Sunday Atlanta Braves Farm Report, 4/7/2019

*Hitting coach Bobby Moore (foreground) and the Rome Braves prepare to take the field in Kannapolis, NC in the second game of the minor league season. (Andy Harris/OFR)*

Welcome to the first Braves Farm Report of 2019, where we will take a look at the Braves farm system and look at trends and players that seem interesting, and give first hand accounts of what we’re seeing down on the farm.

This week Matt Chrietzberg and I review the rosters of the four full-season affiliates and update you on how the OFR Top 50 prospects have done in the first three games of the season.

Also be on the lookout on your favorite podcast apps for a new OFR offering! Andy and Matt will co-host a new podcast, tentatively called The OFR Farm Report. Andy and Matt will also have a regular guest appearance on the Knockahoma Nation podcast, dropping every Monday.

Rome Braves

This season’s Rome team will be quite different from the teams fans have seen start the last three seasons, awash with teenage high-ceiling prospects like Mike Soroka, Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley, Ian Anderson, and Drew Waters. After a 2018 draft that was composed almost exclusively of college players, the core of this year’s Rome team consists of slightly older players that simultaneously may have less pedigree and a high likelihood of putting wins in the standings of the South Atlantic League.

This isn’t to say there aren’t any teenagers on the team. The one high schooler drafted in 2018 made the roster. Even more intriguing are two players making a rare jump from the Dominican Summer League Braves straight to full-season ball.

Typical line-up (OFR Prospect Rank):

Bench:

Logan Brown, C
Braulio Vasquez, IF
Jose Bermudez, OF

The top of the order features three hitters with strong hit tools that should allow them to be on base a ton. Benson has been a project power bat, drafted out of high school in 2016 and featured as a fence-jumper in spring training. Harris and Venter are experienced hitters with big college experience. Rodriguez is a toolsy young catcher whose bat is starting to catch up with his mitt.

Florentino and Paraguate are two surprising inclusions on the roster. Florentino doesn’t turn 18 until May and is a rangy third baseman that looks like he could grow into power; he is skipping Danville completely after playing last year with the GCL Braves. Paraguate just turned 18 himself and is making an even bigger jump, coming straight from the Dominican Summer League where he was one of the few standout players from last year’s club.

Logan Brown is another college player who should get a good bit of time behind the plate himself. Braulio Vasquez has experience all over the diamond and a solid bat while Bermudez is a defensive standout in the outfield.

Rotation:

RHP Nolan Kingham (43)
RHP Jasseel De La Cruz (31)
RHP Jose Olague
RHP Trey Riley (29)
RHP Odalvi Javier

This is likely a group that will have a lot of movement over the course of the season. Kingham is a 2018 draftee out of Texas with a solid four pitches; in other systems with less pitching depth, he’d probably start the season in advanced-A Florida. De La Cruz returns to Rome for a second tour of duty after a promising but injury-plagued campaign. Olague is the second of our straight-from-the-Dominican players after the recently-minted 20-year-old had two solid seasons with the short-season team. Trey Riley was a fairly high-profile JUCO draftee in the 2018 draft, and he brings a plus fastball and slider. Finally Javier returns for his own second go-around with Rome after a solid year.

Bullpen:

*Rome Braves RHP Victor Vodnik. (Andy Harris/OFR)*

LHP Jake Higginbotham (42)
LHP Tanner Lawson
RHP Jose Montilla
RHP Alan Rangel (36)
RHP Luis Mora
RHP Victor Vodnik (30)
RHP Lukas Young
RHP Kurt Hoekstra

The Rome bullpen starts off as a somewhat odd but interesting collection of arms.

Higginbotham, Lawson, Montilla, and Rangel all have starter profiles, and will likely be used in long relief stints in the early going. Higginbotham was a member of the Clemson starting rotation before being drafted by the Braves in 2018. Lawson was also a 2018 draftee and was a Danville rotation stalwart, along with Montilla. Finally Alan Rangel returns to Rome after pitching well for the team last year, especially down the stretch as a starter.

