Jason Heyward is widely considered the top prospect in all of baseball.
It should come as a surprise to no one, but the Braves' Jason Heyward has been named the number one prospect in baseball by Baseball America as a part of their annual Top 100 Prospects list. Three other Braves join Heyward on the list, with first baseman Freddie Freeman coming in at number 32, right handed pitcher Julio Teheran coming in at number 51, and the main haul from the Javier Vazquez trade to the Yankees, right handed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino, coming in at number 69.
Heyward comes into this year's Spring Training looking to win the starting right field job as a 20 year old with just 50 games above A Ball to his credit. But, as unlikely as it may seem, the youngster has a great chance of making the squad because of his even, collected approach to the game. He's a true 5 tool talent and whether he makes the team to start the year or spends some time with AAA Gwinnett the Braves expect him to be a force in their lineup for years.
Freeman makes a huge jump from his place at number 87 on this list last year, but drops 20 spots from Baseball America's mid-season Top 25 list. It seems they may have unfairly judged him for his struggles in AA, ignoring the wrist injury that severly limited him. Still, as the folks at BA will tell you, anyone ranked in the top 30 is a very elite prospect.
Neither Teheran nor Vizcaino were on the list last year so their placement firmly in the middle of the pack is a testament to their immense ability and potential. With solid seasons both could find themselves within next year's top 25.
Two former Braves prospects showed up on the list, with right handed pitcher Neftali Feliz coming in at number 9 (not much of a jump from last year's ranking at number 10), and catcher Tyler Flowers coming in at number 60 (a huge jump from last year's ranking at number 99). All fans hate to see players that were traded away on a list like this, but really it should be a testament to the Braves that 5 players they originally signed and developed were ranked in the Top 100.
0 recs | 97 comments
I asked this in the fanshot i made
where would Edward Salcedo rank on this list (if he would make it at all)? Would he be higher than Kimbrel, Bethancourt and Minor? Somewhere in between?
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010
I think it’s hard for me to say right now, because I don’t know anything about the kid other than what I read. But, from what I read, I think I’d put him behind Vizcaino and ahead of Minor. It seems unfair that we keep pushing Minor back, because I really do think he’s going to be a good solid Major Leaguer, and that after Heyward he’s the most likely to reach his ceiling, but these young guys just have so much potential.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
agreed about Minor
all he’s done is dominate every level he’s pitched at in the Minors and AFL. I think sometimes prospect lists value potential a little too much and dont give enough credit to guys who will likely be solid major league players for quite some time.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010
Huh?...
That’s a total of what, 30 innings? And I thought he struggled a bit in Arizona.
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
he still pitched well for being in a hitters league and ballpark. and yes, its a small sample, but still very impressive. i understand your point tho.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010 via mobile
Someone posted Minor’s AFL numbers on MLBTR, if correct they were horrid & very unimpressive.
FitzFan - February 24, 2010
1-0, 4.86 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 7 starts, 16.2 IP, 6 BB, 12 K, .343 Avg
I don’t see what’s horrid about them. In fact, for pitchers who had enough innings to qualify, he was pretty much in the middle of the pack. And as far as unimpressive, remember the context. He was a college pitcher with only 14 innings of pro experience facing AA and AAA hitters (teams are only allowed to send on A ball player each, so there were very few in the league). Just looking at the pitchers sorted by their ERA, the only comparable guys better were Drew Storen (0.66 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, as a reliever), Andy Oliver (2.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, as a reliever) and Stephen Strasburg (4.26 ERA and 1.16 WHIP). Strasburg beats him because he walked slightly fewer (and struck out a ton) but really their lines are very comparable. Given the context of his time in the AFL, Minor’s showing was very good.
cbwilk - February 24, 2010
thanks for answering that for me CB
Scott Coleman - February 24, 2010
Thanks for posting his stats. I guess I was surprised at how hittable he was. His WHIP caught my eye more than his ERA. But it’s only 16+ innings and hard to judge. Still don’t agree that he was dominate.
