Risers and Fallers from MLB Pipeline’s new Top 30 Prospects list for the Braves

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The Braves have had a lot of movement in their prospect rankings, and even though Vaughn Grissom is still considered a prospect, that may not be the case for long. He’s 21 at-bats away from losing his prospect status, a feat he will likely achieve in the coming days. Still, MLBPipeline has Grissom at the top of Atlanta’s Rankings:

As you can see, the Braves prospects are ranked 29th in MLB’s Top 30 Team Rankings:

Top 100: 1 | Prospect Points: 22 (29th)
It’s hard to maintain a strong farm system and win at the big league level, so the Braves aren’t too upset about not having much Top 100 talent after winning the World Series last year. Former Top 100 guy Michael Harris II just got a big contract extension and current Top 100 guy Vaughn Grissom recently joined him to help Atlanta try to win again this year.

1. Vaughn Grissom, SS (MLB No. 79)
2. Kyler Muller, LHP
3. Jared Shuster, LHP

Grissom being first is not a surprise at all, but here are a few interesting placements in Atlanta’s new Top 30:

 

RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (#10)

I tend to align more with Baseball America, which has Smith-Shawver ranked fifth in Atlanta’s system before the 2022 MLB Draft. He has risen a bit, especially considering how many new faces are in the Braves Top 30 prospects, but I think he deserves a little more credit than this. He’s a project for the Braves, but they’re obviously very high on this kid.

 

3B Justyn-Henry Malloy (#13)

If you’ve been paying attention, this isn’t that much of a surprise. The Georgia Tech product has been raking in 2022, posting an .866 OPS and 13 home runs in Rome and Mississippi. Malloy hasn’t seen much of a dip in production since moving to AA, so hopefully, he continues to rise to the challenges the Braves offer him.

 

SS Ambioris Tavarez (#15)

Tavarez had a lot of hype coming into this season, and he has delivered. The first international player the Braves signed after being relieved from the 2015 penalties, Tavarez has posted a .265 average so far. He’s still a very young guy; hopefully, he starts to draw a few more walks and cuts down the strikeouts. There’s a lot of potential here.

 

OF Jesse Franklin (#19)

Franklin has had a rough 2022, and his new ranking reflects it. He was close to cracking the top ten, but he has only posted a .733 OPS in 2022, down from .842 last year. He has only appeared in 15 games so far, so he has a lot of catching up to do in the coming weeks.

 

RHP Royber Salinas (#21)

Salinas has a wicked fastball and great movement on his secondary offerings; he’s apparently a guy the Braves like a lot and will look to move up aggressively. He could be a bullpen piece for the Braves sooner rather than later.

 

LHP Indigo Diaz (#30)

Diaz was one of the biggest prospect stories of 2021, posting a ridiculous 83 strikeouts over 45 innings and making an All-Star team. His numbers are down a bit in 2022, but not to the point where I think he’s deserving of a ranking this low.

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Thanks for reading about the Braves prospects! Be sure to check out the other Braves content.

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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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