Atlanta Braves 2017 Top 100 Prospects: #21-40

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 continue with today’s installment, #21-40….

Next: #36-40

35. Corbin Clouse, LHP, Florida/Mississippi

Born: 6/26/1995
2017 Stats: 41 G, 57 IP, 2.53 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 34/72 BB/K
Info: Clouse is one of the most intriguing relievers in the system. A 27th round selection in 2016 out of Davenport University, he’s developed into one of the best left-handed arms in the entire system. Clouse has a dominant sinker/slider combination, though the sinker has so much movement that even Clouse admitted that sometimes he struggles to control it. He uses two different sliders, one with a looping break more like a curve, and one with a sharp, hard break. He’s mixed in a change that has made big strides, and he also offers a four-seam fastball, giving him a full repertoire, but Clouse is going to remain in the bullpen, not work in the rotation, meaning he has plenty of weapons to attack hitters from both sides.

34. Akeel Morris, RHP, Mississippi/Gwinnett/Atlanta

Born: 11/14/1992
2017 Stats: Minors – 36 G, 54 1/3 IP, 2.65 ERA, 25/62 BB/K; Majors – 8 G, 7 1/3 IP, 1.23 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 4/9 BB/K
Info: Morris has arguably the best change up in the entire organization, but he can fall in love with it a bit, and he did get tagged a few times with Gwinnett when he pushed the pitch a bit too much and it lost its deception. Morris works with a fastball that can run to the upper 90s with a wicked change. He does have a long arm motion, which can lead to some times when he gets off timing by just a tick. However, he’s gotten much more consistent with his stuff since being acquired by the Braves in the summer of 2016. He should open 2018 in the big league bullpen.

33. Huascar Ynoa, RHP, Danville

Born: 5/28/1998
2017 Stats: 13 GS, 51 1/3 IP, 5.26 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 29/50 BB/K
Info: Ynoa was acquired in the Jaime Garcia trade with the Minnesota Twins this summer. Many thought due to his distance from the majors that he was a major risk type of a pickup, but on the contrary, Ynoa may be one of the rare Latin teens with a fairly high floor due to his high floor if he would move to the bullpen. The brother of former big-time signing bonus baby Michael Ynoa, Hector is less top-end stuff and more blend of pitches. Ynoa threw as many as 7 pitches when he was signed. The Twins had Ynoa cut back his repertoire to a fastball/change/curve. He threw a two-seam, four-seam, split, and cut fastball, along with a pair of curves and a change. While adding in the cut or his spike curve may not be something in the cards soon as he works to really solidify consistency in his delivery, Ynoa’s split, from those who have had the opportunity to see him throw it in side sessions, is a WICKED pitch. One former scout told me that Ynoa’s split is second only to Hector Neris in quality in split-finger fastballs that he’s seen in the last decade or so. That gives Ynoa a high floor if he is allowed to use the pitch, but the Braves will continue to focus on getting Ynoa comfortable and consistent in his delivery.

32. Freddy Tarnok, RHP, GCL

Born: 11/24/1998
2017 Stats: 9 GS, 14 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3/10 BB/K
Info: Tarnok was a two-way Florida high school player who was more of a threat at the plate coming into his junior season, when he sprouted multiple inches, reaching 6’3″-6’4″, and he started to fill in over the course of his senior year. His growth spurt seemed to all come in his arms and legs, giving him tremendous leverage, and also allowing him to generate premium velocity, bumping up against triple digits in exhibitions and reaching 97 in games. Tarnok is very raw as a pitcher, but he has an extremely high ceiling, and the Braves have the depth of pitching in the system to allow Tarnok to take his time through the system, though that likely will get many prospect lists and online prospect fans impatient with his progress because he’s unlikely to accelerate more than a level per season, and he may even repeat a level or two along the way. Tarnok showed surprising control and command in his work off the mound in his short stints in 2017. It would not surprise at all if Tarnok repeated GCL in 2018, and he’s a guy that is more of a 2022 MLB arrival as he’s allowed to truly develop slowly to maximize his ceiling.

