Talking Chop

On the heels of their mid-season top-25 prospects, in which Jason Heyward was ranked number-1 and Freddie Freeman 11th, Baseball America released their weekly hotsheet today which lists several Braves prospects. Jay-Hey comes in at number-7 on this week's hotsheet, followed by Zeke Spruill at number-8. Here is what they had to say about Spruill:

Spruill, a 2008 second-round pick out of a suburban Altanta high school, has had a solid but relatively unspectacular year. Though he's gone 7-4, 3.02, his success had been based much more on consistency than dominance. For example, he has allowed more than three earned runs only once in 14 starts. But facing off against Lexington's Jordan Lyles, Spruill showed that he can rise to the occasion. He carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and left with the score still tied at zero after eight innings.

Spruill is one of those good young arms from last year's draft, and so is the next guy, who is listed "in the team photo" section of the hotsheet, and is also pitching at Rome:

Low Class A Rome RHP J.J. Hoover (Braves) may have been winless this week, but the 22-year old turned in two solid outings, striking out 17 batters in 12 innings. Hoover, a 10th-round pick in 2008 out of Calhoun (Ala.) CC, the same school that produced Jorge Posada, is 3-4, 3.16 with 92 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings. Hoover, who helped lead Harwich to the Cape Cod League title last year, opened his first full professional season in the bullpen, but has settled into the rotation nicely...

Both Spruill and Hoover are two pitchers who are in my top-10 on the mid-season top-25 prospects (the first draft, at least). We'll talk more prospects on Monday, when I present the mid-season top-25 and give everyone a chance to list their own. So remember to start putting it together -- this one is going to be difficult with so many top-25 prospects from the pre-season having departed via trades or otherwise.