Tomahawk Take’s top-30 Braves’ prospects: Nos. 20-11

KANSAS CITY, MO – JULY 02: Baseballs on the field before the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 2, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Brian Davidson/Getty Images)

Braves’ Top-30 Prospects: Nos. 15-11

No. 15: Braden Shewmake, SS

• Drafted: (ATL) 1st RD, 2019
• Texas A&M

While Langeliers had a slow start, the Braves’ second pick in the 2019 draft, Shewmake, hit the ground running on his way to a 19-for-43 (.442 AVG) start as a pro. The guy is currently an elite contact-hitter and as he fills in to his 6-foot-4 frame he’ll perhaps wield more power as well. Shewmake is a toolsy player that looks to at least have a high floor, and he already made it to Double-A Mississippi this past season, playing 14 games there after hitting .318 in High-A Florida, in his first 51 games in the Braves’ system.

No. 14: Justin Dean, OF

• Drafted: (ATL) 17th RD, 2018
• Lenoir-Ryhne College

He may not offer much in size, but Dean brings a ton to the table in terms of tools, hitting 9 home runs, 9 triples and 18 doubles, all while successfully stealing 47 of his 57 stolen base attempts in 109 games with Single-A Rome in 2019. His performance this past season earned him an invite to Arizona this past fall, where he cooled off to the tune of a .200 AVG (with zero XBHs), but I’m jumping on the Dean Train as I expect big things from him in High-A Florida this coming season.

No. 13: Alex Jackson, C

• Drafted: (SEA) 1st RD, 2014
• Rancho Bernardo HS

(VIDEO) Already somewhat known for his power, Jackson took it to another level in 2019, slugging 28 homers in just 85 games with Triple-A Gwinnett; though, he hit a punchless .229 there and was even worse during his major-league cup of coffee (0-for-13 with the Braves). If Jackson can improve his contact rates, while bringing down his strikeouts (39.8 K% overall in 2019) he could easily be more than the Braves’ backup-catcher-by-default. And for those that see him as a bat-only catcher, Jackson doubled his caught-stealing rate this past season and gunned down half of would-be stealers (25-for-50).

No. 12: Jasseel De La Cruz, RHP

• Signed: (ATL) June, 2015
• Dominican Republic

(VIDEO) The owner of High-A Florida’s one and only no-hitter this past May, Cruz was a big riser in 2019 as he made 24 starts across three levels (Single-A, High-A, Double-A) and finished with an overall 3.25 ERA. As he has grown into his frame, Cruz has also beefed up his fastball (sits 93-94 mph) and now wields a solid three-pitch repertoire. It has taken him a little while, but this kid has basically grown up in this organization after signing at 18. He’s now the top arm amongst the Braves ‘second-tier’ prospect starting pitchers.

No. 11: Victor Vodnik, RHP

• Drafted: (ATL) 14th RD, 2018
• Rialto HS

(VIDEO) Vodnik isn’t your typical hard-throwing righty, as he stands only 6-foot tall, though he runs his fastball up to 97 mph when needed. He didn’t receive much draft attention and really didn’t do much pitching in 2018, but this past season Vodnik was a workhorse for Single-A Rome (67.1 innings) and struck out 9.2 batters per nine while only surrendering one home run. He turned 20 this past October, so him sitting at No. 11 is obviously based more on his projected upside as a relief pitcher, but trust me… you’ll get to know him throughout the 2020 season.

Next up: The Braves’ top-10 prospects on Wednesday