Stock Up, Stock Down for Atlanta Braves' Top 10 Prospects for Week 15

Gavin AndrewsJun 8, 2018

There was a demotion in the Braves' top 10 this week, with Alex Wood leaving the big league bullpen where he had been thriving, and making a start at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Atlanta's intentions with Wood are yet to be determined, but with a dearth of dominant bullpen arms and an abundance of starting pitching for the parent club, the move is questionable indeed.

What should Atlanta do with Wood? Leave your comments below.

Prospect rankings were borrowed from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, while statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

10. Cody Martin

1 of 10

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, 2.94 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 28 H, 15 BB, 37 K (AAA)

Last Week's Stats: 0-0, 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Analysis

After a consecutive starts with control problems, Cody Martin turned in a commanding, albeit brief outing last week.

The righty out of Gonzaga possesses a plus-cutter, poise on the mound and is one of the next pitchers in line for a rotation spot in Atlanta, should the need arise.

Stock: Even

9. Juan Jaime

2 of 10

Level: AA (Mississippi)

Position: Reliever

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 2-3, 4.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 20 H, 19 BB, 45 K

Last Week's Stats: 0-0, 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 K

Analysis

He may have only gone one inning last week, but Juan Jaime's outing was definitely disappointing, bringing all of the bad (walks and hits) and none of the good (no strikeouts).

He did have a long layoff from live action, however, so perhaps a little rust was in need of being knocked off.

Jaime remains an option for the Braves bullpen down the stretch.

Stock: Down

8. Todd Cunningham

3 of 10

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: No action seen.

Analysis

Without any action seen last week, nothing much is new for Todd Cunningham.

The switch-hitting center fielder has been glossed over for a promotion to the big leagues in favor of Joey Terdoslavich and Jose Constanza. This does not bode well for Cunningham's future in Atlanta.

If Cunningham is included in a deadline trade package to a team in need of a fourth outfielder, it wouldn't take this writer by surprise.

Stock: Even

7. Matt Lipka

4 of 10

Level: High-A (Lynchburg)

Position: Outfield

Throws/Bats: R/R

Season Stats: .276/.319/.397, 52 R, 22 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 18 BB, 73 K, 20 SB

Last Week's Stats: .208/.296/.292, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 2B

Analysis

Matt Lipka has now posted back-to-back weeks with a slew of strikeouts; worsening his strikeout-to-walk ratio for the year to the level of moderately concerning.

Lipka has held his own at High-A so far this season, but he will need to up the ante in order to earn a promotion to Double-A anytime soon.

Stock: Down

6. Mauricio Cabrera

5 of 10

Level: Low-A (Rome)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 2-5, 4.12 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 98.1 IP, 85 H, 52 BB, 86 K

Last Week's Stats: 1-0, 12.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 11 K

Analysis

Mauricio Cabrera's volatility reaped plenty of benefits last week, as the mercurial 19-year-old gave up five walks but only two earned runs in his two starts, fanning double-digit hitters in the process.

One of the few high-upside players in Atlanta's farm system at this point, expect Cabrera's progression through the minors to be methodical, as his progression looks to become of great importance to the Atlanta system.

Stock: Up

5. Alex Wood

6 of 10

Level: Gwinnett (AAA)

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)

1-0, 1.31 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K (AAA)

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

Last Week's Stats: 1-0, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Analysis

Alex Wood was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett last week in order to be stretched out and become an option for the starting rotation.

While some look at the lefty with a funky delivery and a penchant for the strikeout and see Chris Sale, the Braves should see another potential injury and be wary of such a move. However, Wood has been successful in every role the Braves have asked him to fill, so he should impress as a starter as long as he assumes that role.

Stock: Up

4. Sean Gilmartin

7 of 10

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

Nothing much is new for Sean Gilmartin, as he's still on the disabled list.

When he returns, he'll try to prove that his first 71 innings were an aberration of who he is as a pitcher.

Stock: Even

3. Lucas Sims

8 of 10

Level: Low-A (Rome)

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Right-handed

Season Stats: 4-4, 3.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 71.1 IP, 49 H, 29 BB, 77 K

Last Week's Stats: 0-1, 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 1 K

Analysis

Lucas Sims did not have a good performance on the mound last week, but his fortune on the Internet was much better.

Keith Law of ESPN.com ranked Sims 50th on his latest prospect rankings, citing the lack of life on his fastball as a potential problem, but otherwise thrilled with both Sims' stuff and stats.

Stock: Down

2. Christian Bethancourt

9 of 10

Level: AA (Mississippi)

Position: Catcher

Throws/Bats: R/R

Season Stats: .268/.295/.438, 26 R, 14 2B, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 10 BB, 43 K, 7 SB

Last Week's Stats: .333/.333/1.333, 3 R, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K

Analysis

Christian Bethancourt had a short week, but it was a very successful one at the plate for the young catcher, as he mashed three home runs over the course of two games.

He did not take any walks, but with a 1.333 SLG on the week, there's not too much to complain about.

Stock: Up