Mid-Season 2019 Top 30 Braves Prospect Update

Since we put out the pre-season Top 50 Prospect list, several wonderful things have happened. Number 1 OFR prospect Mike Soroka has overcome a shoulder impingement and has become the best pitcher in the rotation and a Rookie of the Year candidate. Number 3 prospect Austin Riley has become a mainstay in the Braves line-up, adjusting quickly to playing left field in order to get his bat in the line-up. Number 2 prospect Touki Toussaint has been a key part of the Braves bullpen as multi-inning reliever, though his long-term role is still up in the air. The Braves turned to number 44 prospect Jacob Webb at a time when the team was being torpedoed by bullpen play; Webb has proven to be a stabilizer and it’s not a coincidence that the bullpen started performing better as a whole after his promotion. Webb essentially is filling the role imagined in the pre-season by number 20 prospect Chad Sobotka, who has pitched in the majors long enough to come off the prospect board but has been hampered by back issues.

In short, the farm system has done what it is designed to do, providing young and affordable major league talent to an already talented club that is in excellent position for another playoff run.

This update will reflect our current thinking about the top prospects and what we hope to see through the second half of the season

1. Cristian Pache, OF

Age: 20 | Bats: R
.293/.352/.518 | 151 wRC+
11 HR | 7 SB | 7.7% BB | 22.4% K
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2015
Pre-Season 2019 OFR Ranking: 4

After years of incremental improvement in his offensive profile, Pache has exploded at the plate in 2019 despite playing half of his games in one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in all of the minor leagues; in fact, he’s thriving at Trustmark, with nearly a 100 point better OPS at home. The groundball tendencies that thwarted his burgeoning power have reversed, dropping to 40% from the ~50% he has sported his last two years. In a half of a season he has more home runs than he had his entire prior career and has blown past his career high in extra base hits. He’s done this without raising his strikeout rate as well and has well-earned a berth in this year’s Futures Game.

Given this progress and his elite defensive tools, Pache should go into the coming off-season as a top-20 prospect in baseball. While his friend Ronald Acuna may have had a more meteoric rise to stardom, there is a strong chance that Pache will end up in a similar place in his own time. He will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, so there’s a shot he could be called up this September to give him a taste of the majors.

2. Drew Waters, OF

Age: 20 | Bats: S
.326/.373/.508 | 155 wRC+
5 HR | 10 SB | 6.2% BB | 27.7% K
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2017
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 7

At the time of this writing, Waters is leading the AA Southern League in batting average, hits, runs, doubles, triples, and total bases. He has managed this by taking advantage of the large parks that predominate the league, using an all-fields approach to pepper the gaps and use his legs to generate offense.

That said, there are some areas for improvement in his game, most notably his elevated strikeout rate. Waters is a free-swinger and likes to ambush pitches early in the count, but pitchers who can locate can take advantage of this. Waters also needs to continue to refine his right-handed swing, which is serviceable but is producing around .260 points lower OPS than his left-handed swing.

Defensively Waters has shown good improvement in his route-running, and when he and Pache switch out playing centerfield, it’s not a big drop in team defense when Waters is in center. His 8 outfield assists on the season attest to his arm strength. Waters should get a taste of AAA ball before the end of the season and be in the mix for the Atlanta outfield at some point in 2020.

3. Ian Anderson, RHP

Age: 21 | Throws: R
2.91 ERA | 3.24 FIP | 17 G, 17 GS | 86.2 IP
4.47 BB/9 | 11.73 K/9
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 5

With the graduations of Mike Soroka and Touki Toussaint, Mississippi’s Anderson takes the crown of top pitching prospect. Anderson has been working heavily on his curveball this season after a 2018 campaign that saw his change-up become a regularly-used and effective weapon. When all three pitches are working, he has top-of-the-rotation capabilities and is one of the most entertaining pitchers in the minor leagues. This combination has made him a Futures Game participant.

Anderson now needs to work on getting his best stuff into games more consistently and reducing the walks; the latter is in some ways due to his greater use of the curveball, but occasionally fastball control will elude him as well. Anderson will likely get a taste of AAA in August to start getting him acclimated to the major league ball and a potential major league debut in 2020.

