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.
Trade Week
The trade deadline is Saturday, and its still unclear if Atlanta will be looking to add or sell. The results of the upcoming 4-game series with the front-running New York Mets may shed some clarity, but so far the post-All-Star Braves look a lot like the pre-All-Star Braves — like a .500 team and a non-contender.
One of the most common questions we get at this time is which prospects can be used as “trade bait”. First off — human beings aren’t “bait”. That said, prospects are prospects, and any and all of them could be traded. There’s none in particular that looks to be more likely to be moved than others, and the fact of the matter is that after years of international sanctions, two short drafts, a rash of injuries, and the graduation of prospects to the majors the Braves farm system is as shallow as it’s been since before the rebuild. That makes it difficult to make the kind of bulk prospect trades similar to the recent trades of Pittsburgh infielder Adam Frazier to San Diego or Minnesota designated hitter Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay. In both of those trades, the buyer got multiple mid-level prospects that will require additional development but are definite potential major leaguers. The Braves are more top-heavy, with a handful of potential impact major leaguers that should debut within the next 18 months (or in the cases of the likes of Kyle Muller and Tucker Davidson, already have debuted), and then a lot of more high-variance prospects that are several years out.
This could be moot however if Atlanta doesn’t make hay against New York this week. If that’s the case, the Braves could make trades to address that developmental middle area that is currently deficient. I don’t anticipate a wholesale sell-off no matter what, but a handful of targeted trades of a few short-term veterans like Charlie Morton, Will Smith, Travis d’Arnaud, or even Joc Pederson could net a few of those prospects. The core of the major league team would remain, and Atlanta could re-load for another run in 2022.
Weekly Round-Up
FCL BRAVES:
The Braves went 3-2 on the week, but the big news was that they were able to get five complete games in.
The other big news was that right-hander Rainiery Rodriguez got the call-up to low-A Augusta, but not before delivering his third consecutive start for the FCL Braves of 5 innings and 1 or fewer earned runs allowed. Barring a return, Rodriguez ends his rookie-league career after 4 starts with a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings, walking 3 and striking out 17. No other FCL Braves starter is showing that kind of consistency, and with an influx of 2021 draft arms incoming, there could be a shake-up in pitching roles.
Outfielder Brandol Mezquita continues to have an excellent season, this week going 9-for-21 with two doubles to raise his season batting line to .400/.514/.596 with 10 walks, 7 doubles, and 6 stolen bases. Catcher Cesar Rodriguez got two starts and made the most of them, getting 4 hits including 2 doubles. First baseman Mahki Backstrom socked his second home run of the season, but after 15 games is only hitting .163/.339/.326.
AUGUSTA:
It looked like another tough week for Augusta coming off getting swept in Charleston as Columbia took the first three games of this week’s road series. The Jackets rallied to win the next three however before dropping Sunday’s getaway game. Augusta is now 31-41, still in last place and 20 games back for division-leading Charleston.
Right-hander Tanner Gordon got the Jackets back on the winning path, shaking off a disaster outing last week to only allow 2 runs in 6 innings, striking out 6. The previously mentioned Rainery Rodriguez came up from the FCL Braves and didn’t skip a beat, pitching a season-high 6 innings and allowing 2 runs. His work at both levels earned him OFR Pitcher of the Week. Right-hander Joey Estes allowed 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) in 5.1 innings, but struck out 10. Right-hander Chad Bryant had his best start of the season, going 2.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
Jackets catchers lead the offensive charge. Splitting the starts between them, Ricardo Rodriguez and Victor De Hoyos combined to go 10-for-26 (5 hits apiece) and a homer, by De Hoyos. Outfielder Willie Carter shook off a recent downturn, going 9-for-23 with a double, triple, and 5 RBI. Outfielder Stephen Paolini only got two hits on the week, but one was his 3rd homer of the season.
ROME:
Rome returns home this week after a miserable three-week road trip, finishing up back in Bowling Green where they dropped five of six. All but one of the games were decided by two runs or fewer. The Braves are now 34-38, in the middle of the pack and trailing division-leading Bowling Green by 16 games.
The Rome starting rotation is in disarray after Freddy Tarnok was promoted to AA Mississippi. Right-hander Darius Vines started twice and was roughed up, allowing 9 earned runs in 11.1 innings. The week’s best start came from right-hander Alan Rangel, who allowed 1 run in 4.2 innings, striking out 8. Left-hander Gabriel Noguera pitched 3 scoreless innings over two relief outings.
