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September 22, 2004

The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #21-30

The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #31-40
The 2004 **No Pepper** Top 50: #41-50

21. James Jurries, 1b
I'll go ahead and say right up front that James Jurries is a difficult one to rank. The slugger started out the season in Greenville, hitting seven homers in his first 72 at-bats, earning him an early season promotion to Richmond. He played the rest of the year for the R-Braves, finishing up the season with a combined line of .274/.343/.518 with 25 homers - tops in the system. The knock on Jurries has always been his glove, so he was moved from third to first this season with hopes of alleviating that problem. I have never seen him play in the field (second-hand reports are not exactly glowing) but he had just eight errors on the season in 84 games at first and four at third, which seems like a reasonable number to me.

I had him higher in my first run at the Top 50, up around the 15 range, but I believe the guys around him have more upside, so I dropped him down a few notches. If he was in an AL organization, he may have gotten the call already as a DH - I just don't know where he fits in the long term plans of the Braves.

22. Brayan Pena, c
Sometimes the forgotten man of the suddenly catching-deep system, Pena posted a .314/.349/.401 line in 277 at-bats for Greenville this season. None of his offensive numbers jump out at you, but he makes good contact and has a decent eye. His catching skills, which are apparently very solid, are what is going to carry him to the majors, likely in a backup capacity, and possibly in the very near future.

23. Martin Prado, 2b
Since signing with the Braves out of Venezuela in 2001, Prado has done nothing but hit. Heading into this season, he sported a .302 average in 629 at-bats between two DSL teams and the GCL. Granted, those teams aren't the best barometer, but it was good enough for him to skip over Danville and head to Rome for 2004, where he didn't disappoint. He hit .315/.363/.422 in 429 at-bats, with 25 doubles. Unlike the majority of his teammates, Prado actually has some semblance of pitch selection at the plate, walking 30 times and striking out 47. He committed just nine errors in 104 games at second base, good enough to earn him the nod as the SAL's top defensive second baseman as voted on by the coaches around the league.

24. Matt Esquivel, of
Esquivel was red-hot through June, hitting .304/.371/.540 with 22 doubles and eleven homers, but he joined Chuck James on the suspended list in July after an unspecified team violation at the SAL All-Star game. Once he returned later in the month, his season went somewhat downhill from there, finishing up at .282/.354/.489 with 31 doubles and 16 homers - both team highs. The power is clearly there, but his plate patience is downright putrid - 140 strikeouts vs. 35 walks. In honor of Matt, Steve Doetsch, and Josh Burrus, and the rest of the Rome offense, I hereby petition to have their nickname changed from the Braves to the Windmills. Something needs to change at the plate for these guys, because it only gets harder when they have to face the Coastal Federal Field monster next season.

25. Steve Doetsch, of
I like you Doetsch, I really do, but you HAVE to cut back on those strikeouts. His 152 K's led the team, but thanks to 47 walks, his ratio wasn't as bad as Esquivel or Burrus. He finished up at .284/.353/.420 with nine homers and 24 doubles on the season, and committed just five errors in 114 games in the outfield. Lower the strikeouts and raise the walks, and we may just have something here.

26. Chris Vines, rhp
Vines was drafted by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2003 draft out of Pelham HS in Birmingham, AL, but didn't see his first professional action until this season in Danville. Needless to say, the 6'5", 205 lb. righty didn't disappoint. Vines posted a 6-3 record with a 3.28 ERA in 60 1/3 innings, with a stellar 72 strikeouts (2nd in the league) against just 14 walks. That adds up to some impressive ratios: 5.14 K/BB, 10.78 K/9, and 2.10 BB/9. He could stand to miss a few more bats (8.69 H/9), but in reality that ratio is just fine. Vines is a prime candidate for a Jake Stevens type breakout next season in Rome.

27. Luis Hernandez, ss
Hernandez's offensive numbers may look similar to Tony Pena's, but Hernandez has one thing going for him that Pena doesn't - age. Luis is nearly three years younger than Tony and is playing just one level behind him. He hit .271/.306/.393 for Myrtle Beach this season, fanning 70 times and drawing just 16 walks in 402 at-bats. Not quite Pena-esque, but not good either. In the field, Hernandez made 12 errors in 116 games at shortstop. He has a fair shot to take over Pena's spot as the top SS prospect in the upper levels next season. I already think he has.

28. Pete Orr, 2b
Orr essentially came out of nowhere to lead Richmond in hitting with a .320 average, good enough for fifth best in the International League. Prior to this season, the 25 year-old lefty had a career minor league average of .244 in five seasons with the Braves organization. Who knows where the turnaround came from, but it was one of the better stories of the year, and also earned him a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. He played mostly at second base, but also logged time at third, short, and the outfield, and committed just four errors all season. That versatility could land him a utility spot in the majors down the line, but at the plate, he is no more than a singles hitter.

29. Buddy Hernandez, rhp Everybody loves Buddy, but for whatever reason, he keeps getting passed up when the opportunity arises for relief help with the big club. Some say it's the size - he's listed at 5'9" - but the numbers don't lie. Hernandez posted a 2.42 ERA with 60 strikeouts, 26 walks, and just 45 hits in 67 innings of work. The walks are a bit high for a reliever, but that hit total is impressive. He should get a shot in the majors next season - hopefully it will be with the Braves.

30. Matt Wright, rhp
Wright posted a decent season for Myrtle Beach in 2004, going 4-6 with a 3.53 ERA in 119 2/3 innings. All of his peripheral numbers were good except for his walks per nine, which was just a hair over four. other than that, he fanned more than one batter per inning, allowed less than a hit per inning, and his K/BB ratio was a solid 2.35. Matt's season ended on a sour note though, as he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right arm near the end of August. He should be fine for next season.

Posted by Brad Dowdy at September 22, 2004 07:24 AM

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Posted by: Stephen at September 22, 2004 10:41 PM

Posted by: Brad Dowdy at September 23, 2004 07:45 AM

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