Atlanta Braves Week 11 Farm Report: Drew Waters, Christian Pache form dangerous duo

Week 11 brought us a brand new big league starting pitcher, while also another amazing week from our favorite Atlanta Braves prospects.

It was a busy week in the Atlanta Braves minor league organization. Newly signed Dallas Keuchel made his first two starts as a member of the Braves Family and older members of the Atlanta Braves system continued to put up fantastic numbers, both hitting-wise and pitching.

There’s a lot to dive into so let’s get started!

In case you’ve missed any reports, here’s the previous ten for you to read at your leisure:

Week 1— Week 2

Week 3 — Week 4

Week 5 — Week 6

Week 7 — Week 8

Week 9 — Week 10

(37-31) Gwinnett Stripers (AAA)

Week 11 Record: 2-4

2019 South Division Standings

*As of Monday, June 17th

Week at a Glance

Week 11 Notes

The ‘Catcher of the Future’ may be a while… There has really only ever been two players in the running for becoming the Atlanta Braves future Major League catcher.

For several years now, the expectation was that either William Contreras or Alex Jackson would take over once ready and become the Atlanta Braves next homegrown catcher.

Just read this write-up by the AJC in February; they even titled it William Contreras might be Braves’ future, and he isn’t that far away.

For a guy that had never played a single game above High-A, and a catcher with a career .233 average starting the season in Triple-A, we sure have put a lot of faith in these two guys.

Jackson turned some heads this Spring, starting scorching hot in Spring Training and batting nearly .400 in Atlanta’s first 10 exhibition games, though he did cool off and finish with a .873 OPS in 15 total Spring games.

The Atlanta Braves started Jackson in Gwinnett but had to bring him back up for a short three-game stint early in the season. But, it was back to Triple-A.

With the Stripers, Jackson looked as if he was set for a huge year with the bat, topping out at a .276 batting average around the middle of May.

By May 16, Jackson had seven home runs and was getting on base at a .366 clip. In those first two in-a-half weeks worth of games, Jackson was the best catcher in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves, and it wasn’t even close.

But now, those first 17 games are long in the past.

(C) Alex Jackson

Don’t get me wrong, the start that Jackson had this season shouldn’t have been expected to continue for a full season; that would have been an epic year!

But, the last three weeks have been very humbling.

Now we remember Contreras’ promotion, right?

Well, that hasn’t panned out quite well yet, either.

Those of you that are unaware, earlier this month Contreras was moved up from the Florida Fire Frogs (High-A) to the Mississippi Braves (Double-A).

To be exact, his final game with the Fire Frogs was on June 4, an 0-for-4 evening by the young catcher.

He has played nowhere near a comparable amount of games in Mississippi to really assess his performance, and this is Gwinnett’s page of the report so I won’t dig too deep into Contreras’ numbers.

But based on how well he was doing in Florida, I’d say he’s taken quite a step back:

(C) William Conteras 

Man, for one thing, both Jackson and Contreras sure do strike out a lot. But, you see the point.

I wrote about this when Contreras was promoted to Mississippi, but I had the feeling that his promotion was a clear statement by the Atlanta Braves. They want to see what they have in-house at the catcher position, now more than ever.

The Atlanta Braves just used their first pick in the 2019 MLB Draft on a college catcher, Shea Langliers, and if he’s anywhere close to as good as what people in the industry are describing him as — one of Jackson or Contreras becomes expendable.

It’s a tough situation, but a necessary evil in determining who’s a better fit in the organization, longterm.

But, with the way both of these catchers are playing, it may be a bit longer than we thought before we get a proper handle on this.

Players of the Week

(OF) Rafael Ortega 

5 games, 7-for-21 (.333 BA), 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI

It may seem forever ago, but remember that torrid start Ortega had to begin the 2019 season? I sure do.

From April 4-May 4, the Stripers outfielder batted .321 with a 1.036 OPS — plus, seven home runs. Ortega was getting on base at a .402 clip.

