The Braves have consistently been one of the highest-ranked teams based on their top-100 prospects year after year and those top-100 prospects have been making impacts on their roster over the last few years. Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies , Austin Riley , Max Fried , Mike Soroka , and Dansby Swanson have all come up in the last few years and performed well at the major league level. Now it’s time for the next bumper crop of talented prospects to work their way up through the system and there are some players that will be household names in short order, if they’re not already.
Top Prospects In The System
Pos. - OF Ht/Wt - 6’2” 183 lbs. Bats: S Throws: R Age: 21
Level - Triple-A Drafted - 2017 (2.41) ETA: 2020
Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 50 Run: 60 Arm: 60 Field: 60
Waters is just the latest Georgia prep ranks outfielder to turn into a highly-regarded prospect in the last few years joining the likes of Austin Meadows , Clint Frazier , Brandon Marsh, and Taylor Trammell just to name a few. The combination of tools that Waters possesses turned him into the Southern League MVP in 2019 while also winning the batting title for the league and then making it to Triple-A at just 20 years old. The switch-hitting outfielder has an impressive hit tool that flashes plus regularly, especially from the left side of the plate. He has a buggy-whip type swing that does well to allow him to hit the ball to all fields and drive it as well, resulting in 40 doubles in 2019. Waters has also stolen 16 or more bags each of the last two full seasons in the minors and while the over-the-fence power hasn’t fully showed up yet, 16 home runs in that same span, it’s coming and with a bit more seasoning he’ll improve the leverage in his swing as well. One other thing that can help the over-the-fence power show up in games instead of just batting practice would be working on his approach at the plate and refining it some with his 164:39 K:BB ratio being what it was in 2019. The speed allows him to play center field well but the arm profiles more as a right fielder and if the power makes an appearance, the bat plays there as well. Overall, he is an impact bat from both sides of the plate and a plus-defender at all three outfield spots.
Pos. - OF Ht/Wt - 6’2” 185 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 21
Level - Triple-A Signed - July 2015 ETA: 2020
Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 50 Run: 70 Arm: 70 Field: 70
Pache is ranked ahead of Waters in some circles but I have a few more questions that keep him a touch below Waters for me. The grades show him as the possessor of three double-plus grades with his speed, arm, and field being elite as they come and in fact he’s won the best defensive prospect honors two years in a row for the Braves, however some skills haven’t made a grand entrance into his game yet. Pache is a career .283 hitter in the minors with a .331 OBP and .404 SLG in 428 games. That respectable but the issue is that the speed and power haven’t really shown up the way you’d expect and the approach hasn’t either. He has nearly posted three-straight 100-strikeout seasons playing between 119 and 130 games and yet has walked a combined 102 times which is worrisome. Pache has 21 homers in the last two years but just 15 steals after stealing 32 bags at A-ball in 2017. He profiles as a guy that should impact the game on both sides of the ball but right now, his Gold Glove-caliber defense is ahead of the bat and he likely needs to show the ability to make more consistent hard contact for over-the-fence power while striking out a bit less to get the call to the bigs where he’ll patrol center field for a while to come.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’3” 170 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 21
Level - Triple-A Drafted - 2016 (1.3) ETA: 2020
Grades: Fastball: 60 Curveball: 55 Changeup: 55 Control: 50
There was a fair bit of puzzled looks when the Braves selected Anderson at third overall in the 2016 draft when the history of northeast high school pitchers wasn’t a great one in pro ball. However, a few years down the line, and Anderson looks like the next guy to slot in at or near the top of the Braves rotation. The righty misses a ton of bats with his 96 mph fastball that has excellent downhill movement on it and he pairs that with a plus-curveball. The curve is more of the power variety than a big looping pitch but those two pitches combined led to a 10.7 K/9 rate in his career to this point. Anderson’s third pitch is a changeup that is now a plus pitch as well and is thrown with the arm angle and downward plane as the fastball which disguises it even better. He has a smooth delivery that repeats well and allows him to pound the strike zone a lot. The three-pitch mix is enough to be a frontline starter and he should make the majors in the second half of 2020 and be there to stay.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’4” 200 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 24
Level - Majors Drafted - 2017 (1.5) ETA: 2020
Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Curveball: 55 Changeup: 55 Control: 50
Wright has been a household name since his days as a starter for Vanderbilt and then rose quickly through the Braves’ system becoming an even more well-known prospect. The righty has had a taste of the majors before, but he didn’t do well enough to stick in 2018 or 2019. The fastball is the top pitch in his arsenal sitting at 95 mph and touching 98 mph from time-to-time while the two-seam variety sits 94mph and has great sink to it. The two breaking pitches are distinct and both are above-average to plus with the slider being the more used one over the curveball. The changeup is in the mid-80s and is above-average with great deception and movement. Wright’s main issue has been that as he steps up in levels, the stuff gets hit a bit better each time with a 4.17 ERA in 112.1 innings at Triple-A last year despite a solid 116:35 K:BB ratio. He is capable of being a frontline starter when he puts it all together in the big leagues and upper minors and Atlanta is hoping that happens this year at some point, though don’t expect Wright to start the year in the majors and rather Gwinnett to improve on that 4.17 ERA.
