Reviewing BA's Top Ten: 2007

John Schuerholz's final year as general manager started with a nice cadre of prospects in the minors despite the Baby Braves of 2005 remaining a significant part of the roster. The Braves placed a trio of players in the Top 100, but they would deal all three in the ill-advised Mark Teixeira trade. Despite that, five of the players in addition to one of the youngsters that was sent to Texas to acquire Teix made it to the majors, including three "graduates," or players that were in the majors long enough to lose their rookie status.

See the previous versions of this list.

Atlanta's Top Ten Prospects for 2007 according to Baseball America

1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c - BA Top 100: #36 - Other Years in Braves Top 10: 2005 (8th), 2006 (2)
2. Elvis Andrus, ss - BA Top 100: #65 - Other Years: 2006 (3rd)
3. Matt Harrison, lhp - BA Top 100: #90
4. Brandon Jones, of - Other Years: 2006 (8th), 2008 (4th)
5. Van Pope, 3b
6. Eric Campbell, 3b - Other Years: 2006 (9th)
7. Scott Thorman, 1b - Other Years: 2003 (8th)
8. Jo-Jo Reyes, lhp
9. Joey Devine, rhp - Other Years: 2006 (6th)
10. Yunel Escobar, ss - Other Years: 2006 (4th)

Prospect Spotlight
The great thing about keeping an eye on the minor league system is that when a player's name pops up for whatever reason, it puts memories in your head. I wrote something related to this when Jamie Romak got to the majors last season. More often than not, if you remember a player from his minor league career, it was only because he played sparingly in the majors or never even got there. With that in mind, when I saw Van Pope's name pop up in today's list, it immediately stood out. He went from defense-first third baseman to a promising youngster with power and discipline to a failure of a prospect. And then, just to make us remember him a bit more, he became a pitcher. Well done, Van Pope.

A fifth round selection in 2004 from Meridian Community College in Mississippi, Pope's glove almost immediately made him a prospect to watch. He had the arm to play the hot corner plus range and soft hands. There was a time that Pope entered the conversation as an eventual heir to Chipper Jones. Of course, so did a lot of names. Pope never got his OPS over .800, but in 2006 with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, he banged out 123 hits and 201 total bases on his way to .263/.353/.430 plus 15 homeruns. That kind of production pared with his glove was enough to get him a Top 5 placement on this list.

Unfortunately, he would falter once he joined the Mississippi Braves the next year and over the next three seasons, he hit one fewer homerun than he did in all of 2006. While the defense was still there, you have to hit at least some. Just ask Joe Leonard. A minor league free agent after 2009, the Braves reached out to Pope and invited him back, but only if he came back to the Braves as a pitcher. He had been a closer in college and there was hope the Braves could still get value for their fifth rounder who appeared to lack the ability to hit like a corner infielder.

He returned to Myrtle Beach to open 2010. He struggled early, but strung together four consecutive scoreless appearances between May 8th and 20th. However, there was a catch. He had walked six to go with just one strikeout. That left him with a 6.35 ERA and 16 walks to just five K's in 11.1 ING. The Braves felt the experiment had run its course and released Pope in late May, saying adiós for good. Pope would play two seasons of independent baseball, but that was it. I don't have much information on Pope since then, but he did appear in last season's Rome Braves Alumni Event.

Biggest Bust
Not to be confused with the Mets player of the same name, Campbell was picked two rounds ahead of Pope in 2004 out of Fort Branch, Indiana. Campbell is another player whose name makes me remember his time with the Braves minor league system. Unlike Pope, it's a negative remembrance.

Campbell quickly became a tremendous offensive asset, destroying the Appalachian League in 2005 with a 1.016 OPS and 18 homers, four more than the nearest player while also tying the league record for homeruns until it was broken in 2011. Campbell wasn't the defender Pope was and some wondered if he really had a position, hurting his prospect status, but nobody doubted his bat. He posted a .852 OPS in the following season with Rome with 22 homers, showing that his power was for real. After the season, he was sent to play in the Hawaiian Winter League, but his time in paradise was cut short for disciplinary reasons. Unfortunately, Campbell's attitude problems and penchant for finding trouble wouldn't end there. After a 2007 season with Myrtle Beach where he struggled, he was suspended for the remainder of the season in late August for "unspecified disciplinary reasons." The suspension would either carry over into the next year or he swas suspended again as he started the year late. Regardless, when he got back onto the field, he rediscovered his power stroke, belting 19 homers in 88 games for the Pelicans to earn a promotion to Mississippi for 2009. There...he sucked and nearly two years after having his 2007 season cut short by suspension, Campbell was cut by the Braves. It was called a normal player release.

Campbell would play for three more seasons, logging time in both affiliated and un-affiliated ball. Both the Reds and Mariners gave him a look, but he never made it to AAA. Campbell is a cautionary tale on how you can ruin your career if you don't grow up quickly.

Reviewing BA's Top Ten: 2006

We continue our quest to review the last 15 years of Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects in the Braves system with the 2006 list, or as we might remember, the year after all of the Baby Braves arrived. A few of them made this list, though that didn't stop a wealth of turnover in the Top Ten with only three players who appeared in the rankings previously. Still, the Brave placed five prospects in the Top 100 and a pair in the Top 20. Unfortunately, they would only get one starting position player and briefly, a starting pitcher from this rankings. Oh, and one year of Mark Teixeira's prime. Yep, that's gonna be a big part of this list.

If you'd like to take a look at previous versions of this series, click here.

Atlanta's Top Ten Prospects for 2006 according to Baseball America

1. Andy Marte, 3b - BA Top 100: #9 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2003 (3rd), 2004 (1st), 2005 (2nd)
2. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c - BA Top 100: #18 - Other Years: 2005 (8th), 2007 (65th)
3. Elvis Andrus, ss - BA Top 100: #61 - Other Years: 2007 (2nd)
4. Yunel Escobar, ss - Other Years: 2007 10th
5. Anthony Lerew, rhp - BA Top 100: #93 - Other Years: 2004 (10th), 2005 (5th)
6. Joey Devine, rhp - Other Years: 2007 (9th)
7. Chuck James, lhp
8. Brandon Jones, of - Other Years: 2007 (4th), 2008 (4th)
9. Eric Campbell, 3b - Other Years: 2007 (6th)
10. Beau Jones, lhp

Prospect Spotlight
It was only natural. At the forum I was cutting my teeth at and learning more and more about baseball (believe it was braves.net?), when Chuck James arrived on the scene as a minor league presence ahead of the 2006 season, the references to Chuck Norris was likely inevitable. Chuck James doesn't get cancer, cancer gets Chuck James. You know the deal. It almost overshadows that #36 was a bit of a prospect. It was a long road for James in that with his physical limitations withstanding, he also broke both of his wrists shortly before the 2002 draft doing what stupid kids do. Jump off the roof into a swimming pool...or at least, that was the goal. But not all of us can be Golden Gods.

