Others to know – rookie ball
Tanner Allison, LHP, GCL – The Braves selected Allison out of Western Michigan in the 17th round this June. He pitched very well with the GCL, with a 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 2/15 BB/K ratio over 16 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Allison was actually more highly-regarded by many as an outfielder after giving up pitching mid-year of the college season and hitting .356/.432/.574. His performance on the mound should re-kindle his possible future on the mound, however.
Carlos Baerga, OF – An “old” signee out of Puerto Rico, Baerga somehow went undrafted in spite of his recognizable name. He didn’t have a great first year at GCL, hitting .208/.317/.267, but he did have a 15/12 BB/K ratio at the plate, and he showed a very, very good arm in right field. His name should at least provide some interesting follow for a short time.
Griffin Benson, 1B – A big (6’5″, 210-225 pounds) switch-hitter from Texas, the Braves drafted Benson in the 23rd round in 2016. he came out in 2016, and while he hit for just a .559 OPS in his draft season, some of his BP displays were impressive enough that he warranted heavy consideration for my list last year. This year, he’s not a guy I really strongly considered, but he still made just as impressive a BP show, and he saw growth in nearly all areas offensively while moving up to Danville. However, those growth points were moving from a .559 OPS to a .610 OPS, a BB/K of 0.35 to 0.43, and a .271 SLG to a .285 SLG. There’s plenty of bat here, though the Braves have drafted plenty of guys who are locked into first base in the last two years now, and that could mean some difficulty finding playing time for Benson.
Jose Bermudez, OF – Moving to the GCL in 2017, the long, lean continued to flash plus speed, but struggled to get his longer swing around to get on base and use that speed. He’s still not filled into his 6’2″ frame, and there could be more there once he does, but for now, he’s a guy to keep in mind but not as a likely major riser.
John Curtis, LHP – College lefty from small Lenoir-Rhyne college put up elite stats with Danville in his draft year, with a 2.13 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 9/27 BB/K ratio over 25 1/3 innings. Curtis is absolute death on lefties and should be watched as a future LOOGY possibility.
Alger Hodgson, RHP – Signed out of Nicaragua, many regarded Hodgson as feasibly an even better prospect than other 2016 IFA pitching signings. Hodgson looked excellent in the DSL, and the report I got there was that he has heavy stuff that is impossible to drive. When he came stateside in the GCL, he struggled with location, and that led to him “aiming” some, which led to 3 home runs being allowed. He is an elite talent that could take some time to develop his stuff as he has just okay velocity, but the movement on his pitches is elite and he understands how to manipulate grips, so he could move quickly now that he’s in the system more firmly.
Odalvi Javier, RHP – The Braves signed Javier out of the Dominican in 2014. He made his stateside debut in the GCL in 2015. He repeated it in 2016. In 017, he moved up to Danville, and he moved full-time to the rotation, and he showed very well with his heavy fastball and hard curve/slider (questions have come which he throws, and he attempts to be sly about it, but it’s a slider with depth or a hard curve with horizontal movement. Javier should get a good test in 2018 with a bump to Rome, perhaps as a back-end starter or as a swing-man.
Bladimir Matos, RHP – Ramos was signed out of the Dominican in 2015 as a 21 year-old. He is a guy who was not pursued heavily as a teen due to a lack of raw stuff, but his physical maturity brought an increase in velocity that made him a legit bullpen option.
Gabriel Noguera, LHP – Venezuelan lefty is already 21, but his stuff is extremely polished, even if he isn’t going to blow anyone away in velocity. His numbers show just how well he can work with his pitchability against guys likely not ready for quality breaking stuff and sequencing, putting up a 1.58 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 51 1/3 IP between the DSL and GCL. He will be very interesting to track as he pushes forward due to his plus-level breaking stuff and how that works with a fastball that’s more average to above-average.
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, OF – Part of the 2016 IFA class, Reyes has a big power bat from the right side in batting practice, but he hasn’t shown it quite yet in games, not hitting a home run in 249 plate appearances, but he did show his powerful arm, with 7 assists in 54 outfield games. He is an immense raw talent to keep an eye on as he likely comes stateside in 2018.
Estarlin Rodriguez, RHP – Signed this summer, Rodriguez was old enough that he could get his start already this year, and he made the most of it, with a 1.86 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 4/17 BB/K ratio over 19 1/3 IP in the Dominican Summer League.
Ricardo Rodriguez, C – Former elite international prospect that was acquired from the Padres in the Bethancourt deal, but he’s struggled with the Braves since coming on board, primarily due to a lack of playing time with other top catchers at the same level as him (2016 – William Contreras, 2017 – Abrahan Gutierrez).
Lisandro Santos, LHP – Signed in 2016, Santos was old enough to get a few games under his belt in 2016. He repeated the DSL in 2017, and he showed an excellent strikeout rate, but did miss his location at times. Santos has an excellent two-pitch mix with a change that could be something special if it’s developed well, and he’s only 19, so the team will likely give him the time to develop slowly.
Nicholas Shumpert, IF – Shumpert got very few plate appearances after being taken out of JuCo in 2016, but he really didn’t show all that well with more exposure in Danville in 2017. The raw tools and the family background will likely give him opportunities, but a 6/52 BB/K ratio will be a continued issue.
Connor Simmons, LHP – The Braves hit up the Georgia Southern pitching staff in their 2017 draft, selecting multiple members, grabbing Simmons in the 13th round. He had a very good introduction to pro ball as well in a short stint, with a 2.95 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 6/18 BB/K over 18 1/3 relief innings with Danville. He’ll likely be a candidate for the Rome pen in 2018 and get to see how things play from there.
Justin Smith, OF – The Braves drafted Smith out of a Florida Community College in the 20th round this past June. He is very raw in his skills, but he has an impressive blend of power and speed along with a very athletic 6’2″ 205-215 pound build. Smith hit .250/.320/.375 with 3 home runs and 5 stolen bases over 125 plate appearances. Smith is an impressive athlete, very similar to Justin Ellison, and he could be handled similar. His zone and pitch recognition will be the key to his future path within the system.
Next: Atlanta Braves Mount Rushmore
Ramon Taveras, RHP – A righty with a upper-80s fastball and a change being his lead off speed pitch, Taveras has struggled to make a splash in spite of good numbers 3 of his 4 years. In 2017, he repeated GCL, making 17 appearances, throwing 32 1/3 innings, with a 3.90 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and 6/33 BB/K ratio. Taveras lives on his control, and with his stuff, that will be a tough recipe to keep as he moves forward.
Nicholas Vizcaino, 1B – Signed as an undrafted free agent, Vizcaino is already 20, though he did not attend college. He had better reports on his ability to drive the ball than many would assume, though it didn’t translate to home run power in 2017. Not overly big at 6’1″ and 200 pounds, Vizcaino will be a guy to track if he can develop more power.
That’s it! What did you think? Any surprises? Questions? Comment below!