BA's Midseason Top 50 Prospects

[rico43]

There is no reason to sell unless blown away. The farm system is in tremendous shape.

Maybe so, but currently there's near-zero power and scant few run-producers.

[thethe]

Maybe so, but currently there's near-zero power and scant few run-producers.

Can fill those needs in free agency or through trades.

The key is going to be to ensure that the pipeline is still humming while winning at the major league level. Something that wasn't done in the past 4 years.

[clvclv]

This team refused to go on a 2-8 streak and become sellers, so as long as they are even remotely in contention I would be against trading any MLB contributors. If they finish July poorly then I would be for keeping Grilli and Maybin for next year unless they are used in a package to acquire a longer term talent.

I'm all for continuing to stockpile as many prospects as Hart can possibly pry away from other teams, and have been since day one. That said, Maybin and Grilli have simply been too good to just give away for the sake of adding marginal talent. If you're able to get at least one prospect capable of cracking our Top 10 for Grilli, and one of those plus for Maybin I completely understand trading them - just not for anything less.

Our more numerically inclined friends are quick to point out that this is "unsustainable" based on the numbers. The funny thing is, they've been screaming this for 3 and a half months now. I understand the likelihood seems minimal based on past performance, but Cam is turning into the player he was advertised to be more and more everyday, Uribe has typically been this good over his entire career, Grilli has always been this good (as has Jim Johnson), and you can SEE Jace Peterson and Eury Perez getting better every day (regardless of what the spreadsheets tell you). The pen is monumentally better with improvement to come (Vizcaino, Carpenter, and McKirahan).

This team has won 6 0f 7 WITHOUT Freeman, and is in the process of potentially sweeping what had been the hottest team in baseball - with Teheran and Wood struggling mightily. Do I think they'll make the playoffs? No. But as a group they're much better than the numbers indicate they should be. You can twist the numbers to point to things you'd like to point to as weaknesses, and while I'm not about to call them the Giants or Rays or Cardinals of recent years they always seem to find a way to compete when you think they shouldn't (some of those teams haven't always been particular sabermetric darlings either IMO).

[thethe]

I'm all for continuing to stockpile as many prospects as Hart can possibly pry away from other teams, and have been since day one. That said, Maybin and Grilli have simply been too good to just give away for the sake of adding marginal talent. If you're able to get at least one prospect capable of cracking our Top 10 for Grilli, and one of those plus for Maybin I completely understand trading them - just not for anything less.

Our more numerically inclined friends are quick to point out that this is "unsustainable" based on the numbers. The funny thing is, they've been screaming this for 3 and a half months now. I understand the likelihood seems minimal based on past performance, but Cam is turning into the player he was advertised to be more and more everyday, Uribe has typically been this good over his entire career, Grilli has always been this good (as has Jim Johnson), and you can SEE Jace Peterson and Eury Perez getting better every day (regardless of what the spreadsheets tell you). The pen is monumentally better with improvement to come (Vizcaino, Carpenter, and McKirahan).

This team has won 6 0f 7 WITHOUT Freeman, and is in the process of potentially sweeping what had been the hottest team in baseball - with Teheran and Wood struggling mightily. Do I think they'll make the playoffs? No. But as a group they're much better than the numbers indicate they should be. You can twist the numbers to point to things you'd like to point to as weaknesses, and while I'm not about to call them the Giants or Rays or Cardinals of recent years they always seem to find a way to compete when you think they shouldn't (some of those teams haven't always been particular sabermetric darlings either IMO).

The thing is that we are always told that you can be lucky over a short sample. Past results of over exceeding has no bearing on future probabilities. So its entirely possible that when Freeman comes back that we continue to overachieve and then get hot at the right time. We are always told that all you have to do is get hot and make hte postseason. Why can't the same thing happen with the Braves this year?

[clvclv]

Doesn't exactly relate to the new Top 50, but interesting nevertheless...

http://www.baseballamerica.com/major...res-prospects/

[thethe]

Preller should be on the hot seat.

We are going to see a massive sell off of that team.

[smootness]

Preller should be on the hot seat.

We are going to see a massive sell off of that team.

