Atlanta Braves Week 22 Farm Report: The final week

The 22nd and final weekly Farm Report of our 2019 series highlighting each Minor League team for the Atlanta Braves.

All good things must come to an end, but at least there’s one Atlanta Braves minor league team that made their respective league’s postseason, the Gwinnett Stripers.

(80-59) Gwinnett Stripers

It’s been a historic 2019 season for the Stripers (which I’ll divulge in the team’s end-of-season recap, coming soon).

With a couple of 4-game splits against Norfolk and Durham, Gwinnett finished 4-4 in Week 22 as their season ended on Labor Day.

The Stripers end their regular season winners of the IL South, and will take on the Columbus Redbirds in the semifinals on Wednesday, September 4 at 7:05 p.m. CNT, in the International League Playoffs.

The two teams will play a best-of-5 and the winner will play for the Governor’s Cup before heading to the Triple-A National Championship.

RHP, Bryse Wilson

WK 22: 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, BB, 9 K

What he did: Wilson threw 98 pitches in Gwinnett’s 8-2 win over Norfolk on Tuesday night, improving his 2019 record to 10-7. He did allow a homer, but for the most part, Wilson kept the ball on the ground (7 groundouts / 3 flyouts).

The 6’1″ righty finishes the season with a solid 3.42 ERA in 21 starts.

RHP, Kyle Wright

WK 22: 1 start, 1-0, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

What he did: Wright put a cap on his Gwinnett season with a promising finish, tossing a 109-pitch outing in the Stripers’ 3-2 win on Saturday night. The Alabama native pitched to mostly-weak contact and generated 5 outs on the ground.

It wasn’t always pretty for Wright in 2019, but he should leave Triple-A and head to the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen with a somewhat eased mind. He at least finished strong.

He ends the 2019 season with an 11-4 record and pitched great in his last two outings (12 IP, 2 ER, 13 K). Overall, Wright holds a 4.17 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 112.1 innings-pitched for Gwinnett.

LHP, Philip Pfeifer

WK 22: 1 app., 1-0, 5.2 IP, 4 H, BB, 9 K

What he did: Before he started play in Week 22, Pfeifer was recognized for his performance from Week 21:

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1166033061433106432?s=19

Pfeifer didn’t get a start last week, but he made two excellent relief appearances (Wednesday & Sunday). He threw 43 pitches on Wednesday, earning the win and striking out four in 3.1 innings; then on Sunday, the lefty tossed another 42 pitches and punched out five in 2.1 innings of work, allowing just 2 hits.

The former Vanderbilt star has been one of the best stories in the Atlanta Braves’ organization in 2019, pitching himself from Florida up to Gwinnett and mowing down batters in the process.

Overall, Pfeifer finished the 2019 season with a 2.97 ERA and accrued 133.1 innings between Florida, Mississippi, and Gwinnett (92 IP, 34 IP and 7.1, respectively), while he also struck out 159 batters, compared to just 42 walks (10.75 K/9, 2.83 BB/9). Expect big things from this guy in 2020.

OF, Drew Waters

WK 22: 7 G, .187 BA, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 SB

What he did: Well, I guess I should start with the fact that Waters became the first Mississippi Braves’ player, and the youngest player in 14 years, to win a Southern League MVP award.

https://twitter.com/mbraves/status/1166748322130010112?s=19

We’re not going to knock Waters for his .187 average last week. I think he’s earned his name on the list.

It wasn’t his best week in Week 22, but Waters managed a solid game on Monday, going 2-for-6 with a double, followed by a 1-for-5 finish on Saturday when he belted his second home run of the season for Gwinnett.

Unless you’ve been asleep this season, you’re already plenty aware of how great Waters has been in 2019.

But let’s add it all up: In 133 total games between Mississippi and Gwinnett, the 20-year-old hit .312 (.825 OPS) with 40 doubles and 7 home runs, while also running out 9 triples and 16 stolen bases. He even amassed 52 RBI as mainly a leadoff hitter, getting on base at a .362 clip.

I feel extremely confident that we’ll see Waters in Atlanta at some point in 2020, even if he’s a September call-up. He’s giving the Braves no choice.

OF/DH, Adam Duvall

WK 22: 7 G, .363 BA, 3 HR, 3B, 2B, 9 RBI

What he did: What a year it’s been for Duvall. In his last week he finished strong, hitting a homer on Friday (3 RBI) and Saturday, while hitting one earlier in the week, on Tuesday. The 3-homer week gives him 32 on the year, 38 if you count the six he’s hit with the Atlanta Braves so far.

Here’s that bomb he hit on Friday:

The 2019 season could not have gone any better for Duvall. After a forgettable 2018 with the Atlanta Braves, he bounced back and hit .266 in Gwinnett (101 games), while also swinging a respectable .241 bat in 26 games at the big league level.

OF, Cristian Pache

WK 22: 7 G, .346 BA, HR, 4 2B, 2 RBI

What he did: The Atlanta Braves top prospect had one of his best Triple-A games on the final day of the 2019 season, going 3-for-3 with a double and a run-scored.

