Tomahawk Take’s Atlanta Braves Prospect Rankings: 20-16
Members of the Tomahawk Take crew got together to rank the top 30 prospects in the Atlanta Braves organization.
Amidst a lockout, the Tomahawk Take crew ranked their top prospects in the Atlanta Braves organization. The following contributed:
- Alan Carpenter (@Carpengui)
- Jake Mastroianni (@ShortStopBall)
- Payton Wilkerson (@pmwilkerson99)
- Thomas Ashworth (@ThomasAshworth0)
- James Kunkle (@Jimmy_Kunkle)
- Matt Melton (@Matt_Melton20)
- Sam Peebles (@SPeeblesSports)
- Andrew Cicco (@Andrewnotsicko)
- Trent Dickeson (@trenciarte)
Nine writers ranked the Braves’ prospects, and the rankings were then averaged together to get an overall ranking.
The Braves farm is not as highly ranked as it once was. Gone are the days of the Braves carrying the top farm system in baseball with prospects such as Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley, Max Fried, Mike Soroka, Ian Anderson, and many others.
Check out the previous rankings:
- Tomahawk Take Atlanta Braves Prospect Rankings 30-26
- Tomahawk Take Atlanta Braves Prospect Rankings 25-21
We move into the middle third of the Tomahawk Take prospect rankings for our Atlanta Braves! This range starts to feature guys who could make an impact in Atlanta soon or they might fall out of the rankings entirely with a bad season.
We know the Braves farm system is not as talented as it was during the height of the rebuild, but there is still plenty of intriguing names. As we approach the middle of the farm system rankings, we see a few guys that could make an impact for the big-league club soon if things break their way.
The talent in this range is real. So is the risk, but that is the case with any prospect. Middle tier guys have the ability to surprise and prove their ceiling is much higher than originally thought.
The unique thing about these five seem to be all feature a great deal of risk. Whether it be injury concerns, lack of video, or even age, these five prospects are definitely not the safest. Is any prospect really safe though?
With that being said, we should jump in starting with number 20.
20. Indigo Diaz
Personal Rank: 24
Indigo Diaz had arguably the best season of anyone in the Braves minors in 2021. The former 27th round pick out of Michigan State shot up rankings after a dominant year.
Diaz split time between High-A Rome and AA Mississippi and impressed in both locations.
Starting with Rome, Diaz appeared in 18 games, pitched 27 innings, and racked up a 1.00 ERA, 0.65 FIP, 1.61 xFIP, and an 18 K/9! Diaz struck out 52.9% of batters in Rome!
He was not wild, only walking 6.9% of batters in Rome. This performance earned him a midseason promotion to Mississippi.
He kept up the impressive work in AA, appearing in 14 games, pitching 18 innings with a 1.50 ERA, 2.57 FIP, 3.37 xFIP, and 14.5 K/9. He still struck out 39.7% of batters at the next level, showing his strikeout potential.
.@indigo_diaz strikes out the side to send us to the 8th still tied at 2 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bpfSUCtDAy
— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) September 17, 2021
The biggest issue was the walk rate rose in AA, jumping to 12.3%. This could mean that the High-A pitchers he faced while in Rome were free swingers, which would also explain a high strikeout rate.
Diaz will need to keep the walks down if he wants to be a lockdown reliever, but the potential to be a back end member of the bullpen is evident.
Diaz faced 175 batters and struck out 83 (47.4%)! That is elite work, no matter the level or talent faced.
The strong season from Diaz has garnered him a ton of hype. This has pushed him up rankings, honestly about as high as a relief pitching prospect will ever be ranked.
Relief pitchers are volatile. Prospects are volatile. Pitching prospects are especially volatile. A relief pitching prospect carries a lot of risk but watching Diaz work shows why there are so many excited about Diaz in a major league bullpen.
Diaz has an electric fastball, and a curveball that needs to become more consistent. When both pitches are working, it is tough for minor league hitters to touch him.
Another impressive start in the minors could see Indigo Diaz force his way into the Braves bullpen, sooner rather than later.
19. Victor Vodnik
Personal Rank: 18
Victor Vodnik came to the Braves in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB draft from Rialto High School in California. The flamethrower has a ton of potential, but unfortunately carries a ton of injury concern.
That was prevalent in 2021, as Vodnik got the nod to start in AA Mississippi. Injuries limited Vodnik to only 33 innings in AA and a bunch of mixed results.
Overall, Vodnik started 11 games and pitched to a 5.35 ERA, 4.86 FIP, and 4.03 xFIP. He struck out 27.3% of batters but walked 14.7% of guys faced. Vodnik started the season great, with a 2.57 ERA combined with 19 strikeouts in his first 14 innings.
However, the injury caused him to only pitch 19 more innings, and a few bad performances really hurt his overall performance. He did get work in the Arizona Fall League, but it was a mixed bag of results. A 5.70 ERA across 23.2 innings.
Vodnik has arguably one of the highest ceilings in the organization. The problem is he cannot seem to harness that talent. He shows flashes of brilliance and then follows it up with two or three rough outings.
RHP/OF Victor Vodnik, a @CSUNBaseball commit, warms up in the bullpen at today's @MLBPDP event in Compton. pic.twitter.com/eFqNp6il8T
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 4, 2018
His fastball is strong, clocking in the upper 90s. He also features a nasty slider that can be trouble for any hitter. The issue is he cannot always throw it for strikes consistently.
He does feature a third pitch, a changeup, but most scouting reports view it as a work in progress.
The profile screams future back end of the bullpen guy if starting fails. The fastball/slider combo would be lethal in one inning outings. If he can control himself.
If he stays healthy, he shows promise as a starter. It will surprise no one to see him fly up the rankings by the All-Star break. It also will not shock anyone if he falls down rankings.
