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.
FCL Braves Roster Preview
Today is Opening Day for the Florida Complex League (formerly the Gulf Coast League). With the contraction of the short-season Appalachian League from affiliated baseball and the Braves declining to participate in the Dominican Summer League this season, the FCL will be the only rookie-league team the Braves will run this season. Here’s who’s who on the roster.
Infield: Mahki Backstrom (1B), Mason Berne (1B), Jose Dilone (3B), Joseph Fernando (SS), Darling Florentino (3B), Francisco Floyd (SS), Carlos Paraguate (SS), Geraldo Quintero (2B/OF), Eliezel Stevens (2B)
The infield has an unusually high potential for power. Backstrom was a 2019 over-slot signing, has plus raw power, and doesn’t turn 20 until October. Darling Florentino hit 9 home runs between low-A Rome and the GCL Braves last season and will be looking to improve his contact rate. Quintero is a dynamic speed/defense player while Paraguate and Floyd are potential plus defensive shortstops.
ONE TO WATCH: Most prospect watchers had Backstrom pegged for Augusta on Opening Day, but the Braves are keeping him on a slow burn for now.
Outfield: Jeremy Celedonio, Brandol Mezquita, Kadon Morton, Jose Palma, Charles Reyes, Ethan Workinger
Like Backstrom, Morton was an overslot 2019 draft pick that some thought may start the season in Augusta. Mezquita is a speed merchant with power potential. Workinger is a 2020 amateur free agent signing that shows multiple tools.
ONE TO WATCH: But there’s few in the organization that are as toolsy as Morton, the former high school football and basketball star who will try to convert those tools to baseball skills.
Catcher: Antonio Barranca, Gianfranco Pena, Kelvin Pena, Cesar Rodriguez
A former Phillies farmhand, Rodriguez was signed earlier this month. The two Penas handled most of the catching chores for the DSL Braves in 2019, with Kelvin processing the slightly better bat and Gianfranco the better mitt. Barranca was an amateur free agent signing in 2020, the only prep school addition the Braves made last year.
ONE TO WATCH: Despite his lack of experience, it was Barranca who got the instructional league invite last fall. Barranca comes from a baseball family and was an offensive terror in high school.
Starting Pitcher: Jorge Bautista, Reibyn Corona, Rainiery Rodriguez, Osiris Sierra, Kevin Solano
The roster will have a distinctive Latino flair as most of the 2019 DSL squad moves stateside and forms the backbone of the FCL Braves pitching staff. This is my best guess as to a starting rotation, but look for several other pitchers to be given fill-in opportunities.
ONE TO WATCH: Bautista was second only to Augusta’s Roddery Munoz in innings pitched and strikeouts for the 2019 DSL team.
Relief Pitcher: Ronaldo Alesandro, Eudi Ascencio, Raulin Celedonio, Wilker Cubillan, Elison Joseph, Cesari Moreno, Rolddy Munoz, Jordano Perez, Royber Salinas, Andy Samuelson, Frankelvin Vidal
ONE TO WATCH: Alesandro was particularly stingy with walks in 2019 and had the highest strikeout rate on the team. -AH
AUGUSTA:
Augusta travelled to first place Charleston this week hoping to make up some ground in the division but ended up laying an egg, dropping 5 out of the 6-game series to the RiverDogs. They dropped to 20-27 on the season and are in last place in their division, 11.5 games behind Charleston.
The GreenJackets got some solid starting pitching performances. In Augusta’s lone win of the week, Tanner Gordon pitched his best start of the season, going 6 scoreless innings, only allowing 2 baserunners and striking out 5. Right-hander Jake McSteen continued his good work on the season, going 4.2 and allowing only 1 unearned run as his pitch count pushed up past 70. Young righty Jared Johnson had his best outing of the season, going 4 innings and allowing 1 run on 3 hits and a walk while striking out 4. Joey Estes pitched twice this week, with his last start going 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, but more importantly breaking the 80 pitch mark for the first time this season. Former Royals farmhand Malcolm Van Buren made his season debut with a 1 inning start, and not a lot went right for him as 5 runs crossed in what would turn out to be a 9-1 route on Saturday.
Where the rotation was mostly solid this week, the bullpen mostly took it on the chin. On Friday the Jackets went into the bottom of the 9th with an 8-3 lead, and the normally reliable Kenny Wells came to to close it out. One out and three runs in later, Zach Seipel was called in to put out the fire, but instead Charleston walked it off. The best bullpen performance this week was from James Acuna, who threw in two games, pitching a total of 3.2 innings and only allowing 2 hits and no runs. The former 29th-rounder has been very strong in June, allowing 2 earned runs in 9 innings and 6 appearances.
First baseman Bryson Horne paced the offense with a 6-for-20 week that included 3 home runs. After hitting only .219/.265/.234 through the first five weeks of the season, Horne has exploded to hit .324/.361/.735 with 4 homers over the last two weeks. Infielder Cade Bunnell continued his three-true-outcomes approach with 2 homers, 7 walks, and 10 strikeouts. On the season he has a .398 OBP despite only hitting .218 and striking out 73 times in 45 games. Outfielder Willie Carter hit .318/.400/.318 on the week, getting on base 10 times but oddly not getting an extra base hit. Infielder Vaughn Grissom had a quiet week, going .235/.222/.412 though he also smacked his second home run of the season.
