Atlanta Swarm Top 15 Prospects 2022

For the second team of the individual lists, we are looking at the Atlanta Swarm’s farm system. They were ranked 22nd out of 30 farm systems, with one prospect cracking the top 80.

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15. 3B Cesar Hard

Picked: Unknown (Round 50+ Inaugural Draft). Acquired: Draft

It’s Hard to project him becoming an everyday player for this Atlanta team. He has difficulty picking up offspeed pitches, and that leads to issues at the plate. He is one of the slower players out on the field. His only saving grace is his defense, which contains one of the best arms among any levels at this moment. It’s hard for us to project him becoming anything more than a defensive replacement, though.

14. C Pedro Madrid

Picked: Unknown (Round 50+ Inaugural Draft). Acquired: FA (Released by Carolina)

Madrid won’t wow anybody with his prowess behind the plate. His defense is shabby, allowing too many runners to safely steal bases because of his arm. His speed is slow, as you come to expect from catchers. If there would be a saving grace, it would be his offense – but that’s hard to come by. He doesn’t strike out, but he has a hard time making any solid contact. He won’t hit for average or hit home runs, and he won’t take very many walks.

13. RF Chris Westberry

Picked: Unknown (Round 50+ Inaugural Draft). Acquired: Draft

Westberry has a cannon for an arm out in right, which is what you want from that position, but he lacks any other tools for fielding out there. He doesn’t have great speed, but it’s enough speed that he might be able to swipe a base or two if he gets a gigantic jump on a pitcher. Issue is, he doesn’t get good leads and often lacks instinct while on the base paths. He’ll hit a fair bit of home runs and he’ll get his fair share of walks, but don’t expect miracles from him at the plate.

12. SS Bill Procopio

Picked: Unknown (Round 50+ Inaugural Draft). Acquired: FA (Released by Midwest)

Procopio could be called up this moment as a bench player. His defense and running are good enough to be at a CBA level. When called upon to hit it doesn’t appear as though he has the skills he needs to succeed up there, with an awkward swing path. One worrying spot in Procopio’s play is his SB/CS ratio, where he is caught stealing more than successfully swiping bases in DEV-B level. Scouts say he should be better than what he is averaging, though, so it shouldn’t worry Atlanta too much.

11. C John Remington

Picked: Unknown (Round 50+ Inaugural Draft). Acquired: Draft

The first thing you hear about Remington from the pitching staff is that he calls great games. He knows the scouting reports and often gives his pitchers the inside track to succeed against hitters down at the Reserves level. His arm is less than spectacular, though, so pitchers need to pay attention while runners are on base. His speed is lackluster, and his hitting could be better to play at the CBA level. That being said, he’ll hit ~.200 if he were an everyday player, but most don’t think that he has much more to develop with. What you see with him now is what you’ll get for the rest of his career.

10. 2B Gabe Velasquez

Acquired: International Amateur Free Agent Signing ($142,000 Bonus) from Venezuela

A nice signing over the winter, Velasquez has the potential to be a solid player some day. His speed is great, and his hitting may turn out to be worth a bench spot. His defense is poor, but at 16 years of age, Velasquez still has time to figure this all out. His personality has been spotlighted by many scouts, saying he loves the game and want to keep playing into his forties.

9. C Bobby Saur

Picked: Unknown (Round 50+ Inaugural Draft). Acquired: Draft

Saur can be described as… average. He doesn’t do anything well, but he doesn’t do anything terrible. He runs like a catcher, and has average defensive ability behind the plate. He won’t hit for average, but he’ll get on base with a slightly above-average eye.

8. SP Jose Romero

Acquired: Trade from Chicago (4/24/2022)

He’ll get you ground balls with a fastball that tops out around 94, and he has three other off speed pitches to mix in. He’ll be described as an average long man if he turns out the way he’s projected. He has the potential to start, but Atlanta should have better options than Romero if he reaches the bigs.

7. 1B Mike Calahan

Picked: Amateur Draft, Round 3, Pick 30 (#90). Acquired: FA (Released by New York)

Calahan is an interesting 1B/OF hybrid, but he’ll be stuck playing first if he does wind up an infielder. He has a weak arm, and he won’t be able to turn a double play at second. His range at first is actually pretty good, so he’ll be among the top fielders over there should he develop. This is where Calahan becomes an outfielder, though – his speed is lightning quick, but his hitting is below average for an outfielder. You’ll want a better hitter playing first, so don’t be surprised if you see Calahan make the transition to an outfield spot.

6. SS Javier Martinez

Picked: Inaugural Draft, Round 34, Pick 28 (#1018). Acquired: Draft

Martinez has good range and a good arm in the field, making him a prototypical shortstop. What sets him apart from most shortstops is his hitting, which projects to be league average for starting shortstops. His speed is good, but he doesn’t set himself apart from others while running. Look for him to be at least a bench player in the future.

5. SP Francisco Rodriguez

Picked: Inaugural Draft, Round 13, Pick 3 (#363). Acquired: Draft

After just having turned 20, Rodriguez got the call up to Dev-A ball, where he’s pitched in two games to the tune of a 12.27 ERA. He’s a groundball pitcher with three good pitches, which most scouts think he’ll fully develop. He doesn’t project to be anything more than a back of the rotation starter, though, so don’t have your hopes up for a major role player here.

4. 2B Mike Leibson

Picked: Inaugural Draft, Round 5, Pick 3 (#123). Acquired: Draft

Leibson has good speed and plays great defense, making him more inclined to play at the shortstop position rather than second base. He’s got a good personality and has the potential to become one of the better hitters at the shortstop position, as he’s very good at fighting off bad pitches. His swing path does have issues and, in return, limits the number of balls into the gaps and over the fence due to a bad launch angle. He won’t hit for average, but hopefully his eye should carry him through the minors and onto a major league field.

3. SP Nick Swaim

Picked: Inaugural Draft, Round 23, Pick 3 (#663). Acquired: Draft

Swaim projects to be a back end starter, with good control of his pitches and projects to be an innings eater. His high arm slot may cause him problems, as once his arm drops his pitches become floaters with no movement. He buries his cutter down and in on hitters which causes them to roll over and hit ground balls. He doesn’t throw hard and his four pitches aren’t anything special, so you won’t expect very many strikeouts from Swaim. Still, he seems like a mainstay in at least the Atlanta bullpen for years.

2. DH David Pratt

Picked: Inaugural Draft, Round 19, Pick 3 (#543). Acquired: Draft

Pratt is indeed going to be a DH or a bench player for Atlanta, as his offense won’t make up for the hole he gives out in the field. With that being said, he projects to be a nice hitter, being able to hit ~.260 and still hit 25 home runs, giving him a nice paycheck at the end of the day. He takes his walks and won’t strike out as much as you might expect from a DH. He is a flyball hitter, so you can expect him to lift plenty out of the park.

1. CF Jorge Acosta

Picked: Inaugural Draft, Round 16, Pick 28 (#478). Acquired: Draft

Acosta spent five games with the big league club before dropping back down to the Reserves earlier this year. He currently has an OBP of nearly .400, so it might be time to call him back up to the bigs. He gives Atlanta great range out in the outfield, and his speed will allow him to leg out infield hits. Teammates love him, as he’s a great influence for the team and the fans. Has he fully developed down there? No, his hitting still needs work, but he may be moments away from a call up for Atlanta.

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