Braves Prospects in the Spotlight in Arizona

Written by: David Lee on 6th November 2009

Braves Prospects in the Spotlight in Arizona | read this item

Several Braves prospects have highlighted a solid AFL campaign thus far.

With Jason Heyward out, the spotlight has been placed on 2009 first rounder Mike Minor, as well as fellow top prospect Freddie Freeman. Neither has disappointed. Several others have stepped up and forced their names into conversation with good performances.

Mike Minor: 11.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 9 K, .279 BAA
Minor seems to struggle early on, but works out of trouble very well and settles down before leaving. He’s given up 12 hits and five walks but only three earned runs. His BAA with runners in scoring position is .154. His BAA with runners on is .250. The Rising Stars Game will be a good indication of where Minor is at this point. He is scheduled to start the game this Saturday.

Lee Hyde: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, .207 BAA
Hyde has created a buzz with his solid AFL campaign. All three runs he has allowed came in one outing on October 23rd. If you take that outing out, he has pitched seven shutout innings on five hits, two walks and eight strikeouts. His BAA with runners on is .167. In scoring position: .125.

Craig Kimbrel: 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 7 BB, 9 K, .160 BAA
Cut down on those walks and you’re good to go. Kimbrel has allowed all three runs against lefties but eight of his nine strikeouts were against lefties. It’s obvious walks are the only thing preventing him from becoming a sure fire closer candidate, and he’s not going to get away with it when he gets called up.

Jeff Lyman: 9.1 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 8 K, .297 BAA
Take away one outing and Lyman’s numbers aren’t that bad. Five of the seven runs came in one outing in which he allowed two homers and walked three in one-third of an inning. His last five innings have been scoreless and he has only walked one.

Freddie Freeman: .286/.362/.429/.790, HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 13 K
Freeman has been on a tear since October 23rd, reaching base by a base hit in six straight games, including four multi-hit games. It took him a little while to get going but once he did he showed what he’s capable of. I can’t wait to see how he handles AA the second time around.

Brandon Hicks: .315/.413/.370/.783, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 8 BB, 8 K
Hicks has done pretty much the opposite of what he’s known to do. He has gotten on base at a very good rate, is walking, and is keeping his strikeouts down. However, he hasn’t shown any pop, recording one double and one triple with no homers. This isn’t the most important thing if he remains at shortstop, but a third baseman needs the power. Either way it’s exciting to see Hicks getting on base.

Topics: Afl, Arizona Fall League, Atlanta Braves, Baa, brandon hicks, Braves, Buzz, craig kimbrel, freddie freeman, Freeman, Homers, Hyde, Ip 6, jason heyward, Jeff Lyman, lee hyde, Lefties, mike minor, Prospects, Rising Stars, Rounder, Runners, Seven Runs, Shutout, Stars Game, Straight Games, Walks

Harry Jebsen says:

November 9, 2009 at 2:35 pm

Minor was shellacked Saturday night and by late in the inning had a really bad attitude on the mound. Failing to cover bases, etc.
David Lee says:

November 10, 2009 at 12:08 am

I was able to watch the game and didn’t come away with much of an impression on him. He just didn’t show much.

Minor is a balanced pitcher with a plus change, but no pitch that stands out. David O’Brien recently wrote a piece on just this, quoting a scout that said he is a solid pick that should be in the majors soon. But there are several skeptics who believe he was overvalued and won’t be anything more than a #4 starter.

Only time will tell, but I’m not worried about one start in the AFL.