Highlighting top Braves prospects for '10
We break down the top five prospects for each organization for 2010, taking into consideration: games, at-bats, innings and major-league service time. We expect these players to have rookie status remaining heading into next year.
According to MLB rules: "A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the major leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a major league club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list)."
Note: Statistics are those at each stop in the minors this season and age represents how old they will be on opening day 2010.
Atlanta Braves
They don't quite have the system they once had, but the Braves still boast a few of the most-elite prospects in baseball. Trades for the likes of Mark Teixeira, Javier Vazquez and Nate McLouth have taken away a lot of the organization's depth, but they will still get some potentially big rewards from this year's class.
1. Jason Heyward, OF, 20
There will be many prospects lists that will proclaim the Braves' first-round pick from 2007 (14th overall) is the best prospect in baseball. In his second full pro season out of high school, he progressed to Triple-A last season, combining to hit .323 with 17 homers, 63 RBI, 69 runs, 10 steals, a .408 on-base percentage and a .555 slugging percentage in 362 at-bats from High Class A to Triple-A. He also boasted the rare 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (51-51). He looks like a future Fantasy first-rounder and a potential impact June 1 call-up if he doesn't challenge to make the team out of spring training. The fact the Braves gave up on Georgia-based product Jeff Francoeur signals they have faith Heyward is going to be a big-time run producer in the majors. Stash him in NL-only leagues even if he doesn't make the team out of spring training.
2. Mike Minor, SP, 22
The Vandy prospect was the seventh overall pick in the First Year Player Draft last June and didn't disappoint in his first four starts as a pro, going 0-1 with a 0.64 ERA, .208 batting-average against, 17 strikeouts and zero walks in 14 low Class A innings. We would have liked to see him face a little tougher competition coming out of a major Division I program, though. With a great first half, Minor could position himself to help the Braves in the second half of the season -- either as a back-end spot starter or a lefty reliever. He has ace-like stuff long term and should be a popular commodity in rookie drafts next spring.
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B, 20
Freeman wasn't quite as impressive as Heyward a year ago, but he too is a blue-chip prospect with plenty of room to grow. He combined to go .282-8-58-58-1 (.363-.408) in 404 at-bats between high Class A and Double-A. It will be harder for Freeman to be an impact Fantasy player early because of the position he plays, but he could also position himself to reach Atlanta before the end of the year. Consider him a long-term keeper prospect and a potential starter in the majors by 2011.
4. Julio Teheran, SP, 19
The Colombia-born teenager had a solid season in low Class A, posting a combined (3-4)-3.65-.257-67-18 in 81 1/3 innings. He has a long way to go before he can make an arrival in Atlanta or Fantasy leagues, but he warrants being stashed as a long-term keeper prospect at this point. He figures to be a teenage ace in high Class A this season, which could make him a candidate to arrive in the majors in 2011.
5. Cody Johnson, OF, 21
Johnson is your typical free-swinging slugger, going .242-32-84-59-10 (.345-517) with 180 strikeouts in 444 high Class A at-bats. The low average and strikeouts are alarming, but he is a still-raw pick out of high school. He could find more consistency, make better contact and be a productive major leaguer in the Adam Dunn/Mark Reynolds mold. His power potential alone makes him someone worth watching in the first half of 2010, when he should be slugging away against advanced Double-A pitching.
Best of the rest: Craig Kimbrel, RP; Cole Rohrbough, SP; Christian Bethancourt, C; Brandon Hicks, SS; Randall Delgado, SP; Tyler Stovall, SP; Mycal Jones, SP; Zeke Spruill, SP; Todd Redmond, SP; Adam Milligan, OF; David Hale, SP; Thomas Berryhill, SP; Luis Sumoza, OF; Stephen Marek, RP; Rudy Darrow, RP; Edgar Osuna, SP; Chad Rodgers, RP; Brett DeVall, SP; Braeden Schlehuber, C; Eric Campbell, 3B; Matt Kennelly, C; and J.J. Hoover, SP; Paul Clemens, SP; Jacob Thompson, SP; James R. Parr, RP; and Scott Diamond, RP.
2009 rookies to exhaust eligibility: Tommy Hanson, SP; Kenshin Kawakami, SP; Jordan Schafer, OF; Kris Medlen, RP; and Diory Hernandez, SS.
Last year's top five here: Hanson, SP; Heyward, OF; Redmond, SP; Tyler Flowers (traded to White Sox for Javier Vazquez), C; and Campbell, 3B.
You can e-mail Emack your prospect questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Prospects in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.
