Our top 3 (if Soroka comes back 100%) are as good as anyone not named the Dodgers, or maybe the Mets (and I'd argue against the latter). But our 4 and 5...woof
Charlie Morton is a hell of a #4. Who knows with the 5th spot, but we have a few arms that could get a shot.
Yeah, I could get some concern about our 5ht starter, but between Smyly, Bryse, some random prospect that is too good to be traded away, and even the dreaded Kyle Wright...we should be fine for a 5th starter. Max, Soroka, Ian, Charlie should be a good 1-4
I get letting Melatonin, Greene and O’Day walk but we’re putting a lot of faith in Webb to be our #2 righty. And don’t even get me started on Luke. Dude should’ve been DFA’d
has shane signed anywhere yet? pen is going from a huge strength to a pretty big question mark fairly quickly
No. Still a free agent. Probably talking to 29 other teams first before regrettably taking a shitty 1 year deal from the Braves.
or knows that out of the main contenders we are now the most desperate for pen help with oday and MM gone so he has some leverage
We didn't even seem to trust Shane down the stretch and in the playoffs. I'm be kind of surprised if we signed him instead of Melancon.
Greene seems more willing to be a seventh inning guy than Mark and I think we were always going to let Smith close because we’re paying him closer money
the haters get more and more mad and the duke simply gains more and more strength. the hate fuels him
Kiley McDaniels top-100 prospect list at ESPN: 12. Ian Anderson, RHP, Atlanta Braves Age: 23 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Tools: Fastball 55/55, Curveball 50/50, Changeup 60/60, Command 50/55 Present/Future Value: 50/60 As mentioned in the Sanchez blurb above, Anderson had the best MLB debut among prospect pitchers this year, which included making four playoff starts for the Braves. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft as a high school righty because he had all the surface stuff you look for (projectable frame, chance for three above-average to plus pitches, command to start) but also the stuff you'd find on a deeper dive (work ethic, big league mentality, understanding of pitching, etc.). Anderson has now delivered on that promise and seems like a safe bet to join Mike Soroka and Max Fried at the top of the Braves' rotation. While there's no real durability concern, there are some risk factors. First, Anderson's curve was plus at times in high school but has slowly regressed a bit in pro ball, with characteristics like low spin that have it play below even what eyeball accounts would tell you. It looks average to me now, and has for a few years, but on some days and to some analysts, it's below average. This profile can sometimes lead to struggles like Chris Paddack has had with San Diego, or with a little improvement, Anderson may turn into James Shields. Anderson works at the top of the zone with a rising, four-seam fastball, so he may have spells when he's homer-prone, and that also leaves little margin for error with command. The downside is a No. 3 or No. 4 starter with an ERA hovering around 4.00, but I think he'll settle as a No. 3 starter with some No. 2 starter-type seasons. If the breaking ball becomes plus, there is still ace potential. 16. Cristian Pache, CF, Atlanta Braves Age: 22 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Tools: Hit 40/50, Game Power 35/45, Raw Power 55/55, Speed 70/70, Fielding 70/70, Throw 70/70 Present/Future Value: 40/60 Pache has no such questions about his defense, as he's been a plus-plus runner, thrower and defender for years and has even drawn comparisons to Andruw Jones. Those comps continue to the plate because Pache just hasn't put it all together yet. He has above-average raw power and has steadily improved his contact rate, swing decisions and mechanical consistency to help get to more power in games. Now he's on the 40-man and has made a brief MLB debut, and the Braves would like for him to become a steady big league option with Ender Inciarte fading in effectiveness. Pache will probably be a solid MLB contributor in 2021, but the long-term question is if he ends up closer to his Kevin Pillar-type floor, a Kevin Kiermaier-type middle ground or a perennial All-Star-type upside. 34. Drew Waters, CF, Atlanta Braves Age: 22 | Bats: Left | Throws: Right Future Value: 55 Full disclosure: I was in the draft room the year the Braves drafted Waters (same with Ian Anderson and the signing of Cristian Pache). I'm not sure that fact impacts my evaluation at all, since each of these acquisitions happened years ago, and there has been plenty of on-field performance to drown out those amateur evaluations. I mention all that to say that I'm still probably the high man in the media on Waters. I think we all agree on the raw tools here -- above-average to plus bat control, bat speed, raw power, speed and arm strength -- and there may be a little disagreement about how good his game power and center field defense grades out, but both are probably a 50 or 55. The differences come on what Waters' offensive production will be in light of his well- below-average pitch selection. There are examples of players with this tooled-up skill set that are basically so physically talented that they can get around chasing bad pitches more than others. You can immediately think of Vladimir Guerrero, but then also more solid-to-good everyday players like Starling Marte, maybe even a successful rookie like Luis Robert. There's also some in the category of falling below expectations, like Lewis Brinson. It's not a binary outcome as Waters will probably fall between the extremes, but I still think Waters has the makeup and raw talent to make this work, maybe with a median projection of 50 hit, power, and defense in center field, which is basically a 2.0 WAR player, almost exactly the 50 grade he's five slots away from having. Given that he's still 22, he is basically big league ready, he has performed well in the upper levels, and there is plenty of upside for more than a grade-50 outcome, I still think this ranking makes sense. 95. Shea Langeliers, C, Atlanta Braves Age: 23 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right Future Value: 50 I got the feedback that a lot of the catching prospects that might have been just outside the top 100 should move on because one of the current industry trends is teams looking for catching, pushing up the value of some of the top prospects at that position. Langeliers has the tools to be an average offensive threat along with above-average defensive tools and makeup/intangibles you like to see in an everyday catcher. His power stood out as a freshman in the Cape Cod League, then tailed off a bit around a hamate injury in his draft year, but it sounds like it's coming back. Pairing that with continued offensive performance in-line with his tools is why Atlanta sees him as their backstop of the future, ahead of Alex Jackson and William Contreras for when Travis d'Arnaud moves on.
So the guy who's highest on Waters still "only" projects him as a 2 WAR player and yet he seems to be untouchable for AA...
also kiley did his one breakout candidate per team article and i have already penciled him in to our future outfield plans
Probably be locked in to Gwinnett. Which makes him an obvious sell candidate if you’re AA, but I’m not an MLB GM, so.