top 5 middle infield prospectsQuote
You would expect any group of top middle infield prospects to be full of shortstops, and this list is no exception, as four of the Braves top five middle infield prospects are shortstops. What makes the group impressive is that every player on the list has a chance to become a Major League regular, and that's after the team's top two middle infield prospects from last season, Matt Lipka and Edward Salcedo, were moved to centerfield and third base respectively.
1. Tyler Pastornicky, SS - B/T: R/R, Born: 12/13/1989, Ht: 5'11", Wt: 170 - When the Braves traded Yunel Escobar to the Blue Jays in July of 2010, everyone focused on the Major Leaguer they were getting in return, Alex Gonzalez, and very little attention was paid to Pastornicky, who was aggressively promoted to AA Mississippi as a 20 year old after the trade, where he held his own. Pastornicky returned to AA in 2011 and earned an All-Star appearance, hitting .299 with a .345 OBP, .759 OPS, 6 triples, and 20 stolen bases in 295 plate appearances. He was promoted to AAA Gwinnett in the middle of July and got off to a hot start, hitting for the cycle in the midst of a 12 game hitting streak as part of a 117 plate appearances that saw him hit .365 with a .407 OBP, a .821 OPS, and 7 stolen bases. An ankle injury near the end of August abruptly ended his AAA season, though he did heal enough to join Atlanta for the very last game of the Major League season.
Pastornicky is an outstanding athlete with above average speed, which allows him quickness both on the basepaths and in the field, where his range is superb. He's a slick fielder with soft hands, but his arm is at best average, and probably a little below average, leading to some trouble when he has to make plays from deep in the hole at shortstop. He'll likely be able to hold his own defensively as a Major League shortstop, though he would profile best defensively at second base, where he could develop into a Gold Glover. A the plate, Pastornicky is a high contact hitter who helps himself by knowing his limits and staying inside his game. He doesn't have much power, but he's adept at putting the ball in play and is a fine situational hitter, which could make him an ideal two hole hitter. He does need to work on getting on base more, as he walked in just 6% of his at bats this season, an unfortunate side effect of his aggressive approach.
While Pastornicky may not have as high a ceiling as some of the other players on this list, he'll only be 22 years old next season and is on the cusp of being a productive Major Leaguer. At worst, he'll have a nice career as a backup infielder, though if he reaches his peak he could be a league average regular at shortstop with solid defense, or a slightly above average second baseman. The Braves don't currently have a shortstop, so there's a chance Pastornicky could be given a shot to earn Atlanta's shortstop job out of Spring Training in 2012. It's more likely the team bring in a veteran on a short term deal and he'll head back to Gwinnett to start the year. Either way, he should join Atlanta at some point in the year and is likely to be a starter by 2013.
2. Andrelton Simmons, SS - B/T: R/R, Born: 09/04/1989, Ht: 6'2", Wt" 170 - When the Braves drafted Simmons in the 2nd round in 2010, they were excited about getting another high octane pitching arm, as the Curacao native can thrown 95mph off the mound, but Simmons wouldn't sign with the team unless they allowed him to try playing shortstop first. So far, Simmons is putting his bat where his mouth is, following up a solid debut year with Rookie level Danville by winning a batting title for High A Lynchburg, hitting .311 with a .759 OPS, 35 doubles, 52 RBI, and 26 stolen bases.
The Braves wanted Simmons as a pitcher because they weren't convinced he could hit, but so far he's shown himself to be fantastic at making contact, with a .300 batting average over 839 professional plate appearances, while only striking out in 8% of his at bats. The down side of this high contact approach is that he doesn't walk much, walking in just 5% of his plate appearances. He doesn't have much pop, hitting just 1 home run this season, though he did smack out 35 doubles, an incredibly encouraging sign for his future. Still, Simmons is very skinny, and doesn't have a ton of body strength, which leads to doubts about his ability to drive the ball at the higher levels. He's a quick baserunner, though he needs to get better at knowing when to swipe a bag, getting caught in 18 of his 44 attempts. Defensively, he is one of the best shortstops in the game, with phenomenal range, unreal reflexes, and an absolute cannon for an arm. He did make 28 errors this season, but many of those were made on balls that other shortstops couldn't even get to.
Simmons will move up to AA Mississippi as a 22 year old in 2012, and it will be his biggest challenge yet. As encouraging as his work to this point has been, the doubts about his bat won't be fully quelled until he proves himself against experience, upper level pitching. At worst, Simmons can develop into a Rey Ordonez like player, who wins Gold Glove after Gold Glove but looks atrocious at the plate. His defense will always make him valuable asset, and if his bat can be remotely league average he'll be an every day Major League shortstop for 15 seasons. And, if worst comes to worst, he could always take that big arm to the mound and become a dominating reliever. 2012 will be a big year for Simmons, if he can have another offensive season like 2011 he could become Atlanta's top prospect.
