Atlanta Braves: 2018 GCL Braves Season Review
The Atlanta Braves are seeing their minor league clubs finish out their 2018 seasons. We’ll review each one as they finish!
The 2018 minor league season is coming to a close for the Atlanta Braves, and while the won-loss record at some levels may not be what they’d like, the development of players for the future of the organization is what is the goal of the Braves. Let’s see how each team has done with that, focusing on the GCL Braves today.
The Atlanta Braves team in the Gulf Coast League in 2017 was a hub of excitement as the 2016-2017 international crop of teenagers worked their way through the team at some point to Danville or from the DSL up to the GCL. After the punishment of last November, this year’s GCL team had significantly less talent coming through, but there was plenty to get excited about.
While the team finished the year at 22-32, the lineup was able to show incredible power, with players like CJ Alexander making a debut with the club and moving on, but outfielder Jeremy Fernandez sticking around to work through a position change, and he made that position change tremendously well, and he should be ready to possibly move straight to Rome in 2019.
The pitching had a host of arms with incredible movement and/or incredible velocity, but often little idea of controlling either. That meant that we saw very exciting young arms come through the GCL Braves. Two great examples were the two conversion candidates, Yoeli Lopez and Gabriel Rodriguez, each moving to the mound from the outfield and adjusting to controlling their dynamic arm strength.
GCL was also able to be home to the debut of Tristan Beck and the rehab of Patrick Weigel late in the season. The two combined to make 7 appearances, tossing 8 2/3 innings without allowing a run, giving up 6 hits and 2 walks combined, striking out 13 between the two of them.
Team ranks:
Batting average (.242) – 13/18
On-Base percentage (.317) – 15/18
Slugging percentage (.364) – 7/18
Home Runs (37) – 2/18
Stolen Bases (27) – 16/18
Earned Run Average (4.73) – 16/18
WHIP (1.48) – 17/18
Strikeouts (441) – 6/18
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Jeremy Fernandez – #2 HR, #6 hits, #7 RBI
Miguel Jerez– #3 wins, #3 IP, #5 Ks, #8 starts
Walner Polanco– #9 saves, #10 games
Braulio Vasquez– #6 runs
Albinson Volquez– #2 starts, #4 IP, #6 Ks
Team leaders (min. 50 AB, 10 IP):
BA – Trey Harris .314
OBP – Trey Harris .450
SLG – Jeremy Fernandez .492
R – Braulio Vasquez 31
H – Jeremy Fernandez 52
2B – Ray Hernandez 11
3B – Jeremy Fernandez 3
HR – Jeremy Fernandez 8
RBI – Jeremy Fernandez 29
SB – Braulio Vasquez, Jeremy Fernandez 5
W – Miguel Jerez 5
G – Walner Polanco 16
GS – Albinson Volquez 11
SV – Walner Polanco 3
IP – Miguel Jerez 57 2/3
K – Miguel Jerez 50
ERA – Gabriel Rodriguez 1.64
WHIP – Mitch Stallings 1.00
dark. Next. Braves midseason top 50 prospects list
While there may not have been the elite talent of the 2017, this was an exciting team to follow, and there are a number of players that could impact the Atlanta Braves in the future.