Organizational Overview: Catcher

WhatProsWear

Yesterday, we began a series looking at the best prospects by position starting with catcher, but I'd be remiss if we didn't also look at where the Braves stand at catcher right now. After all, just because a position is a strength in the minors doesn't need help right now. Conversely, a position like first base looks pretty weak in the minors, but the Braves aren't that interested in addressing that because of who they have in the majors.

This series of articles will look at both the recent past - especially 2017 - and the foreseeable future. It will take into account the current major league roster, the current depth in the minors, and the future of the position. Think of this series as a way to look at the strengths and weaknesses of a roster before attempting to fix problems moving forward. I will use some of the information I already released about the current roster makeup as a reminder.

Signed: Kurt Suzuki ($3.5M)
Arbitration: None
Renewal: David Freitas and Tony Sanchez
Option: Tyler Flowers ($4M, $300K buyout)
Current Projection: $7.5M

On a roster in flux, there is some degree of stability behind the plate. Tyler Flowers will almost certainly be brought back for 2018 and once again will be paired with Kurt Suzuki. We will get to the details on how effective this duo was in 2017, but it's very important to remember that the price per value here is exceptionally high. The Braves are essentially paying the price for a medium-grade starter for two catchers who are capable of being starters in the majors. However, both are probably better for the time share they played under last season. Catchers are naturally prone to breaking down as the season progresses, but the Braves avoided that by having their duo share the load.

The other 40-man options right now are unlikely to be in the mix by opening day. Freitas is Triple-A filler while Sanchez, more known for his defense, didn't even catch an inning after being acquired at the waiver-trade deadline.

Comparison - The Majors

The duo of Flowers and Suzuki lack the name recognition and neither will be All-Stars in 2018, but for one year, they gave the Braves the best production from behind the plate in the league. Only four teams received at least 4 WAR from their catchers in 2017 and only the Braves pushed over the 5 WAR cliff - finishing with 5.1 fWAR to be exact. They were tied for fourth in homers, third in ISO, first in wOBA, and first in wRC+. Defensively, they were slightly below-average - largely because Flowers gives up defensive value for framing - something he's the best at in baseball.

Because the Braves can keep both Flowers and Suzuki moving forward, the position looks to have zero upheaval heading into 2018. It might be a pipe dream to expect the Braves to get another 5-win season from their catchers - it was shocking that it happened once - but both Flowers and Suzuki credit Kevin Seitzer for their improvements at the plate and the Braves certainly could bring back Seitzer for another season. That would keep a good team together for another year, though the Braves are rumored to look at some considerable alterations to their coaching staff despite bringing back Brian Snitker.

Regardless, the Braves should rank among the top 10 or so teams heading into 2018 behind the plate even if individually, both of their catchers are ranked much lower. The Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, Marlins, and possibly the Mariners should all rank ahead of them on the strength of their number one catcher. The Orioles and Tigers, a combined 7.2 fWAR between them, will be tasked with rebuilding their catching situation. Welington Castillo could return to the Orioles, but after a big year, he'll likely seek out a long-term deal rather than come back on a player's option while the Tigers already dealt Alex Avila last season.

Obviously, there are a lot of dominoes that will fall this offseason, but the fact the Braves have two respectable catchers who put up the kind of numbers that they did in 2017 makes this position a strength heading into 2018 compared to the rest of the league.

Comparison - Immediate Depth

I don't want you to get the wrong idea - this is simply what kind of depth is already projected to be in the minors who could be on the major league roster when the season opens next year. The Braves have a lot of catching prospects - and I'll get back to them - but their best prospects are not likely going to be in the mix next April. However, the Braves do have Kade Scivicque and that isn't the worst thing in the world. Scivicque missed our Top 5, but is probably a Top 50 prospect in this loaded system so don't sleep on him. He doesn't project as much more than a backup in the majors, but is smart and capable behind the plate. He has some gap power and while aggressive at the plate, will make enough solid contact to possibly post a good average if the BABIP allow it.

The Braves could bring back Freitas or Sanchez for more depth and they also have Sal Giardina and Joseph Odom, who both appeared in Gwinnett last year. Neither, however, project as much more than organizational filler and the Braves don't need Freitas or the rarely utilized Sanchez. Beyond them, you have last year's Double-A duo of Jonathan Morales and Alex Jackson. Morales is a lot like Giardina and Odom, but Jackson is a legit prospect if he can stay behind the plate. Actually, with his bat, he's a legit prospect anywhere, but he brings more value as a catcher. Reports were mixed about Jackson, but he did appear to look much more comfortable as the season progressed after moving from the outfield. If he continues to respond to coaching, Jackson could be knocking on the door sometime next summer. Despite not being in the mix when the season opens, Jackson is still slated to open 2018 in Gwinnett if only because that's where the at-bats because there's so much depth behind him. Even if an injury opened a spot in the bigs, I think Scivicque is ahead of Jackson for the time being, but at some point in 2018, that's going to change.

I'd classify the immediate depth as average, but trending up.

Comparison - The Future

The Braves might not have any of their catchers make one of the big Top 100 Prospects list this winter, but the depth here is off-the-charts. I already mentioned Jackson, and he received the most points for our top catching prospect in our recent list. The great thing about the catching depth is that it's spread out pretty well. Here's a brief projection with the Top 5 catching prospects and others that likely will be in the mix.

Gwinnett: Alex Jackson (#1), Kade Scivicque (Honorable mention), Joseph Odom.
Mississippi: Brett Cumberland (#3), Jonathan Morales, Sal Giardina
Florida: Lucas Herbert (#5), Carlos Martinez, Tanner Murphy
Rome: William Contreras (#2), Hagen Owenby
Danville: Abrahan Gutierrez (#4), Alan Crowley, Zack Soria

Not too shabby. The best combinations of offense/defense of the group are likely 2-3 years away in Contreras and Gutierrez, but there's a pair of good offensive talents in Herbert and Cumberland with a lottery ticket in Herbert mixed in whose bat could develop well enough to increase his prospect standing. This list does not include Drew Lugbauer, who was classified as a first basemen due to where he played the most. Still, Lugbauer gives the Braves another possibility even if it's as a part-time catcher/corner infielder coming off the bench.

No matter how you slice it, the future is a major strength for the Braves and likely one of the best catching prospect situations in baseball - if not the best.

