Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up: May 23rd

Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up

Transactions

5/19 LHP A.J. Minter promoted to Carolina from Rome
5/19 LHP Michael O’Neal demoted from Carolina to extended spring
5/19 LHP Trevor Belicek promoted from extended spring to Rome
5/20 RHP Victor Mateo promoted from Mississippi to Gwinnett
5/20 RHP John Gant demoted from Atlanta to Gwinnett
5/20 LHP Sean Burnett released by Gwinnett
5/20 RHP Joel De La Cruz promoted from Gwinnett to Atlanta
5/20 1B Matt Tellor activated from DL to Rome
5/20 1B Juan Yepez placed on DL by Rome
5/21 RHP Rob Wooten promoted from extended spring to Gwinnett
5/21 RHP Victor Mateo demoted from Gwinnett to Mississippi
5/21 RHP Lucas Harrelll assigned to Gwinnett
5/21 RHP Jose Ramirez demoted to extended spring from Gwinnett
5/21 LHP Trevor Belicek demoted from Rome to extended spring
5/21 RHP Shae Simmons assigned to Rome on rehab assignment
5/21 RHP Grayson Jones promoted from extended spring to Rome
5/22 LHP Manny Banuelos assigned to Rome on rehab assignement

Hitter of the week – The winner was easy this week. When you hit over .500 and have an on base and slugging over .600, you’re pretty much a shoo-in. Brandon Snyder put up a .533/.611/.667 line for Gwinnett this week with 2 doubles and 2 steals with a 3/3 BB/K ratio. Honorable mention: Dansby Swanson bounced back nicely from his multi-week slump to put up a .375/.429/.625 line with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. He hit a home run and a triple, but oddly no doubles. He also stole a base.

Pitcher of the week – After a three-start “slump” where he allowed 8 runs in 16 innings, Brandon Barker came out guns blazing on Wednesday. He went 6 innings, allowing not a single runner to cross the plate as he only allowed 3 hits and walked two. Even more impressive is that Barker, who pitches to contact and relies on his defense behind him, struck out 8 hitters!

Honorable mention: There are starters that could get mentioned here, but no one has looked half as good as A.J. Minter. He was promoted to Carolina already, having made his professional debut on May 5th after not pitching at all last season after the Braves selected him.

So far in his professional career he’s allowed a total of ZERO runs. That’s not a typo.

In fact, in the 8 2/3 innings he’s thrown, he’s allowed a total of 3 base runners! Over that time, he’s struck out 10 batters as well. In his debut for Carolina on Sunday, he pitched 2 perfect innings, striking out 4, giving him 6 punch outs on the week, which would tie him for the 5th highest total of any pitcher in the system, including starters, who pitched more than his 3 2/3 innings on the week!

Next: Gwinnett Braves

AA Mississippi Braves ()

More from Tomahawk Take

• Atlanta Braves Swing Trade with the New York Yankees for Lucas Luetge
• Atlanta Braves 2012 Top Prospects Review: Zeke Spruill
• Braves News: Atlanta extends Sean Murphy, pitcher reunions, more
• Atlanta Braves: Six Braves prospects that could debut in 2023
• Braves News: Braves sign Sean Murphy to six year, $73 million deal

Thursday

Andrew Thurman struggled to get the ball over the plate, and he was hurt by his defense and his relievers as well once he stepped out as Mississippi lost to Mobile 7-2. Thurman went 3 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 6 walks, striking out 2. Dansby Swanson had a home run and a single. Jordy Lara had a single and a double. Dian Toscano had a single and a walk.

Friday

Chris Ellis was shelled in the 4th inning for 6 runs as Mobile defeated Mississippi 9-4. Ellis’ final line was 5 innings, 6 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. Dian Toscano had a single and two walks. Dansby Swanson had a single and a walk.

Saturday

The Mississippi offense came out strong, but Sean Newcomb couldn’t get the ball over the plate, so he couldn’t get deep into the game. The final score was 10-3. Newcomb went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits and 6 walks, striking out 4, but he threw 96 pitches in that short outing.

Jason Hursh threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win. Matt Lipka had a triple, two singles, and a walk. Dansby Swanson had a triple and two singles. Dustin Peterson had three singles. Carlos Franco had two singles and a walk. Jacob Schrader had a home run and a single. Willians Astudillo hit a double.

Sunday

Mississippi took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th inning against Mobile, and then Mauricio Cabrera unceremoniously loaded the bases on three walks. Madison Younginer actually came in and got two outs without putting a runner on, but because one of those outs scored a run, he was credited with a blown save (cheap scoring decision, in my book). That sent the game into marathon mode that the M-Braves finally broke in the 16th to win 3-2.