31. Lucas Herbert, C, Rome

Born: 11/28/1996
2017 Stats: .243/.308/.368, 414 PA, 8 HR, 3 SB, 26/74 BB/K
Info: It’s not often that you’ll see me (or many others) wax poetic about a guy who sported a sub-.700 OPS in low-A ball in a repeat season at the level. However, Herbert is a whole different ball game. Herbert struggled in his defense in 2016, his absolute calling card, to such a level that he was being neglected in defensive replacements for Jonathan Morales. His hitting was such that some were worried that he could be a lost cause altogether. Instead, he came out in 2017, and while he didn’t look like a top-100 MLB prospect, he certainly improved his stock within the organization with a much better showing behind the plate, and everything at the plate was significantly better as well. Herbert showed much better zone recognition and pitch recognition, shortened up his swing when needed, and he exhibited tremendous growth at the plate year-over-year. Just for an idea of the level of growth Herbert had, if he would take the same level of step forward again in 2018, he’d likely be a top 50 prospect in all of baseball, hitting for power and average with a near-even BB/K ratio. Herbert will be a guy to track as he moves up to Florida this season, and continuing the growth he has shown could allow him to assert himself as the top pure catching prospect in the organization, as in he can excel defensively at the position and provide value with the bat.

Next: #26-30

30. Anfernee Seymour, OF, Rome/Florida

Born: 6/24/1995
2017 Stats: .282/.342/.357, 1 HR, 25 SB, 35/111 BB/K
Info: Seymour has legit 80-grade speed, but his defense at shortstop was suspect, to say the least, so the Braves moved him to the outfield in 2017, starting out with Rome. After just 28 games in Rome, he earned a promotion to Florida, where his numbers were nearly equal. Seymour played around the outfield, spending roughly half of his time in center field, and splitting the other half in either corner. Seymour’s arm is not elite, but he does throw with accuracy from the outfield, allowing it to play up well. Seymour also showed impressive instincts in the outfield, though he’s best in a corner with his natural reads off of the bad. Seymour has no real power, and in spite of his speed, he was putrid on the base paths in 2017, getting caught 20 times in 45 attempts. He does have the raw skills, however, to be a contact and speed 4th/5th outfielder that could move quickly into that role at the big league level if he can continue his progression in Mississippi next year.

29. Yefri Del Rosario, RHP, DSL/GCL

Born: 9/23/1999
2017 Stats: 13 G, 8 GS, 37 1/3 IP, 3.62 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 14/36 BB/K
Info: Del Rosario was one of the two pitchers that the Braves targeted with big money in the 2016 IFA market (though they did get plenty more as well as those two), and Del Rosario was by far the better “pitcher” of the pair. He worked at signing with a fastball that touched 94 and had plenty of movement along with an excellent curve and a decent feel for a change. Del Rosario is taller and thicker already, having gone through a growth spurt over the course of the winter that brought him to camp in the spring roughly 2″ taller and 15-20 pounds more developed than he was when he signed. That still brings him in at just a hair over 6′ and under 200 pounds, so he’s not a big guy by any means, though his added size cranked up his fastball to sitting in the mid-90s, touching upper 90s. He did struggle to control his pitches with his added size from the offseason, but he has the reputation this summer as being very coachable, and he’ll likely be one to work hard to develop his delivery to be more consistent. Likely Del Rosario will open in Danville in 2018, but he could push his way to Rome by the end of the season with a strong open to the season.

28. Tucker Davidson, LHP, Rome

Born: 3/25/1996
2017 Stats: 31 G, 12 GS, 103 2/3 IP, 2.60 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 30/101 BB/K
Info: When Davidson was picked out of Midland Junior College in the 19th round of the 2016 draft, he was seen as a likely reliever with an impressive slider and a mid-90s fastball from the left side. He performed very well in his draft season in a relief role. He opened 2017 in that same role in Rome. Roughly mid-way through the season, the R-Braves moved him into the rotation, and he quickly opened eyes with what he did in that role. Davidson attacks the strike zone using a fastball that works into the mid-90s into the 6th inning. When watching Davidson, his slider had a reputation for being top notch, and his fastball was known to be hard to hit low in the zone, generating a ton of ground balls. However, what impressed me was the quality of his changeup in both arm deception and pitch movement. Davidson truly asserted himself as a guy who has a future as a starting pitcher at the highest level with 3 pitches that can all rate as above-average to plus. Davidson likely will open in Florida in 2018, but if he continues to attack hitters with the same effectiveness as he did in 2017, he’ll find his way to the upper minors quickly, and he could be a surprise that breaks through as a mid-rotation option from the left side.

