Atlanta Braves Minor League Ag Report, September 3rd

Dec 8, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A tractor removes snow from the field prior to the game between the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves Minor League Ag Report

We’ve reviewed the DSL and GCL teams, and we’ll be looking at the Danville squad today as they finished up on September 1. Today, we’ll cover hitters, and there are a number to review, so let’s get started:

Austin Riley was the 3rd pick of the Braves’ season, grabbing him in the competitive balance round pick that the Braves acquired from the Padres in the Craig Kimbrel deal. Riley had a number of teams who saw him as a pitcher, and many teams weren’t sure whether he would stay on the mound or on 3rd base. Riley is a very physically developed guy for 18 years old, already 6’2 and 230 pounds. That does lead some to worry that he could get out of shape. Riley struggled this year at 3B, though his bat had no issues whatsoever. Between GCL and Danville, Riley hit .304/.389/.544 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 217 at bats. Riley did strike out at a 25%+ rate on the year, so that’s something that will hopefully calm some as he moves up, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Braves be aggressive in 2016 and move Riley straight to Rome at 19. He’s certainly moved into the top 10 of Braves prospects.

Carlos Castro was moved from catcher to first base. That puts more pressure on the bat, but the 21 year-old from the Dominican Republic responded well in Danville this year. His batting line was .319/.340/.412 with 14 extra base hits in 204 at-bats. Castro had a rough 8/42 BB/K ratio, but he’s got a very solid swing from the right side. I’d wager he’ll start in Danville, but he’ll probably move quickly to Rome in 2016.

Jose Morel was signed in 2011 from the Dominican Republic, and he’s struggled to move up slow in the Braves system, primarily due to his middling power and poor walk/strikeout rate. His bat has caught up, enough so to post a .313/.372/.390 line this year in Danville. He’s played solid defense now that he’s moved off of center field, though he’s likely not going to be the power guy that a corner outfielder should be. Morel does have a short, compact swing from either side, and he resembles former outfielder Lance Johnson with his swing. Morel may not have a clear path with a center fielder’s offensive skillset and corner outfielder’s defensive skills, but he could be interesting to watch next year in Rome.

Juan Yepez was signed in the offseason from Venezuela. Yepez was signed as a 3B, but he’s been spending a lot of time at DH and 1B this year. Yepez is 6’1 and 200 at 17 years old, so he could be a pretty big guy as his body fills out. Yepez hit tremendously for Danville, .299/.364/.458 with 4 home runs. Like Riley, he also had issues with high strikeout rates as well. I’d wager he’s back at Danville next year to start, likely moving him to Rome.

Ronald Acuna was signed this offseason by the Braves out of Venezuela. The 17 year-old started at GCL, but he actually hit better in a short time with Danville. His combined line on the year was .269/.380/.438 with 4 home runs, 4 triples, and 16 stolen bases. Acuna spent most of his time defensively in center field, showing a ton of instinct in the field, but he has some bad judgement in his throwing. Acuna will likely be going back to Danville to start 2016, but if he keeps up the playing he did in Danville in 2015 (.290/.388/.464 in just Danville).

After a position move to center field from shortstop in 2015, Ray-Patrick Didder displayed a ton of ability in getting on base and in the field. The 20 year-old from Aruba was exceptional in the field. He put up a .247/.346/.334 slash line. While he has a ton of speed, he struggled some on the basepaths, stealing 10, while getting caught 7 times. He did rack up 7 triples. Didder will likely not be any level of a power hitter, but he has a solid ability to walk, though also a pretty high strikeout level this year as well. I would imagine he’ll be at Danville to start 2016, unless the Braves are impressed enough by his defense to move him to Rome to start the year.

Pull up a bale of hay, and enjoy this week’s report!

Next: Gwinnett Braves Report

Gwinnett Braves (74-65)

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Monday

Durham won a pitcher’s duel over the Braves on Monday 2-1. Greg Smith threw 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3. The Braves only collected 4 hits and 3 walks on the whole game. Joey Terdoslavich had a single and a walk.

Tuesday

Durham defeated Gwinnett 6-3 on Tuesday. Victor Mateo went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1. Mallex Smith had a double and a single, and he added a stolen base. Sean Kazmar had a double.

