Atlanta Braves Minor League Ag Report, August 6

Mar 3, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher

(58) throws against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Minor League Ag Report

I had the pleasure of driving through Minnesota this week on the way to a concert with my lovely wife in St. Paul. This time of year is one of my favorite in rural life, with corn tasseling and finishing out filling the cobs before the heat of August dries out the stalk and gets it ready to pick in September/October. One of my favorite parts of this year is the road side stands of sweet corn available alongside the road.

Much like those road side corn and melon stands that are popping up on the side of the road, minor league relievers are often missed because we’re looking for something bigger, more impressive, but those guys can offer as much value as our bigger targets.

I selected a dozen relievers to highlight from across the system this year:

David Carpenter, 27, RHP, minor league free agent signing for 2015, has been nothing short of dominant in AAA Gwinnett this season, but he’s struggled to translate that success to the majors in brief call ups.
Minor league season totals: 40 innings in 29 appearances, 0.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9.
Atlanta totals: 3 2/3 innings in 4 appearances, 7.36 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 12.3 K/9, 0.0 BB/9.

Tyler Jones, 25, RHP, minor league free agent signed just before the season began in April of this season, has pitched his way to AA Mississippi after starting the year in Carolina. He’s been used as the primary closer in both spots, and he’s handled the role quite well.
Season totals: 44 2/3 innings in 39 appearances, 1.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9.

Ryan Kelly, 27, RHP, minor league free agent signee after the 2013 season, has reached the majors this year after starting the season with Mississippi. He’s a good ground ball oriented pitcher who could be a solid middle innings reliever at the big league level.
Minor league season totals: 41 1/3 innings in 35 appearances, 0.87 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9.
Atlanta totals: 3 2/3 innings in 4 appearances, 9.82 ERA, 2.45 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 4.9 BB/9.

Kyle Kinman, 24, LHP, 2014 25th round draft choice from Bellevue University in Nebraska, has thrown at three levels this season, now in AA Mississippi after stops in Rome and Carolina. Smallish build deceives hitters as he brings mid-90s velocity consistently from the left side, even touching upper-90s. Could be a sleeper guy for the Atlanta bullpen in 2016.
Season totals: 41 1/3 innings in 33 appearances, 1.74 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 11,1 K/9, 4.8 BB/9.

Matt Marksberry, 24, LHP, 2013 15th round pick from Campbell University in North Carolina, has jumped all the way to the majors this year after starting the year in Carolina. He has shown good command and ground ball tendencies in the minor leagues, leading to believe he could be used as more than just a LOOGY.
Minor league season totals: 46 innings in 33 appearances, 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 2.7 BB/9.
Atlanta totals: 3 2/3 innings in 3 appearances, 0.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 2.5 BB/9.

Peter Moylan, 36, minor league free agent for 2015, has returned to the Braves system and is hoping to work back to the majors after a second Tommy John surgery derailed his career. He’s pitched for AAA Gwinnett this year so far, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a September call up for fan enjoyment, if nothing else.
Season totals: 24 innings in 23 appearances, 3.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9.

Andy Otero, 23, LHP, 2009 international signing from Panama, has returned finally to full strength after injuries cost him all but 14 innings from 2010-2012. He’s spent this season in Carolina. Otero offers a good mix of pitches, but recently has moved into the closer role in Carolina and flashed higher velocity in shorter stints, which could be something to keep on eye on due to his left-handedness!
Season totals: 42 2/3 innings in 25 appearances (2 starts), 2.74 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 (0 HR allowed).

David Peterson, 25, RHP, 2012 8th round pick from College of Charleston, has thrown across 3 levels after struggling to get his career off the ground the last two seasons in the Braves system due to injury. He’s currently pitching in Gwinnett after making stops in Carolina and Mississippi as well this season. While physically intimidating at 6’5 and a listed 205 that looks more like 215-225, he’s not got a huge fastball or big breaking pitch, relying on his defense to pick him up with typically heavy pitches that get beat into the ground.
Season totals: 37 1/3 innings in 28 appearances, 2.65 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 2.4 BB/9.

