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Atlanta Braves minors: End of season recap of 2019 Gwinnett Stripers

By Clint Manry

LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 23: 2015 World Series bats of the New York Mets lay on a rack ready to be shipped out at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory on October 23, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 23: 2015 World Series bats of the New York Mets lay on a rack ready to be shipped out at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory on October 23, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The top hitters

Four Gwinnett batters finished with at least 20 home runs in 2019, with one tallying 19.

Duvall led the team with 32 home runs (2nd in the league) and 93 RBI (also 2nd-most in the league), all while playing in fewer games than five other players in the lineup.

The 30-year-old slugger slashed .266/.364/.602 and slapped 20 doubles while playing in 101 games with the Triple-A team. He also hit 8 homers in 35 games with the Atlanta Braves, as the major league team called for his services when Nick Markakis fractured his wrist.

Jackson enjoyed 2019’s new ball, as he broke out with a career-high in homers (28) and SLG% (.533). Despite his gains in power, Jackson still struggled to maintain a decent average (.229), mostly from an unsightly strikeout rate (38.5 K%).

The all-around hitter of the year for Gwinnett undoubtedly goes to Ortega, who not only slugged 21 homers but also hit 34 doubles (team-high and 4th in the IL) and slashed .285/.373/.524 on his way to the best season of his 12-year pro career.

Ortega finished third in the INT League with 83 runs scored, while also coming in at 13th in total hits (123). Only six other INT League players tallied more than his 226 total bases.

While he’s sadly no longer part of the Atlanta Braves organization, outfielder Travis Demeritte was right with Ortega when it came to doing it all for the Stripers. Demeritte was involved in a trade with the Detroit Tigers in July — the deal that brought reliever Shane Greene to the Atlanta Braves.

The 24-year-old Demeritte played in 96 games and finished second on the team in OPS (.944) amongst Gwinnett hitters that played at least 50 games in 2019. Demeritte also slapped 28 doubles — second only to Oretga.

Blanco, another veteran player (35-years-old), never hit more than 10 home runs in his 17 years of professional baseball. In 2019, Blanco hit 19 long balls while maintaining a .264 batting average.

While Austin Riley only played in 44 games for Gwinnett in 2019, the 22-year-old managed to hit 15 home runs (6th on the team) and 13 doubles. His .992 OPS would’ve led the team and the league if he could’ve accrued enough plate appearances.

While a Striper, Riley also showed excellent plate discipline, running above average K/BB rates of 22.4 K% and 11.4 BB%.

Infielders Pedro Florimon, Jack Lopez, and Sean Kazmar Jr. all had great seasons as well, as all three hit 10+ home runs and batted .265+.

Kazmar Jr., 35-years-old, even picked up his 1,500th hit in 2019.

The minor league veteran now has 1,558 hits in 16 minor league seasons.

Lopez filled in for Riley and played excellent defense at third base while also playing at other spots in the infield. Lopez, 26-years-old, played in 96 games with Gwinnett, hit .273, and belted 12 homers with 16 doubles. He finished with 9 stolen bases on the year.

Overall, the 2019 Gwinnett lineup was about as good as it gets. In a season where the entire league experienced a massive influx in offense, the Stripers not only held it’s own but led the way.

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