Braves Prospect Primer: Peraza still on top

Some players are on the verge of stardom, others are entering a crucial phase of their development and still others are getting their first tastes of full-season ball. With the 2015 season approaching, MiLB.com takes a look at the most intriguing prospects from each MLB organization.

Shining star: Jose Peraza, 2B 

By dealing Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and others, the Braves restocked this offseason to become the No. 9 farm system in baseball, according to MLB.com, but their top prospect remains an exciting second baseman who's been with the organization since signing out of Venezuela in 2010. 

Peraza, who will turn 21 on April 30, has shown plenty of speed during his time in the Braves system, swiping 60-plus bases each of the last two seasons. But he broke out in a big way with the bat in 2014, posting a .339/.364/.441 line between Class A Advanced Lynchburg and Double-A Mississippi. Peraza's exciting offensive profile, along with some arm deficiencies, prompted the Braves to move him from shortstop to second so he could potentially play alongside defensive phenom Andrelton Simmons in the Atlanta middle infield as soon as this year.

Given the potential he showed in 2014 and the Braves' lack of an established player at the keystone, there was a chance Peraza would start the year with the big club, especially after he was added to the 40-man roster this winter. Instead, he'll open at Triple-A Gwinnett, but even the organization doesn't necessarily believe he'll be there too long.

"I think he just has to play and be himself," said Braves director of player development and former Orioles manager Dave Trembley. "He doesn't have to change anything about himself, maybe just refine the skills he already has. We're in no rush to get him there because the way he plays, he'll be there pretty quickly by himself."

Major League-ready: Christian Bethancourt, C

MLB.com's No. 94 overall prospect rose to the Majors on two separate occasions last year -- once in June/July and again in September when rosters expanded -- mostly on the strength of his 70-grade arm. The 23-year-old backstop threw out 36 percent of attempted Triple-A basestealers, which was mostly in line with his 37 percent caught-stealing rate during his seven-year Minor League career. 

Though he's never been much of a masher, Bethancourt showed improvement by batting .283 with a .716 OPS at the Minors' highest level -- although those numbers fell to .248 and .548 during his 31 games in the Majors. With Gattis gone and A.J. Pierzynski signed as a veteran backup, the Major League starting gig is Bethancourt's for the long haul, so long as he hits enough to keep it. For what it's worth, the right-handed hitter has hit .306 with a homer and seven doubles in 13 contests this spring after Tuesday.

"With young players, what they need to develop are a knowledge of the strike zone and how to use the whole field," Trembley said. "What we've seen so far, he's done those two things. At the lower levels, guys swing at a lot of bad pitches and can get away with it. Not up here. And look, we all know the shift is in and is going to be there a long time, so you have to use the whole field these days. Christian's been working a lot with [hitting coach] Kevin Seitzer on all of that and looks much improved and more confident than before."

Full-season debutant: Ozhaino Albies, SS

If you thought Peraza's 2014 numbers were eye-popping, it might be time to click over to see Albies' production as a 17-year-old in the Gulf Coast and Appalachian leagues. The switch-hitting Curacao native had a .364/.446/.444 line with a homer, three triples, seven doubles and 22 steals in 57 games between the two levels during his first season as a pro. In case that wasn't enough, he walked (28) more than he struck out (23). Most of this came in the Appy League, where he was one of only six 17-year-olds to play. None of the other five hit higher than .235 in the circuit. Albies hit .356. 

While his age might point to a return to Rookie-level ball, the Braves believe Albies has proven everything he needs to prove there and will push him to Class A Rome to start 2015. The industry has a wide gulf of opinions on Albies' potential -- FanGraphs' Kiley McDaniel tapped him as Atlanta's top prospect, MLB.com pegged him No. 7 -- but a near-repeat of 2014 for a full season would go a long way toward solidifying his place as an exciting prospect. 

