Atlanta Braves Mega Thread

[WizardHawk]

23 hours ago, BillsGuy82 said:

Is Acuna starting in AAA or the bigs ? He has nothing left to prove in the minors.

I believe I seen that if he starts season in Atlanta, they will control him thru 2023. If he is optioned and is there for 16 days(not 100% on #, but was minimal) then they control him thru 2024. It was something along those lines. So, I would guess minors.

[BillsGuy82]

2 minutes ago, WizardHawk said:

I believe I seen that if he starts season in Atlanta, they will control him thru 2023. If he is optioned and is there for 16 days(not 100% on #, but was minimal) then they control him thru 2024. It was something along those lines. So, I would guess minors.

Yea @devils1854 cleared that up. I would send him to AAA for that extra year of service.

What a core with Acuna, FF, Albies, Dansby and one would think one of Wright, Allard, Gohara,Anderson, Newcomb, Soroka or Wentz will ball out 

Plus you guys have the Wizard AA running the show. Just a matter of time before he gets you guys firmly into the Latin Market ?

[devils1854]

On 3/17/2018 at 9:00 PM, BillsGuy82 said:

Yea @devils1854 cleared that up. I would send him to AAA for that extra year of service.

What a core with Acuna, FF, Albies, Dansby and one would think one of Wright, Allard, Gohara,Anderson, Newcomb, Soroka or Wentz will ball out 

Plus you guys have the Wizard AA running the show. Just a matter of time before he gets you guys firmly into the Latin Market ?

thought I quoted this, but I guess not. From every interview I hear from AA, he wants to make moves now, but he also knows that he needs time to evaluate the prospects himself. The fall of 2018 is going to be big for Atlanta. Between AA being comfortable with the organization, and the team adding payroll, they could be the biggest movers in all of baseball.

[devils1854]

1. Inciarte(CF)
2. Albies(2B)
3. Freeman(1B)
4. Acuna(RF)
5. Tucker(LF)
6. Flowers(C)
7. Swanson(SS)
8. Ruiz(3B)

dream lineup for May 1

[WizardHawk]

Doesn't get much better than that. 

#ChopOn

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by WizardHawk

[KhanYouDigIt]

Great comeback.

god bless them for taking out Nola after 68 pitches.

still can’t stand Julio.

[devils1854]

Starting my annual top 50 prospects here.

50-41

50.Corbin Clouse, LHP, AAA
-Strikes out a ton of people, but also walks too many. Could see the pen in 2018.
49.Jonathan Morales, C, AA
-Not giving up on Morales yet. His defense plays, but he has to get a ton better hitting.
48.Drew Harrington, LHP, AA
-Starter now, but his future is in the pen. Thats why he is still on the list.
47.Josh Graham, RHP, AA
-Has the fastball to be a high leverage guy. Still pretty new to pitching.
46.Wes Parsons, RHP, AAA
-He is a guy that just gets it done. His stuff is average at best. Could still see him in the Atlanta pen.
45.Luis Valenzuela, 2B, AAA
-A guy Ive loved since we got him from KC. Small, no power, and no speed, but he finds ways to contribute.
44.Raysheandall Michel, OF, A
-Hit well at Danville, but lacked power. Many believe that the gap power can come.
43.Dilmer Mejia, LHP, A
-Averaged over a K an inning, and did not walk any in Danville. No projection in his small frame, but is worth watching as he goes full season.
42.Troy Bacon, RHP, A
-Drafted in 4th round in 2017 because his FB can hit 100. Could be a fast riser out of the pen if starting does not work out.
41.Ray-Patrick Didder, OF, AA
-Speed? Plus. Arm? Plus. Fielding? Can be plus after more work in the outfield. Probably not going to hit though.

 

[devils1854]

40.Braxton Davidson, OF, AA
-2 yrs in A+ and he still hasnt figured it out. Excellent at walking, but still striking out over a third of the time, and still hasnt shown any power.
39.Lucas Herbert, C, A+
-Still a defense first guy, but he did hit better in his second stint in Rome. Is starting to get older for his level.
38.Jeffrey Ramos, OF, A
-Had a great stint in the GCL as a 18 year old. Could have great power potential.
37.Alay Lago, 2B, AA
-Lago is a Cuban defector, and was signed before last season. He is old for his assignment, but is someone to potentially watch this season.
36.Jesse Biddle, LHP, AAA
-Pitching for the first time in 2 years, Biddle had a very successful season in Mississippi. Can be a true swing reliever option for Atlanta, after being a starter for his whole career.
35.Derian Cruz, SS, A
-Cruz might have been the worst full time starter in the organization. Only 19 for 2018, the hitting can still improve, but right now, he looks to be just speed and defense.
34.Anfernee Semour, OF, AA
-Another speed and defense guy. Speed could be a true 80, but he needs to be able to get on base more frequently to use it.
33.Jared James, OF, AAA
-James profiles as a 4th outfielder. Not much power or speed, but he does whats needed to be successful, and thats ok for a 34th rd pick.
32.Drew Lugbauer, C, A+
-13 HR in his first season in the organization. The bat could move fast, but he is not that good defensively at catchers. If he has to move positions, he loses a lot of value.
31.Thomas Burrows, RHP, A+
-This is the guy Im really watching in 2018. Lefty, 3/4 reliever with 2 potential plus pitches. Behind Minter, he is the reliever with the highest ceiling.

