Atlanta Braves Week 5 Farm Report: The best week yet

(15-13) Mississippi Braves (AA)

Week 5 Record: 5-1

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

(OF) Drew Waters

Waters just keeps going, in what has been a remarkable start to the 2019 season. Week 5 featured a .523 batting average for the 20-year-old (11-for-23), but also the remains of a 7-game hitting-streak that consisted of all first-inning hits.

Overall, Waters is hitting at a .342 clip (.904 OPS) with 12 doubles and 2 home runs. I think it’s safe to say that 30-something games of High-A ball last year was plenty for him.

(SP) Ian Anderson

Success hasn’t came so easy in 2019, but Anderson pitched a gem Saturday, pitching a 2-hitter and striking out 11 in six innings. He walked three.

Anderson carries a 2-1 record currently, to go with a nice 2.79 ERA. He’s punched out 37 and walked 18 so far this season. It looks like the Braves #4 prospect is beginning to heat up.

(4/29) Monday: Lost 5-3 vs. Mobile BayBears – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Muller: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
• (RF) D. Waters: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R
• (CF) C. Pache: 2-4, 3B, RBI, R, K

LA Angels #16 prospect, Patrick Sandoval, shutdown the M-Braves Monday with 7 strikeouts and only 3 hits allowed. Braves starter, Kyle Muller (#13 prospect), tried to match Sandoval but was a bit wild in this one.

Christian Pache (#1 prospect) tied the game up at two apiece in the 6th with an RBI-triple, but Josh Graham surrendered the walk-off 3-run homer in the 9th, spoiling the game.

Catcher Jonathan Morales picked up two hits, going 2-for-3 with a walk, and Ryan Casteel finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout.

*Also, Monday evening lefty reliever Philip Pfeifer was transferred to the Florida Fire Frogs (A+).  His transfer was the result of pitcher, Jonathan Aro, being activated from the 7-day IL for the M-Braves.

(4/30) Tuesday: OFF DAY

(5/1) Wednesday: Won 2-0 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Weigel: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• (P) J. Walker: 5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
• (RF) C. Pache: 2-4, RBI, K

For the sixth consecutive game, Drew Waters led off the game with a hit and the M-Braves shutout their opponent for the second time in 3 games.

Patrick Weigel (#21 prospect) and Jeremy Walker combined for 11 strikeouts, no walks, and only gave up 6 hits altogether as they worked the first 8 innings Wednesday.

Struggling first baseman, Andy Wilkins, picked up a much needed RBI, going 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Carlos Martinez and Daniel Lockhart both picked up hits as well.

(5/2) Thursday: Won 2-1 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) J. Wentz: 7 IP, H, 0 ER, BB, 5 K
• (LF) D. Waters: 2-4, R, K
• (RF) C. Pache: 2-4, 2B

M-Braves starter, Joey Wentz, had his A-Game Thursday, retiring the first 18 batters he faced and pitching literally perfect until the 7th inning. Wentz threw 94 pitches (59 strikes) in his one-hit outing.

It’s becoming a regular theme, but like he’s done in his previous 6 games, Drew Waters led off the game with a hit in the 1st inning, his seventh consecutive game doing so. Conner Lien had a base-hit, finishing 1-for-3. He also stole second base and scored a run.

*Before Thursday night’s game, lefty Justin Kelly was promoted to the M-Braves (from Florida). Kelly is 26-years-old and currently has a 5.93 ERA in 7 relief appearances thus far.

Also, outfielder Tyler Neslony was activated from the IL and transferred to the M-Braves (from Gwinnett). Neslony suffered a thumb injury this past Spring. He was a 9th round pick by the Braves in 2016 out of Texas Tech.

(5/3) Friday: Won 4-2 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) T. Davidson: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
• (CF) D. Waters: 4-4, RBI
• (1B) A. Wilkins: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K

The M-Braves picked up their third-straight win Friday, led by the 20-year-old Drew Waters, who is no longer just leading the team, but now leading the league in numerous offensive stats.

Christian Pace had a more quiet evening, finishing 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Third baseman Daniel Lockhart also contributed with a base-hit Friday, going 1-for-3 with a run scored as well.

