Atlanta Braves 2017 Top 100 Prospects: #81-100

 The Atlanta Braves began to see some of the fruits of their multiple-year rebuilding project on 2017. After a pair of seasons with rough records and rosters that fans struggled to find future pieces on beyond budding superstar Freddie Freeman, the 2017 season saw 70+ wins for the first time in 3 seasons, though the team still lost 90.

Last season, this was done through Call To The Pen contributor Benjamin Chase’s previous other site, Tomahawk Take. He’s not there, so we’re happy to have the list here!

The making of the list

This top 100 list is the product of the views of CTTP contributor Benjamin Chase. Through either video views or discussions with contacts throughout the minor league/scouting world, Ben has put together this list, and it is his based on his opinion, and his personal weights on certain things will push players up and down – for instance, players with success at the upper minors will appear higher, all things being equal, and relievers will likely find themselves lower on Ben’s list than others’.

With the list coming out at this time, there are plenty of things that could come out in the offseason that changed the players on this list and their order. There are a number of players on this list that are eligible for minor league free agency and Rule 5, so it’s absolutely feasible that not every name on this list will make it all the way to spring training still as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

All players that still maintain rookie eligibility going into 2018 are eligible for this. From the 2016 list that Ben put together, 3 of the top 10 graduated with time spent at the majors and 5 of the top 20.

The list will come out with 20 players at a time, with #81-100, #61-80, #41-60, #21-40, and #1-20. Also at the end will be a post that offers up the entire list in list format (no player evaluations on those players) and also will add a number more players to keep track of beyond the top 100 that could move up quickly or that had positive 2017 seasons.

With that, we will begin with today’s installment, #81-100….

Next: #96-100

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

95. Miguel Jerez, LHP, DSL/GCL

Born: 10/13/1997
2017 Stats: 19 G, 48 IP, 1.31 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 11/45 BB/K
Info: After a strong showing in the DSL in 2016, the lefty initially opened the season back there, but he was quickly moved up. A stout 5’11”, 200-ish pounds (he’s listed at 180, but has added 15-25 pounds since then at least), Jerez doesn’t come with major velocity, topping out in reports I received at 90-91, but his secondary stuff is such quality that he is able to mow down lower level hitters who struggle to handle anything with real wiggle. Jerez will have to continue to locate well as he advances, but so far, he’s done exactly that. It would not surprise if the Braves jumped him over Danville to the back of the Rome rotation or into the Rome bullpen as a long man from the left side as he could use that level of a challenge.

94. Hayden Deal, LHP, GCL/Rome

Born: 11/4/1994
2017 Stats: 14 G, 30 2/3 IP, 3.23 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9/27 BB/K
Info: Signed as an undrafted free agent, Deal actually made a bigger impression than some of his drafted counterparts. Deal was a happenstance signing with a great story behind his initial signing, and he had been used in multiple roles in college. Pitching primarily in the GCL, Deal threw completely out of the bullpen, but he also averaged 2 innings per appearance. Deal works with an array of pitches, reaching up to 92 with his fastball, but typically sitting around 90 with a cutter, curve, change, and he’s shown the ability to work with both his four-seam and two-seam fastball. That allows him to work well as a multi-inning reliever. He could be an interesting follow as a guy who could see his secondary stuff play up and become a solid back-end starting option or could be a good swing guy in the bullpen.

93. Antonio Sucre, OF, DSL

Born: 11/8/1999
2017 Stats: .237/.333/.333, 231 PA, 4 HR, 4 SB, 20/58 BB/K
Info: Sucre was signed for $300K out of Venezuela in July of 2016, but that shouldn’t take away from how solid he was as a prospect before being signed, flashing above-average bat speed and plus raw power. Sucre is fairly limited defensively with below-average speed. Sucre has a quick, compact swing from the right side with a build that generates power upon contact, but he struggled to maximize his contact in the DSL this season. In left field when he wasn’t playing DH (which was his primary position by games played on the season), Sucre struggled with routes, but he did show better arm and recovery speed than expected. His talent level should allow him to come stateside in 2018, and I could see him having a quality season in the GCL in 2018.

92. Cutter Dyals, RHP, Danville

Born: 8/10/1995
2017 Stats: 17 G, 22 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9/21 BB/K
Info: A reliever from North Carolina A&T drafted in the 17th round this season, Dyals has worked through plenty of tragedy already in his life, losing his father just before starting with NCA&T. On the mound, he shows excellent focus with his fastball/curve combo. While the fastball isn’t an upper 90s offering, it is a pitch that he can locate well and the curve has excellent break, allowing Dyals to be rough on hitters out of the bullpen, especially fellow righties from his sidearm slot. Coming into the Braves system, he’d shown excellent ability to control both pitches, but he did have some moments where he lost feel as a pro. If he can regain that elite level control/command, he could be a very impressive reliever down the road.

