The Walk-Off Walk Midseason Top 50

Welcome to the Walk-Off Walk Midseason Top 50. For the first time in this blog's history, the rankings won't just be my thoughts on the matter, but the product of three different voices chiming in. In addition to me, Ryan Cothran has submitted his version and the new addition to the blog, Stephen Tolbert, has gotten in on the act as well.

Below is the list. Shortly before I posted this, I also posted a Walk-Off Talk with all three of us throwing out our thoughts on a variety of things such as the top pick, certain surprises in the rankings, and a few players who should climb up the rankings very soon. When you're done digesting our overall list, scroll down or click here to check it out.

There are a couple of criteria that must be met to be on this list. One, the prospect has to be 25-and-under. Second, the prospect still must retain rookie eligibility. Dansby Swanson exhausted his eligibility this season - meaning, he cannot be a rookie again. Speaking of Swanson, he's one of 13 players to not make this list after being part of my Top 50 during the preseason. Swanson, who was #1, was joined by Luke Jackson (#24) as players who graduated off the list. Juan Yepez(#27) was traded while Steve Janas (#41) was released. The remaining nine players simply fell off, led by Michael Mader at #28.

Finally, when there was a tie among prospects average ranking, I lifted Andy Harris's tie-breaking rule and went with the top individual ranking from any three contributors. This happened four times during the Top 50.

With that in mind, here is the list. Included is the player's previous rank and each of his three placements in the WOW contributors' lists. Again, remember to read our accompanying piece.

Rank	Name	Preseason	Poe	Cothran	Tolbert
1.	Ronald Acuna	9	2	2	1
2.	Ozzie Albies	3	3	1	2
3.	Kyle Wright	UR	1	3	3
4.	Kevin Maitan	5	7	4	4
5.	Kolby Allard	5	4	7	5
6.	Mike Soroka	6	6	5	6
7.	Sean Newcomb	2	4	8	7
8.	Luiz Gohara	7	8	6	10
9.	Ian Anderson	10	10	9	8
10.	Joey Wentz	14	9	10	17

A lot of agreement overall in regards to the top ten prospects in the system as only Wentz's ranking by Tolbert had him outside the Top 10. Allard and Soroka, drafted with consecutive Braves' choice in 2015 and headlining the Mississippi rotation as 19 year-olds, both had an average rank of 5.67. All three writers were in agreement over the Top 3 prospects, but each had a slightly different take.

Rank	Name	Preseason	Poe	Cothran	Tolbert
11.	Alex Jackson	21	16	12	9
12.	Travis Demeritte	13	13	14	12
13.	Austin Riley	12	12	15	13
14.	Touki Toussaint	8	11	22	11
15.	Patrick Weigel	17	14	11	23
16.	Kyle Muller	16	20	16	15
17.	Bryse Wilson	46	22	13	18
18.	Lucas Sims	18	17	18	20
19.	Cristian Pache	26	18	24	14
20.	Dustin Peterson	15	15	19	24

After a lot of the same players showed up in each contributor's Top 10, half of the next ten included players a member of WOW ranked outside the Top 20. Poe learned from his previous mistake and pushed Bryse Wilson up the rankings 24 spots, but still ranked him lower than anybody else and five spots below his WOW rank. Cristian Pache had a much smaller climb but jumped seven spots to #19th. Dustin Peterson became the second member of the rankings to win a tie-breaker after tying with an average of 19.33 but winning based on Poe's 14th placement.

Rank	Name	Preseason	Poe	Cothran	Tolbert
21.	Max Fried	11	19	17	22
22.	Drew Waters	UR	25	25	16
23.	Johan Camargo	UR	27	21	21
24.	A.J. Minter	19	24	20	26
25.	Rio Ruiz	20	23	29	19
26.	Brett Cumberland	25	21	23	28
27.	Derian Cruz	23	31	26	25
28.	Anfernee Seymour	47	29	30	35
29.	Akeel Morris	30	33	32	31
30.	Tyler Pike	UR	26	28	43

As the rankings increase, we start to see much more diversity in thought. Tyler Pike, one of three previously unranked players among this group of ten, makes the Top 30 despite being ranked #43 in Tolbert's ranking. In addition, a pair of players in Anfernee Seymour and Akeel Morris rank higher in the composite rankings than any of their rankings in each of the contributor's three lists. Both Seymour and Pike are among the four biggest climbers with the aforementioned Bryse Wilson joining them. However, nobody jumped higher than Johan Camargo, who goes from unranked to #23.

Rank	Name	Preseason	Poe	Cothran	Tolbert
31.	Ricardo Sanchez	33	30	38	30
32.	Yunior Severino	44	36	33	33
33.	Abraham Gutierrez	43	39	37	27
34.	Randy Ventura	UR	43	27	34
35.	Drew Harrington	UR	28	49	32
36.	Lucas Herbert	32	42	31	36
37.	Freddy Tarnok	UR	UR	35	29
38.	Braxton Davidson	22	32	39	47
39.	Ray-Patrick Didder	31	35	34	UR
40.	Caleb Dirks	34	34	36	UR

For the first time, we begin to see guys appear who wasn't even on all three lists as Freddy Tarnok reaches #37 despite not being on Poe's list. Ricardo Sanchez is the last player whose combined rankings equal less than 100. Drew Harrington and Lucas Herbert tied with an average of 36.33, but Harrington's top individual ranking of #28 secures the #35th spot for him. Braxton Davidson dropped 16 spots, one of biggest declines in the rankings compared to preseason. Randy Ventura makes this list after being included in the preseason 5 Looking In accompanying article to the Top 50. He's the only one of that group to do so.

Rank	Name	Preseason	Poe	Cothran	Tolbert
41.	Isranel Wilson	51	47	40	37
42.	Jason Hursh	UR	37	46	42
43.	Kade Scivicque	45	44	42	39
44.	Drew Lugbauer	UR	UR	41	40
45.	Matt Withrow	29	38	UR	44
46.	Tyler Neslony	UR	45	43	48
47.	Jesse Biddle	35	40	48	49
48.	Devan Watts	UR	41	47	UR
49.	Juan Contreras	UR	50	UR	38
50.	William Contreras	39	46	44	UR

The final ten prospects had a great deal of variety. Five are new to the rankings after not making the preseason one. Jason Hursh returns to the Top 50 rankings after getting removed in the preseason. Drew Lugbauer becomes the fourth member of the 2017 draft class to join the Top 50. In addition, Hursh and Kade Scivicque came down to a tiebreaker. As did Devan Watts and Juan Contreras. One last note - Izzy Wilson was originally going to rank as the #49th top prospect in the preseason list, but a trade after the list began, which added Thomas Burrows and Luiz Gohara to the organization, prompted me to push the preseason list to a Top 52. No such need this year.

