Dansby Swanson (8) - Described by some scouts as a "five tool player without a weakness in any tool", Swanson was acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Shelby Miller deal. The Vanderbilt graduate boasts soft hands in the field, plus contact and plus power, with speed to boot. He checks all the boxes as a player that a team could build around, and while he's slotted as a short stop, he played the keystone at Vanderbilt, and with Ozzie Albies (more on him in a bit) coming up shortly behind him, he seems like a candidate that could end up at 2nd at some point.
Sean Newcomb (21) - The centerpiece in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to Anaheim, the common thread in every scouting report out there on Newcomb is his ability to bring hard velocity and bite to his pitches (fastball in mid 90's, touching triple digits) with minimal "effort" from the left side. This bodes well for durability and control, although the latter has escaped him in his early starts. Mechanically, he has a sound windup that and delivery that shouldn't be too difficult to repeat, so the control will come with more experience. David O'Brien of the AJC has said there's "Bon a Fide Ace Potential" there, while the lowest ceiling projection has him as a mid-rotation workhorse.
Ozzie Albies (29) - The "other" short stop that made the cut, Albies is pretty much all that remains from the "Pre-Hart" era of the Braves farm system. Only 19 years old, he already has shown excellent contact, speed, and defense at high A Rome. His left-to-right movement indicates that between him and (Dansby) Swanson, Albies would likely be the better defensive short stop, however there is plenty of time to sort that out, given the Ozzie's extreme youth. His swing wont produce much power, but his speed and contact ability will be his main tools. Atlanta hasn't had a true leadoff hitter since Michael Bourn, and in a couple of years, this young man could be the one to take that mantle.
Aaron Blair (56) - Blair will undoubtedly be the first of the crop to don the "Atlanta" on his uniform, as he has little to prove in the minors. The other component of the Shelby Miller deal, Blair has shown three above average pitches, and pitch deep into games by not making too many mistakes. He is shaping up to be a solid middle rotation starter, with a basement of a back end innings eater. His fast pace on the mound and low walks total shows shades of Tim Hudson, however with some experience, it's not hard to see him working hitters and piling up strikeouts.
Kolby Allard (89) - With Allard, you see a prospect that is pretty much all projections, as back surgery has severely limited his production to the point of only 6 innings in professional ball so far. That seems to be enough, however, for MLB to give him a spot on this elite list. Boasting a fastball with life, what has been described as "plus" breaking pitches, and a powerful delivery, Allard simply needs to prove he can stay on the mound, and he will soar into the upper parts of this list in a short amount of time. I did a brief write up on Newcomb and Allard, who both made the top 10 LHP list earlier this year.
Overall, the only thing Braves fans can do is watch and wait.... and hope, really, because prospects are exactly that, prospects. Some work out, some do not, it's simply too early to tell, however, given the quality and quantity of the players that are populating the farm system of the Atlanta Braves organization, there's plenty of optimism to go around..
