Andrew Barbosa looks like he should be suiting up for the Atlanta Hawks, not the Braves, with his 6’8, 230-pound frame. The long lefty was selected late in the 2012 draft by Arizona, but they released him in April. He caught on with an independent league, and the Braves signed him from there. The Braves moved Barbosa into a swing man role after he’d been a starter throughout his minor league career, and his stuff definitely played up in that role. For Mississippi, he had a 2.68 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 17/51 BB/K over 43 2/3 innings covering 16 appearances (5 starts). Barbosa is 27, so he doesn’t have a lot of margin for error at this point, but he should move up to Gwinnett to start 2016 if he doesn’t show enough to stay in Atlanta, and his skill set could be incredibly valuable in the pen, offering a lefty who can go multiple innings of relief against some of the tough lefties of the NL East.
Ryne Harper got a late start due to injury this year, but he made up for lost time when he got to Mississippi. This is Harper’s third season in Mississippi, but he seems unable to crack the AAA barrier, in spite of excellent relief performance. Harper was originally a 37th round selection by the Braves in the 2011 draft, and the 6’3 righty has done nothing but put up eye-catching stats in relief since his selection. In 2015, Harper’s Mississippi line was 1.87 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 11/40 BB/K ratio over 33 2/3 innings. I’d love to see Harper get a shot in Gwinnett in 2016 as the 26 year-old doesn’t have a lot more time to make that impression and find his way up the ladder.
Justin Jackson was originally a 1st round draft pick in 2007 out of high school in North Carolina as a shortstop. He moved to the mound in 2013 as a reliever, and after 2014, he was signed as a minor league free agent by the Braves away from the Blue Jays organization. Jackson had a stellar season in Carolina, but he struggled after his promotion to Mississippi. Overall, he posted a 3.02 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 35/52 BB/K over 62 2/3 innings pitched. We’ll see how the Braves handle Jackson, and at 26, he’s really not a “prospect”, but if he can become something, he’d be a very nice cheap pickup for the Braves.
Looking more like a linebacker than a reliever, Tyler Jones came to the Braves on a minor league free agent deal after the Twins released him at the end of spring training. The M-Braves ended up with an All-Star closer in the deal. Between Carolina and Mississippi, Jones posted a 2.50 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 20/65 BB/K over 54 innings. I could imagine Jones moving up to Gwinnett in 2016, and he’s a guy who could be a solid bullpen piece in Atlanta. He’ll be 26 next season, so he’s not really a prospect, but he’s done nothing but put up numbers in the Braves system.
Kyle Kinman was a 25th round selection in 2014 for the Braves out of Bellevue University in Nebraska. The diminutive lefty jumped through three levels in 2015. He’s shown an excellent ability to get hitters of both handedness out, but he’s especially deadly versus lefties, allowing only a .486 OPS to lefties on the season. Overall, Kinman totaled a 2.09 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 26/65 BB/K over 51 2/3 innings. Kinman has a great fastball/slider combination, but he can lose the feel for his breaker, and he’ll rack up walks in a hurry when that happens. If he can get consistent with his control, he could find his way to Atlanta in a hurry.
Andrew Waszak was a 22nd round selection out of Michigan State. He’s played a similar role to Ryan Weber in the minor league system this year and moved up about one step behind all season, finishing his year in Mississippi after starting in Rome. Overall, Waszak’s numbers were skewed by one poor rehab appearance in Rome as he was returning following the Carolina bus crash, but his overall numbers were 3.56 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 40/60 BB/K over 93 2/3 innings on 30 appearances (12 starts). While he played a similar role as Weber, Waszak simply doesn’t have Weber’s stuff, and he’ll have an uphill battle to establish himself as a swing man going forward as a 24-year-old.
We’ll look at the Gwinnett hitters on Thursday!