Atlanta Braves Clippings Thursday, May 7, 2020 Braves.Com
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Atlanta Braves Clippings Thursday, May 7, 2020 Braves.com The Braves' best international signings of all time By Mark Bowman ATLANTA -- MLB Pipeline recently released its annual Top 30 International Prospects list for players eligible to sign in the 2020-21 signing period. These young players are the game’s international stars of tomorrow and are following in the footsteps of thousands of international players who laid the groundwork before them. One day, these young men could be remembered among the best players in team history. These are the Braves’ top five international prospects of all time. 1. Andruw Jones Paul Snyder’s decision to visit the then-scantily-scouted small island of Curacao resulted in the Braves landing one of the best center fielders baseball has ever seen. Jones received a $46,000 signing bonus in 1993, and became the game’s best prospect within the next two years. Jones made his Major League debut in August 1996, and two months later, he homered in both of his first two World Series plate appearances. Jones won 10 consecutive National League Gold Glove Awards, earned five All-Star selections and finished second in NL MVP Award voting after bashing a franchise-record 51 homers in 2005. He was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2016, and he produced the fourth- highest fWAR (64.3) among position players in club history. 2. Ronald Acuña Jr. Back in 2018, when Acuña was progressing through his NL Rookie of the Year campaign, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez wrote about why so many teams passed on this phenom from La Sabana, a small coastal village in Venezuela. Acuña weighed just 160 pounds when Rolando Petit convinced the Braves to provide a $100,000 signing bonus, double the amount offered by the Royals, who had the second-highest bid. Acuña didn't rank among MLB Pipeline's top 30 international prospects in 2014. The only current Braves player to crack that list was Huascar Ynoa, a 21-year-old right-hander who is trying to prove himself as a big league reliever. Meanwhile, Acuña is being considered by some to be the game’s next Mike Trout. 3. Ozzie Albies Looking back at the Braves’ 2013 international signings, most of the attention was given to Luis Barrios, who never progressed beyond the Gulf Coast League before being released in '16. But while the Braves might have missed on Barrios, they could spend most of this decade continuing to reap the value of having given Albies a $350,000 signing bonus. If size was an issue for Acuña, there’s reason to wonder why the Braves were willing to take a chance on Albies, who weighed less than 150 pounds when he signed out of Curacao. But Petit recognized the advanced tools possessed by the young infielder, who has proven to be one of the most productive switch-hitters in the game. Albies, Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray are the only switch-hitters to hit .275 with at least 50 homers and an .800 OPS through the first three years of their career at age 22 or younger. 4. Javy Lopez Snyder encountered many funny experiences on his way to becoming a member of the Braves Hall of Fame. One of those occurred when he opted to hide under a set of wooden stands in Puerto Rico to prevent the Yankees from knowing he was there to scout Lopez. As he was getting a look at the young catcher that day, his new golf shirt was torn when it got caught on a nail. So, along with returning home with good news about Lopez, he had to give his wife the bad news about the shirt. But it’s safe to say the incident proved to be quite valuable. After giving Lopez $37,000 in 1987, the Braves found themselves with a catcher who would help them win the 1995 World Series and capture two more NL pennants. Lopez was named MVP of the 1996 NL Championship Series, and he finished fifth in NL MVP Award voting after hitting a career-best 43 homers in 2003. 5. Rico Carty Per a story Wynn Montgomery wrote for the Society of Baseball Research, in 1959, Carty received offers from eight Major League clubs and four clubs located within the Dominican Republic. After the teenage prospect signed each of these contracts, George Trautman, who ran Minor League Baseball at the time, ruled in favor of the Milwaukee Braves. Carty’s tenure with the Braves was tarnished when he missed the 1968 season because of tuberculosis and the '71 season after fracturing his kneecap. But he still ranks first among Braves left fielders in WAR, and the 171 OPS+ he produced in 1970 is the third-best mark constructed during the franchise’s Atlanta era. That’s the same year fans used write-in votes to elect him to the NL’s starting lineup for the All-Star