Bradley Roney, 22, RHP, 2014 8th round draft pick from Southern Miss, has thrown across three levels now after a recent promotion to high-A Carolina, having also pitched for Danville and Rome. Lots of gas and big strikeouts, but he needs to work on the command as he continues to move up the chain.
Season totals: 33 2/3 innings in 22 appearances, 2.94 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 13.4 K/9, 7.2 BB/9.

Carlos Salazar, 20, RHP, 2013 3rd round draft pick out of high school, has excelled in his transition to the bullpen this season, moving up from Rome to Carolina, where he’s currently pitching. He’s got a wicked fastball/slider combo that could allow him to move very quickly as he harnesses his control.
Season totals: 49 innings in 26 appearances, 1.20 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 6.2 BB/9.

Ryan Weber, 24, RHP, 2009 22nd round pick from St Petersburg College in Florida, has been a personal favorite of mine for a couple of seasons now. After jumping 3 levels last season as a swing man, he’s pitched more out of relief (albeit often going multiple innings) this season, and the results have been impressive. He’s now pitching in Gwinnett after starting the year in Mississippi, and I’d wager that he’ll get the call to the majors soon enough.
Season totals: 72 innings in 29 appearances (5 starts), 1.88 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 5.6 K/9, 0.8 BB/9.

Jorge Zavala, 21, RHP, 2012 international signee, has traversed both A-level clubs for the Braves this year, pitching in Rome and Carolina. His breaking stuff is crazy good, and he has an excellent arm slot to throw off hitters.
Season totals: 35 1/3 innings in 26 appearances, 1.78 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 4.6 BB/9.

Enjoy this week’s report!

Next: Gwinnett Braves Report

Gwinnett Braves (59-51)

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Monday

Gwinnett got to see the AAA debut of another under-the-radar pitcher in the system that’s really moved up this season to a point of being a legit option for the Atlanta Braves at the major league level. Gwinnett won Monday’s debut of Victor Mateo over Rochester 3-1. Mateo sparkled in his debut, going 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3. A 2nd inning home run allowed to Xavier Avery was the only damage really to Mateo on the night. The Braves offense was able to get to star pitcher Jose Berrios of Rochester for 2 home runs and 7 hits. Christian Bethancourt continued his stellar hitting, clubbing a double and a home run on the night. Cedric Hunter had a single and his 8th home run of the season. Fan favorite Peter Moylan continued his work to return to the major leagues, picking up the save, his 3rd for Gwinnett.

Tuesday

Gwinnett got another good start from a less heralded starter in Sugar Ray Marimon and backed him up with a 5-2 win over Rochester on Tuesday. Marimon went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 3, though he did not pick up the win. David Peterson picked up the win as 3 members of the Gwinnett bullpen combined to throw 3 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 1. The G-Braves picked up 11 hits and 2 walks on the day. Todd Cunningham led the Gwinnett offense with 3 singles and a stolen base. Cedric Hunter had a single and a home run, driving in 3. Mallex Smith had a single, a double, and a stolen base, his 16th with Gwinnett. Mycal Jones had a single and a walk, along with his 4th steal of the season. Sean Kazmar added a double.

Wednesday

Gwinnett used a 4-run 5th inning to propel to victory over Rochester on Wednesday, winning 4-3. Kanekoa Texeira threw 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3 to pick up his 4th win of the season. Eric Young, Jr. and Mycal Jones each had two singles, leading an offense that drove in 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks without a single extra base hit or stolen base on the day. Christian Bethancourt also had a beautiful pick off at 2nd base in the game.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: vs. Rochester, 6:35pm ET
Friday: vs. Buffalo, 7:05pm ET
Saturday: vs. Buffalo, 7:05pm ET
Sunday: vs. Buffalo, 2:05pm ET

Next: Mississippi Braves Report

Mississippi Braves (55-52)

Monday

Mississippi fell in a tough loss on Monday, falling 1-0 to Montgomery in 12 innings. Newly acquired Brave Zack Bird got the start and went 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. Andrew Barbosa and Tyler Jones combined for a tremendous 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10 Biscuits hitters. The M-Braves only picked up 3 hits on the day. Matt Kennelly was the only Brave to get on base twice, with a single and a walk.

