Welcome to the Braves Farm Report, where we will take a look at the Braves farm system and look at trends and players that seem interesting, and give first hand accounts of what we’re seeing down on the farm.
Also be sure to check out the OFR Farm Report Podcast where we discuss these events and give opinions and commentary.
Prospect Spotlight: Shea Langeliers
Shea Langeliers was the first of two 1st-round picks in the 2019 draft and the #9 selection overall. Langeliers signed with Atlanta for a $4 million bonus, and at the time of the signing was considered the top defensive catcher in the draft.
Position: C
Age: 23.5
Height: 6′-0″
Weight: 205 lbs
Performance: .259/.403/.517 | 4 HR | 0 SB | 23.6 K% | 16.7 BB% | 160 wRC+
Grades (Current/Future)
Hit: 40/55
Power: 45/55
Speed: 35/30
Arm: 60/60
Defense: 50/65
Langeliers was returning from a broken hamate bone injury his junior year for Baylor University which likely depressed his offensive production and allowed the Braves to select him at #9 and sign him for $949,100 underslot, allowing the Braves to sign over-slot prep stars like Vaughn Grissom, Tyler Owens, and Joey Estes later in the draft.
Despite the down year at Baylor, Langeliers did end his collegiate year with a bang, setting an NCAA tournament record by driving in 11 runs in a game.
After signing with Atlanta, Langeliers and fellow first rounder Braden Shewmake were given aggressive assignments to then low-A Rome rather than start in the rookie leagues. Langeliers set to work learning a completely new pitching staff. His first professional hit was a home run, but overall his 2019 numbers in Rome, .255/.310/.343 with 2 home runs in 54 games, were somewhat pedestrian, but given the level of competition it would be understandable.
Langeliers received a major league spring training invitation for 2020 and impressed the Atlanta coaching staff with his defense, and he helped cement that impressions by going 6-for-14 in 8 games with a home run. After the pandemic shutdown, Langeliers was one of the players that worked out at the Alternate Training Site in Gwinnett, exposing him to both the top pitching prospects of the system both behind and at the plate. Langeliers was also a 2021 major league spring non-roster invitee, once again earning praise for his defense.
Langeliers received a AA Mississippi assignment when minor league baseball finally resumed in May, skipping over the high-A level. So far he has been up to this challenge, leading the team offensively with a 160 wRC+, hitting .259/.403/.517 with 4 home runs, already doubling his homer total from 2019. Langeliers has shown an all-fields approach, sending 36.6% of his batted balls to the pull side and 31.7% opposite field. Ground balls however are still an issue and he has a 43.9% GB rate so far this season.
Langeliers has perhaps the strongest arm among all position players in the minors, and has caught 9 of 18 would-be baserunners so far this season.
Offense: Between the end of his 2019 season with Rome and the the start of the 2021 season, Langeliers has worked on his swing. Here is a grainy, awful gif of his swing from 2019 in Rome.
The result of the swing was an opposite field single. Langeliers holds the bat practically on his shoulder and his hands start and finish high. He has very little stride and all of his power has to come from his upper half. This is not a bad approach for a speedy slap-hitter, but not great for a player with plus raw power as Langeliers has.
This is a slightly less grainy and awful gif of a recent swing in Mississippi.
There have been significant changes, most notably in his hand positioning as he starts the at-bat. His hands are lower and in front of his chest, allowing him to stay back longer and then bring his hands (and the bat barrell) directly to the pitch. This will help his bat speed on fastballs and allow him a longer look at off-speed. His legs don’t start quite as bent and his weight transfer looks more balanced even with a still very slight stride. Langeliers looks balanced mechanically, and the look matches the performance — an all-fields approach that should also generate power. Continued exposure to advanced pitching should improve his already solid recognition skills, and I would anticipate his strikeout percentage to drop steadily as the season progresses.
Defense: Langeliers’s calling card from college was his strong defense, and that has manifested as a pro as well. In addition to his cannon arm, Langeliers gets strong marks in framing, pitch calling, and overall leadership as well. The one-knee-down style of catching that the Braves have adopted system-wide this season especially seems to suit his talents and his overall athleticism still allows him to shift behind the plate.
Baserunning: LOL, no. That said, he seems to know his limitations and won’t get himself out often on the bases.
Langeliers recently entered the Top 100 Prospects list for Baseball America, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him move up significantly when lists are re-ranked around midseason. If he shows continued progression, the organization may move him to AAA Gwinnett at some point in the season to prep him for a possible 2022 major league debut.
AUGUSTA:
The Jackets dropped four of six at Columbia this week, dropping their record to 10-14 and five games behind division leaders Columbia and Charleston. The good news is that the team will return home on Tuesday to start a 12-game homestand.
