Atlanta Braves: Keith Law Ranks Farm System #1
The Atlanta Braves topped Keith Law’s most recent farm system rankings, making a huge jump from 2015.
Before the 2015 season, the Atlanta Braves had just two prospects within the top-100, with Ozhaino Albies and Jose Peraza viewed as the club’s best prospects. However, with John Hart taking over the Atlanta Braves, he quickly tore apart the MLB-level team in order to get younger, better prospects along the way.
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With John Hart as the president of baseball operations, he quickly tore apart the Atlanta Braves’ core to begin an expedited rebuilding process, similar to how the team won games in the 90s and early 2000s. Hart dealt Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Craig Kimbrel to begin the rebuilding process for the the Atlanta Braves. While the moves were highly questioned, Hart looks like genius now.
With Hart trading Heyward and Jordan Walden to the Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves received Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. The Atlanta Braves bought low on Miller, and after the 2015 season, they decided to flip the young right-handed pitcher to the Arizona Diamondbacks for an unbelievable haul.
The Atlanta Braves received Dansby Swanson (#1 overall pick in 2015 MLB Draft), Aaron Blair (#61 on MLB.com’s top-100 prospects), and Ender Inciarte. It was known that Hart wanted a big return for Miller, but no one expected that the Diamondbacks would be willing to trade two out of their top four prospects.
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Essentially, the Atlanta Braves traded Jason Heyward, Jordan Walden, and Gabe Speier for Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson, Aaron Blair, and Tyrell Jenkins. The Atlanta Braves, basically, robbed the Diamondbacks’ farm system in a similar way the Braves highjacked most of the Padres’ highly-coveted prospects in 2015.
In another offseason trade following the 2015 season, the Atlanta Braves dealt defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons to the Angels for their top two prospects, Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis. Newcomb enters the 2016 season as the 19th-rated prospect in baseball; moreover, he is the third-rated left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.
Out of the Atlanta Braves’ top-10 prospects, only three were drafted by the Braves, showing how active they have been in the trade market. Also, the Atlanta Braves enter the 2016 season with seven prospects in the top-100. With all the acquisitions over the past year, the Atlanta Braves’ farm system went from one of the worst to the best in baseball.
Not to be forgotten, the Atlanta Braves have the third overall pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft, which is sure to help the farm system out down the road. While the Atlanta Braves will probably not be contenders in 2016, John Hart and company envisioned a competitive team to take the field once the team made their move to the new stadium.
In addition to the high-profile prospects the Atlanta Braves possess, they have a slew of prospects flying under the radar. Players like John Gant (from New York Mets) and Max Fried (from San Diego Padres) have high potential, despite being overshadowed by other pitchers in the farm system (i.e. Newcomb, Blair, and Kolby Allard). The Atlanta Braves plan to acquire as much pitching as possible, with the idea that a few will pan out to help out in the future.
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You can never have enough pitching in your farm system, and the Atlanta Braves are abiding by that motto. The running joke for Atlanta Braves’ fans was that the team would field eight pitchers and Freddie Freeman; however, stockpiling pitching will pay huge dividends in the near future for the Atlanta Braves.
While the Atlanta Braves’ roster for next season looks shaky, they have the molding for a great run in the near future. Just look at the turnarounds by the Astros, Royals, and Mets. Strong farm systems pay off in the long-run, and the Yankees are a prime example of how buying players could put you in a bad place for competing.
The Atlanta Braves figure to be a force in the National East within the next couple of seasons, with their starting pitching likely leading the way. For those fans who bashed John Hart’s moves, he is an intelligent mind in the front office, and he probably saved the Atlanta Braves four or five years of mediocrity.
With a stockpiled farm system, there was no question that ESPN’s Keith Law saw the Atlanta Braves as the favorite for MLB’s best farm system. John Hart and John Coppolella, likely, are not done making moves, and more could be on the way during 2016. Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis might be on the way out in the short-coming
No “star” is safe on the Atlanta Braves’ roster, and if they want to continue to get better, they may have to part with the remaining key players on the roster. Although, trading Freddie Freeman seems like a long-shot, any player on the Atlanta Braves has a price, and if a team is willing to make an otherworldly offer, the Braves would have no problem cutting ties.
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Congrats to the Atlanta Braves, Hart, and Coppolella for transforming this farm system in just one year. The Atlanta Braves have the foundation to be a competitor in the National League East for years to come. Swanson, Albies, Newcomb, and Blair figure to headline the Atlanta Braves roster in 2017, when the team moves to SunTrust Park.