Minor League Baseball 2017 League Top 10 Prospects: South Atlantic League

10. Alex Wells, LHP, Baltimore Orioles

Wells and his twin brother Lachlan were not kids who played a ton of baseball growing up, but they’ve obviously caught on quickly, as he and his brother are both fairly highly regarded prospects within their organizations. Wells may not ever be a guy who blows away a radar gun, but the South Atlantic League found out that he has much more feel for pitching than the average 20 year-old.

Wells is not a physically imposing guy on the mound, standing 6’1″ and 190 pounds, but he has tremendous mechanics, and he works the strike zone very well, hitting all angles of the zone with his three-pitch mix.

His fastball only sits 88-90 and touches 92-93 at the very top end, but he has excellent control on the pitch, and he knows how to alter his grip on the pitch to get movement on his fastball to get off the barrel of the bat. He also works with a change that may be his best overall pitch with his excellent arm deception and various grips he uses on that pitch as well. Wells’ primary breaking pitch is a curve that he locates very well, but it doesn’t have sharp break, being more of a difficult pitch to square up for quality contact.

As he progresses in the Orioles system, Wells will need to either work in another pitch to have success up the line or see his curve tick up in effectiveness as he did allow 16 home runs in 140 innings, and that could get worse as he climbs the ladder, but For a guy who led the league in ERA and WHIP and walked only 10 hitters in 140 innings, there’s a lot of room for error here.

Wells will progress to high-A in 2018, and if he could develop another secondary pitch (perhaps a cutter?), he could really move up the system quickly.

9. Bryse Wilson, RHP, Atlanta Braves

In a draft season where the the Braves loaded up their system with young pitching in 2016, Wilson was the 4th round selection in the draft after the Braves selected 3 high school arms in the first 45 selections of the draft. Wilson has, thus far, put up better numbers than any of the other pitchers in his Braves draft class.

Wilson was a tremendous athlete in high school with a collection of accolades in baseball and football, highly recruited in both sports. He had a perfect game and two other no hitters in his senior season of high school on the mound. However, coming into the Braves system, he was known as primarily a two-pitch pitcher with a delivery that raised heavy questions.

Wilson’s athleticism has allowed him to make adjustments and maintain his ability to throw well off the mound, as his velocity continues to work in the 93-96 range, and he can still touch 97-98 at his top end, and there’s excellent movement on the pitch, though much more so at the 93 end of the spectrum.

Within his off speed pitches is where Wilson has seen the biggest moves. His hard mid-80s slider has sharpened up as a pro, and his change has really taken a step forward to an average pitch this season, flashing on days where it shows signs of being a plus pitch.

The high-level athletecism of Wilson along with his impressive work ethic will allow him to keep moving forward in the Braves system, even if his pedigree is behind that of some of his fellow prospects. Another season like 2017, and he could certainly surpass many of them.

8. Joey Wentz, LHP, Atlanta Braves

Wentz may be the toughest player on this entire list to place. He has the ceiling to be the #1 guy on this list without question. Yet, if you read scouting reports on his “bad” days, you wouldn’t put him on this extremely talented list at all.

Wentz really was on the radar of the national scene as a power-hitting first baseman before making a splash off the mound before his senior season in the showcase circuit. The short appearances on that circuit were viewed as his baseline for future evaluation, and that’s stung him as a future pitcher ever since.

The value in Wentz’s pitching is really in his approach. He has no fear in using any one of his three pitches, and he’s shown some flirtation with manipulating his fastball to possibly mix in a cutter along with his traditional grips on the pitch. Wentz’s 6’5″ frame gives him good plane on all of his pitches as well.

While he worked up to 96-97 in showcases, Wentz has settled in as more of a starter with velocity in the 88-91 range in starts I viewed this season. He did reach back for a handful of 94’s in one particular start, and two of those were after the 5th inning, so it’s in there, but he really worked in 2017 on commanding all of his pitches.