Tuesday

The M-Braves turned around from their extra-inning loss on Monday night and pulled off a walk-off win on Tuesday night, 7-6 over Montgomery in 11 innings. Steve Janas struggled in his start on the evening, allowing 6 runs over 4 innings on 9 hits and a walk. The Braves bullpen was up to the task, however, throwing 7 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 10. Jason Hursh continued a successful transition to the bullpen by picking up the victory with a perfect 11th inning. Patience was the key for the M-Braves on this night, picking up 7 hits along with 8 walks on the night. David Rohm had two singles, two walks, a stolen base, and drove in three runs, including the walk off sacrifice fly in the 11th inning. Emerson Landoni had a single, a double, a walk, and a stolen base. Levi Hyams had a triple and two walks. Rio Ruiz had two singles. Eric Garcia walked twice.

Wednesday

Mississippi scored early and held on to defeat Montgomery on Wednesday. John Gant had another tremendous start, throwing 6 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 9. Kyle Kinman collected a 1 2/3 inning save, striking out 2. Emerson Landoni had two singles, a walk, and a stolen base. Kevin Ahrens had a single and a walk. Levi Hyams had two walks. Rio Ruiz had a double.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: vs. Montgomery, 7pm CT
Friday: @ Biloxi, 7:10pm CT
Saturday: @ Biloxi 7:10pm CT
Sunday: @ Biloxi 5:10pm CT

Next: Carolina Mudcats Report

Rome Braves (45-63)

Monday

The Braves took a 4-2 lead into the top of the 7th inning but ended up falling to Savannah 7-4 on Monday. Yean Carlos Gil got the start, and he looked solid in the first 6 innings, but things fell apart in the 7th, especially after he reached 90 pitches. Gil’s final line was 6 2/3 innings pitched with 5 runs allowed on 10 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. The R-Braves had 8 hits and 3 walks on the day for a solid offensive performance. Matt Tellor had 3 hits on the day. Stephen Gaylor and Joseph Daris each had a single and a walk. Outfielder Leudys Baez, who had shown brightly in Danville, went 1-4 with a run scored in his first game in Rome, playing left field. Baez was signed on December 12, as reported by our own Alan Carpenter. He’s shown a tremendous combination of power and speed, but his 3/31 bb/k rate in Danville does leave some concerns, but he was still able to hit .311/.331/.473 in Danville before being promoted. He’ll definitely be one to keep an eye on.

Tuesday

Rome was absolutely shredded on Tuesday, losing to Savannah 20-3. Zach Quintana could not get out of the 2nd inning, throwing 1 1/3 innings, allowing 8 runs on 7 hits, striking out 1. Every Braves reliever on the day allowed at least 2 runs. Rome’s batters didn’t find much luck against Savannah starter Corey Oswalt, but they found more luck against the Sand Gnats’ relievers. Connor Oliver had a triple, a single, and drove in three runs. Leudys Baez continued his hot hitting, picking up a single and a double. Matt Tellor had a single and a walk.

Wednesday

Rome dropped their third game in a row to Savannah Wednesday, losing 4-3 in 10 innings. Oriel Caicedo got the start, going 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 2. The Braves had 10 hits and 5 walks, but could only push across 3 runs on the day, going 3-14 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 runners on base. Tanner Murphy and Luke Dykstra each had two singles, Dykstra in his first game after being promoted from Danville. Matt Tellor had a single and two walks. Joseph Daris had his 10th triple on the season along with a walk. Omar Obregon had a double.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: @ Augusta, 7:05pm ET
Friday: @ Augusta, 7:05pm ET
Saturday: @ Augusta, 7:05pm ET
Sunday: @ Augusta, 5:05pm ET

Next: Danville Braves Report

Danville Braves (19-21)

Monday

Danville had Monday off.

Tuesday

Princeton clipped Danville on Tuesday, 4-3. Matt Withrow got the start and threw 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 3. The Danville offense was able to put 12 men on base through 9 hits and 3 walks. Austin Riley continued his hot hitting with his first home run at Danville, a single, and a walk. Riley also committed his 6th error in 4 games. Carlos Martinez had a single, double, and a walk. Justin Ellison had a single and a walk. Kurt Hoekstra also added a double. Juan Yepez had his first appearance with Danville after being promoted. His first game wasn’t exactly stellar with Yepez going 0-4 with a strikeout.

