Atlanta Braves 2015

[ucahogfan]

Well, with the news of the Kimbrel trade today and Opening Day here, I feel like it was a good time to start the new thread.

While I hate the fact that Kimbrel is gone, the return we got is impressive.  Most importantly, we get rid of Melvin.  Quentin has some pop and could contribute this year while Maybin has a ton of talent.  The real prize was the minor league haul we got.  Wisler is an excellent addition to our young group of arms and slots in as our #2 prospect according to MLB.com while Paroubeck gives us a young switch hitting OF who could contribute some day.  The 41st overall pick is a nice grab as well and will give us a bonus pool of about $10M which is a nice change from being near the bottom of draft pools in the past.  This talent is deep with college arms and that might be a good place to take someone like Tyler Jay out of Illinois who throws up to 97-98 and could be a closer or A.J. Minter at TAMU who is another LHP who throws hard.

[bulldog04]

Well, with the news of the Kimbrel trade today and Opening Day here, I feel like it was a good time to start the new thread.

While I hate the fact that Kimbrel is gone, the return we got is impressive.  Most importantly, we get rid of Melvin.  Quentin has some pop and could contribute this year while Maybin has a ton of talent.  The real prize was the minor league haul we got.  Wisler is an excellent addition to our young group of arms and slots in as our #2 prospect according to MLB.com while Paroubeck gives us a young switch hitting OF who could contribute some day.  The 41st overall pick is a nice grab as well and will give us a bonus pool of about $10M which is a nice change from being near the bottom of draft pools in the past.  This talent is deep with college arms and that might be a good place to take someone like Tyler Jay out of Illinois who throws up to 97-98 and could be a closer or A.J. Minter at TAMU who is another LHP who throws hard.

Wow did not see this coming but I haven't been keeping up lately.  So have we got rid of all Frank Wren's bad contracts now?

[ucahogfan]

Wow did not see this coming but I haven't been keeping up lately.  So have we got rid of all Frank Wren's bad contracts now?

Think we still might have DUggla on the payroll for one more year, but the Padres are taking ALL of Upton's contract.

I didn't see this coming either, but most of the experts agreed that we didn't need Kimbrel at the back end for a team that might only win 70 games.  We got an impressive haul from the Padres for him.  People praised how the Padres were able to hold on to their top 3 guys in Renfroe, Hedges, and Wisler this offseason and we got one of them for Kimbrel.

[bulldog04]

Its hard to get excited about this year.  I figured we would see J Terd or Cunningham on the 25 man but with the addition of Maybin I guess they will let them play full time in the minors.

[razorJAcker]

I hate John Hart so much.  This team was not bad enough to overhaul this drastically and basically give up on the next 2-3 years.  This team was in first place for over half the season last year after winning the division the year before with the same team.  A bad final two months of the season did not warrant dismantling the team to this extent.  There were some upgrades that could have been made, sure.  But Hart has willingly made this team irrelevant for the next couple of years and I'm afraid it's going to be really hard to get relevant again.

[razorJAcker]

Hart could be the GM that sends this team to years of mediocrity.

[ucahogfan]

I hate John Hart so much.  This team was not bad enough to overhaul this drastically and basically give up on the next 2-3 years.  This team was in first place for over half the season last year after winning the division the year before with the same team.  A bad final two months of the season did not warrant dismantling the team to this extent.  There were some upgrades that could have been made, sure.  But Hart has willingly made this team irrelevant for the next couple of years and I'm afraid it's going to be really hard to get relevant again.

I think Hart played it smart this offseason.  Let's just take a look at what Hart did this winter:

-  Traded Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden to the Cardinals for Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins.  J-Hey was entering FA after 2015 and that would have been his last year in Atlanta.  Walden had been a nice piece in the pen, but those are now a dime a dozen in the bigs.  In return, we get a guy with top of the rotation upside for 4 years in Miller and a potential mid-rotation starter in Tyrell Jenkins who is our #11 prospect according to MLB.com.  Miller was the #8 prospect in baseball in 2012 according the BA while Jenkins was #94.

