Braves place four prospects in Fangraphs midseason Top 100

We’re less than a week away from the trade deadline and Fangraphs just released its updated Top 100 list and the Atlanta Braves find themselves with four players, including a player on the rise.

Leading the way is AJ Smith-Shawver, who sits at No. 23 overall. Fangraphs’ report on him, which I highly recommend checking out, had this to say about Smith-Shawver:

Smith-Shawver may have struggled early in his career, but he could peak in a career spent mostly as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

Next up is prospect Drake Baldwin, who fell outside the top 100 early this season and is now ranked No. 36 overall — a massive jump after what was a strong showing for him at Triple-A Gwinnett (30 games, .284/.424/.474).

Following Drake is starter Hurston Waldrep who comes in at No. 52 and is described by Fangraphs as having an average rotation ceiling, with an MLB closer floor. Hurston spent the majority of his season in Double-A where he made nine starts with an 8.76 K/9 and 2.92 ERA before being promoted to Gwinnett where he made one start. Hurston had a very rough start in Atlanta before landing on the injured list, but is currently rehabbing with the FCL Braves.

Finally, that brings us to Nacho Alvarez Jr. who landed on this list at No. 57 overall. Nacho, currently the Braves’ SS/2B, hit .265/.381/.312 in 48 games for the Mississippi Braves before being promoted to Gwinnett where he began to obliterate the ball, hitting a robust .336/.432/.575 before being promoted to Atlanta after Ozzie Albies’ injury.

The article also comes with an update to the farm system rankings, where the Braves have climbed to 16th. You can go back to last year, where they were ranked 25th — a great job by the Braves’ scouting and development departments.