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.
Mailbag
Q: General thoughts on Spencer Strider‘s performance so far and how he would fit into the Braves bullpen (hopefully with [Jasseel] De La Cruz)? – T. Childers
A: My general thoughts are that his upper-90s exploding fastball will play anywhere, and that it can probably carry him to double-A before the end of the season. If you are asking how he would fit in the Atlanta bullpen in 2021, he doesn’t. His command isn’t major-league ready and he needs to get more consistent with his curveball and develop the change-up. He’s an exciting prospect, but there’s no good reason to rush him.
Q: I’m curious about [Jared] Shuster. What injury could he have that allows him to pitch, but puts him on this kind of strict pitch limit? – M. Lane
A: The Braves are being ultra-conservative with pitch counts anyway, and they are being very, very conservative with their 1st-rounder. I don’t believe he’s hurt, they are just being very deliberate in ramping him up. After his last two starts were at 30 pitches, I wouldn’t be surprised if his next this week was bumped up to 40 or so.
Q: Any info on William Woods and Freddy Tarnok? – P. Fisk
A: Nothing specific, other than that they both were injured during spring training. In Woods’s case, he was injured just prior to the start of the season.
Q: Any chance Kyle Muller gets moved to the pen? Guys with his profile like [Anthony] Miller, [Josh] Hader, and [Drew] Pomeranz have been dominant. His control seems to preclude him from being a big league starter. – N. Lyle
A: There’s a chance, and it would not surprise me if that is where he ultimately ends up, but I wouldn’t expect that switch this season. The Braves already have a preponderance of left-handed relievers, and keeping him in the rotation helps Muller’s potential trade value. This is also likely why Jasseel De La Cruz is back in the Gwinnett rotation after the Braves clearly were considering going ahead and converting him to relief when they were more desperate for right-handed relief help.
AUGUSTA:
The Jackets split the six-game series at Charleston and are now 13-17 on the season, five and a half games behind first place Columbia. Augusta will come home on Tuesday for a six-game set against Myrtle Beach.
The way doesn’t get any easier for the Jackets as top starting pitcher Spencer Strider was promoted to high-A Rome before the series started. RHP Darius Vines did a nice job stepping up his game however, getting two starts in the series and allowing only two earned runs in a combined 11 innings, the team winning both of his starts. LHP Joey Estes also kept up his good work, throwing 4 shutout innings in his start, striking out a season-high 7 batters. The organization as a whole continues to be very conservative with pitch counts coming off the lost season, and the 78 pitches Estes threw were also a season high.
In the bullpen, hard-throwing righty Justin Yeager righted the ship after three shaky outings to post up 2.1 perfect innings, striking out 4.
Offense was hard to come by for most of the series, with Augusta twice getting shut out. Infielder Vaughn Grissom was on base consistently however with a .417 OBP while also getting a double and a triple among his 5 hits this week. Outfielder Willie Carter continued to be the top offensive player on the team, this week hitting .400/.455/.400.
ROME:
Rome’s first ever road trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky was not a good way to get to know them as the Hot Rods owned them five games out of six. Rome dropped their record to 15-15 and are now tied for third in the division, four games back of Bowling Green.
On a positive note, the series turned out to be a coming-out party for 2020 3rd-rounder Jesse Franklin. Coming into the series, Franklin was only hitting .200/.228/.253 and had struck out in 17 of his 79 plate appearances. Against Bowling Green he hit the first three home runs of his pro career, including two on Sunday, and overall hit .313/.389/.938 while only striking out 3 times. Outfielder Michael Harris continued to hit well, going .316/.350/.526 this week with a home run himself as he appeared on the revised Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list. Infielder Kevin Josephina also continued to make good use of increased playing time, going 9-for-20 with 2 home runs. On the flipside, first baseman Bryce Ball is slumping, and has only hit .196/.255/.261 with no home runs in his last 13 games.
Rome’s best pitching performance of the week was turned in by righty Bryce Elder, who threw 6 innings, allowing only 1 unearned run and striking out 10. Spencer Strider made a good high-A debut, striking out 8 in 4 innings of work while allowing only 1 run on two hits. Right-hander Ricky DeVito only gave up one hit and one walk in a short three-inning start and lefty Jared Shuster pitched two scoreless innings in a start as the club continues to carefully monitor his pitch count.
