Starting Pitchers
Ronaldo Alesandro – A righty from the Dominican, Alesandro is an older signee and has been dominating in the DSL, likely in large part due to his age. Alesandro has struck out 37 over 25 2/3 innings in the DSL this year.
Eudi Asencio – A long, lean righty from the Dominican, Asencio generates excellent plane on his pitches and has learned to work his fastball around the plate much better in his second trip through the DSL, resulting in excellent numbers. His secondary stuff is still needing work, and his body still needs to fill in, but he could be one to track as he comes stateside next year.
Tristan Beck – Beck made his season debut yesterday in the GCL, tossing a perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. The Atlanta Braves were big fans of Beck last season, and many thought he would be a selection by the team in the first three rounds. Instead, Atlanta got him in the 4th round this June after Beck returned to school and didn’t blow the doors off of his competition. He has a perfect frame for a workhorse mid-rotation starter, and he has the stuff to match, but he needs to fill in his frame and calm injury questions that led to his drop out of the first two days of the draft last year.
Alger Hodgson – A strong, well-developed kid from Nicaragua, Hodgson is out all this season and likely into next year with elbow issues, a sad turn of events for a pitcher whose promise was significantly higher than the raw stats he generated last season in the GCL.
Miguel Jerez – Jerez is not the guy with the best stuff you’ll ever meet, but his results have been fantastic thus far. A strike-thrower who pounds the zone and has really taken strides to set up hitters, Jerez, has posted over a 4/1 K/BB ratio over his career, and has posted a 45/6 ratio this season in 49 1/3 innings. His change has come along significantly, giving him a chance to start long-term, even with a low-90s fastball at its top end.
Nolan Kingham – The University of Texas workhorse fell some in the draft due to worries about his workload with the Longhorns, but the Atlanta Braves took a chance on him in the 12th round and have been cautious with his innings so far this season, meaning there really won’t be good sample sizes in his pro debut to discuss this offseason. The real test for Kingham will be next year in his first pro season.
Dilmer Mejia – Mejia had a ton of hype coming out of Nicaragua and especially so after his first pro season in 2014 when he pitched his way to the GCL at 16 years old. Injuries and lack of growth in Mejia’s stuff have led to him still being in Danville currently, but he is putting up a season that looks more like the pitcher of 2014 than has been seen since that year, with a 2.10 ERA over 55 2/3 innings with the D-Braves, posting a 14/44 BB/K ratio.
Jose Montilla – With deceptively long levers at 6’1″, Montilla gets good plane on his fastball and tends to challenge hitters, which has meant that he worked well as a starter in complex leagues. His approach is working well in the Appy League this season as well, though his lack of a third pitch is beginning to show, and it could determine his future role if he can’t balance his repertoire when moving into full-season ball next year.
Gabriel Noguera – While Noguera was signed as an older player, he may have blown his chance already after posting a very good first year in the system in 2017 due to a suspension from a drug of abuse. The Atlanta Braves did not release Noguera, though, which is an indication of the potential they still see in his left arm.
Jose Olague – Olague didn’t get much time in last year, but what he did do was intriguing, and this year, he’s simply built on that, with tremendous control of hard, heavy stuff that plays well in the DSL. Developing a third pitch and making it deep into games will be the call of the day next season when he comes stateside, but 2018 has been a success for sure.
Trey Riley – One of the most intriguing JuCo arms in the entire 2018 draft, Riley has the velo and the breaking stuff to profile as a high-end reliever, but his well-built frame and recency to top-end stuff leaves the potential for even more there, and that has the Atlanta Braves working with Riley to develop his third pitch and potentially be a mid-rotation starter.
Matt Rowland – Rowland drew the ire of Braves Twitter for nearly two full seasons due to being injured after the Braves drafted him in the 11th round out of high school in Georgia, giving him a notable above-slot signing bonus and then losing a few other deals due to not enough slot space left. Rowland’s finally healthy and back on the mound, and his stuff for a guy who really hasn’t thrown for two years has been incredibly impressive.
Lisandro Santos – Santos has worked in the DSL for two seasons, leading to plenty of swing and miss, and he’s finding the strikeouts coming just as well stateside. The biggest issue for Santos’ impressive raw stuff is his ability to be consistent in his delivery. If he can, he could start and have a very intriguing future from the left side. Even if he’s inconsistent in that delivery, he could have some level of bullpen future from the left side.
Albinson Volquez – Volquez’s high arm angle drew some note his first year in the DSL, and he’s altered it some since, but he still works in such a way that he’s attempting to generate contact, and that’s bit him some this year in the GCL. There’s projection for more velocity than his current low-90s top end, but it’s not come yet and how long the Braves will hold out for that is anyone’s guess.