The injury sent James to the 20th round where the Braves took a chance on him. He signed late and didn't play due to injury until 2003 when he dominated the Appalachian League with Danville. 2004 was more of the same (2.24 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.6 K/9), yet James continues to fly under the radar. In 2005, he finally demanded attention from not only us as fans, but Baseball America, cracking the Top 100 in the only year he even appeared in the Braves list. He opened the year with seven starts with Myrtle Beach, shined in sixteen sweet starts with Mississippi, and kept his WHIP under 1.00 with Richmond in a half-dozen games before wearing his fourth uniform of the year as he appeared in two games out of the pen for the big league club. His minor league numbers that season...2.12 ERA, 193 K's in 161.2 ING, and a 0.86 WHIP. So, yeah, we were ready for him to be a star.

And he was pretty decent in 2006. In 25 games, 18 starts, he sported a 3.78 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP, numbers that were reasonable for a rookie. However, a 5.14 FIP due in no small part to 20 homers in just 119 innings probably should have concerned us. But James, who worked in the offseason as a installer at Lowe's, was on a team whose pitching was getting just awful and James represented hope. 2007 dashed all hope as he posted a 4.24 ERA with a 5.48 FIP. He was who we probably should have thought he was. A guy who battles, but has no out pitch and subsequently, was not an impact prospect. Most troublesome was that he started 30 games, but only logged 161.1 ING. He was no longer Chuck Norris's cousin. He was Five Inning James.

James would struggle through injuries the following year and when he was on the mound, hitters destroyed many of his pitches. With James arbitration-eligible ahead of the 2009 season, the Braves felt he wasn't worth bringing back. He would miss 2009 before coming back with the Nationals organization for 66 minor league innings in 2010 where he returned to his former success. The following year, the Twins brought him aboard and turned him into a reliever. That got him back to the majors for eight games that year, but he still couldn't get major league hitters out. He tried to make the 2012 roster for the Mets, but they cut him and he retired soon after. Today, he has returned to the home construction field, working as a consultant for Window World, Inc. in Dallas, GA.

Biggest Bust
The Braves went all-in on Joey Devine and got nothing but heartache and Mark Kotsay for it. After Devine set a North Carolina State Wolfpac record for saves in a single season, the Braves made him the 27th overall selection of the 2005 draft. There was some good reason for optimism. Devine had filthy stuff and was considered as close to major league ready as possible. However...he was just a reliever. Obviously, I don't have access to the "Big Board," but the Braves passed on Colby Rasmus, Jed Lowrie, and Clay Buchholz (also first rounders) to get Devine. Again, to their credit, he did appear in the majors less than three months after being drafted. On the other hand, when he got to the majors - UGH!

There are good things to start off your career with and then, there are bad things. Devine had an absolute hellish beginning to his major league career. He got the call in the 13th inning against the visiting Padres hours after being called up on August 20th. With two outs and a runner on second, the Braves walked Brian Giles to get to Joe Randa. Devine couldn't find the strike zone and walked him unintentionally. Xavier Nady followed by sending one deep into the stratosphere. Three days later, with the Braves already down 4-0, Devine relieved the ineffective John Thomson with one out and two out and a runner on. A double, a walk, and a Jeromy Burnitz moonshot out of Wrigley and the Braves were down 8-0. No pitcher has ever began his career by surrendering Grand Slams in each of his first two appearances. Notably, Devine only surrendered three regular season homers in his career. Of course, he would also surrender a postseason homer. In the 18th inning. To Chris Burke. And I hate Chris Burke.

Devine would appear in 20 games with the Braves over the next two seasons, though he only logged 14.2 innings. The Braves sent Devine packing before the 2008 season to acquire the aforementioned Kotsay and Devine followed with the breakthrough season the Braves were counting on when they drafted him in the first round. He posted a 0.59 ERA in 45.2 ING. How good is that? Since 1912, when ERA became an official stat, no one has ever posted that low of an ERA in at least 45 innings. But his success was short-lived. Arm troubles kept him away from the A's for two years and ended a promising 2011 season prematurely. After another surgery and being non-tendered, Devine would retire with just 88 innings in the majors. I'm not sure what Devine has done since moving on, but sadly for what could be an awesome story, he's not this Joey Devine (Oh, and language...and he's not that funny).

Reviewing BA's Top Ten: 2005

As we all know, Atlanta's 2005 team was the year of the Baby Braves, a group of young and talented individuals with the potential to not only become the faces of the Braves, but also lead them to their first title since 1995. However, within a handful of years, only one player was still running strong for the Braves. In today's look back at Baseball America's Top Ten, we revisit a list which included seven individuals who played on that 2005 major league club. We should note that with the level of turnover due to so many graduating to the majors, the 2006 list would include just three repeats from previous lists.

If you'd like to take a look at previous versions of this series, click here.

Atlanta's Top Ten Prospects for 2005 according to Baseball America
1. Jeff Francoeur, rf - BA Top 100: #14 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2003 (6th), 2004 (2nd)
2. Andy Marte, 3b - BA Top 100: #9 - Other Years: 2003 (3rd), 2004 (1st), 2006 (1st)
3. Brian McCann, c - BA Top 100: #44 - Other Years: 2004 (8th)
4. Kyle Davies, rhp - BA Top 100: #53 - Other Years: 2004 (9th)
5. Anthony Lerew, rhp - BA Top 100: #99 - Other Years: 2004 (10th), 2006 (5th)
6. Jake Stevens, lhp - BA Top 100: #92
7. Luis Hernandez, 2b/ss
8. Kelly Johnson, ss - Other Years: 2002 (3rd)
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c - Other Years: 2006 (2nd), 2007 (1st)
10. Blaine Boyer, lhp

Prospect Spotlight
While McCann didn't have the same prospect hype that Francoeur and Marte did, he became, by far, the best player out of this class and one thing always stood out to me, compared to Francoeur. The two arrived at about the same time, were best friends, and hometown boys. It was only natural for the two to be compared and tied together for their time in Atlanta. McCann was considered a great prospect...for a catcher. Francoeur was the sure thing. He was the guy on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was the dude with the endorsements. McCann was good, but Francoeur was finally going to be the guy who took the torch from Chipper Jones. Instead, it was McCann. Why? And why did I call it early in their careers?

I looked at something pretty simple, but telling. Francoeur was a mega prospect despite not having the mega numbers. In fact, he had appeared to stagnant. After obliterating the Appalachian League following his selection in 2002, Francoeur OPS'd .769 and .796 the following two seasons. Now, it was worth noting that he was young for the levels, but he wasn't showing improvement. in fact, his plate discipline regressed. I wondered what everyone was seeing. Now, he did get off to a nice start with Mississippi and of course, he took off in Atlanta after being promoted, but he struggled down the stretch and in 2006. Conversely, McCann improved in the minors. After OPSing .625 in the Gulf Coast League, he would OPS .791, .831, and .834 the following three seasons while climbing to Mississippi. I felt at the time, McCann was the better prospect.

