Atlanta Braves Top 100 Prospects: Top 20

Jul 12, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; World Team infielder Ozhaino Albies hits during batting practice before the All Star Futures Game with the U.S. Team at Great American Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Top 100: 16-20

20.Luke Dykstra, 19 (11/7/95), 2B, Rome

Stats: .318/.353/.422, 21 XBH, 3.3% BB, 6.6% K
Dykstra was drafted in the 7th round in 2014 and he shows a lot of the grit of his father, Lenny Dykstra. Dykstra plays hard from pitch one until the final out, and he has great baseball intuition. I don’t think you’ll see Dykstra ever hit 20 home runs or steal 20 bases, but he’s the type of player that could bring a ton of value to a major league team, and very quickly as well. I really, really enjoyed watching Dykstra playing at Rome this year. He simply has a charisma about him on the field the way he plays the game, and he certainly knows how to put a ball in the gap, hitting even better in Rome than he did for Danville
Professional comparison: Braves fans will see a lot of Martin Prado when they watch Dykstra.
Likely 2016 starting destination: Dykstra moved late to Rome, so he may start there in 2016, or they could push him up to Carolina at 20.
Expected time of arrival: 2019

19.Isranel Wilson, RF/CF, 17 (3/6/98), GCL

Stats: .222/.349/.479, 10 HR, 15% BB, 32.4% K
Signed out of the tiny island of Saint Martin just east of Puerto Rico, Wilson was brought to the US to the GCL. While his contact and strikeout rate were both worrisome, in a scant 173 plate appearances, Wilson pounded out 10 home runs. He also drew walks at a very high rate for any 17 year old. Wilson is a ridiculously good athlete, and he has a great arm to pair with his solid range. He played 16 of his 42 outfield games in center field, and he certainly didn’t look out of place. The big thing for Wilson will be to see how he can improve on that contact rate.
Professional comparison: Like Matt Kemp, Wilson has ridiculous athleticism that is nearly unmatched in the Braves system. However, unlike Kemp, his athleticism is extremely raw.
Likely 2016 starting destination: Danville
Expected time of arrival: 2020

18.Juan Yepez, 1B/3B, 17 (2/19/98), Danville

Stats: .299/.364/.458, 9.6% BB, 24.1% K
Yepez signed out of Venezuela last summer as possibly the Braves’ biggest name in their 2014 IFA class. He started in the US this year rather than the DSL, and his performance certainly showed that move was warranted. Yepez has a great contact bat, and he has shown a solid power swing from the right side. While signed as a 3B, Yepez has played primarily at 1B for the Braves. Yepez has some hitch to his swing, and he struggles with good curveballs as well. Yepez handled as hard a fastball as he saw in the minors, and that bodes well for him moving quickly in the system. Yepez has some bad weight that he will need to work off as he moves up in the system.
Professional comparison: Edwin Encarnacion had similar walk/strikeout rates and power numbers as he moved up the system. He went from borderline starter, even with defensive deficiencies, to elite MVP candidate when he really became incredibly selective at the plate, and Yepez definitely has the eye and power to follow that path.
Likely 2016 starting destination: He had very solid results in Danville last year, so it’d make sense to move him up to Rome to start 2016, but the Braves may have him go to extended spring.
Expected time of arrival: 2019

17.John Gant, RHP, 22, AA

Stats: 10-5, 140 ⅓ IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.6% BB, 22.9%
Many of the Braves fans were disappointed to watch Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson go to the Mets and fuel their drive to the playoffs with timely hitting and contributions, but in a few years, that deal could look like a huge win for the Braves, and Gant could be a big reason why. Gant was a 21st round selection in 2011 by the Mets, and he struggled for his first few years to advance bit by bit, but he performed tremendously well at high-A this year and moved up to AA for the Mets before his move to the Braves. For Mississippi, Gant was spinning tremendous pitches, hurling a 1.99 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.9% BB, and 27.4% K in 40 ⅔ innings. Gant has tremendous stuff with a fastball up to 95 with a lot of movement, a changeup that can leave hitters baffled, and a breaking ball that can simply freeze hitters.
Professional comparison: Gant’s stature and stuff reminds me of a young Matt Garza, a guy who exploded up the Twins system, going from high-A all the way to the minors in one season. I could absolutely see Gant pulling something similar next season and pushing his way either onto the roster or into a trade for much more than what the Braves gave away to get him.
Likely 2016 starting destination: AAA Gwinnett
Expected time of arrival: 2016 late season call up

16.Dustin Peterson, LF, 21 (9/10/94), Carolina

Stats: .251/.317/.348, 8.8% BB, 18.3% K
Peterson was acquired in the Justin Upton trade, and the Braves moved him from third base to left field upon acquiring him. The Braves went to work overhauling his swing, trying to take away the huge strikeout rate that Peterson showed in the Midwest League in 2014. They did, cutting his strikeout rate by over 6%, and before the bus crash, this opened up Peterson’s offensive game, allowing him to square the ball up frequently and even allowing him to show his athleticism, stealing 6 bases when he’d only stolen 4 in his previous two seasons. Many remarked about his athleticism when he was drafted, but he’d really not displayed it until this year with Carolina. In spite of his post-crash struggles as he played through injury, Peterson still showed the improved eye throughout the season. His defense in left field was also solid.
Professional comparison: Peterson’s athleticism and skills on the field are similar to Ryan Braun as he came up in the Brewers organization.
Likely 2016 starting destination: The Braves will likely send Peterson to AA Mississippi and let him keep growing with his rebuilt swing. His progress will determine how quick he moves up.
Expected time of arrival: 2017

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