Atlanta Braves Minor League Major Performers In May

The Month of May for the Atlanta Braves Minor Leagues

We saw promotions of Ozzie Albies, Lucas Sims, and Dansby Swanson among the “big” guys. We saw the trade of two excellent-performing pitchers in Brandon Barker and Trevor Belicek. We saw the debut of 2015 draftee A.J. Minter and trade acquisition Adam McCreery. There was a lot to watch in the Atlanta Braves system throughout May, and it’s the last “calm” month before promotions REALLY pick up in June, short season teams start up at the end of June, and, of course, the draft comes June 9th! So, without further ado, let’s look at who played well in May:

Hitters

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Catcher

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, Carolina, .293/.363/.439, 7 R, 6 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7/13 BB/K. Odom’s known for his catch-and-throw skills, but he’s hit well in the last month and may be establishing himself as the next catcher for Atlanta.

First Base

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, Carolina, .344/.402/.510, 9 R, 7 2B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 10/13 BB/K. Meneses built on a solid April and could be argued to be the best hitting Braves player in the minors right now. He could see AA by the end of the month the way he’s hitting and controlling the strike zone.

Second Base

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, Rome, .318/.361/.373, 11 R, 6 2B, 17 RBI, 5 SB, 4/9 BB/K. Dykstra is basically

with better contact skills, doing all the little things well, but he still hits .300+. He’s one of the few bats in Rome hitting well.

Third Base

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, Mississippi, .265/.374/.373, 9 R, 2 2B 2 3B, HR, 10 RBI, 14/27 BB/K. In a rough month at the hot corner across the system, Franco played rough defense, but his bat at least woke up some.

Shortstop

– Dansby Swanson, Mississippi, .265/.346/.407, 18 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB, 13/16 BB/K. Swanson scuffled more than I think many people even noticed, simply because there was the power in the line. That said, the position didn’t have a better performer.

Outfield

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, Carolina, .255/.343/.372, 14 R, 6 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, 6 SB, 10/14 BB/K. Curcio has been a solid player under the radar for many people as he’s been a solid leadoff hitter.

Outfield

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, Rome, .263/.359/.342, 21 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 SB, 11/27 BB/K. Didder has been the one constant for the Rome lineup after

went out, though he’s been pushing some, as you can see in the strikeout rate.

Outfield

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, Gwinnett, .438/.491/.646, 8 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 4 SB, 5/4 BB/K. Snyder has been a revelation this month. After he returned from injury mid-month, he’s been ridiculously on fire, winning back to back player of the week awards here at TT in the system.

Pitchers

Starter – Rob Whalen, Mississippi, 33.1 IP, 2.43 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 12/27 BB/K. Whalen underwent surgery that cut short his first time in the Braves system last summer, but he’s healthy, and as the season has worn on, he’s just found more and more sharpness with his pitches, and he’s really keeping hitters off balance and producing weak contact.
Starter – Enderson Franco, Carolina, 30 IP, 3.30 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 3/28 BB/K. Franco is one of my bigger faux pas this year as I really lit into the organization for “wasting” a rotation spot on what I saw as a journeyman when they had so many better options in house that needed a shot. Instead, Franco has been going deep nearly every game, and outside of some BABIP issues early in the year, he’s been tremendous throughout.
Starter – John Gant, Gwinnett, 28.1 IP, 2.86 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6/31 BB/K. Gant started the year in the Atlanta bullpen, and it looks like he may be in Gwinnett until he could return to Atlanta as a member of the rotation, and he’s taken the consistent role very well.
Starter – Patrick Weigel, Rome, 28.1 IP, 3.49 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 14/27 BB/K. Weigel was among a number of high-upside, high-velocity arms that the Braves took in the 2015 draft that many projected as relievers. Instead, the Braves have let many start until they “force” their way into the bullpen, and Weigel is one that has seemingly picked up more ability to stay in the rotation as a pro than he had in college. He has solid secondary stuff, but his calling card is still a fastball that can run into triple digits in short stints.
Starter – Max Povse, Carolina, 26.1 IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 7/34 BB/K. While his may wasn’t as impressive as his April, Povse is the one returning starter to this list. He returns primarily on the merit of his incredible strikeout rate through the month as he’s really found another gear in going late into ball games while also challenging hitters. A move up to Mississippi seems more like a matter of “when” than “if” at this point.
Reliever – Matt Custred, Rome, 14.2 IP, 1.23 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 1/20 BB/K. Custred was a late draftee in 2015 that very few expected to sign, but the Braves were able to bring him in, and he’s been tremendous ever since. He had a rough April, but he bounced back and was lights out in May, even putting up a few multi-inning appearances.
Reliever – Steve Janas, Mississippi, 15.2 IP, 1.15 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 1/15 BB/K. Janas has made a very successful transition from a ground ball inducing starter to a reliever that can tick up the fastball a few notches and get some strikeouts while still maintaining the stellar control he showed as a starter.
Reliever – Oriel Caicedo, Rome, 21.2 IP, 2.49 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 2/19 BB/K. Caicedo has proven very valuable for Rome this year, making appearances as a starter, closer, long man, and as a LOOGY. His stuff won’t blow anyone away, but he has a four-pitch mix that he uses well in the bullpen, and that could play well all the way to the major leagues even.
Reliever – A.J. Minter, Rome/Carolina, 10 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 3/11 BB/K. The wait for Minter has been worth it. His stuff is absolutely filthy. It would not surprise me if we’re discussing him at Mississippi or even Gwinnett by the end of June. The stuff is incredibly polished with a bunch of upside still there for him to do more!

Next: Braves Minor League Database

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to an exciting month of coverage here at Tomahawk Take with the draft, short season leagues, and lots more to come!!