27. Isranel Wilson, OF, Danville/Rome

Born: 3/6/1998
2017 Stats: .258/.340/.407, 268 PA, 6 HR, 11 SB, 27/70 BB/K
Info: Save one Mr. Acuna, there may not be a more gifted player in the entire system in natural talent than Wilson. From the tiny island of Saint Martin, Wilson has a unique blend of speed and power on the offensive end of things along with the ability to excel in the outfield as well. After some personal and off-field hiccups in 2016, he showed out his stuff in big time form in 2017, flashing his power with Danville over 17 games, and then turning on the afterburners with Rome. Wilson is still raw in his pitch recognition, but he did walk over 10% of his plate appearances, and while striking out at a 26% clip is not ideal, it also represents a 6% reduction from his best rate as a pro so far. Wilson will likely find himself starting again at Rome, and hopefully, he can continue the progress he made in 2017 and build on it in 2018, which would likely mean he’d end the season in Florida at just 20.

26. Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B, GCL/Danville

Born: 1/17/1998
2017 Stats: .321/.346/.464, 205 PA, 3 HR, 7 SB, 7/43 BB/K
Info: Encarnacion was a guy that had plenty of good words said about him last year after an impressive first season with the DSL. Even though he’s in just his first year since signing, Encarnacion is going to be 20 in 2018 due to signing at 18. His physical maturity has shown through compared to other Latin signees, but he is still raw in his pitch and zone recognition, sporting a 3.4% walk rate and 21% strikeout rate. While the strikeout rate is quite reasonable, the walk rate is extremely low, and a result of struggling to recognize the zone and let a ball go by. Encarnacion is an above-average defender with a plus arm at third, and his big frame would work at first base if he adds enough size that he needs to move. Encarnacion’s stat line may just list 3 home runs on the season, but the swing he puts on a ball is something special, and there’s certainly plus raw power, if not borderline plus-plus. He’ll likely open the season with Rome in 2018, and if he can continue to produce, he’ll become yet another under the radar signing of the Braves that turns into more than anyone expected.

Next: #21-25

25. Matt Withrow, RHP, GCL/Florida/Mississippi

Born: 9/23/1993
2017 Stats: 18 G, 15 GS, 79 2/3 IP, 3.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 31/70 BB/K
Info: On May 1st, if I’d have told you that all the players that did graduate through the season would graduate, and that Withrow would still rank only 25th, you’d never have believed me. As of May 5th, Withrow had made 6 starts, with a 1.74 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a 12/29 BB/K. He was definitely not physically right during his next start, and after struggling through 4 more starts, Withrow finally went on the DL, and he missed over two months before making his first rehab starts. He closed the season well for Florida, though not quite to the same level as he did early in the season. Withrow works with a fastball that he can run to the upper 90s and sits around 93-94 with excellent weight and movement on the pitch, getting very good plane on the pitch from his 6’5″ frame. He works with an above-average slider that plays up when he’s able to keep his delivery consistent, but the injuries he’s had since his college years have severely hurt his ability to stay healthy, and it’s led to the delivery getting off line. Withrow would be a very high-level reliever if that ended up his path, but his ability to be a quality #3/4 starter is a very attainable floor, provided health.

