nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
Robby Hefflinger comes in at #17. I would say two things about our Lynchburg team from the past season. One is that it was the weakest of our minor league teams in terms of prospects. As a corollary, this means Mississippi will probably be the weakest in 2014. The second point I would make is that Hefflinger was not the best prospect among this relatively weak group. I think both Kyle Kubitza and Elmer Reyes have a better chance of reaching the majors.
Reyes projects as no more than a backup shortstop in the majors. He put up a .285 batting average and .728 OPS this past year in the Carolina League at age 22. He is athletic and has a good glove. With Simmons already entrenched in the majors and Peraza coming up fast, Reyes might have a hard time sticking in the majors with the Braves.
Kubitza had a .260 batting average and .814 OPS along with 12 home runs. He also played most of the season at age 22. I think he also is likely to be no more than a major league bench player. But with him there is a bit of upside that could lead him to surprising us and being the left-handed side of a platoon or even a starting player. I would not rate him above Edward Salcedo (who had a poor season, but was playing at age 21 in the Southern League) when looking at third basemen in our system.
Hefflinger was 23 this past season and had a .286 average and .917 OPS in the Carolina League along with 21 home runs. His numbers were much poorer upon promotion to the Southern League--.170 batting average and .546 OPS. He has a lot of power but also a huge amount of swing and miss to his game. I think at best he will be a fringe major league player. Among the corner outfielders in our system, I'd put him behind Victor Reyes and Josh Elander. It should also be noted that corner outfielders (especially left fielders which Hefflinger was this past year) are near the bottom of the defensive spectrum. There are a lot of players in our system who could be moved to left if they are blocked at their current position, which makes Hefflinger's chances of making it even smaller than for those players at a more demanding position.
Reyes projects as no more than a backup shortstop in the majors. He put up a .285 batting average and .728 OPS this past year in the Carolina League at age 22. He is athletic and has a good glove. With Simmons already entrenched in the majors and Peraza coming up fast, Reyes might have a hard time sticking in the majors with the Braves.
Kubitza had a .260 batting average and .814 OPS along with 12 home runs. He also played most of the season at age 22. I think he also is likely to be no more than a major league bench player. But with him there is a bit of upside that could lead him to surprising us and being the left-handed side of a platoon or even a starting player. I would not rate him above Edward Salcedo (who had a poor season, but was playing at age 21 in the Southern League) when looking at third basemen in our system.
Hefflinger was 23 this past season and had a .286 average and .917 OPS in the Carolina League along with 21 home runs. His numbers were much poorer upon promotion to the Southern League--.170 batting average and .546 OPS. He has a lot of power but also a huge amount of swing and miss to his game. I think at best he will be a fringe major league player. Among the corner outfielders in our system, I'd put him behind Victor Reyes and Josh Elander. It should also be noted that corner outfielders (especially left fielders which Hefflinger was this past year) are near the bottom of the defensive spectrum. There are a lot of players in our system who could be moved to left if they are blocked at their current position, which makes Hefflinger's chances of making it even smaller than for those players at a more demanding position.
