Call to the pen
Fansided

Atlanta Braves REVISED Top 10 Prospects for 2017

By Benjamin Chase

Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; The Atlanta Braves logo painted on the field during a spring training baseball game at Champion Stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; The Atlanta Braves logo painted on the field during a spring training baseball game at Champion Stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 12
Next

10. Touki Toussaint, RHP

Birthdate: 6/20/96 (20 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: low-A
Stats in 2016: 132 1/3 IP, 3.88 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 12.43 BB%, 24.17 K%

Touki is a guy with an absolutely elite curve that the Braves stole from the Diamondbacks in 2015 because they were willing to take on salary from Arizona.

Toussaint’s first season with the Braves was, to be kind, ugly. He posted a 5.73 ERA and had nearly as many walks as he did strikeouts.

The Braves have been working with Toussaint to focus his work on his fastball and solid change to work low in the zone on hitters and get them to roll over on those pitches early in counts and use his ridiculous curve more to finish off at bats rather than as the prime pitch in at bats. They also worked with Touki on some adjustments in his delivery to allow him to be consistent in the delivery, a major issue in his control.

Touki has some of the best raw stuff in the entire system

This year, you saw early that Touki was struggling with his new pitch sequence and delivery early on. His month by month ERAs were 9.19 in April, 4.61 in May, and then 2.17 in June. From June 1st until the end of the season, Touki threw 89 1/3 innings with a 2.72 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 43/104 BB/K ratio.

Touki has some of the best raw stuff in the entire system, and he started to show it as the season wore on in 2016. Consistency is his next goal, as he did have his share of ups and downs within starts, and as he can get consistent within starts in his approach, he’ll have that chance to get to an elite prospect in the entire game.

Toussaint will likely move to high-A to open 2017, and he’ll be a guy that they look to keep progressing in his sequencing and attacking hitters early in counts.

Next: #9

Home/Atlanta Braves