ROME:
Rome went north for their very first road trip to Aberdeen, MD and ended up taking 4 of 6 games from the IronBirds. That pushed their record back over .500 to 24-22, now in 3rd place and 7 games back of Bowling Green. Their next stop will be the 1 hour bus ride up I-95 to their first ever visit to Wilmington, DE.
Rome got outstanding work from the bullpen this week; the nine relievers who made appearances this week only allowed 3 runs, and only one of them was earned. Right-hander Coleman Huntly, who went through a rough patch early in June, has now firmly righted the ship. He threw 5 scoreless innings this week over two appearances and has allowed only an unearned run over his last 9 innings pitched, striking out 8 and not allowing a walk. Newcomer Tyler Ferguson rebounded after a tough debut last week, throwing 2 hitless innings of relief, allowing an unearned run.
After sitting out the last homestand, right-hander Bryce Elder returned to the rotation to throw 5 scoreless innings. Freddy Tarnok also threw goose eggs, going 3.2 innings and striking out 8 before reaching his pitch limit. Alan Rangel had a 6-inning, 2-hit start, allowing only 1 earned run and striking out a career-tying high 9 batters. Right-hander Darius Vines made his first start for Rome after 8 starts for Augusta on Saturday; he made it through 5 innings and struck out 7, but a disastrous 3rd inning spoiled it. After getting two outs, a Kevin Josephina error opened the gates to an eventual grand slam that would be all the runs Charleston would need to seal the win.
The biggest news on the offensive side is that the power outage from Bryce Ball is over, with him slamming two pitches over the fence this week, his first homers since May 18. Josephina had another strong week at the plate, hitting .412/.444/.588. Outfielder Jesse Franklin went 5-for-26, with three of those hits going for extra bases including 2 home runs. Micheal Harris keeps hitting and not drawing walks; for the season he his hitting .321 with only 6 walks.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves wrapped up their two-week homestand by taking four out of six from the Tennessee Smokies, giving them a 9-3 mark on the homestand and propelling them to sole possession of first place in the Double-A South South Division with a 29-19 record, moving them a game ahead of Pensacola. They now hit the road for a five-game set in Montgomery against the Biscuits. Pitching led the way as they gave up just nine runs in six games with two shutouts.
The M-Braves offense was not great in scoring just 19 runs over six contests this week, but it was just enough to support the stellar pitching staff. Catcher Shea Langeliers’ struggles continued with a 3-for-17 week with nine strikeouts although one of his hits was a mammoth 435-foot home run during Spencer Strider’s start. Shortstop Braden Shewmake continued his improvement in going 6-for-18 with two doubles and a triple. Outfielder Justin Dean 4-for-20 with four walks and two stolen bases but struck out nine times, including getting fitted for a platinum sombrero (5 K’s) in Saturday night’s game. Fellow outfielder Trey Harris fared much better this week in going 7-for-17 but none of the hits were for extra bases, an unfortunate trend for him this season (.412/.500/.412). The best performance this week, however, goes to infielder Wendell Rijo, who was 5-for-18 with a double, three home runs, two stolen bases, and five RBI (.278/.381/.833) to capture this week’s OFR Position Player of the Week.
Starting pitching was once again spectacular and got even more help as Spencer Strider joined the rotation after being promoted from Rome. Strider’s first start was a smooth transition as he went 4.2 innings on an oppressively muggy night, giving up just five baserunners and two runs while striking out eight. A.J. Puckett took two unfortunate losses but even then, he only gave up two earned runs over 9.2 innings. Nolan Kingham continued his dominant streak with another 7.1 shutout innings, bringing his current scoreless streak up to 22 innings, earning him his second OFR Pitcher of the Week. Hayden Deal (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and Odalvi Javier (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K) also provided terrific starts as the M-Braves starting staff amassed a cumulative 1.34 ERA in 33.2 innings for the starters this week.
The M-Braves bullpen had another outstanding week including Matt Withrow pitching three innings with five strikeouts in support of Odalvi Javier during a two-hit shutout. Brooks Wilson tossed two shutout innings with three strikeouts during his only outing of the week while Troy Bacon had the best numbers for the week in his two outings (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K). Brandon White and Chris Nunn also each provided two scoreless outings.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers hit the road again this week to face the Norfolk Tides, losing five out of six games to drop their record to 22-25 on the season, keeping them in fourth place in the Triple-A East Southeast Division, 9 1/2 games back of Durham, who they will face next as their road trip continues.
The Stripers offense was, to put it bluntly, terrible this week. They scored just seventeen runs in their six games while scoring more than three runs just once. Outfielder Drew Waters played the full week but went just 1-for-21 with ten strikeouts although he mitigated that a bit with five walks and three stolen bases. Cristian Pache was just 1-for-14 but struck out only three times, all in his second game of the week. Johan Camargo was 5-for-20 with two doubles and a home run, accounting for a .875 OPS for the week. Shortstop Orlando Arcia was 6-for-21, albeit with no extra-base hits while Jason Kipnis was 4-for-15 with two doubles and a home run as well as a start in left field, giving him extra positional flexibility in case he is needed in Atlanta.