As McCann is paid a small country's GDP to play catcher in the Bronx and Francoeur is left hoping to impress someone this spring, I guess this was one of the few I was very right about. Now, Tommy Hanson and Kelly Johnson...that's another story.

Biggest Bust
While it would be easy to pile on Francoeur and especially Marte, I'm looking at number six, Jake Stevens. Trivia question. What did the Braves get as part of compensation for losing future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine to the Mets? A supplemental first rounder and a New York's third round pick. With the former, they selected Luis Atilano, a guy who amounted to little. With the latter, and the 79th overall pick, they took Stevens, a high school pitcher out of Cape Coral, Florida. He wouldn't amount to much as we came to find out either.

But in 2005, as this list showed, we had hope. Stevens had dominated the Gulf Coast League and mowed down the South Atlantic League after being drafted. As a 19 year-old, playing very young for the level, Stevens appeared in 27 games for Rome in 2004, throwing 135 innings with 140 K's and a 1.03 WHIP. He kept the ball in the yard and didn't walk many. The expectations were naturally pretty high.

Unfortunately, he was his own worst enemy. A weight problem began to surface and Stevens ERA ballooned with his waist size. 4.93 in 2005 with the Pelicans and 5.22 the following year where he split the season with both of Atlanta's A-level teams. A third try to pitch well at Myrtle Beach followed in 2007 and he struggled yet again. He did appear in a spot appearance for Richmond that year, throwing 4.2 ING (I imagine it was following a rehab appearance). After the season, the Braves cut ties with their former third rounder. He retired briefly before shedding the weight and getting back into the game with the Orioles, Giants, and Twins from 2009-11, but never stayed long in his quest to become a left-handed reliever. After a year in the Mexican League, Stevens saw his career come to close. No real idea what has happened to him since.

Reviewing BA's Top Ten: 2004

Once again, it is time to continue the journey through 15 years of Baseball America's Top 10 Braves prospects. This year's list includes nine future major leaguers and six of the famed Baby Braves of 2005. Atlanta would place three players in the overall top 50. Also notable is that all but one of the players that made this list were drafted by the Braves. They hadn't had so much luck in the draft since 1990 when all ten players came out of the draft. To add, the only player who wasn't pdrafted was an international amateur signing that was considered the top prospect in the organization before the 2004 season.

If you'd like to take a view at previous versions of this series, click here.

Atlanta's Top Ten Prospects for 2003 according to Baseball America
1. Andy Marte, 3b - BA Top 100: #11 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2003 (3rd), 2005 (2nd), 2006 (1st)
2. Jeff Francoeur, rf - BA Top 100: #27 - Other Years: 2003 (6th), 2005 (1st)
3. Adam Wainwright, rhp - BA Top 100: #49 - Other Years: 2001 (7th), 2002 (2nd), 2003, (1st)
4. Bubba Nelson, rhp - BA Top 100: #75 - Other Years: 2002 (8th), 2003 (4th)
5. Dan Meyer, lhp - BA Top 100: #82
6. Adam LaRoche, 1b - BA Top 100: #73
7. Macay McBride, lhp - Other Years: 2003 (5th)
8. Brian McCann, c - Other Years: 2005 (3rd)
9. Kyle Davies, rhp - Other Years: 2005 (4th)
10. Anthony Lerew, rhp - Other Years: 2005 (5th), 2006 (5th)

Prospect Spotlight
We all know that the Braves have a history of mining their state for talent as well as any team. Half of the prospects in their 2004 top ten were born in Georgia, including #9, Hiram Kyle Davies. Frankly, I prefer Hiram, but whatever. Selected in the 2001 draft along with McBride (1st round) and Lerew (11th round), Davies was coddled as a young teenager working his way through the rookie levels. He logged 56 innings in the Gulf Coast League after being drafted and followed that up with 69.1 ING in 14 starts with Danville the following year. Both seasons included cameos with Macon, but his time in full season ball really didn't come until 2003, a season that was recognized by Baseball America with a placement on this list.

In 27 starts, Davies, who was still just 19, held his own with a 1.24 WHIP and over a K an inning with very good control. He was definitely deserving of recognition, even with Lerew, Meyer, and Jose Capellan on the inaugural Rome Braves pitching staff with Davies. He followed that up with a 2004 that began with a 2.63 ERA in Myrtle Beach before a 62-inning run with Greenville that saw Davies post an even lower 2.32 ERA. There was good reason to get excited about Davies heading into 2005. He was knocking on the door and all he needed was a chance to advance to the majors.

Injuries to John Thomson and Mike Hampton (shocker) provided that opportunity and Davies made his debut on May 21st, 2005. He was stellar, holding the Red Sox, who averaged 5.6 R/G in 2005, to just four singles, three walks, and striking out six Boston hitters, including David Ortiz looking and Manny Ramirez twice swinging. For a staff that included four pitchers who were 29 or older, the arrival of Davies gave us excitement for the future, but his quick success also made the present look promising. In his first four starts, he posted a 0.77 ERA and nearly a K an inning. But over his next 17 games, things didn't work out so well as his ERA ballooned to 6.44, he nearly walked as many as he struck out,. Plus, hitters were sending too many pitches deep and way the hell out of the park.

We were still hopeful because, well, we had to be. The state of the Braves pitching in the mid-2000's was cross your fingers that the old guys perform and pray that pitchers like Horacio Ramirez, Chuck James, Jorge Sosa, Jo-Jo Reyes, and even Buddy Carlyle don't suck. At least Davies had youth on his side. Unfortunately, that was it. He posted an almost impossibly high ERA of 8.38 in 14 starts in 2006 with a WHIP of 1.94. Since 2000, only eight other pitchers pitched at least 60 innings in a given season and posted a WHIP higher than Davies in 2006. In 2007, he was back and was better, but that's only because you can't be but so much worse than putrid. By July, the Braves had soured on Davies and shipped him off to the Royals for Octavio Dotel. The Royals endured four-plus years of Davies before finally releasing him. His performance on the mound was deserving of a boot, but it was getting booked on disorderly intoxication that ultimately earned him a release.

Davies last game in the majors came fittingly in Fenway Park where he again, shutdown the Red Sox. Davies would go to pitch for the Blue Jays, Twins, and the Indians organizations since his release working through injuries along the way. A free agent, Davies is just 30. His career ERA is 5.59.

Biggest Bust
It would be easy to call Davies the biggest bust out of this group, but let's look at the 6'2" lefty Meyer. Baseball America originally had the Braves' selection of Meyer as the 34th overall pick as a stretch, projecting him as a late third rounder, but the Braves were excited about the future with Meyer's mid-90's heat. Personally, Meyer was quickly one of the guys I followed because he was selected out of the college I wanted to transfer to - James Madison University. As Meyer dominated the Appalachian League, thrived in SALLY and Carolina, and impressed in the Southern and International Leagues, it looked like the Braves were redeemed with their selection. Meyer was already on the doorstep before the 2005 season. Considering the 2004 Braves relied on the unlikely contributions of Jaret Wright and needed to get younger, it only seemed like a great fit for them to welcome Meyer into their rotation. The fact that he had never posted an ERA over 3.00 only made fans more excited to see him take his place as the next great lefty in the staff.