 

[KhanYouDigIt]

Given 8 runs, Teheran can’t even get out of the 3rd inning. Lmao

[GSUeagles14]

40 minutes ago, KhanYouDigIt said:

Given 8 runs, Teheran can’t even get out of the 3rd inning. Lmao

that really has nothing to do with being able to get out of the 3rd. Hes not this bad, even in suntrust. My thought is let the young guys develop for hopefully half the year and then mve jt around the deadline for a lotto ticket if we can. Soroka and Wright could very well be ready by then, maybe one of them gets off to a really hot start in the bigs.

[GSUeagles14]

On 4/1/2018 at 11:12 PM, devils1854 said:

40.Braxton Davidson, OF, AA
-2 yrs in A+ and he still hasnt figured it out. Excellent at walking, but still striking out over a third of the time, and still hasnt shown any power.
39.Lucas Herbert, C, A+
-Still a defense first guy, but he did hit better in his second stint in Rome. Is starting to get older for his level.
38.Jeffrey Ramos, OF, A
-Had a great stint in the GCL as a 18 year old. Could have great power potential.
37.Alay Lago, 2B, AA
-Lago is a Cuban defector, and was signed before last season. He is old for his assignment, but is someone to potentially watch this season.
36.Jesse Biddle, LHP, AAA
-Pitching for the first time in 2 years, Biddle had a very successful season in Mississippi. Can be a true swing reliever option for Atlanta, after being a starter for his whole career.
35.Derian Cruz, SS, A
-Cruz might have been the worst full time starter in the organization. Only 19 for 2018, the hitting can still improve, but right now, he looks to be just speed and defense.
34.Anfernee Semour, OF, AA
-Another speed and defense guy. Speed could be a true 80, but he needs to be able to get on base more frequently to use it.
33.Jared James, OF, AAA
-James profiles as a 4th outfielder. Not much power or speed, but he does whats needed to be successful, and thats ok for a 34th rd pick.
32.Drew Lugbauer, C, A+
-13 HR in his first season in the organization. The bat could move fast, but he is not that good defensively at catchers. If he has to move positions, he loses a lot of value.
31.Thomas Burrows, RHP, A+
-This is the guy Im really watching in 2018. Lefty, 3/4 reliever with 2 potential plus pitches. Behind Minter, he is the reliever with the highest ceiling.

 

good stuff as always devols. looking forward to the rest of this and curious to see where youll have allard. frpm what ive read recently, his fastball really lost something and he was sitting 90-91. just a case of fatigue or something to worry about?

[devils1854]

23 minutes ago, GSUeagles14 said:

good stuff as always devols. looking forward to the rest of this and curious to see where youll have allard. frpm what ive read recently, his fastball really lost something and he was sitting 90-91. just a case of fatigue or something to worry about?

Its a little worrisome, since it did happen multiple times last season, and not just towards the end of the year, but the kid just threw 150 good innings in AA as a 19 year old. Thats a lot of wear and tear on a guy that has probably never gotten to 100 innings before.

Now that AA is in control of things, players arent going to be pushed as much, and we should see Kolby throw less innings, and be in AA for most of the year. If the loss in velo continues, then we have to reevaluate him, but we also have to remember that he has two fantastic offspeed pitches, so the loss in velocity might not be a career killer. 

[KhanYouDigIt]

Back to back series wins against divisional opponents. Good way to start the year.

 

[devils1854]