The rest of the list after the jump:
3. Tommy La Stella, 2B - B/T: L/R, Born: 01/31/1989, Ht: 5'11", Wt: 185 - The Braves drafted La Stella out of Coastal Carolina University in the 8th round this year and he turned in the best season of any of the team's draftees, hitting .328 with a .944 OPS, 13 doubles, 5 triples, 9 homers, and 40 RBI in 270 plate appearances for Low A Rome. He crushed the ball in August, hitting .377 with a 1.330 OPS, 8 doubles, 5 homers, and 24 RBI in 106 at bats. When the Braves drafted him they knew they were getting a potent bat, but there were questions about his defense. He committed 11 errors in just 60 games at second base, so he didn't really put any of those questions to rest. There's a chance he could wind up at a corner outfield position, but because his bat would be such a plus at second the Braves will give him every chance to prove himself at the position. He's a shorter, thicker player who's built very strongly, so while there isn't much room for projection in his body, he really doesn't need much. He's an advanced hitter who should be able to move quickly, and because he's already going to be 23 at the start of next season the Braves will be aggressive with him. He's likely to start 2012 at High A Lynchburg, but a good Spring Training could land him in AA Mississippi. His bat could lead him to become a solid Major Leaguer, but he's going to have to find a defensive position.
4. Jose Peraza SS, - B/T: R/R, Born: 04/30/1994, Ht: 5'11", Wt: 167 - Playing the season at just 17 years old, Peraza had a fine debut season in the Dominican Summer League, leading his team in batting average (.281), games played (66), at bats (235), runs scored (29), hits (66), total bases (80), and stolen bases (28). He posted a .346 OBP and a .686 OPS for the season, but he really shined in July, hitting .360 with a .396 OBP, a .812 OPS, 8 RBI and 9 stolen bases in 89 at bats. Like any young player, he struggled with getting on base, walking in just 6% of his plate appearances, but he's incredibly young and it was his debut season. The same caveat can be applied to his team leading 16 errors in 58 games. The Venezuelan native hasn't played in the US yet, so the Braves can't be positive in what they have in him, but the early returns are very encouraging and there's plenty of indicators that he'll develop into a fine player. He'll come over to America for the first time in 2012, and will play in the Gulf Coast League as an 18 year old.
5. Nick Ahmed, SS - B/T: R/R, Born: 03/15/1990, Ht: 6'3", Wt: 205 - The Braves selected Ahmed out of the University of Connecticut in the 2nd round this year and he turned in a decent debut, hitting .262 with a .725 OPS, 13 doubles, 4 homers, 24 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 284 plate appearances for Rookie level Danville. He is a big bodied, strong shortstop, who is an above average defender with great range and a top notch throwing arm. Despite his size, he's a well above average runner, though he was caught in a quarter of his stealing attempts with Danville, so he's going to have to get better at knowing when to swipe bags and how to do it with more success. At the plate, he's going to have to improve both his contact rate and his ability to drive the ball, though he showed some success at working the count, walking in 10% of his plate appearances. Ahmed isn't the kind of player that's likely to create a lot of buzz, but he does have the skills that should make him at least an adequate Major League regular, and at worst he can become a fine backup infielder. He'll be 22 entering next season, and because he's a more advance college player there's a good likelihood he start the year with High A Lynchburg.
top 5 corner infield prospectsQuote
In 2010 TalkingChop ranked each infield position separately with lists consisting of mostly three players per list. This year we have segregated the players into corner and middle infield prospects respectively. Graduating Freddie Freeman to Atlanta took away the only real top end talent that this group had, but the while there isn't any superstar talent here, there is good depth with several players very likely to have some sort of impact in Atlanta.
1. Edward Salcedo - B/T: R/R, Born: 07/30/1991, Ht: 6' 3", Wt: 195
Nearly two years removed from their signing of Edward Salcedo we still aren't sure what we have with him. The Braves aggressively pushed him to Rome in 2010, skipping two levels from the Dominican Summer League, and he couldn't match the competition level there as a 19 year old. He returned to Rome in 2011 and showed steady improvement through the first three months of the season culminating with .364 wOBA in June. The second half of the season wasn't as kind as he posted a .656 OPS after his walk rate and power completely deteriorated. He spent most of the season at third base after starting the year splitting time at shortstop with Matt Lipka (who ironically is also no longer a shortstop).
Salcedo is a physically impressive baseball specimen. At 6' 3" he is just the right size for the 'hot corner'. At 195 he looks a little thin but he has put on weight since arriving in the US and I would suspect he is still growing into his body. He may need to add some extra bulk to give him the durability he needs for a full professional season after two straight second half collapses. At the plate he has excellent bat speed that allows him to make hard contact. His set up and load leave him off balance at times but he doesn't strike out a ton because his good hand eye coordination allows him to make contact even when he is fooled. Defensively Salcedo still has some work to do. With his shift to third he made 40 errors in 100 games there. He is still young and many good defenders made tons of errors in the minors (Chipper Jones for one - ok serviceable defenders), though some scouts still think he will be better suited in an outfield corner.
