#25 Van Pope - Player Profile

Pope enters his eighth pro season, having spent each of the previous seven in the Atlanta Braves organization. A fifth-round draft pick of Atlanta in 2004, Pope reached #5 on the Braves’ organizational prospect chart in 2007, according to Baseball America. Known for his outstanding defense, Pope was a Carolina League All-Star in 2006, and was named Myrtle Beach’s Player of the Year when he drilled a career-best 15 homeruns. Pope reached Triple-A in 2009, and last year made the conversion to pitcher in the Braves system, appearing in nine games on the mound for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.