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Three Possible Championships in the Balance for Atlanta Braves’ Farm Teams

By Alan Carpenter

Apr 11, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals world series trophies before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals world series trophies before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Mallex Smith looks on in the dugout during the game against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Mallex Smith looks on in the dugout during the game against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Mississippi vs. Jackson

More from Tomahawk Take

BEST OF 5 SERIES:

  • MON:   At Jackson, TN, 6:05pm
  • TUE:  At Jackson, 6:05pm
  • THR:   At Pearl, 7:00pm
  • FRI:     At Pearl, 7:00pm
  • SAT:    At Pearl, 6:00pm

The M-Braves are still fighting hard, despite losing Dansby Swanson (to the majors) and Ozzie Albies (to injury).  Mallex Smith has been left to continue his ‘rehab’ sessions, and he’s certainly contributing:  hitting .438 in AA overall and .353 in the first round series.

In support, Dustin Peterson, Carlos Franco, and Joey Meneses are all destroying baseballs as well – Peterson the “weakest” of that trio, hitting .375 in the first round.  I suppose I should also mention the recently acquired Kade Scivicque and his .875 average in the Pensacola series.  Yeah… that’s not an OPS:  it’s a batting average.

But it’s the Jackson Generals that they will face in the Finals, a Seattle affiliate.  Overall, they were 29 games above .500 for the year; 38-31 in the second half.  Mississippi was one game better than that after the break, and 9-6 head-to-head.

Early matchups were won by pitchers named Hursh, Bradly, Cabrera, and Whalen.  But the promotions of these players didn’t hurt:  Mississippi took 4 of the last 5 meetings using pitchers named Max Povse, Sean Newcomb, Akeel Morris and Evan Phillips.

That doesn’t even count Patrick Weigel, Lucas Sims and a formidable bullpen to throw at Jackson, but the Generals do have some weapons:

  • #2 prospect and Futures Gamer Tyler O’Neill (.293/.882 OPS, 24 HR)
  • 3B Adam Law hit .321 over the last 2 months.
  • Andrew Moore is the top pitching prospect (#10), 3.16 ERA, 86K/18BB in 108 innings.  Threw a complete game 1-hitter 4 days ago vs. Montgomery in the playoffs.

This is the top-hitting team in the Southern League (.263, .717 OPS), though Mississippi should match that, given their improvement through the season.

Mississippi, however, is the best pitching team in this league (3.10 ERA – easily besting everyone else other than Pensacola… a team that has now gone home, thanks to the Braves).  Jackson is third in the league in ERA, but that’s almost a half-run behind the Braves.

Their one big thing is that Jackson’s pitchers don’t walk many.  They are best in the league by far: 367 walks vs. Mississippi’s 534… which is actually worst in the Southern League.

If I were advising each club:  Mississippi should swing the bats; Jackson should be patient.  If there’s an Achilles’ heel for the Braves, that’s it.  And indeed, Jackson has accepted more walks (555) than any other team in the league…while the M-Braves have taken the fewest (369).

This will come down to keeping pitching down and avoiding the free passes.  Do that and the Generals’ bats will be disarmed.  Mississippi should be able to get some runs if they can get on base… and that it may be tough against Moore.

This matchup concerns me due to the walks/strikeouts factors.  Mississippi needs base-runners and that will only happen via actual hits.  If Jackson is content to wait, then runners will materialize for them.

This could go down to the wire.

Next: Triple A Match-up Ripe for an Upset?

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