Soon enough, the Atlanta Braves need to decide what players to protect not on the 40-man roster so they aren't selected by other teams in the annual Rule 5 Draft.
MLB explains the Rule 5 Draft by saying, "Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons."
No. 4 prospect Braves must protect in the Rule 5 Draft, Alan Rangel
Alan Rangel is a 26-year-old starting pitcher with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A team who is pretty ready to make his MLB debut after being in the Braves' farm system since 2015. He might be struggling in the minors in 2023, but he shows plenty of potential with his zone control and could help a less fortunate team like the Oakland Athletics.
In just two games at Triple-A in 2023, he has pitched 11 innings while holding down a 2.45 ERA. However, at Double-A, he struggled in 23 starts with an ERA of 4.66 and a record of 3-15. Like most players who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft, he is quite hit or miss.
Not getting promoted sooner and being held down at Rookie Ball and Single-A for five years has negatively hurt his growth.
No. 3 prospect Braves must protect in the Rule 5 Draft, Grant Holmes
Grant Holmes is a 27-year-old reliever who was formerly a top prospect with the Los Angeles Dodgers and got drafted in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Holmes struggled as a starter but showed potential. Recently, he has been transformed into a long reliever or a possible closer. He has pitched in 49 games in 2023 with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. In those 49 games, he finished 31 of them, closing out and recording 13 saves in 60.2 innings.
In those 60.2 innings, he had 73 strikeouts and 25 walks, while showing some good control. He also only gave up 51 hits with a 3.26 ERA. Recently in MLB, closers have been receiving high value in trades and on the field.
The most recent example of the value around closers was Aroldis Chapman, traded from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for 18-year-old prospect Roni Cabrera and Cole Ragans, who was set to become a top pitcher for the Rangers before they recently started to buy players like Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom.
No. 2 prospect Braves must protect in the Rule 5 Draft, Cody Milligan
Cody Milligan is just 24 years old and has only reached Double-A with the Atlanta Braves, but so far through his short minor league career, he has shown his potential to be a 'Moneyball' type player for many teams with his ability to hit for a high average and reach base on many walks. Milligan is probably one of the most versatile players in all of the Minor Leagues.
While he has mostly played only second base and centerfield, in college, he played every single position, including catcher and pitcher. In the 2023 season, he has been held down because of higher-ranking prospects, only being able to play at Double-A with no promotions in sight. In 69 games at Double-A, he has hit .280 with an OBP of .377 and an OPS of .790. While it's not his career high, it's better than some MLB players.
No. 1 prospect Braves must protect in the Rule 5 Draft, Luis De Avila
Luis De Avila is just 22 years old, and the Atlanta Braves must protect him at all costs. He has played only at Double-A with the Atlanta Braves Farm in the 2023 season but has been torching hitters with an ERA of 3.28.
De Avila has pitched in 25 games and 123.1 innings, showing his ability to dominate hitters. In those 123.1 innings, he has only allowed 99 hits but struggled with walks, allowing 61 at a rate of 4.5 per nine innings pitched. He doesn't allow many hard-hit balls, which helps him greatly, only allowing eight in those 123 innings at a rate of 0.6 per nine innings, which is fewer home runs allowed than Gerrit Cole's major league at a rate of 0.9.
Luis De Avila still holds years of improvement in his future, so if the Atlanta Braves don't protect him, another team like the Los Angeles Dodgers could turn him into an ace pitcher with all of the potential he has shown.