Stock Up, Stock Down for Braves' Top 10 Prospects for Week 7

After another week of the season, it's time to take another look at some of how the Braves top prospects have fared in the minors. While the farm system is thin, the recent contributions of rookies Julio Teheran and Evan Gattis have done a good job of easing some of the concerns about the future.

This article will take a look at how guys like Christian Bethancourt, J.R. Graham and Sean Gilmartin have performed in the past week.

10. Joey Terdoslavich, OF

The last week was a fairly quiet one for the doubles machine, but it's hard to keep up the pace Joey Terdoslavich has been on this year. Terdoslavich is hitting .328 with 19 doubles, eight homers and 29 RBI on the year in Triple-A and has really re-established himself as a prospect.

The good news is that when he hit .250 (6-for-24) with two doubles and three RBI in the past week, it still was a very solid week. 

Stock Even

9. Luis Merejo, LHP

Talented young left-hander Luis Merejo has yet to make his season debut in 2013 after a strong performance in the Gulf Coast League a year ago. He will be taking the mound in a month or so when the Appalachian League schedule starts.

Stock Even

8. Matt Lipka, OF

After a slow start to the season, Matt Lipka has caught fire in the month of May. The former first-round draft pick is hitting .333 with a .883 OPS in the month of May for High-A Lynchburg. This is exactly what Lipka needed after disappointing over the past two seasons.

In the last week, Lipka has hit .371 (13-for-35) with three doubles, three RBI and a steal. That has helped push his season total to .263 with 12 doubles and 25 RBI.

Stock Up

7. Jose Peraza, SS

It's been quite the up-and-down season for the 19-year-old Jose Peraza in his full-season debut. Peraza is hitting a solid .261, but his OPS is only at .645 and he isn't showing much of any power. Still he's a quality young true shortstop having some success in full-season ball at a young age, so it's hard to complain.

The last week was a good one for Peraza, as he hit .384 (10-for-26) with a double, triple and homer with five RBI. To go with his success at the plate, Peraza was also a perfect three for three in stolen base attempts.

Stock Up

6. Christian Bethancourt, C

Christian Bethancourt has had an interesting season thus far. He's missed a couple weeks with a leg injury, but when he's been on the field, he has shown some signs of promise with the bat. For a guy who has struggled to make any improvements at the plate in recent years, this gives the organization a real sign of hope.

In the last week, Bethancourt has hit .389 (7-for-18) with a pair of doubles to go with two RBI. He only managed to walk once, but still some progress is still a positive sign.

Stock Up

5. Alex Wood, LHP

The hard-throwing left-hander from the University of Georgia has done nothing but dominate this year despite an aggressive assignment to Double-A. Wood is helping to erase any possible concerns about his future as a starter thus far, and as long as he can stay healthy, he could end up being a steal for the Braves in the second round of the 2012 MLB draft.

Last week Wood made a pair of starts, going 1-1 as he made it six innings in each start. In his first start, he allowed three runs, two of them earned, on six hits and two walks while picking up a pair of strikeouts. In his second start, he allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks but did strike out five. 

Stock Even

4. Mauricio Cabrera, RHP

Last week continued the trend we have seen all year for Mauricio Cabrera, as he was up and down. On the year the 19-year-old is 1-3 with a 3.72 ERA in nine starts, but he has 32 walks to 31 strikeouts in his 48.1 innings pitched.

In his start against Augusta last week, Cabrera went 5.2 innings and allowed four runs, though just one was earned. He gave up five hits and three walks but also struck out a season-high nine batters. 

Stock Down

3. Lucas Sims, RHP

Lucas Sims started the year up and down, but considering the 19-year-old is less than a year removed from high school and is now pitching in full-season ball, that is to be expected. Plus the fact Sims was pitching out of the bullpen also seems to have taken him some time to have gotten used to.

The good news with Sims is that he has really been strong of late, and his performance last week shows that. Sims appeared in one game but went 3.1 innings while giving up two hits and striking out three hitters.

Stock Up

2. Sean Gilmartin, LHP

Sean Gilmartin continues to be exactly what we are all expecting him to be in Triple-A, a guy who looks like a safe bet to be a solid back of the rotation starter, but not much more than that. Gilmartin has had success in Triple-A, but at the same time, he hasn't exactly dominated minor league hitters.

Last week Gilmartin made one start and lasted four innings while giving up three runs in a loss to Pawtucket. Gilmartin allowed five hits and two walks while striking out five in the loss.

Stock Down

1. J.R. Graham, RHP

J.R. Graham has had some ups and downs while trying to adjust to Double-A hitters, but the good news for the Braves top prospect is that he has been at least holding his own. On the year, he is 1-3 with a 4.04 ERA in eight starts to go with a good strikeout to walk ratio and high number of ground balls, though he has been more hittable than expected.

Last week Graham made one start and threw two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and picking up a strikeout before leaving with a shoulder strain.

Stock Even