Atlanta Braves Top Prospects
With Spring Training winding down, both major leaguers and minor leaguers are preparing for their respective seasons. I thought it would be fun and wise to look at each MLB team’s top prospects. After all, more often than not, the top prospects of their team will accomplish one of three things, be the next star/regular player for their team, get traded for a star player, or at least reach the MLB and contribute in some fashion. They are the backbone of any successful organization. Look at the Rays, they may have a tiny payroll, but they are consistently a top-performing team with their amazing prospect system. As such, I’m taking a look at the World Series winners, Atlanta Braves’ top-5 prospects. The Braves have built a star-laden team through their minor leagues and prospects mainly. Ronald Acuna Jr, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley, Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright, and many others were prospects in their system.
So, who are the next 5 players set to become potential stars for the champion Braves?
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1. Michael Harris II, OF, High-A
Harris was drafted in the 3rd round of the 19′ draft. He’s a left-handed hitter with decent pop, speed, and fielding ability. I see him sticking to center field long-term and could eventually be the plan out there next to Acuna. He’s got a plus-hitting ability after hitting .294 in High-A last year. Even better is that he repped the Braves in the 21′ Futures Game. As he grows, he’ll have to work on connecting to the power he has and lowering his strikeout rate. I can see him debuting in late 2023 and having the potential of a regular OF’er in the MLB.
2. Spencer Strider, RHP, Triple-AAA
Spencer’s a 23-year old pitcher that was taken in the 2020 draft in the 4th round by the Braves after he had TJ surgery in 2019. Last year, he lit up the speed gages in his first full year of pro ball where he was consistently in the high 90s. He’s got a powerful fastball that will play even faster if he moves to the bullpen. Now, he must master his slider and changeup so that he can consistently get outs. Combine that with staying in the strike zone often and he has the potential to be an elite closer. He made his MLB debut last year, yes in his first pro year, and looks set to hopefully stay in the bigs for good pitching out of the Braves’ bullpen.
3. Drew Waters, OF, Triple-AAA
Drew is hard to pin down. He’s got a ton of potential and was the Double-AA MVP in 2019. He’s been a part of the Futures Game too. Yet, he still isn’t a strong bet to debut this year in the bigs. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 17′ draft, Waters has reached Triple-AAA and is on the cusp of the bigs. He’s got plus power but is far too aggressive for the MLB. This causes his strikeout rate to rise and his batting average to drop. If he wants to reach and stay in the MLB, he must cut his free-swinging down. At least two aspects of his game are ready, his fielding and speed are ready to play. It’s up to the 23-year old as to if he debuts this year or not.
4. Bryce Elder, RHP, Triple-AAA
Elder climbed three levels last year in his first pro year after being taken in the 5th round of the 2020 draft. He’s got the potential and arm to stay in the rotation long-term IF he can cut down his walks. Last year, he walked 57 batters in only 137.2 innings. He did strike out 155 batters too while maintaining a 2.75 ERA. Despite that, MLB hitters aren’t the hitters in the minors. They will lay off wild pitches and take walks. They will crush mistakes. You can’t walk that many batters and expect to survive in the MLB. If he improves on his control, I see him processing to the MLB this year in the hope of fulfilling his mid-rotation starter potential.
5. Braden Shewmake, SS, Triple-AAA
Shewmake has star potential at short and could be the heir to the shortstop position if the team declines to sign Dansby Swanson to an extension. Originally drafted in the first round of the 19′ draft, Shewmake has the ability to stick long-term at short. He’s got a plus arm and fielding ability which is important considering the defensive demands of the position. He immensely struggled in 21′ at Double-AA for the first couple months before catching fire at the end of the season. Over his last few months, he slugged .436 with 11 HRs. That’s big. If he can continue to cut down on his swings and misses, he can reach the MLB by 2023. He should stay at Triple-AAA all this year getting further seasoning while reaching his batting potential.