The Big Picture

When it comes to the catcher position, there are few teams in a better position than the Braves. Sure, the chances of the Braves having the best production in baseball from their catchers in 2018 is not high, but there's also a strong chance that both Flowers and Suzuki perform well enough to lead the Braves to a solid season from behind the plate. The coming attractions, though, is where the Braves turn the catcher position into something special. It's hard not to think the Braves should be good behind the plate for the next decade.

Braves Catching Turning Into a Strength

In the major leagues, few teams have had a better situation behind the plate than the Braves this season. With Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki, the Braves have a pair of players who have been productive all season long at the plate and in Flowers' case, they have the game's best framer. But both are over 30 and may not around when the Braves next make the playoffs. Today, let's look at the minor league situation and see if the Braves will have replacements.

It wasn't that long ago that the Braves had one catching prospect - Christian Bethancourt. It was easy to look past his flaws because he was really Atlanta's only hope. Similar things happened over the years with Scott Thorman at first base and Kyle Davies at starter. Atlanta didn't have many other options so what options the Braves did have seemed better than they actually were.

While the Braves will still have to wait a few years for their guys to develop, the catcher position is starting to turn from an organizational weakness to one of strength. From trades to the draft to the international market, the Atlanta Braves have acquired a good deal of talented catchers that might usher in the next Javy Lopez or Brian McCann - catchers who were both offensively and, to some degree, defensively able.

Seven catchers made our Top 50 Midseason Prospect list. The seven prospects run the gamut from the strong defender to the strong hitter to the guys who are a bit of both. Moving forward, their development might prompt the Braves to avoid spending richly on a free agent and go with a cheaper, younger, and maybe an even better option. With all that in mind, let's take a look level-by-level.

Gwinnett
Kade Scivicque, #43 in the Midseason Top 50 - Acquired in last summer's Erick Aybar trade with the Tigers, Scivicque had a strong Arizona Fall League showing after the trade, but hasn't been able to continue that success this season. Slashing .261/.314/.345 mostly at Mississippi, Scivicque hasn't really regressed compared to last season, but it's still not close to his AFL numbers. Unfortunately, Scivicque has not graded well defensively this season according to Baseball Prospectus's Advanced Metrics for catchers (-4.6 FRAA). These metrics have their issues, but do help frame the discussion. Scivicque was expected to be a decent little hitter who could improve behind the plate. At this rate, that might be too much to expect. Scivicque made out Top 50 at midseason, but without a strong finish, it could be the final time he holds that distinction. On the plus side, at 24 years-old, he's the youngest catcher to play at Gwinnett with the exception of Bethancourt in at least a part-time role - period. Seriously, since their inaugural season in 2009, the Gwinnett Braves have been a home for the, as Outfield Fly Rule's Brent Blackwell recently put it, Fraternal Order of Replacement Backstops (FORB). These are guys who just travel from one organization to the next getting playing time as a "good handler of young pitchers." Scivicque might not be a great prospect, but he is - at the very least - a prospect.

Mississippi

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Alex Jackson, #11 - The bat is back for Jackson. He hit .272/.333/.502 with Florida while smashing 14 HR. To be fair, his walk and strikeout rates are concerning, but Jackson was drafted for his massive raw power and with already a new career-high in home runs set this year, the Braves are very happy with his development at the plate. Behind it, he's still a work in progress. When he was drafted, Jackson's arm was not the problem and still isn't. He's got a showcase cannon either from behind the plate or in the outfield. The problem was that defensively, his skills were behind the curve. Three years of playing outfield have done little to help with that. I think the Braves will wait until this offseason - at the earliest - before attempting to judge Jackson's defense. If they've seen progression throughout the year, he might continue to wear the tools of ignorance. If not, it might be time to shift him back to the outfield. Regardless, his bat plays no matter where he ultimately lines up.

Joseph Odom - The recent trade of Anthony Recker brought Odom to Gwinnett, but only for a couple of days before he was exchanged with Scivicque. Odom has generally not hit well since he was drafted out of Huntingdon College back in 2013, but he increased his OPS each year to a personal-best .758 last year between Carolina and Mississippi. He doesn't profile as a big prospect, but there is enough pop and plate discipline here that, when combined with solid reports of his defensive capabilities, it makes Odom a potential future member of FORB.

Jonathan Morales - In three years, Morales has gone from interesting prospect to we're-still-hoping to nearly-forgotten-to-the-point-a-blogger-has-to-do-a-last-second-edit-before-publishing-this-article-because-I-forgot-about-him. Got all that? Morales slashed .304/.377/.511 in the Gulf Coast League back in 2015, but his OPS fell a bit over two hundred points with Rome the following year. He wasn't really setting the world on fire in Florida over the first few months this year, but with other higher-rated prospects pushing him, he was moved up the chain. Morales does rank solidly in catching metrics, though he's playing nearly as much first base now. To get back in the Braves' good graces, we're going to need to see some production at the plate soon, though.

Florida

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Brett Cumberland, #26 - Don't look now, but Bcumbo Slice (his twitter handle) is starting to figure it out at Florida. Cumberland got off to a tough start in Rome, going 6-for-45 to begin the year with a .582 OPS. His next 179 PA looked like this - .308/.469/.623 with 9 HR. He was brought up a level last June and again, it was tough sledding early. In his first 59 AB, he had just 10 hits, including one homer. However, he's been on fire since, hitting .377/.482/.478 with seven doubles. It's not a big sample size, but Cumberland's got the skillset to be a big bat. Like Jackson, the question has remained whether he'll remain a catcher with that big bat or be forced to move to another position. Unfortunately, there is a reason to agree with Baseball Prospectus' Steve Givarz when he said of Cumberland, "His glove? Hey he’s a good hitter let’s focus on that!" It's not that he can't stay at catcher, but there's significant doubt whether or not his defense will ultimately take away from his overall value. You don't have to be a superb defender and a good hitter, but the team would like to know that your glove is good enough to not embarrass the team should you stick at the position. Furthermore, there is a reasonable concern that Cumberland's hit-by-pitch numbers are soft. Going back to college, he's always got hit by a healthy number of pitches (38 total this year). However, pitcher's control improves as you climb the minor league ladder. He has just one more unintentional walk this season than he does HBP so it's a big part of his game. What happens if pitchers avoid hitting him?

