2014 Minor League Preview: Atlanta Braves

November 6, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 14 Comments

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2013 (26) | 2012 (15) | 2011 (2) | 2010 (9) | 2009 (6)

2012 Affiliate Records
MLB: [96-66] NL East
AAA: [60-84] International League – Gwinnett
AA: [76-63] Southern League – Mississippi
A+: [69-70] Carolina League – Lynchburg
A: [73-66] South Atlantic League – Rome

Arizona Fall League Players — Scottsdale Scorpions
John Cornerly (RHP); Juan Jaime (RHP); Aaron Northcraft (RHP); Shae Simmons (RHP); Kyle Kubitza (3B); Tommy La Stella (2B); Elmer Reyes (SS); Robby Hefflinger (OF)

Graduated Prospects
Evan Gattis (C/OF); Julio Teheran (RHP); Alex Wood (LHP); Anthony Varvaro (RHP); Luis Avilan (LHP); Cory Gearrin (RHP);

The Run Down
The high-impact fantasy potential on this list starts and ends with Lucas Sims. Still, I view this Braves farm system as an underrated group, in that, there are a number of intriguing college arms here, and Atlanta, as an organization, has proven itself in recent years to be quite adept at developing college pitchers into MLB assets. (See Mike Minor and Alex Wood.) On the offensive side of things, there’s far less appeal. Hitting prospects like Bethancourt, La Stella, and Salcedo could all be spending time with the big club in 2014, and they each bring a glimmer of fantasy upside, but it’s the variety of upside that barely garners consideration in mixed leagues. With a decent amount of talent pushing through the upper levels, this is a group worth monitoring early on next season, but there’s truly nothing here to get too excited over until Sims makes his way to Turner Field.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Battles To Watch: NL East

February 25, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 45 Comments

by: Tom Jacks

Why hello there. This article will look at the position battles in each division. Today’s topic, for the rare reader that ignores the title, is the NL East. By the way, I’m all in on non-Marlins pitchers in the NL East. Do any of those lineups look devastating? Not really. And you’ll probably get a win each time they face the Marlins. Anyway, here’s some of the position battles to keep an eye on in the NL East:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2013 Minor League Preview: Atlanta Braves

January 23, 2013 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 12 Comments

by: Scott Evans

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2012 (15) | 2011 (2) | 2010 (9) | 2009 (6) | 2008 (8)

2012 Affiliate Records
MLB: [94-68] NL East
AAA: [62-82] International League – Gwinnett
AA: [62-77] Southern League – Mississippi
A+: [72-68] Carolina League – Lynchburg
A: [62-76] South Atlantic League – Rome

Arizona Fall League Players — Phoenix Desert Dogs
Chris Jones (LHP); Cory Rasmus (RHP); Zeke Spruill (RHP); Cory Brownsten (C); Edward Salcedo (3B);

Graduated Prospects
Tyler Pastornicky (SS); Andrelton Simmons (SS); Jose Constanza (OF); Randall Delgado (RHP)

The Run Down
Pitching depth is a beautiful thing. Injuries and whatnot can destroy Major League rotations and bullpens, so to have a pool of talented, cost-controlled options waiting in the upper levels of the farm is a luxury every team strives for. The Braves are overflowing with pitching depth in their minor leagues — some of it elite, some of it average, but the depth is real, and it’s hugely important. The same cannot be said for Atlanta’s prospects at the plate, however. Not to suggest that this system is void of promising hitting prospects, but the state of the farm in this regard is lagging behind. There is a fair amount of upside — a guy like Evan Gattis could blossom into a catcher-eligible masher as soon as this year. He also could bust and never see the bigs. The other bats here are rather young, and as we know, youth is volatile. So what the Braves have here is a bit of a lopsided system, but it’s a good system, and it brings plenty of fantasy intrigue. And along with the fantasy impact, it should keep Atlanta competitive in the NL East for the foreseeable future.

Please, blog, may I have some more?