Atlanta Braves 2017 Top 100 Prospects: #81-100
100. Troy Conyers, LHP, GCL/Rome
Born: 4/11/1994
2017 Stats: 18 G, 42 1/3 IP, 1.91 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 12/43 BB/K
Info: Drafted in the 23rd round of this June’s draft, Conyers looks the part of a big, powerful lefty at 6’5″ and 230 pounds, but instead he comes with a fastball that sits more around 90. He does use his solid build to be an excellent rubber arm out of the bullpen that can go multiple innings or pitch deep multiple days in a week. His delivery is a bit different, but he can repeat it well, so that’s not a major concern. While he sits more near 90 with his fastball at the top end, he doesn’t throw anything straight, and even gets excellent plane on his pitches on top of their movement. He could have a future as a long-man, but his most likely role will be as a LOOGY down the road.
99. Omar Obregon, IF, Florida/Mississippi
Born: 4/18/1994
2017 Stats: .268/.329/.348, 155 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, 13/27 BB/K
Info: Obregon just two seasons in 2015 was paired with Ozzie Albies in one of the most impressive double-play duos I’ve seen in minor league baseball. His defense on either side of the keystone is very good, and while he got minimal playing time in 2017, he remains one of the guys to still keep an eye on as a guy who has solid contact ability, above-average raw speed (albeit not very good instincts on the bases), and the ability to play both middle infield spots at a high level defensively. Obregon could end up being an org guy long term, but given the opportunity to work as a bench piece, he is a guy who doesn’t strike out a ton and has the defense to work as a defensive replacement infielder, but that role doesn’t really exist in the modern roster with expanded bullpens and shrunken benches.
98. Hagen Owenby, C/1B, Danville
Born: 7/21/1995
2017 Stats: .237/.310/.353, 158 PA, 3 HR, 11/32 BB/K
Info: For a guy drafted in the 12th round, Owenby had little fanfare coming into the draft. The East Tennessee State product is a 6’1″, 210 pound right-handed hitter, and from what I’ve seen behind the plate, there’s a lot of work to do, but he’s not making a fool of himself back there either. With little fanfare, it was surprising how often his name came up when asking about the Danville team this year. Owenby’s swing generated a lot of excitement as the type of guy who is currently overhauling his swing to maximize his swing plane and launch angle. While he did struggle with it at times in the season as it’s obviously not entirely muscle memory quite yet, he’s got the kind of raw power that could take advantage of such a swing overhaul and turn into a legit power-hitting prospect to keep an eye on.
97. Filyer Sanchez, LHP, DSL/GCL
Born: 2/8/1997
2017 Stats: 17 G, 40 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 13/28 BB/K
Info: Filyer has toiled in the DSL the last two seasons in spite of excellent numbers, and finally got the call this season stateside after opening with another excellent season. He’s not going to blow anyone away with a fastball that tops around 90, but he has long arms for his 6’1″ frame and gets an excellent downhill plane on the ball. He’s yet to allow a single home run in 126 1/3 innings in part due to that plane. Sanchez gets excellent action low in the zone from all of his pitches. He’s probably best suited as a LOOGY, but if he can see his breaking stuff play up as well as his fastball/change has thus far, he could work at the back of a rotation from the left side.
96. Chad Sobotka, RHP, Florida/Mississippi
Born: 7/10/1993
2017 Stats: 34 G, 57 2/3 IP, 6.09 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 32/52 BB/K
Info: One of the concerns with a guy once you get over about 6’3″-6’4″ is repeating his delivery due to long legs and long arms getting the delivery off line, leading to control issues, among other problems. Sobotka moved to the bullpen after injury issues and control issues were too much on his 6’7″ frame. His performance in 2016 left a lot of hope for a possible major league look in 2017 if he made the same progress. Instead, he took a significant step back. After walking 9.4% of hitters in 2016, Sobotka saw that number jump to 12.3% in 2017. He also saw his strikeout rate drop from 28.3% all the way down to 19.9%. When he gets off in his delivery, Sobotka goes to his fastball heavy, and he works middle of the zone with the pitch, which flattens it out quite a bit. His fastball works in the mid-90s as a reliever with a sharp slider that is nearly untouchable when he’s on. Sobotka throws from a high 3/4 slot, and at his height, his pitches in the lower half of the zone have tremendous movement and are near impossible to drive, but when he works middle and higher in the zone, especially when he’s struggling and trying to “get one over”, he can throw a meatball with perfect trajectory to return out of the park with a good swing. He’ll likely work at Mississippi to open 2018, but at 24 entering opening day, he’ll need to start showing something as he’s already Rule 5 eligible this winter.
Next: #91-95