Braves Prospects: Augusta GreenJackets will Feature Plenty of Talent
The Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves should have a large number of top prospects when the season gets underway in 2021.
After all the Minor League Baseball shake-up this offseason, the one new team the Atlanta Braves acquired was the Augusta GreenJackets who will now be their Low-A affiliate.
With no more rookie league teams, Augusta will now become the home for a lot of young prospects and newly drafted players.
I wanted to write this article because we had a reader ask what prospects might be in Augusta this year for fans looking to plan a trip to the new Low-A affiliate of the Braves.
What Braves prospects can we expect to see in SAL league Augusta? Excited to see them light up SRP park!
— T-Cole (@HoolieandJulie) January 7, 2021
First of all, SRP Park in Augusta, South Carolina was just opened in 2018 and was voted the Ballpark of the Year by a couple of publications during its inaugural season.
It’s a little over a two-hour drive from Atlanta, but if you get to chance to take in a game there you definitely should.
Figuring out which prospects will be in August could be tricky, mostly because there was no minor league season last year, so it’s unclear how teams will shuffle their players this season.
Another thing to note, it was announced that Double-A levels and below won’t be able to begin their spring training until after the MLB spring training is over, which means the Mississippi, Rome, and Augusta seasons will likely be delayed.
For this exercise, I’ll only be focussing on some of the Braves’ top prospects, which is what I assume most of you are interested in anyway.
Which Braves’ Prospects Will Be in Augusta?
I think one of the easiest things to assume is that all the Braves 2020 draftees will start out in Augusta.
That means you’re likely to see first-round Jared Shuster as well as outfielder Jesse Franklin and pitchers Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder.
The one caveat here is that these were all college players and they tend to move a little quicker than others.
Normally had they played minor league ball last year they might have already moved through he A levels. Plus, we don’t know exactly what kind of work they got in the instructional camp and whether or not the team feels they progressed enough to start in High-A or Double-A.
But still, I think it’s still a pretty safe bet that they’ll at least start the year in Augusta but could advance quickly.
If you want to think optimistically, there is a chance Michael Harris could start the year in Augusta.
He ended 2019 in Rome, which was the Low-A affiliate at the time, and he didn’t exactly light it up there. Perhaps the Braves let him start back out in Low-A.
As I wrote earlier this offseason, I think Harris will be the next big-time prospect for the Braves.
Plenty more Braves Prospects to See in Augusta
Stephen Paolini was a fifth-round pick for the Braves in 2019 and is an upside arm to watch. I think there’s a good shot the 20-year-old will be in Augusta.
Another 2019 draft pick, shortstop Vaughn Grissom, is likely to be with the GreenJackets in 2021.
Keeping with that 2019 draft class, right-handed pitcher Tyler Owens will likely be in Augusta this season.
Trey Riley was a fifth-round pick in 2018 and someone that many thought would move up the prospect charts. But he struggled mightily in 2019 and as a result, we could see him in Augusta in 2021 as he tries to put things together.
Infielder Beau Philip was the Braves second-round pick in 2019. He struggled in his first action at pro ball. There’s a good chance we see him with the GreenJackets in 2021.
A name you should keep an eye on is Mahki Backstrom. A powerful left-handed first baseman who is just 19 years old. If he ends up in Augusta, and it’s a pretty safe bet he will at some point, make sure you get a good look at him.
Jared Johnson is another 2019 draft pick with some upside as a right-handed starting pitcher that will likely be in Augusta at just 19 years old.
For the most part, I think you’re going to see guys drafted in the past two drafts fill out this team. Normally, if the Braves had a lot of young, international prospects you’d see them here as well. But with their international signing restrictions, that won’t be the case for a while.
Next. The Best Greenville Braves. dark
There is a lot of good, young talent that will be making up this Augusta team in 2021. If you live nearby or are just a fan of prospects, you should definitely plan a weekend trip or two to see the Augusta GreenJackets.