with in Latin America for their eye!!
As always, this list is mine, not Tomahawk Take’s or FanSided’s view on a player. My rankings are my own personal view on the system for team building purposes, not for fantasy baseball, not purely for trade purposes, nothing like that, simply how I feel these players would fit into the Atlanta Braves long-term based on their current skills and talents. I tend to give weight to a player who has performed in the upper minors, and I’ll gladly admit bias to a guy that I’ve seen a number of times in video reviews. All that said, I hope you enjoy!
Let’s get started with today’s portion of the list!
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: .252/.275/.330, 34 G, 122 PA, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 2.5% BB, 23.8% K Reyes is 6’1″ and 165 pounds, but has significant pop in his bat. He made some adjustments in 2018 to address better contact rates, which he did, but in attacking the way he did, he struggled with defining the zone at the plate. Reyes has solid, albeit not elite defense in left field that could play very well as his bat develops further. He’ll be 19 in 2019, likely spending the year in rookie ball, possibly starting again in GCL.
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: .217/.253/.341, 37 G, 146 PA, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 1 SB, 3.4% BB, 27.4% K Originally signed as a shortstop, Florentino’s squat build made for an easy transition to third base, where his quick reactions and good instincts transitioned well to the position, though he showed plenty raw at the position still. Florentino has some natural raw strength to his swing, but he’s also still working to build his zone and pitch recognition. While very raw still, Florentino’s one to watch as he has the raw skills to develop into something. He very well could end up repeating GCL next season.
Level(s): DSL Braves, GCL Braves Stats: 1-4, 15 G, 8 GS, 49 1/3 IP, 4.20 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 14% BB, 21.4% K A sinker/slider pitcher that spent the last two seasons in the DSL all year, Santos was brought stateside this year and used as a starter for the first time to finish the season. He struggles with consistency in his release point, leading to plenty of walks. Santos’ high-effort delivery is probably best suited for the bullpen, but he has to be able to harness his stuff in the zone to even work in that role. On the season, he had a 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 9.7% walk rate, and 28% strikeout rate in the bullpen on the season before being moved to the rotation. He has yet to allow a home run over 86 career minor league innings.
Level(s): DSL Braves Stats: 2-6, 13 G, 11 GS, 45 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 14.8% BB, 11.3% K Blessed with an impressive change and a breaking ball that can flash plus, Estarlin repeated DSL in 2018, and he struggled with his control as he was pushed to use his curveball more to find consistency with it. He is a guy who I could see benefitting from a simplified delivery akin to what the team did with Touki Toussaint this year.
Level(s): Danville Braves, Rome Braves Stats: .281/.324/.338, 46 G, 173 PA, 6 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 5.2% BB, 13.9% K Owenby is a mixed bag for those you talk with. Some really like his swing and approach at the plate, and believe he could be a potential contact-oriented, bat-first backup catcher, but he primarily played first base in 2018. At first, he’s really not got the power in his swing to be an impact guy down the road. He’ll likely spend the year with Florida in 2019.
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: .202/.281/.233, 38 G, 150 PA, 4 2B, 6% BB, 30% K After two seasons in the DSL, Morales brought his exceptional defensive skills stateside in 2018, and the glovework was definitely notable. The issue was that the work with the bat is still sorely lacking. Morales reminds some of Johan Camargo at the same age defensively, but the bat is still needing plenty of work. His glove will give him multiple chances to get in that work, though.
Level(s): Did not play in 2018 Stats: No 2018 statistics After a very good 2017 season that saw him post a 1.58 ERA over 51 1/3 innings. Noguera has excellent raw stuff from the left side, but he was suspended for the 2018 season due to a PED suspension. The Atlanta Braves often release a player when he’s suspended at lower levels, but it’s telling that they held onto Noguera through his 2018 suspension. He’ll likely open 2019 with GCL, but don’t be surprised if he is pushed quickly after losing a year of development.
Level(s): DSL Braves Stats: 0-4, 11 G, 8 GS, 34 2/3 IP, 2.60 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 14.1% BB, 30.1% A “late-signee”, meaning he was signed by the Braves well past his 16th birthday out of a Latin American country, Alesandro flashed a big-velocity pair of fastballs, but he struggled to control anything else in his first year in the system. The Atlanta Braves have a history with finding late bloomers and under-radar prospects in the Latin market, and if Alesandro can develop even a passable breaking pitch, he’d be a dominant reliever, and adding a similarly passable change could allow him to work well as a mid-rotation starter. Due to being 20 already, he will likely be pushed stateside to get more hands-on instruction in the GCL in 2019.
Level(s): Rome Braves, Florida Fire Frogs Stats: .250/.309/.310, 60 G, 224 PA, 9 2B, 1 HR, 3 SB, 8% BB, 25.9% K Another Atlanta Braves prospect from Curacao, Michel is an incredible defender in the outfield. The Braves pushed Michel up to full-season ball in 2018, but he struggled with health issues and a lack of power in his bat in 2018. Embracing his speed offensively and working the count and pushing the ball for gaps would be a great approach for Michel.