Tanner Murphy - I was a big fan of Murphy after he hit .242/.361/.389 with Danville in 2014 and earned a lot of praise along the way. However, his numbers have only regressed since. He seemed to turn the corner last season, hitting .297/.411/.337 after the All-Star Break, but he has struggled to duplicate the success since. While his defense remains solid, Murphy is struggling to find at-bats behind higher-rated prospects added to the system since Murphy's selection in 2013. When Bethancourt arrived in the majors, Murphy was the top catching prospect still in the minors. Now, he's not even in the Top 5.

Rome
Lucas Herbert, #36 - The good news is that Herbert's numbers have looked quite a good deal better with Rome than they did in 2016. The bad news is that they still don't look that great. On the year, Kolby Allard's former high school catcher is hitting .258/.317/.390 with 7 HR. A name comes up on his Baseball Prospectus page as a top similarity that might not make Braves' fans happy - Christian Bethancourt in 2012. While no one wants to compare the two, the idea is pretty fair - both had reputations as strong defenders with questionable offensive potential. Now, let's be generous here and remember that Herbert basically lost a season of development after he went down with an injury in his first professional game in the Gulf Coast League in 2015. Let's also recall that at 20 years-old with really one year of experience, one would expect Herbert's 2017 level of production considering his profile coming out of high school. Nevertheless, success has been hard to come by for Herbert to this point. His offensive game is still raw and he could be a sleeper candidate next year if it starts to come together, though

Carlos Martinez - Where did this come from? Martinez hit in the .220's the last two seasons for Danville but has found a way to hit .301 this season. Of course, when your BABIP jumps to .352 when it was never higher than .269, that helps. Martinez also has one of the strangest numbers in the system - an .010 ISO. Of his 31 hits, 30 are singles. That's astounding. It's also reason to believe that Martinez, even at his best, is not a prospect.

Drew Lugbauer, #44 - A recent callup from Danville, Lugbauer has yet to stop hitting. On the year, the former Michigan Wolverine is hitting .272/.374/.551 with nine doubles, a triple, and ten homeruns. All of the four-baggers came with Danville before the promotion to Rome. He's shared an equal amount of time between first base, third base, and catcher and hasn't looked that bad at the corners. His footwork behind the plate is not crisp, though, and he's failed to throw out any of the nine baserunners that have attempted to steal on him. Despite including him in this discussion, it's harder to see him staying behind the plate than either Jackson or Cumberland. He'll have to improve dramatically in that regard to continue to receive regular time as a catcher. The good news is that Lugbauer could present the Braves, if he develops well, with an interesting option that can catch if needed, but also play the corner infield positions. Such a player would have been nice in Atlanta this year with the production the Braves have received from both catchers and the hesitancy to use one or the other in a pinch hitting appearance.

Danville

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William Contreras, #50 - I gave Contreras a #46 ranking in our Midseason Top 50 and Ryan Cothran ranked him two spots higher. I don't know about Ryan or Stephen Tolbert (who had him unranked), but Contreras is primed to be one of my biggest risers when we reconvene for a postseason update. The brother of the Cubs' Wilson, William OPS'd .783 and .721 over two years spent in the DSL and GCL before this year. Lauded for his defense, the bat was considered more of a question. This season, he's had the best year combining both offense and defense of any of the Braves' minor league catchers. Hitting .336/.426/.496 with 3 HR, Contreras has regularly flashed a bat capable of doing big things despite all but 19 of his 141 PA coming against pitchers older than he is. He also has shown a good command of the strikezone, walking four more times than he has struck out. His defense is very fluid behind the plate and only getting better as he refines his footwork and framing. Of the games I've personally seen this season, no catcher has prompted the umpire to receive more complaints from batters upset about strike calls. That tells me that he's capable at framing. But while all of his tools are solid, his biggest weapon is a cannon of an arm that he's not shy about showing at any time. He keeps his infielders on their toes as he's willing to try to pick off runners. He'll even gun it around the horn after a strikeout. I haven't seen a better defensive catcher this season in the Appalachian League and he's still only 19 years-old.

Hagan Owenby - Drafted more for his bat, Owenby played a good deal of first base and DH before Lugbauer's promotion just to get him into action. He's a leader on the field and does a good job working with his pitchers, but his defense isn't very good right now (he has five of Danville's 11 passed balls to this point). At the plate, he has a nice line-drive stroke that might develop more power as he progresses. His performances at first base were pretty ugly and I feel confident that he'll last at catcher, but I don't have the same amount of confidence that the bat will ever be enough to make up for defensive problems behind the plate.

Alan Crowley - Some people are drafted just to be backup catchers in the minors. Crowley is one of those guys. He did ride a high BABIP to a .327 average over 56 PA with Rome last year, but less balls are dropping this year and his .163 average is a result.

GCL

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Abraham Gutierrez, #33 - While Kevin Maitan received most of the coverage during last year's international signing spree by the Braves, Gutierrez is a pretty impressive prospect as well. He jumped to the states to begin this season with the GCL squad and the 17-year-old has hit a respectable .261/.327/.330. He's also thrown out 39% of baserunners, which is no small feat considering the ability for teenage pitchers to hold runners. Gutierrez's scouting report includes amazing athletism behind the plate, a strong arm, and a quick-and-powerful stroke at the plate. The emergence of Contreras this year as the best full-package catching prospect shouldn't negate Gutierrez, who still might have the best potential of any Braves minor league catching prospect.

Ricardo Rodriguez - Acquired in the Christian Bethancourt trade, Rodriguez has been stuck with the Gulf Coast League Braves due to a weak offensive profile and not enough at-bats for all of the Braves catching prospects. Rodriguez is one of the guys who might get more extended look if the Braves opened some playing time by adding a second rookie team in the GCL or adding a short-season A-ball team for their college-age draftees like Owenby or Crowley. Rodriguez, by the way, has a strong glove and flashed a decent enough bat in the Dominican Summer League two years ago. It's been missing-in-action since coming stateside, though.

The Braves have more catchers, but these are some of the bigger names. What would your Top 5 Braves catching prospects look like? And do you think Jackson, Cumberland, and/or Lugbauer will stay at catcher long-term? Let me know in the comments.

Transaction Tuesday: Brothers, Albies, Winkler, and Four Releases

Busy week in moves for the minor league system, but the big league club was pretty quiet outside of that whole draft thing (for our review, click here). A pitcher goes on a rehab assignment while another gets his first shot in Gwinnett as he looks to return to the majors. Also, four players were officially released this week, including a recent third round pick. All this and more as I recap this week's transactions.

