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Atlanta Braves 2018 Minor League Review: Right-handed starters

By Benjamin Chase

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 13: Mike Foltynewicz #26 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the Miami Marlins during game two of a doubleheader at SunTrust Park on August 13, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 13: Mike Foltynewicz #26 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the Miami Marlins during game two of a doubleheader at SunTrust Park on August 13, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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A-ball

In moving Jaime Garcia to the Twins last summer, the Braves received dynamic young righty Huascar Ynoa. Ynoa received much less publicity than his older brother when he signed, but he may be the better overall pitcher, known in the Twins system for a six pitch mix that they forced him to pare down to three. The Braves continued with that this year, and saw some big strides over the year at Rome, though Ynoa struggled in his 6 starts at Florida with consistency.

On the season, Ynoa pitched to a 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, with a dynamic 131 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings and just 54 walks. He will continue to work with the Braves and likely hope to finish 2019 in the upper minors.

The big story of the early season was how Jasseel De La Cruz was putting together his wicked movement at Rome. He then got hurt, and he struggled to get the same feel the rest of the year, but De La Cruz has a low-90s fastball that moves a bunch along with a change and breaker that he can manipulate multiple ways as well. He posted a 4.83 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 69 innings with a 34/65 BB/K. For good idea of how well he was doing in 2018 early on, his April was 4 starts, 17 2/3 innings, a 2.04 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and an impressive 5/20 BB/K ratio. He’ll be one to watch in Florida in 2019.

Not a guy who will ever intimidate physically on the mound, Odalvi Javier is just a steady pitcher who has been excellent for the organization the last few years. He was solid again for Rome in 2018, with 126 innings of a 4.14 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP, posting a 58/133 BB/K. He’s likely going to be the next guy in the footsteps of Franco or Parsons, but that’s very valuable for the organization as a whole.

While the debate over the best curve in the organization could be a number of guys, certainly the guy whose repertoire relies the most on his curve is Alan Rangel. Rangel had a solid season in 2018, putting up 125 1/3 innings for Rome with a 4.09 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 31/105 BB/K ratio. If he can develop his change and consistency with his uptick in velocity found this year, the Braves could have more than an org arm here.

A big upside pick when drafted in June of 2017, Freddy Tarnok is still really learning how to pitch. He began the season in Rome’s bullpen, and he worked his way into the Rome rotation, with flashes of brilliance, but plenty of evidence that there’s a road ahead for the young man who will turn 20 in November. Tarnok’s fastball can blister in the upper 90s deep into a start, but it’s consistency in his command and his secondaries that will determine whether Tarnok’s future is as a front-line starter or a premier reliever. He posted a 3.96 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and a 41/83 BB/K over 77 1/3 innings.

Coming out of Stanford, many knew the big righty Keith Weisenberg would be a stable, org-type pitcher in the lower levels. Few expected him to do what he did in 2018. Weisenberg had command issues at Stanford with his big fastball, but he did much better in 2018, and if he can get consistency out of his secondaries that he flashed at times in 2018, he could be a surprise. Even if not, there’s enough there that the Braves likely found a future back-end reliever.

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