Braves’ prospects opening eyes in Florida

One of the great things about spring training is the emergence of young prospects. We all know the Atlanta Braves have great pitching prospects, but it s been a position player this week who has gotten most of the attention.

Ronald Acuna is a 19-year-old outfielder who played just 40 games last season for Low Single-A Rome. Acuna batted .312 with a .392 on-base percentage, with four home runs and 14 stolen bases. He had a thumb injury that limited his playing time, so the Braves sent Acuna to Australia a few months ago to get more at-bats.

Acuna has come to Florida and made a big impression. Manager Brian Snitker started him Thursday in Jupiter against the St. Louis Cardinals and Acuna was 3-4 with two doubles. He also made a great throw from right field to wow the crowd and his manager.

The Braves likely will send Acuna to High Single-A Florida to start the season, but there’s no doubt he’s on the fast track to be a big leaguer. The belief is he’s a five-tool player, and Andruw Jones comparisons have been floated all spring.

▪ The pitching prospect generating the most buzz is left-hander Max Fried, a 23-year-old who was acquired from San Diego in the Justin Upton trade. Fried had his first full season back last year after having Tommy John surgery, and he was impressive for Rome.

Fried had a 2.96 ERA in his final 13 games, with only 51 hits allowed in 69 1/3 innings, 23 walks and 96 strikeouts.

On Monday against the Detroit Tigers, Fried got ground ball outs from Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez and then struck out Upton. Scouts clocked Fried’s fastball at 97 mph in the outing.

He’ll likely start in Double-A Mississippi, but some believe Fried could be in Atlanta by August. He’s a southern California product like Cole Hamels, and that’s who Fried is being compared to by scouts.

▪ Braves scouts continue to marvel at the talent in the minor league system. They are not alone. On Friday, MLB.com joined Baseball America in naming the Braves as having the best farm system in baseball.

MLB.com named Dansby Swanson as the top prospect, followed by Ozzie Albies and then Kevin Maitan — all position prospects.

▪ Maitan, who received a $4.5 million bonus July 2 as the top international player on the market, will head back to the Dominican Republic Sunday to get more at bats and ground balls. The Braves were worried Maitan and other top international players would not get as many reps in Florida during March.

Maitan just turned 17 three weeks ago. He’s a beast, at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, and while he’s a shortstop now, his future may be at third base or in the outfield. The Braves have had him in Florida on a workout program to get him stronger. Maitan hasn’t picked up a bat or glove in a month, but he will start preparing for the season this week.

▪ There are two former MLB relievers in minor league camp hoping to revive their careers. David Hale pitched for the Braves in 2013-14 before pitching for the Rockies for two seasons. He had some leg issues that have now cleared up, so Hale believes he is ready to get back to the big leagues.

And Rex Brothers was also a Rockies reliever. He took last year off after having a shoulder issue. Now, Brothers feels healthy and believes he can regain his status as a dependable lefty reliever.

A major league bullpen needs multiple options throughout a season, so these are two names to keep in mind.

▪ Another minor leaguer opening eyes is Johan Camargo, who spent last season in Double-A. Camargo can play second, short and third base. He has gotten bigger, and the Braves are starting to believe Camargo’s bat may work off the bench in Atlanta.

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Braves’ prospects opening eyes in Florida."