Baseball America just released their list of our top 10 prospects:

1.	Julio Teheran, rhp
2.	J.R. Graham, rhp
3.	Christian Bethancourt, c
4.	Sean Gilmartin, lhp
5.	Lucas Sims, rhp
6.	Mauricio Cabrera, rhp
7.	Alex Wood, lhp
8.	Evan Gattis, of/c
9.	Zeke Spruill, rhp
10.	Jose Peraza, ss

Surprised to not see Nick Ahmed on the list.

You know the farm system is in trouble when the top position prospect just put up a sub-600 OPS at AA last year.

We are looking at a bottom 1/3 farm system right now.

Yuck.

Not a very impressive list

Suprised Ahmed's not on there.

kind of hurts Ahmed's trade value?

Ahmed should be at least 9th on that list. I think the list is just fine. Braves just need one impact bat to make it. I hope that is Gattis. I love the pitchers on that list.

Is there a grade for each player?

CB is a great defensive catcher whoch helps his value. It should show just how good defensively he is. Weak list though bit the braves there is potential and the braves have shown they can scout well.

This was the list from after the 2010 season:

1.	Julio Teheran, rhp
2.	Freddie Freeman, 1b
3.	Randall Delgado, rhp
4.	Mike Minor, lhp
5.	Craig Kimbrel, rhp
6.	Matt Lipka, ss
7.	Arodys Vizcaino, rhp
8.	Brandon Beachy, rhp
9.	Brett Oberholtzer, lhp
10.	J.J. Hoover, rhp

Everyone would hav ebeen fine with the first 2 but look at how much we got out of that top 10.

We have no clue how good any of these kids are going to be but I think I will take my chances with the Braves scouting/development.

Not good but we've had a lot of players come up in the last couple years (Kimbrel, Minor, Delgado, Simmons, Freeman, etc)

The key to our future strenght is numbers 5-7

ZitotheBrave wrote: The key to our future strenght is numbers 5-7

I think the success of #8 could push the Braves over the top.

JMO.

thethe wrote: This was the list from after the 2010 season:

1.	Julio Teheran, rhp
2.	Freddie Freeman, 1b
3.	Randall Delgado, rhp
4.	Mike Minor, lhp
5.	Craig Kimbrel, rhp
6.	Matt Lipka, ss
7.	Arodys Vizcaino, rhp
8.	Brandon Beachy, rhp
9.	Brett Oberholtzer, lhp
10.	J.J. Hoover, rhp

Everyone would hav ebeen fine with the first 2 but look at how much we got out of that top 10.

We have no clue how good any of these kids are going to be but I think I will take my chances with the Braves scouting/development.

Additionally, IMHO, there is nothing wrong with the new list.  Everyone knows we're a pitching organization.  Ahmed, meh...he should be top 10 somewhere I guess.  I think NOW is the time that we look to go for it and transition some of our pitching surplus into some positional help (OF) at the ML Level.

If the opportunity presents itself for a one-year rental LF, who on the list would your really feel comfortable trading? Probably only Spruill and he won't get you much. Maybe that is why the Braves have had trouble making deals.

Was Simmons ever on any of these lists?

Lots of things can happen in a year. Sims and Wood could be candidates to explode and all it would take for Bethancourt to make a huge jump is a decent year with the stick.

Meh.

GregoryHouseMD wrote: Was Simmons ever on any of these lists?

Simmons was 96 or so on BA's top 100, so yeah

ZitotheBrave wrote:

GregoryHouseMD wrote: Was Simmons ever on any of these lists?

Simmons was 96 or so on BA's top 100, so yeah

He was 4th last year behind Teheran, Viz, and Delgado

This list is interesting to me because of how heavy it is in pitching.  Does that mean we don't have any talent in position players or that our pitchers are just that much better?  For example, there are no hitters from last year's draft.  Granted they were all largely horrible in their debut, but there are a lot of very athletic kids in that draft.  I'm hoping to see at least one or two bust out this year.  You also have a player like Lipka who was making good progress before his injury.  Where do you rank him if he continues his growth in AAA?

I guess I am asking if this is a talent issue or a production issue?

Baseball America Top 10

Baseball America just released their list of our top 10 prospects:

1.Julio Teheran, rhp
2.J.R. Graham, rhp
3.Christian Bethancourt, c
4.Sean Gilmartin, lhp
5.Lucas Sims, rhp
6.Mauricio Cabrera, rhp
7.Alex Wood, lhp
8.Evan Gattis, of/c
9.Zeke Spruill, rhp
10.Jose Peraza, ss


John Sickels releases his 2013 top-20 

ALL GRADES ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. No grade is final until January 5th, 2013.

1) J.R. Graham, RHP, Grade B: I really like him and I'm actually more confident that he'll reach his ceiling than Teheran will reach his, which is why I've got him a shade above Teheran although Teheran is younger. Plus stuff, very athletic, good statistical profile add up for me.