4. Bryse Wilson, RHP

Age: 21 | Throws: R
4.16 ERA | 4.27 FIP | 18 G, 18 GS | 93.0 IP
2.23 BB/9 | 9.10 K/9 (AAA/MLB)
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Drafted, 4th Round – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 8

Of the big-4 prep pitchers the Braves drafted in 2016, a list that includes Ian Anderson, Kyle Muller, and Joey Wentz, it was 4th-round Bryse Wilson that rocketed up the organizational ladder in 2018 and made his major league debut first. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that outside of a brilliant debut against Pittsburgh last season Wilson has struggled in his first contact with major league baseball, including an Opening Day roster assignment.

Wilson was sent back to AAA Gwinnett after that first turn in the Atlanta rotation and faced initial trouble with the Stripers before settling. With the introduction of the juiced ball used in the majors to AAA, Wilson’s 3.32 ERA over his last 10 Gwinnett starts should be seen as extremely promising; when he got his most recent call-up, he was second in the International League in ERA among qualified pitchers. His MO is the same as it always has been; pitch near the plate, avoid walks, limit hard contact. He’s largely been able to accomplish this with continued development of his secondaries, especially his slider, which he pairs now with a 2-seam fastball to help drive ground balls. His best pitch however remains his 4-seamer, throwing it hard and biting in to right-handers. Wilson’s biggest issue now is a weakness to left-handed hitters, who own a .866 OPS against him; further development of his change-up would go a long way to easing this deficiency.

5. Shea Langeliers, C

Age: 21 | Bats: R
.209/.300/.372 | 96 wRC+
1 HR | 0 SB | 10.0% BB | 32.0% K (A)
Current Assignment: A Rome
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2019
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: N/A

The Braves first-round pick from the 2019 draft makes his OFR Prospect List debut at #5 thanks to a very high floor provided by his elite defensive skills and arm that will see him to the major leagues at some point.

The question that everyone has is how his offense will translate to the wooden-bat pro game. Langeliers suffered a break to his hamate bone in his junior year, an injury that notoriously saps power, but he blistered the ball for Baylor down the stretch. Catchers tend to develop at their own pace, but expect the Braves to push Langeliers aggressively, even if his offense performance metrics lag behind the other aspects of his game. Long-term, Langeliers should show a strong hit tool and over-the-fence power.

6. William Contreras, C

Age: 21 | Bats: R
.239/.307/.322 | 88 wRC+
3 HR | 0 SB | 7.5% BB | 20.0% K (A+/AA)
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2015
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 6

The drafting of Shea Langeliers takes away some of the pressure from Contreras as the designated catcher-of-the-future, but it does nothing to take the shine off of his promise. This season the Braves have focused on Contreras’s defense, an area the 21-year-old has all of the tools in the box to be successful but has occasionally lost focus. The Braves have been looking for more consistency behind the plate, and Contreras delivered over time in his Florida tenure, enough so that the Braves awarded him with a promotion to Mississippi.

Offensively, Contreras has been challenged by the greater number of pitchers that can hit their spots low and away, and Contreras’s free-swinging approach has resulted in a spike in ground balls. Contreras’s swing path with Rome was such that he liked the ball up so he could line it opposite field for a double or pull over the fence depending on if the ball was inside or outside or over the plate. Pitchers are not leaving the ball up against Contreras anymore, so he will have to make adjustments. Though his production has been poor since his elevation to AA Mississippi, his walk rate is up and his strikeout rate has fallen, good signs that he is making the necessary adjustments to his approach.

7. Kyle Wright, RHP

Age: 23 | Throws: R
5.31 ERA | 4.90 FIP | 16 G, 16 GS | 78.0 IP
3.16 BB/9 | 8.42 K/9 (AAA/MLB)
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2017
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 9

It’s been an up-and-down first half for Wright, in a couple of different ways. Wright has had four different stints up with the Braves, including an Opening Day roster assignment and three early season starts. Most of the call-ups however have been to serve as the emergency long-reliever and in each case Wright has not had the opportunity to pitch in the majors while simultaneously disrupting his schedule in the Gwinnett rotation.

