2011 Top 10 Prospects: Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves

Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 Prospects

1. Domonic Brown / OF / Brown has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues, but everything to prove in the majors. His undisciplined approach at the plate got him into trouble in his late-season 2010 stint in Philadelphia, so take a wait-and-see approach regarding the translation of his power and speed. He is still a tough prospect to fully buy into, but his talent is immense.
2. Jonathan Singleton / OF/1B / Singleton put together a great full season debut, although his second half lapse is worrisome. Some question how his stick will hold up against better breaking stuff, but his apparent shift to the outfield helps his value and balances out some of his negatives.
3. Jarred Cosart / SP / Philadelphia’s farm system depth received a boost in 2010 from a few breakout pitchers. Cosart is perhaps the most talented of the group. He has sharp command of an outstanding fastball, but his secondary offerings are raw and the health concerns are legit.
4. Trevor May / SP / May has a lively arm, an advanced repertoire, and has been able to handle the Sally League with little resistance. He struggles when it comes to harnessing his movement, which has resulted in a high walk and fly ball rate. Time and athleticism are on his side.
5. Brody Colvin / SP / A case could be made that Colvin should be rated as high as No. 2, as Philly’s No. 2 thru No. 5 are very close. Colvin is the more conventional pitcher when comparing him to Cosart and May, as no part of his game necessary stands out from the crowd, but he has the skills to be very successful.
6. Vance Worley / SP / There isn’t much upside to work with, but Worley likes to attack the strike zone with his average arsenal and knows how to keep the ball low and hitters off balance.
7. Sebastian Valle / C / Valle showed glimpses of his power potential, but little else in 2010. His defense didn’t improve much either, but he has the tools to improve across the board.
8. J.C. Ramirez / SP / Ramirez is a solid pitching prospect overall, with an average three-pitch mix, decent command, and good endurance; however, he hasn’t really excelled anywhere he has been and looks the part of a back-end-of-the-rotation type.
9. Jesse Biddle / SP / Biddle was a reach in the first round of the 2010 draft, but he signed immediately and stepped into the Gulf Coast League and had success. He’s a lefty with some upside who wouldn’t make most top-10 lists, but there is a serious drop-off in talent past Philly’s top five.
10. Domingo Santana / OF / Santana caught my eye in 2009 as a young, toolsy up and comer, but his showing in 2010 didn’t do him any favors. He has displayed some power, keeping him on radar screens, but his strikeout rate is horrendous. He needs to show improvement next year or he will be easily forgotten.

Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 Players Under Age 26 (as of 4/1/11)

1. Domonic Brown / OF
2. Jonathan Singleton / OF/1B
3. Jarred Cosart / SP
4. Trevor May / SP
5. Brody Colvin / SP
6. Vance Worley / SP
7. Antonio Bastardo / RP/SP
8. Sebastian Valle / C
9. J.C. Ramirez / SP
10. Jesse Biddle / SP