A note on this report - moves referenced today took place between June 13 and June 19. I no longer refer to Taxi Squad, but extended spring training which is what sending a player to Danville technically refers to this early in the year. Many of them don't actually head to extended spring, though. Prospect Numbers are derived from my preseason Top 50.

Atlanta
Outside of signing draft choices like Kyle Wright and Drew Waters, none.

Gwinnett

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Promoted from Mississippi: Rex Brothers...Afer ten fairly dominant outings in Mississippi (18 K's in 9.2 ING), Brothers is closing in on another shot at the majors. He appeared in his first game with Gwinnett on Monday after replacing Kris Medlen in the sixth with one out and pair of runners on. He allowed one run to score on an infield single but ended the inning by inducing a double play. Brothers hasn't been good in the bigs since 2013, but the Braves are likely going to see about giving him a chance to rediscover his former magic fairly soon.

Activated: Ozzie Albies (#3)...After a short trip to the DL, Albies returned in full force last Tuesday with a two-hit game. He followed that up with multi-hit games in three of his next six games. Overall, he's 11-for-34 since his activation (.344) with six extra-base hits. He was also turning his season around before the DL trip. Over his last 33 games, going back to May 8, Albies has slashed .297/.358/.471 with 7 doubles, 4 triples, and 3 HR. Reports of his demise as an elite prospect were greatly exaggerated.

DL'd: Caleb Dirks (#34)...Dirks showed up last week in the temporary inactive list. After three days off (I assume for paternity, but not sure), Dirks appeared once on the 14th and tossed a scoreless frame with a walk and two K's. The outing gave him a 3.06 ERA over 35.1 ING with 42 Ks. I don't know why he hit the DL, but hopefully, it's not too serious and he'll be back in action before too long. Dirks has earned a great deal of consideration should the big league squad need an arm in the pen.

DL'd: Emerson Landoni...This is the fourth time Landoni has landed on the DL this year. He's only played in nine games overall. This seems more like a misuse of the DL, which the Braves often do with Braeden Schlehuber.

Mississippi
Promoted from Florida: Jonathan Morales (#42)...He blitzed the Gulf Coast League in 2015 and held his own in the SALLY League last year while sharing catching duties. A lot was hoped for when he arrived in Florida, but he hit just .253/.300/.304 over 209 PA with only six extra base hits. So, why did he get promoted? Because sometimes, you can have too many catchers. Morales probably isn't going to be better off in Double-A where he'll face even tougher pitchers, but he got the short end of the stick here with the Braves having four legitimate prospects at their two Class-A squads.

Promoted from Florida: Omar Obregon...Obregon came into 2016 looking like he might develop into something of a prospect. He hit .274 in 2015 with a .336 OBP and 31 steals while playing all over the infield. However, injuries and a stagnant bat have left him to stick in High-A over the last two years. This is his first shot to play in Double-A and he really didn't earn it so much as he's being given a chance to replace some older utility types.

Released: Reed Harper...A 25th rounder out of Austin Peay all the way back in 2013, Harper has never been able to hit. Over 1104 PA, he has a career OBP of .294 - which is shockingly better than his SLG. He was a utility guy who was on borrowed time as better prospects shuffle through the system.

Released: Levi Hyams...I recently likened Riley Delgado, drafted last week, to Levi Hyams among others as guys without much of a bat, but who simply go out and get the ball. Well, Hyams will have to do that for someone else now. After nearly 500 games and exactly 1800 PA, Hyams was cut from the organization. A 19th round selection out of the University of Georgia back in 2012, Hyams did a decent enough job getting on base between 2013 and 2015, but his bat completely disappeared the last two seasons spent mostly in Mississippi.

Florida
Promoted from Rome: Alan Rangel...A bit surprising here. Rangel just made it to A-ball after starting the year in extended spring training. He threw 8.2 innings over his two starts and was hit up a good deal (17 hits seems excessive). Rangel was an international signing back in 2014 and looked decent last year in his second go-around with the GCL squad.

Sent on Rehab Assignment to Rome and then Florida: Daniel Winkler...It's been a long road back for Winkler after he fractured his elbow throwing a pitch last April. The 2014 Rule 5 selection had looked really impressive at the time, too. Finally, he began the road back to the majors - or at least forcing the Braves to make a decision - by giving up a run in one inning for Rome last week. Three days later, on Monday, he followed that up by throwing a hitless inning. He's walked a batter in each frame and hasn't struck out anyone, which is mildly surprising for the 2013 Minor League Strikeout Champion (175 K's). Winkler still falls under the Rule 5 rules for another 57 days so when his rehab stint is over, the Braves will have to decide whether to keep him or lose him. He'll likely use the full 30 days - or close to it - available for rehab assignments as the Braves try to make a decision on him.

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Activated: Alex Jackson (#21)...Wonderful news as Jackson lost a month of action after being red-hot to open the year with an OPS over .900 and ten homers. Considering he was coming off a career-high 11 homers last year, that was great to see. Jackson has been re-born since the Braves brought him back behind the plate after the Mariners shifted him to the outfield full-time after drafting the California native.

Activated: Wigberto Nevarez...A 20th round pick back in 2014, Nevarez hasn't shown much of a stick since he was drafted (career .259 OBP), but the Braves like him and despite having a lot of catchers in the mix, Nevarez has stuck around.

Assigned to Extended Spring and Brought Back: Tanner Murphy...Playing time has been difficult to come by for Murphy since being promoted from Rome. Minus six days spent "with Danville," Murphy has been with Florida for nearly a month and has played just six times. Murphy finished strong last year with Carolina, but with Jackson, Morales, and others in the picture, catching has suddenly become very crowded.

Demoted to Rome and Promoted to Florida: A.J. Minter (#19)...This happened because Florida was bombarded with rain last week and had nearly an entire series with Daytona canceled To avoid having Minter's schedule altered, the Braves brought him up to Rome where he tossed a scoreless frame while allowing a hit and picking up a K. He quickly returned to the Fire Frogs and appeared in Monday's game to stick with his current schedule. On the year, Minter has appeared four times while striking out eight over four frames.

