It is really hard for any team to consistently have seven plus guys who are legitimate Top 100 prospects, so for the last few years, fans of the Braves’ farm system have been spoiled to have such a wealth of talent on the way.
However, that depth has taken hits in recent years. Mostly, it has been due to the loss of prospect status as young players like Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Austin Riley, etc. are simply not prospects anymore even though they are still young and, in some cases, haven’t locked down major league roster spots yet. There have also been a few trades and some guys have seen their performance dip thereby seeing their prospect stock go down.
This is the natural order of things and that, combined with drafting lower due to the MLB team playing well (not to mention failing to sign a top 10 pick) AND the international sanctions placed upon the team, has meant that the talent level, overall, in the minor leagues has decreased. Despite all of that, the Braves still have some top end talent on the way.
IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 22, 2020
Our annual preseason Top 100 list is HERE.
See the Top prospects in baseball: https://t.co/ulLqloPgF1 pic.twitter.com/bEReRzqDfL
The Braves placed four prospects in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list with Cristian Pache (12), Drew Waters (36), Ian Anderson (44), and Kyle Wright (64) making the cut. Having all of their representatives on the list in the top 75 is also an important note.
Some folks will ask why certain players were left out, but fortunately, BA has a ton of articles and resources about their list available on their site. If you are a follower of the minor leagues in general, BA absolutely worth the subscription and we are going to respect their paywall regarding that content.
We will say, though, that the Braves were also well represented on their list of guys who received votes as top 150 prospects in baseball with William Contreras, Tucker Davidson, Shea Langeliers, Kyle Muller, Braden Shewmake, and Bryse Wilson all getting some love there.