MLBPipeline has released their updated Top 30 list for the Braves that includes new draft picks, while also moving guys up and down based on their 2021 performance. If you want to check out the full list, you can find that here. I won’t be going over all 30 guys, but I will be breaking down the draft picks, big risers, and some guys who slipped a little in the midseason update.
Draft Picks:
#6 RHP Ryan Cusick
#15 RHP/SS Spencer Schwellenbach
#16 SS Cal Conley
#18 RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
#19 LHP Dylan Dodd
#29 SS Luke Waddell
Cusick has been impressive so far, and MLBPipeline seems to be very high on his potential. I talked about how Alex Anthopoulos targeted tons of college talent, selecting 17 collegiate players out of the 20 picks they had. Out of the draft class, only two high school players signed, one of them being AJ Smith-Sawver. I really like the upside of Spencer Schwellenbach, but we’ll have to wait to see him in action as he underwent Tommy John surgery a few weeks ago.
Risers:
#2 C Shea Langeliers
#4 OF Michael Harris
#10 RHP Spencer Strider
#13 SS Vaughn Grissom
#14 RHP Joey Estes
#17 OF Jesse Franklin V
#21 RHP Indigo Diaz
#23 RHP Darius Vines
#26 SS Ambioris Tavarez
I’m not shocked to see Shea Langeliers shooting up the board. With as well as he is swinging the bat, he looks like a future top-five catcher in baseball. He is one of the best defensive prospects in the minors, and honestly, I would have given him the top spot. We are big Michael Harris fans over at SportsTalkATL, and I’m not shocked to see him take a massive leap too. I already talked about Spencer Strider jumping up nine spots, and he’s starting to draw a lot of eyes around the league. In A-Ball, Vaughn Grissom is slashing .312/.408/.446/.854, so he gets a solid nine spot bump. His teammate Joey Estes has a 0.97 WHIP and .189 BA allowed, boosting his ranking as a prospect. Jesse Franklin has been tearing the cover off the ball, and I’m surprised he’s not even higher. I talked about Indigo Diaz’s dominance last week, and we may see him in Atlanta in 2022. Darius Vines is another nice bullpen arm, posting a 1.07 WHIP and .207 BA allowed in Rome.
Fallers:
#22 RHP Jasseel De La Cruz
#24 OF Trey Harris
#27 RHP Daysbel Hernandez
NR Trey Riley
Jasseel De La Cruz took the biggest tumble, falling out of the top twenty completely. Injuries have bugged him, but his 6.59 ERA in Gwinnett is disappointing. After hitting .342 in 2019 and winning Atlanta’s Minor League Player of the Year, Harris has only hit .242 on the season. I still think he could blossom into a major-league player, though. Hernandez hasn’t been bad, but he has dropped out of the top 15. He got off to a tough start in Gwinnett, posting a 9.64 ERA in 4.2 innings in Gwinnett. Trey Riley isn’t having a bad season, but his 3.03 ERA in Rome wasn’t enough to keep him on the list.
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