24. Brett Cumberland, C/DH, Rome/Florida

Born: 6/25/1995
2017 Stats: .266/.409/.445, 452 PA, 11 HR, 1 SB, 49/123 BB/K
Info: Cumberland was the Braves 4th selection in the 2016 draft, but he was just the 76th overall selection as a draft-eligible sophomore. Cumberland turned 22 midway through the 2017 season, and his tremendous power he displayed in Rome seemed to get sapped in Florida, though that’s not uncommon in the Florida State League. However, what was not good was seeing that his walk rate dropped significantly (13.1% in Rome, 8.3% in Florida), but the fact that he was hit 41 times by pitch kept his on base average high on the season. Cumberland has above-average power from both sides of the plate, but he does tend to use more of the field from the right side and pull more from the left side, so he tends to hit more of his extra base hits from the left side. Cumberland has a swing that would lead to believing he could have good average and good power numbers, but while he’s seen progress as a pro at the plate, the progress behind the plate hasn’t come as quickly. He spent more time at DH than catcher in 2017, and he’s got definite work to do behind the plate before he would have a shot to have a big league career there. With the glut of catchers likely to be in the upper minors, Cumberland could open the season sharing Florida with Herbert, hoping both his bat AND glove push a move up somewhere during the season.

23. Tyler Pike, LHP, Florida/Mississippi

Born: 1/26/1994
2017 Stats: 27 GS, 144 1/3 IP, 3.43 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 90/154 BB/K
Info: Much like he’s seen multiple seasons with the Seattle organization, Pike struggled mightily with his first go-round with a new level with his control. Pike’s delivery is such that he can get off in his path toward to the plate. Pike worked well with noted Braves pitching guru Dennis Lewalyn at Florida in attacking the zone with his plus to double-plus curve and above-average to plus change. When he attacks the zone well with his fastball, he can keep hitters off balance and really rack up strikeout numbers with his curveball, which has a hint of Rich Hill to it. However, he works with a hint of deception in his delivery, and getting off in that delivery can lead to his fastball, which sits around 88-91, to be very hittable, though even then, he doesn’t allow home runs on the pitch. Pike’s resemblance to Hill reminded one scout so heavily that he remarked that he’d not be surprised at all if Pike ended up jumping over many of the Braves more highly-regarded prospects in the end to be a very quality #2/3 starter, but if he cannot locate, he’ll struggle. His Florida/Mississippi split is prime example of exactly that. With Florida, he had a 9.6% walk rate and 1.19 WHIP. With Mississippi, he saw that walk rate jump to 18.3% and a 1.67 WHIP. Pike will likely open with Mississippi, and while he will be 24 next season, as a reclamation project from Seattle’s system and throwing lower velocity, arriving later than a typical prospect could be fine for him to still have success as a starter.

22. Yunior Severino, 2B, DSL/GCL

Born: 10/3/1999
2017 Stats: .270/.345/.420, 252 PA, 3 HR, 0 SB, 24/67 BB/K
Info: Severino was tagged when he was being sought after by teams to sign him in the 2016 IFA period as a player with a bat ahead of his glove. One veteran scout remarked to me that Severino reminded him tremendously of former Giants and Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent at the plate, and that’s spot on with his profile from signing and also from multiple views I’ve heard from folks like Matt Powers of Talking Chop and Jason Woodell from Prospects 1500. Severino showed well at second base, very steady, but not flashy, and he could be seen at third base some as well due to an above-average arm. In all reality, Severino’s profile fits a Kent comparison very well, and Braves fans should be overjoyed if that’s what he ends up becoming. He’ll likely open 2018 with Danville, but he could jump to Rome with continued positive production like he showed in 2017.

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21. Dustin Peterson, OF, Gwinnett

Born: 9/10/1994
2017 Stats: .248/.318/.318, 346 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, 27/78 BB/K
Info: After a 2016 season when Peterson really broke out as one of the best young outfielders in the Braves system, many thought he would be in the major leagues at some point in 2017, but then a broken hamate bone put his entire season into disarray. Peterson has a longer swing, but he has good pitch recognition, and uses that to allow him to have a solid batting average along with above-average power. As often happens, Peterson’s power was sapped after the hamate injury, and his season wasn’t what he expected at all. However, he did show continued growth in left field, and he should be ready in 2018 to compete for a bench role in the outfield in Atlanta, whether that’s in the spring or at some point during the season. If the Braves were to clear away Nick Markakis and Matt Kemp, it would likely be Ronald Acuna in one starting spot to open 2018, and it’s likely Peterson would compete for the other.

Next: Top 100: 41-60

Tomorrow we will see the top 20. So what did you think so far? Any surprises? Questions? Comment below!!