Players also receiving votes included Yefri Del Rosario, Leudys Baez, Luis Valenzuela, Wes Parsons, Burrows, Ryan Lawlor, Troy Bacon, and Yenci Pena.

Keep scrolling to read the authors' reasoning for how they arrived at their choices.

Walk-Off Talk 1.2: Checking In With the Top 50 - Part 1

In this new series, Ryan Cothran and I have a back-and-forth as we discuss a subject. It's informal and we hope you guys get something out of it. This week, we’ll look at rising and falling prospects using the Walk-Off Walk Top 50 preseason list as a guide (link takes you to posts about the Top 50). At times, we’ll agree. Other times, we’ll disagree. Join the conversation and tell us where we are misguided in the comment section. 

Wilson (left) with Kyle Mueller | Jeff Morris. Follow on Twitter

RyRy,

It’s hard not to be smug when talking about the farm system the Atlanta Braves have put together. From trades to acquire even more talent to the smart utilization of the draft to maximize both quality and quantity to a recommitment to the international market - and even holdovers from the Frank Wren era like Lucas Sims and Ozzie Albies - the Braves organization is full of not just depth at a number of positions, but talent that has impact potential. Today, I wanted to go over some of the guys that have increased their stock over the first two months of the season. At the same, we can’t ignore the players who are falling down the prospect rankings. To be fair, some of that is due to the first category - the guys pushing their stock up. But there are a few - yes a few -, that have struggled to this point.

I’m going to use my Top 50 as an outline here. Hey, since you’re a full-fledged member of Walk-Off Walk, I guess you are going to have help me with the midseason rankings. Just know that while I value your opinion, if it doesn’t agree with mine, it’s wrong.

Just kidding. Maybe.

Let’s get on with it. #46 Bryse Wilson is kind of the forgotten arm from last year’s class and not only because I keep forgetting to spell his name with an “s” rather than a “c”. A fourth-round pick, Wilson dominated in the Gulf Coast League, but remained firmly in the shadow of Ian Anderson, Joey Wentz, and Kyle Muller. Yet, it was Wilson, not Muller, that jumped from the GCL to the South Atlantic League to open 2017. He hasn’t been as good as Wentz and Anderson according to FIP, but he’s still been damn good. A lot of pre-draft analysis strongly hinted Wilson could be a bullpen guy, but the Braves wouldn't have picked a high school arm that high (#109) to be a bullpen arm. They thought they saw something in him that maybe others didn't. So far, they might be right.

He’s one of the guys I expect to climb up the midseason list considerably. While I have only done a little prep work for it so far, do you expect a Top 30 placement for Wilson?

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Tommy “Edgar Allan” Poe,

When looking at a list that has some of the best pitching prospects in the game, it’s easy to see Bryse Wilson and simply pass him over.  However, he’s making a believer out of me with a fastball that sits 93-95 MPH, can climb as high as 97, and has staying power throughout his starts. Did I mention he’s still two years away from being able to buy a beer legally in the states? Like many young ones, he’s self-admittedly needing to develop his offspeed stuff. He features both a slider and a changeup, but neither are a plus pitch yet. With so many starting pitchers seemingly in front of him on the depth chart, one could see Bryse being converted to an elite relief pitcher where he can feature his fastball that I’d bet could run up to triple-digits in due time. With 58.2 innings of really good baseball under his belt at Rome, accompanied by both a low-BB rate and a high-K rate, I’d say he’s most definitely a big mover up the list on a loaded system, and could be a quick mover after the 2017 season.

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Cothman,

I agree about Wilson completely. I feel almost ashamed that I under ranked him, but that gives him the opportunity to slide up these rankings considerably by midseason.

On the other hand, #36 Connor Lien is likely completely out of the Top 50. He, like Randy Ventura, was a guy I grew to love in 2015. Unlike Ventura, though, he’s only gotten worse. Back in ‘15, he slashed .285/.347/.415 with incredible defense. While it would have been difficult to predict stardom based on his numbers, there was enough value here to predict a 2-3 fWAR season once Lien was established in the majors.

But that hope is a pipe dream now. He wasn’t terrible during an injury-shortened 2016, but has fallen off the map this season with a strikeout rate hovering around 40%. Even Rob Deer and Mark Reynolds are telling him to make some contact. Things were so bad that he spent a week at extended spring training to try to clear his head. Unfortunately, it appears like Lien’s prospect status has completely eroded or am I wrong?

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Tommy,

I cannot argue here, but I can also brag on myself a bit: I never bit on Lien and I have Chris Johnson to thank for that.  The year of Lien’s breakout was 2 full years after the infamous .394 BABIP. Lien’s was .379 in 2015, and even with that, he didn’t break an .800 OPS. However, guys around Tomahawk Take were blowing up his defensive abilities and that combined with his speed made him a nice under the radar prospect. When Braves chose to leave him unprotected for the Rule-5 draft and he went unclaimed, it told me that no matter how great of a defensive Gandalf he could be, he’s just not going to be a big league commodity. As one can see this year, when his BABIP gets in the “league average” range, the offensive results are poor. You’re right in removing him from the list. Hopefully, for Lien he can turn it around...baseball is hard.

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Mr. Obvious,

Indeed, baseball is very hard. Sometimes, I admit I let my personal feelings overrule the logic side of me. I loved watching Lien in 2015. Still holding out hope he sells his soul for another BABIP-inflated season. It was kind of fun to watch the first time.

Jeff Morris. Follow on Twitter

Onto a happier subject, Cristian Pache turns 19 next November, yet he's handling the South Atlantic League like a guy a few years older and with more experience than 57 games at rookie level. When Pache and Derian Cruz signed back in 2015, it was Cruz that garnered more accolades, but early in their careers, it's Pache who looks like a real prospect.

He's still learning to utilize his speed, but he's got the wheels to do some big things. So far, he's stolen 15 bases and has been caught just four times. But what really intrigues me is the potential pop in his bat. He has a big leg kick before driving forward in the box with a bat that explodes through the zone. It hasn't produced much in terms of real homerun power to this point, but the smart money is that he'll start popping a few in the near future. I had him ranked #26th coming into the season and he might not break into the Top 20 just yet - which is not a slight against him, but a representation of the talent throughout the system. Regardless, I have been impressed with a guy who only has five plate appearances during his brief career against a pitcher younger than him. Oh, and hey, he has elite center fielder potential in the field. Not that the Braves don't already have one of those, but it's great to keep cranking them out.

