Stock Up, Stock Down for Atlanta Braves' Top 10 Prospects for Week 14

After being declared the heir to the throne of Chipper Jones and promptly falling out of favor following a wretched season at the plate in 2012, Joey Terdoslavich has torn up Triple-A pitching this season, posting a .318/.359/.567 slash line to pair with 18 home runs and 24 doubles. 

The first baseman/outfielder was rewarded with a big league call-up when Evan Gattis went down and has since served mainly as a pinch hitter with the Atlanta Braves. With injuries to Jason Heyward and the Upton brothers, though, Terdoslavich will see an expanded role until said injuries have healed.

He likely won't turn into Freddie Freeman, but the switch-hitting Terdoslavich provides a lot of power with decent contact skills to boot. Should Brian McCann walk this winter and Gattis take over full-time catching duties, Terdoslavich could find himself in Gattis' 2013 role for the duration of the 2014 season.

Prospect rankings provided by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and weekly statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

10. Cody Martin

Level: AAA (Gwinnett)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 3-3, 2.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 67.0 IP, 63 H, 27 BB, 71 K (AA)

2-1, 2.73 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 24 H, 15 BB, 35 K (AAA)

Last Week's Stats: 0-0, 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 6 BB, 3 K

Analysis

After a brilliant start to the 2013 season, one which saw him reach the top of the Braves' minor league starting pitcher pecking order, Cody Martin was shelled in his latest start. 

He had difficulty finding the plate, and when he did, he was hit hard. 

There is no cause for concern here though—Martin usually displays very good command, and his cutter misses bats with quite a bit of frequency. Look for him to make a push for a spot in the Braves staff down the stretch. 

Stock: Down

9. Juan Jaime

Level: AA (Mississippi)

Position: Reliever

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 2-3, 3.81 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 26.0 IP, 18 H, 17 BB, 45 K

Last Week's Stats: No action seen.

Analysis

After getting rocked in his latest appearance, Juan Jaime failed to take the hill last week.

The Braves front office pretty much knows all it needs to know about Jaime though—he throws gas, misses bats, and has been known to miss the strike zone a good deal. 

That said, one more injury to a bullpen arm is all that seems to be keeping Jaime from being called up to the big leagues.

Stock: Even

8. Todd Cunningham

Level: AAA (Gwinnett)

Position: Outfield

Throws/Bats: R/S

Season Stats: .284/.362/.356, 50 R, 12 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 30 RBI, 33 BB, 47 K, 16 SB

Last Week's Stats: .409/.440/.409, 4 R, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 SB

Analysis

After Jason Heyward and both Upton brothers went down with injuries, it seemed like the time was right for Todd Cunningham to step in and get his first taste of big league action. Jordan Schafer and Evan Gattis, also down with injuries, were out of his way as well.

Instead, the Braves opted to call up Jose Constanza to join Reed Johnson and Tyler Pastornicky in the injury-depleted Atlanta outfield. With Joey Terdoslavich already with the parent club, it became apparent that Todd Cunningham will not be seeing time with Atlanta this season.

He still turned in a very good performance last week, though, stealing a couple bags and reaching base at a .440 clip.

Stock: Up

7. Matt Lipka

Level: High-A (Lynchburg)

Position: Outfield

Throws/Bats: R/R

Season Stats: .284/.325/.408, 49 R, 19 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 16 BB, 66 K, 19 SB

Last Week's Stats: .278/.278/.278, 2 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 7 K

Analysis

This was an odd week for Matt Lipka, who collected a healthy hit total but struck out a slew of times and failed to record a single base on balls. 

Considering that part of his development requires he foster plate discipline and tap into his extra-base power, he'll receive a soft "down" this week.

Stock: Down

6. Mauricio Cabrera

Level: Low-A (Rome)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 1-5, 4.48 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 86.1 IP, 80 H, 47 BB, 75 K

Last Week's Stats: 0-1, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Analysis

Mauricio Cabrera continued his Jekyll-and-Hyde season, taking the role of Hyde last week (or Jekyll...I'm never sure if the monster is a good or bad role to play).

However, that's to be expected for a 19-year-old with enormous upside—something that's hard to come by in the Atlanta system these days. This season is about getting Cabrera's feet under him and beginning his development as a pitcher and not just a thrower. 

Expect bouts of inconsistency paired with stretches of dominance from this mercurial fireballer in the months to come.

Stock: Down

5. Alex Wood

Level: MLB

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Left-handed

Season Stats: 4-2, 1.26 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 57.0 IP, 41 H, 15 BB, 57 K (AA)

0-2, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 22.0 IP, 16 H, 8 BB, 26 K (Atlanta)

Last Week's Stats: 0-0, 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Analysis

Alex Wood has been spectacular this season—first in Double-A as a starter, then in Atlanta as a lights-out southpaw reliever with the ability to eat multiple innings and strike hitters out.

He continued his dominance last week, racking up nearly five innings and giving up only one hit.

Wood has arrived to the big leagues with a one-way ticket and doesn't plan on heading back to the farm anytime soon.

Stock: Up

4. Sean Gilmartin

Level: AAA (Gwinnett)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Left-handed

Season Stats: 3-7, 5.83 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 71.0 IP, 89 H, 30 BB, 47 K 

Last Week's Stats: Seven-day disabled list; no action seen.

Analysis

Still on the disabled list, Sean Gilmartin's stock has remained steady for quite some time.

When he returns, he'll be looking to prove that his lack of command earlier this season was an aberration and that he can get hitters out—something that he has had a lot of difficulty with in Triple-A.

Stock: Even

3. Lucas Sims

Level: Low-A (Rome)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 4-3, 2.94 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 67.1 IP, 45 H, 26 BB, 76 K

Last Week's Stats: 1-0, 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Analysis

Lucas Sims may have not had a very good performance last week, but his five-to-two strikeout-to-walk ratio is encouraging enough not to dock him too much.

At this point, Sims and Cabrera are the only starters with front-of-the-rotation potential in the Braves system, but Sims has given the Braves brass a reason for optimism. With the Atlanta rotation loaded for the next couple years, expect Sims' progression through the farm system to be slow and methodical, but his development to be swift.

Stock: Even

2. Christian Bethancourt

Level: AA (Mississippi)

Position: Catcher

Throws/Bats: R/R

Season Stats: .262/.292/.400, 23 R, 14 2B, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 10 BB, 42 K, 7 SB

Last Week's Stats: .333/.333/.833, 3 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K

Analysis

Christian Bethancourt failed to take a walk last week—something that would usually lead to a frustrating week at the plate for the young catcher. This week was a little different, however, as Bethancourt ripped off four extra-base hits, including one that cleared the fence.

The plate discipline is still a concern, however, as Keith Law of ESPN.com suggests that Bethancourt could convert to pitcher if he doesn't learn to take a walk.

Stock: Up

1. J.R. Graham

Level: AA (Mississippi)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 1-3, 4.04 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 35.2 IP, 39 H, 10 BB, 28 K

Last Week's Stats: Seven-day disabled list; no action seen.

Analysis

With so many big league Braves needing Tommy John surgery, Atlanta has definitely been cautious with its young arms like J.R. Graham and Sean Gilmartin, making sure they are absolutely healthy before sending them back onto the hill. 

Graham's big league future is in flux right now, as he could end up either a starter or a late-inning reliever. His durability will likely make the decision for him.

Stock: Even