After those first 28 games, he did come back to reality a bit, but frankly, he’s mostly maintained his solid play this season:

2019 Stats: (As of June 16)

• 62 games
• .271 batting average
• .872 OPS
• 12 home runs
• 18 doubles
• 25.8 K%
• 13.9 BB%

Ortega has obviously cooled somewhat, but we’d be crazy to expect him to continue that first month’s performance. Overall, he’s still one of the leaders in the Gwinnett lineup, as well as the leadoff hitter.

In Week 11, Ortega had three different two-hit performances:

• Thursday:  2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI
• Friday:        2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
• Sunday:     2-for-4, HR, RBI

Here’s his two-run double from Thursday and his homer from Friday:

So close to a three-run dinger…

Sunday’s bomb…

It’s a huge weapon having a leadoff hitter who can not only hit for a solid average, but also provide power. Ortega may not be in the running to get a call-up to the Atlanta Braves, but he’s a vital piece of the puzzle down in Gwinnett.

(SP) Kyle Wright

1 start, 1-0, 7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 10 K

What a year it has been for Kyle Wright. Now the fifth-ranked prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization, this season the expectations were higher than ever for the 23-year-old from Huntsville, Ala.

But, boy has it been a tough year. The doubt was beginning to set in, and thick:

https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1136067621122641920?s=19

Going into Friday’s start in Week 11 versus Syracuse, Wright had a bloated ERA of 7.22, thanks to four consecutive starts that had all fell short of five innings.

Despite his poor performance this season, Wright had started to turn things around.

Something clicked this week.

On Friday, Wright threw an efficient game, only needing 98 pitches (63 strikes) to get through his 7.2-inning outing (season-high).

He did an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground, forcing Syracuse to hit 10 ground outs as opposed to only two fly outs.

It didn’t hurt that the Stripers scored 11 runs, either.

Also, Wright’s 10 strikeouts were a season-high.

The dominant start in Week 10 drops Wright’s ERA to a still-terrible 6.02 ERA, but now with back-to-back starts of three earned runs or less, maybe the turnaround is finally happening.

For the season, Wright is now 4-4 after his first 10 starts of 2019. He has 40 strikeouts and 15 walks in 46.1 total innings-pitched, an encouraging strikeout-walk ratio, nonetheless.

It may be a while before we see him back in Atlanta (7.07 ERA in the majors), but if he can continue to chip away at some of his poor early-season numbers — a 2019 showing for the Atlanta Braves is doable.

Week 11 Roster Moves/Injured List

(–) injured before 2019 season began

About Ynoa’s call-up… A super cool moment during Sunday’s rout of the Phillies, by the Atlanta Braves. Ynoa Huascar got his first punch out as a big league pitcher.

Remember that Jaime Garcia trade with the Minnesota Twins back in 2017? Well, Ynoa, along with cash, was the player the Atlanta Braves received in that deal.

He’s a strike-em-out power-pitcher, which could light a spark in the Braves bullpen. His run prevention and walk-rate needs some work, but Ynoa is a solid pitcher.

(33-36) Mississippi Braves (AA)

Week 11 Record: 5-5

2019 Southern Division Standings

*As of Monday, June 17th

Week at a Glance

Week 11 Notes

Drew Waters > Christian Pache? This may come off as too much of a hot-take; and believe me, I’m just as high on Pache as the next guy, but so far it looks as if Waters may be outshining Christian Pache down in Mississippi.

Numbers-wise it’s pretty apparent.

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1139919122798710787?s=19

Waters is in unprecedented territory, not only leading the Mississippi Braves this season, but leading all of Double-A baseball.

He wasn’t supposed to do this well, this soon, and without hardly any time in High-A. I’m not sure anyone expected him to hit like this even at the end of this season.

Week 11 was just another week for Waters, especially on Friday when he finished 4-for-5 with a home run and a double plus two RBI in an M-Braves win over Mobile, 5-1.