It seems likely that the disruptions have adversely effected Wright, especially early in the season. Wright needs acclimation time to the juiced baseball, which reduces spin rate; Wright is reliant on movement on all his pitches, especially his spiked curve. Overall his performance metrics have been poor, but consistent work in June has proven beneficial; since the calendar flipped, Wright has a 3.18 ERA and has only allowed a .222/.277/.325 batting line against him and has struck out 38 batters in 34 innings while only walking 7. This has been much closer to the pitcher with four potential plus pitches the Braves drafted out of the Vandy in 2017.

8. Kyle Muller, LHP

Age: 21 | Throws: L
3.64 ERA | 3.78 FIP | 17 G, 17 GS | 89.0 IP
5.56 BB/9 | 10.11 K/9
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 11

After a well-publicized trip to the Driveline Baseball training facility to work on his mechanics and velocity, Muller has been putting that work into practice by lighting up radar guns in ways not seen from Muller since his first pro work in the GCL. With the added velocity however has come control problems that flare up almost one per start, but so far Muller has shown an ability to pitch around them and deliver quality starts.

Muller’s delivery has become much more upright to get more leverage with his legs, losing some of the impressive extension that improved his command in 2018. There’s give-and-take with each approach, but currently he’s telegraphing his off-spead because of the discernible change in arm speed.

9. Jasseel De La Cruz, RHP

Age: 22 | Throws: R
2.72 ERA | 3.13 FIP | 16 G, 15 GS | 89.1 IP
3.32 BB/9 | 8.56 K/9 (A/A+/AA)
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2015
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 31

Overcoming an injury-plagued 2018, De La Cruz has advanced two levels, advancing from A Rome to AA Mississippi before the end of May and tossing the first no-hitter in Florida Fire Frogs history along the way.

What has allowed De La Cruz to move so quickly has been an increasingly explosive 4-seam fastball along with a slider that shows increasing bite and that he has shown an ability to command. His change-up flashes as a strong pitch as well but he doesn’t have it all the time; when he has it going he literally has no-hit stuff. When he doesn’t he can have problems with left-handed hitters, who tend to get the ball in the air against him, a problem he will need resolve before he moves to AAA Gwinnett and the video game offensive environment there. -AH

10. Huascar Ynoa, RHP

Age: 21 | Throws: R
5.30 ERA | 4.80 FIP | 18 G, 9 GS | 56.0 IP
5.30 BB/9 | 10.93 K/9 (A+/AA/AAA/MLB)
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Trade w/Minnesota Twins – 2017
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 18

It’s safe to say that most Braves fans at SunTrust Park on June 16 probably hadn’t heard of Ynoa before he took the mound to make his major league debut in the 8th inning of a 15-1 laugher against the Phillies. After two innings where Ynoa allowed only one hit and struck out two while showing off three pitches with excellent movement, a lot of Braves fans were wanting more.

For now at least however, the Braves seem content with keeping Ynoa in the Gwinnett rotation after flirting with him in the bullpen. This a smart move to keep Ynoa on regular work and showcase him to opposing scouts, but his production this year has been stronger out of the bullpen and I would not be surprised if his future with the Braves is there when he can air out his fastball that can touch 100 mph and make his potential plus change-up really confound hitters. Until then Ynoa needs to work on regaining the control the he demonstrated regularly earlier in the season.

Kolby Allard, LHP

Age: 21 | Throws: L
3.83 ERA | 4.69 FIP | 17 G, 17 GS | 94.0 IP
3.06 BB/9 | 7.56 K/9 (AAA)
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2015
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 14

This player was traded on July 30 to the Texas Rangers. He was originally 11th on this list.

Allard looked like he could possibly be a casualty of the launch angle revolution and the juiced ball after a major league debut in 2018 that saw him get roughed up in 3 outings. With a fastball that had been topping out at 90 without a lot of movement and a curveball that he could not throw for strikes consistently, more than one evaluator was down on Allard despite overall strong results at the AAA level.