Wednesday

Gwinnett played a double-header with Norfolk on Wednesday. Gwinnett took the first game 6-2. Jake Brigham started the game and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and a walk, striking out 1. Mallex Smith had a single and a walk along with a steal. Joey Terdoslavich hit a home run and had a walk. Barrett Kleinknecht had a double. Cedric Hunter stole his 10th base of the year.

Gwinnett took the second game as well over Norfolk, 7-2. Brandon Barker went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 3. Every Braves hitter had a hit. Mallex Smith had a single and two walks, while Smith stole his 30th base. Joey Terdoslavich had a single and a walk. Barret Kleinknecht had a double and walk. Jordan Lennerton had a double. Luis Mateo had a home run.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: @ Norfolk, 7:05pm ET
Friday: @ Norfolk, 7:05pm ET
Saturday: vs. Charlotte, 7:05pm ET
Sunday: vs. Charlotte, 2:05pm ET

Next: Mississippi Braves Report

Mississippi Braves (68-64)

Monday

The Braves followed Steve Janas‘ excellent start to shut out Biloxi 3-0. Janas went 6 innings, allowing 1 hit and 2 walks, striking out 3. Ryne Harper and Tyler Jones combined for 3 innings of relief, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5. Mycal Jones had a double and a single and stole a base. Kevin Ahrens had a double.

Tuesday

Biloxi used a 4-run 7th inning to defeat Mississippi 5-4. Greg Ross had a solid start, throwing 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and a walk, striking out 7. Levi Hyams had two singles, a double, and a walk. Steve Rodriguez had a single and two walks. Kevin Ahrens had a home run and a single. Mycal Jones had a double and a walk.

Wednesday

Mississippi had Wednesday off.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: @ Jacksonville, 6:05pm CT
Friday: @ Jacksonville, 6:05pm CT
Saturday: @ Jacksonville, 6:05pm CT
Sunday: @ Jacksonville, 6:05pm CT

Next: Carolina Mudcats Report

Rome Braves (57-78)

Monday

Rome defeated Greenville 6-3 on Monday. Trevor Belicek went 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk, striking out 2. The Braves didn’t allow an earned run the whole game as Matt Tellor‘s fielding error allowed 3 runs. Stephen Gaylor had three singles and stole a base. Luke Dykstra had two doubles. Braxton Davidson had two walks. Tanner Murphy had a walk and a double.

Tuesday

Greenville defeated Rome 9-3. Zach Quintana had a rough start, going 4 innings, allowing 8 runs (6 earned) on 10 hits and 3 walks, striking out 3. Dakota Dill had 3 excellent innings of relief, allowing 2 hits and striking out 7. Joseph Daris had two singles. Omar Obregon, Bryan De La Rosa, Matt Tellor, and Luke Dykstra each had doubles.

Wednesday

Rome followed a solid start from Oriel Caicedo to defeat Greenville on Wednesday. Caicedo threw 6 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 5 hits, striking out 5. Stephen Gaylor and Omar Obregon had three singles. Obregon stole his 31st base. Erison Mendez and Braxton Davidson each had a single and a double. Tanner Murphy had a single and a walk. Luke Dykstra had a double.

Weekend Matchups

Thursday: @ Hickory, 7pm ET
Friday: @ Hickory, 7pm ET
Saturday: @ Hickory, 7pm ET
Sunday: @ Hickory, 5pm ET

Next: Danville Braves Report

Danville Braves (34-34)

Monday

Danville’s offense went ballistic on Monday, scoring 14 runs on 15 hits and 9 walks in a 14-6 defeat of Kingsport. Ryan Clark continued his solid season for Danville, winning his 6th game, going 5 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits, striking out 5. Jake Lanning had three singles and a walk. Carlos Castro had two singles and a triple. Justin Ellison had a single and three walks. Ronald Acuna had two singles and a walk along with a stolen base. Juan Yepez had a single and a double. Jose Morel collected two singles and a stolen base. Austin Riley had two walks, but he also committed his 9th error with Danville, bringing his season total to 16.

Tuesday

Kingsport used a 5-run 4th inning to defeat Danville 6-2. Patrick Weigel had a rough game, even though he still struck out plenty of Mets hitters. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 6 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, striking out 7. Juan Yepez had two singles and a double. Jake Lanning had a double and walk. Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley, Carlos Castro each had a single and a walk. Ray-Patrick Didder had a stolen base.

Next: Atlanta Braves 2016 Payroll Update