Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up, May 1st
Atlanta Braves Minor League Weekend Wrap Up
Transactions
4/27 – RHP Jason Motte recalled by Atlanta Braves from Gwinnett Braves
4/27 – RHP Wes Parsons assigned to Gwinnett Braves from Mississippi Braves
4/27 – C Anthony Recker optioned by Atlanta Braves to Gwinnett Braves
4/27 – RHP Bradley Roney assigned to Mississippi Braves from Florida Fire Frogs
4/29 – RHP Enderson Franco assigned to Gwinnett Braves from Rome Braves
4/29 – RHP Andres Santiago assigned to Rome Braves from Danville Braves
4/30 – OF J.B. Moss assigned to Danville Braves from Florida Fire Frogs
4/30 – LHP Ricardo Sanchez assigned to Florida Fire Frogs from Danville Braves
Hitter of the week: This is really not difficult whatsoever. With two major offensive performances on the week, Florida certainly gave its hitters the opportunity to pad counting stats, but what Ronald Acuna did was more than just pad.
Acuna was simply on fire on the week, posting a .423/.483/.731 line with 9 runs scored, a double, 2 triples, a home run, 10 RBI, and even 3 stolen bases for good measure.
Acuna started the season slow after having a big spring training this year, but he’s nearly gotten his season average back up to .300 already, and the raw power is really shining through.
Honorable mention: I’ll give a hat tip to Lucas Herbert‘s big week (.417/.462/.833), but he had half the games that Braxton Davidson did on the week.
Davidson has been floundering all season, but this week, he had some tremendous plate work, hitting .368/.556/.579 with a double, a home run, and an 8/7 BB/K ratio, as he drastically reduced his strikeout rate over the week.
Many saw the repeat of high-A as a bad sign for Braxton, but he was also one of the youngest players in the entire league last season, and after opening the season in a massive slump, he’s began to really make solid contact.
Pitcher of the week: This simply isn’t close. Sean Newcomb blew away the best game score of the season by any Atlanta Braves minor league pitcher on Sunday, but he also had another scoreless start on the week.
Overall, Newcomb posted 12 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits and 6 walks, striking out 17 hitters for Gwinnett.
After 5 starts, Newcomb has shown 3 very good starts and two rough ones. The big thing is keeping runners off base, but there is much there he cannot control (inconsistent minor league strike zones, weather on one of his poor starts) along with the big one that he can, which is how he reacts to things within the game.
Sunday’s game was impressive in how he responded to not getting calls a few times, simply continuing to attack, whereas that has been an issue at times where Newcomb would then begin to try to “aim”, which would actually hurt his command more than help.
Honorable mention: Before Newcomb on Sunday, the only other guy in the system to have posted a game score of 80 or better also did it this week.
Max Fried came out early in his first start, and he’s struggled in his outings since, but his start this week was tremendous, as he threw 7 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, striking out 6.
Fried had been shorting his follow through on previous starts, whether that was due to injury or a mechanical issue, he was not doing that this week, and if he can get back to the form that was dominating at the end of 2016, he could push for Gwinnett quickly and even Atlanta.
Next: Gwinnett Braves
AAA Gwinnett Braves (14-9)
Thursday
Gwinnett struck first Thursday night, but they were defeated on a 3-run walk-off home run by Rochester in a 5-4 loss. Lucas Sims had an excellent start, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk, striking out 3.
Mel Rojas, Jr. had two singles. Xavier Avery had a double and a walk. Sean Kazmar hit a home run.
Friday
Pawtucket poured it on Friday over Gwinnett, winning 10-1. Aaron Blair had a blow up game, going just 2 1/3 innings, allowing 7 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks without a single strikeout.
Rio Ruiz had a double and a walk. No other Gwinnett hitter reached base twice as the team only managed two hits on the night.
Saturday
Gwinnett swept a double header from Pawtucket on Saturday. In the first game, the Braves defeated Pawtucket 2-1 as Andrew Albers threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 2.
Mel Rojas, Jr. had two doubles and a walk. Matt Tuiasosopo had two walks. Rio Ruiz had a home run.
The second game was a make up of the Sunday game that was rained out, so while the game was in Pawtucket, it was technically a home game for Gwinnett, which would come into play as the G-Braves won in walk-off fashion 3-1.
