Kuzul

Player: Jacob Heyward

Drafted by: Atlanta Braves (No. 1,153 overall)

Position: RF

DOB: 8/1/1995 (Age: 17)

Height/Weight: 6’2″/197 lbs

Bats/Throws: R/R

School: Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (GA)

College Commitment: Miami

Background

Jacob Heyward has the blessing and curse of being the younger brother of Atlanta Braves right fielder Jason Heyward. Jacob is always going to be compared to Jason, but that doesn’t mean the former is without talent. 

In fact, unlike a lot of famous alumni you will see in this class, Heyward actually has a very high ceiling and could be an intriguing option for a team later in the draft. 

Full Scouting Report

Note: Numerical scores are on the conventional 80-point scouting scale, with the current score first and projected score second.

Hitting: 35/55

Very good hit tool; still raw and unrefined, will struggle adjusting to professional pitching; shows bat speed and leverage; quick through the zone; should grow into more power as his frame fills out. 

Power: 40/60

Love his future power potential; will show raw pop but still struggles to make it play in games consistently; bat speed, size, leverage, quick-twitch wrists and future muscle give him big-time power upside. 

Plate Discipline: 30/45

Biggest obstacle to getting him to reach offensive ceiling; very hacky approach at the plate at times; can crush a fastball, but throw him something soft and he looks like he has no idea what to do; want to see how he does and adjusts early in pro ball.

Speed: 55/50

Above-average running speed right now; can get down line in a hurry from right side, but doesn’t overwhelm you with wheels; as frame adds more bulk, speed will most certainly decrease; could remain average because he is such a good athlete. 

Defense: 40/50

Fringy defender in outfield; still learning to play right field after spending most of his high school career at first base; athleticism and arm strength give him strong chance to be average glove in right field. 

Arm: 50/50

Average arm strength; plays up because he puts himself in good positions to field and gets rid of the ball quickly; not likely to increase with age and muscle, but good enough to at least remain a grade-50 tool. 

MLB Player Comparison: Nelson Cruz (admittedly, that is very optimistic)

Projection: Average corner outfielder with big power potential on first-division team. 

MLB ETA: 2019

Chances of Signing: 20 percent

While I am very high on Heyward’s potential and upside, he is still very low on the draft totem pole because he is so raw and unrefined in a lot of areas. It would actually be smart for him to go to college for three years, try to plug some of the holes he has at a solid Miami program and re-enter the draft when he is physically mature. 

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When the Atlanta Braves signed center fielder B.J. Upton last winter to a lucrative five-year, $75.25 million contact, they envisioned a young star who would provide solid production in the middle of their batting order for years to come.

They may one day rue that deal.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is now seriously considering asking Upton to work out his hitting woes in the minors.

That’s right—demoting a player making eight figures annually.

Speaking to reporters before Friday’s game against the Washington Nationals, Gonzalez talked about what to do about Upton, who is currently hitting just .145.

Via ESPN:

It’s a hard decision. It’s a decision that you take very, very seriously. You talk collectively with your coaches about it, and it’s something always falls on my shoulders, right? That’s fine. I’m comfortable with that. But you’ve got to think about 25 (players), six staff members, four clubhouse guys, the front office and the fans.

It seems almost unthinkable that Gonzalez would be forced to make that decision. Upton clubbed 118 home runs with a .255 batting average in eight years with the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s always had a propensity to strike out, with a 25.1 percent career strikeout rate, but the Braves obviously knew that when they signed him.

What they didn’t count on was a current strikeout rate of nearly 35 percent and a player who looks completely lost at the plate.

Upton was not in the starting lineup for the second straight day, and he’s been relegated to the bottom of the batting order when he has played in recent weeks.

With Evan Gattis hitting .281 along with 12 home runs and 32 RBI, Gonzalez would be remiss to keep his hot bat out of the lineup. On Friday, he had Jason Heyward in center with Justin Upton in right and Gattis in left.

As long as Upton is struggling, that’s the outfield combination that makes sense for a team trying to stay on top in the NL East.

Upton is a classic example of why long-term deals are so incredibly risky for teams. Even Josh Hamilton, who signed a five-year, $125 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, was a major risk. He’s struggling in his own right, albeit not quite like Upton.

There is so much for general managers to consider when putting together deals for free agents. In the Braves’ case, they apparently weren’t willing to keep Michael Bourn, preferring to let him hit free agency and take their chances in the market.