But you know the story. The offseason between 2004-05 included the shocking trade of Meyer, along with Juan Cruz and Charles Thomas, for Oakland A's ace Tim Hudson. Meyer's time with the Braves looked to be through, but he was still a top prospect and the crown jewel of the deal for Billy Beane. However, Meyer struggled to stay healthy or even pitch all that well and wouldn't even play for the big league club until 2007. An equally bad 2008 cameo hurt Meyer, who was not only out of options but had exhausted the A's patience in him. After the 2008 season, the Marlins picked him up on waivers and he would go to post his only success at the major league level in south Florida during 2009. Appearing in 71 games as a LOOGY, Meyer K'd nearly a batter an inning with a 1.17 WHIP. But the success was good as suddenly as it appeared. He struggled in 2010 and was cast off. A short, woeful run with the Pirates in AAA in 2011 followed. He ended up with the Pirates after failing to make the Phillies bullpen that spring. The player that beat him out? Antonio Bastardo. Meyer showed his displeasure in 2013 after Bastardo was suspended for PEDs.

Since retiring, Meyer has returned to the Braves as Danville's pitching coach.

Reviewing BA's Top Ten: 2003

I think last week worked much better so we'll keep with that method. For the second consecutive season, the Braves landed a trio of prospects in the overall Top 50. They would do that for three more seasons, providing the backbone to the 2005 Baby Braves.

If you'd like to take a view at previous versions of this series, click here.

Atlanta's Top Ten Prospects for 2003 according to Baseball America
1. Adam Wainwright, rhp - BA Top 100: #18 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2001 (7th), 2002 (2nd), 2004 (3rd)
2. Wilson Betemit, 3B - BA Top 100: #49 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2001 (1st), 2002 (1st)
3. Andy Marte, 3B - BA Top 100: #40 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2004 (1st), 2005 (2nd), 2006 (1st)
4. Bubba Nelson, rhp - BA Top 100: #58 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2002 (8th), 2004 (4th)
5. Macay McBride, lhp - BA Top 100: #68 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2004 (7th)
6. Jeff Francoeur, of - BA Top 100: #95 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2004 (2nd), 2005 (1st)
7. Carlos Duran, of - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2002 (5th)
8. Scott Thorman, 1b
9. Brett Evert, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2000 (10th), 2002 (4th)
10. Gonzalo Lopez, rhp - 2002 (8th)

Prospect Spotlight
The only player to be one-and-done on this list was Scott Thorman. The Cambridge, Ontario native was an impressive physical presence when the Braves spent their first round selection on him coming out of the 2000 draft straight out of high school. He signed for slightly more than a million, giving up a chance to head to the University of South Carolina. He opened his career as a third baseman, but after injuries wiped out his 2001 season, he headed across the diamond to open to 2002.

He would make the Braves Top Ten after a big year with Macon. He picked up 230 total bases and 57 extra base hits, including 16 homers, while slashing his way to .294/.367/.489. Not hard to imagine why he made this list. Nor is it hard to imagine why he soon fell off. Not only did the Braves produce even better prospects, Thorman would struggle in Myrtle Beach in 2003, his OPS falling over 150 points to .702. And this would begin his need to repeat levels, a sign of a fringe prospect.

Thor has the honor of playing in the final season of the Greenville Braves and the first year of the Mississippi Braves. In 2006, Thor appeared to reclaim his prospect status with a .298/.360/.508 run at Richmond through 81 games ahead of a promotion to the majors to play left field. As a piece of advice to the 2015 Braves, you can't just put anyone out in left and everything will work out. Course, Thor also didn't hit that well, which made it all the more confusing why the Braves would ship out Adam LaRoche after the season and hand the job to Thor. It appeared to work out early when Thor slashed .288/.339/.538 in the first month of 2007, but from there, his season went the way we probably should have expected. John Schuerholz, in a ridiculous need to salvage the Streak, made the Mark Teixeira trade and everything went dark.

From there, Thor went to a sub role before heading back to the minors for 2008. He spent a few years playing for other AAA teams, getting opportunities with Oklahoma City, Omaha, and Toledo, but never in the majors. After five games in the Mexican League, Thor returned home and called it quits. He has since re-joined the Royals organization, this time as a coach for their affilate in Burlington.

Biggest Bust
In the 2002 season, Thorman was producing every first day for Macay McBride, a young lefty out of Sylvania, Georgia. He went 12-8 for the year with a 2.12 ERA and very solid line of 7.9 K/9. The season was good enough for McBride to win the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher. And while his years of productive play didn't end with the 2002 season, we can see why he was amazing that one season, which included his only professional shutout. 6.8 H/9. Should have known something was up. McBride would post a 2.95 Myrtle Beach-assisted ERA in 2003, but his marks would fall from there. Shipped to the pen, he made it to the majors in 2005 for 23 games and 71 games the following year. It seemed like he was better than he actually was, but his WHIP was over 1.50.

A trade to the Tigers in 2007 followed and with it, a lot of injuries. In fact, after 2007, he would pitch one game for AAA Toledo in 2008 and one game for Lancaster in the Atlantic League in 2010. Since giving up baseball, he has returned home and opened a sports academy in his home town of Sylvania. One day, a youngster he has helped could be the next Atlanta Brave.

Other Highlights
-While four of the players in the Top Ten were international pick-ups, of the six players out of the draft, five were selected in the top 51 picks. The old compensation system with Type A and B free agents truly helped a team like the Braves.
-Francoeur's first appearance came after 38 games in rookie ball following his pick as the 23rd overall selection of the 2002 draft.

Reviewing BA's Top 10: 2002

Changing things up a little this week. As you know if you follow the blog, over the last month, I have been taking a retrospective look at the Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects in the Atlanta Braves system yearly report. It's a fun look back, but as can be expected, many of the prospects repeat as they move up the ladder. This presents too many redundant entries. So, starting this week, I'll spotlight one prospect, talk about the biggest bust, and add some other comments. I'll start with the top 10 along with, if applicable, their placement in that year's Top 100 and/or placement on previous Top Ten's for the Braves.

If you'd like to take a view at previous versions of this series, click here.