The good news is that that Allard’s demise has been exaggerated. Allard’s fastball now regularly sits in the low 90s, giving his change-up some crucial room to work. His curveball also is showing more depth and he’s been able to drop it in for strikes more consistently. That said, Allard still has some work to do before he’ll be considered for an everyday major league starter ole, most notably being able to command the fastball every time out with the regained velocity. Allard will always be a pitcher that will have to be able to locate to be successful.

Joey Wentz, LHP

Age: 21 | Throws: L
4.81 ERA | 4.76 FIP | 16 G, 16 GS | 78.2 IP
4.35 BB/9 | 8.35 K/9
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2016 (pick acquired from Los Angeles Dodgers)
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 12

This player was traded on July 31 to the Detroit Tigers. He was originally 12th on this list.

With the oblique issues that plagued Wentz’s 2018 season behind him, Wentz has been pitching with renewed velocity for Mississippi in the first half, a welcome development for a pitcher who went through a prolonged “dead arm” period the year he was drafted. With the increased velocity has come a rise in walks and home runs allowed, but he’s also missing a lot more bats and only allowing a .237 BA against.

When Wentz is on, he throws all three of his pitches with conviction and good movement. Wentz gets into trouble when he starts elevating the ball; this has lead to a few nightmare innings featuring walks and home runs. If he stays away from that scenario he’s rarely letting hitters barrel the ball, and overall his trajectory is now headed up.

11. Patrick Weigel, RHP

Age: 24 | Throws: R
2.86 ERA | 4.76 FIP | 15 G, 14 GS | 50.1 IP
5.01 BB/9 | 7.69 K/9 (AA/AAA)
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Drafted, 7th Round – 2015
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 13

Even with successful returns from TJS, the first season back often has a pitcher struggling to regain feel and command of his pitches even after the velocity returns. This has been the case for Weigel, with whom the Braves have been methodically allowing to throw more with each start, currently at a 75 pitch limit. Weigel has been working particularly on his curveball in recent starts, a pitch that was a key to his early career success.

In flashes Weigel shows all four pitches that saw him shoot up the Braves minor league organization and on the cusp of the majors before the UCL tear, but control has been an issue. This is not a surprise, as control was what he had to work on the most pre-surgery as well. Overall however, Weigel looks as good as one could hope for at this point, and a major league look in September would not be surprising.

12. Tucker Davidson, LHP

Age: 23 | Throws: L
2.04 ERA | 2.89 FIP | 16 G, 16 GS | 83.2 IP
3.87 BB/9 | 10.11 K/9
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: Drafted, 19th Round – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 31

Like Kyle Muller, Davidson also availed himself of the services of Driveline Baseball’s training and evaluation techniques, emerging this season with an impressive uptick in both velocity and break on his curveball. The combination made him a Southern League All-Star and freshened his outlook after a somewhat disappointing 2018.

That said, a lot of Davidson’s success was built earlier in the season and he hasn’t been missing as many bats over his June starts. Davidson is on pace to blow through his career high in innings pitched; being able to avoid hitting a wall will go a long way to showing he has the stamina to be a starter long-term.

13. Braden Shewmake, SS

Age: 21 | Bats: L
.438/.471/.625 | 215 wRC+
1 HR | 1 SB | 4.4% BB | 14.7% K
Current Assignment: A Rome
Acquired: Drafted, 1st Round – 2019
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: N/A

Shewmake’s pro career couldn’t have gotten off to a better start; as of the time of this writing, he has gotten at least one hit in 11 of his 13 games played so far. More importantly, he seems to have easily transferred his feel for the bat and quick hands to the wooden bat game without issue.

The questions with Shewmake are whether he will develop more regular power and if he can stick as a regular shortstop. He is relatively young for a drafted college junior and there’s the possibility of adding some muscle to his lanky frame.

Luiz Gohara, LHP

Age: 22 | Throws: L
Injured – Has Not Played
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Trade w/Seattle Mariners – 2017
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 10

This player was released on August 2. He was originally 16th on this list.

It’s been another lost season for Gohara, who has apparently not begun a structured throwing program yet while dealing with what is reported as “shoulder issues”. A balky shoulder is also what ended his season early last year, and it has torpedoed the stout lefty.

