Atlanta Braves Minor League July Standouts

The Month of June for the Atlanta Braves Minor Leagues

Now that the international free agents have been brought in, it’s really the home stretch of the minors where the only guys coming in will be from trades of veterans. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open and let you know about any new players coming into the system!

Hitters

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Catcher

–

isn’t the guy that most would expect in this spot, but he only made two appearances in July in which he didn’t get a hit, leading to a .333/.367/.520/.887 line over 20 games and 75 at bats with 9 runs, 3 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and a 2/17 BB/K ratio.

First Base

–

was drafted out of Samford this year where he was overshadowed by teammate

. Now at Danville, he’s often overshadowed by fellow first baseman

, but he had the better month in July, hitting .392/.426/.667/1.093 over 16 games and 51 at bats with 12 runs, 5 doubles, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, and a 3/8 BB/K.

Second Base

– After coming down to Mississippi,

has done nothing but hit, and in July he hit .335/.422/.473/.895 from the leadoff spot over 28 games and 110 at bats, totaling 25 runs scored, 8 doubles, 2 triples, a home run, 13 RBI, a 13/16 BB/K ratio and leading the system with 8 stolen bases on the month.

Third Base

–

has really gotten his bat going in July, and it showed up big on the stat sheet, as he hit .274/.324/.516/.840 over 25 games and 95 at bats, with 14 runs, 8 doubles, 5 home runs, 18 RBI, and a 8/24 BB/K ratio.

Shortstop

– While

and

got the attention, some of the lesser heralded members of the 2015 international class have played well this year, and one of those was

, hitting .390/.452/.524/.976 in July over 21 games and 82 at bats, with 10 runs, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 8 RBI, an 8/12 BB/K ratio, and 5 steals.

Outfield

– We’ll discuss him in more detail later, but

has simply been on fire throughout the month, leading the system in home runs as he hit .333/.421/.634/1.055 in July in 26 games and 93 at bats, with 13 runs, 5 doubles, a triple, 7 home runs, 19 RBI, a 14/17 BB/K ratio, and even 5 steals.

Outfield

–

was simply constant throughout the month, as he really has been all season for Mississippi, hitting .345/.393/.504/.897 over 28 games and 113 at bats in the month, scoring 16 runs with 13 doubles, a triple, a home run, 25 RBI, and a 7/16 BB/K to go with his elite outfield defense.

Outfield

– Frequently,

is an afterthought when it comes to future pieces in the Braves organization, but he’s simply been hitting for two years along with playing excellent defense and showing the ability to even play some infield if need be, allowing him to possibly have a future off the bench. In July, Curcio slashed .372/.455/.547/1.002 over 24 games and 86 at bats with 13 runs, 10 doubles, a triple, a home run, 11 RBI, a 14/8 BB/K ratio, and 5 stolen bases.

Pitchers

Starter – He struggled in AAA, so many felt Lucas Sims was headed for a lost season when he returned to AA Misssissippi, but he’s found his form again, and it showed in July as he led the system in innings pitched with 36, sporting a 2.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, and a 19/36 BB/K ratio over that time.
Starter – Easily the top pitcher on the season in the Braves system has been Robert Whalen. He put together another great month in July, as he went 34 2/3 innings, putting up a 2.34 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with a 12/36 BB/K in the midst of being promoted from AA Mississippi to AAA Gwinnett.
Starter – Patrick Weigel was drafted for his big arm, but even the Braves couldn’t have imagined his success in 2016. He built on that in July with 30 innings pitched, allowing a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, with a 8/31 BB/K ratio for Rome.
Starter – After starting the season rough with Rome, Kolby Allard was sent back to Danville, and he thrived, earning a promotion back to Rome at the end of the month as he threw 28 1/3 innings with a 2.22 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a 9/31 BB/K ratio. I’m not as bullish about his control as others have been, even on TT, but he’s shown good composure on the mound in his return to Rome.
Starter – The best pitcher in the 2016 draft so far is simply the guy picked at #3 overall. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Yet many Braves fans were frustrated when Ian Anderson was the selection of the Braves. He’s done all he can since to show how wise that pick was, and in July, he threw 15 innings without allowing a single earned run, putting up a 1.00 WHIP and a 4/14 BB/K.
Reliever – Jason Hursh finally got the call to Gwinnett at the end of the month. It took a monster July to get it to happen as he pitched in 10 games in July, throwing 16 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run, posting a 0.74 WHIP with 4/14 BB/K.
Reliever – The guy to watch at any stadium if you have a chance before he gets to Atlanta is A.J. Minter. In July, he made 9 appearances, throwing 9 2/3 innings with a 0.93 ERA and 0.41 WHIP, posting an astonishing 1/20 BB/K.
Reliever – If not for Minter, everyone would be talking about the dominance of Taylor Lewis as he’s been moving up the system. In July, Lewis appeared in 8 games, throwing 13 2/3 innings, with a 1.32 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, tallying a 2/21 BB/K ratio.
Reliever – 2016 draftee Corbin Clouse came into the system and hasn’t stopped sitting guys down since. Clouse pitched in 8 games in July, throwing 13 2/3 innings, posting a 1.32 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with a 6/23 BB/K ratio.

Next: Braves Minor League Database

Now we come to my pitcher and hitter of the month…

Hitter of the month for July: Mel Rojas, Jr. was acquired from the Pirates for a song after once being a top prospect in their system. He’s come to Atlanta and hiccuped in Mississippi, but once promoted to Gwinnett, his bat has come alive, and he’s been an asset all over the lineup, whether it’s leadoff, cleanup, or 9th.

Pitcher of the month for July: A.J. Minter has been a revelation throughout the entire season, and this month’s performance has simply been a typical month for him, which is what makes it even more remarkable what he’s doing this season.