Braves seeing progress from position player prospects

The minor league season is over. The Atlanta Braves can now look back and re-evaluate the prospects to see where their farm system is now in the rebuild.

There were great performances by the pitching prospects. We’ve already seen Sean Newcomb, Lucas Sims, Max Fried and now Luiz Gohara graduate to Atlanta. Others, like Mike Soroka, Kolby Allard, Touki Toussaint and Kyle Wright showed they’re not that far behind.

What about the position players? Ozzie Albies earned a promotion, and the Braves are now looking at Rio Ruiz at third base. Before his bizarre injury, Johan Camargo got on the radar with a fine performance.

Others position prospects are waiting in the wings.

There are two players who stand out the most. First, of course, Ronald Acuna has become one of the best prospects in baseball. The 19-year-old was pushed up the minor league ladder, just like Andruw Jones was 21 years ago. And just like Jones, Acuna thrived at every step.

Acuna finished with a .325 batting average, a .374 on-base percentage, 21 home runs, 82 RBI, 44 stolen bases, 31 doubles and eight triples. Acuna had 44 walks and struck out 144 times.

He finished strong. Since August 1, in 35 games, Acuna hit .363 with a .399 on-base percentage, five home runs and 23 RBI.

Also, Austin Riley has climbed the charts of the prospect lists with his strong showing in Double-A Mississippi. After hitting .252 with a .310 on-base percentage, 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 81 games in High-A Florida, Riley went to the Southern League and hit .315 in 48 games, with a .389 on-base percentage. Riley hit eight home runs and drove in 27 in 178 at-bats.

Since August 1, in 30 games, Riley hit .373 with a .450 on-base percentage, six home runs and 22 RBI in 110 at-bats. Overall, Riley finished with a .275 batting average, 20 home runs, 74 RBI and a .339 on-base percentage. Last season, Riley hit .271 with a .324 on-base percentage, 20 home runs and 80 RBI in the same number of games.

The Braves have got to be happy with Rio Ruiz’s improved production numbers in Triple-A. Ruiz finished with 16 home runs and 56 RBI in 388 at-bats. Last season, Ruiz had 10 home runs and 62 RBI in 465 at-bats for the Gwinnett team.

Brett Cumberland, who split the season between Rome and Florida, had a .409 on-base percentage. He also hit .266 with 11 home runs and 69 RBI. Alex Jackson split the season between Florida and Mississippi. Jackson hit .267 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI.

Florida second baseman Alay Lago claimed the Florida State League batting crown with a .303 batting average. He had six home runs, 46 RBI and 20 doubles. Lago is a 26-year-old signed out of Cuba

Rome outfielder Cristian Pache impressed scouts with his fine defense. He also hit .281 with a .335 on-base percentage. Pache did not hit a home run, but many believe his power will come around. Pache had 32 stolen bases and drove in 42 runs.

Maybe the Braves have found a catching prospect. William Contreras, the younger brother of Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, hit .290 in Danville with a .379 on-base percentage, four home runs and 25 RBI.

Outfielder Drew Waters, Atlanta’s second round pick in June, hit .278 between the GCL and Danville, with four home runs, 24 RBI and a .362 on-base percentage. Kevin Maitan, one of Atlanta’s top international prospects, hit .241 between the GCL and Danville, with two home runs and 18 RBI.

So, while the pitchers get the spotlight in the Atlanta system, the position players are improving and balancing out the farm system. We’ll likely see Acuna and Riley next season as the next wave of position player prospects hit Atlanta.

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Braves seeing progress from position player prospects."