Rome
Promoted from Danville: Jaret Hellinger...I wondered if Hellinger was going to be a part of the Danville rotation when their season began, but he was promoted back to Rome. The southpaw struggled in six outings for Rome after a mid-May promotion. He started once and overall, he surrendered 14 runs (13 earned) in 12.1 innings with nine walks. Hopefully, his second stint in Rome will go much better.

Danville
Released: Gabe Howell...A 20th rounder last June, Howell hit a buck-50 for the GCL squad last year with a steal. Howell was about to arrive in spring training when he was slapped with a 68-game suspension for testing positive for Hydrochlorothiazide, which sounds exactly how you might think it does. The PED had Howell on thin ice and the Braves decided to move on.

GCL

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Released: Anthony Guardado...Sometimes, things just don't work out. Not even ranked by the Minor League Ball Top 400 or MLB.com Top 200 before the 2015 draft, the Braves took Guardado in the third round with the 89th overall selection. They were able to convince him to come to the Braves rather than attend Long Beach State, though they still got Guardado at about a hundred grand under slot. He was coming off a football-related shoulder injury which wiped out most of his senior year of high school. He appeared once in 2015 and eight more times last year (for a total of 8.2 innings), but simply couldn't stay healthy enough to warrant the high selection.

DSL
Signed and Assigned: Brando Hernandez...He came from the east to do battle. His name...is Brando. Actually, I don't know a thing about this signing, but I was a little surprised to see (1) a signing this late in the 2016-17 period and (2) the near-immediate assignment in the DSL. Brando is a bit on the older side at 19 so he must have impressed a scout somewhere.

I again want to give a special shoutout and thanks to Jeff Morris. All three pictures used in this entry come from him and he does a great job attaching faces to the Braves' bevy of prospects. Make sure you follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff.

Transaction Tuesday: Ruiz, Gohara, Jackson, and poor poor Freddie

Last week's update included a surprising amount of transactions involving the major league squad - zero. This week was not nearly as quiet. Prepare for an epic journey through the system.

A note on this report - moves referenced today took place between May 16 and May 22. Taxi Squad refers to a Braves minor league team "sending" a player to Danville just to get him off the active roster. In most cases, the player will stay with the team that just demoted him until he is brought back onto the active roster. Prospect Numbers are derived from my preseason Top 50.

Atlanta
Previously, I went over the trades to acquire Matt Adams and Enrique Burgos.

Promoted: Luke Jackson (#24)...Here's a pitcher I hope takes advantage of his callup and sticks this time. It'll come down to control for Jackson and interestingly enough, he hasn't walked a soul in his four innings at the major league level. Of course, that's an exceedingly small sample. The potential has always been there. Will the results come?

Promoted: Rio Ruiz (#20)...This might be the promotion that sticks for Ruiz. Despite being passed over earlier in the week when a certain third baseman hit the DL, Ruiz got called up shortly after and has played in five games since with a 3-for-12 start, including a homer, two walks, and 4 K's. After a bad beginning to the year with Gwinnett, Ruiz turned it and was the top minor league club's hottest hitter before his recall. His defense is much improved and his work ethic can no longer be questioned. Even Brian Snitker has suggested Ruiz will be kept once the former everyday starter at third base returns. Now, Ruiz isn't a huge prospect, but he's definitely worth keeping over the alternatives.

Promoted and Optioned to Gwinnett: Johan Camargo...While Braves fans hoped Emilio Bonifacio would get cut to make room for Adams, it was Camargo getting the boot back to Triple-A. This was the second brief cameo Camargo has made. His defense looks solid, but the Braves are less sure about his bat. He had a big spring and has a .354 wOBA at Gwinnett over 22 games, but never impressed with the bat before. While it would have made some sense to keep Camargo as a platoon option for Ruiz, for now, he's not in the Braves' plans.

DL'd: Adonis Garcia...An Achilles injury and the next injury we'll talk about opened the door for Ruiz. Garcia wasn't providing much value to the team before the injury either. His .274 wOBA was only better than 13 players so far this season. It's beyond time for the Braves to accept that Garcia is a platoon-only bench player.

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

DL'd: Freddie Freeman...You can't replace an elite hitter and the Braves aren't going to be able to. In Adams and Ruiz, they'll try to do the best they can do to replace his production, but Freeman was playing out of his mind before getting his wrist shattered. He'll be out until mid-to-late July.

DL'd: Eric O'Flaherty...The veteran aggrevated his back apparently due to the brief run through Toronto last week - and not the homer he gave up to Jose Bautista. O'Flaherty's metrics early looked better than his ERA and that continues still, but the metrics have continued to decline to the tune of a 4.95 FIP, 4.78 xFIP, and 4.62 SIERA. All three marks are worse than last year. It might be about time to stick a fork in this one.

Transferred to 60-day DL: Chaz Roe...Apparently, his lat strain is worse than originally feared. Outside of one rehab game, Roe hasn't pitched in a game since April 7. Since he was never activated, this only means he's definitely out until after the first week of June. As I mentioned, he did make an appearance for Florida on May 6 and worked an inning.

DFA'd: Anthony Recker...After hitting .278/.394/.433 over 33 games with the Braves last year, Recker saw the Braves flirt with Jason Castro and ultimately sign Kurt Suzuki. Some weird roster math still gave Recker a chance to break camp with the team and he went 1-for-7 in mostly pinch-hit appearances before being optioned out. He bashed three homers in 14 games for Gwinnett, but the big league club needed a spot on the 40-man roster and Recker was chosen. Recker can elect free agency, but I'm sure the Braves are hoping he stays.

Signed and Released: James Loney...Well, that didn't take long. Loney played two games for the Gwinnett Braves. He had one single, a walk, and a strikeout, and he reached base due to catcher's interference. However, Saturday's trade for Matt Adams forced Loney to re-evaluate things and the veteran wanted out. The Braves didn't stop him and cut him yesterday. After it was all said and done, Loney sent out this salty tweet showing his displeasure. He will be missed.

Gwinnett
Promoted from Mississippi: Carlos Franco...On the same day Loney was signed, Carlos Franco was called up. It took Franco four years to get out of rookie ball and with the exception of a decent 2015, Franco has not been on the prospect watch until this year when he smashed the Southern League over 41 games to the tune of .293/.358/.560 with 11 homers. Franco has a reputation of a free swinger, but he takes his walks. One thing that stands out about Franco this season is his ground-ball rate. From 2012-to-2016, Franco's GB% has fluctuated between 53% and 62%. That will limit a player's ability to hit homers. This year, it's down to 42% and he's pulling the ball more as well. It was working for him in Mississippi. Hope it works for him in Gwinnett.

