The Braves ended all chances at a playoff spot and even lost their second place position by losing their final six games, including a sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals, to close out the season. Despite the depressing close of the season, the outlook for 2010 is promising…but that is a blog post for another day.

In five days the Arizona Fall League begins play, and the Braves have seven prospects to watch, including heralded prospect Jason Heyward. The Peoria Saguaros will feature pitchers Lee Hyde, Craig Kimbrel, Jeff Lyman, and Mike Minor. Along with Jason Heyward, the other postion players are first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Brandon Hicks.

Lefty relief pitcher Lee Hyde, 24, spent time at three minor league levels in 2009 going a combined 5-2 with a 2.27 ERA. He struck out 45 batter in 35.2 innings and only gave up 22 hits.

Craig Kimbrel, 21, pitched at four levels this season as a closer. He finished with a 2-3 record and 18 saves with a 2.85 ERA. He had a whopping 103 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Jeff Lyman, 22, pitched mostly in relief at AA and AAA in 2009. He finished at 5-9 with a 3.32 ERA. He struck out 87 in 97.2 innings. He does need to improve his control as he as walked almost 5 batters per 9 innings over the last two years.

Mike Minor, 21, the Braves first pick in the 2009 draft, dominated the Rookie League with a 0.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts and zero walks in 14 innings over four starts.

First baseman Freddie Freeman, 19, played at high-A and AA this season. He hit .282 with 8 home runs and 58 RBI. He missed some time due to injury and his numbers were down from 2008 when he it .316 with 18 homers and 95 RBI.

Shortstop Brandon Hicks, 24, spent the entire 2009 season at AA Mississippi. He hit .237 with 10 homers and 38 RBI. He needs to work on his defense as he made 28 errors in 128 games.

The headliner, of course, is right field prospect Jason Heyward, 19. He spent 2009 moving all the way from high-A to AAA. He impressed at each stop hitting a combined .323 with a .555 slugging percentage. He hit 17 home runs and knocked in 63. He struggled with a foot injury at the end of the season that cost him some playing time.

Tommy Hanson used a dominating Arizona Fall League performance in 2008 to position himself to make the major league club this year. The Braves (and their fans) are hoping the Jason Heyward can do the same thing.