McCarroll21
11-26-2007, 09:31 AM
Which Braves prospects are ready to contribute in 2008?
By: Josh McCarroll (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=1) | Braves-Nation.com
Anyone that follows the Braves know that they seem to always have a minor leaguer move up to the major leagues and make a huge impact on the club? Who will it be in 2007 that eventually makes that same impact? Will we have another class like 2005 that saw a host of players graduate to the major leagues with players like Kyle Davies, Jeff Francoeur, Chuck James, Kelly Johnson and Brian McCann making the jump; or will it be more tempered like 2007 and see a guy like Yunel Escobar leap above everyone else and play well enough to take a starting job out of the grasps of a major league veteran?
The 2007 Braves welcomed a lot more than just Escobar to the club, however. One cannot forget the impacts made by some of the pitchers that joined the Braves; Manny Acosta and Jose Ascanio, who prove to remain in the mix for 2008. For that reason, they will be featured in some possible impact rookies throughout the article.
First, I'm going to look at where the Braves may turn to the minor leagues to find some pitching depth. The Braves are currently set to go with John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Chuck James and Mike Hampton to open the year. It's inconceivable to believe that a major league team will get through a season using only five starters, so where do they turn to fill a spot?
The two favorites have to be Jair Jurrjens, the pitcher acquired by trading Edgar Renteria, and Jo-Jo Reyes, a pitcher that spent a good amount of time with the Braves in 2007. Jurrjens likely has the upper hand as the Braves already have a lot of pitchers that fill the same type of bill as Reyes, that being pitchers of the soft-tossing left handed variety. Since Jurrjens is new to us, I've borrowed some information from a Tigers site to give you a look at what he features. He has a fastball ranges from 90-94 MPH and throws it for strikes consistently. He also has a plus breaking pitch (78-82 MPH) and changeup (81-84 MPH). He often goes to the breaking ball for his "out pitch" after getting ahead with the fastball.
Jurrjens and Reyes give the Braves seven starters with Jeff Bennett and Buddy Carlyle still waiting in the wings. However, I believe that if the Braves need to go deeper than that in the rotation this year, they'll probably turn to Charlie Morton, a tall right hander that impressed Bobby Cox and Frank Wren in the Arizona Fall League or Francisley Bueno, a left hander that proved himself to be a pretty good big game pitcher as he helped pitch the Richmond Braves to a Governer's Cup Title in 2007.
With injury and free agency taking its toll on the Braves bullpen, they have a lot of spots to fill and a lot of good, young arms in which to do it. From the Opening Day 2007 bullpen, only Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano and Tyler Yates remain with the team; and Gonzalez will be out until at least June recovering from Tommy John surgery. With Yates likely to be traded or non-tendered over the off-season, Soriano and Peter Moylan will be the main pieces returning from the 2007 bullpen, with Acosta, Ascanio, Joey Devine -- who is out of options -- and Royce Ring likely to join them. That leaves the Braves looking for only a long man to round out the Opening Day bullpen, but just like the rotation, it's not likely to assume that bullpen will get you through the entire season so you need to have options lined up.
The Braves wouldn't want to waste one of their talented, young starters in the role of a long man, so they will likely turn to Bennett or Carlyle to fill that role with the other likely returning to the minor leagues to work as a starter. Waiting in the minor leagues, the Braves will have a host of young arms available to them with Zach Schreiber leading the way. Schriber posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 8.77 K/9 in 58 games between Double and Triple-A in 2007. The Braves recently added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule V Draft; he's likely to receive an invite to Spring Training and probably an early call if anyone struggles early in the season. The Braves could use Morton out of the bullpen if needed, but would likely turn to one of Michael Nix (2.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.71 K/9), Sung Ki Jung (1.31 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10.61 K/9), Kris Medlen (1.49 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12.49 K/9) or Kevin Gunderson (3.04 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 7.46 K/9) before weakening their starting depth.
One of the best things about the Braves in 2008 is they won't be forced to rely on a lot of youth as position players, or at least not young players that haven't already experienced the major leagues. With their lineup pretty much set with experienced players, the Braves will only turn to their farm system to fill out the bench or in-season call ups.
Clint Sammons will likely make the Braves Opening Day roster, serving as the backup to Brian McCann and the Braves will have to turn to Josh Anderson or Jordan Schafer in center field if they cannot trade, or sign, a viable candidate to fill the opening.
