BA has their Appy League Top 20 up. Riley is #2, Soroka #8, Acuna #14.
#1 is Kyle Tucker, an outfielder in the Astros system.
BA has their Appy League Top 20 up. Riley is #2, Soroka #8, Acuna #14.
#1 is Kyle Tucker, an outfielder in the Astros system.
Here is their report on Acuna:
Acuna signed with the Braves for $100,000 in 2014 and played the 2015 season as a 17-year-old. He has an exciting combination of athleticism and feel for the game, and he did not appear overmatched against older competition when promoted from the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League to Danville in August.
Acuna showed off plus arm strength and above-average to plus speed in center field. He has a chance to develop into a plus defender, thanks to surprisingly mature instincts.
Offensively, Acuna has a knack for making hard contact, and he took consistently competitive at-bats with Danville. He is able to drive the ball from gap to gap with authority, and he started to tap into his power towards the end of his time in the Appy League. He finished the season on a nine-game hitting streak.
50PoundHead (09-23-2015), dak (09-23-2015)
dave (grayson, ga): Any support for the third 17 year old Danville Brave, Juan Yepez, making the list?
Hudson Belinsky: He was very close. Definitely has some juice in the bat and came on strong late in the summer. You can dream on the bat and the power. The move to first base puts more pressure on his offense, obviously, but he was 17 and in a non-complex league.
dave (grayson, ga): The Braves sent many of their 2015 college draft picks to Danville. Did any of the pitchers stick out?
Hudson Belinsky: Yes, sir! Ryan Clark, Josh Graham, Matt Withrow, Patrick Weigel, Grayson Jones, Evan Phillips, Chase Johnson-Mullins, Ryan Lawlor—they're all interesting assets. Clark is an athletic RHP who can get it up to 95, but was tired at the end of the year and more 88-91. Good CH and two breaking balls that will be important to monitor. Graham's season ended a little early because of some soreness. He's a converted catcher that was new to pitching full-time this year. It's a fresh arm with some ceiling. Matt Withrow: Some fastball command, feel for a changeup, and a slurvy-shaped breaking ball that has some bite to it. Nothing elite about his arsenal, but solid all around. Weigel: Power FB. Control will be key for him. Jones: Interesting two-pitch guy with power FB. Phillips: Low-to-mid 90s FB, quality offspeed. Was a good value in 17th round. Johnson-Mullins: 6-8 dude who throws upper 90s cheddar. Lawlor: Vanilla, but solid mix of three pitches.
Last edited by nsacpi; 09-23-2015 at 02:39 PM.
Matt Custred had awesome stats, but I imagine there's a reason he was picked in the 31st round instead of the top 10 rounds like most of the guys mentioned.Originally Posted by nsacpi
Trevor Belicek, a college senior taken in the 15th round, also had a lot of success in Danville. Sean McLaughline, 19th round pick, also did well in Danville and Rome.
I guess those guys were not mentioned because their stuff doesn't project as high.
The good news on Josh Graham is that it does not appear he was shut down due to a serious injury. He put up some impressive numbers.
Last edited by nsacpi; 09-23-2015 at 03:23 PM.
Hudson Belinsky: Hey does anyone want to talk about Austin Riley? Lots of questions about him in the queue. I'll aim to address those here. What kind of hitter is Riley? He takes aggressive hacks, and he's not afraid to swing and miss. He just doesn't make soft contact; everything comes off the bat with life. His swing plane is conducive to backspin, and he has power to all fields. Realistically, we're looking at a hitter whose value comes mostly from his power output, but he should hit for a solid average as well. He made adjustments so well this summer, and took well to coaching. Is Riley going to stick at third base? It looks like that is certainly a possibility. He has really taken care of his body over the past year, and he has natural first-step quickness. His arm strength plays at third base. Is it a guarantee that he stays there? No, but it seems more likely than not at this point. How far behind Kyle Tucker was he? Not all that far. Riley has a chance to stay in the dirt and has a chance to be a middle-of-the-order bat. Tucker's track record is stronger, and he surged towards the end to cement himself as the top prospect, but Riley's surge is real.
Riley is the guy I'm most excited about. Biggest positive to me was the transformation he went through to get himself into shape as a pro. It looks like he lost 20 lbs or so.
Nick Sacpi (Mamaroneck, NY): Although he had more success after being promoted to the Sally League, was Luke Dykstra in the conversation as a Top 20 candidate for the Appy League? What do the scouts think of him? He hardly strikes out and gets his share of doubles.
Hudson Belinsky: Close, yes. Really good fastball hitter and took well to second base. Has some juice in the bat, will be interesting to monitor his power in game action as he matures physically.
Herbert may have very well made that list too had he not gotten hurt. Low minors are looking real good right now.
thank you weso1!
Had a half-hour interview with Bill Ballew of BBA today. Will be rerun tonight at 10 p.m. on WAAK, 94.7 FM, Ringgold. Also streaming online from website.
Much talk about injured pitchers, BBA top hitter, pitcher and Riley as prospect.
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