The Braves have announced the winners of their 2021 Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro Awards, presented to the best position player and pitcher in the entire minor league system.
MLBPipeline has Langeliers ranked as the second-best prospect in Atlanta’s system, with Elder clocking in at 11th. Langeliers tortured AA pitching in 2021, and his defense was as good as advertised coming out of college. He threw out 42% of would-be base stealers with one of the best pop times in all of baseball, much less in the minors.
Bryce Elder is another member of a stellar 2020 draft class that includes super-prospect Spencer Strider. Elder started in Rome and climbed all the way up to Gwinnett, where he posted a 2.20 ERA over 32.2 innings. He looks like a piece the Braves could use as soon as 2022.
Congrats to both guys!
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