When healthy, Gohara has an elite two-pitch mix with a fastball and slider and a developing change-up. Expected to be in the Atlanta rotation in 2018, Gohara’s off-field problems (death of his father, serious illness for his mother) followed by the shoulder has caused his prospect stock to drop precipitously. He only needs to get four major league outs to lose prospect status, but there’s plenty to be pessimistic about him getting those outs in 2019.

14. Greyson Jenista, OF

Age: 22 | Bats: L
.207/.305/.330 | 91 wRC+
5 HR | 1 SB | 9.6% BB | 16.9% K (A+/AA)
Current Assignment: AA Mississippi
Acquired: Drafted, 2nd Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 15

Jenista and the Braves have been working on his batting mechanics to get more loft into his swing, an adjustment that is still a work-in-progress for the big lefty. The results so far has been a jump in walks and strikeouts but not a lot of home runs, though Jenista has also seen a big jump in fly balls.

The Braves thought enough of Jenista’s process that they advanced him to AA Mississippi despite the pedestrian production, and Jenista’s work so far has been to hit even more fly balls, walk more, and strike out more. Another adjustment to get more bat speed may be in order, but Jenista is on the right track for now in transforming himself into a true power bat. Defensively he was played some in centerfield with the Fire Frogs and he didn’t embarrass himself, but on a team with Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, he will return to his normal right field which he plays well.

15. CJ Alexander, 3B

Age: 22 | Bats: L
.129/.317/.161 | 60 wRC+
0 HR | 0 SB | 21.4% BB | 14.3% K (A+/AA)
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: Drafted, 20th Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 16

Alexander was given a big league spring training invitation the first season after being selected in the 20th round out of a JUCO, recognition that the Braves thought that the tremendous all-round hitting ability he displayed in his first professional season was the real deal. However he didn’t get into a single big league spring training game, and when he took his spot in the field for Mississippi on Opening Day, he was stationed at first base instead of third.

All became clear when after only 11 games and 37 plate appearances, Alexander had surgery to scope out a bone spur in his elbow. Alexander was just activated on Friday night and assigned to Florida. This is earlier than the usual rehab time for this procedure, so he may only be a DH for awhile.

16. Alex Jackson, C

Age: 23 | Bats: R
.206/.300/.464 | 97 wRC+
15 HR | 0 SB | 7.7% BB | 30.9% K (AA/MLB)
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Trade w/Seattle Mariners – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 21

In his fifth professional season, Jackson has seemingly settled into the kind of hitter he’ll always be, a big-swinging slugger who will strike out around 30% of the time and but pop 25-30 home runs given regular playing time.

This profile is pretty much a dime-a-dozen in the current offensive environment, but Jackson has carved himself a path to the major leagues by dramatically improving his defensive reputation over the last 12 months. A good pitch framer and game-caller, Jackson has also improved his athleticism behind the plate, able to block well and with improved footwork that has allowed him to throw out 50% of would-be basestealers this season at AAA. Jackson now seems likely to stick as a back-up or platoon catcher and a DH option at the next level.

17. Victor Vodnik, RHP,

Age: 19 | Throws: R
1.94 ERA | 2.66 FIP | 16 G, 2 GS | 46.1 IP
3.11 BB/9 | 9.91 K/9
Current Assignment: A Rome
Acquired: Draft – 2018 – 14th Round
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 30

The most intriguing pitching prospect in A-ball for the Braves right now is Vodnik, a California teen with a fastball that can run to 100 mph in relief stints and a slider and change-up that show more advanced than would be anticipated given that he had famously rudimentary coaching prior to the draft. Vodnik also shows the ability to throw all three pitches in the strikezone with solid deception.

As with Freddy Tarnok last season, after spending the first half in the Rome bullpen to conserve his arm, Vodnik was inserted into the rotation to start the second half, but has since been sidelined with a blister issue. This has really been the only thing to slow down his progress this season, and Vodnik seems poised to make a rapid rise up prospect lists such as this one.

