Atlanta Braves Minor League Roster Report: Rome

The 2009 Rome Braves roster is out, and Randall Delgado is the highlight.

The pitchers will be: Delgado, Ezekiel Spruill, David Francis, J.J. Hoover, Paul Clemens, Jaye Chapman, Yeliar Castro, Brandon Beachy, Clayton McMillan, Angelo Paulino, Benino Pruneda, Richard Sullivan, and Jake Thompson.

Delgado was a sleeper international signee out of Panama who turned 19 before the start of this season.  He managed to put in a really good showing in Danville this past year, being one of the youngest players in the Appalachian League.  He is currently all projection, but the early tools look quite nice.  He has a plus fastball with great movement, and a changeup he uses to keep hitters off balance.

Spruill is a high school pitcher out of the East Cobb baseball program.  His mound presence is well beyond his years, as he always remains cool.  He isn't an easy guy to rattle and will attack any hitter.  His smooth, mechanically sound delivery, as good as anyone in the minors, bodes well for people concerned about injury.  His fastball sits at around 92 and has a bit of a sink to it, making ground balls a pretty regular event, and his curveball is a bit flat, and looks more like a slurve.

The infielders will be: Braeden Schlehuber, Jesus Sucre, Ryan Barba, Joel Campusano, Chais Fuller, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Samuel Sime.

Schlehuber is a projectable catcher out of Utah who is more glove than bat at this point in his career.  That I like him better than most is definitely an accurate statement here, since I see where there is plenty of room for him to develop power down the road.

The outfielders will be: Luis Sumoza, C.J. Lee, Chadwick Maddox, Chris Shehan, and L.V. Ware.

Sumoza was the prospect dealt from the Red Sox for Mark Kotsay.  He is the most underrated prospect in the entire organization.  His build indicates that he can hit for power and average, and he backed that up with the Lowell Spinners, hitting 11 home runs in 50 games.