Luis Mora returns after a lost 2018 season recovering from UCL surgery; when healthy he brought 100 mph heat to the table. Young Victor Vodnik represents the lone high schooler signed from the 2018 draft; he’ll start the season in the bullpen, but could end up in the rotation later on. Lukas Young is new to the organization after signing a minor league free agent contract, and finally Kurt Hoekstra is attempting to switch to the mound after three seasons with the organization as an infielder.

Florida Fire Frogs

The third season of the Fire Frogs affiliation with the Braves should see a very different club plying their craft at Osceola County Stadium this year. The prior two seasons featured lights-out pitching but somewhat anemic offenses. While the pitching should be good, it may be the offense that drives the team this year as the line-up will feature a collection of well-balanced hitters.

Typical line-up (OFR Prospect Rank):

Riley Delgado, 3B (27)
AJ Graffanino, SS (22)
William Contreras, C (6)
Greyson Jenista, CF (15)
Jefrey Ramos, LF (24)
Drew Lugbauer, 1B (35)
Rusber Estrada, DH
Brett Langhorne, 2B
Izzy Wilson, RF (23)

Bench:

Zack Soria, C
Riley Unroe, IF
Jordan Rodgers, IF (IL)
Shean Michel, OF

Four of the hitters in the Fire Frogs line-up are playing different positions than where they ended up 2018. A solid shortstop in 2018, Delgado shifts over to third base to make room for 2018 9th-rounder Graffanino. Second-rounder Greyson Jenista will be stretched in center field, while last year’s primary catcher in Rome at the end of the season, Drew Lugbauer, shifts to first base. Finally, former Tennessee third baseman Brett Langhorne will man second base to start the 2018 season.

The offense is headed by two on-base machines in Delgado and Graffanino, and followed up with hit/power combo players in Contreras and Jenista. Ramos and Lugbauer have tremendous raw power. Estrada is one of several hitters that will rotate in and out of the DH spot and will spell Contreras behind the plate. Langhorne has a solid hit tool and versatility, and Izzy Wilson is a toolshed that is looking to become more consistent in his fifth minor league season at the ripe old age of 21.

Graffinino was banged up in the first game of the season and minor league Rule V draftee Riley Unroe will pick up most of the work. Sean Michel will work into the outfield mix, and perhaps platoon with the left-handed Wilson.

Rotation:

RHP Huascar Ynoa (18)
RHP Tristan Beck (17)
RHP Freddy Tarnok (19)
LHP Hayden Deal
RHP Walter Borkovich (50)

Though not often mentioned among the top pitching prospects of the organization, Ynoa and Tarnok are intriguing young arms that could be important parts of the next wave of talent. Tristan Beck is a Stanford University 4th-rounder with a polished repertoire. Deal worked in the rotation and bullpen for Rome in 2018 and could do so again for Florida; the 24-year-old lefty has a 2.47 ERA in two minor league seasons and may need to be pushed to be challenged. Borkovich was a revelation in the rotation for both Florida and Rome in second half of 2018 after mostly pitching in the bullpen.

Bullpen:

RHP Troy Bacon
RHP Cutter Dyals
RHP Daysbel Hernandez
RHP Justin Kelly
LHP Jon Kennedy
RHP Sean McLaughlin
RHP Keith Weisenberg
RHP Brandon White

Seven of the eight relievers in the Fire Frogs bullpen logged at least some time with the team in 2018. Of this group, 2017 5th-rounder Troy Bacon has high-leverage potential and Cuban righty Daysbel Hernandez may have the most upside.

Mississippi Braves

The 2019 Mississippi Braves are absolutely loaded with a roster that has seven of the top sixteen prospects in the Braves’ system and is ranked by MLB Pipeline to be the third-best of ALL minor league teams. The M-Braves will mostly be manned by 2018 late-season holdovers, newly-promoted prospects from the Florida Fire Frogs and a couple of surprises like Patrick Weigel, who is working his way back from 2017 elbow surgery, and Drew Waters, who only spent a few weeks in Florida during 2018.