Atlanta's Top Ten Prospects for 2002 according to Baseball America
1. Wilson Betemit, ss - BA Top 100: #8 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2001 (1st), 2003 (2nd)
2. Adam Wainwright, rhp - BA Top 100: #42 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2001 (7th), 2003 (1st), 2004 (3rd)
3. Kelly Johnson, ss - BA Top 100: #47 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2005 (8th)
4. Brett Evert, rhp - BA Top 100: #66 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2000 (10th), 2003 (9th)
5. Carlos Duran, of - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2003 (7th)
6. Matt Belisle, rhp - BA Top 100: #96 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2001 (4th)
7. Zach Miner, rhp
8. Gonzalo Lopez, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2003 (10th)
9. Bubba Nelson, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2003 (4th), 2004 (4th)
10. Jung Bong, lhp

Prospect Spotlight
Some of you readers may have associated with me at our former forum, www.chopnation.com. While the group has moved to Facebook for the most part, the forum was our haven for Braves talk in the latter half of the 21st Century's first decade. We got to know each other and the kind of players each forum member liked. Some were intrigued by speedy guys and believed stolen bases were lacking in Atlanta. Others were attracted to the hype and hope that a player like Jeff Francoeur had. Me? Kelly Johnson was my guy. I was known as his apologist and even as I accepted that non-tendering him following the 2009 season was the right move, it still hurt to see him go. A running joke at our current Facebook group is that whenever there is even a hint at a weakness at his positions, I'll champion the idea of bringing back KJ.

Back in 2002, KJ landed on this list and was recognized as one of the top 50 prospects in baseball after a massive season for Randy Ingle and the Rome Braves. He slashed a cool .289/.404/.513 with 23 homers, 25 steals, and 71 walks. He also didn't ground into a double play in some baseball stats oddity. Kelly, who was the 38th pick in the 2000 draft and only 19 during the 2001 season, was fast on his way to becoming one of the hottest prospects in baseball. A disappointing 2002 followed where the Myrtle Beach wind took away his power. 2003 with Greenville was interrupted by injuries, but he finally reclaimed his prospect status with a .818 OPS with the G-Braves the following season. By 2005, he was knocking on the door and made his debut that season, taking over left field for the Baby Braves out of necessity. After missing the next season due to injury, KJ landed in the majors with a big 2007 season as the leadoff hitter and learn-on-the job 2B.

His two follow-up campaigns didn't live up to the hype of his first season and the Braves sent KJ packing after a 2009 season that saw the emergence of Martin Prado. Since then, he has played for all of the AL East teams along with the D'Backs. Recently, he has developed into a utility guy, playing three infield positions and the corner outfield positions just last year. For his career, he has posted a .755 OPS and nearly 17 fWAR in nine seasons.

Biggest Bust
Before the 2002 season, it was reasonable to think Bubba Nelson was the next in the long line of top starters the Braves would churn out. While it would be easy to bury Nelson in the system that posted three starters in the Top 100, Nelson was hardly a slouch. Drafted 13 picks after KJ, Nelson was also a member of that prospect-laden Macon roster. In fact, only one of the five starters would make it to the majors with Wainwright the best of the group. The one that missed the majors? Nelson.

Despite being a Top 75 prospect according to Baseball America in both 2003 and 2004, Nelson would fail to get just about anyone out at the AAA level. The latter of those accolades came after the Braves had moved Nelson to the Reds in the Chris Reitsma trade. Nelson lasted two seasons with the Reds and a year each with the Padres, Phillies, and Jays. But no matter the stop, AAA hitter brutalized im. In 161 innings over 46 games, and 23 starts, Nelson posted a 5.87 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and gave up 26 homers. That last stat is more informative when you make it 1.5 HR/9. In 2001, he K'd over a batter an inning. In parts of four seasons in AAA, that number was about 6 K/9. Nelson's career was over after 2009, which was spent not getting outs for the independent level Pensacola Pelicans. Since giving up baseball, he has apparently became an educator.

Other Highlights
-Talk about what could have been. Gonzalo Lopez was a big international free agent signing and was excellent in the Gulf Coast League in 2001 and with Macon the following season. Only 19, things looked great for the kid. However, the injuries became too much for Lopez, who pitched 10 innings in 2003, 12.1 ING in 2006, and 47 innings in 2008 while missing all of 2005 and 2007. His career was over following his 6.32 ERA in 2008.
-Carlos Duran found a second life following his last American professional season in 2007 when he joined the Italian League and in 2010, he became the only non-Italian to win the league's Triple Crown. Not bad considering how his prospect life as a Brave was short.

-In today's era of memes, Jung Bong would have been a star.

Reviewing BA's Top 10: 2001

Welcome to another look back at Baseball America's Top Ten prospects for the Braves system. The system begins to show some weaknesses in 2001. Two years before, every prospect on the list made it to the majors. Three missed out in 2000 and three more, including two different players from the previous year, fail to get to the majors from the 2001 list. Half of this year's list wasn't featured during the previous year's list, though the number one made the 2000 Top 100, but was left out of the Braves Top Ten. For the first time since 1995, George Lombard won't be on this year's list.

For previous editions of this series, click here.

1. Wilson Betemit, ss - BA Top 100: #29 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2002 (1st), 2003 (2nd)

By the end of the 2000 season, the 18 year-old Betemit had finished one season above rookie ball, but the huge international signing was rising fast in the eyes of prospects. At 18, Betemit should have had two seasons of professional experience under his belt, but his year with Jamestown in short-season A ball was his fourth. Due to an age mix-up, the Braves had actually signed Betemit when he was just 14-and-a-half. In their defense, he was a high school graduate already. The Braves were fine $100K and prohibited from scouting/signing players out of the Dominican Republic for six months during 2000. Even with that controversy, the signing looked like a masterstroke as Betemit progressed through the minors. Nothing seemed to halt him...until Richmond. A sub .700 OPS in 2002 and a .729 OPS in 2003 took away a considerable amount of the hype, though he would rebuild a bit in 2004 and was still just 22 years old. He finally landed in Atlanta for good in 2005 after small cups of coffee in 2001 and 2004. Slashing his way to a .305/.359/.435 year while backing up at three positions, the possibility of eventually growing into the player we thought he could be was back on. More production in 2006 followed, but for still unknown reasons, the Braves shipped him to the Dodgers for Willy Aybar and Danys Baez. The Braves would finish third that season.

However, Betemit never seemed to be productive for long and played everywhere before injuries forced him into a minor league season with Durham last year where he struck out 144 times and posted a .694 OPS. Despite a career that is rapidly approaching 20 years, Betemit is still only 33 and will likely get another shot somewhere. His defensive skills have long ago deteriorated to the point where he plays only the corner infield positions, but there has to be a spot for a guy who has a career OPS of .819 against right-handed pitching, including a .859 OPS in his last remotely healthy season of 2012.

2. Matt McClendon, rhp - BA Top 100: #51

Despite a very brief career, McClendon became a bit of a top prospect in 2000. Unfortunately for him, it was the only season of his career he was able to stay healthy. A fifth rounder out of the University of Florida in 1999, McClendon had been the 33rd overall pick just three years before by the Reds so he sacrificed some cash. He was the only four-year college draft choice by the Braves in the first 15 rounds that season, a draft that produced only one notable player and that player, Garrett Jones, never played for Atlanta. McClendon, like three other pitchers on this list, was a member of the 2000 Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a team that went 88-52 behind a team ERA of 2.51. He made just six starts for them before moving up to Greenville, where he threw his only career shutout while posting a 1.36 WHIP in 131 innings. From there...bunches of injuries. He tossed 73 innings in 2001, 20.2 ING in 2002, just 4.1 ING in 2003, and in his final season, 2004, he pitched in eleven games and 19.1 ING for Myrtle Beach before the Braves cut him. He has found second life, though, as a member of the Scott Boras Corporation working for his former agent.

