6. RHP Joey Devine- Devine was taken in the the first round (27th) out of NC State in the 2005 draft. One 
thing that the Braves liked when they took this college closer was how polished he was, and in fact he debuted in the same year as he was drafted after throwing 26 minor league innings. For being so polished, Devine hasn't had any major league success with an 11.12 ERA in his time with Atlanta. Devine didn't get off to a very good start with Braves fans, he is the pitcher who gave up the 18th inning homerun to Chris Burke to send the Braves home in the NLDS in 2005. In 2006 he made the team out of camp, but a nagging back injury basically forfeited his season. Devine has the stuff of a very good future closer and many people thought he would get that chance rather quickly before the Braves acquired Bob Wickman, Mike Gonzalez, and Rafael Soriano. Devine combines mid-90's heat that can touch 97 mph and an absolutely filthy slider, plus his almost side arm delivery hides the ball well. When he is on, he can dominate, and after his September callup he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, walking four, and striking out 8. Unfortunately those walks are what have really stood out so far in his pro career. His last year in college, he walked 1.85 per 9 IP. He has 5.23 walks per 9 in his minor league career and 11.12 in his major league career. If he impresses in spring training, he has a chance to break camp with the team and if he doesn't and pitches well at Richmond, it won't be long before we see him back up.
thing that the Braves liked when they took this college closer was how polished he was, and in fact he debuted in the same year as he was drafted after throwing 26 minor league innings. For being so polished, Devine hasn't had any major league success with an 11.12 ERA in his time with Atlanta. Devine didn't get off to a very good start with Braves fans, he is the pitcher who gave up the 18th inning homerun to Chris Burke to send the Braves home in the NLDS in 2005. In 2006 he made the team out of camp, but a nagging back injury basically forfeited his season. Devine has the stuff of a very good future closer and many people thought he would get that chance rather quickly before the Braves acquired Bob Wickman, Mike Gonzalez, and Rafael Soriano. Devine combines mid-90's heat that can touch 97 mph and an absolutely filthy slider, plus his almost side arm delivery hides the ball well. When he is on, he can dominate, and after his September callup he pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, walking four, and striking out 8. Unfortunately those walks are what have really stood out so far in his pro career. His last year in college, he walked 1.85 per 9 IP. He has 5.23 walks per 9 in his minor league career and 11.12 in his major league career. If he impresses in spring training, he has a chance to break camp with the team and if he doesn't and pitches well at Richmond, it won't be long before we see him back up.7. RHP Neftali Feliz- Feliz could very well jump to the top of the Braves prospects in a season or two. The 18-year old Dominican has a pefect pitcher's build at 6'3" 180 lbs. Feliz works comfortably and easily in the 94-97 mph range with his fastball and touches triple digits. At 17 years of age in his first season of pro ball last year, he tossed 29 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 20 hits, 14 walks, and 42 strikeouts, while holding batters to a .192 average for the Gulf Coast Braves. Comparrisons immediately shift to Joel Zumaya for his size, velocity, and ability to overpower and dominated opposing hitters. The only negatives were his walks last year, but for a 17-year old power pitcher, you can't really expect much better. Feliz will probably add 20-30 lbs. onto his frame by the time he is ready for the majors, but he is still far away. It is unclear whether he will start or become a full time reliever, as he 5 starts, and 6 relief appearences last year. Definitetely a guy who is going under the radar and has huge potential down the road.
8. 1B Scott Thorman- Yes, he still counts as a prospect because he is 12 ABs shy of the limit. Thorman was the 30th overall pick in 2000 out of Preston High School in Ontario. Thorman has
all but locked up the starting first base job for the Braves this season. He is a 6'3" firstbaseman with tons of raw power. Thorman has gone in a very strange pattern for his pro career. He has spent at least part of two years in A+, AA, and AAA and the first year has always been pretty average at best, while the second year would lead you to believe he is the next great power hitter. His first year in A+ he posted a .243/.311/.391 line; the second year it was .299/.358/.461. His first year at AA it was a .252/.326/.406, while the second year he hit .306/.360/.506. In 2005, his first year at AAA he put up a .276/.313/ .438 line, while last year he tore AAA up with a .298/.360/.508 line. Hopefully that proves true for the majors after he hit only .234/.263/.438 in 2006. Thorman could prove to be a .280+ 30 HR guy down the road with average defense.9. 1B Kala Ka'aihue- The name sets him apart, but this Samoan is a very good, very underrated power hitting firstbaseman. In my opinion he will supplant Thorman as the future of the Braves
at first. Ka'aihue, the native of Kailua, Hawaii was first drafted by the Red Sox in the 22nd round in 2003, opted not to sign or re-enter the draft, and was signed by the Braves as a free agent in 2005. Ka'aihue certainly has the pedigree; his father, Kala Ka'aihue Sr. played 10 major league seasons. In two pro seasons, Kala has compiled a .286 average, .397 OBP, 36 HRs, and 105 RBIs. He is 6'2", has already filled out to 230 lbs, and packs a lot of power. He has already been compared to Andres Gallaraga, so you know what kind of talent we are working with. This past season alone he hit .281 with 28 HRs, 80 RBIs, a .407 OBP, and a .550 SLG. That is an impressive stat line before you take into account that before me moved up to pitcher-friendly Myrtle Beach, he batted .329 with 15 HRs, a .458 OBP, and a .614 SLG. Ka'aihue will start at either Myrtle Beach or Mississippi this year and could force his way into the lineup by 2009.10. RHP Jamie Richmond- Richmond is probably the best control pitcher I have ever seen, and put up fantastic stats at Danville in '06. Richmond went
7-1 with a 1.21 ERA, 52 Ks, and FOUR walks. That is not a typo, his BB/p was 0.54 and since he allowed only 51 hits in his 67 IP, he posted a WHIP of 0.82. He really does look a lot like Matt Harrison, but from the right side and at 6'4" 190 lbs, there is room for him to fill out and possibly add a bit more velocity onto his low 90's fastball. I would expect the Braves to increase his work load a bit more, but they seem to be handling him carefully. He'll be 21 next year and starting in Rome. He is one of the lower level, relatively unknown pitching prospects the Braves have that are potential difference makers in the future.
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