Level(s): DSL Braves Stats: .212/.347/.327, 52 G, 190 PA, 6 2B, 4 HR, 6 SB, 12.6% BB, 27.4% K One of the players removed from the Atlanta Braves last November that re-signed with the team (Antonio Sucre was the other), Mezquita made his debut in the Braves system this year, opening at 16 in 2018. He’s quite young, and he will be only 17 when the 2019 season begins, likely in GCL for Mequita. If he can build on his plate discipline, his natural athleticism will make him one to watch in the GCL next year.
Level(s): Danville Braves Stats: .228/.308/.331, 36 G, 156 PA, 6 2B, 2 HR, 6.4% BB, 16% K After working with Atlanta Braves coaching for two seasons in the GCL on his defense, the raw talent that Rodriguez has behind the plate shined through in 2018. He’s still raw behind the plate, which is surprising, considering his status as the top catcher in the 2016/2017 international signing class at signing, but he’s been open to coaching and worked hard to both improve his defense and improve his ability to access the gap power in his swing. He needs to improve his contact ability, but improving his defense strides again the way he did in 2018 would give him a shot as a backup with nearly any team.
In his last outing of his first season of pro ball on Tuesday. Zach Seipel went 2.2 innings and gave up no runs on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk. @UMCBaseball#WingsUppic.twitter.com/Sa0eJ7ahHa
Level(s): Danville Braves Stats: 3-0, 3 saves, 15 G, 24 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 14% BB, 28% K The first player ever drafted from the University of Minnesota-Crookston into Major League Baseball, Seipel was a 27th round selection by the Atlanta Braves that had a very good showing in his draft year to put him on the radar for much more going forward. Built well at 6’4″ and 210 listed pounds, Seipel works with multiple pitches and saw his velocity tick up to mid-90s in relief, allowing him to be very difficult to square up, but also giving him a new level of velocity on his pitches that at times he didn’t know exactly how to control. Keep an eye on Seipel as he likely opens in Rome in 2019 as he could be one to move quickly.
Level(s): GCL Braves, Florida Fire Frogs Stats: 5-5, 13 G, 11 GS, 60 2/3 IP, 4.45 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3.8% BB, 19.9% K After two seasons pitching primarily out of the bullpen, Jerez spent nearly all of 2018 as a starting pitcher for the GCL Braves with one start for Florida midseason. Jerez is not a guy with an overpowering fastball, but he has a great feel to pitch, controls the ball, and has multiple above-average offspeed offerings. He could work at the back of the rotation as he develops. With his breaking stuff, he doesn’t have a definitive split between righties or lefties, so he could work as a middle relief guy.
Level(s): Danville Braves Stats: .281/.375/.341, 52 G, 216 PA, 7 2B, 2 3B, 8 SB, 13% BB, 31% K The Atlanta Braves drafted Langhorne in the 10th round this spring, and as a senior sign pick, the expectation was that he would be good roster filler in the minor leagues. While the strikeout rate was higher than you’d like, Langhorne showed a lot of positives that could be a potential bench piece down the road. He will open 2019 in A-ball, whether that’s Rome or Florida will likely depend on roster construction through the system.
Level(s): GCL Braves, Florida Fire Frogs Stats: 2-4, 13 G, 12 GS, 59 1/3 IP, 4.70 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 9.7% BB, 18.7% K Volquez stands 6’3″ with lots of arms and legs that make his stuff play up. He works well low in the zone with stuff that moves well on everything he throws. He will be 21 next season, and he’s tossed one game beyond the GCL, so he will need to harness that excellent stuff more consistently to be an impact guy down the road, but with stuff that’s tough to square up, he could do well as a reliever.
Level(s): GCL Braves, Danville Braves Stats: 1-0, 2 saves, 12 G, 2 GS, 28 IP, 4.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 4.2% BB, 27.5% K Stallings was a 30th round draft pick in June out of Duke. After a handful of appearances at GCL, he was promoted to Danville and was even better being used in a multi-inning role. He has a bit of deception to his delivery from the left side with excellent control, so the Duke grad definitely has a chance to work out of the bullpen as a LOOGY.
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: 1-3, 3 saves, 16 G, 30 IP, 4.80 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 5.8% BB, 17.4% K A late signee out of the Dominican Republic, Walner Polanco is a guy who certainly intimidates on the mound. He stands 6’7″ tall with a solid build. He uses that height to his advantage in getting good plane on his hard sinker that he pairs with an excellent slider. He has a habit of seeing his fastball straighten out at times or losing his arm slot and getting under his slider, or he would have likely moved up in the system last year. As he works with Braves coaching, he could move quickly and be a dominant reliever.