3. Marcus Giles, 2b - BA Top 100: #54 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1999 (10th), 2000 (3rd)

Giles was coming off a 17 homerun season with the Greenville Braves when he just missed out on being tabbed a Top 50 prospect by Baseball America. Nevertheless, he would shake that off to see time with the Braves during a pair of promotions. Oddly, the first one ended a day after hitting a game-deciding Grand Slam against Mike Hampton, but on July 20th, the Braves recalled Giles and he became the starting second baseman and leadoff hitter for the rest of the season. After a down year in 2002, he became one of my favorite players during a 2003 campaign that may have been aided with some helpful supplements. During his All-Star campaign, he slashed .316/.390/.526 with 49 doubles, 21 homers, and 14 steals. He was in a perfect situation, hitting between Rafael Furcal and Gary Sheffield, which led to a wealth of fastballs that he could clobber. His 2004 season, shorten by an unfortunate meeting with Andruw Jones, wasn't nearly as successful and thought he did resurface in 2005, his power declined and with it, his batting average. His career was about done just five seasons after he broke through.

4. Matt Belisle, rhp - BA Top 100: #28 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2002 (6th)

It's easy to forget, but Belisle was once a big pitching prospect. The 20 year-old split the 2000 season between Macon and Myrtle Beach and struck out 168 batters to just 29 walks, an astounding number. However, a lost 2001 season to injury and a disappointing 2002 led to Belisle losing his prospect hype. He was traded during 2003 to the Reds for Kent Mercker, closing the door on the 1998 second-rounder with the Braves. After struggling to establish himself as both a starter and reliever, he landed in Colorado for five years and pitched well overall out of the Rockies' bullpen. More recently, he joined the Cardinals for the 2015 season on a one-year pact.

5. Jason Marquis, rhp - BA Top 100: #92 - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (6th), 1998 (8th), 1999 (5th), 2000 (6th)

Ahead of his most continued exposure in Atlanta, Marquis has made 17 starts in the minors, though his numbers at Richmond weren't so hot (but low sample size). He also saw 15 games in the majors as a reliever. His time with the Braves in 2001 was notably his best in Atlanta. He appeared in 38 games, including moving to the starting rotation for most of the final three months. He even threw two innings in the NLCS against the D'Backs, though his defense hurt him badly in Game Four, leading to four unearned runs in an eventual 11-4 whipping when the supposedly defensively sound Rey Sanchez threw the ball away. After a rough 2002-03, Marquis time with the Braves was finished.

6. Billy Sylvester, rhp

Spartanberg Methodist College has produced a few solid hitters over the years, including Orlando Hudson, Mookie Wilson, and a pair of ex-Braves in Dwight Smith and Reggie Sanders. Sylvester, a teammate of Hudson, looked like he might be the next one after he transitioned to closer for the 2000 Pelicans and saved 16 games while allowing just four earned runs in 45.2 ING to go with 48 K's. However, he was a little lucky that season. The walks begin to double and while he would continue to save games, he wasn't able to get enough outs to secure much of a look. After the Braves let him leave following the 2003 season, he would go on to play in the Rangers, A's, and Nationals systems before finishing his career by pitching 58 innings for the Somerset Patriots in the Atlantic League. He currently is the head of the Darlington High School baseball program in Darlington, SC along with being an assistant football coach.

7. Adam Wainwright, rhp - BA Top 100: #97 - Other Years in Braves Top 100: 2002 (2nd), 2003 (1st), 2004 (3rd)

It was meant to be. The self-proclaimed "biggest Braves fan in the history of the world" was perfectly matched up with the team that took him 29th overall in 2000. He followed that up by easily mowing down rookie league hitters who had no business stepping into the box against him. He was remarkably consistent and on the verge of greatness by the end of 2003 when...he was traded. After that, I assume he died because I don't remember hearing a thing about him or how that trade worked out.

8. Wes Helms, 3b - Other Years in the Braves Top Ten: 1997 (5th), 1998 (5th), 1999 (9th)

Helms is not interesting enough to continue to write about for this series, but he did follow up an injury-riddled 1999 with a solid season in 2000 so it's good to see him rebound. By the way, his last major league hit was an infield single. Only 48 of his 694 major league hits were infield singles so that's something, especially for a guy who was only successful in three of 15 stolen base attempts.

9. Christian Parra, rhp

Another of those Myrtle Beach pitchers, Parra spent the whole season with the Pelicans after being signed as an undrafted free agent the previous year. His 2000 season included a 17-4 record and 2.28 ERA, good enough to win the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year. He even pitched in a combined no-hitter, finishing a double header shortened game that Tim Spooneybarger, on a rehab assignment, had started with one hitless inning. But after sucking in 2001, he missed all of 2002 to injury and never played another professional game. He did try to get going again in Mexico, but wasn't able to get a look in the Mexican League.

10. Scott Sobkowiak, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2000 (4th)

Baseball America must have been kind to Sobkowiak to keep him on this list after he made just four starts in 2000 due to injury. The Northern Iowa product would reach the majors for one inning to close the year in 2001, but he would never get back to the majors. He has spent the last almost five years as a pitching coach for the Lewis University Flyers, though he doesn't show up right now so he may have moved on.

The Braves had six players in the Top 100, but none made the Top 25. They did eventually get a guy who was in the Top 25 that season when Ben Sheets, ranked fifth, finished his career with nine starts as a member of the 2012 Braves.

Reviewing BA's Top 10: 2000

I began this series two weeks ago to take a look back at 15 years of Baseball America's Top Ten Prospects for the Braves organization. The idea is that, since we are seeing many of these kinds of lists released, it's important to note just how many become notable major league players and how many bust. After all, why get disappointed with how the current list looks when its value is actually low?

For previous years, you can click here.

1. Rafael Furcal, ss - BA Top 100: #8th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1999 (7th)

Furcal would finish his brief, but accomplished minor league career with a jump from the Carolina League to the majors in 2000. Of course, what made the achievement all the more amazing was the news that he was also just 19 years old. Course, that later proved false as he was actually 22. Still a pretty cool deal to make that jump, though.

2. George Lombard, of - BA Top 100: #46th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1996 (7th), 1997 (4th), 1998 (5th), 1999 (2nd)

As tired as I am writing about the guy, Lombard was still a relatively young prospect with potential off the map. He had finally made it to AAA in 1999, but that's where the Atlanta native would stagnant. For trivia purposes, Lombard played for a quartet of International League teams during his career (Richmond, Durham, Pawtucket, and Columbus). Of particular interest for me, he played with Durham for both the Braves and Rays while playing for Columbus for both the Nats and Indians.

