Braves in the AZL

[Enscheff]

This idea that Riley lacks bat speed is a myth that has been perpetuated by Keith Law, and he will not let go of the fact that he is dead wrong about Austin Riley. His actions at 3B are better than most people felt, and he has a rifle for an arm. This is a big time power prospect who has a future in the middle of the Braves batting order.

A lot of people confuse a slow bat with a long swing. A guy can't hit a ball 400' without generating a lot of bat speed, but a guy can have a long swing like Frenchy did and cause him lots of issues.

I couldn't see anything wrong with Rileys swing, but he only swung at 1 fastball and a bunch of loopy curves. He does look noticeably more fit, and that is not a trivial thing.

I consider Longenhagen the premier prospect guy in the public sphere. He sees more talent live in a single day than the other prospect writers see in a month. He is around more scouts on a daily basis than any other writer on the planet. He says Riley's bat speed is fine, but he is going to have to play 1B which will put too much pressure on the bat and the package won't play for a contender.

BA is getting this crazy idea that Riley is good defensively somewhere, so I would trade Riley to the team that values him as a plus defensive 3b.

[rico43]

A lot of people confuse a slow bat with a long swing. A guy can't hit a ball 400' without generating a lot of bat speed, but a guy can have a long swing like Frenchy did and cause him lots of issues.

I couldn't see anything wrong with Rileys swing, but he only swung at 1 fastball and a bunch of loopy curves. He does look noticeably more fit, and that is not a trivial thing.

I consider Longenhagen the premier prospect guy in the public sphere. He sees more talent live in a single day than the other prospect writers see in a month. He is around more scouts on a daily basis than any other writer on the planet. He says Riley's bat speed is fine, but he is going to have to play 1B which will put too much pressure on the bat and the package won't play for a contender.

BA is getting this crazy idea that Riley is good defensively somewhere, so I would trade Riley to the team that values him as a plus defensive 3b.

If it turns out that Maitan is our third baseman of the future, then this is the common sense move.

[Enscheff]

Notes from BP: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/p...olay-prospect/

Austin Riley, 3B, Peoria Javelinas (Atlanta Braves)
Looking at Riley’s listed 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame I was skeptical he could last at third base. But that viewpoint changed Thursday when he moved well enough laterally to make it at the position as a future fringe-average defender. It’s a bat-first profile so that’s enough for me. It’s a quite important developmental step for very obvious positional-value reasons. I’ve seen inconsistent at-bats from him (and pretty much everyone), showing patience and feel to hit some ABs, the opposite in others. The bat speed, strength, and barrel feel all bode well, but there is some length to the swing that leaves him vulnerable to plus gas. It’s a positive first impression.

Max Fried (ATL) had his worst outing of the fall, losing his mechanical consistency, missing his spots, and battling without his best stuff. He’s been among the top five SP arms in the AFL. Those that like him see a no. 3 SP; others more a back-ender.

As I suspected, the issues with Riley's bat are probably due to swing length, not bat speed. KLaw is a complete dope, so I'm not surprised he confuses them and therefore is down on Riley. Unfortunately, being "vulnerable to plus gas" is not a good sign when fastball velocity at the MLB level continues to rise.

Count me as one of the guys who see Fried as a back-ender or BP arm if he doesn't alter his fastball.

Fried's FA verges on unusable due to a very low spin rate that results in a horribly flat pitch. I would like to see him switch to a SI instead, which I think could be an above average pitch. As is, he is a junk-baller #5 or swing-man if his control stays below average. If he picks up a grade 55 SI and refines his command to average, he can be a legit #3.