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The Atlanta Braves have been having a tremendous season at the major league level, but their lower league pipeline has been looking quite empty lately. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise because the Braves have been quite active in elevating players that can assist them to the majors. The Braves’ depth of prospects is lacking, especially after their promotions and their later-round selection in the draft.
Still, the cabinet isn’t entirely empty. Though the Braves no longer have ten players ranked in the top 100 in the minors, the farm system still contains some elite players. Baseball America appears to agree as well, as two Braves prospects are ranked among the top 50 prospects in all of baseball in their ranking of the top 100 prospects ($).
Baseball America does an outstanding job covering the game in general and ranking prospects in particular. They consult with each other frequently, take advantage of their extensive network within the league, and integrate a large amount of data into their research. Because of this, their rankings are highly respected by both fans and other players in the league.
Ranking #42 on BA’s list, they highlighted AJ Smith-Shawver’s rapid rise through the minor league systems and his 2023 debut, despite the fact that he was drafted in 2021 as a high school pitcher with relatively little pitching experience compared to his peers. AJ could quickly run out of prospect eligibility because he is a strong contender for a rotation position in the Braves’ upcoming campaign. As such, he might not be on this list for very long.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Hurston Waldrep, the Braves’ first-round selection in 2023, ranked all the way at #49. One more man who, in his professional debut, blew through the lower leagues. It’s not impossible that, with his swing and miss stuff, he may make an early-season contribution in the major leagues in 2024, particularly if his command has improved during the winter. His splitter is quite vicious.
It would have been good to see some love go to a couple guys who didn’t get it. BA pointed out that Braves pitching prospects Owen Murphy and JR Ritchie had some voting support, and that position prospects Luis Guanipa and Ignacio “Nacho” Alvarez may receive more attention for top 100 lists by the middle of the season if they perform well.
Right-handed pitchers AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep are two of the anticipated “trade chips” coming out of Atlanta’s farm system; Baseball America issued their Top 100 Prospects list this morning.
Baseball Prospectus released its ranking yesterday, so it’s always a great exercise to compare and contrast where the various prospect rating publications have the two stars.
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