Here at Legends on Deck our passion is prospects and the offseason presents an outstanding opportunity for us to showcase some of baseball’s top up and comers. Throughout the offseason, we will be bringing you the top ten prospects from all 30 organizations. We will start with the Arizona Diamondbacks and work our way alphabetically all the way through the Washington Nationals. This series is the opinion of Jake Berry, Senior Editor at Legends on Deck and does not reflect any official MLB rankings.
#10 – LHP Luiz Gohara
2019 Opening Day Age: 22 Height: 6’3 Weight: 260 B/T: L/L
Acquired: Trade w/ SEA College: N/A ETA: 2019 Top Future Pitch: FB
2018 Stats (Triple-A): 3-4, 4.94 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 55 SO, 15 BB
It’s hard to believe Gohara is still a prospect, but he comes in one inning below the threshold. The lefty has been well-documented and most of you have seen him in the majors. His stuff is off the charts, the injuries are the only thing holding him back. He also faced some tough times in 2018 when he lost his father. He is only 22, so the jury is certainly still out on him. The ceiling is simply so high that I felt he needed to be included on this list. There are certainly plenty of other Braves arms that could make a case for this 10 spot.
#9 – OF Greyson Jenista
2019 Opening Day Age: 22 Height: 6’4 Weight: 220 B/T: L/R
Acquired: 2.49 2018 College: Wichita State ETA: 2021 Top Future Tool: Hit
2018 Stats (Rookie/Single-A/High-A): .265/.328/.395, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 4 SB, 41 SO, 23 BB
An advanced college bat, Jenista is physically imposing when you see him in person. While he is big, he is also very athletic and possesses a great combination of strength and speed. I’m higher on Jenista than most, but I believe his floor is that of an everyday major league outfielder for a few years with the ceiling being a potential All-Star. He could arguably be a top five prospect in 75% of MLB farm systems.
#8 – RHP Bryse Wilson
2019 Opening Day Age: 21 Height: 6’1 Weight: 225 B/T: R/R
Acquired: 4.109 2016 College: N/A ETA: 2019 Top Future Pitch: FB
2018 Stats (High-A/Double-A/Triple-A): 8-5, 3.44 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 143 SO, 36 BB
Wilson flew through the system this year and even made a surprising MLB debut, where he performed well I might add. The young right hander has a devastating, high spin rate fastball that is complimented by a deceptive slider.
#7 – OF Cristian Pache
2019 Opening Day Age: 20 Height: 6’2 Weight: 185 B/T: R/R
Acquired: Intl FA 2015 (Dominican Republic) College: N/A ETA: 2020 Top Future Tool: Glove
2018 Stats (High-A/Double-A): .279/.307/.410, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 7 SB, 97 SO, 20 BB
Pache burst onto the scene in 2018 thanks in part to the power beginning to show up during game action. He is elite in the outfield and has speed on the basepaths. If the bat continues on the path it is on, he will be in a big Braves unifrom in no time.
#6 – OF Drew Waters
2019 Opening Day Age: 20 Height: 6’2 Weight: 185 B/T: S/R
Acquired: 2.41 2017 College: N/A ETA: 2021 Top Future Tool: Hit
2018 Stats (Single-A/High-A): .293/.343/.476, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 23 SB, 105 SO, 39 BB
A Georgia native, Waters projects to have a similar skill set in my opinion to Pache. As it stands right now, Pache is better in the outfield while Waters is better in the offensive aspects of the game. (Waters is already an exceptional outfielder, Pache is simply elite.) One thing is for sure, Waters has the across the board tools to be a major league player, it is just about seeing more game action at this point.