Despite the big leg kick, he's only striking out about 19% of the time against older and more experienced pitchers. The improvement in his walk rate (5.5% to 8.3%) is also exciting is as I look for progression in rate stats as a tell-tale sign of a rising prospect. So, my question is this, Ryan...how much power do you project Pache developing? I think he can be, at worst, a .150 ISO guy if he progresses like we hope he can. Is that too much to expect?

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TomCat,

The body, the frame to grow into, the speed...it’s all there. But really, the numbers aren’t. In 465 plate appearances, not a single dinger.  What gives? I’ve got a theory, but let’s hold off a bit.

The positives, there’s much to like here as his speed, defensive efficiency, and ability to get on base is what’s driven his prospect rankings and like you stated, these skills are standing up* against competition older than him (it seems like we say this about every Braves prospect these days).

*Albeit, his .707 OPS leaves me wanting more and his .364 BABIP likely isn’t long-term sustainable

But the power? Many would think just by looking at his numbers that he must be a wiry kid, but that’s not the case. He’s 6’2, muscular, 185 pounds, and growing...so again, where’s the power? In the samples that I’ve seen (you can see it on YouTube, but I also subscribe to MILBTV so I’ve seen a15-20 more ABs than the norm) Pache seems to have a problem with weight distribution. So many times (to the point it seems intentional), he gets caught out on his front foot which all but crushes his ability to drive the ball. At this point, I feel it’s a habit he has to break that he probably developed early in his career to utilize his speed and get out of the box quick turning singles into doubles and doubles into triples. If he can stay back on the ball and generate the needed power from his legs, look out! Adding power to his game is the last thing that’s holding this kid back from being a 5-tool athlete on the heels of Ronald Acuna, but it’ll take a lot of time in the cages to work out an old habit that’ll likely take a while to die hard.

Random Prospect Sunday - Randy Ventura

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

There's speed and then there's Randy Ventura speed. The hyper-quick 19-year-old has some attractive skills - some of which made Jose Peraza and Mallex Smith intriguing to Braves' fans over the last few seasons. Will Ventura follow their path to the majors? Hard to bet against him at this point.

Born July 11, 1997, Ventura has the rare honor of being born on the same day as a Tom Glavine stinker. Glavine surrendered eight runs on that day to the Mets, getting beat up by the likes of Manny Alexander, Rey Ordonez, and Bernard Gilkey. That wasn't Ventura's fault, of course. A Dominican Republic native, Ventura was born in Pimentel, a city that hasn't been quite as active in producing major league talent as others like San Cristobal and Santo Domingo.

Ventura was not a highly regarded youngster as the 2014-15 international signing market opened up. Rather than signing in July like many prospects, the switch-hitter waited and waited until February 13, when the Braves finally signed him. Atlanta was under new management and had recently grabbed international guru Gordon Blakely from the Yankees. Perhaps Ventura was one of his guys. Either way, the soon-to-be 18-year-old quickly endeared himself to the organization. Typically, prospects spend a year at the international complex sharpening their skills, but Ventura was assigned to the Dominican Summer League just four months after signing. He was given the starting center fielder assignment and opened the season in the leadoff spot. Hell of a few months for him.

The scrawny kid predictably showed little in terms of power, but he didn't need to hit doubles. His legs turned singles into doubles via the stolen base. In 58 games, Ventura hit .329 and swiped 55 bases in just 64 attempts. It took fellow speedster Mallex Smith 67 more games - and a steal in the season's final game - to overtake Ventura for the organizational lead. To be fair, stolen base totals are inflated in the DSL by raw pitchers who don't hold runners well and equally raw catchers. Nevertheless, that many steals in that short amount of time is still an accomplishment. Over the last ten years, only two other players have reached the 50-steal plateau in the DSL and just one has surpassed Ventura's 55 steals.

Ventura also showed tremendous plate discipline with 35 walks to 27 strikeouts. Again, we should preface this by saying DSL pitchers aren't exactly renowned for control. Nevertheless, when a player on-bases .421, it's enough to open up some eyes. It definitely opened mine as I ranked Ventura #25th
in my preseason Top 50 prospects. But I had nearly added Elias Arias to my Top 30 rankings the previous year after a good year in the DSL. Arias has since been cut.

Clearly, that didn't happen with Ventura, but he started 2016 with a few extra eyes on him and not all of that was related to his production in the DSL. The previous year, for all of its great accomplishments, ended with a car crash right before the season ended. He suffered a left shoulder blade injury in the crash. Months later, he was assigned to join the Gulf Coast club to open 2016. He would no longer be the everyday center fielder - Cristian Pache was more highly regarded handled the position until he was promoted. Venture also...just wasn't as effective. He continued to walk at a nice rate (11%) but the ball stopped finding as many holes. His wOBA fell from .404 to .340.

On the plus side, Ventura was young for the level and 166 of his 227 PA came against pitchers older than him. He also finished with a .380 OBP over his final 80 PA. However, the weapon that had garnered him so much attention in the first place - his speed - wasn't showing up. He swiped just 15 bases - 40 fewer than the previous year - and was caught six times. Even accepting that GCL catchers are better at cutting down runners than DSL ones, it was still a considerable disappointment. His speed did appear on August 6 when, with two outs and the bases loaded, Ventura finished a five-run rally that began with a Griffin Benson homer with a homer of his own - a Grand Slam. Not only that but an inside-the-park Grand Slam homerun. Ventura finished the game with five ribbies.

Expected to receive a promotion to Danville, Ventura was a mild surprise in that he skipped past the Virginia stop to begin 2017 in Rome. So far this season, we have seen the very good and the suspect from Ventura. On the suspect side, his walk rate has been cut in half from the roughly 12% he carried over his first two seasons. In addition, his strikeout rate is up about 6%. His ISO has also declined nearly by half. These are not promising trends. On the bright side, he's hitting a cool .333, good for third in the league, and has swiped 18 bases, one off the pace for the league lead. He hasn't homered and has just five extra-base hits, including one triple. One last negative is that his .410 BABIP is unlikely to continue.

With three seasons of data, we can make a few observations on Ventura. Sticking to the theme, he's fast. Freaky fast. He possesses good bat control and even though the strikeouts are climbing, I think he'll be a high contact guy. The plate discipline decline this season is worrisome but could disappear by the season's end. He has good instincts in the outfield and only the presence of Pache is limiting him to right field rather than center, where he has the skills to play but Pache is simply better. Ventura's arm isn't bad, but I haven't seen much to suggest it's much of a weapon.

The big question for Ventura moving forward is if he'll ever develop an ounce of pop in his bat. A career .057 ISO typically will ruin any hope a player has of progressing no matter how fast he is. You have to flash some pop here-and-there at least. Bill Ballew of Baseball America (subscription required) thinks there is undiscovered pop in his bat. If he can smack the occasional homer and increase his extra-base ability, he'll have enough intriguing skills to climb the prospect ladder.