Was Minor really considered the 2nd best pitcher in the draft after SS?
FitzFan - February 25, 2010
best is hard to define in this context….he has the lowest floor of anyone in the draft, IMHO… does that make him better than guys like Wheeler or Matzuk…i dont really know…I would have like more upside considering our pitching depth, but we still don’t know that much about Minor…a lot of people think he has more upside than others have stated..so its tough to judge what his value really is. if he really is a nbr2 in he making with a floor of a 4/5 starter than its a great pick…if his ceiling is a 3/4 then its not as great of a pick, but he’s still really valuable.
Swo12bv - February 25, 2010
I still don't get the idea he has low upside...
if best case scenario is Cole Hamels, or just a lefty with a low 90s fastball, solid change and 2 other effective breaking balls, who can play good D and has good composure on the mound with a strong work ethic? I’ll take that “upside” all day. I don’t get all the “low ceiling” talk for a guy with his combination of tools (both physically and mentally).
Mr. Sanchez - February 25, 2010
i dont think i said low ceiling…i just gave the two views of his ceiling, neither is that horrible.
i dont know where his ceiling is..
Swo12bv - February 25, 2010
I didn’t think he was dominant either, but I didn’t expect him to be. Holding his own against much more experienced hitters is a big deal. And yes, he was hittable, especially in that all star game, but, like you said, incredibly small sample size.
cbwilk - February 25, 2010
I’d put him behind all three of those guys right now. I just can’t get Michael Almanzar-type rawness out of my head.
bwellnjonesco - February 23, 2010
i think this would be my current list
Heyward
Freeman
Teheran
Vizcaino
Minor
Salcedo
Bethancourt
Kimbrel
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010
No Delgado?
Interesting. I think my list would be close, but Delgado would be after Salcedo.
cavebird - February 23, 2010
We just have a stacked top 10..Delgado is top 5 on almost any other team’s list.
bwellnjonesco - February 23, 2010
i’d put Delgado right behind Kimbrel. i guess i just give a little more credit to the guys who have done it at the higher levels, with Bethancourt being an exception since he’s a Catcher.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010 via mobile
That's interesting.
I discount Bethancourt a bit because he is a catcher, which requires much more development time and makes him even farther away. I also tend to discount relief pitchers because they aren’t as valuable as starters at the big league level due to the lower innings pitched. Probably why I would put Delgado ahead of Bethancourt and Kimbrel while you put him behind them.
cavebird - February 23, 2010
I thought good defensive catchers make it to the big leagues faster?
FitzFan - February 24, 2010
Not generally---
at least to my knowledge. Even good defensive catchers at lower levels have so much to learn about playing the position that it usually takes them longer than other position players.
cavebird - February 24, 2010
and you'd be wrong
Delgado, some people say, has better stuff than Teheran and Vizcaino
apoxonbothyourhouses - February 24, 2010
That’s an odd statement considering Delgado pitched a full season in A, Teheran made 7 starts there, and Vizcaino pitched in A-. I’m not saying he should be ahead of them but it seems like you’d have him higher than 9th if you believed that.
ajones2522 - February 24, 2010
I sorry but
Delgado is Top 5 to me. I’ve seen this kid pitch ad he has awesome stuff.
Jay212033 - February 23, 2010
My uneducated run would be...
Heyward
Teheran
Freeman
Bethancourt
Delgado
Viscaino
Spruill
Salcedo
Johnson
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
Keith Law said he’d put Salcedo in our top-5, but didn’t say where.
bravesfan91 - February 23, 2010
I understand the hype surrounding this kid
but for me, I just cannot rank him in the top 10. At least not until he actually plays some.
scstrato - February 23, 2010
I think BA handled Freeman correctly.
They had him jump after the first half of the season at high A, then he fell a reasonable amount after the lost second half of the season. True, his struggles were injury related, but he basically did very little in the second half of last year, it seems natural that even if he were given a mulligan for that, other prospects with strong second halves would pull ahead of him on the list.
cavebird - February 23, 2010
That just seems too results based for a prospects list. We’re talking about a guy who’s just turned 20 and has gold glove defense, an advanced hitting approach, and the potential to develop a ton of power. I don’t want to go through the list and figure out who he should be ahead of, but I guarantee there are more than a few guys who are older with nowhere near his potential that have no place ahead of him.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
Like say, Lars?