-  Traded David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve to the Yankees for LHP Manny Banuelos.  This is a high risk high reward trade for the Braves.  Banuelos was a top 30 prospect in 2012 according to BA before getting injured and not having a great year in 2014.  He has a fastball up to 94 and 3 more offerings that could be average major league pitches and is our #12 prospect.

-  Traded Tommy La Stella to the Cubs for RHP Arodys Vizcaino.  La Stella was going to be a potential high average hitter, but brings no power and is probably best suited as a bench player while Vizcaino was in the system before spending a couple of years on the farm with Cubs battling injuries.  Vizcaino is currently our #16 prospect according to MLB.com and could be a future closer.

-  Traded Justin Upton to the Padres for LHP Max Fried, OF Mallex Smith, 3B Dustin Peterson, and SS Jace Peterson.  Just like J-Hey, Justin Upton was about to enter FA and wasn't coming back to Atlanta.  Fried is coming off TJ surgery from last August and will miss the 2015 season, but he has been a highly rated prospect and could be a #2/3 starter in the bigs.  Smith has 80 speed, but doesn't shine anywhere else.  Dustin Peterson brings a big bat to the plate and could be Johnson's replacement at the hot corner.  Jace Peterson is the only prospect in the trade who did not make our top 20.  Fried is #6 in our system, Smith is #17, and Dustin Peterson is #18.

-  Traded Evan Gattis to the Astros for RHP Mike Foltynewicz, 3B Rio Ruiz, and RHP Andrew Thurman.  Gattis was a low OBP, sub-par defender who is best suited to be a DH.  We have Bethancourt to replace him behind the plate and that should be an immediate upgrade defensively.  Foltynewicz has one of the best fastballs in the minors and is a top 100 prospect in the game.  He hit 101 with the Astros last year.  With our pitching depth, I could see us putting him in the back end of the pen and unleashing his big fastball on everyone.  He is our #3 prospect right now.  Ruiz is our future 3B who is a LHH with good pop and excellent plate discipline.  He is our #6 prospect.  Thurman is our #21 prospect and could be a back end of the rotation type arm.

-  Traded Kyle Kubitza and Nate Hyatt to the Angels for LHP Ricardo Sanchez.  Sanchez is our #10 prospect, but is only 17 and several years away.  He has hit 95 in the last year and has top of the rotation potential.  It is all about our philosophy of high risk high reward.

-  Traded Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton Jr. to the Padres for Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck, and a draft pick.  Wisler is now our #2 prospect and a top 100 prospect in the game.  He is very close to the majors and has a big fastball.  He is probably a #3 pitcher, but our pitching depth is ridiculous right now.  Paroubeck is our #24 prospect, but is still young and has a high ceiling.  The draft pick could help us maneuver and have an excellent draft.

-  Traded David Hale and Gus Schlosser for C Jose Briceno and RHP Daniel Winkler.  We gave the Rockies two decent bullpen options for our #22 and #27 prospects right now.

This offseason was all about building the farm system to get us ready for the big move in 2017.  Teheran, Simmons, and Freeman are all untouchable since they re-signed, but this farm system went from being one of the worst before the 2014 season to being a top 5 farm system in one year.  Jon Hart played a big part in making that happened.  A ridiculous 14 of our top 30 prospects right now were acquired this offseason.  We were about as busy as the Padres, but in a different manner.

[jrulz83]

If nothing else, I think Hart did a good job offloading all those bad contracts.

[pigture perfect]

Would it be fair to call this a Fire Sale of Marlin's proportions?

[clutch]

Would it be fair to call this a Fire Sale of Marlin's proportions?

I don't think it can quite be considered really of Marlins proportions unless one of two things happen first. A.) you win a World Series or B.) you build a new really expensive ballpark and bring in a lot of big time players for only a couple months.

[jrulz83]

Would it be fair to call this a Fire Sale of Marlin's proportions?

Nah, it's just a course correction. I hate that the Braves are having to rebuild, I despise the Nationals and always hope the Braves give them a run.