Activated: Dustin Peterson (#15)...With little fan fair, Dustin Peterson just showed up back in the lineup this weekend. A year after vindicating the Braves for wanting him in the Justin Upton trade, Peterson came to spring training looking to impress the team coaches before an inevitable trip to Gwinnett to start the season. He was doing that, but a broken hand took him out of action. He's 2-for-11 so far with a double, two walks, and a pair of strikeouts. Last year, in 132 games with Mississippi, Peterson hit .282/.343/.431 with a .356 wOBA. With Nick Markakis's recent struggles against left-handers, could bringing up Peterson at some point later this year be something the Braves may consider? It's possible if his bat takes off in Gwinnett.

Activated: Braeden Schlehuber...This will mark Year 10 for Schlehuber when he steps up to the plate for the first time. A well-regarded receiver, Schlehuber was a Carolina League All-Star back in 2012 and that's his career highlight.

DL'd: Emerson Landoni...After spending the first month on the DL, Landoni is back on it. The minor league veteran and utility player was hitting .091 in 23 PA before this most recent trip to the trainer's.

Activated and later Released: Blake Lalli...A year after being utilized as a top pinch hitter in the season's final month, Lalli gets his walking papers. He wasn't playing too much in Gwinnett and when he was, the results weren't there.

Mississippi

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

Assigned: Rex Brothers...There was a time the left-handed reliever became an impressive option coming out of the Rockies bullpen. From 2011-13, he was worth 2.6 fWAR - good for 32nd among relievers during the time period. But his strikeouts fell and his walks ballooned the next year and then the injuries began. After missing 2016, he's back in the saddle with the Braves and has looked dominant against the seven Southern League batters he's faced so far as he's amassed five strikeouts and a walk. He's a long shot, but if early impressions are any sign, the Braves will be ecstatic with their pickup.

Activated: Reed Harper...His time on the DL was short. Harper's just a guy in the Braves system who last posted an wOBA over .285 in 2013 in rookie ball.

Activated: Evan Phillips...Things were ugly for Phillips before the move to the DL with an 11.93 ERA. In his defense, over half of the 19 runs he had surrendered in 14.1 innings came in just two outings. Relievers will spend much of the season working off the effects of a six-run and five-run barrage over a three-game run. Since returning, he's logged three innings with a walk and four strikeouts.

DL'd: Luiz Gohara (#7)...Unfortunately, Gohara left his first start in Double-A with a triceps injury. The move to the DL is apparently precautionary and the hope is that he'll return this week. Considering how much he dominated the Florida State League before his promotion (2.11 FIP/2.67 xFIP), definitely hoping some injury won't keep his rise in the prospect lists from not continuing now that he's with Mississippi.

DL'd: Danny Reynolds...Signed after finishing up last year in the independent American Association, Reynolds has struggled to the tune of a 6.20 ERA. The weird thing is that Reynolds has only allowed an opposing OPS of .670. Sure enough, he has a tragically low LOB% of 53.3%.

Florida
Assigned: Kris Medlen...With little press coverage, Medlen worked his way back and this weekend, Meds tossed six scoreless innings in his first game since last September 2. He gave up just one hit, walked three, and struck out three. By now, we all know Medlen's story, but just in case, here is a brief recap. After a monster 2012 (1.57 ERA in 138 innings) and respectable follow-up season, Medlen missed 2014 with his second Tommy John surgery. After the Braves non-tendered him, he tried his luck in Kansas City. He never was able to reclaim his former glory there, though. Now, could it happen in Atlanta? He definitely has the support of legions of fans that recall how well he once pitched for the team.

Promoted from Rome: Tanner Murphy...Before the Braves started to add catching prospects to the mix, it was Murphy who was their biggest hope for a long-term option behind the plate. Murphy struggled with Carolina for half of the year last season, but made some adjustments and slashed  .288/.412/.390 with 3 homers over his final 45 games with more walks than strikeouts. However, the numbers game worked against him and he opened the season with Rome. Playing time has been tough with Lucas Herbert and Brett Cumberland also getting reps behind the plate, but Murphy did use his superb plate discipline to walk 17.7% of the time and slash .227/.362/.320. He'll share time behind the plate in Florida with Jonathan Morales.

Activated off Taxi Squad and later demoted to Rome: Carlos Martinez...Martinez has been used as a fill-in catcher for the Braves and even appeared in a game for Florida - his first of the year. He's got a strong arm, but the bat is nearly non-existent.

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

DL'd: Alex Jackson (#21)...It's unfortunate to see Jackson hit the DL considering the season he's had to this point. In 39 games, he's bashed ten homers - or one less than he hit last season - and slashed .297/.355/.568. The strikeout and walk rates are still substandard, but other than that, it has big a big bounce back from the former sixth overall pick who the Mariners basically gave away. His work behind the plate hasn't received many glowing reports, but he's got time to improve there. I am not sure of the nature of the DL trip, though Braves GM John Coppolella mentioned in last week's #AskCoppy that it's soreness and not a fracture.

Taxi Squad: Andres Santiago...A long time Dodgers minor leaguer, Sanitago has appeared in eight games this year - including two with Rome - and pitched pretty well (FIP and xFIP well under 3.00). He's also 27, so dominance against Single-A hitters isn't all that impressive.

Rome
Activated off Taxi Squad: Thomas Burrows (#37)...You have to assume Burrows might be next-in-line for a promotion to Rome. Acquired in the Gohara deal last winter, Burrows has a 2.01 ERA and a near 55% groundball rate over 22.1 innings with Rome.

Activated off Taxi Squad: Tucker Davidson...It's a weird dynamic with Davidson. His control is pretty good and he gets a bunch of strikeouts, but he still gives up a lot of hits. Some of that is the less-than-stellar infields in the lower minor leagues compounded with iffy defenses, Another part is that he racks up dominating stats against lefties, but faces a lot of righties and he's not that good against them.

Activated off Taxi Squad: Raymar Navarro...The Cuban righty opened the year in extended spring training and since late April, has been a regular member of this column as he gets shifted onto the team and back off. In five innings, the 26 year-old has yet to allow a run. He had a 5.78 ERA in 28 games with Carolina last year.