I still think a lot is the drop off in production at AA, which leads to doubts about him as he moves up the ladder. I know, the injury, but are they that aware of each individual player and their side stories?
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
If they’re not, how are they qualified to make prospect lists? They’re Baseball America, if they don’t know all the little details about the various prospects then they need to give up, cause that’s basically all they exist for.
And they got Lars right, they kicked him back to 87 after having him at 17 last year. Unlike Keith Law they actually noticed that he sucked for a year and a half.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
I still think they handled it correctly.
They had him very high, especially for a guy with no experience above A-ball, at mid-season. They more or less kept him there, not dropping him, but allowing those who did well to pass him. I think that is pretty fair.
And I think potential ceiling isn’t the only thing to take into consideration—-potential floor is as well. As Freeman has not had a legitimate chance at AA yet, his floor is going to be lower than guys who have made AAA or had a cup of coffee in the bigs.
cavebird - February 23, 2010
I guess I like to think positively when it comes to prospects. I rarely think about their floor, that concept had never occurred to me before, I think more about what they could be and realistically will be. I guess I just assume there will always be somebody else to come along and focus on all the negatives.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
This....
…is why you love Cody Johnson so much. High ceiling, low floor.
cavebird - February 23, 2010
I guess. My love for Cody comes from seeing the kid at various points over the course of the last 3 years and being wowed each time by his noticeable improvement. But, that doesn’t show up in a stat sheet, so most will continue to bet against him.
cbwilk - February 24, 2010
And there will be still others who will blend the positives and negatives together.
ajones2522 - February 24, 2010
Yet that rarely happens. Usually you get the guys at the top where the reviewer will talk about all the things they love about them , then as they go lower they never mention what good about the prospect, only what his limitations are. Personally, when I’m making a list I’m not thinking about why one guy should fall down the list but why another guy should be ahead of him. To me it’s just taking a different perspective, guys are earning their way toward the top, not toppling to the bottom because of their limitations. I put a guy higher because I think he’s better than someone else as opposed to putting a guy lower because I think he’s worse.
cbwilk - February 24, 2010
Question
Once the Eduardo(Edward) Salcedo signing is official will we be voting again on his placement in the Top 25 like we did Vizcaino?
Jay212033 - February 23, 2010
Nice Eduardo name drop. Thats the first I heard of it. Is that his real name? One of my favorite names to say is Eduardo.
Anybody guess where this line is from? “I’ll shall call you, Eduardo..”
bwellnjonesco - February 23, 2010
Don't know that one, but....
….the name I always use is ‘Eduardo Corroccio’. Know that one?
secondbass - February 23, 2010
Ahhh
Yes, the famous bullfighter
sunking1056 - February 23, 2010
Nice!
secondbass - February 23, 2010
Yes that is his real name
Edward is just the english translation.
Jay212033 - February 23, 2010
Family Guy?
scstrato - February 23, 2010
Not just Family Guy, it came from the first family guy ever
GoBravesNY - February 23, 2010
Yes, we’ll wait until he’s signed, and perhaps until after we get an updated scouting report or two.
gondeee - February 23, 2010
At this point I think we should just wait until mid-season.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
This
Let’s at least get some playing time in for him.
scstrato - February 23, 2010
He seems best suited for a midseason list...
is that done around here? With so many young prospects, I think the first half of the year could see a big swing in where all these uneducated eyes place prospects.
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
I think the first half of the year could see a big swing in where all the EDUCATED eyes place prospects aswell, or atleast I hope it would.
bwellnjonesco - February 23, 2010
I say uneducated...
because how many people around here have actually seen these kids play? Some have, but I’d wager not a lot.