Rob Whalen got the start today and put up a very solid start, going 7 innings, allowing one run on 6 hits, walking none. He struck out 3 and had Mobile batters off kilter all game long. Matt Lipka had a single, a double, a walk, and a stolen base.

Dustin Peterson had a single, a double, and a walk. Dansby Swanson went 2-7 with a double and stole a base. Mel Rojas, Jr. hit his first home run for Mississippi in the top of the 16th to win the ball game and added a single earlier in the game. Willians Astudillo and Carlos Franco each had two singles. Johan Camargo had a walk and a single. Jacob Schrader had a double.

Leaders

BA: Dansby Swanson .307
OBP: Dansby Swanson .390
HR: Dustin Peterson 5
SB: Matt Lipka 6
W: Chris Ellis 6
SV: Mauricio Cabrera 4
SO: Sean Newcomb 46
ERA: Brandon Barker 2.00

Video Highlights

None posted

Next: Carolina Mudcats

Carolina Mudcats (17-25)

Thursday

Carolina defeated Potomac 5-4. Wes Parsons got the start and continued to build up arm strength toward deeper starts, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 6. Joey Meneses had a double, single, and a walk. Joseph Daris had a single and two walks. Ryan Gebhardt had two singles. Stephen Gaylor had a single, a walk, and a stolen base.

Friday

Wilmington jumped all over Carolina starter Matt Withrow, defeating the Mudcats 8-2. Withrow went 4 innings, allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. Braxton Davidson had two walks. Keith Curcio had a single, walk, and a stolen base. Jordan Edgerton and Stephen Gaylor each had a single and a walk.

Saturday

Carolina was rained out.

Sunday

Carolina split a double header Sunday. In the first game, Carolina followed a great start from Max Povse to defeat Wilmington 5-1. Povse went 5 innings, allowing one unearned run on 5 hits, striking out 6. A.J. Minter made his first appearance for the Mudcats and went 2 perfect innings, allowing 4 strikeouts. Braxton Davidson had a single and two walks. Jordan Edgerton had a single and a walk.

Wilmington took the second game 6-4. Ryan Clark went 5 innings, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, striking out 3. Joseph Odom had a single and a double. Keith Curcio had a double and a walk. Joey Meneses and Stephen Gaylor each had a single and a walk.

Leaders

BA: Joey Meneses .315
OBP: Joey Meneses .377
HR: Joey Meneses .466
SB: Keith Curcio 10
W: Max Povse, Enderson Franco 3
SV: Evan Phillips, Chase Johnson-Mullins 5
SO: Max Povse 47
ERA: Evan Phillips 1.06

Video Highlights

None posted

Next: Rome Braves

Rome Braves (16-27)

Thursday

Rome defeated Augusta 8-3. Max Fried had a great start, going 5 innings, allowing 1 unearned run on a single hit, walking 4 while striking out 4. Jonathan Morales had two singles and a double. Luke Dykstra had two doubles. Bradley Keller had a double and a single. Lucas Herbert had two singles. Justin Ellison and Ray-Patrick Didder had a single and a walk.

Friday

Augusta defeated Rome 8-5 on Friday. Ricardo Sanchez was BABIP’d and his defense really hurt him as he only went 1 2/3 innings, allowing 7 runs (6 earned, though only about 2 of them should have been) on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 2.

Trevor Belicek and Dalton Geekie combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 5 between the two of them. Justin Ellison had a single and two walks.

Austin Riley had a single and a double along with 2 errors (though he could have had at least one more, if not two). Luke Dykstra had two singles. Leudys Baez had a single and a walk.

Saturday

Rome was shut out 4-0 by Augusta. Shae Simmons made a rehab “start” for Rome, throwing a perfect inning and striking out one. Touki Toussaint came in to follow and threw 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 3. Ray-Patrick Didder was the only hitter of note with two singles.

Sunday

Rome lost to Augusta 7-4 on Sunday. Manny Banuelos made a rehab start, going 2 innings, allowing 5 runs, 3 earned, on 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts. Mike Soroka relieved him and threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 5. Austin Riley had a single and a double, but also had his 11th error. Luke Dykstra, Wigberto Nevarez, Justin Ellison, and Alejandro Salazar each had two singles.

Next: Braves Minor League Database

Leaders

BA: Luke Dykstra .313
OBP: Ronald Acuna, Ray-Patrick Didder .389
HR: Austin Riley 3
SB: Ronald Acuna 12
W: Trevor Belicek 3
SV: A.J. Minter, Oriel Caicedo 2
SO: Mike Soroka 46
ERA: Grayson Jones 2.20

Highlight Videos