91. Henry Quintero, OF, DSL

Born: 5/23/1994
2017 Stats: .333/.417/.567, 36 PA, 3/7 BB/K
Info: The Atlanta Braves have not had a great history with Cuban players. However, Quintero has the chance to be a first time positive experience for the organization. He flew under the radar coming to the country due to his .223/.274/.325 career slash line in Serie Nacional in Cuba. However, Quintero showed up more trim than his original 6’1″, 210 listing, listed now more like 190 pounds, and he’s seen his speed uptick to above-average and his defensive ability really climb, playing a legit center field in short experience in the DSL. Quintero’s hitting is still questionable, though he has a better contact ability than his Cuban stats indicate. He’s probably not a .333 hitter either, however. Quintero has average power and above-average speed with good instincts on the bases that could be an asset. While he just got 9 games played in 2017, he should come stateside in 2018, and it will be interesting to see how he can move once here.

Next: #86-90

90. Alan Rangel, RHP, Rome

Born: 8/21/1997
2017 Stats: 15 G, 70 2/3 IP, 4.71 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 14/48 BB/K
Info: Rangel is a guy that was signed out of Mexico and made his jump to full season ball this year with Rome. Rangel bangs the strike zone frequently with a fastball that sits around 90 MPH. Rangel works with a change that’s solid, but his incredible curve is the pitch that could give him a future major league career. Rangel has a curve that has excellent two-plane break that he can locate throughout the zone. He’s hittable in that he approaches the zone frequently, and he could use a fourth pitch. With his lean build and high 3/4 arm slot, he could possibly work with a split finger well if he was taught the pitch. He could fill in some, but his build does not look like he’ll add a ton of size as he’s got a narrow frame. He could have a future in the bullpen as a 6th inning guy, but if he could add a 4th pitch, he could end up a solid back-end starter.

89. Manuel Juan, 1B, DSL

Born: 10/24/1999
2017 Stats: .150/.207/.163, 87 PA, 6/24 BB/K
Info: This will seem especially high for the stats he produced. However, when Juan was signed, I heard great things about someone who was at his last workout before the Braves signed him. Juan is a monster of a human being at 6’4″‘ and over 200 pounds (the person I talked with said he was 210-215 at 16 and had grown before showing up with the DSL, but not in bad weight). However, Juan has been an outfielder his whole life before jumping up in height roughly 4-5 inches in the last year to year and a half, which left his running incredibly awkward, predicating a move to first base, a position he’d never played before, leading to a high number of errors from that position. Juan’s swing is such that he should generate big power as he adjusts to his new frame and even as he’s adjusting, he should be able to avoid striking out. Even with some big issues making contact this season, he kept his strikeout rate under 30% with a swing that is obviously affected by his shifted body. This is a guy to keep a close eye on with a possibility to turn into a guy with power at the first base slot about the time Freeman’s contract is up.

88. Tanner Murphy, C, Rome/Florida

Born: 2/27/1995
2017 Stats: .206/.311/.285, 195 PA, 2 HR, 2 SB, 23/37 BB/K
Info: The curse that Tanner Murphy has since being drafted in the 4th round out of high school in 2013, he’s shown to have surprisingly advanced skills behind the plate, and the Braves have used that to supplement their various levels the last couple of seasons. Murphy has above-average raw power with excellent plate discipline, but he does tend to see his swing get long, leading to his .211 batting average over the time he’s been in the minors. Murphy has solid skills behind the plate that could certainly work as a quality backup catcher, but right now he’s been relegated to the lower levels. It will be interesting to see when he’s given a chance at the upper levels.

87. Zach Rice, LHP, Danville

Born: 10/15/1995
2017 Stats: 16 G, 30 1/3 IP, 2.97 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 12/38 BB/K
Info: Now and then you hear about a college arm and the abuse that arm took in college shaping where he was drafted. Rice is a great example, though he’s the rare case who spoke up about it on his own, and it led to him losing his spot at North Carolina in his draft season. Rice has featured three above-average pitches, but tends to work more with his fastball/breaker, and he’s seen tremendous success in the last season repeating the Danville level. While command was not his forte in college, he showed excellent command in 2017, and if he’s able to continue the growth he made in his first full season in the Braves system, he could be an impactful lefty reliever in the end.

86. Ryan Lawlor, LHP, Rome

Born: 1/8/1994
2017 Stats: 11 G, 47 1/3 IP, 4.37 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 16/61 BB/K
Info: Lawlor was an 8th round selection out of Georgia in 2015, and the Braves initially moved the lefty to the bullpen in 2016 with minimal success. Interestingly, when he moved back to the rotation, he found his groove, especially with his control. Lawlor works around 90 MPH with his fastball with a tick more available, but he showed early on with Rome this season a better feel for his curve and change. Lawlor is a guy who seems to find a groove and then really pound the zone with good movement, generating swing and miss and weak contact. However, he can lose his feel and the fastball will straighten out as he attempts to “aim”, so his future role is in question as he progresses, but the quality of work he produced early in the season should allow him to get another shot at starting in 2018.

Next: #81-85