Enderson Franco made an excellent start for Gwinnett, going 5 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk, striking out 7.
Rio Ruiz had the walk-off winner, a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, as well as a single. Sean Kazmar had two singles. Matt Tuiasosopo had a double and a walk.
Sunday
Pawtucket walked off in the bottom of the 9th with a 2-0 victory. Sean Newcomb pitched arguably the best game of the entire Atlanta Braves minor league system this season, going 7 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, striking out 11.
Gwinnett only totaled two hits and a walk as a team. Rio Ruiz did steal a base.
Leaders
BA: Lane Adams .333
OBP: David Freitas .422
HR: Lane Adams 4
SB: Ozzie Albies 8
W: Sam Freeman 3
SV: David Peterson and Jason Motte 2
SO: Sean Newcomb 35
ERA: Andrew Albers 2.12
Video Highlights
Next: Mississippi Braves
AA Mississippi Braves (11-12)
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Thursday
Mississippi won Thursday on a 2-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning over Tennessee. Patrick Weigel had a solid start, going 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.
Carlos Franco had a home run and a single. Keith Curcio, Travis Demeritte, and Kade Scivicque each had two singles. Adam Walker had a single and a walk. Dylan Moore had a double.
Friday
Mississippi’s bullpen tried hard to give back the game from a 6-2 lead, but the M-Braves held on to defeat Tennessee 8-7. Kolby Allard went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3.
Travis Demeritte had a double, single, a walk, and a stolen base. Armando Araiza had a home run and walk.
Saturday
Tennessee used a 4-run 7th inning to defeat Mississippi 6-3. Matt Withrow made only two mistakes the entire game, and both ended up taken deep as solo home runs. His final line was 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk, striking out 3.
Kade Scivicque had a home run and a single. Jared James and Carlos Franco each had two singles. Travis Demeritte had a double. Carlos Franco had a single and a walk. Adam Walker had a home run and Dylan Moore had a double.
Sunday
Sunday’s game vs. Tennessee was rained out.
Leaders
BA: Kade Scivicque .314
OBP: Kade Scivicque .368
HR: Carlos Franco, Connor Lien 4
SB: Connor Lien 5
W: Michael Mader 3
SV: Akeel Morris 4
SO: Patrick Weigel 28
ERA: Chad Sobotka 1.46
Video Highlights
Next: Florida Fire Frogs
Florida Fire Frogs (10-14)
Thursday
While the Fire Frogs scored in the first inning, it was the last scoring they’d do, as they fell to Palm Beach 4-2. Luiz Gohara went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 7.
Jonathan Morales had two singles and a walk. Ray-Patrick Didder had a single, a walk, and stole three bases. Ronald Acuna had a single, a walk, and stole a base. Alejandro Salazar had a double.
Friday
Florida exploded for a big 10-run first inning and finished the game defeating Lakeland with an 18-0 score. Tyler Pike went 7 innings, allowing just 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.
Braxton Davidson had a monster game, with a home run, 3 singles, and 2 walks. Alay Lago had five singles and a stolen base. Carlos Castro had a home run, a double, and a pair of singles. Ronald Acuna had a triple and two singles. Jonathan Morales had a double and two singles. Austin Riley had a home run and a single. Alejandro Salazar had a double.
Saturday
Florida once again scored in the first, but could not muster any other scoring as they fell to Lakeland 2-1 on Saturday. Drew Harrington threw 6 innings, allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 6.
No Fire Frogs player reached base twice in the game. Tyler Neslony had a double.
Sunday
Lakeland blew open a pitcher’s duel against the bullpen, shutting out Florida 7-0. Ricardo Sanchez allowed two unearned runs in the first inning and was pristine the rest of the way, going 6 innings, allowing those two unearned runs on 7 hits and a walk, striking out 6.
Wigberto Nevarez had double and a walk.
Leaders
BA: Carlos Castro .333
OBP: Tyler Neslony .453
HR: Alex Jackson 7
SB: Ronald Acuna 11
W: Drew Harrington, Luiz Gohara 2
SV: Devan Watts 3
SO: Tyler Pike 29
ERA: Jacob Webb 1.46
Video Highlights
No Video Available
Next: Rome Braves