Bourn is working out pretty well for his new team, the Cleveland Indians, and he’s doing it for one year and approximately $24 million less.

Can Upton eventually work things out? Sure, but whether he can play up to the level of his contract is another matter entirely.

For right now, that answer is a resounding no. And the Braves are hoping that it’s just a blip on the radar.

If not, they’ll be counting the dollars spent in their sleep.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle.

Feel free to talk baseball with Doug anytime on Twitter.

Follow @Sports_A_Holic

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Julio Teheran spent years as a highly regarded pitching prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization. His masterful performance on May 20 against the Minnesota Twins may have served notice that the future is now.

The 22-year-old righty carried a shut-out into the ninth inning on Monday before Josh Willingham’s solo-homer finally put the Twins on the board.

Teheran finished his night allowing just that lone run on five hits in 8.1 IP. Not only was it the deepest into a game he has pitched in his brief time in the major leagues, but he also fired a career-high 123 pitches in the process.

Spinning a three-hit shut-out through eight innings, manager Fredi Gonzalez had no reservations about sending his young righty back out for a chance to finish the gem.

“I think it was good for him to experience that in the ninth inning,” said Gonzalez. “He had an extra day [of rest] coming into the start and he’ll get an extra day going out of the start. We took that into consideration, and it was good for him to dig deep down in the gas tank and see if he could do it. By God, he gave it a good shot.”

Though he was unable to close it out, Teheran has been steadily finding his comfort zone after some rocky results in the early going. His ERA stood at 7.31 after his first three starting assignments, but Teheran has turned a corner since.

Over his last five starts, Teheran is 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA in 33.2 IP. His seasonal ERA now stands at 3.99, while his only loss came in a game in which the Braves were shutout by the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 14.

Perhaps more encouraging, the young righty has shown a penchant for attacking the strike zone. Teheran has issued just two walks in his last five outings while fanning 18 batters.

In this recent stretch he has looked much more like the pitcher who blazed his way through spring training with a National League-best 1.09 ERA.

Gonzalez saw an opportunity to continue Teheran’s development by pairing him with veteran catcher Gerald Laird, who was signed by Atlanta in the offseason.

Laird had spent the prior three seasons catching for the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, teams that boasted righty pitchers the likes of Justin Verlander, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.

The battery worked together throughout Grapefruit League play as Teheran began to incorporate a brand new two-seam fastball into his repertoire. Scaling back on velocity in order to add some sinking action, the pitch has truly become a difference maker for Teheran.

“He’s getting more and more confidence in that sinker, and that’s the pitch that’s taken him to the next level,” said Laird. “He’s just hitting his location and trusting his pitches and that’s all that matters. He’s throwing strikes and doing a good job.”

Not only has that sinker been instrumental to his success, but his ability to consistently attack hitters and execute his game plan has drawn the attention of his teammates.

“He’s really done a great job of working both sides of the plate I think,” said second baseman Dan Uggla. “He’s mixing in his off-speed pitches when necessary, [but] when you’re working both sides of the plate like that, you’re going to be effective.”

Because his name has appeared on countless top prospect sheets for the better part of three years, it would be easy for one to assume that Teheran had grown a little long in the tooth after two full seasons in Triple-A Gwinnett.

That is simply not the case.

“He’s a mature 22, and you forget that he’s only 22. I’m impressed with him,” said Uggla. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders and he knows that he’s got to keep learning and keep improving.”

The spring was a fine indicator that Teheran‘s 2012 struggles in the International League may have simply been an aberration.

“Last year I was trying to compete physically, not mentally like I [am] this year.” Teheran said after his fifth spring training start. “[I’m] trying to compete with my mind, trying to pitch more than throw.”

With his potential now translating into success at the big league level, Teheran appears poised to be a big part of Atlanta’s future plans.

Grant McAuley covers the Braves for Atlanta Sports Radio 92.9 The Game. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. You can follow Grant on Twitter.

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The Atlanta Braves were handed a double dose of bad injury-related news this week as Jonny Venters‘ second Tommy John surgery was announced and Eric O’Flaherty was put on the disabled list with a torn UCL.

Over the last few seasons, both left-handed relievers were heavily relied on in the Braves’ chase for the playoffs. 

While the duo were pitching in a combined 293 games over the last two seasons, the concerns about the longevity of both players’ have been ever-present. 

Both Venters and O’Flaherty have provided the Braves with some superb work in relief and they formed one of the most feared bullpen combinations in the majors with closer Craig Kimbrel.

