Atlanta Braves Minor League Review: Carolina Mudcats

Atlanta Braves Minor League Review: Carolina Mudcats

The Carolina Mudcats had some tremendous pitching come through the team this year, but much of it didn’t actually end the season pitching for the Mudcats:

Starters

Brandon Barker was a 16th round selection out of Mercer University in 2014. He’s a 6’3 righty who really doesn’t have an elite pitch, but he does have a solid four-pitch combination of pitches. While he did make two starts for Gwinnett at the end of the season, he spent most of the season in Carolina after being promoted to fill the rotation after the bus crash. His overall numbers were solid with 12 wins, a 3.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 41/109 BB/K ratio over 146 2/3 innings across Rome, Carolina, and Gwinnett. Barker likely isn’t going to blow anyone away, but his success in 2015 opens the door for him to be a possible swingman/5th starter type in the major leagues.

Tyler Brosius is a big 6’4, 230-pound righty from Walters State Community College in Tennessee that the Braves selected in the 21st round in 2013. Sadly, he was the biggest “victim” of the bus crash, being the only player who did not return in 2015 after the bus crash. Before the crash, he was a very solid piece of what was one of the minors’ best rotations at the time. Brosius finished with a line of a 3.33 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with a 7/17 BB/K ratio over 27 innings. Brosius has a big downward plane, albeit not overwhelming sort of stuff. He was really the 5th starter for Carolina at the time of the accident, in spite of his solid numbers. Hopefully, he can come back to Carolina and show that 2015’s numbers were very real, but he will turn 24 in January, so his time window to be a “prospect” is closing.

Sean Furney was acquired for cash from Arizona in March, and this turned into an excellent investment. Furney was an undrafted free agent that the Diamondbacks signed in 2013 after a career for the University of Rhode Island. He’s a big sinker baller at 6’5, 220, but Furney is already 24, and he struggled some after being promoted from Rome to Carolina. His overall line was solid with a 3.76 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 42/78 BB/K ratio over 141 1/3 innings, but his Carolina line was 6.99 ERA, 2.01 WHIP, and 11/15 BB/K over 28 1/3 innings. He’ll start 2016 at Carolina and be given the opportunity to move forward quickly if he produces.

Max Povse was the Braves 3rd round selection in 2014 out of the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. He’s an impressive 6’8, though without a lot of meat on the bone at just under 200 pounds. Povse has had some injury dings in his time in the Braves system, but he shows the sort of velocity and slider that makes one think that if he doesn’t work out as a starter, he could be an elite reliever. At only 21, he’s got a number of chances as a starter before the Braves bail on that, but his Carolina promotion did not go well to say the least. After posting a 2.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 59 2/3 innings pitched, he put up a 9.33 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over 18 1/3 innings. His stuff will give him plenty of opportunities, and he’ll likely start the year at Carolina, but watch his injury bugs because if that keeps going on, he’ll likely expedite his move to the bullpen.

The Braves signed Blair Walters out of independent ball last summer and he pitched lights out at high-A. He returned to high-A in 2015, and he remained on the team all season. The lefty posted a 3.13 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with a 40/85 BB/K ratio over 135 innings split among 22 starts and 7 relief appearances. Walters doesn’t have overwhelming stuff by any means, but he could be a good org pitcher type. Walter is 26 for 2016, so he’ll likely get the push to AA Mississippi next spring and if he can produce and keep putting up solid numbers, he could profile as a back-end starter. If not, he could quickly move as a LOOGY.

Seth Webster began the season pitching for Schaumburg of the Frontier League, but the Braves signed him away, and he ended up leading the Carolina staff in wins. Webster is a 26 year-old, 6’5 righty who looks much more intimidating than his pitches are. While Webster has a good pitch mix, he simply has four average pitches, nothing that sticks out. Webster’s Carolina line on the season was 2.82 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP with a sparkling 8/96 BB/K ratio over 130 2/3 innings. You read that correctly. Webster walked 8 batters total in the entire season. He will likely continue to pound the zone in AA next season, and the Braves will see if they may have found a high-control, ground-ball focused starter that could pitch a ton of innings at the back of a rotation.

Rob Whalen was part of the Juan Uribe/Kelly Johnson trade at the deadline, and he’s a very solid prospect. He’s 21 and will be knocking on the door of AA depending on his spring performance after putting up a 3.35 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with a 38/68 BB/K ratio over 96 2/3 innings pitched between the Mets and Braves high-A clubs. He could be a guy who starts at Carolina just to get his feet under him this year before a move up to Mississippi.

Next: Mudcat Relievers