Ventura is a fun prospect to watch because he already possesses a top-grade tool and a couple of other B-grade tools. What he needs now is to increase his lowest grade tools to a more respectable level. As he attempts to do just that, enjoy watching the player that he is now because every time the bat is in his hands or he's on base, something eye-popping could occur.

More Random Prospects...
Evan Phillips (5/28/17)
Kevin Josephina (5/14/17)
Jacob Webb (3/5/17)

Braves Top 50 Prospects, 2017 Preseason: #30-#21

Today, I continue my Top 50 prospects with the middle ten ranging from the #21st prospect to the #30th. Many of these prospects would be in the Top 20 of other systems, but the incredible depth of Atlanta's farm system has them just outside my Top 20. I want to thank all of you for reading. At the bottom, you'll find a running countdown with links to previous versions of this list. Feel free to share as well to other Braves fans.

30. Akeel Morris, RHP, 24 years-old, Grade: C+

Judging by this winter's moves that sent both Robert Whalen and John Gant packing, Morris could be moved sometime next winter. Like the two aforementioned righties, Morris was acquired from the Mets for Kelly Johnson (though a year later). He has appeared once in the majors - and it was pretty ugly. Facing the Blue Jays in June of 2015, Morris walked the first two batters he faced before getting a groundout. A pair of singles followed, scoring two runs before Danny Valencia hit a three-run bomb off Morris. He retired the next batter before walking yet another, which finally got him the boot. It turned a 3-0 game into an 8-0 blowout. Morris' final line - 0.2 ING, 3 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 67.50 ERA.

Outside of that, Morris has been quite effective in the minor leagues as he slowly made his climb up the ladder. In 2014, his first season at full-season ball after three years at the short-season/rookie level, Morris had some video game stats in the South Atlantic League (57 innings, 1.90 FIP, 14 K/9, 3.5 BB.9, 16 saves). The season cemented his prospect status and while his 2015 wasn't quite as dominant, it was still a solid campaign split between High-A and Double-A. Surprisingly - to me - he was left in Double-A to open 2016 and perhaps the lack of a promotion messed with him because his numbers took a climb in the wrong direction before a midseason trade to the Braves. His control was still a bit iffy, but he cut his FIP by two runs.

Morris works off a mid-90's fastball and a plus-changeup. He can get by on those two pitches, but his slider could be the difference maker in getting him into higher-leverage situations as it changes the batter's eye. For Morris, it's all about his mechanics. There's a good deal of herky-jerky movement in his delivery that can lead to some mechanical problems. Plus, he drags his arm through on his follow-through, which demands great strength and depends on Morris having the rest of his mechanics down to be effective. He has a talented right arm and could be in the majors to stay very soon if he can find consistency in his delivery and release point.




29. Matt Withrow, RHP, 23 years-old, Grade: C+

Former Brave Chris's little brother had a pretty impressive campaign last year in Carolina. The Texas Tech alum finished second in the Carolina League in strikeouts and even in a stacked system, he still had the fifth most strikeouts with 131.

The only real criticism of his season comes down to walks. That is to say, there were too many of them. Sixty-eight in total - all unintentional - for a walk rate of about five per nine innings. He also uncorked eight wild pitches and hit nine batters. These are things that will have to be cleaned up if Withrow is going to remain a prospect as a starting pitcher.

Withrow possesses a heavy fastball that sinks as it reaches the plate. When he can effectively throw the heater for strikes both low and high in the zone and hit his corners, it can be a difficult pitch to properly read. He can hit 96 or so with heater, though typically sits a few ticks slower. He pairs the fastball with a slider that has swing-and-miss potential at the major league level. About 10-15 mph slower than his fastball, the break on the breaking pitch is solid and is difficult to solidly connect on. He also either has a curve or takes something off his slider to give it more of a curve feel. What might decide his future is his changeup. He gets good movement on it and if he can locate it, he'll have the collection of pitches needed to be a starter. Withrow, who skipped Rome last year, will get his shot to prove that he belongs among the top Braves prospects with Mississippi in 2017.




28. Michael Mader, LHP, 22 years-old, Grade: C+

Mader is the kind of quiet and good pitcher the Braves seem to trade for in bunches over the last few years. He's good enough to deserve Top 30 consideration and might be even better than that. We just don't know yet - but results so far are impressive. Acquired, along with #47 Anfernee Seymour, last summer in the Hunter Cervenka deal, Mader was a third round pick in 2014 out of Chipola College.

Mader struggled with control and consistency in 2015 in the South Atlantic League but had turned it around in the Florida State League last year prior to the trade. In 103 innings, his strikeout rate was 4.7% higher, his walk rate was 1.5% lower, and his FIP had dropped a run. After the trade, Mader got a taste of Double-A and in five starts, Mader was unbeatable. Well, not really because he was saddled with three losses to no wins, but all the previous rates that looked better in the FSL looked even better in the Southern league.

Mader's fastball has a high-end velocity in the mid-90's, though it's more likely to sit in the low-90's. It's a good pitch that Mader fools hitters with routinely. He also throws a slow looping curve with 12-6 movement and a harder curve. He adds a change-of-pace that looks like his fastball right up until it's right on the hitter. I look at Mader as a guy with high-leverage inning potential as a reliever, but he's still a starter option. He'll likely join Withrow to help lead the Mississippi rotation.



27. Juan Yepez, 1B, 19 years-old, Grade: C+

After a strong debut season in which he slashed .299/.364/.458 over two rookie-league stops, a lot was hoped for with Yepez entering 2016. Unfortunately, injuries played a major role in a big letdown. He homered just once with Rome and had a sub-.100 ISO over 26 games total.

Frank Wren's last big international signing, the hope was that Yepez would help solidify third base. However, the addition of Austin Riley and Yepez's defensive limitations at the Hot Corner have led Yepez to be moved across the infield to first. Armed with quick hands and a strong hit tool, Yepez should add more power to his game as he matures.

The big question for Yepez is his plate discipline. Like many young players, Yepez tends to think that just because he can put wood on the ball means that he should swing. That leads to a lot of weak contact, though in his defense, his quick bat leads to a lot of "out-of-the-zone" hits. Nevertheless, you'd like to see him show more maturity in 2017 as he repeats Rome.

No video available

26. Cristian Pache, OF, 18 years-old, Grade: C+

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2015, Pache made his professional debut in 2016 and in doing so, set himself up to be the next IT prospect for the Braves. In 27 games as a 17-year-old in the Gulf Coast League, Pache slashed .283/.325/.377. He'd look even better in 30 games to finish the season with Danville. Overall, Pache hit .309/.349/.391 with 4 doubles, 7 triples, and 11 steals. Oh, and he faced just one pitcher all year younger than he was.

