Jeff Francoeur tops Baseball America list of Braves prospects
Baseball America today released their list of the top ten prospects in the Atlanta Braves organization. Jeff Francoeur got the nod as the top Braves prospect, ahead of last year’s breadwinner Andy Marte. This was surprising, considering Francoeur’s lack of plate discipline last year. Jeff has more raw talent (he was named “best athlete” in the Braves system by the publication) but that’s just what it is right now, raw. There’s a chance Francoeur could develop into one of the best in the bigs but Marte is much more of a sure thing to be an all-star year in and year out at this point.
They rank the top ten Braves prospects as follows:
1. Jeff Francoeur (OF)
2. Andy Marte (3B)
3. Brian McCann (C)
4. Kyle Davies (P)
5. Anthony Lerew (P)
6. Jake Stevens (P)
7. Luis Hernandez (SS)
8. Kelly Johnson (OF)
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C)
10. Blaine Boyer (P)
Superlatives of note: Andy Marte was annointed “best power hitter” in the Braves’ system by the publication. Anthony Lerew, Charlie Morton, and Kyle Davies were ranked as having the best fastball, curveball, and changeup, respectively. Jake Stevens was recognized as having the “best control” among Braves minor league pitchers. Luis Hernandez and Ryan Langerhans were tagged with the best defensive infielder and outfielder monikers, respectively.
