He just didn’t know if that immediate future would be honoring his commitment to the University of North Carolina or heading the pro route after being selected by the Braves in the 10th round of the 1994 MLB Draft.

“My dad said, ‘Look, you can always go to college. Your mind is always going to be there, your body isn’t always going to be there. Why don’t you give this a shot,’” Helms said.

Helms chose Atlanta, signing for $100,000 and jumping right to the Gulf Coast League after graduation. In doing so, he joined a loaded Braves farm system that included a 17-year-old Andruw Jones.

Helms’ journey through the minors was slow and steady, by design.

“Each level we made it to, we were ready,” said Helms, who rose to be a top 10 prospect in the Atlanta system in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “They had you ready or you weren’t making that jump.”

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As loaded as the farm system was, the big league club was even more talented. The Braves were in the middle of 14 consecutive division titles and had a future Hall of Famer in Chipper Jones manning third base—Helms’ position.

As he reached the high minors, Helms began to come into his own, learning the type of player he’d be at the big league level. He wouldn’t be a Chipper Jones, so he couldn’t worry about replacing him. Instead, he kept his focus on how to best maximize his potential.

“I had a lot of power, but my swing was geared more to gap-to-gap,” Helms said. “I realized when I got to Double-A, almost to Triple-A, ‘Ok, this is the player I’m going to be. I need to focus on being the best version of me.’”

Helms debuted in Atlanta late in the 1998 season before breaking in for good as a 25-year-old in 2001. His first two seasons in the big leagues saw him as a role player. He spent the entire season in the show but didn’t clear more than 239 at-bats while seeing time in the field at four different positions.

He enjoyed the winning and learning under the tutelage of Jones and other Braves stalwarts, but a trade to Milwaukee in December 2002 let Helms swap out winning ways for regular playing time as a full-time starter.

“For me to progress in my career, I have to get those at-bats, I have to show that I can play this game,” Helms said. “It’s not selfish. It’s one of those things where yeah, 100% I’d rather be on a winning team, but there’s also times where, this is my career, I’ve gotta provide for my family. One day, this is going to be over, and I have to have the financial capabilities to have a life after baseball.”

His first year in Milwaukee led to his breakout as a big leaguer, socking 23 homers for the 2003 Brewers. But injuries limited him across his following two seasons. He rebounded to hit a career-high .329 for the 2006 Marlins, but his four-year stint in Miami (with a forgettable Phillies stint in 2007 mixed in) led to a new kind of role for Helms.

The 2006 Marlins had nine starting rookies on Opening Day. Thirty years old when he arrived, Helms had gone from young utility player in Atlanta to elder statesman and clubhouse guy, so much so that younger Marlins nicknamed him “Uncle Wes.” His main priority was still to produce on the field but nearly as much was to mentor his younger teammates.

“It was one of those roles where it’s go do your thing, be the player you are,” Helms said. “But also I want you to be the leader for these younger kids and show them the way to do things.”

Though never a star, the last four years of Helms’ 12-year career saw him become a mainstay, the veteran presence in a Marlins clubhouse that sorely needed that kind of leadership. The Marlins released him in 2011, and despite interest from the Rockies via a 2012 spring training invite, Helms decided it was time for one more role change—to full-time husband and dad.

“We sat down as a family and talked about it,” said Helms. “You played a long time, you played 12 years in the big leagues (…) we just made a family decision to say alright, this is it.”

The post Former MLB 3B Wes Helms On His 12-Year Career | From Phenom To The Farm appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

We also discuss the Orioles trading Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels for Taylor Ward.

Time Stamps

• (1:00) Grayson Rodriguez/Taylor Ward trade reaction
• (9:30) Nick Kurtz reigns supreme across the first base landscape
• (12:30) Why Bryce Harper at No. 3?
• (15:00) Questions about Pete Alonso, Rafael Devers, Matt Olson & Freddie Freeman entering 2026
• (20:00) The Josh Naylor problem
• (22:00) Why is Vinnie Pasquantino still underrated?
• (24:00) Is Michael Busch a top 10 first baseman?
• (27:00) Kyle Manzardo’s sneaky 2025

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The post Top 40 First Basemen For Dynasty In 2026 | Fantasy Podcast appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

More Rule 5 Draft Coverage

• Rule 5 Draft Preview 1.0
• What Do Teams Target In The Rule 5 Draft?
• Rule 5 Draft Protection Analysis For Every Team
• 10 First-Round Picks Left Unprotected For 2025

Time Stamps

• (00:00) A Rule 5 name to watch
• (10:00) Explaining Rule 5 rules, as well as what the 40-man roster deadline is about
• (16:00) Trends we noticed in 40-man roster additions
• (19:00) Why the fireballing Class A pitcher doesn’t get picked anymore
• (23:00) Traits to look for when trawling for Rule 5 picks
• (28:30) It was a bad year for first-round picks being protected, especially for one team
• (32:00) Two teams with perfect first-round protection records recently
• (34:00) A few sneaky things to look for in the Rule 5 draft
• (38:00) Analyzing the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward trade

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The post Rule 5 Draft Preview & 40-Man Roster Deadline Additions | Prospect Podcast appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

Time Stamps

• (0:00) Introduction
• (1:00) Digging into Ben’s story on the Brewers’ unorthodox draft strategy
• (12:00) 40-man roster deadline—what should we expect Tuesday?
• (15:45) Which traits will teams want to target in the Rule 5 draft?
• (20:00) Dodgers Top 10 Prospects—how does LA keep doing it?