Demoted to Taxi Squad and later activated: Yeudi Grullon...Last week's pitching appearance for Grullon wasn't his first - he actually made two for Rome last year. He worked around a double and an intentional walk in the 17th, but gave up a two singles (with a pair of steals mixed in) to give up a go-ahead run in the 18th. A slick-fielding infielder, Grullon has flashed decent plate discipline and not much else.

Demoted to Taxi Squad and later activated: Kurt Hoekstra...A 21st rounder in 2015 out of Western Michigan (go Broncos!), Hoekstra has received regular playing at first base over Anthony Concepcion, but neither have hit well. Hoekstra is a max-effort utility infielder, but is a long shot to make it to Triple-A.

Demoted to Taxi Squad and later activated: Adam McCreery...Acquired in the Jhoulys Chacin trade last year, McCreery has been up and down with Rome this year with a few absolute stinkers mixed in. Beyond that, he's been mostly reliable. He worked last week's 18-inning affair and tossed three innings. He allowed no hits, faced two over the minimum and struck out four. The control he showed last year, which was much improved over his Angels' days, has not always been there for the southpaw this year, but the strikeouts are aplenty (28 in 17.2 ING).

Demoted from Mississippi and later demoted to Taxi Squad: Joe Rogers...After a two-game run with Mississippi was interrupted by a trip to the DL, Rogers got into his first game in nearly three weeks and pitched extremely well by striking out three of the seven he faced and not allowing a base runner. Presumably, he went to "Danville" for a fresh arm.

DL'd: Luis Mora...A recent addition to the Rome roster, Mora hit the DL after just 4.2 innings. He is notable for having triple digit max velocity, but struggling to pair that heat with secondary pitches.

DL'd: Joey Wentz (#14)...The Braves didn't need something like this to happen this weekend after watching Freeman, Gohara, and Jackson all hit the DL. I have not seen any updates, but we do know Wentz's trip to the DL came after taking a liner off his left leg. So far this season, Wentz had struck out over a batter an inning with impeccable control (1.8 walks per nine). His 2.13 FIP/3.03 xFIP was helping Wentz to live up to the early hype.

Special thanks to Jeff Morris, who takes some tremendous pictures of Braves minor leaguers. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeffAtlBravesJeff.

Random Prospect Sunday - Tanner Murphy

TannerMurphy.com

Sometimes, you just have to be in the right place at the right time. For Tanner Murphy, that right time happened on a baseball diamond during his sophomore year of high school. The catcher on his travel team broke his thumb, prompting the coach to ask for a volunteer to put on the tools of ignorance. Murphy, a shortstop, went behind home plate and immediately threw out a greedy base runner trying to take advantage of the new catcher. For Murphy, it was a match made in heaven and would soon help him catch the eye of major league scouts.

Born on February 27, 1995, Murphy will turn 22 tomorrow. He graduated from Malden High School in southeast Missouri. A small city of just 4,275, Murphy was a star athlete who earned a scholarship to Southern Illinois University. However, the Braves came calling in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. The Braves had already taken Victor Caratini about 80 picks before Murphy, but were going to try Caratini out at third base, which made Murphy their top catching prospect from the draft by default. Murphy was also an option as a pitcher as he possessed low-90's velocity, but catcher seemed like his calling. Shortly after the draft, they inked the young man to a minor league contract with a $250,000 bonus - about $125K below the slot value.

At the time, Murphy may have been considered a stretch at #133. Ranked #488 in Baseball America's Top 500 rankings before the draft, Murphy fit the bill during the Frank Wren era. Safe, calculated picks that wouldn't demand the world and had pretty decent floors. Murphy's defense was pro-worthy, but could he hit?

After the draft, the 18-year-old headed to Florida to join the Gulf Coast League Braves in Lake Buena Vista. His bat never seemed to catch up, as he managed just 22 hits in 97 AB (.227 average). Only three of those hits went for extra bases - all doubles. He did on-base .313, which is solid enough considering where his average was. He did cut down 42% of potential base stealers (13-of-31). The next season put Murphy on the map a bit as a prospect. He hit just .242 with Danville, but bashed 5 homers in 191 PA. He showed an exceptional understanding of the strikezone with 30 walks, or a 16% walk rate. He did much of his best work over his final 29 games, slashing .292/.389/.438.

His quick rise in prospect status continued the next spring. Braves bullpen coach Eddie Perez took an immediate liking to the country boy from Missouri. "When you look at this kid, you know something good is going to happen," the former long-time personal catcher of Greg Maddux said. It was Murphy's first training camp with the big league club, an award for his strong 2014 campaign. At the time, the Braves were breaking in Christian Bethancourt as their new starter behind the plate and hoped they wouldn't need Murphy for a few years. Former Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez noted, "He's got some talent and he's got some ability...(Catching instructor) Joe Breeden has seen him the most and Joe likes him a lot."

Not only would 2015 be Murphy's first big-league camp, but also his first taste of full-season ball. Former Fangraphs prospect guru Kiley McDaniel ranked Murphy as the #22nd best prospect in an improving system, noting that, "The Braves really like this kid and see a breakout year coming in 2015 at Low-A, praising his makeup, receiving ability, solid average arm, average raw power and flashes of hitting ability and an approach." Murphy headed to Rome to join another catcher picked with a high-round choice the year before Murphy in Bryan De La Rosa. The two shared the position and shared in the misery of an awful season at the plate. In De La Rosa's final season in the system, the former third-rounder hit .205/.277/.322. That's bad, but slightly better than Murphy, who slashed .193/.277/.312. His walk rate dropped 6% while his K-rate spiked 4% to nearly a quarter of all plate appearances. Just 20 years-old, it was the kind of ugly campaign you hope is the strange outlier in an otherwise productive minor league career.

Most of the time, a prospect that has such a down year would get a repeat assignment, but traffic was getting crowded behind Murphy. With 2015 draftees Lucas Herbert and Jonathan Morales joining Rome, Murphy moved up the ladder to the Carolina League. The league is known to favor pitchers, which did not improve Murphy's chances for a big bounceback season. Some of his metrics did improve (12.6% walk rate, 16.5% K-rate), but what Murphy did with his swings were less than thrilling. He hit just .214 with 15 EBH in 334 PA.