The rest of the lineup went hitless, except for pinch-hitter Alejandro Salazar, who notched a base-hit and scored a run in his at-bat for pitcher Tucker Davidson (#20 prospect).

(5/4) Saturday: Won 2-0 vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) I. Anderson: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K
• (2B) A. Salazar: 2-3, R
• (SS) R. Didder: 2-3, 2 RBI

There’s the start we’ve been waiting for from Ian Anderson! Saturday night not only ended with the M-Braves fourth-straight win, but it also featured a more familiar outing from Braves #4 prospect, Ian Anderson.

Anderson’s 2-hit pitching performance required 101 pitches (57 strikes), as he kept contact at a minimum: 2 base-hits, 2 groundouts, and 3 flyouts from 23 batters faced.

The Braves offense was restricted a bit, failing to hit an XBH, but still managing a respectable 7 hits total. Drew Waters went hitless (0-for-4) for the first time in 7 games and Christian Pache walked twice, also failing to record a hit on Saturday.

(5/5) Sunday: Won 2-0 (F/10) vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp – FULL RECAP

• (P) K. Muller: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
• (2B) A. Salazar: 0-3, RBI
• (3B) L. Valenzuala: 2-3, BB

Braves second baseman, Alejandro Salazar, laid down the perfect sac-bunt and converted the almost-extinct safety squeeze, winning the game in the 10th. Salazar is playing decent this season, batting .255 (74 wRC+) overall.

Kyle Muller didn’t factor into the decision Sunday, but pitched a solid game. Muller has a 3.79 ERA (5.09 FIP) in his 5 starts, to go along with 24 strikeouts and 21 walks in 19 total innings.

Drew Waters didn’t start Sunday, but he did pinch-hit, resulting in a strikeout. Waters has been fantastic in 2019, batting .345 with 2 homers and 12 doubles.

Christian Pache was hitless in his 3 at-bats Sunday, but it didn’t hurt his excellent season thus far. Pache has a 167 wRC+ (.330 average) and has raised his walk-rate almost 3% since 2018.

*Sunday’s win was Mississippi’s first time sweeping a 5-game series.

(11-18) Florida Fire Frogs (A+)

Week 5 Record: 3-2

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

(1B) Drew Lugbauer

Lugbauer isn’t exactly leading the team in offense with his .157 batting average thus far in 2019, but in his last 10 games he’s recorded a hit in 9 of them.

In Week 5, Lugbauer batted .333 (4-for-12) in 4 games, getting a hit in every game and slugging 3 doubles while plating 2 runs. He’s up to 6 doubles on the year, with 3 homers and 10 RBI. He’s in the midst of a 6-game hitting streak going into Monday’s game.

(SP) Nolan Kingham

As rare as a complete-game is these days, Nolan Kingham achieved one last Wednesday when he pitched a 3-hitter and struck out five with no walks. He didn’t get much offense either, with Florida winning 2-0.

Kingham sits at 1-1 going into this week, and has a 3.32 ERA in his 3 starts. In 19 total innings, he has 13 strikeouts and only 3 walks.

(4/29) Monday: OFF DAY

(4/30) Tuesday: Won 5-1 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers – FULL RECAP 

• (P) H. Deal: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
• (LF) J. Ramos: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, K
• (RF) G. Jenista: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R

Florida starter, Hayden Deal, tossed another quality start (his 4th-straight).

Jefrey Ramos and Greyson Jenista (#14 prospect) plated all of the runs on Tuesday, but several other players had solid games as well.

Catcher William Contreras (#12 prospect) went 1-for-4 with a run-scored and a strikeout, extending his on-base streak to eight games.

Brett Langhorne hit a double, improving his hitting streak to four games. Third baseman Riley Delgado finished 1-for-4 with a double and a run-scored.

(5/1) Wednesday: Won 2-0 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers – FULL RECAP

• (P) N. Kingham: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• (1B) D. Lugbauer: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, K
• (RF) G. Jenista: 1-2, R, BB

Fire Frogs starter, Nolan Kingham, pitched Florida’s first ever complete-game and Drew Lugbauer plated both of the team’s runs from a 4th inning double for the win on Wednesday.

