Article about where each prospect is starting?

[bravesguy]

Maybe that has to do with the rationale. I'm more inclined to believe that it has to do with the increasing evidence that peaks happen much earlier than traditionally believed and trying to get as many peak years as possible.

It could be that peaks happen much sooner, but that doesn't then explain the Fried, Wiegel, Newcomb (last year), etc.

I think it has more to do with the confidence that the FO has with the pitchability / approach to pitching they get from the coaches in Mississippi. By all accounts, all the pitchers that were at Mississippi last year progressed pretty significantly from the beginning to the end of the season.

[atl717]

Problem with aggressively promoting pitchers is they get to the majors where the season is longer and they haven't built up that endurance and see a huge jump in workload.

Also, pitchers are unlikely to be at their best at 20 or 21, so why use their service time during their non peak years?

[JxnMissFan]

Problem with aggressively promoting pitchers is they get to the majors where the season is longer and they haven't built up that endurance and see a huge jump in workload.

Also, pitchers are unlikely to be at their best at 20 or 21, so why use their service time during their non peak years?

I agree that a 20 or 21 year old will lack endurance but I think over the next few years you will see a shift from the traditional road to the majors to more of a fast track because of select travel baseball. I know guys that are 30 that were drafted as pitchers ten years ago that cant believe how advanced 12 year olds are now.

[IslandBrave]

Wentz just tweeted he's officially headed to Rome

[msstate7]

Wentz just tweeted he's officially headed to Rome

I was hoping for A+ to see another melt here

[TheBravos]

It's probably more of the front office listening to the coaches. No real reason to rush the young guys unless they have been told they are ready.

[bravesguy]

It's probably more of the front office listening to the coaches. No real reason to rush the young guys unless they have been told they are ready.

There is a history of 20 year old pitchers breaking in the MLB. Julio Teheran is an example of that.

If Soroka or Allard is that advanced at 19, the in 2 years they could break in. AA in 2017, AAA in 2018, MLB in 2020.

Time will tell.

[rico43]

Seems our FO thinks very highly of our AA pitching coach

It's Derrick Lewis, who was at Carolina last year. His resume tells you the Braves trust him in a big way:

2004-2007 Pitching coach GCL Braves
2008-2010 Pitching coach Danville Braves
2011-2013 Pitching coach Rome Braves
2014 Pitching coach Lynchburg Hillcats
2015-2016 Pitching coach Carolina Mudcats

[bravesfanMatt]

There is a history of 20 year old pitchers breaking in the MLB. Julio Teheran is an example of that.

If Soroka or Allard is that advanced at 19, the in 2 years they could break in. AA in 2017, AAA in 2018, MLB in 2020.

Time will tell.

Did we go on strike in 2019.

[Hudson2]

If we have some arms that don't progress as well as we hoped does that change the FO way of thinking going into the draft? Maybe go after a college arm?

[msstate7]

Did we go on strike in 2019.

After back-to-back WS titles in '17 and '18, the braves will hold out in '19 in hopes the competition can catch up and challenge us in '20

[CJ9]

Baseball America article with a Coppy quote on Allard/Soroka moves plus our rotations at each level: http://po.st/H5rybt.

Big surprise is Muller being held back in extended and Luke Jackson going back to starting.

[CJ9]

From the article--

Triple-A: Sean Newcomb (Braves No. 8 prospect), Lucas Sims (No. 14), 24-year-old Matt Wisler (not rookie eligible), 24-year-old Aaron Blair (not rookie eligible), Luke Jackson (No. 28).

Double-A: Kolby Allard (No. 3), Mike Soroka (No. 4), Patrick Weigel (No. 9), Max Fried (No. 10), Matt Withrow.

High Class A: Luiz Gohara (Mariners No. 3 pre-trade), Touki Toussaint (No. 12), Ricardo Sanchez (depth chart), Drew Harrington (2016 third-round pick), Tyler Pike (depth chart).

Low Class A: Ian Anderson (No. 5), Joey Wentz (No. 15), Bryce Wilson (No. 25), Jeremy Walker (2016 5th round pick), Ryan Lawlor.

The one missing pitcher from this list is lefthander Kyle Muller, last year’s second-round pick and the team’s No. 17 prospect. Muller is being held back in extended spring to get stretched out after a late start, but is expected to join the Rome rotation in the not-too-distant future.

[clvclv]

Baseball America article with a Coppy quote on Allard/Soroka moves plus our rotations at each level: http://po.st/H5rybt.

Big surprise is Muller being held back in extended and Luke Jackson going back to starting.

Get the feeling that using Jackson as a starter is more of an effort to help harness his control (like Sims at this point). If the two of them and Mauricio could become just a little more reliable, you'd be looking at an absolute "lockdown" pen when you add them and Minter to the mix - seriously high-octane.

[Braves1976]

Where is Michael Mader? He wasn't bad starting in AA for Mississippi last year after the trade. I saw him listed on Mississippi's roster but didn't know if he was maybe injured or being dropped from the rotation to the bullpen or what?