Pache also hit his first Triple-A home run on Friday, as he had his best week yet in Gwinnett:

Like Waters, it has been an amazing year. In 130 total games this season (Mississippi and Gwinnett), Pache slashed .277/.340/.462 with 12 home runs, 9 triples, and 36 doubles, plus he stole 8 bags. This, folks, is your future Atlanta Braves outfielder, and he may be there sooner then we ever imagined.

INF, Sean Kazmar Jr.

WK 22: 7 G, .333 BA, 4 2B, 6 RBI

What he did: The never-aging infielder had a heckuva week last week, including an outstanding last day of the season, when he went 3-for-5 with a double and 4 RBI on Labor Day. Kazmar also went 5-for-5 on Thursday, slapping 2 doubles.

At 35-years-old, Kazmar is probably as high as he’s going to go, but that doesn’t mean his 2019 performance should go unnoticed. The Georgia native hit .270 in 108 games with Gwinnett, while also slugging 12 homers and 21 doubles.

(64-75) Mississippi Braves

Mississippi went 3-4 in Week 22 and finished their 2019 season in 4th place in the South division of the Southern League with a 31-39 2nd Half record (33-36 1st Half).

RHP, Jasseel De La Cruz

WK 22: 1 start, 5 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 2 K

What he did: Cruz was at it again, pitching to weak contact in his outing on Friday night. The righty was efficient, throwing only 59 pitches and generating 8 groundouts.

Cruz ends his 2019 season with a solid 3.83 ERA in 16 starts and one relief appearance with Mississippi. Overall, between Rome, Florida, and the M-Braves this season, the Dominican pitched 133 innings and struck out 121 batters, flashing a 3.25 ERA in 24 total starts.

RHP, Nolan Kingham

WK 22: 2 starts, 1-0, 14 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

What he did: On Sunday night, Kingham tossed a complete-game, allowing two runs from 4 hits and striking out three as the M-Braves rolled 9-2 over Chattanooga. Kingham’s start earlier in the week (Tuesday) wasn’t quite as impressive, but he still managed 5 innings of three-run ball with four punch outs.

Overall, the Texas superstar tallied 116 strikeouts in 165.1 innings-pitched in 2019, while working at 3 different levels (Rome, Florida, and Mississippi). He’ll go into next season after compiling a 3.92 ERA in 2019.

3B, Riley Unroe

WK 22: 7 G, .407 BA, 2 HR, 3B, 2 2B, 10 RBI

What he did: Unroe had the week of his life, recording at least one hit in every game in Week 22, including three multi-hit games. He also homered in both games of Mississippi’s doubleheader on Tuesday, totaling 3 RBI in the second game.

It’s been a great 2019 season for the 24-year-old, as he started the year in Florida (38 games), and after 77 games in Mississippi was promoted to Gwinnett where he’s struggled some (.171 BA) in 13 games.

But overall, Unroe hit .281 across all 3 levels (128 games) and belted 9 homers with 22 doubles (21 of those came in Florida and Mississippi).

OF, Trey Harris

WK 22: 7 G, .333 BA, 2 2B, RBI

What he did: Harris can be found in literally every single one of these weekly recaps, as his 2019 season has definitely been well-documented. Week 22 wasn’t his best week of the year, but he had a few nice games, including a double and a 3-for-5 finish on Sunday.

Harris was another player that experienced 3-level participation in 2019, starting off the season in Rome. He played a rather even amount across the three teams (Rome: 56 G, Florida: 34 G, Mississippi: 41 G) and succeeded at every stop as well (.366 BA, .303 BA, .281 BA, respectively.

With all three together, Harris hit .323 in 131 games, with 14 home runs and 26 doubles. He started 2019 outside of the Braves’ prospect rankings, but he may end up in the top 15 at the beginning of the 2020 list.

(53-81) Florida Fire Frogs

Florida’s 2019 season was cut short before the final weekend, as FSL President Ken Carson announced on Thursday. 

With Hurricane Dorian bearing down on the Gulf last week, the League canceled the last few games, as well as the 2019 postseason.

So with the Fire Frogs season ending on Thursday,  Florida played just four games in Week 22, finishing 2-2, as they played all their games against Charlotte.

Florida ends their 2019 campaign with a 29-41 second-half record while going 25-41 in the first half — good for an overall record of 53-81. The disappointing 2019 season results in a last-place finish for the Fire Frogs, ending 10 games behind first-place Dunedin.

There weren’t many players that stood out last week for Florida and the pitching wasn’t anything special, either. Here are a few players of note:

RHP, Walter Borkovich

WK 22: 1 start, 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K

What he did: The Fire Frogs won an extra-inning game versus Charlotte on Monday, 5-4, and Borkovich made the start. He didn’t dominate the outing, but he gave the team a chance to win with his 85-pitch start.

The 24-year-old, and former Michigan State pitcher, ends his 2019 season totaling 58.1 innings between Florida and Gwinnett, mostly as a reliever (just 2 of his innings were with the Stripers). Borkovich finishes with a 5.25 ERA, while allowing a .310 batting-average from opposing hitters.