Right-handed reliever Indigo Diaz continued to dazzle, pitching three scoreless innings over two outings, striking out 7 and picking up a save.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves left the Magnolia State for the first time this season for a six-game set at Pensacola. The M-Braves earned a series split and their record remains at .500 (15-15), putting them three games back of Pensacola for second place in the Double-A South South Division. They will next travel back to Mississippi for a series in Biloxi against the Shuckers.
Offense was tough to come by this week for the M-Braves as they scored just 23 runs over their six games. The highlight came on Wednesday night as the M-Braves earned a 9-4 victory, led by catcher Shea Langeliers and his three-home run night. Langeliers used this performance to propel him to a .316/.409/.842 week and now leads the Double-A South with a 1.002 OPS. Outfielder Justin Dean had a decent week at the top of the order and led the team with five RBI in the series. He was only 6-for-23 but three extra-base hits and three stolen bases. Unfortunately, Dean also struck out eleven times during this period. Second baseman Wendell Rijo also had a good week as he hit safely in all five games in which he played and now sports a seven-game hitting streak. 3B CJ Alexander was just 5-for-22 with eight strikeouts but four of his five hits were for extra bases and he drove in three runs. Unfortunately, a number of M-Braves hitters struggled during the week: outfielder Trey Harris was 4-for-25 with all of his hits coming in one game, Drew Lugbauer was 2-for-19 with ten strikeouts, and shortstop Braden Shewmake was just 2-for-18, which actually raised his batting average to .101 for the season.
Starting pitching was solid again as the M-Braves starters compiled a 2.67 ERA over 30.1 innings. The rotation was led by Nolan Kingham, who had two starts in which he gave up just three runs over 10.2 innings. Odalvi Javier continued to excel with a scoreless start in which he gave up just one hit over 5.1 innings. He now has a 1.31 ERA over his five starts this season although he has walked 13 in 20.2 innings. AJ Puckett had another solid start where he gave up one run over three innings before leaving due to pitch limit. Hayden Deal had another fine start in which he gave up just two runs over 5.2 innings.
The bullpen was a mixed bag this week as several relievers had one good and one bad performance, including Brooks Wilson, Daysbel Hernandez, Brandon White, Chris Nunn, and Sean McLaughlin. Josh Graham was the only one to turn in two scoreless outings during the week. RH Troy Bacon finally gave up his first run of the season in his tenth appearance, he now sports a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers this week hosted the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in their first matchup since Jacksonville’s move up from Double-A. Unfortunately for Gwinnett, the Jumbo Shrimp took five out of six from the Stripers to win the series. Gwinnett is now at .500 for the season (15-15) and is in fourth place in the Triple-A East Southeast Division.
The Stripers offense had an off-week in scoring just 23 runs over their six games with nearly half of them coming in one game on Wednesday. Outfielder Drew Waters continued his up-and-down ways with a .300 week with two doubles although he struck out eight times in 23 plate appearances and was caught stealing in two of his three attempts. Fellow outfielder Cristian Pache returned from his stint on the injured list this week although he is playing in only every other game at this point. He was 5-for-14 with three doubles during the series. Shortstop Orlando Arcia continued to make contract with a 5-for-21 week with just one strikeout, but he only had one extra-base hit. Outfielder Travis Demeritte was 6-for-19 with two doubles and eight strikeouts while catcher Alex Jackson followed up his four-home run week with a 2-for-11 week although both of his hits were for extra bases. Infielder Johan Camargo returned to Gwinnett after being optioned again from Atlanta and had a 2-for-13 week with six strikeouts although he started a 5-4-3 triple play on Saturday night.
Gwinnett’s pitching faltered this week as they gave up at least five runs in five of the six contests during the week. Jasseel De La Cruz had mixed results as he gave up just one run over five innings during his first start but allowed four runs over 4.1 innings in his second start. Kyle Wright (6 IP, 4 ER) and Bryse Wilson (5 IP, 5 ER) had mediocre outings although Wilson was solid through five innings before the roof caved in during the sixth inning as he allowed four baserunners that all scored. Kyle Muller had a second consecutive effective start in which he gave up just one run in five innings of work, giving up four hits and just two walks.
Several Gwinnett relievers had particularly good weeks: Jay Flaa had a pair of scoreless outings after being optioned from Atlanta, Chasen Bradford and Jacob Webb both had two more scoreless appearances, Jesse Biddle and Yoan Lopez each had two perfect outings while LH Dylan Lee had two more effective appearances and now has a 2.13 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, sixteen strikeouts, and no walks in eight games this season covering 12.2 innings.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
5/29/2021: RHP Malcom Van Buren signed to minor league free agent contract, assigned to GCL Braves
Van Buren was a 31st-round pick by Kansas City back in 2016; he fell that low because he had just torn his UCL days before the draft. He wasn’t able to get back on the mound until late in the 2017 season, and so far he hasn’t been able to get out of rookie ball, but he has a live arm. He will likely debut in 2021 with the GCL Braves.