Game. Atlanta Journal-Constitution Looking at Braves’ notable free agents over next 5 winters By Gabriel Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution We constantly reference how the Braves are in an enviable financial position. Their two young cornerstones, Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies, are signed at under-market deals for at least through 2025 (probably longer, due to club options). The franchise isn’t hampered with any bad contracts, creating freedom to construct the roster how they see fit. Right now, the system is ranked baseball’s fourth best, according to Baseball America. And while a decline is soon expected, the team will have so much youth in the majors, and flexibility with its payroll, that won’t be a death sentence. While the Braves aren’t inclined to commit a massive contract to one player, i.e. Francisco Lindor or Kris Bryant, they’ll have plenty of ways to spread the money around. They’ve done just that in the past two offseasons, signing Josh Donaldson, Marcell Ozuna and Cole Hamels to bloated one-year deals. The team’s financial future is in excellent shape. We briefly looked at the decisions facing the club through the 2024-25 offseason to get an idea of that oft-referenced flexibility. Below are notable free agents through the next five winters. 2020-21 free agents: Starter Cole Hamels, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, reliever Mark Melancon, reliever Shane Greene, catcher Tyler Flowers, outfielder Nick Markakis, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, starter Felix Hernandez, reliever Josh Tomlin, reliever Darren O’Day ($3.5 million team option) This is a large group with short-term implications. None of these players should command a longer deal except possibly Ozuna, who the Braves likely won’t be desperate to re-sign given two of their best prospects, Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, are outfielders. Ozuna was signed for one season to fill some of the power lost by Donaldson’s departure. There could be a loss of leadership if the team finally bids farewell to Markakis and Flowers. Markakis is already the victim of an outfield logjam. Flowers could be kept as a stopgap to 2019 first-rounder Shea Langeliers. Both players’ production is replaceable. It’s their intangibles that carry more weight (even if some reject the notion). Melancon and Greene are supposed to solidify the backend of an All-Star bullpen, should there be a season. The Braves wanted to turn their bullpen into one of baseball’s best, even if only for one season. Relievers are volatile and it’s impossible to say how the organization will handle their free agencies. Should several depart, however, the Braves will be tasked with remaking the unit. Obviously, they already knew that’d be a strong possibility given the one-year contracts. 2021-22 free agents: First baseman Freddie Freeman, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, reliever Chris Martin, starter Mike Foltynewicz, utlityman Charlie Culberson, outfielder Ender Inciarte ($9 million team option) Freeman is the most important player whose contract will expire in the next several seasons. The Braves and their franchise pillar will hope to hammer out a deal that removes Freeman from these conversations. Paul Goldschmidt’s recent five-year, $130 million extension is a logical starting point. Foltynewicz is an interesting case. The Braves, if players develop as intended, will have ample pitching depth. Perhaps Foltynewicz is a more known product by then, but given his erratic performance to date, the team probably won’t be inclined to extend him before next season. That could depend on 2020 results though, if there’s a season. Culberson was fighting for his roster spot in spring training after being non-tendered last offseason. Martin is a strike-throwing, veteran member of the bullpen. Inciarte might be pinched by the team’s outfield depth, letting them allocate his money elsewhere. D’Arnaud, currently 31, will have completed two seasons with the Braves, but we don’t know how Langeliers and William Contreras have progressed. 2022-23 free agents: Shortstop Dansby Swanson, reliever Luke Jackson, outfielder Adam Duvall, reliever Will Smith ($13 million team option), Swanson’s future is unclear. There’s reason to believe he hasn’t reached his potential yet, and even if he has, his defense and speed make him a valuable contributor. It’s likely the Georgia native would want to stay. Swanson’s next two seasons will determine his long-term future (and value), as might the Braves’ alternatives. Jackson proved an important piece of Atlanta’s bullpen in 2019. In 2020, he’ll be in lower-leverage spots. They’ll have the chance to retain Smith for another season with a club option.