While the guy who took home the pitcher of the year award in the league while being in a league with elite talent around him would seem to be a guy with a bigger ceiling, Wentz is really a guy who profiles as a steady pitcher that will use movement and manipulation to get hitters out, getting strikeouts in lower levels, but likely settling in as more of a mid-rotation guy in the major leagues. Many Braves fans may be disappointed in that, but what has been positive is that the work he has done in the last year to drastically improve his command has brought his floor up significantly, and there is a definite reason to be pleased with Wentz’s progress this season, even if he’s not profiling as an elite ace.

7. Andres Gimenez, SS, New York Mets

Mets fans that are disappointed by the hype and then reality of Amed Rosario may be in for a tough road with a similar likely path for Gimenez.

Gimenez’s glove is incredibly slick, and most games watched, he makes a play that leaves you saying “wow!” However, his bat is a work in progress, and like Rosario, he will likely always be a glove-first guy that will rate high on prospect lists, but that will be due to the impact he has on the entire game, not on the offense in particular.

After raking in the Dominican Summer League in 2016, many expected Gimenez would do the same in the Sally League this summer, but a .265/.346/.349 line left many less than inspired. Even though Gimenez flashed more power than many had expected in knocking out 4 home runs, 4 triples, and 9 doubles, and his above-average speed allowed him to nab 14 stolen bases.

Gimenez really should be viewed through the lens of the fact that he jumped from DSL over any state-side short season ball, straight to full-season ball with Columbia, and he wasn’t embarrassed. His high motor, elite defensive skills, and tremendous baseball instincts should allow him to continue next season in high-A in the Florida State League.

6. Adonis Medina, RHP, PHiladelphia Phillies

One of a host of young, explosive, talented arms in the lower levels of the Philadelphia Phillies organization, Medina raised some eyebrows when he struggled with his secondary pitches in 2016, leading to a 4.73 K/9 rate. That’s something to be concerned with for a guy with an easy, loose delivery that can pop out 91-94 routinely and touch 97 on the top end.

This season saw Medina sharpen up not just the action of his pitches, but also his command of them. His approach had been strongly to get weak contact in his first three seasons with the Phillies, but he notably went for the strikeout in numerous outings this season.

Medina still works with that fastball with plenty of command and action on the pitch, but he’s also seen his curve and change both flash plus this season and sit above-average. His slider still had more inconsistency in the games I saw, but in the games it was on, it was his best off speed pitch, but when it’s off, he struggles not only to get the pitch to break well, but also to command the pitch, often leaving it hanging in an easy hitting zone.

Medina had plenty of mid-rotation tags placed on him last season, and that is still the most likely projection, but the step forward he took with his offspeed stuff this season could lead to a higher ultimate role if he meets all of his top-end projections. He’ll likely open 2018 in the Florida State League.

5. Luis Escobar, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

In a season with a number of pitchers with excellent stuff in the Sally, none was more exciting from start to start than Escobar – for good and bad reasons!

The lean, hard-throwing Colombian could use better fill in his frame for sure, but he has absolutely elite stuff at present, starting with his fastball that can run up to triple digits (depending on the report you read – I witnessed up to 98), and sits 94-96 fairly routine. His curve has tremendous rotation and is a true strikeout pitch to pair with the elite velocity.

Whether it’s due to his slight build or other issues, Escobar struggled in 2017 in maintaining his mechanics for multiple starts. He would come out in one start locating the ball well with all three pitches, spotting a change that was near-impossible for hitters to handle on top of his first two pitches.

Escobar has upside as high as any pitcher that threw in the South Atlantic League in 2017, and if he can harness all of that incredible ability, the Pirates will have something very special on their hands. However, with the questions on mechanics, he could certainly end up a reliever long-term as well.

Escobar will open 2017 in the Florida State League.

4. Freicer Perez, RHP, New York Yankees

A long, lean pitcher, the Yankees signed Perez out of the Dominican Republic in December of 2014 as a “late sign” already 18 years old, and they’re quickly reaping the benefits.

Perez has added velocity consistently since coming into the Yankees system, to the point of eclipsing the triple digit mark this season a handful of times. With his long arms and height, that level of velocity alone is nearly unhittable. Then Perez adds in a curve that has worked to a fringe-plus pitch. His change is more consistent than his curve, but it’s more of an above-average pitch.