Kingham was in complete control, only needing 85 pitches to complete 9 innings (59 strikes). He was a groundout machine, forcing 14 outs on the ground and only three in the air.

The game only took 1:36 to complete, breaking the team record by a full 18 minutes. That’s some quick work!

(5/2) Thursday: PPD (field too wet) 

There was no game, but that didn’t mean Florida was left out of the transaction-filled Thursday for the Atlanta Braves organization.

Outfielder Garrison Schwartz was transferred from the M-Braves to Florida, stemming from his poor start to the 2019 season.

(5/3) Friday: Won 3-0 vs. Tampa Tarpons – FULL RECAP

• (P) P. Pfeifer: 3.1 IP, H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
• (LF) J. Ramos: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• (1B) K. Josephina: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K

Philip Pfeifer made his first start of 2019 — he’s normally a relief pitcher — and struggled a bit.

Jefrey Ramos’ homer in the 2nd inning put the Frogs up by 2 runs, scoring Greyson Jenista (1-for-3, 2 runs, BB). The third and final run for Florida came from Kevin Josephina in the 6th, a double to right field that also scored Jenista.

Shortstop Riley Unroe finished 1-for-4 with a strikeout and Florida’s other Riley (Riley Delgado) had 2 hits in his 4 at-bats.

Newly demoted right fielder, Garrison Schwartz, played well with 2 hits and a strikeout and Jordan Rodgers finished 2-for-3 to round out the offense for the Fire Frogs.

(5/4) Saturday: Lost 4-3 (F/6) vs. Tampa Tarpons – FULL RECAP

• (P) F. Tarnok: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• (SS) R. Unroe: 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI, K
• (C) W. Contreras: 2-3

The Braves almost had another 5-game sweep for the organization, but the Fire Frogs dropped their rain shortened game on Saturday.

Riley Unroe plated all 3 runs for Florida, hitting an RBI-double in the 4th that scored Garrison Schwartz, Brett Langhorne, and Kevin Josephina.

(5/5) Sunday: Lost 2-1 (F/6) vs. Tampa Tarpons – FULL RECAP

• (P) De La Cruz: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
• (SS) R. Unroe: 1-3, 2B, R
• (1B) D. Lugbauer: 1-2, 2B, K

Jasseel De La Cruz pitched a gem Sunday, but the Florida rain ruined his outing, ending the game after 6 innings. De La Cruz falls to 1-1 in 2019, but has a tidy 2.25 ERA in his 2 starts up with Florida (he made 4 starts in Rome).

Catcher William Contreras finished Sunday 0-for-2, but is still batting over .300, at .309. Contreras’ .780 OPS leads the Fire Frogs.

Riley Unroe and Drew Lubauer both hit doubles Sunday, and have both had two very different seasons thus far. Unroe is hitting .273 overall, but Lugbauer is still trying to raise his .157 season average.

Third baseman Riley Delgado had a base-hit and a walk, raising his average to .324 on the season. Delgado is second on the team in batting average behind newly demoted Garrison Schwartz, who’s hitting .333 in his handful of games with the Fire Frogs.

(12-16) Rome Braves (A)

Week 5 Record: 3-2

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

(OF) Trey Harris

I started naming Player of the Week in the Week 3 report and Harris has been the man on offense for the Rome Braves in all three weeks, including Week 5.

This past week, Harris went 7-for-17 (.411 average) in 5 games, hitting 2 home runs, a double and a triple, as well as 10 RBI.

Over 28 total games in 2019, Harris has been the leader for Rome, batting .378 with 7 doubles, and 3 homers. In Week 5 alone, he picked up 10 of his 19 RBI for the season.

(RP/SP) Alan Rangel

Rangel hasn’t had a very successful start to the season, but Week 5 was a good week for him. Rangel made a start Thursday and struck out 9 in five innings, pitching around 7 hits and three runs. He walked three.

Used as a reliever and a starter (4 appearances and 3 starts), Rangel has generated a 6.14 ERA in 2019. The run prevention hasn’t been ideal, but the 31 strikeouts and only 6 walks has been.