[gutshot]

Justin and Heyward were going to jet if they made it to free agency.  Those were smart trades and easy decisions for Hart. Losing them to free agency coupled with the terrible farm system that they had...this franchise would have been in the dumpster for alot longer than these next couple of years.  The Gattis trade and Kimbrel trades were just continuing with the direction.  Neither were as necessary as the Upton and Heyward trades, but very instrumental in building a farm system back to being respectable.  They really had no upper-level talent at all.  Wren's bad drafts and weak international game really put them in a deep hole.  They now have money and prospects to buy themselves back into contention without gutting the farm.  This should be a fairly quick re-build.   

Look for Chris Johnson and maybe even Mike Minor to be shipped out next if they play their value up a bit in the first half.  Grilli, Gomes, Jim Johnson, Cahill, Kelly Johnson...if any of these guys play worth a damn in the first half, they should be cashed in also. 

2015 is going to suck big-time.  There is no denying that.  But Hart and company has a plan, and if a fair portion of these prospect pan out, it should work quickly.   

[gutshot]

Not to be overlooked are all of the draft picks and international bonus slots Hart acquired, also.  He just picked up another pick (#75) by trading A-ball prospect Victor Reyes to the D Backs...literally about an hour ago.

That gives them picks 14, 28, 41, 54, and 75. 

[AirForceHog]

I honestly have no idea as to what kind of team this will be. I am still looking forward to seeing the Braves. Best time of year!

[razorJAcker]

I don't disagree with all of the decisions that Hart has made.  I like that he traded JUp and Gattis.  I'd have done the same thing.  They both played bad defense and had too many strikeouts that killed rallies.  They both brought big returns, too.  The La Stella trade was fine, since La Stella is probably a bench player/platoon guy at best and we have Peraza in the near future.

The trades that really ruffled my feathers were the Heyward and Kimbrel trades.  People keep saying that Heyward would have demanded too much in free agency, and perhaps he would have.  But I find it really disappointing that Braves never even approached him about an extension, especially during that flurry last offseason when we signed so many of our young guys to an extension.  He's a special player who hasn't even approached his potential offensively and is the best defensive outfielder in the game.

Perhaps most of my angst at the Kimbrel trade stems from the timing of the trade and the fact that he was by far my favorite Brave.  He's on track to possibly be the best relief pitcher ever and he was signed for the next few years.  Elite closers are not a dime a dozen, and the fact that we got such a huge return in prospects AND unloaded Upton's contract shows that.  He could have been a huge part of our team if we are able to turn things around in the next couple of years.

Most of all, I'm tired of Hart saying we're not rebuilding and then continuing to trade our best players for virtually no one that is major league ready.  Quit lying to our faces already.

[ucahogfan]

If nothing else, I think Hart did a good job offloading all those bad contracts.

Still think he did something interesting things this winter like signing Markakis to a 4 year contract.  It's like we are trying to give off the thought that we aren't re-building when we clearly are.

[ucahogfan]

Not to be overlooked are all of the draft picks and international bonus slots Hart acquired, also.  He just picked up another pick (#75) by trading A-ball prospect Victor Reyes to the D Backs...literally about an hour ago.

That gives them picks 14, 28, 41, 54, and 75.

It will be interesting to see how Hart plays this draft.  We have a plethora of high level arms, but lack in other areas.  I think 2 of those 5 need to be OFs at a minimum.

[jrulz83]

Still think he did something interesting things this winter like signing Markakis to a 4 year contract.  It's like we are trying to give off the thought that we aren't re-building when we clearly are.

Yeah, that's a head scratcher for me. I guess it signifies that he thinks y'all aren't that far away?

[OnTheHillHogFan]

I don't disagree with all of the decisions that Hart has made.  I like that he traded JUp and Gattis.  I'd have done the same thing.  They both played bad defense and had too many strikeouts that killed rallies.  They both brought big returns, too.  The La Stella trade was fine, since La Stella is probably a bench player/platoon guy at best and we have Peraza in the near future.

