Atlanta Braves 2017 Top 100 Prospects: #41-60
55. Devan Watts, RHP, Florida/Mississippi
Born: 4/21/1995
2017 Stats: 39 G, 58 2/3 IP, 2.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 20/65 BB/K
Info: Watts was a 17th round selection from Tusculum College in Tennessee in 2016, and after he was very impressive in 2016, he continued that impressive performance in 2017, working his way to the upper minors midway through the year. Watts works with a sinker/slider combination out of the bullpen, running his fastball up to 96-97, but with incredible movement and weight to the pitch, something you usually don’t see from a guy at 6′ tall, and especially with Watts’ low-3/4 arm slot. Watts gets impressive late bite on the slider that can get swing and miss from both sides. He mixes in a change, and I was near certain I saw a curve in one appearance this season, but he has the sinker/slider as his primary two pitches. His success in Mississippi puts Watts on a fast path to the majors, and he could see some time in September in 2018 and certainly should be considered for the 2019 bullpen if he continues with the level of success he’s had.
54. Juan Contreras, RHP,
Born: 9/9/1999
2017 Stats: 10 G, 8 GS, 19 2/3 IP, 5.95 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, 21/12 BB/K
Info: The Atlanta Braves signed two big-time arms among their IFA splurge in 2016. One was a guy who was an excellent pitcher with a frame that portended future increases in velocity, and the other was a guy with an incredible arm that was going to need to learn how to pitch. Contreras is the latter of the pair, and his 2017 showed both the highs and lows of that development. Contreras for a guy who was 17 for all of 2017 had a frame of 6’2″, 180 pounds, filled out more than your typical 17 year old, and his velocity showed it, as Contreras lived around the mid-90s with his fastball, but he could move past 100 MPH at times. However, he had velocity without much else this season, and that really was scary at times because that “without much else” also included control at times. He didn’t just have more walks than strikeouts; he had times that he truly didn’t seem to know where the ball would go as he released it. When a pitch is coming in the upper-90s and the person throwing it is not sure of where it will travel, that is a scary thing indeed. Contreras will be a guy with a slow burn to start his career, likely spending 3-4 years in rookie ball and Rome as he develops feel and control of his fastball and his offspeed stuff, however, this is a guy who could seriously explode up the system once he has a feel on his pitches, whether it’d be as a closer or a frontline starter. He still also has the risk of never coming out of rookie ball and never getting that feel of his explosive fastball.
53. Chase Johnson-Mullins, LHP, Florida
Born: 7/19/1994
2017 Stats: 25 G, 44 IP, 3.07 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 16/50 BB/K
<strong Info: One of the most hilarious guys on the field in the entire system, and also arguably the largest guy on the mound as well, Chase has the ability to be a dominant reliever from the left side. He’s the third of the towering lefty relievers that were in A-ball for the Braves in 2017, and the trio could certainly provide an incredible combination going forward for the team. Johnson-Mullins does have a fastball that runs up to 97 with his four-seam, though he uses his heavy two-seamer more frequently, and it sits a couple ticks below the two-seam. His curve, though, is absolutely ridiculous. Coming from his height, working off a mid-90s fastball, he comes with a curve that works in the upper-70s with shape that really gets knees to buckle. CJM will need to keep his weight in line as he’s seen weight fluctuation of some significant amount in just the two full seasons he’s been with the Braves. The other end of thins is that he’s an incredibly emotional pitcher on the mound, which can be a blessing and a curse for him. Johnson-Mullins working from the back of the pen could be a force, and he should open in AA Mississippi in 2018, which could put him on the doorstep of jumping to the big league club, but he also showed an ability to use both of his fastballs along with his curve to go multiple innings out of the bullpen in an Andrew Miller role, which could be a huge thing for the team to have a lefty with that ability. As long as CJM can keep his delivery in line, which really wasn’t an issue in 2017 as it had been in the past, he could move quickly, possibly making an appearance at some point in 2018.
52. Justin Ellison, OF, Rome/Florida
Born: 2/6/1995
2017 Stats: .232/.275/.395, 297 PA, 7 HR, 7 SB, 16/85 BB/K
Info: Coming out of JuCo in Oklahoma, Ellison was all tools and not a lot of polish. However, after 3 years in the system now, Ellison is still all tools and not a lot of polish. Ellison can play plus defense in the corners and above-average defense in center. He has the athleticism to certainly rate a plus runner, and his power is absolutely raw plus power. However, his contact ability and batting eye are still below average, in spite of a quick bat, and his use of his speed on the bases can be incredibly frustrating to watch. Ellison will be 23 for 2018, so he’s not lost as a possible future option for the team or even to provide enough value to garner a trade spot, but he really needs to see some big strides forward in his pitch recognition and his base running or he’ll slip out in a hurry. The talent is such that Ellison could still work his way to a 4th outfielder role without a ton of improvement in taking walks as long as he was making better contact.
51. Alejandro Salazar, SS, Florida
Born: 10/5/1996
2017 Stats: .247/.265/.306, 404 PA, HR, 5 SB, 9/75 BB/K
Info: Salazar very well may be the best defensive shortstop in the Braves organization from majors on down. The issue is that he’s struggled mightily to develop his bat even to the point of becoming a viable bench piece. Typically a guy with Salazar’s plus arm and fringe double-plus defense at short is a guy who easily is a top 25-30 prospect, even in a loaded system, which just tells you where Salazar’s bat is. Salazar has the build and the bat speed to be a guy who could pound the gaps for a good average and doubles, likely never putting up much at all in the way of fantasy stats as Salazar is an elite defender without plus speed, so there isn’t going to be a ton of stolen bases either. He likely will bump up to AA Mississippi due to his defense in 2018, and the Braves will hope to see his bat respond to have him jump up to the big leagues soon as a defensive replacement bench guy.
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