2) Julio Teheran, RHP, Grade B: I think this is a generous grade, but given his youth I also think his problems are fixable as long as there is not an underlying health issue. Choosing between Teheran and Graham at #1 on this list is a very tough call.

3) Alex Wood, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline B. Unconventional but it works, had some excellent outings and should move quickly through the system. This grade may go up a notch but I have a couple more things to review first. 

4) Luke Sims, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline B. Seems like a very solid high school pitching prospect to me. I really don't see ace upside, but project him as a solid mid-rotation guy if it all comes together, if he stays healthy, etc.

5) Zeke Spruill, RHP, Grade B-: For me, his stock is unchanged from last year but the thinner nature of the system moves him up the standings. Still see him as a number four/back-end starter but I think he needs a full year in Triple-A.

6) Sean Gilmartin, LHP, Grade B-: Solid command guy but upside is relatively limited and I also see him as a number four starter. But that's not an insult. Will be ready sooner than Spruill.

7) Nick Ahmed, SS, Grade B-: I like him better than the pure stats. Solid glove, solid baserunner, might start showing more power at some point, makeup a plus.

8) Mauricio Cabrera, RHP, Grade B-: Needs to refine breaking ball and sharpen command, but pitched well in the Appy League and has one of the highest upsides in the system. Candidate to move well up the list in 2013.

9) Tommy La Stella, 2B, Grade B-: I love this guy: pure hitter with superb plate discipline/contact skills, gap power, and underrated glove. Unconventional approach turns some scouts off and we do need to see him at higher levels, but he should not be underestimated.

10) Jose Peraza, SS, Grade B-: Impressive tools, especially on defense, and his ability to make contact stands out. Early in his career, grade could go considerably higher in a year or two. On pure tools, would rank higher than La Stella, but also has a greater chance of failure.

11) Aaron Northcraft, RHP, Grade B-: Doesn't excite scouts, but K/IP shot way up this year and he gets a huge number of ground balls, all markers of a significant sleeper.

12) Cody Martin, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+: Control artist out of Gonzaga was part of very successful Lynchburg rotation.

13) Evan Gattis, OF-C, Grade C+: Borderline B-. I have really struggled with this grade. I believe in the bat, but at age 26 it is difficult to grade and rank him. You can make a case to place him as high as 7th with a B- grade. This is quite preliminary and I may bump him up by book time.

14) Edward Salcedo, 3B, Grade C+: Would rank higher on pure tools, but continues to hamper himself with a poor approach at the plate. Arizona Fall League scouts noted indifferent effort on defense and generally weak instincts all-around. Young enough to improve substantially but there is a lot of work to do.

15) William Beckwith, 1B, Grade C+: Doesn't receive a lot of attention outside of Braves circles, but an interesting player. Good athlete for his size, left-side power, plate discipline needs some work but someone to watch closely.

16) Christian Bethancourt, C, Grade C+: Another guy who would rank higher on pure tools. Very impressive defense but his bat is awful and several sources regard it as hopeless. Saving grace is youth. He could be a late-bloomer but that might be seven years from now.

17) David Hale, RHP, Grade C+: Live arm, continues to make incremental progress harnessing it. Could see him in the majors in '13 as emergency starter or in the bullpen.

18) Luis Merejo, LHP, Grade C+: Could plausibly rank as high as 11th depending on how you want to balance risk/upside/distance from the majors. Bargain signing at $65,000, not a big guy but looked solid in rookie ball low 90s, throws strikes, and has a promising breaking ball.

19) Navery Moore, RHP, Grade C+: Live arm from Vanderbilt, still adding polish to his game after injury-plagued college career. Step forward possible in '13.

20) Todd Cunningham, OF, Grade C+: I like the speed and defense, another guy who could easily rank eight or nine spots higher. Lack of power keeps him from being a premium prospect but he could have a long career as a fourth outfielder.

21) Josh Elander, C, Grade C+: This might be too low. I like his bat, not sure about the glove.

22) Joey Terdoslavich, 1B, Grade C+: Not as bad as he looked in Triple-A, but it will be hard to find a place to play him.

OTHERS: John Cornely, RHP; Brandon Drury, 3B; Carlos Franco, 3B; Ryne Harper, RHP; Ross Heffley, 2B; Nathan Hyatt, RHP, Juan Jaime, RHP; Kyle Kubitza, 3B; Matt Lipka, OF, Mark Lamm, RHP; Joe Leonard, 3B; Connor Lien, OF; Gary Moran, RHP; David Peterson, RHP; Carlos Perez, LHP; Williams Perez, RHP; Cory Rasmus, RHP; Wilson Rivera, RHP; Patrick Scoggin, RHP; Gus Schlosser, RHP.