But with both relievers out for the foreseeable future, the criticism of how the two pitchers were used can be heard even more than it was in the past. 

Throwing a reliever over 60 games in just one season can do some damage, especially combined with two seasons of stress-filled situations on the mound in the latter innings. 

Manager Fredi Gonzalez now faces a situation that he created himself. His two best left-handed relievers are most likely out for the season and now he has to find capable relievers to fill that void. 

Luis Avilan and Cory Gearrin will assume the “next man up” mentality for now. And the addition of veteran left-hander Joe Beimel, who is on the road to recovery from Tommy John surgery himself, will help the ball club if he reaches the majors. 

There is also be some concern about the right arm of Kimbrel, who has appeared in 142 games over the last two seasons and 16 games already this season.

If Kimbrel begins to experience arm issues, the World Series and even playoff hopes of the Braves could go down the drain in a heartbeat. 

For now, Braves fans can focus on the terrific job that Gearrin and Avilan have done in relief so far this season. But if they fold under pressure in the seventh and eighth inning roles in front of Kimbrel, the criticism will grow around Gonzalez on how he managed his bullpen over the past few seasons. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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After a brutal 10-game road trip that saw the Atlanta Braves go 4-6 against the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, they returned home to Turner Field and finally got back on track with an 8-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The main talking point going into Friday night was the return of Jason Heyward, but by the time Craig Kimbrel closed the game out in the top of the ninth inning with his 12th save of the season, all everyone wanted to talk about was the grand slam delivered by Justin Upton in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

Upton’s 14th home run of the season came at a crucial point in the game, as the Braves were down by two runs and starting pitcher Paul Maholm was reaching the end of his start after throwing 95 pitches. 

After Upton’s shot to left field scored Jordan Schafer, Andrelton Simmons and Heyward, the Braves bullpen got down to business. 

The trio of Luis Avilan, Eric O’Flaherty and Kimbrel conceded just two hits, one of which was a home run by Scott Van Slyke in the eighth off of O’Flaherty, as they preserved Maholm’s fifth win of the season. 

The performance of Avilan was the most important to Braves fans, especially after the news of Jonny Venters’ second Tommy John surgery (via Atlanta Journal-Constitution) was delivered yesterday. Avilan will be one of the many Braves relievers who will be asked to fill in for Venters and bridge the gap to O’Flaherty and Kimbrel for the rest of the season. 

As for how the returning Heyward performed in first game back, the right fielder went 2-for-4 at the plate, and he delivered an important insurance run in the seventh inning as he brought home Simmons on a RBI single. 

With Heyward’s activation from the disabled list on Friday, manager Fredi Gonzalez was forced to make a roster move, and he did so by placing right-hander Jordan Walden on the disabled list (via ESPN.com).

By placing Walden on the DL, Gonzalez has given himself more time to demote or release a position player, which should come before the Braves hit the road in a week’s time to play the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. 

On Saturday, Mike Minor will take the mound for the Braves against Matt Magill of the Dodgers in the second game of a three-game set in Atlanta. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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We are about one quarter of the way through the MLB season with the Atlanta Braves clinging to a slim lead in the National League East.

After a blazing start, the Braves have come back down to earth against a rather difficult early schedule.

The Braves have yet to play a game with their full lineup and still have one of the more talented rosters in the National League.

However, they have also shown some glaring weaknesses, which general manager Frank Wren will look to improve.

Much will change between now and the trade deadline, and the moves the Braves make will depend on how injuries play out and what new ones the Braves get hit with.

Here’s an early look at some realistic moves the Braves could make at July’s trade deadline.

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When the Atlanta Braves took Brian McCann off the DL, they needed to clear a spot on the roster to make room for him. They decided to send infielder Tyler Pastornicky to the minors. I don’t understand why no one is talking about this move. While Tyler makes his way back to Gwinnett, let’s take a look at the stellar time he spent in Atlanta.

He was unable to win the backup infielder position in Spring Training. Braves management preferred the light-hitting Ramiro Pena instead. Even though Pastornicky spent time with Atlanta last year at shortstop and second base, he had to go back to Triple A. He promptly went down and hit .338, but the Braves didn’t have room for him to come up.

When Jason Heyward suddenly had an emergency appendectomy, he hit the DL and the Braves brought Pastornicky back up. Fans were enthused that this slugger was on his way back. Surely he would have a chip on his shoulder and continue his hot streak in the majors.

