Week 17 Atlanta Braves Farm Report: Mississippi’s pitchers show out

Getting accustomed

Rome’s catcher and the Atlanta Braves’ top pick in June’s draft, catcher Shea Langeliers didn’t start the season quite the way he wanted. Perhaps he just needed some at-bats?

Meanwhile, Florida’s starting pitching had what was probably their best overall week on the mound.

(14-25) Florida Fire Frogs

The Fire Frogs are still a last place team in the FSL North, but there was a lot to like about their overall performance last week. Florida finished Week 17 with a 2-3 record and 7.5 games behind the division lead.

Proving that his outing in Week 16 wasn’t a one hit wonder, starter Philip Pfeifer posted another strong start on Wednesday, providing Florida with a quality-start.

Pfeifer pitched 7 innings, allowing 7 hits and two runs while striking out 8 and walking two. His most recent performances prop his numbers up a bit, but over Pfeifer’s last 10 starts, he’s striking out over 11 batters per nine and preventing runs to the tune of a 3.15 ERA.

Freddy Tarnok, who has dealt with injuries this season, got in two starts last week. He combined for 13 innings-pitched and allowed just 3 runs, striking out 10 and walking none.

Tarnok, the Atlanta Braves No. 16 prospect, has turned up the heat of late, carrying a 2.15 ERA over his last 6 outings. Even better, he’s become super stingy regarding free passes, only walking a minuscule 0.71 batters per nine.

Lastly, the Braves’ 12th round pick in the 2018 draft, Nolan Kingham, pitched a gem on Saturday. Kingham, who also hardly walks batters (1.81 BB/9 for the season), pitched 8.2 innings, walking none and striking out nine. He’ll go into Week 18 with a 3.96 season ERA.

Practically the entire Florida offense hit the ball well last week, as five of the regulars in the Fire Frogs’ lineup hit over .300.

• SS, Riley Delgado:    .375 BA
• OF, Andrew Moritz:  .307 BA
• OF, S. Michel:             .500 BA
• INF, K. Josephina:      .312 BA
• INF, B. Langhorne:    .315 BA

Langhorne also hit a home run and 2 doubles, while Lugbauer finished with 3 two-baggers. Both guys are big-time strikeout victims, as the former goes down on strikes in 40.2% of his at-bats and the latter 38.2%.

The only difference is that Lugbauer has some decent pop, belting 13 homers so far, in 96 games this season.

Roster Moves

(19-19) Rome Braves

Sitting at 3rd place in the South Atlantic Southern division, Rome finished 3-3 in Week 17. They’re are just 2.5 games back from 1st place, still benefiting from a good start to the 2nd Half of the season.

The starting pitching was a bit down last week for Rome, but starters Alan Rangel and Gabriel Noguera continued their solid years, putting together two quality-starts on Thursday and Friday.

Rangel took the mound on Thursday and pitcher seven scoreless innings, allowing just 4 hits and striking out eight; Noguera pitched Friday, striking out seven and walking three in a 6.1-inning outing. He allowed eight hits and two runs.

Relievers Ryan Shetter and Kasey Kelich also stood out last week. Shetter made two appearances (4 IP) and struck out five while allowing just 3 hits and a run. Kelich also worked 4 innings, striking out 5 and allowing just two hits.

Two Rome batters were heroes last week, as second baseman Greg Cullen and catcher Shea Langeliers both had walk-off hits. On Tuesday, Cullen provided a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, scoring Langeliers to be at Hagerstown, 5-4.

Then on Friday, Langeliers slapped a sac-fly (also in the 10th inning), scoring Braden Shewmake to walk if off and beat West Virginia, 5-4.

Offensively, things are looking up for the Atlanta Braves top choice in last month’s draft. Langeliers capped off last week with back-to-back 3-hit performances, finishing Week 17 with a home run, 7 RBI and a double.

He’s beginning to figure out this professional baseball stuff, as he’s hitting a healthy .286 over his last 10 games — a solid improvement from his .231 average in 27 games this season.

Two players that we haven’t heard much of this season: 2019 Draft pick Drew Campbell has also elevated his game lately. Campbell hit .280 last week, slugging his first home run; outfielder  Jeremy Fernandez hit .277 during his time in the Rome lineup.

It was a down week for Shewmake, as he hit just .230 (6 for 26), though he did knock in four runs and finish 4 for 9 in Friday’s and Saturday’s games combined.

Roster Moves

Shallow pitching depth

Like it is in most organizations, the pitching depth down at the rookie levels is a bit light at the moment. That sentiment was pretty obvious in Week 17.

(16-23) Danville Braves

Danville managed just a 2-5 week, as their starting pitching continues to be a weakness. Not one starter made it past four innings in a an outing, in Week 17.

Staying with the pitching, Danville’s starting staff has mainly consisted of 2019 eighth rounder Rickey DeVito and 2018’s thirtieth rounder, Mitch Stallings, out of Duke.

Those two were the only arms that could post worthwhile starts last week, as DeVito pitched a 4-inning two-hitter on Friday, in which he struck out five and walked just one.

Stallings made two starts (Monday, Saturday), combining for just 7.2 innings-pitched, though, he struck out 12 and only walked two. The former Duke pitcher also allowed six total runs.

