WASHINGTON, D.C. - JULY 15: Kyle Wright #23 pitches during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – JULY 15: Kyle Wright #23 pitches during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
In a month that had big trades made for the big league club, the Atlanta Braves minor league system saw some impressive performances.
It’s now August, the final full month of minor league baseball for the season already, and this will be a year known to Atlanta Braves fans for introducing them to new prospects, seeing others grow, and watching top prospects make their way to the big league club.
We’re going to go position by position, but first, let’s take a look at the system statistical leaders, technically through August 1st:
Hitters (rate stats minimum 100 PA)
Average:CJ Alexander, .391; Michael Reed, .341; Luis Marte, .340; Riley Delgado, .322; Brett Langhorne, .321 On Base: CJ Alexander, .468; Michael Reed, .462; Brett Langhorne, .435; Justin Dean, .419; Trey Harris, .398 Slugging: CJ Alexander, .565; Michael Reed, .542; Danny Santana, .537; Jeremy Fernandez, .528; Drew Waters, .513 Runs: Drew Waters and Rio Ruiz, 58; Michael Reed, 56; William Contreras, 54; Travis Demeritte and Isranel Wilson, 50 Hits: Riley Delgado, 120; Rio Ruiz, 110; Cristian Pache, 107; Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 104; Drew Waters, 102 Doubles: Drew Waters, 32; Jean Carlos Encarnacion and Michael Reed, 23; Rio Ruiz, 21; 3 with 20 Triples:Ray-Patrick Didder, 7; Drew Waters, 6; 5 tied with 5 Home Runs:Braxton Davidson, 15; Carlos Franco, 14; Danny Santana, 13; Travis Demeritte, 12; 4 with 11 RBI: Carlos Franco, 63; Rio Ruiz, 60; Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 57; Jefrey Ramos, 51; Braxton Davidson and Travis Demeritte, 49 Stolen bases: Ray-Patrick Didder, 24; Drew Waters, 20; Isranel Wilson, 15; Carlos Paraguate, 14; Jose Palma, 12 Walks: Michael Reed, 54; Brett Cumberland, 53; Travis Demeritte, 44; Braxton Davidson, 43; Carlos Franco, 41 Strikeouts: Braxton Davidson, 158; Carlos Franco, 138; Drew Lugbauer, 114; Travis Demeritte, 110; Isranel Wilson, 102 Total Bases: Drew Waters, 173; Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 167; Cristian Pache, 161; Rio Ruiz, 160; Carlos Franco, 154
Now, let’s kick off into the players selected for the Atlanta Braves July minor league All-Stars by Tomahawk Take, starting with the hitters…
Hitters
C – William Contreras, Rome, .300/.370/.625, 5 HR, 21 RBI, SB After starting the year in extended spring training, Contreras got going slow with the bat, but he’s been tremendous ever since, quite feasibly working his way to one of the system’s home run and RBI leaders by the end of the year at the pace he’s going.
1B – Griffin Benson, Danville, .321/.387/.589, 3 HR, 12 RBI A 23rd round pick in 2016 out of high school, the big, switch-hitting Texan has taken off this year, struggling initially in Rome, but hitting well in Danville, showing the raw power his frame would suggest.
2B – Alejandro Salazar, Mississippi, .333/.350/.374, 11 RBI, 4 SB One of the better defenders in the Braves minor league system, Salazar has been playing quite a bit of second base this year, especially as Didder plays next to him in Mississippi, and when they do, that’s one of the rangiest middle infields the organization can put together. In a second base group that didn’t have a great month, Salazar made good contact on the month.
3B – CJ Alexander, Danville, .379/.449/.534, 10 RBI, SB The Atlanta Braves 20th round pick out of JuCo in Florida, CJ Alexander has been a tremendous performer for the Braves since he’s been drafted. He’s only hit one home run, but he’s knocked out three doubles and three triples.
SS – Luis Marte, Gwinnett, .380/.398/.510, 16 R, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 3 SB The Braves signed Luis Marte after he was released by the Rangers organization, and he’s done nothing but hit since joining the Braves, playing his way from Mississippi up to Gwinnett. He may not have a long-term big league spot, but he’s a very solid upper minors producer this year at least.
