Braves Prospect Watch: Jhancarlos Lara is shoving, Luis Guanipa, Drake Baldwin
These four Atlanta Braves prospects have been showing out to begin the month.
As the month of August begins, there are a few prospects throughout the Atlanta Braves system who have already made their mark over the last week of action. Let's take a look at four of those names in particular who are in the midst of a strong start to August, as well as what each player has done up to this point.
NOTE: Stats mentioned are current as of Wednesday, August 7. Prospect rankings are also according to MLB Pipeline.
Jhancarlos Lara, Luis Guanipa among Atlanta Braves prospects enjoying strong starts to August
Jhancarlos Lara, Right-Handed Pitcher
Jhancarlos Lara, the Braves No. 12 prospect, had a stellar month of July in which he owned a 2.57 ERA across 21 IP, and carried over that success with arguably the organization's best start so far this month on August 7 for High-A Rome. Across six innings against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Lara allowed no hits or runs in the contest. He issued one walk and tied his career-high of 12 strikeouts.
Luis Guanipa, Outfield
After a rough July in which he posted a combined .538 OPS across 21 games between the FCL Braves and Low-A Augusta, Atlanta's eighth-best prospect has seen some success, albeit in a limited sample size, to kick off the month of August. Across three games with Augusta, Guanipa has slashed .417/.417/.417 with two RBI and three SB, while also striking out only once in 12 at-bats.
Drake Baldwin, Catcher
Drake Baldwin was one of Atlanta's best-performing prospects in July, slashing .269/.425/.478 with four homers and 10 RBI across 18 games with Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves No. 10 prospect has carried over that prior success to start August, slashing .300/.391/.400 across five games with one RBI and two doubles. Baldwin will be a great addition to the Braves roster in the future and it's great to see him continue to thrive.
Blake Burkhalter, Right-Handed Pitcher
At the time of writing, Blake Burkhalter is Atlanta's 25th-best prospect and has made only one start this month, which came on August 3 for High-A Rome. Facing the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the right-hander pitched a season-high seven scoreless innings with five hits and five strikeouts.
While still fairly early in the month, it's clear that these four names are already enjoying an impressive August, with some also carrying over their success from July. Will this continue going forward as the month rolls along?