18. Justin Dean, OF

Age: 22 | Bats: R
.289/.402/.438 | 147 wRC+
4 HR | 24 SB | 13.5% BB | 22.4% K
Current Assignment: A Rome
Acquired: Drafted, 17th Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 40

Dean has become the straw that stirs the drink for the Rome Braves, using his on-base skills and excellent baserunning to apply early pressure to opposing defenses. There was no doubt that his absence for a month after suffering a hand injury on a bad slide into second base was a major contributing factor in Rome’s 6-15 tailspin to end the first half.

Dean also supplies the best centerfield defense this side of Cristian Pache in the Braves organization. Dean has more capacity for over-the-fence power if he wants to move in that direction, but for now he seems content to use his quick, level swing to pull pitches into left field. If not for the injury it seems likely that Dean would have gotten a promotion to advanced-A by now.

19. Freddy Tarnok, RHP

Age: 20 | Throws: R
6.49 ERA | 4.25 FIP |  11 G, 11 GS | 52.2 IP
4.44 BB/9 | 7.01 K/9
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: Drafted, 3rd Round – 2017
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 19

For most of the first half of the season, Tarnok has gone through the growing pains of transitioning to a every-turn-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Working more around the plate in order to get quick outs, instead hitters have been able to barrel him up more often than last year in Rome. Eventually his stuff will play up and he’ll miss more bats, but for now the results could continue to look ugly. This is reminiscent of Touki Toussaint’s rise through the system, another talented arm who came to pitching relatively late.

Tarnok missed most of June with an undisclosed injury, but recently made a rehab appearance with the GCL Braves so he should resume his spot in the Fire Frogs rotation shortly.

Travis Demeritte, OF

Age: 24 | Bats: R
.298/.401/.585 | 147 wRC+
16 HR | 4 SB | 13.3% BB | 25.7% K
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Trade w/Texas Rangers – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 33

This player was traded on July 31 to the Detroit Tigers. He was originally 23rd on this list.

For the first time since joining the Braves organization in 2016 in a trade with the Texas Rangers, Demeritte seems poised to put together a complete season without a long slump that has defined his work to date. There has never been a question about Demeritte’s raw power, and in that he’s found a happy ally in the juiced ball now used in triple-A and he’s on pace to blow through his season high in home runs. More impressively has been the sharpening of his batting eye; while always willing to take a walk, Demeritte has improved in this area to the point where he is on base enough to be considered a upper-half of the line-up hitter.

Demeritte has played both left and right field this season after exclusively playing left field in 2018, so he’s gained some more positional flexibility. Presumably he could also go back and play second or third base as well, positions he was above average at before switching to the outfield, making him an intriguing utility option.

20. Trey Harris, OF

Age: 23 | Bats: R
.340/.416/.544 | 178 wRC+
11 HR | 5 SB | 8.7% BB | 15.8% K (A/A+)
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: Drafted, 32nd Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 49

Going by pure production, Harris has been the best hitter in the Braves farm system in the first half of the season with a flair for the dramatic, getting game winning hits and making game saving defensive plays.

The knocks on Harris have been his size (only 5′-10″, 215 pounds) and questions about his arm and route-running in the outfield. For the former, Harris did a nice job this offseason going on a tough physical conditioning program. For the latter, he seems to be steadily improving. But his carrying tool will be his hitting ability, on display since he joined the organization but in overdrive since this season started. Harris has a strong all-fields approach that emphasizes getting on base by any means possible. He makes adjustments quickly and efficiently, and he can turn on mistake pitches with surprising power.

A natural clubhouse leader, Harris also rates highly in the intangibles, a boon on the teams he’s been playing with this season.

21. Riley Delgado, SS

Age: 23 | Bats: R
.299/.346/.352 | 110 wRC+
0 HR | 1 SB | 5.7% BB | 8.8% K
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: Drafted, 9th Round – 2017
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 27

What you see is what you get with Delgado, an advanced hitter who uses all fields to take best advantage of his high contact rate but who has essentially no over-the-fence power nor impressive speed on the bases. Not too long ago he would be seen as a quintessential #2 hitter in a line-up, able to move a runner along in a variety of ways, but in the high-octane offenses of today with the likes of sluggers like Kris Bryant, Christian Yelich, and Mike Trout getting most of their plate appearances while batting second, his game looks like a throwback.