Schafer, one of the team's top prospects, is the center fielder of the future for the Braves, but there are doubts as to whether he can hold down a major league job after making the jump from Advanced-A ball. Schafer posted a .312/.374/.513 - .887 OPS line between Rome and Myrtle Beach last season for the Braves and followed that up with a .324/.395/.429 - .824 OPS line in the Arizona Fall League. He'll be the Braves center fielder in 2009, but the only thing holding him back for 2008 is his age. His chief competition in center field would be Josh Anderson, whom the team just acquired in trade from the Houston Astros. Anderson doesn't bring as much power potential to the plate as Schafer but he does bring major league experience and a lot of speed to the lineup. If Anderson doesn't make the team as the starting center fielder, he'll likely stay around on the bench as the team's fourth outfielder.
Another outfielder, Brandon Jones, will have a very good shot at making the team out of Spring Training but will likely not do so unless the Braves feel they need to go with another platoon in left field. It seems that Matt Diaz may finally get the chance he needs to be an every day player and the Braves won't place Brandon on the bench if they do go that route. If Jones returns to the minors, it likely won't be for long as his bat is as major league ready as any outfielder in the Braves system.
Some other options to be included on the major league roster are Brent Lillibridge, Brayan Pena Martin Prado. If Lillibridge is kept as the team's backup shortstop, it will likely mean they are going to get him quite a few starts per week. To stash Lillibridge away on the bench to not receive many at bats would be a mistake and the Braves know that; if he's on the team, he'll be a super utility type, much like the way the Anaheim Angels use Chone Figgins. Now that he's been removed from full-time catching duties, Pena has an easier shot at making the team. His bat is there, .294/.330/.413 - .743 OPS between Triple-A and the majors in 2007, but it was his defense that had been holding him back all this time. Pena increases his chances now because he can play some corner outfield, first and third base and catch in an emergency while acting as a switch hitting threat off the bench. Prado doesn't have much left to prove in the minor leagues but he doesn't have a spot to start with the Braves. He's very good defensively and brings a bat with a lot of average, but not much pop in it, to the plate. He may make the team as a backup infielder or he may return to the minors and wait for an opening, it will just depend on the amount of roster spots left.
Gregor Blanco's chances of ever being with the Atlanta Braves took a major hit when the team acquired Anderson. Anderson brings all the tools that Blanco has but with more speed and a better knowledge of stealing bases. Diory Hernandez will be third in line in terms of shortstops if the team needs him.
By: Josh McCarroll (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=1) | Braves-Nation.com
Anyone that follows the Braves know that they seem to always have a minor leaguer move up to the major leagues and make a huge impact on the club? Who will it be in 2007 that eventually makes that same impact? Will we have another class like 2005 that saw a host of players graduate to the major leagues with players like Kyle Davies, Jeff Francoeur, Chuck James, Kelly Johnson and Brian McCann making the jump; or will it be more tempered like 2007 and see a guy like Yunel Escobar leap above everyone else and play well enough to take a starting job out of the grasps of a major league veteran?
The 2007 Braves welcomed a lot more than just Escobar to the club, however. One cannot forget the impacts made by some of the pitchers that joined the Braves; Manny Acosta and Jose Ascanio, who prove to remain in the mix for 2008. For that reason, they will be featured in some possible impact rookies throughout the article.
First, I'm going to look at where the Braves may turn to the minor leagues to find some pitching depth. The Braves are currently set to go with John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Chuck James and Mike Hampton to open the year. It's inconceivable to believe that a major league team will get through a season using only five starters, so where do they turn to fill a spot?
The two favorites have to be Jair Jurrjens, the pitcher acquired by trading Edgar Renteria, and Jo-Jo Reyes, a pitcher that spent a good amount of time with the Braves in 2007. Jurrjens likely has the upper hand as the Braves already have a lot of pitchers that fill the same type of bill as Reyes, that being pitchers of the soft-tossing left handed variety. Since Jurrjens is new to us, I've borrowed some information from a Tigers site to give you a look at what he features. He has a fastball ranges from 90-94 MPH and throws it for strikes consistently. He also has a plus breaking pitch (78-82 MPH) and changeup (81-84 MPH). He often goes to the breaking ball for his "out pitch" after getting ahead with the fastball.
Jurrjens and Reyes give the Braves seven starters with Jeff Bennett and Buddy Carlyle still waiting in the wings. However, I believe that if the Braves need to go deeper than that in the rotation this year, they'll probably turn to Charlie Morton, a tall right hander that impressed Bobby Cox and Frank Wren in the Arizona Fall League or Francisley Bueno, a left hander that proved himself to be a pretty good big game pitcher as he helped pitch the Richmond Braves to a Governer's Cup Title in 2007.
