At the major league level…
… the "now" seems to belong to Yunel Escobar, and all of his moods. Seemingly an even-keeled rookie last year, the formerly chatty Cuban seemed to lose his composure this year after the Braves released childhood friend Bryan Pena. Esco's solid approach at the plate turned into an impatient hitter for a few weeks before returning to form and then devolving back again. For some reason, Escobar is immature beyond his years… but that seems to be the only knock on the mid-20’s Cuban.

Escobar, when healthy (and sane), can be one of the best hitting shortstops in the game. He didn’t slip too much in the on-base or power department, and his raw talent seems to be completely intact. The only knock on him that I can discern is his erratic behavior. But the people around the Braves are too professional to let Escobar’s shenanigans go on for too long. The best thing going for Escobar is that fellow Cuban Chino Cadahia is the Braves bench coach and a calming native influence on him. Escobar must mature, and if he does, he may be mentioned amongst the elite shortstop of the National League.

The future Braves shortstop…
… Last year’s third-round pick, Brandon Hicks, is vaulting through the minor leagues. After climbing two rungs (Danville and Rome) last year, Hicks earned a promotion from high-A Myrtle Beach to double-A Mississippi this year. His sample size of at-bats in Mississippi was not big enough to tell if he can handle double-A with the same success as he has the previous two levels. The good part about his performance is that it didn’t decline dramatically after the promotion, which leads me to believe that he will handle double-A as good as he’s handled A-ball.

Hicks is not the perfect prospect. He does have positives, including a very projectable 6’2" frame that brings a lot of power to the shortstop position. But he’s got several things to improve on, beginning with controlling his strikeouts. After pretty much a one to one strikeout to walk ratio last year, he struck out almost three times as much as he walked this year, and not only did his average suffer, but so did his on-base percentage.

Hicks is a solid defender and scouts love his size and potential. He should get a full season of double-A next year, and that will be the year he can really prove himself as a prospect.

More for future consideration…
2. Brent Lillibridge – Lilli was anything but impressive this year. His numbers declined in every major category, and there were some startling increases in the categories you don’t want to see increases. His strikeouts jumped to one per game at Richmond this year and his major league numbers left little to be desired. He may get a look in a backup role next year, but he needs to return to the numbers he put up in his first two years in the pros before some consider him a high value prospect again.

3. Michael Fisher – Scouts seem to like this guy, but after showing promise last year at Danville he struggled this year at the plate and in the field, and may have been one of the biggest disappointments in the system. Fisher’s defense will probably necessitate a move to second base, and a utility role may ultimately be in his future. 

Others:  Shayne Moody (older ’08 draftee didn’t show that much at Danville); Travis Adair (another ’08 draftee and part of the community college draft binge, like Moody, he didn’t show us much in short season ball this year).

Photo of Brandon Hicks courtesy of Chip Jett