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Atlanta Braves 2018 minor league review: corner infielders

By Benjamin Chase

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: The glove of third baseman Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays sits in the dugout after in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 21, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: The glove of third baseman Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays sits in the dugout after in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 21, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 14: Freddie Freeeman /

With the minor league season complete, it’s time to take a look back at the performances in the Atlanta Braves system this year.

With the major league club reaching success, many Atlanta Braves fans have shifted their focus from the intense scrutiny of the minor league system that was the norm for the last few seasons to a more concerted cheering for the big league squad – and that’s expected. However, there were some very notable things to happen in the minor league system this year, so it’s definitely worthwhile to review all that happened!

This will part of our positional reviews here at Tomahawk Take. We will begin with catcher and work our way through the infield, outfield, right-handed starters, left-handed starter, and relievers. Finally, we will announce our Tomahawk Take 2018 Atlanta Braves organizational team of the year and team awards. That will all lead up to the top 100 prospect list that will once again appear on this page after a year’s hiatus while our Benjamin Chase was working with other sites (though he did produce a top 100 last season, just not with TT!).

We will have the schedule as such:
Tuesday, September 18 – Catchers
Sunday, September 23 – Corner Infielders, Middle Infielders (2 posts)
Monday, September 24 – Outfielders
Tuesday, September 25 – Starting Pitchers (2 posts)
Wednesday, September 26 – Relief Pitchers

We’ll finish the final week with our awards, starting Thursday, September 27th. So, let’s take a look at the first basemen and third basemen in the Atlanta Braves system…

Position review

Much like the catcher position, there’s one name that many heard throughout the season that Atlanta Braves fans are getting excited about. There was another name in the lower levels that had plenty of hype before he was part of a deadline deal, and he won’t be included here, so sorry to those who were looking for a Juan Carlos Encarnacion sendoff in this space – this is as much as you’ll get!

Third base has long been a position of want for Atlanta Braves fans. It makes sense as well. The position has been manned by two Hall of Famers, an MVP, and often one of the best offensive producers on the team, even if not a nationally-recognized great, so Braves fans have long valued the hot corner.

Finally, in 2018, it seems the major league club has found someone who is not only amazing with the glove, but he’s also adept with the bat, and on top of that is fast becoming one of the most “clutch” players on the team in Johan Camargo. His emergence has made shopping for a third baseman in free agency this offseason much less a priority and more a luxury at this point and certainly given the front office a stronger negotiating point.

There was also plenty to like in the minor leagues, however, as plenty of players at both corner infield spots were able to establish themselves as future prospects to watch, including some of the 2018 draft class coming out with excellent draft seasons to set their mark in the system early.

Let’s dig deeper into those players!

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