Pastornicky‘s 2013 stat line is quite memorable. He made appearances in six games, starting in one and coming in late as a defensive replacement in another. It will be tough to top his long one game hitting streak that ended near the end of April.

I’m sure we all remember the big plays Pastornicky made. Like that time he played second base against Detroit and delivered a big hit. It was a double in the second inning. Even though it was his only hit, he was left stranded and the Braves lost 8-3, Braves fans can’t forget that screaming liner down the right field line.

He even racked up one put out and two assists at second base. He took the team lead in defense, making no errors. Andrelton Simmons hopefully learned a lot from Pastornicky while they were in the clubhouse together.

The man many in Atlanta affectionately refer to as “Rev” should be turning heads soon in Gwinnett. Hopefully he’ll be on his way back to the bigs before we know it.

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At this time last year, Andrelton Simmons was a highly touted prospect in the Atlanta Braves‘ organization.

A year later he has established himself as the starting shortstop and coming off his first career multi-home run game on Monday night.

Simmons is just one example of the youth movement the Braves have used in recent years.

More often that not, general manager Frank Wren will opt to go with the young, cheap player over a pricey veteran.

Even though the Braves have a young roster in 2013, the cupboard is not bare in the minors.

Here’s a look at some of the prospects who could blossom into stars in the future.

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The Atlanta Braves (16-9) have all but wrapped up the first month of the 2013 season.

Highs include a 10-game winning streak and a sweep of the National League East preseason favorite, Washington Nationals. The low point came over the weekend as the Detroit Tigers swept the Braves.The tough series with the Tigers knocked a few players’ grades down a letter.

Here’s a look at the April edition of every player’s’ grade in 2013.

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Braves right fielder Jason Heyward underwent appendectomy surgery on Monday night, and as a result the Braves will need to find a short-term replacement in their lineup.

The timetable for his return is unknown as of now, but he shouldn’t be out more than a couple weeks at the most. Matt Holliday and Adam Dunn both underwent appendectomies in 2011, with Holliday missing nine games and Dunn missing seven (h/t CBSSports), so that gives at least some idea of a potential time frame for his return.

The Braves have won despite Heyward in the early going, as he’s hitting just .121/.261/.259 with two home runs and five RBI, so replacing his production won’t be hard.

The team is not likely to sign anyone or try to swing a trade, but they do have a handful of in-house options to chose from in the short-term. So here is a look at some potential replacements for Heyward, at least over the next couple weeks. 

Reed Johnson

Johnson was acquired from the Cubs along with Paul Maholm at the deadline last season, and the Braves re-signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million deal this season with an 2014 option to be their fourth outfielder.

He’s just 2-for-16 with six strikeouts, but the veteran has proven capable of stepping in as an everyday player and putting up decent numbers throughout his career. 

With an .825 career OPS against left-handed pitching, compared to .702 against right-handers, Johnson will at the very least likely get the starts against southpaws until Heyward returns.

Jordan Schafer

A former top prospect for the Braves, Schafer was dealt to the Astros back in 2011 as part of the package to acquire Michael Bourn. 

He rejoined the Braves this offseason when he was selected off waivers, as the team picked him back up as an insurance policy in center field prior to signing B.J. Upton.

The 26-year-old has great wheels, and he’s off to a terrific start in 2013, going 4-for-9 with a pair of steals in limited action.

A left-handed hitter, he could make up the other half of what could actually be a productive platoon with Johnson until Heyward returns.

Jose Constanza

The 29-year-old Constanza has seen big league action each of the past two seasons, hitting .281/.332/.341 and swiping 12 bases over 185 at-bats.

He’s on the 40-man roster and seems like the most likely candidate for a call-up should Heyward wind up on the disabled list.

The 5’9″ spark plug is currently hitting .250/.292/.279 with four RBI in 68 at-bats for Triple-A Gwinnett, and while he may not be the most exciting option, he has proven a capable stand-in when Heyward dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness in the past.

Joe Terdoslavich

A corner infielder who has transitioned to the outfield this season, the 24-year-old Terdoslavich entered the season as the team’s No. 18 ranked prospect, according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook.

He hit .395/.400/.558 over 43 at-bats in spring training, and he’s off to a hot start in Triple-A where he’s hitting .312/.333/.597 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 77 at-bats.

He’s not currently on the 40-man roster, so the team would have to make a move to open up a spot for him, but he may be the best in-house option the team has from a potential production standpoint.

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