But...that's not the complete story. Murphy got off to an epically bad start to open 2016. It was the kind of start that often gets players cut. Over his first 30 games, Murphy had just 12 hits in 100 AB (110 PA). It doesn't take a mathematician to know how bad that is. He wasn't walking, had just one extra base hit, and was K'd a fifth of the time. He started to get some of his power back over his next eleven games and then, on the day before the All-Star Break, his stance was altered to loosen him up at the plate. The results were pretty immediate. He walked twice in his first game with the new stance and hit a homer in his second game. Over his final 48 games, Murphy slashed .288/.412/.390 with 3 homers. No longer pressing, he walked 30 times to 26 K's over his final 182 PA. Murphy's bat, for the first time in two years, was an asset to his team.

As we move into 2017, it doesn't get any easier for Murphy. Mississippi's catching situation seems packed. Kade Scivicque was added to the organization late last year and finished with a cameo in Pearl. Joseph Odom also played 39 games in Mississippi after a callup from Carolina while the Braves added Armando Araiza this offseason. With little room at Triple-A, the Braves could opt to keep Murphy at the High-A level, though how much time is available there is also suspect. The aforementioned Morales and/or Herbert could be moved up the chain - especially with Brett Cumberland coming up from Danville. Further, Alex Jackson is moving to catcher and will demand much of the playing time with whatever A-level squad he starts with. Despite Murphy's strong finish, he could find it difficult to find at-bats once the 2017 season begins. The fact that Scivicque and Odom were non-roster invitees while Murphy wasn't does not bode well, either.

Whatever the case, Murphy is easy to root for. I've linked to a recent interview he did with Talking Chop earlier in this profile and it's an eye opener into the struggles he went through over the last two years and how he kept striving for success. However, the name of the game is production. Murphy will need to get off to a good start to avouid being forgotten in the rapidly improving catcher depth Atlanta now has. If he continues to hit like he did in the second half of 2016, he'll definitely be hard to forget.

Follow Murphy on Twitter @tsmurph14

Reviewing My 2015 Top 30 Prospects (Part 1 of 3)

Recently, I released the first ten players who made this year's Walk-Off Walk Top 50 Prospects. Of course, the Braves followed by adding two more prospects to the mix, but I forgive them. As I originally said about my prospect list, releasing these lists is a mix of talent, results, and hope. The hope comes in big when you look back at a list in a few years. Projection is one thing, but can they take the next step?

With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to look back at a prospect list. In 2015, I released a Top 30 in a similar ten prospects at a time method that I am doing this year. Let's take a look at the 2015's #21-30 prospects as graded and ranked by yours truly. Hope I did well.

30. Victor Reyes, OF, Grade: C....One of the last big international splurges for the Frank Wren era, Reyes is a switch-hitter who would be traded less than a month after I released the list to the Diamondbacks. In exchange, the Braves took on most of Trevor Cahill's salary. They also received the #75th overall pick of the 2015 draft, which was used to draft talented lefty A.J. Minter. Reyes has been productive since the trade, hitting a comebined .307 over the last two years. However, the power projections have yet to happen for the 22 year-old, who had a .113 ISO in the hitter-friendly California League last year. Still, not a bad start to the list.

29. Wes Parsons, P, Grade: C....At the time, others ranked Parsons higher than me. He was coming off a 23-start campaign with Lynchburg in which he struggled with a 5.02 ERA. None of us, however, could foresee the troubles Parsons would have the next two years due to injuries, which have limited him to 86.1 innings. Parsons still made my 2016 Top 50, but didn't make this year's list as he tries to jumpstart his career this spring.

28. Max Povse, P, Grade: C....In March of 2015, I called Povse "a sleeper in this system" and said "I like his chances a lot." Well, he turned into that sleeper with back-to-back productive seasons where he displayed great control, a tendency to induce many groundballs, and the ability to be a workhorse. In November, he was dealt to the Mariners in the Alex Jackson deal.

27. Shae Simmons, P, Grade: C....When I ranked him in March of 2015, he had just been given the news that he was destined for Tommy John surgery. It took him well over a year to get back to the Braves. Recently, he was sent packing to the Mariners to join Povse.

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

26. Williams Perez, P, Grade: C....The Braves liked Perez probably more than they should have. Surprisingly kept over a bigger prospect like J.R. Graham, Perez was a groundball artist who relied on location. In Atlanta, the location was often not as spot-on as it had to be. A month ago, he was released on the final day of the winter meetings so the Braves could open up a 40-man roster spot and draft Armando Rivero in the Rule 5 draft. He's been on the market ever since.

25. Tanner Murphy, C, Grade: C....At the time, Murphy was receiving some high marks for his defense and on-base skills. I was quickly a fan, but his bat has become an even bigger liability and his defense has received some poor reports since 2014. Like Parsons, Murphy made my Top 50 last year, but fell off this year.

24. Dilmer Mejia, P, Grade: C....Before the Braves began to acquire every left-handed pitching prospect on the planet, Mejia was a hyped teenager in rookie ball who looked like he might be a force to reckon with. Injuries have sapped some of the hype, but he still made my list this year at #48 and I believe he can once again surprise some people.

23. Cody Martin, P, Grade: C....A 7th rounder out of Gonzaga in 2011, Martin was a veterab of over 200 innings at the Triple-A level heading into 2015. The numbers were there, but the projections weren't. He would pitch in 21 games out of the Braves' bullpen in 2015, but was prone to gopher balls. In July, the Braves sent him to the A's for some international slots so that they could sign their prospects. Since then, he has spent most of his time in the Pacific Coast League with 34.2 innings in the bigs, spent mostly with the Mariners after Oakland waives him.

22. Andrew Thurman, P, Grade: C....Acquired in the Evan Gattis trade, Thurman got off to a wonderful start with Carolina in 2015. However, his season and his team's season would be marred by a bus crash. Thurman never seemed the same after that. Thurman's woeful pitching in 2016 removed any prospect luster from him and he was released last August. He has since signed with the Dodgers and will try to revive his career out west.

21. Johan Camargo, SS, Grade: C+....A plus defender, Camargo has made prospect lists based solely on his skill in the field. The switch-hitter continues to struggle to hit, though. With a career ISO under .100 and a .304 OBP at Mississippi last year, Camargo is a longshot to become a fixture in the majors. However, the Braves do like him and added him to the 40-man roster this winter.

Of the first ten prospects released for the 2015 Top 30, six are no longer in the organization. Of those remaining four, only one made my Top 50 this season. That's both a testament to the system's depth and the struggles prospects have had since the original ranking.