The Braves under The Holy John Trinity have shown a willingness to aggressively push young prospects and Pache experienced that last year. I believe he won't be pushed like that this year, but mainly because the Braves like to let their prospects spend a whole year at Rome to get used to full-season ball. Regardless, if the 6'2" right-handed hitter adds some bulk without sacrificing his ability to play center field, he could make a Ronald Acuna-like jump. 

25. Brett Cumberland, C, 21 years-old, Grade: B-

Drafted with the 76th pick last June, Cumberland was just a sophomore when the Braves grabbed him out of Cal. He headed to Danville after signing and struggled down the stretch - especially with contact. He struck out 49 times in just 189 PA - or a quarter of the time. He flashed limited power (.123).

I still like his potential, though, and if his defense can improve to an acceptable level, I believe he has a future as a hitting catcher. Far more concerning than his defense to me is his contact rate. Cumberland's hit tool has too much potential to be squandered by a 25%+ strikeout rate. The Braves could opt to shield Cumberland from a potential worrisome assignment at Rome to begin 2017, though I doubt it. Like Tanner Murphy before him, he'll be given the sink-or-swim scenario. It didn't work for Murphy, but Cumberland's bat is much better.



24. Luke Jackson, RHP, 25 years-old, Grade: B-

One of the oldest prospects on this list, Jackson was acquired from the Rangers in the Tyrell Jenkins deal last month. Originally a first rounder out of Fort Lauderdale in 2010, Jackson had a strong beginning to his career as he quickly climbed to Triple-A by the end of 2014. That's where the stagnation began. In 128.1 innings, Jackson has an ERA near 6.00 at the minor league's highest level. The walks (5.5 per nine) are particularly alarming and he's been prone to serve up homers.

Originally a starter until moving to the pen in 2015, Jackson sits in the high-90's that will make-or-break any particular appearance based on whether or not he shows feel for his heater. Also, he has enough giddy-up on the pitch to reach triple digits. His other pitch is an inconsistent curveball which has strikeout ability, but is dependent on Jackson's mechanics being tight - and that's not always the case. Finally, Jackson has a changeup from his starter days, though you could go a week or two without seeing it.

From a stuff/movement perspective, there's a lot to love about Jackson. He gives the batter something to think about with a little skip in his delivery and when he's on, Jackson has a pair of plus-pitches that compliment one another coming out of the pen. The problem is that I have to condition it "when he's on" because he has some mechanical issues that can lead to him missing his spots badly. The Braves took a bet on his arm and their ability to get him to use it better. If they are successful, they have a high-leverage reliever with closer potential.



23. Derian Cruz, SS, 18 years-old, Grade: B-

After inking a $2 million signing bonus in 2015, Cruz made his professional debut last summer. It was a bit of a mixed bag. Similar to the other big member of that signing period (Pache), Cruz handled the Gulf Coast League with ease before spending the final month or so with Danville. However, unlike Pache, Cruz struggled with his new assignment both at the plate (.183/.204/.279) and in the field (12 errors in 24 games). Again, just like Pache, he faced just one pitcher all year younger than he was.

Cruz entered the international signing period in 2015 as the #5th best prospect according to Baseball America. Lauded for his athleticism and potential 80-grade speed, Cruz doesn't have quite as much current ability as Pache and his performance made that clear. Nevertheless, Cruz is a switch-hitter with explosive natural gifts who should be capable of staying at shortstop. If his bat comes along as the Braves obviously believed it would when they signed him, he'll be the next in a long line of strong prospects the Braves have developed at shortstop.



22. Braxton Davidson, OF, 21 years-old (6/18), Grade: B-

I've been waiting for two years to see the Brax Show break out and while there have been some good signs, it's only made it clearer where Davidson hasn't shined yet. Could 2017 change that? I really hope so because if Davidson puts his game together and lives up to the hype he had entering the 2014 draft, he'll give the Braves some monster raw power that they simply have struggled to develop over the last number of years.

A native of Asheville, NC, Davidson has hit just .232 as a professional. That's despite strong BABIP numbers (.337 in 2015, .360 last year). To put it bluntly, Davidson is not making enough contact as his 30% strikeout rate indicates. He does walk a lot to the tune of 16% of the time. Add those percentages together and Davidson is only putting the ball in play a little more than half of the time he steps into the batter's box. There's patience and then there's Davidson.

The challenge for the Braves is getting Davidson to be more aggressive. At that point, we'll know more about his actual batting eye versus being fickle as he waits for his pitch. To take that next step, Davidson is going to have to show he can put the bat on the ball more frequently while accessing more of the raw power he was lauded for entering the draft three years ago. If he does that, even if his hit tool is never great, he's got the capability of posting strong OBP/SLG marks in the majors if his batting eye is true. He likely needs another year in High-A ball before pushing him up to Double-A so I hope Atlanta is patient with him.

21. Alex Jackson, Catcher/Outfield, 21 years-old, Grade: B-

I was quite tempted to boost Jackson up the rankings by the confirmation that the former sixth overall pick was going to be moved back to catcher, but I will stick with this ranking for now and wait for Jackson to earn a Top-20 slot rather than be gifted it because of his position. Good news there is I do expect Jackson to climb this list by midseason.

We know the story about Jackson so far. Picked sixth overall, he struggled with injuries and a nagging reputation of having maturity issues. Last year, his Age-20 season, he played in 92 games with Clinton in the Midwest League and hit .243/.332/.408. The bad news here, beyond the slash, is that he K'd 27% of the time. The good news is that he posted a .165 ISO against mostly older pitchers and slashed .274/.358/.430 over his last 300 PA. He also had a .346 wOBA so the talk about how disappointing his season was is tremendously overblown.

Jackson was the best prep hitter heading into the 2014 draft for a reason. He was selected sixth overall for a reason. He was ranked among the Top 100 prospects heading into 2016 for a reason. On the other hand, I rank him outside my Top 20 also for a reason. I want to be impressed because right now, I see both the good and the bad, but with 2.5 years of professional experience, I have yet to have my socks blown off. I think Jackson can do that, though. The raw power he possesses immediately rivals Austin Riley, though the latter is higher ranked because he has done a better job taking his raw power and turning it into game power.

It's incredibly difficult to spotlight one prospect in this system because it's so rich in them. That said, it's hard not to be intrigued by Jackson. If he can turn the corner, even if it's repeating Low-A, and shows the ability to catch, he's got All-Star potential. I wouldn't be surprised, nor disappointed, to see the Braves start Jackson in Rome. With the position switch, change in scenery, and so on, it could be a good location for him. The opportunity to work with Ian Anderson and company wouldn't be the worst idea, either. 

