Atlanta Braves’ Winter League performance wrapup

With baseball’s winter leagues coming to an end we take a look at the Atlanta Braves players who played in winter leagues this offseason.

The Atlanta Braves had several players participate in winter leagues this season.

You don’t typically see big-name players participating in these leagues, but this is usually for either up-and-coming prospects or players hanging on to showcase and improve their skills during the offseason.

For those in the Caribbean League, it’s often more about pride for your respective country, and it’s why they play some of the most entertaining games in the offseason.

Most fans here in the state are familiar with the Arizona Fall League where the Braves sent four hitters and four pitchers this offseason.  Let’s start there…

Arizona Fall League

Christian Pache was the headliner in Arizona where he hit .279 with 14 runs scored in 86 at-bats and was widely acknowledged as a defensive standout.

Braxton Davidson made headlines by hitting a walk-off homer in the championship game … and then nearly break his foot in the process.

Izzy Wilson did not help himself in the AFL hitting just .209 in 43 at-bats. Ray-Patrick Didder hit .228 in 57 at-bats with 7 runs scored and 5 stolen bases.

Braves pitchers were very good in the AFL.

Thomas Burrows had a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts coming out of the bullpen. He is currently ranked as the team’s 19th best prospect by MLB.com, and after a solid 2018 season in Double-A, he could push for major league time in 2019.

Kyle Muller, the Braves 12th ranked prospect, posted a 2.53 ERA in the AFL with 15 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen. He finished the 2018 season in Double-A and is quickly moving up the ranks of starting pitching prospects for the Braves.

Jeremy Walker did not have a good showing in the AFL with a 8.14 ERA in six starts with just 9 strikeouts in 21 innings.

Adam McCreery had solid AFL, but was traded to the Dodgers for cash this offseason.

Dominican League

Shortstop Luis Valenzuela had a busy offseason playing in 44 games for the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican League. He finished with the most hits on the team, batting .273 with 21 runs scored, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 18 RBI, and a .305 on-base percentage in 165 at-bats.

The 25-year-old Valenzuela hit .282 at Mississippi last year with 42 runs scored, 22 doubles, and 42 RBI in 114 at-bats.

Jose Rafael De Paula, whom the Braves just picked up in the Rule 5 Draft, posted a 2.08 ERA in the Dominican League this winter over 21.2 innings pitched with 23 strikeouts.

In 2018 he had a 3.44 ERA in 58 innings with 73 strikeouts. He will likely add some depth to the bullpen at Triple-A for the Braves this year.

The Braves picked up Luis Marte during the 2018 season as insurance at shortstop. He moved up from Double-A to Triple-A and hit pretty well, while playing stellar defense.

However, his value may have taken a hit in the Dominican League this winter where he hit just .164 in 55 at-bats.

Wes Parsons also pitched in the Dominican League and had a 3.54 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched (5 games, 4 starts) with 14 strikeouts. Parsons made his major league debut last season after a spectacular year in the minors where he had a 2.76 ERA in 117.1 innings with 104 strikeouts.

Things didn’t go as well with the big league club giving up four runs in just five innings. He should get another crack to join the bullpen this spring, if not, he’ll likely go back to Triple-A and provide pitching depth.

Jacob Webb played on the same team as Parsons and had a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings with 14 strikeouts and 4 saves. He also had a great 2018 season with a 3.15 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A with 69 strikeouts in 54.1 innings with 18 saves. I would think he gets a long look for the bullpen in Spring Training.

Webb and Parsons are on the Dominican team that will be represented in the Caribbean Series, which was moved from Venezuela to Panama. It is unclear if they will participate in the series that starts on February 4.

Australian Baseball League

The Atlanta Braves had four players participate in the Australian Baseball League, which wraps up February 1-3.

Shortstop Nicholas Shumpert was a 28th round draft pick by the Braves back in 2016. This past season he hit .248 in Danville with 28 runs scored, 12 doubles, 2 home runs, 18 RBI, and 7 stolen bases in 48 games played.

In the ABL he hit .288 with 26 runs scored, 7 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBI, 11 stolen bases, and a .377 on-base percentage over 39 games. My guess is he’ll start the 2019 season in Single-A.

Yet another shortstop, Riley Unroe was a second-round pick by Tampa Bay back in 2013. The Atlanta Braves took him in the Rule 5 Draft back in December.

Last year he hit .228 between Double-A and Triple-A with 45 runs scored, 11 doubles, 4 home runs, 43 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 112 games.

With his ABL club he hit .244 in 33 games with 30 runs scored, 7 doubles, 7 home runs, 20 RBI, and a .349 on-base percentage.

He’ll likely compete for a bench spot in Spring Training, but he’ll most likely add depth in the upper minors with his versatility on the field.

The Braves 16th round pick from 2017, outfielder Garrison Schwartz, did not have a good go of things in the ABL hitting just .194 with 3 home runs in 40 games played.

Jon Kennedy had a 5.00 ERA in the ABL this season with 13 strikeouts in 18 innings. He had a decent 2018 in the Braves farm system with a 2.43 ERA in Single-A Advanced with 54 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.