Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday, August 31

Aug 12, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman

(53) at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Minor League Monday

To start the week, we’ll review the transactions of the last week:
Promoted to Atlanta: P Jake Brigham, P Sugar Ray Marimon, C Christian Bethancourt
Promoted to Gwinnett: P Mitch Lambson, C Braeden Schlehuber, P Hunter Cervenka
Demoted to Gwinnett: P Williams Perez
Promoted to Mississippi: P Andrew Waszak
Demoted to Mississippi: OF Mycal Jones
Promoted to Rome: P Taylor Cockrell, P Dakota Dill, P Chad Sobotka
Demoted to Danville: P Alec Grosser
Demoted to GCL: 3B Dylan Manwaring
Placed on DL: OF Eury Perez, C Wigberto Nevarez, P Taylor Lewis

Highlight Player of the Week:

We highlighted the GCL hitters of note from the now-completed season on Thursday’s Ag Report. Today, we’ll explore the GCL pitchers who pitched well in 2015:

Kolby Allard was the Braves top pick in 2015 at pick 14 in the first round. Allard finished without allowing a run in his 3 starts, spanning 6 innings, allowing only 1 hit and 1 hit by pitch while striking out an astonishing 12 batters. Granted, the sample size is ridiculously small, but Allard absolutely blew away scouts who saw him pitch, and I think he’ll start in GCL in 2016, but I’d imagine he’ll have a quick track to Danville.

Jhon Martinez struggled in his first exposure to state side pitching in 2014, but he fared much better in 2015 in a repeat season in the Gulf Coast League. He threw 40 1/3 innings over 10 games (7 starts), finishing with a 2.23 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, and a bb/k ratio of 8/31. Martinez is a 20 year old out of Venezuela who’s 6′ and very slight at 165, but he does throw with his left hand, and you can imagine that the Braves will give him every opportunity to impress. I’d imagine he’ll start at Danville next season.

Evertz Orozco is an intimidating pitcher whose 6’5 frame looks to carry more than his listed 192 pounds. The 20 year-old right-hander from Nicaragua had his first experience in the US this year after signing ahead of the 2013 season. Orozco pitched entirely out of the bullpen in 2015, hurling 27 innings over 15 appearances, finishing with a 2.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 5/22 BB/K ratio. He has the size and results to move up quickly. I have not seen him live, but I’ve been told that Orozco can run mid-90s with a heavy fastball, and he also throws a slider with good arm-side run. At his size and with that arsenal, I could see him starting in Danville in 2016 with a quick road to Rome if he continues to throw well.

The Braves have a good history of finding local gems in the late rounds, and Jaret Hellinger could be one of those. He was picked in the 20th round in 2015 out of Georgia high school. He finished the season having thrown 34 1/3 innings over 10 appearances (6 starts). Hellinger ran up a 3.15 ERA and 1.40 WHIP along with a 14/33 BB/K ratio. Hellinger had some pretty intense “blow up” games where he suddenly gave up tons of hits, but he finished well with a 6-inning gem on the 25th of August in his last start. He’s a 6’4 lefty without overwhelming “stuff”, but he could possibly play up in the Braves development system.

While his performance in 2015 wasn’t exceptional, his pedigree deserves note in this comment area. Dilmer Mejia was the very rare pitcher who was moved state side within the season last year as he was purely dominating in the Dominican league. The 18 year-old left-handed Nicaraguan is small in stature but when he’s going strong, he packs quite a punch with wicked moving pitches that can make hitters look foolish. His performance this year was up and down, throwing 21 2/3 innings over 7 games (2 starts). He was shut down at the end of July with an injury, but over those 7 appearances, he posted a 5.82 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 4/19 BB/K ratio. His FIP was 3.58, so he may have had some poor luck in his season, but if nothing else, the walk and strikeout rates are very positive going into 2016. He’s still got plenty of time to figure it out, but I’d wager he returns for a 3rd year to the Gulf Coast League.

Let’s look at the weekend’s games!

Next: Gwinnett Braves Report

Gwinnett Braves (72-63)

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Thursday

A 1-0 Gwinnett lead heading into the bottom of the 6th inning was blown up, though Gwinnett held on to defeat Norfolk on Thursday 9-3. Manny Banuelos pitched a rehab start for Gwinnett and went 2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks. His control was off, and it was notable that some of his late bite that allows him to strike out a decent number of hitters just wasn’t there on his pitches. Victor Mateo pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief to pick up the “vulture” win. Of the Braves 9 hits, 5 went for extra bases, and the G-Braves added 5 walks as well. Cedric Hunter had a home run, triple, walk, 3 runs scored, and 4 runs batted in. Sean Kazmar had a double and a triple. Todd Cunningham had two singles. Joey Terdoslavich had a double and a walk. Mallex Smith had a single and a walk.

