Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up: August 8th
Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up
Transactions
8/4 – RHP Rob Wooten placed on DL by Gwinnett
8/4 – RHP Aaron Blair placed on DL by Gwinnett
8/4 – RHP Madison Younginer promoted from Mississippi to Gwinnett
8/4 – LHP Manny Banuelos placed on DL by Mississippi
8/4 – OF Leudys Baez placed on DL by Rome
8/4 – LHP Jon Kennedy promoted from Danville to Rome
8/5 – RHP Chad Rogers assigned to Gwinnett
8/5 – RHP Taylor Lewis promoted from Carolina to Mississippi
8/5 – RHP Carlos Portuondo promoted from Carolina to Mississippi
8/5 – LHP Ryan Lawlor activated from DL to Carolina
8/5 – C Enmanuel Guitian assigned to DSL
8/5 – LHP Gabriel Noguera assigned to DSL
8/5 – OF Emmanuel Isea assigned to DSL
8/6 – RHP John Gant sent on rehab assignment to Gwinnett
8/6 – RHP Roberto Hernandez promoted from Gwinnett to Atlanta
8/6 – RHP Jordy Lara promoted from Danville to Mississippi
8/6 – OF Jared James promoted from Danville to Rome
8/6 – LHP Adam McCreery demoted from Rome to Danville
8/7 – RHP Madison Younginer promoted from Gwinnett to Atlanta
8/7 – RHP Carlos Portuondo promoted from Mississippi to Gwinnett
8/7 – RHP Wes Parsons promoted from Carolina to Mississippi
8/7 – 2B Luke Dykstra placed on DL by Rome
8/7 – SS Anfernee Seymour assigned to Rome
Hitter of the week: The Braves brass tends to fall in love with a guy and pursue him multiple times if they don’t get him the first time. In 2014, the Braves drafted Jared James in the 30th round. This year, the Braves nabbed James in the 34th round and got him signed this time, and he’s already pushed his way up to Rome. This week is a great example of why. With a raw, athletic frame at 6’1 and a listed 180 pounds, James generates a good amount of force on the ball, and he has very good pitch recognition. He could end up being a late-round diamond in the rough for the Braves, who are getting a reputation for finding such guys out in the California area. This week James put on a show in Danville before his promotion to Rome and really caught fire in his two games with Rome. Overall, his line was .500/.500/1.214 with 5 runs scored, a double, 3 home runs, 7 runs batted in, an 0/2 BB/K ratio, and even a stolen base for good measure.
Honorable mention: While third base in the future is an open idea right now, one guy I’ve followed for many years with interest has been Carlos Franco. He was a minor league free agent due to being in the system that long last offseason, and when he came back to the Braves, I felt it was more due to a lack of depth at the position rather than a desire to bring him back for his talent. He’s definitely had an up and down season with Mississippi, but he’s not had an “up” or “down” that competes with the high he found this last week. Franco anchored himself in the #5 spot in the M-Braves order with a week’s line of .500/.643/.800, 5 runs scored, 3 doubles, a home run, 7 RBI, an 8/4 BB/K ratio, and for a good measure, a stolen base.
Pitcher of the week: His first go-round in Rome this year didn’t go so well, but after dominating Danville, Kolby Allard returned to Rome with a few mixed results in his starts. He would flash at times, but then he would blow up at other times. This week, he had arguably the most dominating start of his young career. He came out simply dealing, and Braves Twitter was fun to watch as the updates rolled in on his start. In the end, his line was 6 1/3 innings pitched, 1 run allowed on 3 hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts. The crazy part is that in the seventh, he put himself in a rough situation for the manager, but he still had top-end velocity and break to his pitches, but the game was tight and he put a pair of runners on base and in a low-scoring game, he had to be pulled with 92 pitches thrown and seemingly gas left in the tank.
Honorable mention: The Braves acquired Jed Bradley from the Brewers in one of their shrewd trades this summer, and he has gone from failed former top prospect with Milwaukee to first a versatile member of the Mississippi bullpen, and now he’s a key member of the rotation. This week, Bradley made two starts, and while neither individually was as good as some of the other options from the week, when you look at his total numbers, you will see why I chose to mention him here in this space. Over the two starts this week, Bradley racked up 12 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 11 hits and 3 walks, striking out 17 opposing batters on the week. Bradley may not be a guy who is going to be a future ace for the Braves, but he’s showing that perhaps the full-time move to the bullpen was premature, and he could re-establish some of his former top-prospect value.
Next: Gwinnett Braves
AAA Gwinnett Braves (52-63)
Thursday
Charlotte used a 5-run 4th inning to propel them over Gwinnett on Thursday 9-4. Kanekoa Texeira went 3 1/3 innings on the start, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 3. Ronnier Mustelier had two singles and two walks. Emilio Bonifacio had two singles and a walk. George Kottaras had two singles. Reid Brignac and Sean Kazmar each had a single and a walk.
Friday
Gwinnett shut out Durham on Friday 4-0. Chris Ellis didn’t allow any runs, but his stuff was not sharp at all as he walked 5 and allowed 3 hits. He was followed by Ryan Weber who got the rare 4-inning save, going 4 innings, allowing only a hit, striking out 4. Mel Rojas had a home run, triple, and two singles. Emilio Bonifacio had two singles, a walk, and 3 stolen bases. Rio Ruiz had a double and walk. Blake Lalli had a double.
Saturday
The Braves had a scary moment when their starter struggled so heavily with the heat that he was taken out after completing just 1/3 of an inning. He was taken away by emergency personnel to get fluids into him as he was very dehydrated. That starter was John Gant and he completed 1/3 of and innings, allowing 2 runs on a hit and 4 walks. Matt Lipka had a single and a walk. Daniel Castro and Omar Infante each had a double.