The post Dodgers Top Prospects, 40-Man Roster Decisions & Brewers’ Unique Draft Strategy | Hot Sheet Show appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

We talk through each farm system, discuss development and acquisition trends, break down the top players in each system and try to talk through where players and orgs will rank in the greater prospect landscape. 

Also be sure to check out our new 2026 Top 10 Prospects for each NL Central team here.

Time Stamps

• (0:00) Intro
• (8:00) Brewers
• (41:00) Pirates
• (1:00:00) Cardinals
• (1:25:00) Reds
• (1:42:00) Cubs

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The post NL Central Farm System Reviews | Future Projection appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

We also talk about a trio of talented NPB imports and their potential FYPD rankings.

Time Stamps

• (2:00) Munetaka Murakami
• (11:00) Tatsuya Imai
• (21:00) Kazuma Okamoto
• (27:00) Cal Raleigh No.1
• (29:00) Samuel Basallo and his aggressive ranking
• (31:00) Ben Rice full-time at-bats and the upside potential
• (34:00) Agustin Ramirez and the tale of two halves
• (36:00) Reasons behind the aggressive Rainiel Rodriguez ranking
• (37:00) Dylan’s target of Francisco Alvarez
• (39:00) Geoff’s target of Adley Rutschman
• (42:00) Why we’re fading Hunter Goodman

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The post Top 40 Catchers For Dynasty In 2026 | Fantasy Podcast appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

We explain why we are much more bullish about the Pirates’ turnaround compared to other teams, though we also get into why Pirates fans understandably are skeptical.

Time Stamps

• (0:00) Have Any Fans Suffered More Than Pirates Fans?
• (5:00) Ownership Has To Do Better
• (7:00) Paul Skenes Is A Great Start For Any Team
• (9:00) Strengths And Weaknesses Of The MLB Team
• (13:00) With Bubba Chandler Arriving, This Rotation Is Stacked
• (18:00) Hitting Development Has To Take A Step Forward
• (21:30) What’s Termarr Johnson’s Potential?
• (27:00) Why We Are Optimistic
• (28:30) Konnor Griffin Can Be A Star
• (30:00) It’s Hard To Not Win If You Have Two Stars
• (37:00) Trying To Figure Out The Rest Of The Lineup
• (39:00) Spend Some Money
• (45:00) Bold Predictions

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The post How Soon Can The Pirates Become A Playoff Team? | Prospect Podcast appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

More Recruiting Coverage

• Top 25 Recruiting Class Rankings For 2025
• 10 Classes That Just Missed The Top 25

Time Stamps

• (2:44) A look at the top classes
• (9:59) Are more top high school prospects making it to campus?
• (14:45) Examining Texas’ class
• (19:24) Stanford looks to land another star
• (24:33) Deep class heading to Wake Forest
• (32:29) How will Tony Vitello’s departure impact Tennessee?
• (34:49) Will Florida’s class hold up through signing day
• (39:45) Our favorite classes

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The post 2025 College Baseball National Signing Day Preview | College Podcast appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Later, we talk about the Pirates Top 10 Prospects list that debuted Monday and some Arizona Fall League players who have stood out this season in the desert.

We stream the Hot Sheet Show every Monday at 3:30 p.m. ET on YouTube.

Time Stamps

• (0:00) Introduction
• (1:05) How will Munetaka Murakami translate to MLB?
• (4:10) Murakami’s potential swing issues
• (6:00) Scouting Kazuma Okamoto
• (8:50) How much money will Tatsuya Imai will get?
• (14:30) Pirates Top 10 prospects for 2026: Depth behind Konnor Griffin & Termarr Johnson
• (22:45) Max Anderson’s great AFL season
• (24:30) The return of Daniel Espino
• (26:00) More AFL pitchers who have stood out

The post Japanese Stars Posted To MLB, Pirates Top 10 & More | Hot Sheet Show appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

We talk through each farm system, discuss development and acquisition trends, break down the top players in each system and try to talk through where players and orgs will rank in the greater prospect landscape. 

Also be sure to check out our new 2026 Top 10 Prospects for each NL East team here.

Time Stamps

• (0:00) Quick World Series recap
• (3:00) Rockies struggles
• (13:00) Mets
• (40:00) Marlins
• (1:02:00) Nationals
• (1:18:00) Phillies
• (1:42:00) Braves

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The post NL East Farm System Reviews | Future Projection appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.