2017 Walk-Off Walk Top 50 Prospects*
5 Looking In (Honorable Mentions)
#52-43
#42-31

The Walk-Off Walk Top 52 Prospects (to recap)
52. Jon Kennedy
51. Isranel Wilson
50. Yoeli Lopez
49. Carlos Castro
48. Dilmer Mejia
47. Anfernee Seymour
46. Bryse Wilson
45. Kade Scivicque
44. Yunior Severino
43. Abrahan Gutierrez
42. Jonathan Morales
41. Steve Janas
40. Chad Sobotka
39. William Contreras
38. Bradley Roney
37. Thomas Burrows
36. Connor Lien
35. Jesse Biddle
34. Caleb Dirks
33. Ricardo Sanchez
32. Lucas Herbert
31. Ray-Patrick Didder
30. Akeel Morris
29. Matt Withrow
28. Michael Mader
27. Juan Yepez
26. Christian Pache
25. Brett Cumberland
24. Luke Jackson
23. Derian Cruz
22. Braxton Davidson
21. Alex Jackson

*Top 50 was increased to Top 52 after a trade.

Coppy's Q&A Review

Yesterday, Atlanta Braves general manager John Coppolella conducted another of his #AskCoppy Q&A chats over twitter. These small sessions have become something of great anticipation as it provides fans a glimpse - with limited characters - into one of baseball's brightest minds. Here are some of the fascinating exchanges.

What part(s) of the new CBA will have the biggest impact on the @Braves, your job, etc.? #AskCoppy

— Mostly B.S. (@BravesStats) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: The biggest changes involve the amateur draft and foreign signing rules.  Ultimately we will be as good as our scouts & player development.

My take: I pointed this out recently as I reviewed some of the ways the new CBA will affect the Braves. Coppy couldn't be more right and not only because of the team's recent focus on prospects. While there was some degree of work to re-do things in the CBA like the luxury tax and other appeasements the owners gave to the players in regards to better conditions in the clubhouse and information provided to players, the new CBA focuses the most on how much money amateur talent will receive to play in professional baseball in America.

@Braves What's the focus for the rest of the winter? #AskCoppy

— Aaron Kirby (@gaaronkirby) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Don't do anything stupid.  We have gotten better and held our prospects.  We want to improve gradually not "win" the off-season per se.

My take: This is a very astute view on the current landscape. The Braves have publicly dipped their toes into Chris Sale and Chris Archer market, but refused to swing for the fences on Sale and do not seem inclined to do for Archer. The Braves have succeeded in "improving gradually," as Coppy alludes to. The trio of Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, and Jaime Garcia won't be highly talked about in the season previews many publications put out, but the Braves don't need that. In 2016, the goal was to be better than they had been in 2015. 2017 will see a similar goal - be better than the year before.

@Braves How is Ozzie healing? Ahead of schedule or behind or right on? #AskCoppy

— Sam (@SamTheMan180) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Great question.  We got an update late last week that he will be able to resume baseball activities in early January -- ahead of schedule.

My take: "Ozzie" in this case refers to, of course, Ozzie Albies. It's been four months since the middle infield prospect suffered a fractured elbow. While Coppy says that he's ahead of schedule, that must have been a conservative timeline because multiple sources reported early January as a probable jumping off point for baseball activities. Regardless, it's great to see that he's avoided any concerning setbacks. The prevailing wisdom suggests Albies is ticketed for a trip to Gwinnett to begin 2017, but if all goes well, he'll be up in the majors by the summer to give the Braves a long-term double play combo.

@Braves what prospects would you consider virtually untouchable? #AskCoppy

— Josh Tanner (@jtanner39) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Hate putting labels on anybody as "touchable" or "untouchable" -- will say there are about 20 guys we really want to hold & see what we have

My take: I love this answer. It's refreshingly honest. He essentially is saying guys like Albies, Sean Newcomb, and others can be had, but the Braves would much rather keep them and won't deal them unless it's the right deal. As we saw with the Sale offer, the Braves are still looking for the right deal to really go for broke - and probably won't find it. That's okay, though. As Coppy already said, "don't do anything stupid."

As @Braves Braves consider catchers, looking at any prospect on the cusp trade type deals or strictly veterans? #AskCoppy

— Rick (@DunknDutchMan) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: We added Kade Scivicque late in a trade last year & he tore up Fall Lg.  Also talking w/ Alex Jackson about catching which could be huge!

My take: This was one of the most informative responses during the session. Scivicque did torch the Arizona Fall League after being a late season addition from the Tigers for Erick Aybar. He posted a .412 wOBA in the AFL. Now, that was just 39 PA and his wOBA was about a hundred points lower during the regular season, but he does have some sleeper qualities. Of more interest was the confirmation that the Braves are not ready to give up on Alex Jackson as a catcher prospect. A former sixth overall pick just two drafts ago, Jackson was a top prep star behind the plate before the Mariners moved him from behind the plate. I have not read that it was a defensive choice, but an offensive one. If Jackson's offensive profile, which was elite entering the 2014 draft, played out like the Mariners expected, they didn't want to lose him 1-2 times a week to give him rest and potentially shorten his shelf life as an offensive force. Later in the chat, Coppy mentions more directly that they will try Jackson behind this plate this spring and see how things go.

@Braves Have you already contacted all 14 teams with competitive balance picks to discuss trades? #AskCoppy

— Ben Reichert (@BENcorrigible) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: No.  Of the 14 teams only 5-6 realistically would even consider trading them -- but yes I have contacted those teams.  I love the draft.

My take: He absolutely does love the draft. In the last two seasons, they acquired the 2015 #41 overall pick from the Padres, the 2015 #75th overall pick from the Diamondbacks, the the 2016 #40 overall from the Marlins via the Hector Olivera trade, and the 2016 #76th overall from the Orioles. Those picks were then used on Austin Riley, A.J. Minter, Joey Wentz, and Brett Cumberland. All four now rank in Atlanta's Top 20 Prospects in the minds of many. Very few GMs have been as aggressive in adding draft choices like Coppelella and even with the changes in draft slot money to discourage tanking, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Braves add another draft pick or two before next June.

@Braves what player in the system do you believe will surprise people this year? #AskCoppy

— Nick Rupp (@nickrupp10) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: I would say Ronald Acuna, but cat is out of bag there -- maybe Cristian Pache or Bryse Wilson.