Starting rotation (OFR prospect rank):

RHP Ian Anderson (5)
LHP Kyle Muller (11)
LHP Joey Wentz (12)
RHP Patrick Weigel (13)
LHP Tucker Davidson (33)

The M-Braves’ starting rotation will rival any starting rotation throughout minor league baseball with Anderson as a top-50 prospect in all of baseball and Muller likely to join him in the top 100 at some point this season. Weigel is starting in Mississippi to ramp up his level of competition after only playing against GCL hitters in 2018 and will most likely be the first to move up the ranks this season.

Bullpen:

RHP Jonathan Aro
RHP Josh Graham
LHP Jordan Harrison
RHP Jason Hursh
LHP Michael Mader
LHP Phil Pfeifer
RHP Ben Rowen
RHP Jeremy Walker

The Mississippi bullpen will most likely take a bullpen-by-committee approach although Josh Graham has closing experience. Veteran organizational arms Hursh, Mader, and Pfeifer add considerable experience to this unit.

Typical line-up:

Drew Waters, RF (7)
Cristian Pache, CF (4)
CJ Alexander, 1B (16)
Ray-Patrick Didder, SS (29)
Alejandro Salazar, 2B (42)
Luis Valenzuela, 3B
Jonathan Morales, C (38)
Connor Lien, LF
Pitcher Spot

Bench:

Andy Wilkins, 1B
Daniel Lockhart, IF
Garrison Schwartz, OF
Carlos Martinez, C
Braxton Davidson, 1B (IL)

The Mississippi starting lineup is headlined by top-100 outfield prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters. Pache spent the last month of 2018 in Mississippi while Waters spent that same amount of time in Florida. Together, they will patrol the Mississippi outfield and, along with Connor Lien, form a defensive unit that can rival any in all of baseball, MLB included.

The middle infield is comprised of returning 2018 mid-season promotees Didder and Salazar. Didder’s impressive tenure last season and showing in the Arizona Fall League has set him up to potentially become a utility piece in Atlanta in the near future due to his versatility, defense, and speed. If his bat continues to develop, he could be in Atlanta sooner rather than later. CJ Alexander played third base exclusively for the GCL Braves, Danville, and Florida in 2018, but has begun the 2019 campaign playing first base. Returning veteran Luis Valenzuela mans third base for the M-Braves and returnees Jonathan Morales and Carlos Martinez continue to split time behind the dish for Mississippi. Former 2014 first-rounder Braxton Davidson starts the season on the injured list but should make his AA debut at some point.

Gwinnett Stripers

The 2019 Gwinnett Stripers will have a different look than in 2018, the starting rotation will be in flux all season long as arms will move back and forth between Atlanta while Austin Riley and Alex Jackson will be the only position player prospects among a group of minor-league veterans.

Starting rotation (OFR prospect rank):

RHP Mike Soroka (1)
RHP Touki Toussaint (2)
RHP Bryse Wilson (8)
LHP Kolby Allard (14)

The Gwinnett starting rotation will initially have several top 100 prospects in Toussaint, Soroka and Wilson while Kolby Allard may be the only constant throughout the season. Others that will help to fill out the rotation include Andres Santiago, Connor Johnstone, and Luiz Gohara once he returns from injury.

Bullpen:

LHP Thomas Burrows (27)
RHP Shane Carle
LHP Corbin Clouse (26)
LHP Grant Dayton
RHP Jacob Webb (45)
RHP Dan Winkler
RHP Jose Rafael De Paula
RHP Connor Johnstone
RHP Elian Leyva (IL)
RHP Andres Santiago

The bullpen will take a different shape than last season due to having legitimate young arms with upside rather than being primarily populated with organizational arms. Thomas Burrows, Corbin Clouse and Grant Dayton are all lefthanders that could see time in Atlanta this season while Jacob Webb, Shane Carle, and Dan Winkler look to do the same from the right side.