The trades that really ruffled my feathers were the Heyward and Kimbrel trades.  People keep saying that Heyward would have demanded too much in free agency, and perhaps he would have.  But I find it really disappointing that Braves never even approached him about an extension, especially during that flurry last offseason when we signed so many of our young guys to an extension.  He's a special player who hasn't even approached his potential offensively and is the best defensive outfielder in the game.

Perhaps most of my angst at the Kimbrel trade stems from the timing of the trade and the fact that he was by far my favorite Brave.  He's on track to possibly be the best relief pitcher ever and he was signed for the next few years.  Elite closers are not a dime a dozen, and the fact that we got such a huge return in prospects AND unloaded Upton's contract shows that.  He could have been a huge part of our team if we are able to turn things around in the next couple of years.

Most of all, I'm tired of Hart saying we're not rebuilding and then continuing to trade our best players for virtually no one that is major league ready.  Quit lying to our faces already.

I don't care how good of a closer Kimbrel is its not smart to pay your closer around 18 million a year when you are working on around a 100-115 million dollar pay roll

[razorJAcker]

I don't care how good of a closer Kimbrel is its not smart to pay your closer around 18 million a year when you are working on around a 100-115 million dollar pay roll

The Braves signed Kimbrel to a club friendly deal last offseason that would have payed him $7 million last season, $9 million this season, $11 million next season, and $13 million in 2017.  The contract was designed so that Kimbrel's salary would increase along with the Braves' payroll after an anticipated increase in revenue from the move to the new ball park in 2017.  That is a nice contract from the Braves' end for the best closer in baseball.

[ucahogfan]

The Braves signed Kimbrel to a club friendly deal last offseason that would have payed him $7 million last season, $9 million this season, $11 million next season, and $13 million in 2017.  The contract was designed so that Kimbrel's salary would increase along with the Braves' payroll after an anticipated increase in revenue from the move to the new ball park in 2017.  That is a nice contract from the Braves' end for the best closer in baseball.

But do you want to lock up 10% of your payroll for a closer even one as great as Kimbrel when you want to re-build?

Kimbrel was going to be moved at some point and we got as good a return as we could have hoped for.  We even got rid of the albatross contract.

[ucahogfan]

Yeah, that's a head scratcher for me. I guess it signifies that he thinks y'all aren't that far away?

Well, I think Hart is showing the fan base that we are still "trying to compete" when it is pretty clear we should be in re-building mode.

A couple of the pitchers we got this offseason are ready to be thrown into the fire, but we are pretty much set in the rotation for right now with a bunch of young arms.

[ucahogfan]

I don't disagree with all of the decisions that Hart has made.  I like that he traded JUp and Gattis.  I'd have done the same thing.  They both played bad defense and had too many strikeouts that killed rallies.  They both brought big returns, too.  The La Stella trade was fine, since La Stella is probably a bench player/platoon guy at best and we have Peraza in the near future.

The trades that really ruffled my feathers were the Heyward and Kimbrel trades.  People keep saying that Heyward would have demanded too much in free agency, and perhaps he would have.  But I find it really disappointing that Braves never even approached him about an extension, especially during that flurry last offseason when we signed so many of our young guys to an extension.  He's a special player who hasn't even approached his potential offensively and is the best defensive outfielder in the game.

Perhaps most of my angst at the Kimbrel trade stems from the timing of the trade and the fact that he was by far my favorite Brave.  He's on track to possibly be the best relief pitcher ever and he was signed for the next few years.  Elite closers are not a dime a dozen, and the fact that we got such a huge return in prospects AND unloaded Upton's contract shows that.  He could have been a huge part of our team if we are able to turn things around in the next couple of years.

Most of all, I'm tired of Hart saying we're not rebuilding and then continuing to trade our best players for virtually no one that is major league ready.  Quit lying to our faces already.

Do you really think we had the financial flexibility to pay J-Hey the 10/200M+ contract that would have kept him?  He was not going to be a Brave past this season and Hart got a proven MLB arm with upside and a young talented pitcher from the Cards instead of a draft pick after the first round for compensation for losing J-Hey.  We would not have gotten that return had we waited until the middle of the season to trade him because the Cards know they have draft pick compensation waiting if he does not re-sign with them.

