Scouting Mike Minor, LHP, Atlanta Braves

John Klima | November 22, 2009

Mike Minor has the right frame, a limber and relatively loose 6-3, 200-pound build that produces easy 90-91 fastball velocity with arm speed and room to add another mile or two. In other words, Minor still has some projection, which is a nice thing to find in a top shelf college left-hander from a recent draft. Too bad he didn’t bring what he showed in the bullpen before his AFL all-star start. I was standing above him in Surprise. Better view than any you’d get on TV.

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2009 Pro-Side Scouting Report: Cody Johnson, OF, Braves

John Klima | July 28, 2009

Cody Johnson
Bats: L, Throws: R
6-4, 195
2009 Opening Day age: 20 (B: 8/18/88)
Drafted: Braves #1 (24th overall), 2006 (A.Crawford Mosley HS, Fl.)
2009 club time of report: Myrtle Beach
Games 1, Innings: 5 (California-Carolina League All-Star game)

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Q&A with Braves prospect Cody Johnson

John Klima | July 27, 2009

(Myrtle Beach Pelicans)

(Myrtle Beach Pelicans)

The ball sounds like a gun shot coming off Cody Johnson’s bat. His power is as close to 80-raw as you’ll find in a young player, and he’s left-handed to boot. He’ll turn 21 in August and by the time he does, he will already have had more than 1,000 professional at-bats and more than 60 home runs. Welcome to player development done right.

Johnson was a first round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2006, the 24th overall pick in the draft. He has hit for power at every step along the way of the lower tiers of the Braves minor league system, hitting 17 home runs in Danville in 2007 and 26 in Rome in 2008. He got pull happy in 2008 and saw his strikeout numbers sky rocket, but he’s brought them back to earth at Myrtle Beach in 2009, while keeping his share of balls in orbit.

Listed at 6-4, 195, Johnson has the brooding physique of a middle-of-the-order menace. He generates his power from his bat speed and strong hands. He has a little hitch in his hands that is part of his trigger. It’s something he probably won’t completely eliminate but will need to smooth out just enough to continue developing.  He won’t make anyone forget Chipper Jones as a contact hitter, but this C.J. has a chance to stay in Atlanta’s lineup for years to come if he can continue to level out his strikeouts and maintain a steady approach. His power plays. He reached July 2009 with a .274 average and 20 home runs in 71 games.

Just a few hours before Johnson put on a BP for the ages at Lake Elsinore during the California-Carolina League All-Star game, Baseball Beginnings caught up with him.

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Scouting the Cal-Carolina League All-Star Pitchers

John Klima | June 24, 2009

A funny thing happened Tuesday night: I went to an A-ball game and actually saw some guys who might pitch in the big leagues one day.

When one of these games goes 10 innings and features 25 strikeouts, it’s safe to say that either the wind was blowing in or the pitchers were throwing somewhat controlled smoke — or perhaps a combination of both.

Baseball Beginnings scouted the California-Carolina League All-Star game Tuesday night at Lake Elsinore. We were in the house at 2 p.m., we believe before any pro scouts were in the joint. We collected several interviews, most notably with Giants prospect Buster Posey, Royals prospect Mike Moustakas and Braves prospect Cody Johnson.

We’ll get to those stories in the coming days, but before they kick me out of the press box and make me hop the barbed-wire fence, I have to report what mattered most Tuesday night, the pitching. Read the story after the jump, and I hope that wearing shorts today wasn’t a bad idea. (Ah, the joys of online digital journalism as opposed to print. Personality plays!)

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