Typical line-up:

Bench:

Sean Kazmar Jr., IF
Jack Lopez, SS
Raffy Lopez, C
Tyler Neslony, OF (IL)

The Gwinnett starting lineup will be built around third baseman Austin Riley and catcher Alex Jackson, though the latter looks to be promoted to Atlanta to fill in for the injured Brian McCann. Raffy Lopez will split time behind the plate with Jackson while the remainder of the roster is primarily composed of major- and minor-league veterans capable of playing numerous positions. Of note is outfielder Travis Demeritte, who is playing right field after spending the last two seasons at AA Mississippi, where he played left field last season and third base/second base in 2017.

Almost all of the veterans — Ortega, Blanco, Duvall, Florimon, LaMarre, and Raffy Lopez — have had major league experience as late as last season and form a strong core of emergency reserves that can be called upon as needed by the major league club.

Top 50 Prospects After Three Games

The minor league season just started on Thursday, so we’re going to forgo the usual affiliate round-up. Here are the top 50 prospects and how they are doing so far in this new season.

Mike Soroka, RHP (GWI): 1 GS, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO
Touki Toussaint, RHP (GWI): DNP
Austin Riley, 3B (GWI): 4-for-12, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 0 SB
Cristian Pache, OF (MIS): 3-for-15, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR, 3 SB
Ian Anderson, RHP (MIS): 1 GS, 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO
William Contreras, C (FLA): 2-for-11, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Drew Waters, OF (MIS): 5-for-15, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Bryse Wilson, RHP (ATL/GWI): 2 GS, 8.1 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 6 BB, 9 SO
Kyle Wright, RHP (ATL): 2 GS, 10.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 BB, 8 SO
Luiz Gohara, LHP (GWI): DNP
Kyle Muller, LHP (MIS): 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO
Joey Wentz, LHP (MIS): 1 GS, 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Patrick Weigel, RHP (MIS): DNP
Kolby Allard, LHP (GWI): DNP
Greyson Jenista, OF (FLA): 3-for-8, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
CJ Alexander, 1B (MIS): 2-for-8, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Tristan Beck, RHP (FLA): 1 GS, 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Huascar Ynoa, RHP (FLA): 1 GS, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
Freddy Tarnok, RHP (FLA): 1 GS, 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO
Chad Sobotka, RHP (ATL): 3 G, 2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
Alex Jackson, C (GWI): 1-for-7, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
AJ Graffanino, SS (FLA): 0-for-1, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Izzy Wilson, OF (FLA): 3-for-9, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Jefrey Ramos, OF (FLA): 3-for-12, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Corbin Clouse, LHP (GWI): 1 G, 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO
Thomas Burrows, LHP (GWI): 1 G, 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 SO
Riley Delgado, 3B (FLA): 5-for-15, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Ray-Patrick Didder, SS (MIS): 2-for-11, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR, 1 SB
Trey Riley, RHP (ROM): DNP
Victor Vodnik, RHP (ROM): 1 G, 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Jasseel De La Cruz, RHP (ROM): 1 GS, 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
Tucker Davidson, LHP (MIS): DNP
Travis Demeritte, OF (GWI): 2-for-6, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Wes Parsons, RHP (ATL): 3 G, 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
Drew Lugbauer, 1B (FLA): 2-for-10, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 0 SB
Alan Rangel, RHP (ROM): 1 G, 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Jonathan Morales, C (MIS): 2-for-7, 0 R, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 BB, 0 SB
Derian Cruz, IF: extended spring training
Lucas Herbert, C: released
Justin Dean, OF (ROM): 4-for-12, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 0 SB
Alejandro Salazar, 2B (MIS): 3-for-13, 2 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Jake Higginbotham, LHP (ROM): 1 G, 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
Nolan Kingham, RHP (ROM): 1 GS, 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Jacob Webb, RHP (GWI): 1 G, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Jeremy Fernandez, OF: extended spring training
Matt Rowland, RHP: released
Greg Cullen, 2B (ROM): 4-for-11, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Andrew Moritz, OF (ROM): 3-for-13, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0 HR, 0 SB
Trey Harris, OF (ROM): 5-for-11, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 0 SB
Walter Borkovich, RHP (FLA): 1 G, 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO