MLB Pipeline Puts Two Braves Pitchers In Their Top 100 Prospects

The Atlanta Braves have quite a bit of arm talent working its way up through the minors. 

And the top two look to be special talents. 

MLB Pipeline released their Atlanta Braves Top 30 Prospects today, and as you'd expect, there's a lot of pitching on it. Atlanta has seventeen right-handed pitchers on their top 30, the highest total for any team in Major League Baseball. Add in the two left-handers on the list and nineteen of Atlanta's top 30 prospects are pitchers. 

(Good thing they're one of the best organizations in all of baseball at developing pitchers, huh?) 

And unlike last year, when Atlanta had no consensus top prospects, two of those arms are also in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects - #69 AJ Smith-Shawver and #90 Hurston Waldrep. 

For Smith-Shawver, his overall grade is a 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale, with Pipeline saying that the righthander "has work to do in terms of his command and control", but also acknowledging that "might be just scratching the surface of his potential," owing to his relative inexperience compared to most other pitchers his age. 

Smith-Shawver, who turned 21 in November, was likened to a college junior by president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos at the Winter Meetings, making his meteoric rise from High-A to the majors in the first three months of the season even more impressive. 

Smith-Shawver, who debuted in June against the Diamondbacks, went 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA in six major league appearances (five starts). He saved the best regular season appearance for last, taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs in late September. He then made the NLDS roster and, after being considered for the Game Three start that later went to Bryce Elder, pitched 2.2 innings of relief against the Philadelphia Phillies later that night.