Baseball America is always a little off the cuff with their rankings; sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Personally, I think they have the best prospect evaluations you can get online. Before their latest release and a flurry of trades from the Braves, Jared Shuster was Atlanta’s top prospect. This isn’t the case anymore:
. @Braves Top 30 Prospects
Check out the new rankings ⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/bLIQb1ICmy
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 22, 2023
2021 draft pick AJ Smith-Shawver is the new top prospect for the Braves. Here’s part of what Baseball America had to say:
The Braves will likely take the Spencer Strider approach with Smith-Shawver, prioritizing fastball command and slider consistency. If his command doesn’t improve, his stuff could play in a big league bullpen.
There are a few other surprises on this list, Darius Vines clocks in at 5, Blake Burkhalter at 7, and newly signed Luis Guanipa at 12. Check the full list out for yourself, but I’m sure we will see this list shuffle plenty throughout the course of the season.
As of right now, there aren’t many proven commodities. I’m very intrigued to see which young players will begin making names for themselves down on the farm. Smith-Shawver is a player with incredible upside, and if he’s anything like Spencer Strider, it may not be long before we see him in Atlanta.
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Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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