He finished strong, running a 4.23 ERA and striking out 25 batters in his final 27.2 innings-pitched (10 appearances).

RHP, Freddy Tarnok

WK 22: 1 start, 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K

What he did: On Tuesday, the Fire Frogs dropped their game versus Charlotte, 4-3, but Tarnok pitched fine in his final start of 2019.

The 20-year-old didn’t have the best season this year, but his last 10 starts were impressive: in Tarnok’s last 52.1 innings of 2019, he struck out 50 batters and walked just 10, good for a 2.92 ERA.

Altogether, Tarnok made 22 starts between the GCL Braves (3 starts) and Fire Frogs (19 starts), compiling 106 innings and 91 strikeouts while maintaining a 4.75 ERA.

2B/3B, Kevin Josephina

WK 22:  4 games, .333 BA, 2B, 2 RB

What he did: Josephina makes the list more for what he did on Monday, when he knocked in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning, giving Florida the lead over Charlotte and eventually the win.

There really wasn’t enough games for any Florida hitters to put up too many stats, but Josephina was able to slap a couple of doubles last week,  including a 2-for-3 finish on Tuesday, when he finished with a double and an RBI.

Josephina ends his 2019 season with a .258 average in 112 games with Florida, plus 20 doubles, a couple of homers and four triples. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him in Mississippi sometime next season if he can continue to play well in 2020.

(65-74) Rome Braves

Rome finished the week 3-5, splitting their 4-game series with Greensboro but then losing 3-of-4 to Asheville. The R-Braves’ final 2nd Half record ends at an even .500, 35-35.

Thanks to a second-half surge, Rome was actually in the postseason hunt for a little while but was unable to hold on down the stretch. They end up finishing in 4th place in the Southern division of the South Atlantic League, six games behind the leader, Augusta.

LHP, Dilmer Mejia

WK 22: 1 start, 0-1, 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 4 K

What he did: Rome couldn’t muster much offense in their loss on Tuesday, a 3-0 defeat to Greensboro. As a result, Mejia was tagged with the loss, though he pitched rather well.

LHP, Mitch Stallings

WK 22: 1 start, 1-0, 8 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K

What he did: That’s three wins in-a-row for the lefty, as Stallings was a ground ball machine Thursday night, generating 9 ground outs in his 104-pitch outing.

The small exposure to Single-A ball has went well. Stallings owns a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings-pitched in Rome.

RHP, William Woods

WK 22: 1 start, 0-1, 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K

What he did: Unfortunately, Woods didn’t get any help on Friday night as Rome’s defense committed 3 errors and the lineup only managed 7 hits with one XBH. Even more injustice: Woods was tagged with the loss, giving him a rough 1-5 record to end his 2019 season.

Although his record may look a bit lacking, the 6’3″ righty put together a nice season, illustrated by his 3.35 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 51 innings-pitched. The Tennessee native was used mostly as a reliever (13 relief appearances / 7 starts).

RHP, Ricky DeVito

WK 22: 2 starts, 1-0, 9 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

What he did: Yeah, DeVito’s stats don’t exactly jump off the page, but his 2 starts last week was only his third and fourth starts in full-season ball, and so far it appears that he’s handled himself nicely after making just one relief appearance for the GCL Braves earlier in 2019.

On Sunday, DeVito made a 5-inning start for Rome as the Braves won 8-4 over Asheville. The 2019 8th round draft pick struck out four and walked just one, while allowing two runs from 7 hits in the win.

DeVito will end his first pro season with a 3.57 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 17.2 innings-pitched, in four starts and one relief appearance between the GCL and Rome.

RHP, Victor Vodnik

WK 22: 1 start, 1 app., 8 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

What he did: Mostly used as a reliever in 2019 (20 relief appearances and 3 starts), Vodnik doesn’t usually get a chance to pitch many innings. However, the righty was tasked with starting Rome’s final game of the season on Monday night.

Vodnik pitched 5 strong innings, allowing just a run and 5 hits, while striking out five and walking one. Rome lost on Monday (5-3) but Vodnik finished off an excellent 2019 season on the mound.

In 67.1 innings-pitched with Rome, the California native struck out 69 batters and finished with a 2.94 ERA.

1B, Bryce Ball

WK 22: 8 G, .290 BA, 2 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI

What he did: What a nice way to finish off the final week of your first pro season. Ball continued to hit well in Week 22, including a 2-homer night on Thursday when he finished with 5 RBI.

The power-hitting first baseman finished the 2019 season with 4 home runs in Rome, plus a .337/.367/.547 slash to boot. Ball should be a fast mover in 2020.

1B, Brendan Venter

WK 22: 8 G, .384 BA, HR, 2B, 4 RBI

What he did: Last week Venter put together some nice at-bats, including two 3-hit finishes (Friday and Monday). Venter also homered on Saturday.

The South Africa native saw a nice improvement compared to his first season in the organization in 2018. Venter finishes 2019 with a .220 average in 84 games with Rome (he hit .186 with Danville and Rome last season). Venter also hit 6 home runs and 20 doubles in 2019 (5 and 8 in 2018, respectively).