(4/29) Monday: OFF DAY

(4/30) Tuesday: Lost 9-7 vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers – FULL RECAP

• (P) T. Riley: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
• (DH) T. Harris: 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI, R, K
• (3B) B. Venter: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI

Starter Trey Riley lost his fourth decision on Tuesday, getting roughed up to the tune of five earned runs and 3 home runs.

Reliever Victor Vodnik appeared in the 6th inning and allowed four runs before he finally got 5 outs, getting pulled after 1.2 innings in a rare poor outing for Vodnik.

Trey Harris tried to mount a comeback in the 8th with an RBI single, scoring Carlos Paraguate (who went 0-4 with a K). Justin Dean went 2-for-5 with a run-scored and Greg Cullen finished 1-for-4 with a double, a run-scored, an RBI and a strikeout.

(5/1) Wednesday: Lost 8-3 vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers – FULL RECAP

• (P) O. Javier: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• (LF) T. Harris: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
• (C) R. Rodriguez: 1-3, 2B, BB

The Grasshoppers jumped out to 6-0 lead after three innings, thanks to 3 homers in the third and a throwing error by Brendan Venter. The hot Trey Harris was the lone run provider with a home run in the 4th inning and 9th inning.

After Harris’s two homers, the Braves only had 3 more hits as a team; coming from Justin Dean (1-for-4 with two Ks), Logan Brown (1-for-2 with a run, two walks and a K), and Ricardo Rodriguez‘s double.

(5/2) Thursday: Won 5-3 vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers – FULL RECAP

• (P) A. Rangel: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
• (DH) L. Brown: 1-4, 2B, RBI, R, K
• (RF) T. Harris: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R

Starter Andres Rangel was carving up hitters Thursday, striking out 9 (season-high) and picking up the win for Rome.

The Braves picked up 9 hits, including 4 doubles and a steal (by Trey Harris). Braulio Vasquez picked up 2 hits and an RBI, as well as a run; and catcher Ricardo Rodriguez also got two knocks, plating a run.

In his first game with Rome, shortstop Ariel Montesino finished 1-for-3 with a double. The Rome bullpen was strong as well, combining for 4 innings and two strikeouts, only surrendering 2 hits.

(5/3) Friday: Won 6-3 vs. Lakewood BlueClaws – FULL RECAP

• (P) G. Noguera: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
• (P) D. Mejia: 4.1 IP, H, 0 BB, 5 K (winner)
• (DH) T. Harris: 1-4, 4 RBI

Rounding out the Braves minor league results for Friday, the Rome Braves got the win, giving the Braves organization 4 wins for the day (the first time that has happened this season, I believe).

Not to mention the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins on Friday, so make that 5 wins for Friday.

It was all Trey Harris on Friday, as he plated 4 out of the 6 runs scored by Rome. Justin Dean and Andrew Moritz contributed the other 2 ribbies, with the former finishing 1-for-3 and the latter 2-for-3 with a walk. Both Dean and Moritz stole two bases on Friday as well.

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(5/4) Saturday: Won 2-1 vs. Lakewood BlueClaws – FULL RECAP 

• (P) J. Olague: 7 IP, 4 H, ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• (3B) B. Venter: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• (1B) G. Benson: 1-3, 2B, R, BB, K

Saturday night Rome won a close one and starter Jose Olague pitched around 4 hits and 11 flyouts, picking up his second win of 2019.

Down 1-0 in the 5th, Brendan Venter hit a two-run double to give the Braves the lead; a lead they wouldn’t give up.

Justin Dean finished 1-for-4 and Andrew Moritz also went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Shortstop Carlos Paraguate picked up a hit in 3 at-bats, striking out once as well. Rome’s catcher, Logan Brown, went hitless with a strikeout in 4 tries.

Reliever Lukas Young grabbed his fourth save, striking out one and surrendering just a hit in his one frame of work.

(5/5) Sunday: PPD (rained out)

Heavy rain forced a postponement of Rome’s Sunday night affair with Lakewood. The two teams will face off in a doubleheader (7 inning games) on Monday, beginning at 4:35 p.m. (EST).

Rome’s Trey Riley will start Game 1 and Odalvi Javier will take the bump in Game 2.

Check back again next week as we help you keep track of everything happening down on the farm for the Atlanta Braves.