Maybe Kimbrel had been shopped all offseason, but the Padres finally decided they needed that elite arm.  The only reason Kimbrel was a Brave for this long was because of the player that had to be included in the trade as well - Melvin Upton and his contract.  We don't really need an elite closer on a team that is in re-building mode.

Hart basically pulled a reverse Ruben Amaro Jr. and shipped off the good players at the right time to maximize their value.  The Phillies are a terrible team with an even worse farm system, but Amaro has been unwillingly to trade players to re-stock the farm while the rest of the NL East is young and talented.  Hart moved a bottom 5 farm system into a top 5 farm system in one offseason.  He turned what was going to be a bad team in a few years with no help on the farm to a bad team in the present with a bright future as we are moving to a new stadium.  This offseason was all about building for 2017.

[jrulz83]

Do you really think we had the financial flexibility to pay J-Hey the 10/200M+ contract that would have kept him?  He was not going to be a Brave past this season and Hart got a proven MLB arm with upside and a young talented pitcher from the Cards instead of a draft pick after the first round for compensation for losing J-Hey.  We would not have gotten that return had we waited until the middle of the season to trade him because the Cards know they have draft pick compensation waiting if he does not re-sign with them.

Maybe Kimbrel had been shopped all offseason, but the Padres finally decided they needed that elite arm.  The only reason Kimbrel was a Brave for this long was because of the player that had to be included in the trade as well - Melvin Upton and his contract.  We don't really need an elite closer on a team that is in re-building mode.

Hart basically pulled a reverse Ruben Amaro Jr. and shipped off the good players at the right time to maximize their value.  The Phillies are a terrible team with an even worse farm system, but Amaro has been unwillingly to trade players to re-stock the farm while the rest of the NL East is young and talented.  Hart moved a bottom 5 farm system into a top 5 farm system in one offseason.  He turned what was going to be a bad team in a few years with no help on the farm to a bad team in the present with a bright future as we are moving to a new stadium.  This offseason was all about building for 2017.

I lay awake some nights and wonder, "How does Ruben Amaro still have a job?" 

[razorJAcker]

But do you want to lock up 10% of your payroll for a closer even one as great as Kimbrel when you want to re-build?

Meh, if the team is good then that's not a whole lot to pay for the best closer in the game, and I've stated before that this team didn't need to rebuild this drastically. 

What made this a true rebuild was not getting much in terms of major league ready talent in the Upton and Gattis trades.  We could have easily improved the farm system AND improved the big league club by getting a couple of solid players who play good defense and don't strike out.  Sure, the farm system wouldn't be in as good of shape as now, but the big league club could be competing this year, IMO (I guess it still might, 2-0 baby!).

The problem last year was clearly the offense.  So by getting rid of Upton and Gattis, two bad defensive players who struck out too much, and replacing them with good defensive players who are solid situational hitters, I think the Braves could have gotten a lot better as well as strengthening the farm system. 

Because the pitching should be as good or better as 2014, and the offense couldn't get much worse, I was still optimistic about this team even before the Kimbrel trade.  But that trade made it look like the front office was giving up on the season, and that was really disappointing to me.

[razorJAcker]

Do you really think we had the financial flexibility to pay J-Hey the 10/200M+ contract that would have kept him?  He was not going to be a Brave past this season and Hart got a proven MLB arm with upside and a young talented pitcher from the Cards instead of a draft pick after the first round for compensation for losing J-Hey.  We would not have gotten that return had we waited until the middle of the season to trade him because the Cards know they have draft pick compensation waiting if he does not re-sign with them.

I seriously doubt Heyward will get that type of contract unless he really improves his offense this year.

I have no problem with what we got in return.  I think it was a great deal IF the Braves couldn't re-sign him.  What's disappointing to me is that they didn't even try.

[AirForceHog]

Great win for the Braves tonight. Series win and going for the sweep tomorrow. Go Braves!

[razorJAcker]

Who'd have thunk it?  3-0.  Pitching has been outstanding.  Bullpen looks great so far, including rookies Cunniff and Martin who were impressive.  Not many strikeouts for the offense, either.  Amazing what putting the ball in play can accomplish.

