Top draft pick Minor progressing in fall league

By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves phenom Jason Heyward's Arizona Fall League stint ended abruptly with a strained back, but general manager Frank Wren has other Braves prospects to check out when he travels to Phoenix in two weeks.

Six others are playing for the Peoria Saguaros, including first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Brandon Hicks, and pitchers Mike Minor, Craig Kimbrel, Lee Hyde and Jeff Lyman.

Heyward's injury isn't serious, but likely will require a few weeks of rest and rehab. The fall league lasts only through mid-November, so the slugging outfielder will stay home in McDonough.

Here's a look at how other Braves prospects are doing in the desert.

Freeman: The sweet-swinger had a sluggish start in Arizona, but a recent surge raised his average to .286 (10-for-35) with one homer, five RBIs and a .375 on-base percentage through nine games.

He didn't prosper in Class AA like pal Heyward did after they were promoted at midseason, but a wrist injury for Freeman was partly to blame. He'll likely need at least another full season in the minors.

Hicks: Manager Bobby Cox said last spring that Hicks' defense was already well above average by major league standards, but the Braves have waited for his hitting to come around. He's showing signs of that finally happening.

Continuing the late progress he made in Class AA, Hicks hit .323 (10-for-31) with a double and triple through nine games in Arizona and had eight walks and a .475 on-base percentage that ranked third in the league.

Last season at Mississippi, he hit .224 with four homers in 339 at-bats through July, but finished by hitting .272 with six homers in 125 at-bats in August and September.

"The last couple months of the Double-A season, he made some adjustments at the plate and had more and more good at-bats," Wren said, "and he's continued that in the fall league. He's drawing walks and keeping the ball out of the air. His game is going to be to drive the ball to the gaps, and he's doing more of that."

Minor: The ex-Vanderbilt left-hander is beginning to quiet skeptics who questioned if he was worthy of the seventh pick in the June draft. He was 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA after four AFL starts, after posting a 0.64 ERA with 17 strikeouts and no walks in 14 innings during four starts with Class-A Rome in his professional debut.

"For a guy who's just come out of the draft and only pitched at low-A, he's more than holding his own," Wren said.

Minor, who'll be 22 on Dec. 26, has good command of a 92-93 mph fastball and a change-up that Baseball America last week rated the fifth-best secondary pitch (non-fastball) for anyone in the 2009 draft.

"He really knows how to pitch," Wren said. "Outstanding change-up, velocity in low 90s -- your classic left-hander. A lot of people compare him to Cole Hamels. He's not Cole Hamels today, but he has that kind of ability."

Kimbrel: A potential major league closer in the future, Kimbrel had a 1.59 ERA through his first five fall-league appearances, with six strikeouts, five walks and two hits allowed in 5-2/3 innings.

He had a 2.85 ERA and 18 saves in 49 appearances for four minor-league teams in 2009, amassing 103 strikeouts with 45 walks in 60 innings.

Hyde: Hyde slipped into relative obscurity because of injuries since being drafted out of Georgia Tech in 2006. But the lefty's healthy now, and it's time to keep an eye on the Fayette County High School graduate, who had 45 strikeouts in 35-2/3 innings for three minor league affiliates in 2009.

He had eight strikeouts with three walks in 5-2/3 innings in his first six appearances in the Arizona Fall League.

"He's been pretty dominant," Wren said. "We've always liked him, if we could keep him healthy."

Hyde, 24, features a 94-mph fastball and a knuckle-curveball. He was 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA in 17 starts for high-A Myrtle Beach, with 28 strikeouts, nine walks and 13 hits allowed in 22-1/3 innings.

Lyman: He's off to a rough start, going 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA in five games (one start) while allowing seven runs and three homers in 6-1/3 innings.