Friday

Norfolk jumped all over Gwinnett starter Greg Smith and reliever Vin Mazzaro to defeat the Braves on Friday 10-2. Smith couldn’t make it out of the 2nd inning, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 1 2/3 innings on 2 hits and 4 walks. Mazzaro followed with 1 1/3 innings of relief in which he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. Joey Terdoslavich had two singles. Mallex Smith had a triple. Hector Olivera added a double.

Saturday

Gwinnett followed a tremendous start from swingman Ryan Weber to a 2-0 win over Norfolk on Saturday. Weber went 6 scoreless innings, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 4. Jose Yepez had a double and single. Joey Terdoslavich had a double and a walk. Hector Olivera added his 2nd double in as many days.

Sunday

The Braves put together a rally in the bottom of the 9th, but they fell short, losing to Norfolk on Sunday 4-3. Kanekoa Texeira got the start and went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 5. No Braves hitter was on base twice on the day. Hector Olivera got his 3rd double in 3 days. Sean Kazmar added a double.

Leaders

BA: Eury Perez .297
OBP: Joey Terdoslavich .401
SLG: Joey Terdoslavich .470
HR: Cedric Hunter 12
SB: Eury Perez 28

W: Three with 6
SV: Ryan Kelly 12
SO: Manny Banuelos 69
ERA: Hunter Cervenka 0.00
WHIP: Ryan Kelly 0.67

Next: Mississippi Braves Report

Carolina Mudcats (67-65)

Thursday

Caolina took a 2-1 lead into the top of the 9th, but reliever Brad Roney couldn’t finish out a multi-inning appearance, and Lynchburg defeated the Mudcats on Thursday 8-2. Seth Webster pitched a great ballgame, going 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 8 hits while striking out 7. The offense was sparse, but Keith Curcio had two singles and a stolen base. Sal Giardina had a single and a walk. Joey Meneses had a double. Connor Lien added his 32nd stolen base of the season.

Friday

After going scoreless for the first four innings, Lynchburg jumped all over Carolina pitching to win Friday 8-2. Brandon Barker went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits, striking out 4. Jacob Schrader was the lone bright spot in the offense on the day with a single and his 14th home run of the season, a figure that leads all of the Braves minor leagues.

Saturday

Lynchburg continued to bury Carolina’s playoff hopes with a 2-0 win on Saturday over the Mudcats. Yean Carlos Gil was the hard-luck loser, throwing 8 solid innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 6 but still dropping his record with Carolina this season to 3-10. Carlos Franco was the only Mudcats hitter to reach base twice with a single and a walk.

Sunday

The Mudcats salvaged the last game of the series against Lynchburg to avoid the sweep on Sunday, securing a 5-3 win. Matt Bywater started for Carolina, but he was extremely hittable, allowing 3 runs over 3 innings on 11 hits, striking out 2. Jacob Schrader had a home run and two singles and even stole his 1st base of the season. Joey Meneses had three singles. Joseph Odom had two singles. Connor Lien had a single and two walks. Dustin Peterson had a single and a walk. Tanner Krietemeier had a double.

Leaders

BA: Connor Lien .284
OBP: Connor Lien .345
SLG: Jacob Schrader .477
HR: Jacob Schrader 15
SB: Connor Lien 32

W: Seth Webster, Brandon Barker 8
SV: Three with 4
SO: Seth Webster 85
ERA: Justin Jackson 2.28
WHIP: Seth Webster 1.07

Next: Rome Braves Report

Rome Braves (55-77)

Thursday

Rome took a road victory in a low-scoring affair on Thursday, defeating Lexington 3-1. Zach Quintana has a very solid start, throwing 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. Leudys Baez had a towering home run in the 6th inning that proved to be the difference in the game. He also added a single. Tanner Murphy and Matt Tellor each had doubles.

Friday

In spite of knocking around 14 hits on Lexington, Rome couldn’t push enough base runners across the plate in a 6-4 loss on Friday. Oriel Caicedo got the start and went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 3. Stephen Gaylor had three singles and a stolen base. Wigberto Nevarez had two singles and a walk. Erison Mendez and Bryan De La Rosa each had a double and a single. Ryan Gebhardt had two singles.