Level(s): Rome Braves, Florida Fire Frogs Stats: 2-2, 1 save, 21 G, 38 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 14.1% BB, 22.1% K Hernandez showed well in Cuba as a teenager, but in the time to set up residency to leave the country, he added weight to his frame, and he struggled at times to be consistent in his delivery. At the end of the season, he struggled in losing snap on his pitches low in the zone at the end of the longest season he’d played in some time. That all said, Daysbel has a tremendous combination of a pair of fastballs with excellent movement when both are at their peaks, along with a breaking pitch that can rarely be squared up.
Level(s): DSL Braves Stats: 1-2, 5 saves, 17 G, 33 2/3 IP, 1.87 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 13.9% BB, 27.8% K Of anyone I got reports on from 2017 to 2018, the guy who had the biggest step forward was easily Caminero. Blessed with long arms and legs that help him generate incredible movement on his pitches and deception, Caminero was a late signee that spent his second season at DSL in 2018. He will come stateside next year, and the ability to generate high spin with his fastball and that same deception on all of his stuff will be something to watch in 2019.
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: .272/.346/.395, 37 G, 127 PA, 5 2B, 3 HR, 8.7% BB, 12.6% K Making a call on Brown to someone who faced him with Southern Indiana during his college time got this report: “Very underrated player. Total pro’s pro behind the plate and at the plate. Could easily see him being a backup for a long time in the league or even being a solid starter in the mold of the guys (the Atlanta Braves) have currently.” Checking around with those who saw him in the GCL comes back with the same profile. He’s not likely going to blow anyone away with anything he does at the plate or behind the plate, but he knows the strike zone well at the plate and punishes mistakes while handling his pitching staff well and doing all the little things behind the plate.
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: .283/.357/.486, 38 G, 154 PA, 11 2B, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 9.7% BB, 19.5% K While he fits the big mold of a first baseman, Hernandez was actually a third baseman (and even played SS!) in college, and he’s someone that the Braves could look to turn into a corner IF/corner OF bench guy along the way. Hernandez has a swing that really maximized gaps, but there’s a lot more strength that adjusting for more carry could really unlock with him, and he already does a good job in controlling the strike zone, so that’s definitely something he can work on. You can read a great interview from our friend Andy Harris over at Outfield Fly Rule.
Level(s): Danville Braves, Rome Braves, Florida Fire Frogs Stats: 3-1, 1 save, 32 G, 1 GS, 61 1/3 IP, 6.90 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 12% BB, 20.5% K Allison is a very tough pitcher to gauge. The Braves chose to skip him over Danville after he had a solid pro debut after being selected in the 19th round in the 2017 draft. Rome was an absolute disaster, however, as he tossed 24 innings of 13.13 ERA ball. He then went down to Danville, and he looked like the guy who dominated the GCL in 2017. One fill-in start in Florida did his ERA no favors as he couldn’t find his control. Allison’s stuff is legit when he’s on, and he could be a very effective LOOGY or even work against both sides as a reliever. However, he just seemingly lost all feel for pitches at times in 2018, so his future path right now is quite unclear, but the ceiling is still quite high.
Level(s): Did not pitch Stats: Did not pitch After four seasons as a hard-throwing, dominant reliever with the Atlanta Braves organization, Roney missed the entire 2018 season due to injury. He’s made 32 career appearances at AA, so Roney is a guy who could accelerate quickly once healthy, but whether he will be healthy is another question.
Level(s): GCL Braves Stats: .139/.244/.222, 30 G, 123 PA, 3 2B, 2 HR, 11.4% BB, 32.5% K An absolute toolshed, Cuban outfielder Zamora has raw power, raw speed, and a big raw arm that makes it easy to see why Braves people are very excited about his possible future. Though he did struggle in 2018, he was only 16 and did not face a single pitcher younger than he was the entire season. Zamora will be given plenty of time to develop his impressive tools, and he could end up repeating GCL in 2019 to start, but if he hits well, he could be up to Danville by the end of the year.
Level(s): DSL Stats: .165/.289/.273, 54 G, 211 PA, 5 2B, 4 HR, 2 SB, 13.3% BB, 21.3% K Bautista was one of the best set of reports I received from the DSL this season, though he might not look the part of a future dominant player, listed at 5’9″ and 195 pounds, and I’m told that’s probably more accurate at 5’7″ and 210.
From that side, one comparison I got was to a left-handed Kirby Puckett in swing and approach at the plate, but Bautista’s swing is a touch long currently, something he will need to work on for success stateside. He’s also an above-average runner underway, but not extremely great with first-step quickness, so it’s quite likely that he’ll be a left fielder defensively, though he’s got a very accurate, albeit average-strength, arm that should play well from left.
Certainly, Bautista is high-risk, high-reward, but the upside in his profile, while not Puckett’s contact skills, would be along the lines of Marvin Bernard, the former outfielder for the Giants, among others.
dark. Next. My week as Braves GM
So that’s the #101-125 prospects in the annual countdown of the Atlanta Braves top prospects. Anyone too high? Too low? Comment below!