Reliever Alex Camacho had another solid week, striking out six batters in 5 innings worth of work. He allowed two runs and 5 hits, while walking just one.

The first-year star, first baseman Bryce Ball, was at it again last week. Ball batted .304 and slugged 3 homers, including multi-hit games on Wednesday and Sunday. That’s 13 home runs and 34 RBI in just 33 games so far for the former Dallas Baptist slugger.

Other notable hitters included: outfielder Conner Blair, who hit .363 with 3 doubles; outfielder Michael Mateja, who hit .384 with 2 doubles; and second baseman Cody Birdsong, who hit .272 with a home run and a double, plus 3 RBI.

Mateja also threw a runner out attempting to score from third base. Center fielder Brandon Parker also had an outfield assist last week.

(10-15) GCL Braves

The Gulf Coast Braves had three different games get cancelled, plus a scheduled off day on Sunday, going 2-3 in the 5 games they did get to play.

Making a rehab start, righty Matt Withrow pitched for the GCL Braves on Monday. Withrow only worked through 1.2 innings, allowing 2 runs and walking one. He also struck out three, as he allowed six hits total in his start.

Withrow also pitched in relief on Friday, shutting down the GCL Rays with 5 strikeouts in three innings-pitched.

The 6th round pick in 2015’s draft is trying to make his way back to the Florida Fire Frogs, where he currently has a 4.44 ERA in 7 starts with the Atlanta Braves high-A club.

The GCL Braves other starting pitchers didn’t provide much last week. Zach Seipel made a start in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader, striking out 4 and walking two in 3 innings-pitched.

Seipel has a 4.74 ERA in 3 starts and 5 relief appearances this season between Danville and the GCL.

Center fielder Michael Harris and first baseman Mason Berne led the Braves’ offense, as Harris hit .500 and slapped 2 doubles and Berne hit .357 with a homer and 3 RBI.

Harris is in the midst of a 6-game hitting streak, I’m which the last three games have consisted of 2-hit finishes.

(23-25) DSL Braves

The Dominican Braves had a rough Week 17, starting out with three-straight losses before winning the last 3 games of the week. Bad defense and pitching caused a lot of problems for the DSL Braves last week.

On Monday, the Braves committed 3 errors and allowed the DSL Dodgers Bautista to score 7 runs in an inning, losing 7-4; then on Tuesday, the Braves’ pitching allowed 16 hits and 13 runs in a 13-8 loss to Dodgers Bautista.

Wednesday the Braves could only manage 3 hits as a team, losing again, 3-1 to the DSL Athletics.

However, Thursday was much better. Starter Jorge Bautista tossed a quality-start, striking out five in 6 innings, and the Braves beat the Athletics in 10 innings, 6-5.

The DSL Braves won another extra-inning affair on Saturday, beating the DSL Marlins 6-5 after twelve long innings.

Pitcher Ronaldo Alesandro pitched in the game, working 5 innings and striking out three, while allowing just one hit.

The two Pena’s provided the power for the Braves on offense. Catcher/first baseman Kelvin Pena and, also a catcher, Gianfranco Pena combined to hit 3 home runs, including Gianfranco’s grand slam on Tuesday.

Gianfranco finished the week with a .280 average and 8 RBI, while Kelvin hit .259 with 5 RBI.

Third baseman Jose Dilone also hit well, batting .300 and hitting a triple and a double, in Week 17.

Catcher strong

Week 17 marks back-to-back weeks with an Atlanta Braves catcher winning Batter of the Week.

Now armed with 4 solid options behind the plate (Contreras, Jackson, Brown and Langeliers), the catcher position is a spot in the organization that has drastically improved over the last couple of years.

Top performers

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C, William Contreras (Mississippi)

4 games, .307 BA, 2 HR, double, 5 RBI

In Week 16, Gwinnett’s catcher Alex Jackson was one of the Batters’ of the Week, and how fitting is it that Contreras wins it the very next week. You don’t think Jackson and Contreras keep on eye on each other’s numbers? No! Surely not!

Contreras got the last laugh this past weekend when he was listed as the Atlanta Braves ninth best prospect by MLB.com’s latest top 30 ranking, receiving more love than Jackson — who came in at 29th.

But that midseason prospect list doesn’t need to go to his head. Contreras still needs to get better, as a .668 OPS in Double-A won’t cut it.

I like where he’s headed, improving his plate discipline (20.8 K%, 8.3 BB%) and turning in a solid week of hitting last week.

But he has to keep working at it now that the Atlanta Braves have two other plenty capable catchers, in Logan Brown and Shea Langeliers… not to mention the home run producer, Jackson.

SP, Alan Rangel

1 start, 7 innings pitched, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts 

While not considered a prospect, Rangel has spent the past almost 3 seasons posting middling stats in Rome, never really fully getting it together.

I’m predicting that 2019 will be a turning point for the 6-foot-2, 170-pound, 21-year-old, as he’s taken a nice step forward over the last 2 weeks or so.

Rangel’s last 10 starts have consisted of a 5-2 record, a 3.79 ERA and a solid K/BB ratio of 44 strikeouts and 19 walks.

His last 3 starts? 2-0 record with only two runs allowed in 19.2 innings pitched.

At this juncture in the season, Rangel’s numbers look eerily similar to his last two in a half years, but this could be when he finally takes off and finishes strong.