Perez has tremendous consistency in his delivery, especially for a guy his height, but he often struggles with consistency in the feel with his curve, and when that happens, he relies on his fastball/change combo, which works very well for generating weak contact, but not so much for generating swing and miss.

Perez was easily the most impressive pitcher on this list that I saw in 2017. He’s older than many on this list, but much of that is due to his age at signing. I would not be surprised if he jumps multiple levels in a season or two.

3. Cristian Pache, OF, Atlanta Braves

The Braves had an outfield of very good, even elite, defenders in 2016 that roamed the Rome outfield. However, in talking with folks that viewed Pache this season, there’s not even a competition who is the best.

Pache has elite plus to plus-plus level defense with a plus arm that can play up with accuracy to another level, making him one of the truly elite defensive center fielders in minor league baseball. That he also offers plenty on the offensive end as well allows him to be a player that could be an impact player on the Braves future.

Pache has above-average contact skills with above-average zone recognition. He did struggle some with hard breaking stuff in pitch recognition, but he employed an aggressive offensive approach in 2017 that led to a lower walk rate than his true zone recognition would imply is coming down the road.

Pache has true plus-plus speed, and he uses that speed exceptionally well on the bases, stealing 32 bases and hitting 8 triples in 2017. Currently, his bat path is awkward, which makes his ability to consistently put quality contact on the ball all the more impressive. With his athletic build, it’s easy to see that getting a more consistent and less awkward bat path would allow him to tap into above-average raw power. He’ll likely not ever be a guy who hits 30 home runs, but getting double digits is not out of the question.

Pache will move up to high-A Florida in 2017, but it wouldn’t surprise if he moves up quickly, especially the way the Braves have been aggressively promoting those guys who prove themselves.

2. Leody Taveras, OF, Texas Rangers

Tools everywhere is a very apt description of the Rangers top prospect. Taveras was the toast of last offseason after really impressing in his first stateside exposure and having a very loud fall instructs.

His first season of full season ball didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but Taveras certainly flashed all of his raw tools, with 20 doubles, 7 triples, 8 home runs, and 20 stolen bases. He also showed his strike zone judgement by keeping his strikeout rate low at 15.9%.

Taveras struggled with his pitch recognition more than anything on the season, and while he could contact much of the pitches, even the ones he was fooled on, he struggled to get quality contact that could unleash his raw plus power.

Taveras did show very well in the outfield, and his plus speed played well with his instincts in center field. His arm surprised me in its strength, showing plus strength, when I’d heard more average and above-average grades given to his arm strength, but his accuracy on throws was not impressive at all to my views.

Taveras does have legit tools, and while his play in 2017 wasn’t elite, he certainly didn’t take any major steps backward. He’ll move up to the Carolina League in 2017.

1. Estevan Florial, OF, New York Yankees

When I placed Florial 10th overall on the Yankees preseason top 10 prospect list, I had some comments from folks about how off that was and how I was missing on this prospect or that prospect by putting him at such a high position.

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Needless to say, after 2017, I feel quite vindicated in that positioning if even still a little light! Florial showed incredible growth in 2017 with Charleston before moving up to Tampa for a 19-game run at the end of the season.

There is still swing and miss in Florial’s game, but he still walked enough to post a .372 OBP between two levels on the year, and his impressive power/speed combination brought out 43 extra base hits and 23 stolen bases on the season over 110 games.

Florial is really best suited for right field with his powerful double-plus arm, but he has the plus speed and good glove work to handle center as needed until he outgrows the position. His power is such that will truly blossom as he moves up in the Yankee system, with incredible pull power from the left side that will work very well in Yankee Stadium.

Florial will likely return to Tampa to open 2017, but don’t be surprised if he finishes at AA Trenton.

Next: 2017 Minor League Awards team

Some of the top prospects who didn’t make the minimum time in the league this season included Sixto Sanchez, Alec Hansen, Ian Anderson, Carter Kieboom, Colton Welker, Daniel Johnson, Riley Pint, Jake Burger, Sheldon Neuse, Brian Miller, Juan Soto, Adam Haseley, Kyle Cody, Ranger Suarez, JoJo Romero, Jordan Humphreys, Jay Groome, and Dane Dunning. All of those players would have merited consideration for this list, but none had the requisite time for the list.