Here’s his homer from Friday night, as a straight bomb to left-center:

I know 60-plus games of a season shouldn’t carry much weight, but it’s not like this is new for Waters. However, let’s compare Waters and Pache’s 2019 season so far:

It’s amazing how close their numbers are, not to mention how both players have less than ideal plate-discipline rates.

After Friday’s game, Waters mentioned how he and Pache “feed off” one another, something I had noticed and wrote about earlier this season.

Here’s Waters’ comments in MiLB.com’s recap of the M-Braves win:

“I am having a really good time,” he said. “I haven’t had the opportunity to play with Pache, but he pushes me; we feed off each other. He’ll smoke one down the line and that drives me to do the same. With Pache hitting in front of me, I get a lot of pitches to hit.”

Regardless of who’s better right now, both outfielders are playing at an unreal level. Personally, I still believe both will enter the majors at or around the same time.

What a day it was on Saturday for the M-Braves! Mississippi was tasked with a doubleheader on Saturday, one of which featured another start by Dallas Keuchel (who also pitched for Rome on Monday). The Braves walked it off in both games, sweeping the day.

Keuchel didn’t pitch as well on Saturday as he did Monday, but we are talking about a top-class difference in competition (Single-A to Double-A). Keuchel still had a solid start in Game 1 of the M-Braves twofer.

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1140075358856892417?s=19

Trustmark Park was absolutely packed, as over 5,200 fans were in attendance to see Keuchel take the mound.

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1140084421598560256?s=19

The freshly-signed lefty started a little rusty on Saturday, allowing a leadoff double that would eventually come around to score and give the BayBears a 1-0 lead after one inning.

But Keuchel ended up finishing strong and working a quick 7th inning. After a lead-off single, he retired three-straight before exiting for good. Here’s his pitch breakdown against Mobile.

• 1st inning: 14 pitches
• 2nd inning: 19 pitches
• 3rd inning: 8 pitches
• 4th inning: 18 pitches
• 5th inning: 7 pitches
• 6th inning: 27 pitches
• 7th inning: 13 pitches

All in all, Keuchel was able to work on seemingly everything on Saturday, getting in 106 total pitches. He’ll be in Atlanta soon real soon!

Here are several clips of Keuchel’s post-game interview:

Keuchel wasn’t the only M-Braves starter to turn in a strong start Saturday.

In Game 2, Ian Anderson tossed a 100-pitch three-hitter, striking out seven and walking three. He gave up one run in the M-Braves win.

There’s no one in the Mississippi rotation pitching better than Anderson at the moment. In the month of June (3 starts), he now has 23 strikeouts and just seven walks in 17.2 innings pitched.

Anderson has only surrendered three runs in that span, as well.

For the season, Anderson’s numbers are near the top among all starters in Double-A. He’s running a cool 2.85 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 72.2 innings pitched, while also holding opposing batters to a measly .201 batting average.

Gwinnett’s going to be calling soon.

Players of the Week

1A. (OF) Drew Waters

9 G, 16-for-36 (.444 BA), 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI

1B. (OF) Christian Pache 

8 G, 8-for-29 (.275 BA), 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI

Yeah, it’s them again. The frequency in which these two players are mentioned in these reports just goes to show you how legit they really are.

As you read Waters’ comments above, these two “feed off one another.” All season long it’s been this way; you can’t have one without the other.

Waters is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak that started back on June 8. He has a hit in 20 of his last 22 games, not to mention the numerous batting stats that he leads the League in.

Oh yeah, he also broke a record over the weekend:

Waters’ partner out in the outfield, Pache, had almost as good a Week 11, batting .275 with three homers. Pache has hits in nine of his last 10, while also going through a bit of a power surge, with three home runs in that span.

As mentioned in the notes above, both Waters and Pache possess some crazy good athleticism, as well as an unreal ability to hit.

The only thing that’s partly holding them back is their dramatic K/BB-rates.

However, plate discipline is something that takes time to develop fully. One thing going for both players is that we are in an era that is much more acceptive when it comes to high K-rates and low BB-rates.