3. Marcus Giles, 2b - BA Top 100: #74th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1999 (10th), 2001 (3rd)

Forgive the quality of this youtube clip, but listening to Skip Carey announce your first homer has to be pretty cool for Giles. And watching angry Mike Hampton face brings back repressed memories...

4. Scott Sobkowiak, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2001 (10th)

While the 1999 Myrtle Beach staff wasn't as accomplished as the one that followed them (2.51 team ERA), it still included three of the prospects who made this list, led by Sobkowiak. In 139.1 ING that season, Sobkowiak took advantage of the wind coming off the coast to post a 2.84 ERA to make this list. Unfortunately, that was also his career high in innings. By 2002, he washed out with the Braves and got a brief run with the Reds' Carolina League team before ending his career with 88 games over 4.5 years in independent ball. He did get pitch one inning in the majors, the final inning of the 2001 season where he gave up a run to the Marlins. He now is the pitching coach at Lewis University in Illinois, where he also has obtained a Master's degree.

5. Luis Rivera, rhp - BA Top 100: #51st - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1998 (3rd), 1999 (4th)

One of Sobkowiak's teammates in Myrtle Beach, Rivera only threw 66.2 ING, but his electric arm still earned him high marks, even if he didn't take the ball but so often. 2000 would be the year he moved through the system - even if he also missed time that season - before reaching the majors for a brief run ahead of his trade to the Orioles. And then, injuries. For a trade that was massively unpopular in Baltimore, the fact that Rivera only pitched 2/3's of an inning probably didn't help.

6. Jason Marquis, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (6th), 1998 (8th), 1999 (5th), 2001 (5th)

Running out of things to say about Marquis's pitching career so let's focus on his hitting. Since 2000, Marquis's first taste of the majors, ignoring his pitching, the Staten Island native was a 2.9 fWAR player, good for tenth among pitchers with at least 100 PA in that time frame. While not Hampton or Carlos Zambrano or even Micah Owings, Marquis was as good of a hitting pitcher as you will find, which led to a 2005 Silver Slugger. He's also one of just 15 pitchers since 2000 to have two triples. Which probably shouldn't mean anything, but again, I'm running out of things to say about a guy who keeps getting ranked every season.

7. Junior Brignac, of  

A middle infielder before 1999, Brignac moved to the outfield and posted his best season with a .726 OPS, muted by a second half in Myrtle Beach that didn't come close to the production he provided with Macon. However, that's where he would stick until his release after 2001. He played a year in the Angels system, but was hurt and didn't perform well. After the year, he left baseball for football, joining the University of California football team as a WR. With the Braves footing the bill after Brignac gave up a football scholarship to Washington to sign with Atlanta in the first place, Brignac doesn't seem to have ever made a catch, but did make the team. Since college, he landed at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles as an assistant baseball coach. 

8. Jimmy Osting, lhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (10th)

The Louisville, Kentucky native had been a quick prospect after he was drafted in the fourth round in 1995, but missed all of 1998 due to injury. His return in 1999 was an overwhelming success with a 2.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP for Macon, getting him a return trip to the Braves Top Ten. 2000 saw continued progress to the point where he even made it to Richmond ahead of a trade to the Phillies with Bruce Chen for Andy Ashby. Osting never pitched for Philly and was lost on waivers the next spring after he didn't make the roster. He did pitch three games with the Padres that year and started three more games with the Brewers in 2002, but that was the extent of his major league career. Since hanging them up for good after 2004, Osting runs the Osting Baseball Academy in Florida.

9. Pat Manning, ss 

Talk about building expectations, but not following through. A third rounder in 1999, Manning obliterated the Gulf Coast League after signing, hitting .416 in 24 games before the Braves moved him all the way to Macon. While not nearly as dominating, he still posted a .744 OPS as a 19 year-old. Reasonable people probably had wet dreams about his talent and potential. Yeah, three years later and with zero games above A ball, Manning's career was over.

10. Brett Evert, rhp - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2002 (4th), 2003 (9th)

A weird inclusion on this list in 2000 considering he had logged all of 48.2 ING in the minors in the Gulf Coast League, Evert would eventually become part of that 2001 Myrtle Beach staff that maintained a sub-3.00 ERA for the whole season. That got him back on this list and on the Top 100, but that success was short lived. By 2004, Evert was waived and landed in the Mariners organization. Time with the Sox and Brewers' organizations also did little to get him to the majors and after spending 2007 with Lancaster as a teammate of Sobkowiak and 42 year-old Felix Jose, Evert's career came to a close after eight seasons. Evert soon trasnitioned into being a scout, first with the Rockies, and most recently with the Braves where he is currently the Northwest Scouting Supervisor. Some players from that neck of the woods for the Braves include 2012 fourth rounder Justin Black and 2011 seventh rounder Cody Martin. 

Special Mention: Though he didn't place in the Top Ten for the Braves, Wilson Betemit's potential was recognized when the 18th year-old placed 99th in the Baseball America Top 100. Betemit, who some compared to Derek Jeter at the time, had three seasons of rookie ball under his belt before the 2000 season. His value would skyrocket after a big season with short-season Jamestown in 2000.

Reviewing BA's Top Ten: 1999

Last week, I started this series to look at each of the Baseball America Top 10 Prospects in the Braves system from 1998 to 2012. Why those arbitrary seasons? Because I said so, that's why. Today, we are going to review a list like it's 1999 mainly because that's a the year we will devote our time to. Now, as we progress, in the case of many players, I won't have much to write about because the player already received digital ink in a previous version of this series. If something of interest was missed, I'll try to touch base on it, but that's about it for certain players, including the number one prospect on this list. Like last week, with each name, I will provide, if applicable, that player's ranking in Baseball America's overall Top 100 for that year. I will also mention the other years, if any, the player made the Top Ten and their replacement in those Top Ten's.

1. Bruce Chen, lhp - BA Top 100: 4th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (3rd), 1998 (1st)

Ranked ahead of Chen in the Baseball America Top 100 - J.D. Drew, Rick Ankiel, and Eric Chavez. With Chavez's retirement, Chen has outlasted all of them.

2. George Lombard, of - BA Top 100: 26th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1996 (7th), 1997 (4th), 1998 (5th), 2000 (2nd)

Lombard was the 8th outfielder on the Top 100 in 1999.

3. Odalis Perez, lhp - BA Top 100: 31st - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1998 (4th)

Perez would go on to appear in ten games against the Braves after his trade to the Dodgers, including nine starts. His 4.97 ERA against the Braves was his ninth highest against any team and third highest of any team he appeared in at least 50 innings against.