[gutshot]

Who'd have thunk it?  3-0.  Pitching has been outstanding.  Bullpen looks great so far, including rookies Cunniff and Martin who were impressive.  Not many strikeouts for the offense, either.  Amazing what putting the ball in play can accomplish.

I saw Cunniff pitch in Mississippi last year and didn't know anything about him. But he looked sharp then with a decent fastball and still looks sharp now. What a surprising sweep.

[ucahogfan]

I seriously doubt Heyward will get that type of contract unless he really improves his offense this year.

I have no problem with what we got in return.  I think it was a great deal IF the Braves couldn't re-sign him.  What's disappointing to me is that they didn't even try.

J-Hey will enter FA at age 26.  I think 20M a year is a conservative estimate considering what Stanton got from the Marlins.  While Stanton is a monster at the plate, J-Hey's WAR is pretty close and hasn't reached his full potential just year.

[ucahogfan]

Who'd have thunk it?  3-0.  Pitching has been outstanding.  Bullpen looks great so far, including rookies Cunniff and Martin who were impressive.  Not many strikeouts for the offense, either.  Amazing what putting the ball in play can accomplish.

Pitching is going to be our strength all year.

I would like to see us try to get Wood on a Teheran type contract in the 6-7/35 range if possible.  I think it would be a steal.  Same thing with Miller and Minor.  Lock up this young core for the forseeable future.

[razorJAcker]

Pitching is going to be our strength all year.

I would like to see us try to get Wood on a Teheran type contract in the 6-7/35 range if possible.  I think it would be a steal.  Same thing with Miller and Minor.  Lock up this young core for the forseeable future.

I agree.  Getting all of those guys with those type of contracts would be great as they are all young and should only improve.  It would be a relatively inexpensive starting staff as well since we wouldn't really be paying "ace" type money to anyone.

[razorJAcker]

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/atlanta-braves-john-hart-new-front-office-spark-braves-renaissance-john-schuerholz-040815

Here's a good article from Ken Rosenthal questioning whether it was necessary for the Braves to rebuild to this extent.

[ucahogfan]

Who saw a 4-0 start out of this team?

[AirForceHog]

Definitely not me. Go Braves!

[ucahogfan]

Andrelton Simmons is kinda good at this defensive thing:

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/42930092/v67850883

[razorJAcker]

So is it too early to start thinking about 162-0

[ucahogfan]

[pigture perfect]

Magic #157

[pigture perfect]

With all the off season moves, I was expecting the Braves to be where the Nats are, and vice-versa. I'm more amazed at how bad the Nats are looking than anything.

[ucahogfan]

This top 200 prospect list by Kiley McDaniel is a couple of months old, but it shows just how good of an offseason Hart had re-stocking the farm.  We are a top 5 farm system right now if not in the top 2-3.  Although the list will say we are tied with the Cubs with 11 players on the list, the Kimbrel trade is not reflected so we lead with 12.  Here is the link to the article:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-fangraphs-top-200-prospect-list/

Here is who made the list along with their rank and a quick thought:

34.  Ozhanio Albies - SS - He is our top prospect according to Fan Graphs.  He is from Curacao, but is clearly blocked at SS by fellow Curacaon (if that is what they are called) by Andrelton Simmons who might be the best defensive SS ever and is signed for a long time.  He profiles being a plus runner and defender, but won't hit for much power.  He could be trade bait to acquire an OF which we lack in our system compared to everything else.

41.  Matt Wisler - RHP - The prize of the Kimbrel trade along with shedding the contract of Melvin.  He works off a low to mid 90s sinker that he commands to both sides of the plate along with a plus slider.  Some scouts think he might wind up in the pen, but he could also be a 3/4 type starter.  He could be called up this year if need be.

43.  Rio Ruiz - 3B - One of the prizes of the Gattis trade.  Ruiz is the future at 3B in Atlanta.  He doesn't profile to be more than an average defender, but we don't need much better than that with Simmons at SS.  His bat is special and could be a .280-.300 type hitter with plus power.  He is still a couple of years away, but should be ready by the time we get to the new stadium in 2017.