Sunday
Gwinnett defeated Durham 5-2 on Sunday. Matt Wisler went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. Blake Lalli had two singles, a walk, and a stolen base. Omar Infante had a home run and a single. Rio Ruiz had a double and a single. Emilio Bonifacio and Matt Lipka each had a single and a walk along with a stolen base. Daniel Castro had a double.
Leaders
BA: Ronnier Mustelier .296
OBP: Ronnier Mustelier .358
HR: Matt Tuiasosopo 11
SB: Emilio Bonifacio 30
W: Aaron Blair 4
SV: Maikel Cleto 4
SO: Aaron Blair 67
ERA: Ryan Weber 2.90
Video Highlights
Next: Mississippi Braves
AA Mississippi Braves (61-51)
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Thursday
Mississippi and Pensacola took the game all the way to 14 innings, but then the M-Braves offense went nuts, scoring 8 runs in the top of the 14th. Sean Newcomb made the start, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing a single run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 10. Carlos Franco had a home run, two singles, 3 walks, and a stolen base. Dansby Swanson had three singles and two walks. Johan Camargo had two singles. Newcomb supported himself with a double. Connor Lien stole a base.
Friday
Mississippi put up 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th to score a 3-2 victory over Mobile on Friday. Max Povse made the start, going 7 innings, allowing one run on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 3. Joey Meneses had a double, single, and a walk. Dustin Peterson had a home run and a single. Willians Astudillo had two singles. Carlos Franco had two singles.
Saturday
Mississippi got the win easier this time, winning 5-0 over Movile. Jed Bradley got the start, and he went 7 innings, allowing just one run on 5 hits and no walks, striking out 9. Carlos Franco had two doubles. Levi Hyams, Dansby Swanson, and Dustin Peterson each had two singles. Connor Lien had a single, a walk, and a stolen base. Ozzie Albies stole a base.
Sunday
Mississippi scored 3 runs in the first inning and made it hold up for a 3-2 victory. Wes Parsons made the start, going 4 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and 2 walks, striking out 2. Joseph Odom had three singles. Carlos Franco had a double, single, and two walks. Dustin Peterson had a double and two walks. Connor Lien had a two singles. Jake Schrader had a single and a walk.
Leaders
BA: Ozzie Albies .323
OBP: Ozzie Albies .401
HR: Jake Schrader 10
SB: Ozzie Albies 12
W: Jed Bradley 6
SV: Steve Kent and Kyle Kinman 1
SO: Sean Newcomb 118
ERA: Lucas Sims 2.10
Video Highlights
Next: Carolina Mudcats
Carolina Mudcats (44-70)
Thursday
Myrtle Beach scored 4 in the first inning and held on as Carolina made a run at the game, with the Mudcats falling short, 6-4. Ryan Clark went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out 3. Travis Demeritte had a double and a single. Tanner Murphy had two singles. Luis Valenzuela went for a double and a walk. Braxton Davidson and J.B. Moss each had a single and a walk.
Friday
Myrtle Beach kept hammering away and chipping out runs and in the end tallied a 5-1 defeat over Carolina. Enderson Franco went 6 2/3 innings, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits and a walk, striking out 1. Sal Giardina had a double, a single, and a rare stolen base. Keith Curcio had a single and a walk. Omar Obregon had a single, a walk, and a stolen base.
Saturday
Carolina ended up in extra innings, but they ended up dropping the game to Myrtle Beach 4-3 in 11 innings. Andrew Thurman got the start and looked solid, going 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 3. Keith Curcio had a triple, single, 2 walks, and a stolen base. Sal Giardina and Braxton Davidson each had a single and a walk. Travis Demeritte had a stolen base.
Sunday
Carolina was shut out on Sunday 6-0. Matt Withrow made the start, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and 5 walks, striking out 7. Tanner Murphy had a double and two singles. Ryan Gebhardt had a double, single, and a walk. Keith Curcio had two singles.
Leaders
BA: Keith Curcio .275
OBP: Keith Curcio .356
HR: Braxton Davidson 10
SB: Keith Curcio 18
W: Matt Withrow 6
SV: Sean McLaughlin 5
SO: Matt Withrow 100
ERA: Sean McLaughlin 1.74
Video Highlights
Next: Rome Braves
DSL Braves (24-29)
Thursday
The Braves took down the Brewers on Thursday 7-2. Deyvis Julian went 4 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and no walks, striking out 4. Jean Carlos Encarnacion had two singles and a walk along with 3 stolen bases on the day. Danyer Salazar had two singles and a walk. Jeffrey Ramos and Eudis Lora each had a double and a single. Braulio Vasquez had two singles and a stolen base. Yoeli Lopez had two singles. Jose Bermudez had a double and three stolen bases.
Friday
The Braves and Yankees2 had a shootout on Friday, with the Yankees2 coming out on top 13-8. Jhoniel Sepulveda went 1 1/3 innings, allowing 7 unearned runs on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 2. Braulio Vasquez had a triple, single, and a walk. Andres Adrianza had two singles and a walk. Yoeli Lopez had two singles. Jose Bermudez had two walks. Jeffrey Ramos had a triple and a walk.
Saturday
Saturday’s game was postponed until later.
Sunday
The Braves had Sunday off
Next: Braves Minor League Database
Leaders
BA: Reilys Blanco .307
OBP: Braulio Vasquez .432
HR: Danyer Salazar 3
SB: Jose Bermudez 11
W: Five with 3
SV: Filyer Sanchez 3
SO: Gregory Bautista 42
ERA: Miguel Jerez 0.77