4. Luis Rivera, rhp - BA Top 100: 71st - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1998 (3rd), 2000 (5th)

As I mentioned last week, Rivera was dealt to the Orioles at the trading deadline in 2000 in the B.J. Surhoff trade. While Rivera was the centerpiece for the O's, they also received catcher Fernando Lunar and outfielder Trent Hubbard. Lunar, who had appeared in 22 games with the Braves prior to the trade, would receive extensive play in 2001 for the O's, but despite being a great receiver, he was never a hitter. His career OPS was .532. He briefly returned to the Braves organization in 2007 for six games with Mississippi before retiring. Hubbard was a 36 year-old journeyman who despite ten years in the majors, he only appeared in at least a hundred games with a team once. He kept playing until he was 41. In addition to Surhoff, the Braves received pitcher Gabe Molina in the deal. He appeared in just two games with the Braves. That was enough. His career came to a close after 2005.

5. Jason Marquis, rhp - BA Top 100: 89th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (6th), 1998 (8th), 2000 (6th), 2001 (5th)

A lot has already been written about Marquis, but don't forget when Marquis first made his mark. The 1991 Little League World Series. The little Staton Island righty tossed a no-hitter against Canada that year.

6. Kevin McGlinchy, rhp - BA Top 100: 47th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (2nd)

Taken in the fifth round during the 1995 draft, McGlinchy's career sadly gets defined by two things. The Grand Slam Single and the arm injuries that kept McGlinchy from ever delivering on the promise. By 1997, McGlinchy was favored by experts as yet another in a long line of great pitching talents the Braves had produced during the 1990's. Baseball America ranked him as the #39th prospect in the game following a 1996 campaign where he struck out over a batter an inning in 15 starts with a 1.49 ERA. Nowadays, we would say that ranking was unwarranted because McGlinchy did most of the damage in rookie ball. After a down year in 1998, McGlinchy got back into the prospect talk with big year in 1999. The following spring, McGlinchy made a pretty surprising jumpo to the bigs despite just six games above A-ball. Maybe the loss of incumbent closer Kerry Ligtenberg to injury opened the spot for him. McGlinchy quickly gained Bobby Cox's trust as the latter used McGlinchy early-and-often. He rewarded his manager with a 70.1 innings of 2.82 ERA and was even better in the second half.

In the playoffs, McGlinchy got the call of Game Four against the Astros. John Smoltz had ran out of steam in the 8th and gave up a three-run homer. Terry Mulholland entered and retired just one of the three he faced, leaving a runner in scoring position. McGlinchy retired future Brave Daryle Ward as the only batter he faced before giving way to John Rocker, who finished the game and series. McGlinchy wouldn't get used again until 8 days later, this time in Game 5 of the NLCS. Already up 3-1 in the series, McGlinchy had entered in a 2-2 tie in the 14th inning with one out and retired two of the three he faced to get the game into the 15th, where the Braves would pull ahead. With a chance to end the series, McGlinchy faltered, giving up a single, a walk, and an intentional walk to load them with one out before walking in the game-tying run. With the count 2-1 to Robin Ventura, McGlinchy served up a meatball that was lifted the hell out of Shea Stadium. Ventura was mobbed by his teammates before he reached second and the game officially ended with Ventura being credited with a walk-off single. McGlinchy would actually regroup and pitched two scoreless innings in the World Series against the Yankees, but that seems like our last memory of him.

He returned in 2000 and appeared in seven games before hitting the Disabled List. He rehabbed and came back in September for a trio of games before the season closed. Over the next two seasons, he would not appear in any games save two one-inning stints with the 2001 GCL Braves. Atlanta cut bait after 2002 and he would pitch at assorted stops between 2003-05, though most of it was independent league pitching. After 2005, his career was over and he went into coaching. He did try a comeback in semi-pro baseball around Boston in 2011 and was still throwing 90 mph, but it looks like that never led to another trip into organized ball.

7. Rafael Furcal, ss - BA Top 100: 60th - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2000 (1st)

Coming off a season where he would swipe 60 bases for Danville in 66 games while walking more than he struck, Furcal would take a big step in 1999 when he stole 96 bases. He quietly on-based .392 that season, too. Defensively, his range was massive and he had a strong arm. Even with all that in mind, it was amazing when he jumped from 43 games to finish the 1999 season with Myrtle Beach to join the big league club to open 2000. Even more amazing was that he posted some of his best numbers of his career in his rookie year. His 73 walks that season are tied for his single-season best and his .394 OBP was his highest full-season total by far. After six years and two DUI charges, he left the Braves for the Dodgers. He signed a three year contract with the Dodgers and was solid there, but looked to be on his way to a return to Atlanta when his agent and him spurned the Braves following the 2008 season. A day after he was reportedly headed to Atlanta for $30M over three years, he abruptly changed course to stay with Los Angeles for $3M more. He would go on to win a ring for the 2011 Cardinals and after missing a season due to injury, played briefly for the Marlins last year before injuries ended his year after a week. Be interesting to see if he gets a shot in 2015.

8. Micah Bowie, lhp

An average starter for his first four seasons, Bowie turned it around in 1998, posting a 3.48 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. It turned him not only into a real prospect in what was a loaded system, but a guy many teams were interested in acquiring. Bowie began 1999 with Richmond and continued to show improvement, striking out over a batter an inning and keeping his WHIP around 1.00. That got him to The Show in late July for a three-game cameo before getting moved to the Chicago Cubs in a move that brought SS Jose Hernandez and the previously mentioned Mulholland to Atlanta. Bowie was woeful in 11 starts with the Cubs after the trade, yielding a 9.96 ERA along the way. After a 2000 season spent in the minors, the Cubs cut the lefty and the A's came calling. He was solid enough down the stetch in 2002 and the A's had enough concerns in the pen for Bowie to make their postseason roster despite only pitching in 12 games that year. He even pitched the final inning and a third of Game 4 of the ALDS, a game started and lost by our pal Tim Hudson in a 11-2 decision. Bowie would go to pitch for both the Nationals and Rockies, though neither experience proved successful. His career came to a close after the 2008 season.

9. Wes Helms, 3b - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 1997 (5th), 1998 (9th)

Helms attempted a steal 15 times in his career. He was successful just three times. Ouch.

10. Marcus Giles, 2b - Other Years in Braves Top Ten: 2000 (3rd), 2001 (3rd)

The baby brother of Brian Giles, Marcus had a monster season in 1998 for Macon, slashing .329/.433/.636 with 37 homers. There's no easy way to look up SALLY records, which is ridiculous, but I do know that Russell Branyan hit 40 in 1996. Giles wouldn't approach such lofty numbers again, but remained super productive leading to a call-up in 2001. He would famously hit an eighth inning Grand Slam on May 15th to lead the Braves to come-from-behind 5-3 win and get demoted two days later. It wasn't until July that he came up to stay. After a down year in 2002, Giles exploded in 2003, hitting 49 doubles and 21 homers while posting a .917 OPS. His numbers remained good after that, but it went down hill real quick leading to one season with the Padres in 2007 where he simply struggled and OPS'd a career-worst .621. After failing to make the Rockies in 2008, his career was over.