5/31/2021: OF Abraham Almonte selected from AAA Gwinnett; RHP Jay Flaa optioned to AAA Gwinnett; RHP Huascar Ynoa transferred from 10-day to 60-day injured list
It was unlikely the Braves were prepared to turn over left field to a platoon of Ehire Adrianza and Ender Inciarte, so Almonte gets first crack at filling the Ozuna-sized hole. It’s a good choice as Almonte was hitting .403/.554/.613 in 19 games for the Stripers. Since coming up, Almonte has gone 3-for-11 with 2 doubles, a homer, and 5 walks.
6/1/2021: RHP Spencer Strider promoted to A+Rome from A Augusta; LHP Lisandro Santos assigned to A Augusta from A+ Rome
Strider put up video game performances for the GreenJackets, striking out 32 batters in 15.1 innings over 4 starts.
Santos got an aggressive assignment to Rome after getting as high as short-season Danville in 2019. While his 3.72 ERA in 9.2 innings looked solid, he showed control issues which have followed him down to Augusta as well.
6/1/2021: RHP Luis Mora assigned to A+ Rome from AA Mississippi
6/3/2021: RHP Luis Mora placed on the temporary inactive list
Mora had appeared in 6 games for Mississippi, allowing 2 earned runs in 8.2 innings; however, Mora’s longtime control issues remain as he walked 10 as well. Mora pitched scoreless inning for Rome — walking another 3 in the process — before being temporarily inactivated.
6/2/2021: OF Cristian Pache optioned to AAA Gwinnett; LHP Mitch Horacek placed on the Developmental List for AAA Gwinnett
Pache had been with the Stripers on rehab assignment. In addition to making sure his groin and hamstring woes are behind him, Pache will work on getting right offensively. He’s off to a good start.
This is Horacek’s second stint on the developmental roster.
6/2/2021: OF Connor Blair promoted to A Augusta from extended spring training; OF Jose Bermudez placed on the 7-day injured list
A 15th-round pick in 2019 from Washington, Blair gets his first game action of 2021.
6/3/2021: LHP Tucker Davidson recalled from AAA Gwinnett; IF Johan Camargo optioned to AAA Gwinnett
After a series of rainouts in New York pushed back his start, Davidson finally had his second start of the season for Atlanta and did not disappoint, allowing only 1 hit in 5.2 scoreless innings to help beat the Nationals.
For Camargo, it was another frustrating stint. In 15 big league ABs this season he has yet to record a hit.
6/3/2021: IF Riley Delgado activated from Rome’s 60-day injured list
Delgado was only on the 60-day IL for 10 days, which goes to show that LOL there are no rules. In any case, Delgado is an important hitter for the Rome line-up.
6/4/2021: Traded cash considerations for RHP Ty Tice of the Toronto Blue Jays and optioned him to AAA Gwinnett; RHP Victor Arano designated for assignment
6/6/2021: RHP Victor Arano outrighted to AAA Gwinnett
Tice was designated by Toronto to make room on their 40-man roster. He has a full slate of options, so he joins Jay Flaa and Jacob Webb as right-handed relief options to shuttle up and down.
Arano was a waiver-wire pick-up from the Phillies and at one point seemed a likely candidate for the bullpen considering his major league success, but he was an early cut in spring training and now finds himself off the 40-man roster.
6/5/2021: RHP Jacob Webb recalled from AAA Gwinnett; LHP Grant Dayton placed on the 10-day injured list (shoulder inflammation)
Webb had a terrible week in mid-May that included a grisly scene as a fastball got away from him and hit Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar in the face. To his credit, Webb has gone down and done work, and he was rewarded with a call-up, albeit a very temporary one.
6/6/2021: RHP Shane Greene recalled from AAA Gwinnett; RHP Jacob Webb optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Greene appeared in 4 games for Gwinnett as part of his “spring training”, allowing 1 run in 4.1 innings and striking out 5.
Your Moment of Zen
DaDaDa
DaDaDa #TriplePlay pic.twitter.com/0QwVuzkibx— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) June 6, 2021
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