They don't have a ton of assets to sell, though. Upton has little value now; Kemp has little; their infield is garbage, and they've already traded all their best prospects. Kimbrel and Myers are about their only real trade pieces, and they may keep Myers.

Preller should already be fired. They had one of the worst off seasons ever, and you could see it coming a mile away.

[CJ9]

It looks like BA posted their top 10s for each team today. Anyone see ours?

[cajunrevenge]

It looks like BA posted their top 10s for each team today. Anyone see ours?

Looks like they just released the NL West today.

[KB21]

They don't have a ton of assets to sell, though. Upton has little value now; Kemp has little; their infield is garbage, and they've already traded all their best prospects. Kimbrel and Myers are about their only real trade pieces, and they may keep Myers.

Preller should already be fired. They had one of the worst off seasons ever, and you could see it coming a mile away.

They still have Hunter Renfroe and Austin Hedges. I'd love to get Hunter in Atlanta as a future RF.

[KB21]

There is no reason to sell unless blown away. The farm system is in tremendous shape.

They have to keep the system in this shape though. Under Wren, the excuse was used that so many prospects go promoted and that was the reason the system dried up. The system dried up because Frank Wren and company drafted players like they were pulling names from a hat.

The system still needs some high level hitting prospects that have power potential. You have to safe guard the system in the event that Rio Ruiz doesn't figure things out, Dustin Peterson continues to slump, and Braxton Davidson continues to strike out at a high rate.

[msstate7]

From out of left field... Anyone know the status of toscano?

[smootness]

They still have Hunter Renfroe and Austin Hedges. I'd love to get Hunter in Atlanta as a future RF.

First, it doesn't make sense for them to trade those guys. They need young talent, so they need to hold onto the few prospects they have left.

And second, I'm becoming very skeptical that Renfroe ever really figures it out. Right now, I think he's starting to look a lot like Francouer, and the longer he struggles, the more likely it is that's his ceiling.

[Tapate50]

First, it doesn't make sense for them to trade those guys. They need young talent, so they need to hold onto the few prospects they have left.

And second, I'm becoming very skeptical that Renfroe ever really figures it out. Right now, I think he's starting to look a lot like Francouer, and the longer he struggles, the more likely it is that's his ceiling.

Shine is off HR, for sure.

[thethe]

They have to keep the system in this shape though. Under Wren, the excuse was used that so many prospects go promoted and that was the reason the system dried up. The system dried up because Frank Wren and company drafted players like they were pulling names from a hat.

The system still needs some high level hitting prospects that have power potential. You have to safe guard the system in the event that Rio Ruiz doesn't figure things out, Dustin Peterson continues to slump, and Braxton Davidson continues to strike out at a high rate.

That's why the old guard brought back the previous scouting regime. They were always able to restock the system through the draft and 8nternationally. It wasn't until Wren kicked them all out and brought in his cronies that it went to ****.

[Tapate50]

That's why the old guard brought back the previous scouting regime. They were always able to restock the system through the draft and 8nternationally. It wasn't until Wren kicked them all out and brought in his cronies that it went to ****.

We are still doing this?

I don't agree or disagree, but damn man. We gotta let this go. You are as much on this program as Brule is Heyward's jock strap.

[KB21]

First, it doesn't make sense for them to trade those guys. They need young talent, so they need to hold onto the few prospects they have left.

And second, I'm becoming very skeptical that Renfroe ever really figures it out. Right now, I think he's starting to look a lot like Francouer, and the longer he struggles, the more likely it is that's his ceiling.

The talent is there though, and I'd give him a shot based on talent.

[smootness]

The talent is there though, and I'd give him a shot based on talent.

I just wouldn't pay what the Padres will probably demand. The talent is there, but again, the likelihood of him figuring it out is dropping, and I don't think it's a gamble worth taking at this point.

[yeezus]

I just wouldn't pay what the Padres will probably demand. The talent is there, but again, the likelihood of him figuring it out is dropping, and I don't think it's a gamble worth taking at this point.

and certainly not banking on him being the future at ANY position. he has wayyyy too much to prove before we go there.