Minor League Report – 2010 Top-40 Newcomers
October 12, 2009 at 11:16 pm by Capitol Avenue Club under Atlanta Braves, Minor Leagues, Prospects
Here’s a short report on what all of the prospects who will appear on my top-40 list for the first time did in the minors in 2009. This excludes 2009 draftees. I covered the entire draft class here.
Christian Betancourt – C (17) 6’2″ 175 LB.
Christian Betancourt had an excellent 2009 season, posting a .277/.342/.446 line in 187 PA’s between the GCL and Appalachian league. He hit 4 HR, 1 3B, 14 2B, stole 8 bases in 9 attempts, walked 17 times, and struck out only 38. Did I mention he is 17 years old?
Adam Milligan – OF (21) 6’3″ 210 LB.
Milligan was drafted in the 6th round of the 2008 draft and, despite a strong commitment to Vanderbilt, the Braves were able to sign him. He made his professional debut in 2009 and didn’t fail to impress, posting a .344/.393/.592 line (.248 ISO) with 13 HR, 3 3B, 20 2B, 15 walks, and 58 strikeouts in 285 PA’s between Danville, Rome, and Myrtle Beach. The plus power potential from the left side he showed in 2009 makes him a very good prospect.
Matt Young – CF (26) 5’8″ 175 LB.
Matt Young increased his walk rate and generally showed more offensive potential in 2009, such that he’s now legitimately on the prospect map again, even at the age of 26. In 600 PA’s between Mississippi and Gwinnett, he hit .284/.414/.403, with 5 HR, 10 3B, 23 2B, 97 BB’s, and 64 K’s. He also stole 43 bases in 60 attempts (71.67% success rate) and played plus defense in center.
Tyler Stovall – LHP (19) 6’1″ 180 LB.
Stovall should’ve been on the 2009 list, I left him off simply due to oversight, but he did increase his stock in 2009. The 2008 2nd rounder pitched 52 innings for the Danville Braves, posting a 3.12 ERA, a 1.769 WHIP, and a 57-to-56 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He walked a ton of batters mainly because he didn’t really trust his fastball and threw his curveball too much.
Caleb Brewer – RHP (20) 6’3″ 205 LB.
Injuries wrecked Brewer’s 2008 campaign, but he returned to the GCL (where he last pitched in 2007) in 2009 and posted a 2.82 ERA, a 1.142 WHIP, and a 65-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 44 and 2/3 innings. His career basically started all over again in 2009, but the numbers were solid and scouts seemed impressed for a guy who hadn’t pitched in a year.
Gerardo Rodriguez – 1B (21) 6’1″ 195 LB.
Rodriguez continued to show off his tools in 2009. In 501 PA’s between Class-A Rome and Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, he hit .269/.315/.487 (.218 ISO) with 23 HR, 7 3B, 18 2B, 27 BB’s, and 141 K’s. Those 23 HR’s rank 2nd in the system to Cody Johnson’s 32. This includes MLB.
Angelo Paulino – RHP (22) 6’4″ 190 LB.
In 64 innings for the Class A Rome Braves, Paulino posted a 2.67 ERA, a 1.328 WHIP, and a 78-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Overall, a very solid season. He was used exclusively as a reliever.
Yeliar Castro – RHP (21) 6’3″ 180 LB.
Castro turned in a solid season in 2009. He posted a 4.43 ERA, a 1.373 WHIP, and a 78-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 67 innings for the Rome Braves and Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He made 3 starts for Rome, but was primarily used as a reliever.
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Do you like Lowe for Ordonez? I sure do.
Lowe and Venters for Ordonez…
I like it, yes. I think Ordonez and Lowe are both good bets to rebound next season. If the Braves included anything with Lowe I’d expect the Tigers to ship $3 million with Ordonez to make the deal salary-neutral.