My take: Both are great choices. I recently touched on the 2016 Draft and Wilson could be a sneaky good pick out of that draft. He didn't receive a lot of fanfare, but dominated the Gulf Coast League last summer. It would not shock me to see him blitz the Appalachian League before joining Rome next summer. As for Pache, the Braves picked him up in the international signing period of 2015. He expected to be a capable center fielder and the belief was that he would develop some pop to give him a more rounded game. It didn't show last year, but he had zero issues handling both GCL and Appy Legaue pitchers. He's likely headed to Rome to begin next year and, as Coppy said, he'll be one to keep an eye on.

@Braves Will Adonis Garcia platoon with Rio Ruiz at 3B for 2017 or will Ruiz start in AAA for 2017? #AskCoppy

— Brandon Williams (@nis350ztt) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Rio had a nice year & did a great job of conditioning.  He has a very bright future & will get opportunity along w/ Adonis.

My take: I think the Braves would love nothing more than for Ruiz to come to spring and play his way into a platoon with Garcia. Clay Davenport's metrics do not look kindly on Ruiz's D, though Garcia isn't known for his defense either. Together, the two could combine to be a 2.5 fWAR third baseman and while that's not outstanding, Braves third baseman have combined for just 3.1 fWAR the last three years. The Braves don't seem interested in adding much to this position right now. A different question in the Q&A mentioned Trevor Plouffe as a possibility, though Coppy wasn't too excited about the idea. Can't blame him for that, though. Plouffe's wOBA has fell ten points in each of the last two seasons.

Kelly Johnson a target for you to fill out the bench? #Braves @Braves #AskCoppy

— Ryan Cothran (@baldheaded1der) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: I've stayed in touch with Kelly throughout the off-season & spoke to him earlier this week.  Terrific talent, better person, can help us.

My take: I have a massive man crush on KJ that goes back to when he was one of the 2005 Baby Braves. Johnson has joined the Braves in each of the last two offseasons only to be dealt to the Mets the next summer. Could Johnson return for a fourth time? It may be difficult to see a spot on the bench for him - especially if the Braves want Ruiz to receive significant playing time at third base. The Braves already have Sean Rodriguez and adding KJ would force Rodriguez to either be the primary backup in center field (with the Braves not keeping a true 4th outfielder) or the primary backup at shortstop. Neither are ideal. That said, KJ could bring the team a bit more depth and open up some trading options.

@Braves plans for the draft? Trade for more picks? College bat/Arm or stick to going bpa and take pitching? #AskCoppy

— Stephen Law (@SBLaw14) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Stick to the plan & trust our scouts.  Biggest thing for us is upside.  We aren't going to beat Cubs, Dodgers, etc w/ nice, safe players.

My take: I love this tweet so much I want to marry it. I've spoken many times about the clear difference in drafting between Frank Wren and Coppy. One valued high-floor, depth guys who might have a little extra unearthed via the Braves' development team. The other valued high-ceiling guys who have a higher chance of busting, but also a higher chance of becoming big time performers. "Nice, safe players" like Joey Terdoslavich and Todd Cunningham might help your team, but they won't make you a contender.

#AskCoppy Is there any possibility of Matt Wieters coming to Atlanta this off-season?

— Rick Huntsinger (@rick_huntsinger) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Lots of questions about Wieters because he's good -- never say never, but it would have to make sense for him and for us

My take: Read between the lines - we like Wieters, we'd like to sign Wieters, we don't like his price tag and/or amount of years he wants. We're talking about a guy who has played 225 games the last three years to the tune of 3.6 fWAR. His pitch framing wouldn't appear to be a fit for this team, but if there is a way a Wieters-to-ATL connection works...it might be with a one-year deal where Wieters hits free agency again next year. He'll have some competition - mainly Jonathan Lucroy - but I don't think the Braves want to go long-term with him unless he is willing to give them a deal.

@Braves do you see AJ Minter starting the season in Atlanta? And will he be on any sort of innings limit this year? #AskCoppy

— Kyler Kelton (@kylerkelton) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Great name Kyler.  AJ Minter is somebody we speak about often & likely to be a very big part of our 2017 team.  Nasty in a good way.

My take: If you don't know who Minter is just yet, learn it. His selection speaks of something I just went over - the Braves value high upside over safe picks. Selecting Minter in 2015 while knowing they wouldn't see him pitch in a game until 2016 because of Tommy John surgery was the kind of move that forward-thinking teams make. If Minter builds upon his 2016 and is able to stay healthy, he'll be in Atlanta in 2017 as Coppy mentions.

@Braves #AskCoppy how excited were you with the progress Touki showed 2nd half of last year? Do you see him as potential 1-2?

— Ty Greene (@TyGreene5) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Good call, Ty.  Touki has as much upside as any pitcher in our system & could be 1-2 type.  One internal comp on him is actually (Chris) Archer.

My take: Here's where I get to point out how ridiculously good Touki Toussaint was over the final couple of months. From June 7 until his final game on September 5, Toussaint had a 2.72 ERA and struck out 104 over 89.1 innings. He's still raw and needs to work on his command, but when it comes to "upside," you'd be hard-pressed to find another pitcher with a higher ceiling in this system and, for that matter, most systems in baseball.

@Braves how are you planning to utilize your 3 super utility players (Rodriguez, chase, and Jace)? #AskCoppy

— Keeley Baringer (@keeleybaringer) December 15, 2016

Coppy's take: Thanks Keeley -- all will get a chance to play a lot, often at multi positions.  The versatility will help us w/ potential 8-man pen.

My take: I'm including this tweet because Coppy mentions an 8-man pen. I don't know if they will truly consider this and I really hope that they don't. With a veteran rotation, it would seem like a real waste to carry more pitchers than position players regardless of how flexible the team is position-wise.

There were many tweets I didn't touch here - including several more mentions of Chris Archer, which Tomahawk Take focused on. As a Braves blogger - and Braves fan - we are very fortunate to have a general manager willing to spend time answering questions from fans in such an open forum.

Transaction Tuesday: Allard, Shae, Kinman, Pache

These moves happened between May 31 and June 6. Check out the previous week's recap.

Gwinnett Braves
Promoted (from MIS): Brad Roney...A righty out of Southern Miss in 2014, Roney is another of those exciting arms who has off-the-charts stuff, but doesn't always know where it's going. In fact, he rarely does. Last year, he struck out 70 in 48.1 innings, but also walked 35, hit six batters, and uncorked six wild pitches. More of the same this year, but the Braves are still progressing him through the system in a hurry. While no one should be compared to Craig Kimbrel, it's worth remembering Kimbrel had serious control concerns in the minors. The year before he hit the majors, Kimbrel walked 6.8 per nine. With any luck, Roney will make that leap as well.

