New Atlanta Braves GM MUST replant the crop

There is really no good way to say this Atlanta Braves’ fans…

The farm system is B-A-D.  Last year, the Braves’ farm system was ranked in the bottom 5 in the entire Major Leagues.  This year, I expect our ranking to go down.

The lack of can’t miss prospects such as Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Craig Kimbrel, and others is extremely prevalent in the system.  Not to mention that our #1 prospect Lucas Sims,  #5 prospect Mauricio Cabrera, #6 prospect J.R. Graham, and #9 prospect Joey Terdoslavich all took big steps backward in their development. In addition, our #2 prospect Tommy La Stella and #7 David Hale graduated to the Majors, and our #10 Victor Caratini was traded to the Cubs. And while it doesn’t seem like there’s a general consensus among Braves’ fans or Minor League scouts about Christian Bethancourt‘s future, I think we can all agree that 2014 wasn’t necessarily what we wanted to see out of our “catcher of the future”.

It’s not all doom and gloom as there is some promise in this year’s draft picks, Braxton Davidson, Garrett Fulenchek, and others;  and the Braves might have found lightning in a bottle again from Curacao in 17-year old shortstop Ozhaino Albies. And yes, there are still some players of impact out there in Jose Peraza, Jason Hursh, and the Kyles; Kyle Kubitza and Kyle Wren, all of which made large strides in 2014, Peraza leading the way. Regardless, when a system comes in ranked 26th in the league,  and over 70% of the top-10 graduate, step back, or get traded, the ranking isn’t likely to move up. In all likelihood, the Braves will have 1 prospect, Jose Peraza, that will break as a top-100 prospect in the Major Leagues. There’s no way to sugar-coat that.

The Atlanta Braves General Manager has a Whale of a Job to do….

Not only does the new GM have to rebuild a team that ended up losing more games than they’d won, but he must start rebuilding a Minor League system that has prided themselves as a constant manufacturer of talent alongside an organization that cannot afford to spend top-dollar on the free-agent market. Part of the problem is that the Braves have been atop the NL for numerous years, therefore depleting the organization of top-tier picks in the drafts.  However, the lack of international spending over the last half-decade has also contributed to the lackluster attributes in a Minor League system whose fall from grace has went from producing numerous prospects in the top-20, to producing a small handful of prospects that can barely break the top-100. What can the Braves do over the next few years to assure that the Major League team stays competitive and the Minor League system stays fruitful?

1. Start selling high on soon-to-be free agents– Martin Prado was a diamond in the proverbial baseball rough:  A player never deemed to be anything more than a replacement whose hard work made him out to be a full-time starter and an extraordinary teammate according to Chipper Jones. In 2012, Frank Wren decided to sell-high on Prado (packaged with others, of course) to bring Justin Upton and Chris Johnson to the Braves and it was a trade for the ages. Prado was 1 year away from free agency and was coming off of a career year; an absolute tremendous time to “sell-high”. There hasn’t been much selling high since then. Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, and Jordan Walden are all players that are either 1-2 years away from free agency and could bring back a significant return to either the Braves MLB club or its farm system. It is imperative that the new GM understand that the Braves are a mid-market team and that, regardless of popularity, expensive players destined to become free agents need to be shopped.

2. Start putting more money into the International Market–  It is highly unlikely that the Braves get a top-10 pick in the draft anytime soon as the team prides itself on being a competitive ball-club year after year.  Without that luxury of a near “can’t miss prospect”, the Braves should be looking into putting more stock on international market signings.  Don’t get me wrong, the Braves are excellent when it comes to finding talent in the most remarkable places.  While most systems seem to mine the Venezuelan and Dominican markets, the Braves have dipped their nets into lesser known markets such as Curacao where Andruw Jones, Andrelton Simmons, and the latest, Ozhaino Albies, call home (if you haven’t checked in on Albies, click his name, it’s worth it). However, it seems like the 7-figure signing of Edward Salcedo, the last “can’t miss prospect” international signing, might have left a long-lasting foul taste in the organization’s mouth as the Braves seem reluctant to shell out real money for international players. Admittedly, the Braves did sign Juan Yepez this past year to a deal close to 7 figures, but the club missed out on every single player in Baseball America’s Top 30 International Prospects.  And, from what I can find, Yepez was the only International Prospect in the top-100 that inked with the Braves.

3. Trust his scouting team– The Braves look to be getting the “Braves Way” band back together for a reunion tour and that is good news for the club.  Whoever the new GM is needs to be less of a micro-manager and place his trust into the experts in their fields.

4. Don’t sell low in the Minors– Selling low on a Major League player is sometimes very necessary. However selling low on prospects only becomes necessary when said prospect runs out of Minor League options. The Braves have sold low on some prospects and an organization that is already bone dry, this just can’t happen.  The latest victim came in the form of Sean Gilmartin, former 1st round pick, who was traded for bench extraordinaire turned bench bum Ryan Doumit.  Gilmartin pitched well in Minnesota’s farm between 2 levels and we all know what happened with Doumit.  While I’m not suggesting that the Braves shouldn’t get rid of players like Chris Johnson or B.J. Upton if the baseball gods allow it to happen, merely on Minor Leaguers who experience hiccups. Cory Rasmus also comes to mind (as the Angels are now discussing stretching him out to start in 2015).

5. Go to the 5 and Dime for offensive needs–  The Braves are so dadgummed good at picking up pitchers off the scrap-heap, yet don’t seem to use the same magic when it comes to hitters. If the Braves do lose 2/3 of their OF this offseason via trade, someone is going to have to play outfield, and the Braves will likely be strapped for cash, so bargain shopping will be necessary. In 2013, the Braves had a sound plan to replace Chipper’s production at  3rd base; a plan that would cost less than 4 million dollars: a Chris Johnson/Juan Francisco platoon.  And while we know that the plan did not  work out for Francisco and worked quite well for Chris Johnson, it was a plan that fit the budget.  If the Braves go hard after 1 OF and a frontline starting pitcher, 1 or more positions will have to be filled on the cheap.  Platoons are a great way to fill voids, building 1 player from 2 bodies and likely costing much less on the FA or trade market than a full-time starter.  Players such as Daniel Nava, Emilio Bonifacio, Alfonso Soriano,  Kelly Johnson, Jonny Gomes, Luis Valbuena, and Corey Hart will likely not see large paychecks or demand too much on the FA market, but each could fill a platoon void for the Braves.

Whoever the new GM turns out to be, I hope that he…or she will take some of these to heart!