Final Report Card Grades for Atlanta Braves Prospects in Arizona Fall League

With the Arizona Fall League finishing its season last week, it’s time to take a look at some of the Atlanta Braves prospects who participated. The AFL is considered the premier prospect showcase among all the winter leagues.

While most teams send their top minor league talent to the AFL to compete against the other top talent in baseball, the Braves didn’t send a single one of their top-10 prospects. Some of this was because of workloads and injuries during the regular season, but many of Atlanta’s top prospects aren’t at the right minor league level to warrant playing in the league.

The prospects that did participate represent a second or third tier of talent in the Braves system. While many of these guys don’t project as starters or stars, there are some interesting role-player prospects among this group.

In the following slideshow we’ll take a look at each player, and then assign a letter grade to their performance.

INF Daniel Castro

CB Wilkins

AFL Stats: 11-for-58 (.190), 3 2B, 5 BB, 8 K

Infielder Daniel Castro was the only Braves prospect selected to participate in the AFL All-Star game. It was a bit of an odd selection, since he wasn’t particularly lighting it up at the plate.

Castro is a new prospect to many Braves fans, having spent parts of the last two years on loan to the Mexican Pacific League. He had a good year back in the states this season, splitting time between High-A Lynchburg and Double-A Mississippi.

It’s hard to tell what to make of Castro as a prospect, but I keep getting the sense that he’s like a young Martin Prado—a prospect just waiting for his opportunity to shine. That didn’t happen in the AFL, but a slump in the final week makes his numbers look worse.

Grade: C-

RHP Ryne Harper

CB Wilkins

AFL Stats: 2-0 in 9 games, 1 BS, 3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, .214 BAA

Ryne Harper has pitched the last two years at Double-A Mississippi, though he didn’t show much improvement from last year to this year. His AFL season wasn’t that much better overall, but all of the damage came in just two games.

Overall he didn’t impress much, but he didn’t regress either.

Grade: C

RHP Nate Hyatt

CB Wilkins

AFL Stats: 1 BS, 4.35 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .167 BAA

Nate Hyatt has the potential to be a late-inning setup man, but he’s been stalled for a couple of years at High-A Lynchburg. His assignment to the AFL was intriguing, as it signaled the Braves finally pushing him towards tougher competition.

He pitched pretty well, allowing only six hits in 10.1 innings pitched. I’m guessing he tired toward the end of the season, as four of the five earned runs he allowed came in his last two appearances.

Overall, he pitched well, and while it’s easy to ignore the poor finish, he also didn’t pitch much better than he had during the season. Status quo for the most part, but against tougher competition, so that gives him a bump.

Grade: C+

RHP Brandon Cunniff

CB Wilkins

AFL Stats: 2-0 in 11 games, 3 SV, 1 BS, 3.21 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .291 BAA

Brandon Cunniff picked up three saves for his AFL team. He put up some impressive numbers during the regular season while getting promoted from High-A Lynchburg to Double-A Mississippi.

Originally a 27th-round pick by the Marlins in the 2010 draft, he was released after just one season. He flourished in the Independent Leagues for several years, before finally getting signed last year by the Braves.

While the saves in the AFL are nice, and he was able to show his ability to pitch in high-leverage situations, he was a bit too hittable, which doesn’t raise his stock too much.

Grade: C+

OF Edward Salcedo

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

AFL Stats: 25-for-96 (.260), 9 2B, HR, 8 BB, 25 K

It was a decent-to-good AFL season for Salcedo. He improved in just about every area, though he still struck out too much.

I still feel that Salcedo offers something as a prospect, as he continues to sport the best bat speed in the Braves system. He’ll get another shot at Triple-A next year, and he could change a lot of minds if he can turn some of those strikeouts into hits.

Grade: B-

RHP Aaron Northcraft

USA TODAY Sports

AFL Stats: 2-3 in 6 starts, 2.42 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, .205 BAA

Aaron Northcraft had a terrific AFL season. After another solid showing in the first half of the regular season at Double-A Mississippi, Northcraft was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he didn’t fare as well.

Northcraft also played in the AFL last year with terrible results. The good work this season gives me some hope that he can continue to improve next year in Triple-A and get a look in Atlanta if the Braves need help in the rotation or long relief.

His AFL season helped his cause considerably, and MLB.com columnist Jim Callis named him the team's best prospect who participated in the league. 

Grade: B+

RHP Tyrell Jenkins

CB Wilkins

AFL Stats: 2-2 in 6 starts, 2.22 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .256 BAA

While Tyrell Jenkins didn’t begin or end his AFL season as a member of the Atlanta Braves, he became one when he was included in the Jason Heyward trade.

His AFL season may be one reason why the Braves felt comfortable in acquiring him. MLB.com columnist Jonathan Mayo listed Jenkins’ slider as one of the best breaking balls among all of the prospects in the league.

Mayo also discusses Jenkins as a prospect in a video clip here—a good introduction to this new prospect for Braves fans.

Grade: A-

Stats used for this article were sourced from MLB.com.