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
I said this yesterday about Joe Johnson on the Hawks blog, but:
My love for Jason Heyward makes me want to go campaign for Prop 8
a hooter's baby - February 23, 2010
you mean against prop 8?
Doghnut - February 23, 2010
me=fail
darn, im bad at cyber relationships and real ones
a hooter's baby - February 23, 2010
Who WOULD you trade heyward for?
I mean, i’d deal him for
Lincecum
Pujols (Assuming he signed a reasonable extension)
Braun
Felix
Mauer
hmm…. who else?
nick9314 - February 23, 2010
Pujols or Mauer. I wouldn’t mess with the pitchers, too much risk for any of them to go down with an injury.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
but we already have BMac
the only player i’d trade him for is Pujols.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010 via mobile
Could move Mauer to 1B/LF, or McCann to 1B...
for Mauer’s bat, I’d do it and figure out a position later. Although like Pujols, you’d want a reasonable extension before giving up a rising star for a potential rental.
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
Mauer is pretty unanimously considered the better defensive C between the two.
Swo12bv - February 23, 2010
While true...
his athleticism also seems better suited to play in the field as well. Both are good bats, but his is better (so reducing the wear of C may prove more beneficial for his bat in the lineup than McCann’s) and something about Mauer’s taller frame constantly getting down to C makes me think it’s more likely to cause injuries for him than the shorter, more common C’s body of McCann.
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
i can’t disagree with that, but id still rather have the better defensive C behind the plate…this seems to be a agree to disagree scenario
Swo12bv - February 23, 2010
have you seen Mauer run recently?
no way LF…1B, though.
apoxonbothyourhouses - February 24, 2010
Mauer use to be pretty fast. I guess his knee problem finally caught up ot him.
FitzFan - February 24, 2010
Wouldn’t you want the same from Mauer? Won’t he be a free agent after this season?
FitzFan - February 24, 2010
Right now? I probably agree with cb. In 2 years? Hopefully no one.
soup du jour - February 23, 2010
More Heyward love from DOB:
Also, add Prado to the list of P90x clients, losing 14 pounds and adding muscle to his upper body.
10-4 - February 23, 2010
im kinda thinking
that i’m falling in love with Jason Heyward.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010
Sounds like a cheesy Coca-Cola commercial..
bwellnjonesco - February 23, 2010
Wonder if he will have any comments
after Cody Johnson has his turn in the batting cage.
Mountngrown - February 23, 2010
If he doesnt make the team
(Unlikely I’m sure) but, I will be making some trips to Gwinnett to watch him play. Either way, Im excited to see him play in April!!!
happyplayer23 - February 23, 2010
if Jason Heyward goes to AAA
is a line of .400/.500/.600 too unreasonable? lol.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010
If Heyward goes to AAA...
…any line is relatively reasonable, because it is going to a be a really small sample size!
cavebird - February 23, 2010
hopefully.
Scott Coleman - February 23, 2010
and boom goes the dynamite
Swo12bv - February 23, 2010
This is necessary and proper
GoBravesNY - February 23, 2010
If you like Brian Collins, you might like...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN9jJ4kzoqg&feature=player_embedded
GTwill - February 24, 2010
Paul Bunyan lives!
GTwill - February 23, 2010
You must have seen Troy Glaus. Heyward looks big but Glaus is a monster.
homerlanding - February 23, 2010
salcedo doesn’t belong in our top 5 yet. he’s not even signed. Considering Christian Bethancourt was a big international signing for us last year, I’d put salcedo behind him at least and then we’ll let the scouting reports speak to the rest. I’ve only heard the one that was posted here a few days ago and that was pretty vague.
telemakhos - February 23, 2010
He is now
Bowman just confirmed it. Johnny Almaraz called him “one of the top international players we’ve seen in a while.” Our top 10 is sick now, no matter where you put him.
ajones2522 - February 23, 2010
Brian Matusz's ETA
is 2008, ballinnnnn.