44.  Jose Peraza - 2B - He was the big breakout player in our system last year and our future leadoff hitter.  A potential 40+ SB guy with 70 speed, he is currently in AAA and might be our starting 2B come next year.

68 - Max Fried - LHP - The prize of the Upton trade.  He will miss pretty much all of 2015 after having TJ surgery, but throws a fastball upwards of 96 and has some scouts comparing him to Cole Hamels.

69.  Mike Foltynewicz - RHP - The other prize of the Gattis trade, we might be looking at our future closer.  That isn't a reflection of his lack of projection, but more a testimony of our pitching depth.  Foltynewicz has hit 100 as a starter in the past and could be a 98-100+ guy closing out games.  Like Wisler, he is pretty much ready for the big leagues.

106.  Christian Bethancourt - C - He has been the future behind the plate for a long time in our system.  He might never to much at the plate, but he has an 80 arm and should be a plus defender.

112.  Lucas Sims - RHP - He is still a couple of years away, but some scouts have compared him to Matt Cain because of similar stuff.  He has mid-rotation potential which just adds to the depth of our young pitching.

138.  Ricardo Sanchez - LHP - He was acquired from the Angels this offseason and we are thrilled to get him.  He is young and a long way off, but he brings a plus curve and a lot of projection.

In between 143 and 200.  Manny Banuelos - LHP - He was acquired from the Yankees for David Carpenter maybe.  He has been much more highly touted in the past, but has dealt with injuries.  This is a high risk, high reward prospect for the Braves, but we have a solid track record in this situation.

In between 143 and 200.  Tyrell Jenkins - RHP - Part of the trade with the Cards, he is another guy who has diminished a little in terms of prospect status.  He has a high ceiling and could be a part of our rotation in a couple of years.

In between 143 and 200 - Braxton Davidson - OF - He was our 1st round pick in 2014 and was a 1st round pick because of his bat.  He will be a corner OF and might have to move to 1B, but he would be blocked by Freeman.

So this offseason, we went from 5 guys on this list which would have been more in the bottom 10 of the MLB to a league leading 12.

Also talking about the future, it will be interesting to see how Hart plays the draft this year.  We need to draft a CF and there are a couple of potential ones to take with our first pick in Ian Happ out of Cincinnati or Trenton Clark out of a high school in Texas.  I will say if Brady Aiken or Michael Matuella who both had TJ surgery this spring fall to us, we should take them without hesitation.  Both have top of the rotation potential and would probably be another top 100 prospect in baseball.

[razorJAcker]

Dan EFFING Uggla!

Sad part is he is our highest paid player.

[AirForceHog]

Dan Uggla causing the Braves to lose even when he isn't a Brave.

[ucahogfan]

Best game he ever played as the highest paid Brave at Turner Field.

[AirForceHog]

I sure hope the pitching can clean it up. If they can then this team will win some games.

[razorJAcker]

I sure hope the pitching can clean it up. If they can then this team will win some games.

Unfortunately it looks like everybody on the team not named Shelby Miller forgot how to pitch.

[ucahogfan]

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan 
  ·  4h 4 hours ago   
Even before Shelby Miller's no-hitter-in-progress, Atlanta looked like it won the Jason Heyward deal. Tyrell Jenkins solid at Double-A, too.

He has been incredible for us this year and gives us the best young collection of pitching in baseball.

[popcornhog]

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan 
  ·  4h 4 hours ago   
Even before Shelby Miller's no-hitter-in-progress, Atlanta looked like it won the Jason Heyward deal. Tyrell Jenkins solid at Double-A, too.

He has been incredible for us this year and gives us the best young collection of pitching in baseball.

I like Heyward. But I'd love to have Shelby back right about now.

Real head scratcher right now.

[bulldog04]

Yeah Shelby Miller is having an awesome year.  I'm glad J Hey can underachieve somewhere else

[razorJAcker]

Here's a great article from Ben Lindbergh at Grantland about Miller's turnaround this season.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-mlb-atlanta-braves-shelby-miller-new-pitches/