Pos. - SS Ht/Wt - 6’4” 190 lbs. Bats: L Throws: L Age: 22
Level - Double-A Drafted - 2019 (1.21) ETA: 2021
Grades: Hit: 60 Power: 50 Run: 50 Arm: 55 Field: 50
Shewmake was the second of two first-round picks for the Braves in last year’s draft and the second one to fill a need in the system as they simply didn’t have any shortstops of note behind Dansby Swanson on the major league roster. His draft profile heading into the 2019 draft was “Shewmake has great barrel-to-baseball swing that is level with a bit of uppercut to it. The hand-eye coordination is elite with this middle infielder from the left side of the batter’s box and his plate discipline led to a low K-rate in college. He did have 11 homers in his freshman year and then hit for more contact in subsequent seasons, but it should return as he gets more filled out and adds another 20 or so pounds to his 6’4” frame. Ultimately, he may move to center field as he’s a touch big to play short in the majors and the arm strength is a bit lacking for the longer throws across the diamond at short as well. Shewmake should be a .290 hitter with 20-homer pop that will play multiple positions in pro ball.” The Braves though so highly of Shewmake that they brought him all the way up to Double-A for a 14-game stint. He is on the fast track at this point though it’s still unclear where he will play unless Swanson doesn’t get re-signed or they move Shewmake but the former is more likely than the latter.
Prospects To Watch For
RHP Age: 22 Triple-A ETA: 2020
Wilson was a big name prospect in North Carolina when he was drafted in 2016 and then paid an over-slot $1.2 million for being a fourth round pick. Wilson has made quick progression through the Atlanta system getting time in the majors in 2018 and 2019. The righty has a fastball that comes in as a 60-grade pitch sitting between 95-97 mph and throwing the four-seamer up in the zone and the two-seamer down in the zone to induce ground balls. His mid-80s changeup is the best secondary pitch in the arsenal because the breaking pitch is inconsistent but a good tight slider at it’s best. Wilson is still trying to figure out his role in the majors long-term and it likely depends on how consistent the slider becomes in 2020 because if the third pitch is at least average, he could be a mid-rotation starter, but if it doesn’t he’s an effective bullpen arm in the making.
1B Age: 21 Class-A ETA: 2022
Ball started to show the power he possesses in his bat while a sophomore at North Iowa Community College in 2018 and then was drafted the following year out of Dallas Baptist in the 24th round of last June’s draft. Typically a 24th-round pick doesn’t make much noise, but Ball’s bat is doing all of the noise making at the moment as he hit 17 homers in 62 games in his first partially season in 2019. The power also came with a .329 average and .395 OBP with 52 RBI and 51 runs. He will be limited to first base as he progresses and he needs to work on his actions there as they tend to be stiff which isn’t shocking since he’s 6’6” tall. The hit and power tools are what will carry him and have the Braves so excited about getting him in the 24th round as he has a chance to hit for average along with his 65-grade raw power that made Danville and Rome home parks feel small, despite them not being great hitter’s parks.