Activated: Sean Kazmar...The veteran Gwinnett fixture had been on the paternity list for a little over a week. I had wondered if he was considering retirement, but he got back in action over the last four days. He's hitting .302 this season.

Optioned: John Gant...One of the trio of pitchers holding down the long relief role for the Braves, Gant got into a pair of games against the Dodgers last week, including a two inning stint. It was his fourth stint in the majors just this year. Gant has looked good in 43 innings with Gwinnett.

Optioned: Ryan Weber...Another part of the trio with Gant and Casey Kelly, Weber has not been able to find the magic from last year that made him a competent fifth starter toward the end of the year for the Braves.

By Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA
[CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Rehab: Erick Aybar...Nobody needed to get away for awhile more than Aybar, who suffered a foot contusion a few weeks ago. He'll look to jumpstart his season once he is activated, though the results in Gwinnett have hardly been awe-inspiring (2-for-12, 2 SB, 2 BB, K).

Rehab: Shae Simmons...After some forearm tightness halted his rehab stint over a week ago, Simmons was able to get back in the saddle during the weekend. He opened a game with a hitless inning where he walked one batter and struck out two. So far in four rehab games, he's pitched four innings, allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out nine. The control needs to be cleaned up, but with another good rehab outing or two, he might rejoin the Braves.

Mississippi Braves
Acquired: Jed Bradley...A former first rounder out of Georgia Tech, Bradley was acquired from the Brewers for future considerations last week. In his first game, he allowed all three batters he faced to reach and each would score, giving him an ERA of infinity with Mississippi. The lefty was a Top 100 prospect heading into 2012, but that was a long time ago.

Activated: Kyle Kinman...A pair of DL trips have limited Kinman, who briefly became a potential option for the major league team toward the end of spring training. Lefties can't hit him, but can he progress against righties? With a wide-open bullpen situation in Atlanta, Kinman could get a look sooner rather than later.

Promoted (from MIS), Demoted: Steve Janas...After just a game in Gwinnett where he retired all six batters he faced, Janas returned to Mississippi. He's had a surprisingly good season after being moved from the starting rotation to the pen this year. He doesn't get K's, but also doesn't walk batters. It's difficult to see him as a prospect for the future, but he might have a chance to surprise.

Released: Danny Burawa...Things have gone from bad-to-worse-to-cut for Burawa this season. After a dozen games in the bigs last year for the Braves, Burawa entered spring with a chance to win a spot in the bullpen. He struggled early and was one of the first players crossed off. He went down to Gwinnett, but couldn't find the strikezone. A trip to Mississippi did little to help and after the Braves acquired Bradley, Burawa was cut to open up a spot.

Carolina Mudcats
Demoted (from GWI): Stephen Gaylor...Wherever you need him, Gaylor is there. Whether it's one game in Rome or another game in Gwinnett, Gaylor will be ready. For the most part, though, he's played in Carolina for 36 games where he's slashing .232/.347/.263 with 10 steals.

Demoted (from GWI): David Peterson...A righty out of the 2012 draft, Peterson was struggling very badly for Gwinnett to open the year. In 17.2 innings, he had been charged 18 earned runs, surrendered three homers, and walked 14. In his defense, four were intentional. A far cry from his 2015, where he had a 2.28 ERA in 51.1 innings as he climbed from Carolina to Gwinnett. A move to Carolina could help take the pressure off and get him jumpstarted.

Rome Braves
Promoted (from GCL): Kolby Allard...The expectation was that we wouldn't see Allard until later this month with Danville, but the 18 year-old first-rounder started his first game of the year yesterday with Rome. The results weren't so good, but it was great to see Allard get his season going with a game in Rome either way. The Braves will be very cautious with Allard and it wouldn't surprise me to see him head to Danville when their season begins.

Danville Braves
Demoted (from ROM): Adam McCreery...Early results were not overwhelming for McCreery, who gave up six runs (three earned) in 3.1 ING. He was moved down the ladder to make room for Allard.

Demoted (from CAR): A.J. Minter...I've yet to see an explanation for this move. Minter had thrown 10 innings over 7 games with Rome and Carolina before not appearing in a game for a week and getting reassigned to Danville. Theoretically, if it were an injury, Minter would have been DL'd. Maybe it was an innings deal?

GCL Braves
Promoted (from DSL): Anthony Concepcion...The following several moves were DSL guys from last year who were promoted to GCL to begin the year. Concepcion was a good bat last year, though he was a bit old for the league. He slashed .308/.410/.451 with 5 HR and 12 SB while splitting time between 1B and LF. I would have liked a more aggressive move to Danville.

Promoted (from DSL): William Contreras...A catcher, Contreras hit well last year in the DSL at just 17 years-old. He was part of the group of free agents the Braves added in the winter after changing general managers and scouting directors.

Promoted (from DSL): Luis Mejia...An infielder who turned 19 a few months ago, Mejia on-based .376 with the help of a 29 BB/25 K rate over 60 games. A little undersized, it's difficult to foresee the switch-hitter developing much power.

Promoted (from DSL): Luis Mora...Good to see Mora get a promotion after two years in the DSL. He had zero control in 2014, but turned it around in a big way in 2015 as one of the Braves' more dependable starters. A right-hander, he went form more walks than strikeouts to a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk rate in the span of a season. He turns 21 in a little more than a week.

Promoted (from DSL): Christian Pache...One of two big international pickups (Derian Cruz is the other), it's good to see that the Braves think enough of Pache to skip him past the DSL. Pache was ranked 11th by Fangraphs among the 2015 International Class. He's expected to have the skills to stick in center with a chance to hit for a high average with good power.

Promoted (from DSL): Ramon Taveras...Like Mora, Taveres pitched two seasons in the DSL before earning a trip state-side. A full-time reliever, Taveras's control improved tremendously a year after walking 11 in 14 innings as Taveras walked just six in 34.1 innings last year. He doesn't have gaudy K numbers, but the righty's improvement will keep him around for a third season.

Promoted (from DSL): Randy Ventura...No Brave had a bigger year in the DSL than Ventura, who swiped 55 bases in just 58 games last year with 35 walks to 27 strikeouts. A car accident ended his year prematurely, but if back, he'll get a chance to show that he has an encore in him. I ranked him 25th in my Top 50 before the season. His production early will go a long way toward keeping that spot.

Promoted (from DSL): Bredio Vega...A tall righty out of Panama, Vega struggled in the DSL last year especially early, but started to turn the corner over his last eight games. He K'd 13 in 13.2 innings while walking six. A reliever with good velocity, Vega could be a fun name to watch when the Gulf Coast League season opens.

DSL Braves
Too many moves to list as the Dominican Summer League rosters were set for the beginning of the season.