Atlanta Braves: Top 5 busts as former no. 1 prospects

Wilson Betemit 2.8 rWAR (11 seasons)

Wilson Betemit was rated as high as the eighth-best prospect in all of the land by Baseball America in 2002. Baseball Prospectus rated him as the fifth-best player. He was destined for greatness. Betemit spent two seasons atop Baseball America’s list as the Braves top prospect.

He was originally signed by the Braves illegally at the age of just 14-years-old. The Braves were penalized but he began playing professional ball as a young teen. After two seasons he began to shine at the unripened age of 17 in 1999. He slashed .320/.383/.463 in Danville.

The following season he was promoted to Low-A and continued his ascent to the major leagues. Betemit would finally exceed his rookie eligibility in 2005. He was one of 17 rookies to appear on the Braves roster that year. He excelled in his first full season with a .305 average in 115 games.

Betemit had a solid 11-year career in the major leagues but never quite lived up to the hype as one of the best prospects, not only in the Braves organization but the game of baseball. He finished with a career slash of .267/.332/.442 and a 104 OPS+. He was slightly above replacement level and made a nice career for himself. While he wasn’t the next big thing, we certainly appreciate his contributions at the end of the streak of 14 division titles.

Best of Betemit
His best season came with the 2010 Kansas City Royals when he slashed .297/.378/.511 with 13 homers and 20 doubles in just 276 at-bats. He finished with an OPS+ of 141 that season.