Sickels' 50/50 List has Plenty of Braves

by gondeee on Jan 19, 2008 11:56 AM EST in Minor League News Comment 9 comments

John Sickels has released his list of the top-50 hitting prospects and his list of the top-50 pitching prospects in the minor leagues. The list is part of what you get when you order his 2008 Prospect Book, a book I highly recommend if you are interested in minor league players. You can still order a copy over at his site.

Last year the top Braves minor leaguer on his list was Elvis Andrus, who came in at number 27, followed closely by Eric Campbell at 30 and Jarrod Saltalamacchia at 34. On the top-50 pitching list from last year our top minor league pitcher was Matt Harrison at number 41, with Joey Devine just making the list at 48.

This year the top Braves hitter once again came in at number 27. Jason Heyward ranks as that top Braves minor league hitter with Jordan Schafer following right behind him at number 28. Brandon Jones also made the list at number 31, and rounding out the top-50 is Brent Lillibridge at number 50. The only Braves minor league pitcher on the list was Tommy Hanson at number 31.

Only two of the prospects we traded away made the lists this year. Elvis Andrus ranked at number 22 on the hitters list and Matt Harrison came in at 28 on the pitchers list.

I like these all-MiLB lists since they show us where our prospects rank in comparison with the rest of the young players in the minors. Both Heyward and Schafer make strong debuts in the middle of the list, especially Heyward who was the third highest hitter listed from last year's draft, after only 12 games of minor league baseball.

These lists also show the real strength of our minor leagues, which currently resides with our hitting prospects. I suspect that the young pitchers will begin to take back their place as the organizational strength in the next couple of years when guys like Rohrbough, Locke, Evarts and others matriculate to the higher minor leagues.

If nothing else, this list should reassure many Braves fans that we still have plenty of good young talent in our minor leagues, despite trading away what seems like an entire starting lineup of minor leaguers.

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Can someone with...

...more knowledge of prospects then I help me out here. Is Andrus still rating so highly based on talent alone? I thought the knock on him was that he stick may never catch up to his glove? Did he turn it on when he went to the Rangers?

by Smoltzs Beard on Jan 19, 2008 3:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

no subject

I dont know about andrus and his rankings, but he's a good player who in my opinion will play in the major leagues and maybe sooner than later. He's overhyped if you ask me (because BA makes everyone out to be the next big thing which I dont believe andrus is), but with that being said he did poop on the ball in AZ and he looks the part out on the field. He was always considered to be so young compared to everyone he played against while he competed at the levels despite his age. I think thats where the excitement about him comes from and that was always one of the first things I heard when everyone spoke about him ("he's only -fill in the blank- years old"), plus and yes he has the talent to play in the big leagues....good player

by bravos408 on Jan 21, 2008 11:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pitching depth in a period of transition

With Saltalamacchia, Harrison, and Devine gone now, a lot of the remaining highly rated Braves prospects are currently in the low minors. But Jordan Shafer should reach Atlanta in 2009, and I'm not sure it will take Jason Heyward much longer than that to get to the major league club either. Meanwhile, the strong performances posted by Brent Lillibridge and Brandon Jones at AAA in 2007 thrust them prominently into Atlanta's future plans. Martin Prado had the second highest BA in the International League, and hit well in 59 ABs in Atlanta. Clint Sammons probably isn't a star in the making, but he could also end up in Atlanta soon. So the system is still as strong in terms of young position players as at any other time in the last decade.

The issue (if there is one) is pitching depth. Kyle Davies, Matt Harrison, Jose Ascanio, Joey Devine, Jamie Richmond, Neftali Feliz, and Beau Jones are gone now. That's a lot of young pitching to trade away, and I can't think of another organization that has undergone that kind of attrition in pitching prospects. As long as Jair Jurrjens and Jo Jo Reyes live up to expectations, this should not be a problem. And in the longer term, Cole Rohrbough, Jeff Locke, and Tommy Hanson could all contribute in Atlanta. But for now, the depth of young pitchers in Atlanta's organization has certainly been thinned out, especially at the upper levels, and it will be another year or two before Hanson and Rohrbough are ready to fill that void.

Braves fan since 1958.

by Messenger on Jan 19, 2008 4:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

return of the big three

i am hoping the braves willl begin to draft & develop for a big three second coming. we have been developing star hitters, but where are the pitchers?

by darthspiderman on Jan 20, 2008 8:32 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Braves pitching prospects

In BA's ranking of the Braves ten top prospects, five are starting pitchers....

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/265139.html

The Braves' third-ranked prospect, 21 year old righthander Jair Jurrjens, was obtained from Detroit in the Edgar Renteria trade.

If he stays healthy, #7 prospect Cole Rohrbough looks like a top of the rotation ML starter in development. Rohrbough is a 20 year old 6'3" lefthander. BA says he has the best curve ball and best control in the organization. So far, Rohrbough hasn't pitched above low-A (Rome) so 2008 will be an important season for him.

The #8 prospect, Jeff Locke, is a 20 year old lefthanded 2007 draftee who was dominant at Danville last season. We will see how well he pitches at Rome in 2008.

The #9 prospect, Tommy Hanson, is an 6'6" 21 year old right handed starter who pitched well at Rome and Myrtle. Hanson should make the jump to AA sometime this year.

The #10 prospect, Julio Teheran, was named by BA as having the best fastball in the organization. Teheran is a teenager who was signed out of South America last year, and must still prove himself in the Braves' system.

Although not ranked by BA, young lefthanded starters is Steve Evarts, Chad Rogers, and Jose Ortegano were also dominant at Danville last season. BA says Evarts throws the best change-up in the organization.

It is hoped that 2007 AAA pitchers Blaine Boyer, Manny Acosta, Phil Stockman, and Zack Schreiber are ready to help in the Braves' bullpen.

Braves fan since 1958.

by Messenger on Jan 20, 2008 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

none

this may be considered by many to be bold, but keep an eye on morton

by bravos408 on Jan 20, 2008 10:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

well

i just wish we have a "cant miss" pitching prospect - similar to the sluggers we've had this past couple years - frenchy, mac, salty (before he was traded), etc. Davies was supposed to be that, then well he sucked. I want a Haren or Bucholz or a Webb in our rotation. I know that our pitching is young, and im speaking too soon, but I gues I'm just tired of waiting ever since our Big Three got old and broke up.

by darthspiderman on Jan 21, 2008 9:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs