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.
Be sure to check out the OFR Farm Report Podcast, coming out this Tuesday!
Braves Dip Into the Farm to Trade for Relief
The Braves have long had some one of the deepest reserves of minor league pitching, and they used it this week to trade for three relief pitchers at the major league level.
Three former first-round picks found themselves on new teams. OFR #11 prospect Kolby Allard, the first pick of the rebuild, was traded to the Texas Rangers for right-hander Chris Martin. Allard made his major league debut with Atlanta last August, but had found himself at AAA Gwinnett all season in 2019 and buried behind young starters Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Bryse Wilson, Kyle Wright, and Touki Toussaint.
OFR #12 prospect Joey Wentz, a first-round compensation pick in 2016, was traded to Detroit along with #23 prospect outfielder Travis Demeritte for right-handed closer Shane Greene. Wentz was pitching at AA Mississippi, but like Allard seemed to be lower on the depth chart even behind rotation-mates Ian Anderson, Kyle Muller, and Tucker Davidson. Demeritte was himself a first-round pick by the Rangers in 2013 out of Winder-Barrow High School in Winder, Georgia. Demeritte had come to the Atlanta organization in a 2016 trade that sent Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez back to Texas.
OFR #27 prospect and 2018 4th-round Tristan Beck was traded to San Francsico along with reliever Dan Winkler for veteran right Mark Melancon. Beck has been slowed by injury in his first full pro season, but now returns to his native Northern California.
Given the depth in the system and in the majors for Atlanta, these trades likely represent better opportunities for all involved. This was made clear when Demeritte was immediately called up to Detroit on Friday and inserted into the starting line-up.
That wasn’t the only ranked prospect to leave the organization however. To make room on the 40-man roster for the new relievers, the Braves released left-hander Luiz Gohara. Once a top-5 prospect for the Braves, a series of injuries and personal losses, culminating in a shoulder injury that kept him from throwing a pitch all season and forcing him to get surgery, have given the Braves cause to cut ties.
The OFR Mid-Season Top 30 Prospect List has been updated, with prospects Vaughn Grissom, Corbin Clouse, Trey Riley, and Ricky DeVito entering the Top 30.
Life On the Farm
DSL BRAVES:
The Braves went 3-2 on the week, bringing their record up to just a game under .500 on the season. Offensively they were lead this week by Geraldo Quintero‘s .364/.417/.409 and 3 stolen base performance.
Left-hander Osiris Sierra had the best start for the week, pitching 4 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts.
GCL BRAVES:
The good news is that the Braves got in all of their games this week after rain postponed three games the week before. The bad news is that the Braves dropped 4 out of 5 contests. The main culprit was pitching as the team continues to piece together outings from players who almost all project as future relievers. One consistently good performer however has been reliever Carlos De La Cruz, who this week picked up a win on the strength of a 3-inning outing, striking out 3 while allowing only 1 run. De La Cruz now owns a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances between the DSL and GCL Braves.
Things look a little rosier on the offensive side, especially for 18-year-old Kadon Morton. A multi-tool, multi-sport prep star from Texas, Morton was drafted in the 19th-round, one of a string of high-risk, high-reward prep draftees Atlanta has managed to coax into the system. This week after weeks of struggle at the plate, Morton went 5-for-13 with four extra base hits, including his first pro home run. Second baseman Eliezel Stevens also had been struggling at the plate after getting off to a hot start, but he found his mojo again, going 8-for-16 with a stolen base. Young draftees Michael Harris and Vaughn Grissom continued their hot streaks at the plate as well, both hitting .333 for the week and each adding a home run.
DANVILLE:
It was another rough week for the D-Braves as the team was swept at Pulaski and dropped five in a row before righting the ship on Saturday against Princeton.
Much of the Danville line-up has gone cold the last couple of weeks. The exception continues to be first baseman Bryce Ball, who went 4-for-8 on the week with another home run, his 13th of the season, and 2 walks. Fellow first baseman Ray Hernandez also had a strong week, going 7-for-21 with 2 doubles.
The stand-out starting pitching performance this week came from right-hander Mitch Stallings, who tossed 7 innings of 4-hit ball, only allowing one earned run. Left-hander Alex Segal had two strong outings out of the bullpen, pitching 3.1 hitless and scoreless innings. Right-hander Greg Leban continued his dominating run out of the bullpen. Since allowing 5 runs in his first pro appearance with the GCL Braves, Leban has reeled off 11.1 consecutive scoreless innings over 7 appearances, only allowing 4 hits in that stretch and striking out 19.
ROME:
Rome saw their playoff chances fade sharply this week, going 1-5 against West Virginia and Hagerstown. Rome’s record dropped to 20-22 for the second half, and they now sit in third place in the division, 4 games behind front-running Augusta.
Starting pitching was shaky this week, and the usually steady Odalvi Javier was the main culprit, giving up 5 runs in consecutive starts. Right-hander Jose Olague, the team’s most productive starter in the first half, has a 4.26 ERA in the second half. He did secure the team’s only win this week, allowing 3 runs in a 5.1 innings start. The team also got a blow when lefty Gabriel Noguera, the team’s best second-half starter, went on the injured list.
The best news this week was the return from the IL of righty Victor Vodnik, who was eased back into action with 2 scoreless innings in relief.
This week was a Justin Dean kind of week. The Rome lead-off hitter was outstanding, going 9-for-18 with 2 home runs and 4 stolen bases, and easily earning OFR Player of the Week honors. Hits were harder to come by for the rest of the line-up however, though Braden Shewmake, Greg Cullen, and Drew Campbell all homered, and Griffin Benson continued to swing a power bat, hitting 2 homers, giving him 12 on the season.
FLORIDA:
The Fire Frogs went 3-2 on a soggy week, getting some very strong starting pitching performances despite disruptions from the weather and the trade of Tristan Beck. Lefty Phil Pfeifer ended his tenure in the Florida rotation with 7 scoreless innings on Tuesday, giving him a sterling 0.91 ERA in his final 6 starts, prompting a promotion to Mississippi to take the rotation spot vacated by the traded Joey Wentz. Not to be outdone, lefty Hayden Deal pitched his own 7-inning gem on Saturday, scattering 5 hits without allowing a runner to cross. In fact no Fire Frogs starter allowed more than 2 earned runs in any start this week, including emergency starter Walker Borkovich.
The bullpen was similarly stingy, the whole unit only allowing 2 earned runs on the week. Brandon White had a scoreless outing before he followed Pfeifer to AA; this season White had a 1.07 ERA for Florida with 48 strikeouts in 42 innings.
Overall the offense continued to help keep all the games close, though outfielder Jefrey Ramos stood out this week with a .389/.400/.611 batting line including a homer, his 8th of the season.
MISSISSIPPI:
The M-Braves completed a nice 5-2 week to bring their record for the second half to 21-21. They are currently 4.5 games behind first-place Biloxi but just four behind Pensacola for second-best overall record if Biloxi wins both halves.
The Mississippi offense took center stage with 34 runs scored over their seven games with run production coming from unlikely sources such as Ray-Patrick Didder, who has had a strong second half after a dreadful first half of the season. His batting average now stands at .203 after being in the .130 range for much of the season. For the week, he hit .296 with a .387 OBP and four stolen bases and seven runs scored. Backup catcher Carlos Martinez, who is now batting .209 with just a .571 OPS in 2019, hit his first two home runs of the season and had three of his six extra-base hits en route to a .385/.385/.923 week. 1B-DH Ryan Casteel (.292/.320/.458), Grayson Jenista (.348/.423/.348) and Trey Harris (.278/.350/.444) also had solid week while Cristian Pache (.231/.333/.308, but four walks) and Drew Waters (.125/.222/.208, ten strikeouts) struggled. CJ Alexander was promoted from Florida after an extended absence with an elbow injury and struggled early on in going 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts.
Kyle Muller was the big news for the Mississippi rotation this week with a 5.1 inning scoreless start on Sunday but was forced to leave his Friday start after three pitches with a right calf strain. At this time, it is unknown how much time he will miss. Lefthander Tucker Davidson won both of his starts (12 IP, 3 ER) and now leads ALL of Double-A baseball with a 2.03 ERA. He has allowed more than three earned runs just once all season. Ian Anderson continued to chug along with a six-inning start where he gave up just two runs and struck out nine while Jasseel De La Cruz has another quality start (7 IP, 3 ER). Reliever Bradley Roney had a solid week with three scoreless outings where he gave up just one hit in five innings while striking out nine.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers won four out of their seven games on the week to maintain a 3.5 game lead over Durham in the International League South division. As they are also seven games ahead of current wild-card leader Charlotte with 28 games remaining, it would take a substantial collapse to keep the Stripers from making the postseason.
Starting pitching was at the forefront of Gwinnett’s success this week as Bryse Wilson won both of his starts and gave up just one earned run over thirteen innings while striking out twelve and walking just four, enough for him to be the OFR Pitcher of the Week. He has now allowed just the one earned run in twenty innings since being optioned from Atlanta. Kyle Wright also had a solid start in allowing just one run in seven innings while striking out eight. He now has just a 2.18 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP over his last five starts with 35 strikeouts and six walks over 33 innings. Huascar Ynoa had a mixed week with one good (6.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K) and one bad (4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) start. Mike Foltynewicz was on his way to a solid start (3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) before being sidelined by a lengthy rain delay while Touki Toussaint had a rough outing (3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) in his only start of the week.
Jason Creasy led the relievers this week with three perfect outings covering 3.1 innings and registering two saves, his reward then being sent to Mississippi to make room for Sobotka, Minter, and Walker. Thomas Burrows gave up just one run over three outings and 4.2 innings while Patrick Weigel, AJ Minter and Jacob Webb were not scored upon in their various outings for the week.
The offense took on a new look this week with the trade of Travis Demeritte to the Detroit Tigers and the success of Adam Duvall in Atlanta. The Stripers scored 36 runs over seven games nearly half of those were in Friday’s 17-4 win over Charlotte. Veteran former major-leaguers led the way as Andres Blanco (.286, 2 HR, 8 RBI), Ryan Lamarre (.333, 3 HR) and Pedro Florimon (.300, .462 OBP, 2 HR, 7 RBI) led the way. Catcher Alex Jackson had a down week (.160, one HR) but new catching addition John Ryan Murphy got in on the act with a home run in his first game as a Striper.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
7/30/2019: OF Lane Adams signed by Atlanta Braves; assigned to AA Mississippi
It was almost as if they were anticipating trading a minor league outfielder. Adams has not appeared in the majors since playing a bench role on Atlanta’s 2018 postseason roster. After the season, the Braves outrighted Adams to Gwinnett and he elected minor league free agency. Adams signed last January with the Phillies organization and had played all season with AAA Lehigh Valley before being released on July 1, apparently to make roster space for former Gwinnett Striper legend Fernando Salas.
Could Adams find his way back to Atlanta in time for another postseason? Ender Inciarte would seem to fill that niche on the Braves at the moment, but it’s good to have options.
7/30/2019: LHP Kolby Allard traded to the Texas Rangers for RHP Chris Martin
The first draft pick of the rebuild, Allard leaves an organization that he had become buried in to go to a pitching-starved system where he’ll be given more chances. Allard got off to a good start in his new organization Saturday night, pitching 5 scoreless innings for AAA Nashville.
7/31/2019: RHP Tristan Beck (A+ Florida) and RHP Dan Winkler (AAA Gwinnett) traded to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Mark Melancon
Melancon is controlled through the 2020 season at about $18.6 million remaining on his contract, so the Giants were motivated to move him. In return they acquired Beck, the Braves 2018 4th-round pick. Beck’s surface numbers this season for Florida were not strong, but he’s essentially the same pitcher was as a coveted prospect out of Stanford University, and his history in Northern California was likely an added plus for the Giants. Winkler was apparently a throw in to help the Braves 2019 budget, as the Giants designated him for assignment the very next day; the former Rule 5 pick was arbitration eligible thanks to two lengthy stays on Atlanta’s 60-day IL allowing him to accrue service time.
7/31/2019: OF Travis Demeritte (AAA Gwinnett) and LHP Joey Wentz (AA Mississippi) traded to the Detroit Tigers for RHP Shane Greene
The biggest trade of the deadline for Atlanta was the acquisition of closer Shane Greene. For Demeritte, the trade gives him an opportunity at the major league level after a breakout year with Gwinnett. Demeritte had been eligible for the Rule 5 draft the last two seasons, but went unclaimed after somewhat disappointing campaigns in 2017 and ’18 in the notoriously pitching-friendly Southern League. Promoted to AAA Gwinnett, and with the International League using the juiced MLB ball, Demeritte has improved not only his power but his selectivity at the plate and he owned a healthy .387 OBP in addition to his 20 home runs. Demeritte was immediately installed in the Detroit outfield to replace the traded Nick Castellanos.
Wentz was part of a amazing pitching draft in 2016 for Atlanta, joining Ian Anderson and Kyle Muller as first-round picks and Bryse Wilson and Jeremy Walker in later rounds. Despite recovering from a “dead arm” period his senior season of high school, Wentz overpowered the South Atlantic League in 2017 and was named Rome’s Pitcher of the Year by the organization. It’s been a bumpier ride for the lefty since then however. Wentz had to deal with oblique and shoulder issues while with Florida in 2018. His 2019 season with Mississippi has been better and he’s remained healthy, though for the first time in his pro career he started having trouble keeping the ball in the park. Nevertheless, he’s another intriguing arm for the suddenly pitching-rich Tigers and Wentz will arguably join the strongest AA rotation in the game right now with Erie, joining the likes of Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, and Tarik Skubal.
7/31/2019: Cash considerations traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for C John Ryan Murphy; assigned to AAA Gwinnett
Murphy is a mitt-first catcher who will join Alex Jackson at Gwinnett. Murphy is a veteran catcher with major league experience, the type of minor league AAA catcher that the Braves thought they were getting when they traded for Raffy Lopez in the offseason, but Lopez has been injured almost all season long.
7/31/2019: LHP Luiz Gohara designated for assignment
8/2/2019: LHP Luiz Gohara released
The Braves needed a 40-man roster spot. Gohara has reportedly undergone shoulder surgery; given the outright release, you can’t help but assume what was uncovered was not good. The Braves could have elected to stash him on the 60-day IL in the majors, or assign him to the minor leagues once he cleared waivers. They did neither, an unfortunate ending to what looked like a promising Braves career when he zoomed up the organizational ladder and made his major league debut with the team in 2017.
8/1/2019: RHP Victor Vodnik activated from 7-day injured list for A Rome
8/1/2019: RHP Gabriel Noguera placed on 7-day injured list for A Rome
The good news first: Vodnik returns to Rome’s active roster after missing nearly a month with blister issues. The bad news: Noguera goes down after a strong July where he pitched to a 2.48 ERA in 6 starts and struck out a batter an inning.
8/1/2019: LHP Phil Pfeifer and 3B CJ Alexander promoted to AA Mississippi
Pfeifer will likely take Joey Wentz’s spot in the Mississippi rotation. The 26-year-old lefty has rejuvenated his career as a starter, pitching to a 0.91 ERA in his last 6 starts and striking out an eye-popping 55 batters in 39.2 innings.
Alexander hasn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball since his activation from the injured list after surgery to clean up bone spurs in his elbow. However, the Braves seem keen to get him moved back to third base, and Mississippi just so happens to have an open spot there.
8/2/2019: RHP Matt Withrow activated from 7-day injured list for A+ Florida
8/2/2019: 1B Andy Wilkins activated from 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi; assigned to A+ Florida
To back-fill the open spots for the Fire Frogs, the Braves activated two veteran minor leaguers from the IL. Withrow had been out for 5 weeks, but had made three rehab appearances with the GCL.
The Opening Day starter at first base for Mississippi, Wilkins takes a drop down the ladder having having been Wally Pipped by Ryan Casteel.
8/2/2019: LHP Lisandro Santos promoted to Rk Danville from DSL Braves
8/2/2019: UT Michael Mateja released from Rk Danville
Santos made it to the GCL in 2018, but the roster crunch had him returning to the DSL. At 20 years old he’s clearly better than that level and needed a challenge.
Unfortunately that came at the expense of Mateja, a popular multi-positional player who was hitting .256/.333/.410 with 2 homers in 25 games with Danville this season.
8/2/2019: RHPs Chad Sobotka and Jeremy Walker and LHP A.J. Minter optioned to AAA Gwinnett
8/2/2019: RHP Jason Creasy assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett
8/2/2019: RHP Jason Hursh placed on 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi
The fallout from Atlanta bringing in three relievers was that Sobotka, Walker, and Minter all rejoined the Stripers. Sobotka and Minter have struggled at the major league level all season, but Walker survived his initial brush with the majors relatively unscathed, pitching three scoreless outings.
There were two open spots on the Gwinnett roster with the trades of Allard and Demeritte, so the third spot was opened up by moving Creasy to Mississippi for the fourth time this season. The minor league Rule 5 pick has been a hot hand recently, giving up only 1 hit in his last 5 appearances between Gwinnett and Mississippi, getting 4 saves.
8/3/2019: RHP Brandon White promoted to AA Mississippi from A+ Florida
8/3/2019: RHP Jonathan Aro assigned to A+ Florida from AA Mississippi
This was an overdue promotion for White, who has been the best, most consistent reliever for a pretty good Fire Frogs bullpen. White got his AA career off to a good start with 2 scoreless innings on Saturday.
For Aro, the demotion doesn’t represent anything he’s done wrong. It’s just the life of a gunslinger.
Mailbag Q&A
Q: Who are the 3 most likely candidates to take Allard’s spot in the AAA rotation? – M. Young
A: Gwinnett already has a 5-man rotation even without Allard: Foltynewicz, Wilson, Wright, Toussaint, and Ynoa. That said, Ian Anderson should be the next man up, and I would expect that very, very soon.
Q: Who do you think we will see come up for September call-ups? – D. Thompson
A: Pretty much any reliever on the 40-man roster is almost a gimmie… Parsons, Walker, Minter, Sobotka. Grant Dayton should be healthy by then as well. Probably Weigel and Ynoa. Maybe one of Wilson, Toussaint, and Wright, but they may be sent to North Port to stay stretched out in case they need an emergency starter.
After that they’ll call up a third catcher, probably Alex Jackson. Also, whomever they send down to make room for Dansby Swanson.
The biggest question would be if they call up outfielder Cristian Pache. The biggest consideration there is if they could make 40-man roster room.
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