OF – Drew Waters, Rome, .315/.370/.478, 18 R, 2 HR, 9 SB His first full season has been incredibly productive. In the month, Waters really turned on his speed, stealing 9 bases on the month. Waters will very likely move his way significantly up top 100 prospect lists this offseason.
OF – Trey Harris, GCL, .349/.406/.524, 10 R, 12 RBI The Braves drafted former Georgia high school outfielder Trey Harris out of the University of Missouri Columbia in the 32nd round. He’s starting to look like the next Jared James, a late round pick that shows out much better than projected.
OF – Justin Dean, Danville, .319/.441/.484, 24 R, HR, 14 RBI, 6 SB Drafted by the Braves in the 17th round this past June out of Lenoir-Rhyne College in North Carolina. He’s been hitting tremendously well the whole time, playing a solid center field and showing very good top-of-lineup skills. His biggest concern is his stolen base success as he’s currently 7/13 on the season.
Player of the month – He’s really shown his speed this month, but Waters is going to end up losing out to a teammate in William Contreras. He’s been showing big improvements on the defensive side, but he also sported the best OPS this month of any full-time player and drove in 21 runs.
Pitchers
SP – Ian Anderson, Florida, 22 IP, 0.82 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 4/32 BB/K The #3 pick in the 2016 draft, Anderson has an impressively athletic stature and has been slowly coming along in his development. Anderson’s strikeout rate has been incredible, but he’s struggled to get deep into games, but as he’s getting deeper into this season, he’s also showing huge steps forward in his work on the mound.
SP – Kyle Muller, Florida, 31 1/3 IP, 3.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 8/36 BB/K Even with a significantly higher ERA than many others, but everything else was incredible on the month, with the second-most innings tossed on the month, really showing his ability to make hitters swing and miss this month.
SP – Joey Wentz, Florida, 21 IP, 0.43 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 3/17 BB/K Wentz has had some injury issues this year, but when he’s been on the mound, he’s been quite impressive, though perhaps not the strikeout guy that many were hoping he would be. He’s done very well learning to pitch this year, and that will serve him very well down the line as he progresses.
SP – Bryse Wilson, Mississippi, 32 1/3 IP, 0.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 7/42 BB/K Tearing through the minor leagues in 2018, Wilson has earned his way up to Gwinnett after pitching through high-A and AA this year. He had a few rough starts when he first got to Mississippi, but he’s definitely been on a role since.
SP – Huascar Ynoa, Rome, 21 2/3 IP, 0.83 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10/16 BB/K Acquired from the Twins last July, Huascar has enjoyed plenty of success in his first full season, but the Atlanta Braves are still trying to get Ynoa to hold his control, especially deep in games. His stuff is so incredible that he’s still able to dumbfound hitters when he’s missing his spots, so it will be fun to see how he develops over the next few years in the Braves farm system.
RP – Daysbel Hernandez, Rome, 14 1/3 IP, 0.63 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 5/17 BB/K Signed from Cuba originally as an outfielder last September out of Cuba, Hernandez was known for his live arm, and the Braves moved him to the mound. He’s showed very well on the hill, with some control issues being the biggest issue thus far for Hernandez. His July was very impressive for Rome, pitching multiple innings in each appearance.
RP – Thomas Burrows, Mississippi, 16 1/3 IP, 0.55 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 6/24 BB/K The lefty reliever was a 4th round pick out of the University of Alabama by the Seattle Mariners. He was acquired with Luiz Gohara before the 2017 season, and he’s been incredibly impressive. He spent most of July with Florida, earning a promotion to Mississippi late in the month. He’s yet to allow a run with the M-Braves, striking out 2 batters per inning.
RP – Tyler Watson, Rome, 11 1/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 1/13 BB/K The Texan lefty was originally a 38th round pick by the Angels, but was released by the Mariners this spring and the Braves picked him up. He’s really produced well for the Braves in Rome, not allowing a single earned run in the month and rarely walking a batter.
Next. What to expect from Gausman. dark
Top pitcher: Bryse Wilson is going to end up the season still barely scraping onto top 100 lists at the back of those lists, yet he’s essentially done exactly what Ronald Acuna did last year from the pitching side in 2018.