Wednesday

Danville won a pitchers duel on Wednesday over Princeton 3-1. Ryan Clark had a solid start, throwing 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and a walk, striking out 3. The Danville bullpen combined to throw 4 scoreless, hitless innings, allowing only one walk. Jose Morel had two walks and a single. Carlos Castro had a double while Kurt Hoekstra had a triple. Justin Ellison and Yeudi Grullon each had a single and a walk.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: vs. Princeton, 7pm ET
Friday: vs. Pulaski, 7pm ET
Saturday: vs. Pulaski, 7pm ET
Sunday: vs. Pulaski, 4pm ET

Next: GCL Braves Report

GCL Braves (15-21)

Monday

The GCL Braves game against the Phillies was postponed on Monday due to rain.

Tuesday

The GCL Braves split a pair of games against the Phillies on Tuesday. In the opener, the Braves walked off with a win, 5-4. Felix Falcon threw 3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2. Alejandro Salazar had a triple and a single. Ronald Acuna had a home run, a single, and his 8th steal of the season. Jonathan Morales also hit a home run. Robert Nesovic and Isranel Wilson had doubles.

The Phillies won the second game 3-1. Gabino Avalos got the start and went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 6. The Braves offense only picked up 5 hits on the day. Jose Pina had three hits, including a double.

Wednesday

The Pirates walked off on the Braves on Wednesday, defeating the Braves 4-3 in 10 innings. Jhon Martinez got the start and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1. Luis Barrios came in relief of Martinez and was brilliant, throwing 3 1/3 innings of hitless baseball, allowing only a walk while striking out 4. The Braves had 9 hits and 2 walks on the day. Kevin Josephina had three singles. Robert Nesovic had two singles, a walk, and two stolen bases. Ronald Acuna stole his 9th base of the season. Ronny Guillermo hit a double.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: vs. Pirates, 12pm ET
Friday: vs. Astros, 12pm ET
Saturday: @ Astros, 10am ET
Sunday: Off

Next: DSL Braves Report

DSL Braves (28-29)

Monday

The DSL Braves were shut down early in the game, going scoreless in their first 5 innings, but the offense got going in the last four innings, defeating the Marlins Monday 7-3. Gabriel Henry got the start for the Braves, throwing 3 innings, allowing only a home run to Yefry Reyes, striking out 4. Alexander Sanchez picked up the victory on the day, throwing 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief, allowing only a walk while striking out 3. Jeremy Fernandez had three singles and a stolen base. Anthony Concepcion had two singles, a walk, and his 11th steal of the season. Randy Ventura had two doubles on the day. Sander Boeldak had a triple and a single. Raysheandall Michel had two singles. Luis Mejia had two singles and a stolen base.

Tuesday

The Braves put together another strong offensive showing on Tuesday, defeating the Marlins 9-5. Jhonny Diaz got the start, going 3 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 2. Terrence Josephina had two singles and a walk. William Contreras had a double and a walk, driving in 2 runs. Randy Ventura had two singles and stole his 44th base of the season. Alex Aquino had a double, a single, and a stolen base. Raysheandall Michel added a double and a single. Anthony Concepcion and Luis Mejia each collected two singles.

Wednesday

Despite a strong 4-run 9th inning, the Braves came up short against the Tigers, lowing 9-8 on Wednesday. Luis Perez had a rough start, only getting one out, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 2 hits and 3 walks. Jason Laguna came in and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 3 hits and striking out 4. Randy Ventura had 4 hits, including a double. He also stole two bases to bring his season total to 46. Alex Aquino and Luis Mejia each had two singles. Raysheandall Michel and Terrence Josephina each had a single and a walk. Anthony Concepcion had two walks.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: vs. Tigers, 10:30am ET
Friday: vs. Brewers, 10:30am ET
Saturday: @ Brewers, 10:30am ET
Sunday: No game

Next: MadBum Aces Braves