Edward Salcedo remains maybe the most physically gifted player in the Braves system, but his physical abilities haven't converted to skills as fast as maybe the hype led us to think they would. Still, for a young toolsy guy, he has shown solid plate discipline and power in his first two seasons without being a strike-out machine. If his defense can get to serviceable and his swing calms down he could be a special player. The Braves have been aggressive with him so far and I wouldn't expect that to change now, look for him in Lynchburg in 2012.
2. Brandon Drury - B/T: R/R, Born: 08/21/1992, Ht: 6' 2", Wt: 190
The Braves have had good luck scouting cold weather areas where baseball is second tier sport and Drury is a great example of that. He was voted the top position prospect out of Oregon before the 2010 draft and the Braves grabbed in the 13th round. We ranked him in a tie for third on our third base list last season, noting his athleticism and young age. His professional debut wasn't much to write home about (he was 17 for most of the season) but he must have impressed this spring because the Braves jumped him to the Appy League at the tender age of 18. Drury rewarded the Braves confidence by nearly winning the Appy League batting title hitting .347 with a .178 isolated power. Drury possesses excellent bat speed and makes consistent hard contact while rarely striking out (just 12.5% this year). He is so good at making contact that he rarely takes a walk (just six in 270 plate appearances). A walk rate that low is frightening but contact ability coupled with good power is exciting as well and I expect the Braves won't tamper with his approach until it doesn't work for him anymore.
Baseball America voted him the second best prospect in the Appy League behind Miguel Sano. Drury's excellent athleticism is what has allowed him to to excel so far. He combines that with a strong work ethic that has led him to be labeled a 'baseball rat'. His defense at third base is solid and he possesses a strong arm that should keep him at the hot corner long term. After his spectacular season Drury will start 2012 in Rome and will still be just 19 years old for most of the season.
3. Joseph Terdoslavich - B/T: S/R, Born: 09/09/1988, Ht: 6' 1", Wt: 200
Drafted out of Long Beach State in 2010 Terdoslavich was meant to deliver something the Braves were in short supply of: Power. His first taste of professional baseball was a bit spotty but 2011 saw him find his stroke in a big way. He finished the year with 20 homers and a Carolina League record 52 doubles finishing the year with 74 total extra base hits. He has continued his hot hitting by putting together a solid showing in Arizona Falling League and even hitting a homer and a double in the Rising Stars All Star Game. Terdoslavich played primarily third base in college, has been a first baseman for the Braves but could end up in left field with first base pretty well locked down in Atlanta.
The Braves got what they wanted out of Terdoslavich in 2011 with a .240 isolated power in Lynchburg wcoupled with a strikeout rate right at 20% which is pretty solid for a power hitter. His walk rate is a little low, but with his power and contact I am not too worried about it long term. He will start 2012 in Mississippi and could have a shot at Gwinnett if his hitting continues to impress.
4. William Beckwith - B/T: R/L, Born: 08/19/1990, Ht: 6' 2", Wt: 220
I've been on the Beckwith bandwagon for a while now even though he didn't show a whole lot in his first season aside from the ability to take a walk. In 2011 he continued to take walks (11.4% rate) and added power to his game to boot (a massive .243 isolated power). He finished the season 6th in OPS, 5th in HR, 6th in SLG and in the top ten in several other offensive categories. Defensively he is limited to first base (he isn't what we would call a small fellow) and don't expect much from him on the basepaths (though he did swipe eight bases in ten attempts this season).
At 20 years old for most of the season Beckwith was not especially old or young for the Appy League. He doesn't have age or projection on his side so Beckwith must continue to hit and hit well to stay relevant in the Braves system. He proved himself well in rookie ball and he will jump to Rome next season though I wouldn't be surprised if he got a an early season shot at Lynchburg.
5. Kyle Kubitza - B/T: L/R, Born: 07/15/1990, Ht: 6' 3", Wt: 190
The Braves drafted Kyle Kubitza in the third round out of Texas State in 2011. Scouts love his current tools and the projection his body offers. They have repeatedly noted his power potential even though he hit just one homer in the Appy League this year though his 16 doubles in 162 at bats could be a sign of good things to come. On top of his budding power potential he walked in nearly 13% of his plate appearances this season. His athleticism and strong arm will play well at third though he will need more reps after making eight errors in 71 chances in the Appy League.
Kubitza is another guy whose age isn't one of his strengths but he has more projection than your typical college player. Pre-draft reports knocked him for tinkering with his swing too much, but it appears the Braves coaches have helped him find a consistent setup. With his patience at the plate and the power potential in his bat he could be a guy that bursts onto the prospect scene next year. Look for him in Rome in 2012.