Offense was hard to come by this week, but a few Jackets hitters stood out. Infielder Cade Bunnell, a 40th-round pick in 2019 out of Indiana University who has been known more for his defense, has been one of Augusta’s best performers this season and his currently sporting an .885 OPS and a 151 wRC+ and leads the team with 4 home runs, 2 coming this week including a solo shot on Tuesday that was the deciding run in a 4-3 Augusta win. Outfielder Willie Carter currently leads all Braves prospects with a 164 wRC+ and this week went 8-for-21 with a home run. Two Jackets that got off to slow starts for the season started turning it on this week: outfielder Brandon Parker only had two hits this week, but he made them count by putting them both over the fence. He also drew 6 walks on the week to give himself a .429 OBP. Outfielder Stephen Paolini also was on base this week, going 5-for-15 with 2 walks and a stolen base.
Right-hander Spencer Strider continues to be the hottest pitcher in the Braves system after throwing 8.2 innings over two starts this week, allowing 1 ER, and striking out 15 batters. Both of Augusta’s wins this week came on Strider’s starts, and according to Talking Chop’s Eric Cole, a deserved promotion to A+ Rome will be announced this week. Young left-hander Joey Estes had another good showing, going 5 innings in his start and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) and striking out 4. Right-hander Roddery Munoz pitched 4 innings this week in a piggyback role, striking out 6 and allowing a run.
ROME:
Rome took four of six games against Greenville this week to wrap up a 12-game homestand and take a share of first place in the division with Bowling Green, their next series opponent. Three of Rome’s four wins this week were of the walk-off variety.
The pitching star of the week was right-hander Indigo Diaz, who pitched 4 scoreless innings over two outings, including a three inning effort on Friday, carrying Rome from the 8th to the 10th inning and striking out 8 of his 11 batters faced — including striking out four in one inning. Right-hander Jared Shuster threw his first start since May 7 on Tuesday, striking out 3 in 2.2 innings. Bryce Elder continued his good work, working 6 innings on Friday and allowing 2 runs in 6 innings. Right-hander Mitch Stallings worked around 4 walks in his 4 innings on Saturday without allowing a run.
With Riley Delgado on the shelf, third base was turned over to Kevin Josephina and he has made the most of the opportunity, going 10-for-22 this week, including getting a walk-off RBI single on Sunday. Catcher Logan Brown had a big weekend as well, including a three-hit game on Sunday including a 9th-inning 3-run home run that sent the game into extras. Outfielder Michael Harris saw a 9-game hitting streak snapped on Friday, but hit .360 on the week, including a 3-hit game on Sunday, and stole two bases. Overall, Harris has hit safely in all but 3 games he’s played this season. Shortstop Beau Philip went .286/.360/.524 on the week with a home run and a stolen base.
MISSISSIPPI:
Mississippi entered the second half of their extended homestand this week when the Montgomery Biscuits came to town. The M-Braves proceeded to take five out of six from the Biscuits, four by one run, and the last two in walk-off fashion. This run helped elevate the M-Braves record to 12-12, good for second place in the Double-A South South Division (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?)
No M-Brave had a better week than catcher Shea Langeliers, who was 8-for-19 on the week with two doubles, a home run, five RBI, while striking out just twice as he continued to take down basestealers at a 50% rate while accumulating a .920 OPS. Outfielder Trey Harris stepped up in a big way coming off a terrible week in going 5-for-14 with five walks and an HBP. CJ Alexander also had a 5-for-14 week while Drew Lugbauer was 8-for-17 with a double, home run, and six RBI (.471/.550/.706). There were several M-Braves that struggled, however: Riley Unroe was only 3-for-22, Justin Dean was 2-for-17 (although both hits were doubles and he had two stolen bases), and shortstop Braden Shewmake was just 2-for-21, dropping his batting average to .099 and his OPS to .341.
Starting pitching was front and center this week as M-Braves starters accounted for a 1.03 ERA in 26.1 innings although Victor Vodnik left his start with an injury after just three batters. Vodnik was placed on the 7-day IL and there has been no news of the nature of his injury or a timetable for his return. Nolan Kingham had the “worst” start of the week and even he gave up just two runs over 6.1 innings. Hayden Deal tossed four shutout innings in his start, AJ Puckett pitched 5.2 scoreless frames in just the second Double-A start of his career, Odalvi Javier gave up just one run over five innings, and newly arrived Jose Rodriguez had five shutout innings in the final game of the series on Sunday.
A number of M-Braves relievers had solid weeks: Daysbel Hernandez gave up just one unearned run in three outings covering 5.1 innings while striking out six and walking no one (a very positive sign for him), Will Latcham had three scoreless one-inning appearances, Matt Withrow gave up just one unearned run over 4.1 innings to bring his season ERA down to 0.55 in 16.1 innings, Troy Bacon had two more scoreless one-inning appearances to run his scoreless streak to 11.1 innings to start the season, Brandon White gave up his first earned run of the season but still sports just a 0.90 ERA. Not faring as well was Sean McLaughlin, who gave up four earned runs and eight hits over just two innings.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers returned home this week to face Memphis after getting swept last week. This week saw much more favorable results with the Stripers taking five of six from the Redbirds to raise their record to 14-10 for the season, good for a third-place tie in the AAA-East Southeast Division. The Stripers were dominant with a plus-25 run differential for the series and holding Memphis to two runs or less in four games.