BravesRaleigh - February 23, 2010
If Matusz can time travel, he could become the greatest pitcher ever..
bwellnjonesco - February 23, 2010
Heyward
Heyward should be our opening day starter in RF b/c without him our team is really weaken in the OF as far as offense. Heyward getting MLB experience is huge and everyone keeps saying how he is ready, how he can handle the pressure and that he is way mature beyond his years. Plus if he struggles we can get him back down the minors very quickly and use Melky and Diaz for a couple of weeks until Heyward regains his confidence and his stroke.
Go Braves
Holty_Panthers_Fan - February 23, 2010
Does anyone remember how many prospects we’ve had at the top of the list in the past? Marte was, right? My prospect knowledge doesnt go all that far back…
Doghnut - February 23, 2010
As far as I could find they never had Marte #1. In 05 they had him at #9. I couldn’t really find anything reliable older than 03, but I think Andruw Jones might have been the last Brave to get ranked #1 by BA. I remember they had Rafael Furcal and Bruce Chen in the top 10 one year (2000?), but neither was first.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
Chipper in 1993, Steve Avery in 1990, Andruw in 1996
homerlanding - February 23, 2010
Good work. I figured Chipper was 1st at some point but I didn’t realize Avery had been.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
And to think...
people claimed Todd van Poppel was passed on for “signability”. Let’s hope the “signability” of Minor works out the same way as that decision.
Mr. Sanchez - February 23, 2010
Andruw was #1 in one of the lists...
…either BA or USA Today (they did a big one once) two years in a row.
cavebird - February 23, 2010
Heyward should start in AAA.
Keep him there for about a month, and if he is doing well, bring him up. I don’t care how mature or advanced he is, he needs a little more seasoning.
Also, whenever I think of Heyward, I can’t help but think of Alex Gordon. I hope I’m wrong, but remember that people were saying very similar things about Gordon.
GouldisGold - February 23, 2010
Gordon doesn’t compare to Heyward in any way. He was 2 years older than Heyward is right now when he made his debut. Aside from the hitting he was never considered a top fielder nor was he thought of as having the advanced approach to the game that Heyward has. I’m sure there are plenty of cautionary tales that would be apt to compare Heyward to, but Gordon simply isn’t one of them.
cbwilk - February 23, 2010
this doesnt make any sense, I’m all for keeping Heyward in AAA for a little bit, bc theres a risk he struggles, but if the Braves think he is ready, then I’m gonna have to agree with their assessment
Heyward ’s approach is so advanced (he is carrying a 1/1 K/BB ration right now) the risk of him flaming out are greatly reduced, and thus his floor is considerably higher than most top prospects, and then when you throw in the fact that he is a plus defender and is freakily huge and crushes small baseball into the stratosphere, the risk of it not working out continually gets smaller by the day it seems.
that said I certainly wouldnt be upset if they kept him in AAA for a couple months
Swo12bv - February 23, 2010
no
Gordon was never #1 on any list.
Wow, some of you are scared…
apoxonbothyourhouses - February 24, 2010
Yes he was...
He was widely considered one of the top 3 prospects in baseball three years ago, and he was #1 on a lot of lists.
I have nothing against Heyward. I do think he will become a superstar, but we’ve said those things about a lot of guys who ultimately flopped(Gordon, Andy Marte, Chris Burke, Jeff Francoeur, etc).
GouldisGold - February 24, 2010
u can’t just make those comparisons where we say he was a nbr 1 prospect so theres a chance our nbr 1 prospect flops….the chance is there, but you need to look at the player individually….regardless of how much further Heyward progresses, he will be a valauble Major Leaguer, bc he plays good defense, has a cannon arm, and has great strike zone discipline…his floor right now is something like a 770 OPS with plus defense int he corner…Marte/Francouer/Gordon?burke, all had lower ceilings becuase they cdidnt have as good of control over the strike zone…thats what separates Heyward from most players
Swo12bv - February 24, 2010
Awesome how you jumped on this but completely ignored how I pointed out that there really isn’t any other aspect that you can compare the two on.
cbwilk - February 25, 2010
Justin Hayjols
Son of Pujols.
TradeAndruw - February 23, 2010
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