Gwinnett’s starting rotation took on a patchwork look as Kyle Muller and Kyle Wright both spent time with the big club during the week. Unfortunately for the Stripers, the results were awful with five of the six starts failing to go beyond 2.2 innings with Bryse Wilson’s 5.1 IP, 4 ER outing with eleven baserunners being the “highlight”. Jose Rodriguez made his first two starts after being moved up from Mississippi and they could not have gone worse as his starts totaled just 2.2 innings while giving up eleven hits and twelve earned runs. Jasseel De La Cruz had a subpar start in lasting just two innings where he gave up only one earned run but allowing three hits and three walks. Connor Johnstone lasted just 2.2 innings in his opener start, giving up seven hits and five runs while showing that that experiment seems to have run its course. Touki Toussaint has a rehab start on Saturday and did not give up any hits or runs in two innings but walked two, hit two other batters, and committed a throwing error. He was removed once he hit his limit of around 50 pitches.
The Gwinnett bullpen fared somewhat better with several relievers recording multiple scoreless outings this week, including Chasen Bradford, Trevor Kelley, Ty Tice, Jacob Webb, Jesse Biddle, and Thomas Burrows. Kelley tossed four scoreless innings while recording five strikeouts and now has a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings this season. Burrows was also impressive with three scoreless innings in which he struck out six. He now has a 3.50 ERA this season with 28 strikeouts in just 18 innings.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
6/21/2021: LHP Kyle Muller designated the 27th man for the doubleheader against the New York Mets
The current top Braves pitching prospect went head-to-head the current greatest active pitcher and held his own.
6/21/2021: RHP Sean McLaughlin placed on the Developmental List for AA Mississippi
6/22/2021: RHP Will Latcham activated from the Developmental List for AA Mississippi
It’s been a bit of a nightmare season for McLaughlin, a six-year organizational mainstay drafted out of Georgia.
6/22/2021: LHP Max Fried placed on the 10th-day injured list for Atlanta; RHP Kyle Wright recalled from AAA Gwinnett
Wright fared considerably worse than Muller. At this point he appears to be no higher than 3th on the fill-in starter pecking order behind Muller and Wilson and would perhaps be lower if Tucker Davidson and/or Touki Toussaint were healthy.
6/22/2021: RHP Jose Rodriguez assigned to AAA Gwinnett from AA Mississippi; RHP Spencer Strider assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; RHP Darius Vines assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; RHP Malcolm Van Buren assigned to A Augusta from extended spring training
Rodriguez had been splendid in Mississippi, and was a natural choice to return to Gwinnett to help patch the Kyle Wright-sized hole in the rotation for the week, though his two starts didn’t go nearly as well as he no doubt hoped.
Strider took his double-A promotion in… um… stride. Sorry.
6/23/2021: C Carlos Martinez assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett; C Hendrik Clementina placed on the temporary inactive list
Martinez returns for his third stint with the M-Braves to replace Clementina, who had been the primary back-up for Shea Langeliers. Martinez had only appeared in 3 games with Gwinnett, buried on the depth chart by Jonathan Lucroy, Jeff Mathis, Jonathan Morales, and even a rehabbing Alex Jackson at one point.
6/24/2021: RHPs Jesse Chavez and Tanner Roark selected from AAA Gwinnett; RHPs Kyle Wright and Ty Tice optioned to AAA Gwinnett; LHP Tucker Davidson and C Alex Jackson transferred to the 60-day injured list
Chavez and Roark are of course veteran arms brought in to help navigate a bullpen day in Cincinnati; Wright had pitched the day before and both Wilson and Muller had not been down a full 10 days after being optioned (and would have been going on short rest anyway). Apparently starting RHP Jasseel De La Cruz was not considered an stronger option.
This is of course not great news for Davidson or Jackson. Jackson has been shut down after apparently re-aggravating his hamstring injury in a rehab game on June 9.
6/26/2021: OF Jose Bermudez activated from the 7-day injured list for A Augusta; OF Brandon Parker placed on the 7-day injured list for A Augusta
Parker has been an inconsistent hitter for Augusta but a fairly steady power source.
6/26/2021: RHP Josh Graham placed on the 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi
Longtime Braves farmhand and former Oregon Duck Josh Graham is having his best season in his 6th year in the organization.
6/27/2021: LHP Kyle Muller recalled from AAA Gwinnett; RHP Tanner Roark optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Roark’s tenure with Atlanta turned out to be short lived, but that he has options and was willing to allow it to be used indicates that he will likely join the right-hand-relief-carousel.
Muller was even better in his second start than his first and has set himself up for a long run as the Atlanta 5th starter.
Your Moment of Zen
Since it's @FreddieFreeman5 Day. Here's a look back to his first Double-A home run on July 6, 2009! pic.twitter.com/zFeC3dQ89V
— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) June 25, 2021
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