Despite being hit hard by MLB penalties earlier this offseason, the Atlanta Braves once again have the best minor league system in baseball according to ESPN.com’s Keith Law. The Braves were also rated No. 1 by Law in 2017.
Yep, I know they lost a few prospects in MLB’s punishment of the front office for rules violations, but the ones they lost hadn’t gained much value since signing, while the players they kept, mostly from the draft and trades, by and large took steps forward last year. New GM Alex Anthopoulos will be the beneficiary of the work of his predecessor, John Coppolella, who worked to accumulate young pitching at all costs, which puts Atlanta in position to build a young, cost-controlled rotation for years and will also free them up at some point to spend on their offense. The system is marginally shallower than it was last year, but another good draft this past June helped make up for those losses and a few promotions.
The penalties certainly hurt the depth of the system but there is still of talent that remains. Law ranked 10 Braves prospects in his Top 100 including four in the Top 50 headlined by Ronald Acuna who is the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
The Braves are followed by the Yankees and Padres with the White Sox and Phillies rounding out the Top 5.