Atlanta Braves: Top 10 Prospects

1. Julio Teheran / SP / In 2010 Teheran arrived as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He had monstrous success over three stops up the minor league ladder, and perhaps most important of all, he stayed healthy and displayed promising endurance.
2. Mike Minor / SP / Minor’s strikeout rate has been unreal, but will ultimately slow down. His extensive repertoire, craftiness, and confidence will carry him far.
3. Freddie Freeman / 1B / There is little doubt that Freeman will be a successful major league hitter, but to this point he hasn’t displayed the skills necessary to be an exceptional one. Some are labeling him a star, but that’s far from a universal assessment.
4. Randall Delgado / SP / Delgado posted a breakthrough season in many respects, but met resistance upon his Southern League promotion. His fastball alone couldn’t get it done at Double-A. His secondary stuff needs to hit a new level.
5. Arodys Vizcaino / SP/RP / Injuries are a concern, but Vizcaino is a 20 year old with a mid-90s fastball fastball and sometimes-dominating curveball. His upside is immense and firmly plants him at the top of the second tier of Brave prospects.
6. Craig Kimbrel / RP / Kimbrel has a live arm and cutthroat mentality. He had an often-dominating year between Triple-A and the majors. He is perhaps the most sure-thing closer minor league baseball has to offer.
7. J.J. Hoover / SP / There isn’t a lot of upside in Hoover, but he continues to put up numbers that make you take notice – even in the strikeout column. The numbers should taper off as he moves up, but his extensive arsenal could take him places.
8. Matt Lipka / SS / Lipka carried the label “ultra raw” into the 2010 draft. Yet Atlanta selected him, plugged him into the Gulf Coast League, and, considering he is 18 years old, he excelled. His upside appears better than first thought.
9. Christian Bethancourt / C / Bethancourt showed some skills defensively in his first full season, but he fell flat at the plate. Yet all the tools are there for his offense to improve. His stock could boom or bust over the next season or two.
10. Andrelton Simmons / SS / Atlanta’s system runs deep, and there were plenty of contenders for No. 10. The knock on Simmons heading into the draft was that he couldn’t make it as a pitcher yet didn’t have the bat to make it as a position player. Still, he is another Atlanta draftee who stepped in and showed immediate offensive success. He also gets rave reviews for his defense.

Atlanta Braves: Top 10 Players Under Age 26 (as of 4/1/11)

1. Jason Heyward / OF
2. Tommy Hanson / SP
3. Julio Teheran / SP
4. Mike Minor / SP
5. Freddie Freeman / 1B
6. Jair Jurrjens / SP
7. Randall Delgado / SP
8. Arodys Vizcaino / SP/RP
9. Craig Kimbrel / RP
10. J.J. Hoover / SP


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Chicago Mark
13 years ago

Didn’t Brown get sporadic playing time at the big league level upon his call up?  Why doesn’t anybody take this into account when evaluating his season?

ecp
13 years ago

Travis is right about Villar; he was traded to the Astros on July 29 and shouldn’t be on a Phils list.

Matt Hagen
13 years ago

You guys are right about Villar. Oversight on my part. Sometimes a player gets stuck with an organization in my head. I think I’ll do a bit of a tweak. Stay tuned.

ben
13 years ago

brandon beachy?

Carlton
13 years ago

No one seems to believe in Brandon Beachy, except the people that have had to hit him at every level

Jeffrey Gross
13 years ago

Matt,

Love the list, but where is Kris Medlen????

Yamen
13 years ago

@Jeffrey
I’m guessing Matt left him out because he’s out with TJ surgery and is not expected to be back until late 2011 at the earliest.

Jeffrey Gross
13 years ago

Such is my estimation as well, but Medlen will still be under 26 in 2012…oh well!

Justin
13 years ago

No Salcedo from the Braves?  I know he had a poor year, but under the circumstances it can be excused, and the tools alone should be enough to justify him sliding into the back half of the top 10 list.  Maybe it’s just the ridiculous amount of talent in the organization that kept him out of the top 10.

Travis
13 years ago

Pretty sure that Jonathan Villar got traded to the Astros in the Oswalt swap.

Jay212033
13 years ago

Carlos Perez, LHP, 17 – He has tremendous upside. He dominated in Danville(Rookie Ball) and had a good showing in Rome before being injured(non arm related). He sits 89-91 but topps out at 94 with good sink, he has a good CB and CH.

Coach Bobby Finstock
13 years ago

So Beachy is a AA All-Star, the Braves AA pitcher of the year, MLB.com’s Braves MILB pitcher of the year, leads all of the minors in ERA, gets promoted through AAA and has an assenine K:BB ratio, and gets 3 BIG LEAGUE starts in a pennant and playoff race…and he is NOT in your top 10 prospects? Really? What does prospect mean…chance of making it? Well, he’s made it. Beachy should be between 5-10 on this list.

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13 years ago

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Tommy
13 years ago

I honestly think Beachy should be on this list, but I can see why they left him, He obviously doesn’t have the sealing of some other prospects, and I guess they were judging this more on a players sealing. But by that logic Hoover shouldnt be here and Salcedo and maybe Perez should be on the list