Fortunately Delgado is a solid, dependable fielder at shortstop and has broadened his resume this season with extended time a third base. He’s a very useful player to have on a roster, and a major league utility infielder career looms ahead of him.

22. Nolan Kingham, RHP

Age: 22 | Throws: R
4.50 ERA | 3.63 FIP | 17 G, 17 GS | 100.0 IP
2.07 BB/9 | 5.94 K/9 (A/A+)
Current Assignment: Rk+ Danville
Acquired: Drafted, 12th Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 43

Kingham dominated in his initial 2019 assignment with Rome, pitching to a 0.56 ERA in 3 starts. With advanced-A Florida, Kingham’s season to date has been a series of ups-and-down, with the ups including a minor league-leading 3 9-inning complete game shutouts followed by starts where he tends to allow 4 or more runs, causing his season ERA to date to be a pedestrian 4.03.

Those glimpses of dominance though are intriguing, as are his 53% groundball rate and his overall tendency not to surrender hard contact. Kingham has four pitches, but he relies heavily on a 2-seam fastball to pitch to contact. When in trouble, he switches to a 4-seamer than can run into the mid-90s and a solid curveball and change-up. When it’s all working and the defense behind him is up to the challenge he can up put up dominant starts.

Tristan Beck, RHP

Age: 23 | Throws: R
7.71 ERA | 3.65 FIP | 4 G, 4 GS | 14.0 IP
4.50 BB/9 | 9.64 K/9
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: Drafted, 4th Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 22

This player was traded on July 31 to the San Francisco Giants. He was originally 27th on this list.

Beck was only four starts and 14 innings into his first professional full season when a groin injury shelved him in the second inning of an April start. Beck has recently gotten two rehab starts in with the GCL Braves and is set to rejoin the Fire Frogs.

The Braves are hoping that a healthy Beck will start to show the three above-average pitches he demonstrated in high school (where Atlanta was prepared to draft him with the 21st overall pick in 2015, but selected Mike Soroka instead after Beck made it clear his intention was to go to Stanford) and early college career before a stress fracture in his back wiped out his sophomore season and impaired his junior season.

23. Jefrey Ramos, OF

Age: 20 | Bats: R
.249/.302/.382 | 104 wRC+ | 7 HR | 1 SB | 6.0% BB | 22.0% K
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 24

The good news with Ramos is that a promotion to the pitching-friendly Florida State League hasn’t really diminished his offensive production under what he showed in Rome in 2018. In fact, there’s some things to be encouraged about, especially his uptick in line drives at the expense of ground balls, a trend that should allow his plus power have more of an impact.

That said, Ramos is still a free-swinging, defensively-challenged corner outfielder with a tough path to the major leagues. In the field he does the best with the tools he has, but his arm is average at best and his lack of footspeed means his jumps have to be good, but it’s all still a work-in-progress.

24. AJ Graffanino, SS

.000/.000/.000| 0 wRC+
0 HR | 0 SB | 0.0% BB | 0.0% K
Current Assignment: A+ Florida
Acquired: Drafted, 20th Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 22

Graffanino has gotten a grand total of one plate appearance this season after suffering an injury on Opening Day.

When healthy Graffanino is a plus defender with a strong hit tool but no power. His skillset is somewhat similar to Riley Delgado‘s, but Graff’s glove gives him a higher floor and under most circumstances he would be ranked higher than Delgado, but it would be hard to justify here given his lack of play.

25. Michael Harris, OF

Age: 18 | Bats: S
.367/.457/.467 | 167 wRC+
0 HR | 1 SB | 11.4% BB | 20.0% K
Current Assignment: Rk GCL
Acquired: Drafted, 3rd Round — 2019
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: N/A

There’s virtually nothing an evaluator can glean from just 9 games of work in the Gulf Coast League, so this ranking is purely off video taken around the draft.