Kyle Wright had a great week with two scoreless starts over eleven innings while Bryse Wilson also had a solid start (6 IP, 2 ER). Kyle Muller had his best start of the young season with a dominant outing in which he gave up just one run over five innings while striking out eight and walking no one. Jasseel De La Cruz had his roughest start thus far in giving up four runs over 3.2 innings.
Several Gwinnett relievers had good weeks with Chasen Bradford being a standout; he had two more scoreless outings covering three innings and now has a 0.87 ERA in seven outings and 10.1 innings. Victor Arano, Dylan Lee, and Jacob Webb each put up two scoreless appearances while Thomas Burrows and Shane Greene each tossed a scoreless frame.
When your team averages over seven runs a game for a solid week, there are plenty of contributors to point out. The highlight of the week came from catcher Alex Jackson with a three-home run, seven-RBI performance in Wednesday’s 14-2 rout. Jackson added another home run the following night and finished the week 5-for-14 with four home runs and nine RBI. Outfielder Abraham Almonte reached double digit hits for the week in going 10-for-19 with five walks, two home runs, and six RBI (.526/.625/.895). Fellow outfielder Drew Waters continued his up-and-down ways with a 4-for-19 week with seven strikeouts. Shortstop Orlando Arcia continued to plug away with a 7-for-27 week with a home run, two doubles, and only three strikeouts. Outfielder Travis Demeritte did not play much during a 3-for-11 week but made the most of his time with two doubles, a home run, and six walks. Yet another outfielder, Phil Ervin, also made a solid contribution during limited playing time in going 4-for-9 with a double, five walks, and four stolen bases. Second baseman Jason Kipnis was activated this week and went 4-for-12 during the week with four walks and a home run and could be soon ticketed to replace Johan Camargo in Atlanta as a bench bat.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
5/24/2021: IF Riley Delgado transferred from the 7-day to 60-day injured list for A+ Rome
This is a blow for Delgado, who is trying to advance up the ladder as a potential big league utility infielder.
5/24/2021: OF Drew Campbell placed on the 7-day injured list for A Augusta.
5/25/2021: OF Jose Bermudez assigned to A Augusta from A+ Rome
It’s been a tough go for Campbell, who is hitting .321/.387/.643 on the season but has only appeared in 8 games so far this season due to leg injuries.
Bermudez was buried on the depth chart in Rome, so he goes where he can get some playing time.
5/25/2021: RHP Matt Hartman activated from the AA Mississippi developmental list and assigned to A+ Rome; C Mitch Calandra placed on the Development List
Hartman has reportedly been dealing with some shoulder discomfort, and has only appeared in one game since being re-assigned to Rome.
5/25/2021: OF Jefrey Ramos activated from Developmental List; OF Tyler Neslony placed on Developmental List for AA Mississippi
None of the outfielders that Mississippi have tried in left field — Neslony, Ramos, or Jacob Pearson — have exactly seized the job, but Ramos has the most potential upside of the trio.
5/25/2021: RHP Luis Mora placed on the Developmental List; RHP Daysbel Hernandez assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett
After impressing in winter ball and in major league spring training, Hernandez got the aggressive assignment at Gwinnett after not having pitched at the double-A level. It didn’t go particularly well as he only got 14 out of 21 batters faced out.
This is the seventh season in the Braves system for Mora, a hard-thrower who has not been able to shake control problems.
5/25/2021: 2B Jason Kipnis assigned to AAA Gwinnett; OF Terrance Gore placed on the Developmental List
Invited to spring training by the Braves, Kipnis was in the running for a bench job before an oblique injury sidelined him. An All-Star for Cleveland in 2013 and 2015, Kipnis will try to crack the major league roster again after rehabbing in North Port.
Gore is a major league veteran outfielder who is mostly known for being added to postseason rosters as a pinch-runner specialist.
5/29/2021: RHP Jose Rodriguez assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett
Rodriguez has looked solid in three appearances for Gwinnett, so this looks to be a move to backfill a potential rotation hole for Mississippi. Rodriguez started Sunday.
5/30/2021: RHP Victor Vodnik placed on 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi
And this is the rotation hole. Vodnik left his start this week after only facing three batters.
Your Moment of Zen
Here is the comprehensive list of Mississippi Braves walk-up songs that absolutely nobody asked for.
- Trey Harris – 15th and the 1st (Gucci Mane & Waka Flocka Flame feat. YG Hootie)
- Wendell Rijo – BOOKER T (Bad Bunny)
- CJ Alexander – Electric Feel (MGMT)
- Shea Langeliers – Suga Suga (Baby Bash)
- Hendrik Clementina – Traigo Fuego (La Banda Gorda)
- Greyson Jenista – Don’t Rush (Young T & Bugsey feat. Headie One)
- Jacob Pearson – Cut the Cord (Shinedown)
- Justin Dean – Crown the Kings (Migos)
- Braden Shewmake – Soul Survivor (Young Jeezy feat. Akon)
- Jalen Miller – Plain Jane (A$AP Ferg)
- Riley Unroe – Born For Greatness (Papa Roach)
- Tyler Neslony – Bad Boy For Life (P. Diddy feat. Black Rob and Mark Curry)
- Drew Lugbauer – Go Crazy (Young Jeezy)
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