"We've gotta challenge those kinds of guys," Trembley said. "When he puts up numbers like that, it's obvious he's mastered the levels he's been at, and for us, we feel those numbers are going to play at the higher level based on who he is. He doesn't give at-bats away. He doesn't chase bad pitches. He can run, bunt. He's got the fundamental package to be successful wherever he goes."

Trembley also compared the young shortstop favorably to Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins, given their small stature -- Albies stands 5-foot-9 -- and hitting ability. That makes two in the Braves organization who have used the comp after assistant director of player development Jonathan Schuerholz also brought up Rollins last fall. 

Back and healthy: Manny Banuelos, LHP

Banuelos reached Triple-A for the Yankees way back in 2011 and was ranked as the No. 13 prospect in baseball by the year's end. Four seasons, a Tommy John surgery and a new organization later, Banuelos might be back to banging on the Major League door. The Yankees limited the Mexican lefty to only 76 2/3 innings in 2014 and allowed him to hit the five-inning mark in only three of his 26 appearances between Class A Advanced, Double-A and Triple-A. 

Acquired by the Braves for relievers David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve in January, Banuelos should have a much looser leash this season. With a fastball that can sit in the mid-90s and complementary options in a cutter, curveball and changeup, the 24-year-old southpaw was considered a candidate, albeit a long-shot one, for the Atlanta rotation. The organization optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett instead -- while they think he might have Major League stuff, they don't want to waste it in a Major League bullpen for now.

"All these guys coming off injuries like this, you want to do two things: one, manage their innings, and two, put them in situations to be successful," Trembley said. "I think that's why he was still in big league camp, because we believe he can be successful as a starter. He got the attention of the big league coaches as a starter, and he's earned that."

Loudest tool: Mike Foltynewicz, RHP

As the Braves' No. 2 prospect, Foltynewicz, acquired in the Gattis trade with the Astros, might hold the key to whether the Braves' offseason trades are viewed as successful. And it's all on account of his heater. 

The 23-year-old's fastball averaged -- averaged, mind you -- 96.8 mph during his 16 games in the Majors last season, and it can hit triple digits if he so desires. That earned the pitch a perfect 80 grade from MLB.com this offseason. Of course, he'll need more than just one pitch to make it as a quality pitcher in the bigs, and he'll need to work on his curveball, changeup and control of all three offerings (4.6 BB/9 at Triple-A in 2014, 8.2 in the Majors) to achieve that goal.

When a pitcher has such a devastating fastball but lacks other plus options, the conversation turns to whether his future lies in the bullpen, where Foltynewicz pitched for Houston last season. His new organization, though, would like to see the right-hander maximize his value in the rotation for now.

"We like him as a starter, whether it's in the big leagues or the Minors to start," said Trembley, who first saw Foltynewicz in 2014 as the bench coach of the Astros. "He's got to develop secondary pitches, and Mike's working a ton on that. But when you have an arm like that, we'd like to get a lot of innings out of it, as many as we can."

More to keep an eye on: Tyrell Jenkins will spend his first season in the Braves system after coming over from the Cardinals in the Jason Heyward-Shelby Miller swap. The 22-year-old right-hander missed part of 2014 after undergoing shoulder surgery the previous year but owned a 3.28 ERA in 74 innings at Class A Advanced Palm Beach and a 2.22 ERA in 24 1/3 frames in the Arizona Fall League. A groundball specialist, Jenkins will start at Double-A Mississippi. ... Third baseman Rio Ruiz joined Foltynewicz in the Gattis trade and adds some needed power to the top 10 prospects in the Atlanta system. He hit 11 homers and 37 doubles at Class A Advanced Lancaster in 2014. Although he'll be out of the homer-friendly California League, expect to see the former stat take a jump at Double-A Mississippi as the 20-year-old slugger's power matures. ... Mallex Smith led the Minors with 88 steals last season and posted a .310 average with a .403 OBP for Class A Fort Wayne and Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore. He's got 80 speed, and if he can come close to matching his on-base numbers at higher levels, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the 21-year-old bolt straight to the Majors as a pinch runner come September.