With injury and free agency taking its toll on the Braves bullpen, they have a lot of spots to fill and a lot of good, young arms in which to do it. From the Opening Day 2007 bullpen, only Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano and Tyler Yates remain with the team; and Gonzalez will be out until at least June recovering from Tommy John surgery. With Yates likely to be traded or non-tendered over the off-season, Soriano and Peter Moylan will be the main pieces returning from the 2007 bullpen, with Acosta, Ascanio, Joey Devine -- who is out of options -- and Royce Ring likely to join them. That leaves the Braves looking for only a long man to round out the Opening Day bullpen, but just like the rotation, it's not likely to assume that bullpen will get you through the entire season so you need to have options lined up.
The Braves wouldn't want to waste one of their talented, young starters in the role of a long man, so they will likely turn to Bennett or Carlyle to fill that role with the other likely returning to the minor leagues to work as a starter. Waiting in the minor leagues, the Braves will have a host of young arms available to them with Zach Schreiber leading the way. Schriber posted a 2.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 8.77 K/9 in 58 games between Double and Triple-A in 2007. The Braves recently added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule V Draft; he's likely to receive an invite to Spring Training and probably an early call if anyone struggles early in the season. The Braves could use Morton out of the bullpen if needed, but would likely turn to one of Michael Nix (2.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.71 K/9), Sung Ki Jung (1.31 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 10.61 K/9), Kris Medlen (1.49 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12.49 K/9) or Kevin Gunderson (3.04 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 7.46 K/9) before weakening their starting depth.
One of the best things about the Braves in 2008 is they won't be forced to rely on a lot of youth as position players, or at least not young players that haven't already experienced the major leagues. With their lineup pretty much set with experienced players, the Braves will only turn to their farm system to fill out the bench or in-season call ups.
Clint Sammons will likely make the Braves Opening Day roster, serving as the backup to Brian McCann and the Braves will have to turn to Josh Anderson or Jordan Schafer in center field if they cannot trade, or sign, a viable candidate to fill the opening.
Schafer, one of the team's top prospects, is the center fielder of the future for the Braves, but there are doubts as to whether he can hold down a major league job after making the jump from Advanced-A ball. Schafer posted a .312/.374/.513 - .887 OPS line between Rome and Myrtle Beach last season for the Braves and followed that up with a .324/.395/.429 - .824 OPS line in the Arizona Fall League. He'll be the Braves center fielder in 2009, but the only thing holding him back for 2008 is his age. His chief competition in center field would be Josh Anderson, whom the team just acquired in trade from the Houston Astros. Anderson doesn't bring as much power potential to the plate as Schafer but he does bring major league experience and a lot of speed to the lineup. If Anderson doesn't make the team as the starting center fielder, he'll likely stay around on the bench as the team's fourth outfielder.
Another outfielder, Brandon Jones, will have a very good shot at making the team out of Spring Training but will likely not do so unless the Braves feel they need to go with another platoon in left field. It seems that Matt Diaz may finally get the chance he needs to be an every day player and the Braves won't place Brandon on the bench if they do go that route. If Jones returns to the minors, it likely won't be for long as his bat is as major league ready as any outfielder in the Braves system.
Some other options to be included on the major league roster are Brent Lillibridge, Brayan Pena Martin Prado. If Lillibridge is kept as the team's backup shortstop, it will likely mean they are going to get him quite a few starts per week. To stash Lillibridge away on the bench to not receive many at bats would be a mistake and the Braves know that; if he's on the team, he'll be a super utility type, much like the way the Anaheim Angels use Chone Figgins. Now that he's been removed from full-time catching duties, Pena has an easier shot at making the team. His bat is there, .294/.330/.413 - .743 OPS between Triple-A and the majors in 2007, but it was his defense that had been holding him back all this time. Pena increases his chances now because he can play some corner outfield, first and third base and catch in an emergency while acting as a switch hitting threat off the bench. Prado doesn't have much left to prove in the minor leagues but he doesn't have a spot to start with the Braves. He's very good defensively and brings a bat with a lot of average, but not much pop in it, to the plate. He may make the team as a backup infielder or he may return to the minors and wait for an opening, it will just depend on the amount of roster spots left.
Gregor Blanco's chances of ever being with the Atlanta Braves took a major hit when the team acquired Anderson. Anderson brings all the tools that Blanco has but with more speed and a better knowledge of stealing bases. Diory Hernandez will be third in line in terms of shortstops if the team needs him.