He should start back in Mississippi and will need to start showing signs of consistency in 2022.
18. Trey Harris
Personal Rank: 20
The 2022 season will be a big year for Trey Harris. The 32nd round pick out of Missouri in 2018 will be 26 this year and fears falling off prospect rankings.
Harris is another guy that was hurt by the 2020 covid year. After a breakout year in 2019, Harris saw his stock rise, but he was not selected to attend the alternate training site in 2020 resulting in a lost year of development.
Then in 2021 at AA Mississippi, Harris struggled. In 96 games, he hit .247/.317/.354 8 HR, 46 R, 50 RBI, 4 SB, .305 wOBA, and 89 wRC+. Not ideal for an older prospect in AA.
For comparison, Harris played in 41 games in 2019 at AA, hitting .281/.318/.411 2 HR, 15 R, 12 RBI, 1 SB, .333 wOBA, and 111 wRC+. Could the year off be the reason? Did he struggle to shake off the rust?
If so, Harris will need to turn it around in 2022, whether the Braves place him back in Mississippi or if they give him a shot at AAA Gwinnett. The issue for Harris is similar to that of Justin Dean, Cristian Pache and Drew Waters block spots as top outfield prospects.
However, Harris may need to be pushed to Gwinnett to figure out what he can be. Entering his age 26 season, it may be now or never for the outfielder.
That’s gonna hurt in the morning 😅#Braves No. 15 prospect Trey Harris crashes into the wall to save a big hit: pic.twitter.com/TlfXeJFmlV
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) March 11, 2020
It appears his ceiling is not as high as once thought, but there are some scouts who still believe he carries a high floor and will bounce back this season.
He projects at best as an average bat with average power. His decent speed and defensive versatility will benefit him as he tries to reach the majors.
Harris appears at best to be a third/fourth outfielder type at the major league level. He might also have value as a bat off the bench later in games. He might be a AAAA guy that bounces back and forth.
Harris needs a bounce back from the bat in 2022.
17. Ambioris Tavarez
Personal Rank: 15
Ambioris Tavarez is currently the biggest mystery in the Braves system. The big grab for the Braves in the international signing period of 2021, the Braves used nearly all their bonus pool to grab Tavarez.
Despite the mystery, the hype is real around Tavarez. People are eager to see the kid in person.
He should finally come state side in 2021 but seeing as he is only 18 may spend most of his time at the complex and in rookie ball. Like a lot of young international prospects, Tavarez is a toolsy prospect, but there are still a lot of question marks.
The kid will need to spend several years in the Braves farm system before working his way towards a potential spot with the Atlanta Braves major league team.
Limited video make him harder to scout, but the current scouting reports love his potential.
The hit tool is considered to be average to above average combined with above average power that should grow as he fills out his frame. He projects to have average speed that could play well on the basepaths.
For the first time since 2016, the #Braves signed a J2 player for more than a million dollars. Ambioris Tavarez has big bat speed and power. Plenty of room to grow into his 6’2 175 frame. He will need to quiet the swing some, but there is upside here. pic.twitter.com/4PJophtCx7
— Chris Clegg (@RotoClegg) January 16, 2021
Maybe the most intriguing tool is Tavarez’s arm, which is considered elite. The strong arm will allow him to make throws from deep in the hole. Tavarez is currently listed as a shortstop but is projected to add bulk to his frame as he ages that might push him over to the hot corner.
The athleticism may allow him to stay at short and make him a more versatile defender.
We know the Braves like him a lot, seeing as they used almost their entire bonus pool in the last year of their international sanctions to grab him. He remains hard to rank due to the lack of video.
If he does indeed come stateside in 2022, Tavarez has potential to see his prospect rankings change drastically as we get more info on him.
16. Jesse Franklin
Personal Rank: 14
The Braves were thrilled to grab Jesse Franklin in the 3rd round of the 2020 MLB draft. Franklin was thought to have first round potential but got injured skiing before his final season at Michigan ever got started.
Then the Covid pandemic shut down college baseball, and Franklin never got to reach the field, causing him to drop in draft rankings. This allowed the Braves to scoop him up in the 3rd.
They brought Franklin into the alternate site to get work when he was healthy, showing the Braves did see something in the kid from Seattle. He finally got to play baseball again in 2021, starting at High-A Rome.
2020 draft pick and @umichbaseball product Jesse Franklin already making plays 😤 pic.twitter.com/bIwq7iUfMV
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 15, 2020
There appeared to be some rust as Franklin started slow, but eventually turned it around to finish with a solid season and open eyes around the organization. Overall, Franklin hit .244/.320/.522 24 HR, 55 R, 61 RBI, 19 SB, .355 wOBA, and 118 wRC+.
This included a solid 8.4% walk rate, and a higher strikeout rate of 28.3%.
Maybe the most interesting part of Franklin’s stat line was the 19 stolen bases. That was not something people thought was in his game, seeing as he stole 8 bases in two seasons in Michigan.
If he keeps up the speed on the bases, it will make him a more valuable prospect in the minors. As of now, he is viewed as a guy with a slightly below average hit tool but with above average raw power.
He projects as a prototypical slugger that may strike out a decent amount but should hit for decent power. Keeping up the plate discipline and taking his walks will be something that benefits Franklin throughout the minors.
While there is hope that he can play solid defense with the glove and speed, he projects as having a weaker arm that might keep him in left field. If he can hit for power and be reliable with the glove, Franklin will make for a fine left fielder.
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It would probably benefit Franklin to spend the majority, if not all, of 2022 in AA. He could move to Gwinnett depending on what happens to the Braves outfield prospects ahead of him and if Franklin puts together a good season in Mississippi.