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Atlanta Braves name minor league players of the year

By Alan Carpenter

ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Lucas Sims #50 of the Atlanta Braves throws to first base against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 12, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 12: Lucas Sims #50 of the Atlanta Braves throws to first base against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 12, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 9: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves throws to first for the first out of the first inning in an MLB game against the Miami Marlins at SunTrust Park on September 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 9: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves throws to first for the first out of the first inning in an MLB game against the Miami Marlins at SunTrust Park on September 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

FLORIDA FIRE FROGS

The Frogs honor could have gone to 2B Alay Lago (.303/.756 OPS), but Jackson gets recognized for turning around his career while also re-learning a position that the Mariners thought they didn’t need him to play.  He gets this award for the Frogs, though ended the year at AA Mississippi.  Combined, his slash line is .267/.328/.480/.808 over 96 games and 367 AB.  His strikeouts were a bit elevation (106 vs. 23 BB), but so were his 19 homers.

Suddenly the organization is flush with interesting catching prospects.

There were more than a couple of pitchers that could have been named here, but Toussaint is the guy as he markedly reduced his walk rate in 2017 while striking out 167 over 145 innings.  There’s still work to do for him (high-ish ERA, walked 5 per 9 innings when promoted to AA), but this represents at least a step in the right direction for the kid with the electric curveball.

MISSISSIPPI BRAVES

MIAMI, FL – JULY 09: Ronald Acuna #24 of the Atlanta Braves and the World Team warms up prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on July 9, 2017. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – JULY 09: Ronald Acuna #24 of the Atlanta Braves and the World Team warms up prior to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park on July 9, 2017. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Okay, you know Acuna was going to be here someplace… the only question being ‘which team he would represent’.  Sure, he was better in AAA, but he was actually better than everybody, period.  For the season:  139 games, 181 hits (most in the organization until Ender Inciarte passes him), .325/.374/.522/.896.  Oh… and with 44 steals.  Acuna is a lock to be the overall organizational position player of the year.

Mike Soroka (still just 20 years old… but that’s older than Acuna) was probably the Acuna of pitchers.  1.09 WHIP, 2.75 ERA with 154 innings, 125K, and just 34 walks.  He will get a long look this Spring.

As far as the organizational pitcher of the year – it will probably come down to Bryse Wilson and Soroka.

GWINNETT BRAVES

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Albies – through 150 major league AB – has actually been better with Atlanta than he was at Gwinnett… and that was after spotting the NL a week before he got his bat going.  Either way, he’s still hitting… .285 in AAA, .293 at the moment in the majors (with an .828 OPS!).  But he’s the reason than Acuna’s award came from Mississippi.

The kid from Lawrenceville has made it to the majors… and earned the trip.  His minor league WHIP dropped notably to 1.14 this season in 115 innings, and though he’ll give up a run here and there (3.75 ERA in AAA), he did so grudgingly (.224 BAA).

At this time, Sims is working out of the bullpen, having already amassed 157 innings – just now over his career high for a season – but don’t think Sims is done as a starter just yet.

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That’s a strong list and it’s great to see so many of the Braves’ better prospects having a solid year.  Watch this weekend back at SunTrust when the team hands out their hardware… if it’s the first time you’ve seen some of these players, it probably won’t be the last.

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