Week 11 Roster Moves

(–) injured before 2019 season

(25-41) Florida Fire Frogs (A+)

Week 11 Record: 0-3

2019 FSL South Standings

*As of Monday, June 17th

(*) 1st half division winner

Week at a Glance

* FSL All-Star game

Week 11 Notes

The Florida weather didn’t allow much… Between the rain and the FSL All-Star game on Saturday, the Fire Frogs only played three games in Week 11 and two of them were played in one day, on Tuesday (both losses).

Speaking of the All-Star game: Riley Delgado, Kevin Josephina, and Hayden Deal represented Florida on Saturday night, as the North lost to the South, 2-0.

Neither Delgado nor Jospehina recorded a hit (both went 0-for-1), but Deal came in and struck out two batters in his one-inning appearance.

Freddy Tarnok has been quite disappointing… This really isn’t an observation made from just Week 11, but more of an assessment of his season overall (since Florida didn’t actually play much baseball this past week).

Tarnok is currently on the 7-day IL and hasn’t pitched since June 3, a start in which he lasted only four innings and gave up four runs. This season just hasn’t been much of a step forward for the Braves 16th ranked prospect.

Tarnok is coming off a decent 2018 season in Rome, where he pitched to a 3.96 ERA in 77.1 innings-pitched, split between a starter and reliever. He made 11 starts and 16 appearances out of the bullpen.

The walk rate wasn’t very good at 4.77 BB/9, but for his first season above Rookie-ball, last year was a great campaign to build from.

Build is not what he’s done so far in 2019. Tarnok has done quite the opposite.

Here are his 2019 numbers in Florida, thus far:

• 11 starts
• 52.2 innings pitched
• 6.49 ERA
• 7.01 K/9
• 4.44 BB/9

Granted, he’s suffered from some poor luck (4.25 FIP), coming from a high BABIP-against (.327), but Tarnok’s results this season just haven’t been that of a top-20 prospect, at least not yet.

Hopefully once he gets back from his ailment he can work towards turning things around. Tarnok, like all pitching prospects in the Atlanta Braves low minors, is an important piece of the Braves future.

With Rome and Florida currently thin with arms, his development will be crucial for the long term success of Atlanta Braves pitching.

Week 11 Roster Moves

(30-39) Rome Braves (A)

Week 11 Record: 4-3

2019 SAL Southern Standings 

*As of Monday, June 17th

(*) 1st half division winners

Week at a Glance

*June 10 – June 16

Week 11 Notes

The Braves fancy new toy…  Dallas Keuchel’s start on Saturday as a Mississippi Brave may not have been spectacular, but his outing on Monday as a Rome Brave sure was.

And if there’s a team that needs a rent-a-pitcher, especially a former Cy Young pitcher, it’s Rome. It’s been a rough year for the R-Braves.

Keuchel was amazing in his Braves organization debut, tossing a one-hitter over seven innings and only walking one.

He finished with nine strikeouts and a ridiculous pitch total of 77, only facing two batters over the minimum.

Rome’s solid catching tandem… Rome has mainly used Logan Brown at the catcher spot this season, as Hagen Owenby was in extended Spring Training and with the Fire Frogs before joining the R-Braves roster.

Owenby has just been with Rome for 16 games, but all he’s done since he got there is hit. The former 12th round pick in the 2017 Draft had a great Week 11, going 6-for-19 (.315 BA).

Owenby has a hit in eight-straight games and nine of 10.

Brown has played a lot more (51 games) and has been consistent, as well. His Week 11 wasn’t as impressive — 5-for-21 (.238 BA) with a double and two RBI — but the 22-two-year-old lefty-hitter from Indiana has been a nice compliment to the right-handed Owenby.

Rome’s Catching Duo

Both Catchers Combined:

• .324 batting average
• .886 OPS
• .409 OBP
• .477 SLG%

Week 11 Roster Moves/Injured List

(–) has been inactive all season