Harris has strong tools all the way around, showing centerfield speed and a strong arm; he was heavily scouted as a pitcher as well as a position player. At the plate his right-handed swing is currently quick and level, his lefty-handed swing is long and loopy. Both should serve him well in the GCL, and the Braves seem likely to give him a taste of Danville before the end of the short season to help prep him for a 2020 Rome assignment.

For the next five entries, stats are as of 8/1/2019.

26. Vaughn Grissom, SS

Age: 18 | Bats: R
.255/.324/.426 | 116 wRC+
3 HR | 3 SB | 6.6% BB | 17.9% K
Current Assignment: Rk GCL
Acquired: Drafted, 11th Round — 2019
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: N/A

Grissom was the first of a line of talented high schoolers that we likely talented enough to go in the first three-four rounds of the draft but the Braves were able to slide after the 10th round and give over-slot bonuses to entice them to join the organization.

Grissom is a complete toolbox of a player, and if he can get those tools into games he should be a power-hitting infielder with good hands and a strong arm. He’s rangy enough for shortstop now, but he’s already 6′-3″ and 180 pounds with room to grow, so he may end up at third. Overall he’s the most interesting teenage middle infielder the Braves have signed since Kevin Maitan.

27. Corbin Clouse, LHP

Age: 24 | Throws: L
5.66 ERA | 4.36 FIP | 15 G, 1 GS | 20.2 IP
4.35 BB/9 | 13.06 K/9
Current Assignment: AAA Gwinnett
Acquired: Drafted, 27th Round – 2016
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 25

Clouse’s initial foray with the juiced Major League baseball now used in AAA was difficult, as has been the case with nearly every pitcher, then a shoulder issue cost him two months of the season. The results still haven’t been great since his return, but it doesn’t look like his stuff has backed up; in fact some of his peripherals are pointing in the right way; hard contact is down, strikeouts are up.

Clouse has a four-seam fastball that can run into the high-90s,  but he prefers to use a low-90s sinker and a wipe-out slider that generates most of his strikeouts. The main concern with Clouse at this point is if the shoulder will continue to be a problem.

28. Trey Riley, RHP

Age: 21 | Throws: R
6.99 ERA | 5.46 FIP | 15 G, 12 GS | 55.1 IP
6.34 BB/9 | 6.18 K/9
Current Assignment: A Rome
Acquired: Drafted, 5th Round – 2018
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: 29

The book on Riley coming into this season was that he had two potential elite pitches but control problems. These has born out to be true, but the control problems have essentially overrode his positives to date.

Riley’s problems stem from an inability to establish a consistent release point. While both his fastball and slider have enviable movement thanks to elite spin rate, even South Atlantic League hitters have learned that they can wait him out until he’s forced to throw a get-me-over fastball. After starting the season in the rotation, Riley now appears to have settled some in the bullpen. He missed about a month of time on the IL.

29. Tyler Owens, RHP

Age: 18 | Throws: R
2.81 ERA | 3.75 FIP | 6 G, 5 GS | 16.0 IP
3.37 BB/9 | 10.12 K/9
Current Assignment: Rk Danville
Acquired: Drafted, 13th Round – 2019
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: N/A

The first high school pitcher taken in the 2019 draft by the Braves has also gotten off to the fastest start, making it to Danville ahead of his class.

A rare small-statured Braves pitcher (5′-10″, 185 pounds), Owens nevertheless has upper-90s velocity and reportedly gets there without a lot of effort. Owens will work as a starter to try to help his secondaries along, currently a developing slider and a rudimentary change-up.

30. Ricky DeVito, RHP

Age: 20 | Throws: R
3.15 ERA | 3.34 FIP | 8 G, 4 GS | 20.0 IP
4.05 BB/9 | 10.80 K/9
Current Assignment: Rk Danville
Acquired: Drafted, 8th Round – 2019
Pre-Season OFR Ranking: N/A

An over-slot signing out of Seton Hall, DeVito still has some body projection even at 6’3″ and 195 pounds. An off-season of physical training would likely see his 92-94 mph fastball tick up a bit. It has natural bite and sink, and is a good complement to his slider and change-up, both of which sink as well.

DeVito has work to do on command on all his pitches, but projects as a starter at least through the lower levels of the minor leagues.