Saturday

Greenville jumped out on top of Rome early and held on to win 10-4. Chad Sobotka was unable to get out of the 1st inning, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 2/3 innings on 4 hits and 2 walks with the coup de grace being a 3-run home run allowed to 2015 #7 overall pick Andrew Benintendi. Rome had a good day offensively in spite of the loss, pounding out 14 hits, 7 of them going for extra bases. Joseph Daris had 3 of those extra-base hits with 2 doubles and a triple. Matt Tellor had 2 doubles and a single. Stephen Gaylor and Ryan Gebhardt each had two singles. Jordan Edgerton had a double. Leudys Baez had a triple.

Sunday

Rome defeated Greenville 4-3 on Sunday. Sean Furney picked up his 7th win, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, striking out 3. Stephen Gaylor had a single and two walks. Joseph Daris stole his 23rd base.

Leaders

BA: Ozhaino Albies .310
OBP: Braxton Davidson .383
SLG: Joseph Daris .406
HR: Braxton Davidson 9
SB: Omar Obregon 30

W: Sean Furney 7
SV: Dustin Emmons 4
SO: Sean Furney, Zach Quintana 62
ERA: Sean McLaughlin 1.20
WHIP: Sean McLaughlin 1.07

Next: Danville Braves Report

Danville Braves (33-33)

Thursday

The Braves used a 4-run bottom of the 7th inning to take the game on Thursday over Bluefield 6-3. Patrick Weigel got the start and threw extremely well, hurling 5 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7. Juan Yepez was the only Brave with multiple hits, but he hit a big one as he paired a single and a walk with a 2nd inning solo home run. Ronald Acuna had a double and two walks. Jose Morel and Jake Lanning had a single and a walk. Jeff Campbell added a double.

Friday

Danville defeated Bluefield on Friday 4-1. Braves first-round pick (their second pick of the draft after Kolby Allard) Mike Soroka had a dominant start, throwing 4 innings, allowing a run on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 7 Blue Jays hitters. Juan Yepez had three hits, including a solo home run. Austin Riley had a home run, single, and a walk. Trey Keegan and Jeff Campbell each had two singles.

Saturday

Danville scored 5 runs in the bottom of the second and held on to win 10-3 over Bluefield. Daniel Cordero got the start and went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 5. Ian Stiffler got the rare 4 inning save, allowing no runs on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4. Ronald Acuna ended the day a single short of the cycle, collecting a home run, triple, and double on his day. Austin Riley had a double, a walk, and a home run. Jake Lanning and Carlos Martinez each had a double and a single. Lanning added a walk as well. Jeff Campbell had a single and a walk. Jose Morel roped his 10th double of the season.

Sunday

Despite knocking around 13 hits, the Braves could only manage one run, and it wasn’t enough as they lost to Kingsport 2-1. Matt Withrow went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits and striking out 1. Austin Riley had a double and two singles. Justin Ellison had a double and a single. Yeudi Grullon had two singles. Jake Lanning had a double. Ray-Patrick Didder stole a base.

Leaders

BA: Austin Riley .362
OBP: Austin Riley .443
SLG: Austin Riley .610
HR: Austin Riley 5
SB: Ray-Patrick Didder 9

W: Ryan Clark 5
SV: Chase Johnson-Mullins 6
SO: Matthew Custred 43
ERA: Matthew Custred 1.47
WHIP: Matthew Custred 0.78

Next: GCL Braves Report

GCL Braves (27-33)

Thursday

The Braves made a furious comeback late in the game, but they fell short against the Tigers, losing Thursday 7-6. Kelvin Estevez had three singles, a walk, and a stolen base. Jonathan Morales had two singles and a walk. Collin Yelich had a double and a single. Angel Perez and Alejandro Salazar each had a single and a walk. Elias Arias had a double.

Friday

The Braves scored early and kept adding on in an 8-1 victory over the Astros in their last home game of the season. Michael Kohn got the start in a rehab outing, throwing a scoreless inning, allowing one hit. Jonathan Morales had two singles and a double. Bradley Keller broke out of his slump with a single and a double. Kelvin Estevez had two singles and a walk. Angel Perez had two singles. Collin Yelich provided the big hit of the game with a 2-run home run in the 7th inning along with a walk.

Saturday

The Braves finished off their season with a 6-2 win over the Astros on Saturday. Gilbert Suarez got the start and went 4 innings, allowing an unearned run on 1 hit and 5 walks, striking out 4. Robert Nesovic had a double and two singles. Collin Yelich had a single and 2 walks. Jonathan Morales added two singles.

Leaders

BA: Kelvin Estevez .375
OBP: Kelvin Estevez .412
SLG: Jonathan Morales .511
HR: Isranel Wilson 10
SB: Alejandro Salazar 8

W: Evertz Orozco 5
SV: Evertz Orozco 3
SO: Gabino Avalos 38
ERA: Kolby Allard 0.00
WHIP: Kolby Allard 0.17