SOUND ON: @Braves prospect Bryce Ball’s last swing of the day just put a dent in something. ???? pic.twitter.com/80CrGEcJgV
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) February 17, 2020
C Age: 22 Class-A ETA: 2022
Langeliers was the second catcher taken in the 2019 draft though that was at ninth overall. The draft analysis was as follows at the time: “Langeliers won a Gold Glove as the best defensive catcher in college in 2018, he has a 1.7-1.8 second pop time that threw out 70-percent of would-be base stealers in his sophomore year and he is a very good receiver and frame already. It’s not all about defense with him though as he combined for a .289/.371/.508 slash in 151 regular season games at Baylor with 27 homers, 120 runs, 110 RBI, and nine steals. His power and counting stats dropped a bit in Junior year, but he missed three weeks with a Hamate bone injury. Overall, Langeliers has no real holes in his approach and his defense alone makes him a first-round pick, there’s just not much projection left in his game which also means he could be a faster riser through the system than most backstops.” The Baylor product played 54 games in the Class-A in 2019 and slashed .255/.310/.343 with two home runs, 34 RBI, and 27 runs. While Adley Rutschman got all the top billing in the draft, and rightfully so, Langeliers isn’t that far behind and will be an impact bat and defender at the backstop spot and shouldn’t be in the minors for much longer than another two seasons.
ICYMI: Shea Langeliers had a day for the ages!#RoadToOmaha | @BaylorBaseball pic.twitter.com/9xVn7VohIx
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 2, 2019
LHP Age: 22 Double-A ETA: 2020
Muller was taken in the second round of the 2016 draft as the third-straight high school pitcher of their class that year and now Muller is close to banging on the door of the major leagues. He has a fastball that he loves, sometimes too much, is it sits in the mid-90s into the seventh inning while touching 97mph with late biting life. The curveball would serve him well if he threw it more and it would develop into a second plus pitch for him. The changeup needed so much work that he went to the instructional league in the Fall to get the extra work in on the pitch, and it paid off as the Braves were happy with the progress he made. The southpaw spent all of 2019 at Double-A and pitched to a 3.14 ERA with a 120:68 K:BB ratio in 111.2 innings though the 1.33 WHIP is a bit too high. He’ll likely move up to Triple-A Gwinnett to start the 2020 campaign but he’ll need to keep mixing up the pitches better if he wants to lower the WHIP and keep hitters off-balance more. Muller needs to make his delivery more repeatable as there are a lot of moving parts to the 6’6” frame and that can lead to a spike in walk rates as he saw last year. If he can get a handle on the pitch mixing and the delivery his backend of the rotation role will be there for the taking in the Braves rotation.
If you’ve never seen Kyle Muller in person, it’s hard to describe just how good the body is. A mix between a staff ace and an SEC quarterback. #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/P89P2gCmFb
— Prospects 365 ?? (@Prospects365) July 23, 2019
SS Age: 19 Rookie Ball ETA: 2023
Grissom was taken in the 11th-round of the 2019 draft out of the same high school that produced Zach Eflin , Ryan Mountcastle , and fellow 2019 draftee Riley Greene of the Tigers. Grissom may not have a clear spot at defense yet as he can play shortstop or third base or potentially corner outfield but the bat is definitely there with the bat speed being the biggest draw. In 44 games at rookie ball, he slashed .288/.361/.400 with three home runs, 23 RBI, 22 runs, and three steals. He also drew 16 walks compared to 27 Ks which is an impressive ratio for such a young hitter and that approach is what allows some of the tools to play up some as well. Grissom played exclusively at shortstop in the rookie level but then worked at third base in instructional league this fall as his 6’3” frame will start to get too big for shortstop as soon as he adds some more weight to his 180 pounds currently. When he matures, the hit tool will drop a bit and the power will go up a tick making him a .260 hitter with 25 home run pop and good for a handful of steals as well.
He’s probably too good to be called a sleeper but not sure Vaughn Grissom’s bat gets the credit it deserves in 2019 #MLBDraft class. He can really hit! Excited to see him this weekend at PG World https://t.co/4hPKbVH9l1 pic.twitter.com/jjTfVo4Ovn
— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) January 25, 2019