30.Travis Demeritte, 2B/OF, AA
-Demeritte was a bright spot for about a month and a half last year, until the real player showed back up. He's moving to the outfield this season, but his breakout offensive season with Texas before his trade looks to be a product of very friendly ballparks.
29.Huascar Ynoa, RHP, A
-Ynoa was the lottery ticket that came from Minnesota in the Jaime Garcia trade. Ynoa turns 20 in a month and has been babied so far in his career. Hie curveball is his best pitch so far, and could be plus soon, but he has a long way to go.
28.Tyler Pike, RHP, AA
-10.37 K/9, 7.59 BB/9 in 74 inn. That was Pike last year in Mississippi. He is a lefty that can have good stuff, but he has no clue where it is going. He could be a legit prospect if he can find any kind of control.
27.Kade Scivicque, C, AAA
-Kade is probably my prospect crush in all the system. He is not going to be a starter in the majors but he has the makeup, and the defensive ability to be a backup long term, and he might be able to give a little with the bat.
26.Leudys Baez, OF, A+
-Baez has been on the verge of breaking out for a couple years now, and he played really well in Danville. He was promoted to Rome for the last month of the year and fell back to mediocrity. He has all the tools to be a good player, but he is now 21, and results have to come soon.
25.Tucker Davidson, LHP, A+
-2016 draftee that started '17 in the pen. Started dominating, and was moved to a starter towards midseason. He flourished. He still showed a plus fastball after multiple innings, and showed a curveball and changeup that could be major league pitches. He could be a surprise potential starter in the future.
24.Freddy Tarnok, RHP, A
-Tarnok was not a full time starter in high school, so he did not develop fully. Atlanta took a flier on him and gave him a lot of money to not go to college. His fastball is what is exciting about him. He can hit 96 right now, but he has the body to get even more once he fills out. He has a long way to go, but the profile is there.
23.Isranel Wilson, OF, A+
-Wilson is another toolsy international prospect in the system that just hit 20 a month ago. He has yet to figure out how to actually play baseball at a high level, but the power, speed, and defensive ability is somewhere in that body of his.
22.Brett Cumberland, C, AA
-When he was drafted, you could see the Braves wanting to replicate Kyle Schwarber. He is a hit first guy with raw power, but no real position. He is not going to stick at catcher unless things drastically change. He will probably see some action in left field this season.
21.Patrick Weigel, RHP, AAA
-Weigel was on the fast track to being called up before blowing out his elbow last season. Now, it looks like he could be passed over by the rest of the pitching prospects. If he stays in the Atlanta system, he could be a very good reliever with a plus fastball, and two average offspeed pitches. The hope is that he will be back towards the end of the year.

[devils1854]

20.Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B, A
-Bullish projectability. Thats what you have with this kid. He absolutely destroyed GCL pitching last season. 14 of his 36 hits went for extra bases. The hope is that once he fills out, a lot more power will come. He does need to learn plate discipline. Too many Ks and not enough walks, but that is not too concerning for a 18 year old kid.
19.Ricardo Sanchez, LHP, AA
-Sanchez has spent three full years in the Atlanta system, and he is still just 21. The overall numbers havent looked great, but he still isnt there. Command is the big issue still. If he can throw his breaking pitches for strikes, he will make it to the majors. If not?
18.Dustin Peterson, OF, AAA
-Injuries slowed Peterson down last year, and he had an absolute horrid season because of it. He still probably profiles as a fourth outfielder since he has no tool that really stands out, but he could outplay his tools as seen this past spring training.
17.Drew Waters, OF, A
-I did not give Waters enough credit last year when he was drafted. I didnt think he had the potential tools that he briefly showed after being drafted. He is a lot more athletic than expected, and could grow into a very exciting player.
16.Kyle Muller, LHP, A
-Muller was not ready for the big stage when he was drafted. His velocity went down, and he was having problems with his delivery. That might have changed now. Reports were that he was throwing in the high 90s this sping. He was given a lot of money for a reason. He could be a big riser this season.
15.William Contreras, C, A
-He has not been rushed, and he still isnt in full year ball, but Contreras has hit very well in three stops, and not just catcher good. His defense could be great because of his athletic ability, but he could be the catcher of the future because of his knowledge of the strike zone. He could have a close to elite batters eye.
14.Bryse Wilson, RHP, AA
-Bulldog. Thats how everyone describes Wilson. He is built like a linebacker because he was a very good one in high school. He attacks batters with a above average fastball and two other pitches that could be major league level already.
13.AJ Minter, LHP, MLB
-Plus fastball with great movement. A cutter that could be plus soon, and a slider that is at least league average. All of this from the left side of the mound. Minter is a closer, and will be a very good one very soon. Definitely the best relief prospect since Craig Kimbrel.
12.Alex Jackson, C, AAA
-Did Jackson somehow forget to hit when he was in Seattle? He was considered one of the best prospects in the 2014 draft, but he was just bad in their system. Since he has been in Atlanta, he has shown great power from the catching position. The uptick in walks last year helps a lot. He still does strike out too much, and he will be a average defensive catcher at best, but its possible that he could stay behind the plate for 4 to 5 years before he ages.
11.Max Fried, LHP, AAA
-Fried still has what might be the best curveball in the minors. It is a devastating 12-6 that can get anyone out. The fastball is in the mid 90s as well. He has alwasy gotten into trouble with his control and command. Too many walks, and too many missed locations that are hit hard. He can be as good as a #2 if he can figure it out.