Outfielder Shean Michel has gotten increased playing time of late and this week he made the most of it, hitting .350/.409/.650 with a double, triple, and home run. Outfielder Jesse Franklin only got three hits this week and struck out 11 times, but two of the hits were home runs, both hit in Sunday’s loss. Outfielder Michael Harris continued his July struggles, going 5-for-21 with one extra base hit, a triple. Though hitting a respectable .288/.322/.429 overall, he has only hit .206/.276/.309 in July.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves returned home from a long road trip with a 40-26 record, in first place, and ready to extend their four-game division lead against the last-place Biloxi Shuckers. The only problem is that the Shuckers were not on board with the plan as they swept the M-Braves, outscoring them 41-13 and dropping the M-Braves into a virtual first-place tie with the Montgomery Biscuits.
The M-Braves offense barely averaged two runs a game and did not score more than four in any game. The lone bright spot was 1B-DH Drew Lugbauer, who was only 5-for-24 for the week, but the five hits included two home runs and three doubles. He also had six RBI for the week, which was nearly half the team’s entire output for the week. Among other players, outfielder Justin Dean was just 3-for-20 but had four walks and two HBP to bring his OBP for the week up to .346. Trey Harris was 2-for-20, Wendell Rijo was 2-for-18, albeit with a three-run homer, Shea Langeliers was 3-for-18 with a home run, Greyson Jenista was 0-for-13 with two HBP and three walks, and newly arrived Riley Delgado was 0-for-7 with a walk. Shortstop Braden Shewmake returned after missing nearly two weeks and took up where he left off, going 3-for-7 with a double and a walk. Third baseman CJ Alexander’s season-long struggles continued as he was 0-for-15 for the week with seven strikeouts and three walks, bringing his batting average down to .159 and his OPS to .532.
Although the M-Braves gave up nearly seven runs per game during the week, it was a bit deceiving as 27 of the runs came in two games. There were still several good efforts among the starting pitchers: Odalvi Javier suffered a loss in his Tuesday start although he gave up just one run and four hits over seven innings. He took another loss on Sunday in relief, leaving runners on base that Brooks Wilson allowed to score. Hayden Deal had another solid start on Sunday where he gave up just two runs over six innings while Bryce Elder got roughed up early in his only start but toughed out seven innings, giving up five runs. Freddy Tarnok made his first Double-A start on Friday and was impressive in giving up just two runs over 5.1 innings while striking out nine. However, Spencer Strider (3.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 HBP) and Victor Vodnik (1.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) struggled in their only starts this week.
M-Braves relievers struggled for the most part this week but got a few terrific performances: Indigo Diaz registered his third straight scoreless appearance after being promoted from Rome, striking out five in 2.2 perfect innings in relief of Tarnok, Brooks Wilson had 3.1 scoreless outings but allowed six baserunners and blew a save in one of his two outings. Troy Bacon had one good appearance (2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K) and one that was not (0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) while Daysbel Hernandez encountered the same fate with two perfect innings in one outing and a run and four baserunners allowed in 1.1 innings during the other.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers continued the momentum gained from sweeping Charlotte the previous week to take five out of six from the Norfolk Tides at home. Unfortunately, with several teams ahead of them continuing to win, the Stripers are still 12.5 games out of first place in the Triple-A East Southeast Division at 37-35. Much like their parent club, Gwinnett’s run differential far outpaces their record at +73. That run differential is the fourth-best of all thirty Triple-A teams. The Stripers now head to Memphis to face the Redbirds, who are one game behind them in the standings but have won fifteen games in a row.
The Gwinnett offense continued to be solid, averaging six runs a game, buoyed by a 17-run effort on Friday night. Catcher William Contreras continued his rampage since being optioned from Atlanta; although he only had four hits for the week, they were all home runs during a 4-for-15 week with seven RBI. Alex Jackson continued to hold his own at the other end of that tandem, going 2-for-8 with a double, two walks, and an HBP before leaving Saturday’s game with another hamstring injury. Outfielder Cristian Pache continued to make progress, hitting safely in all five games he played with two home runs during a .313/.450/.688 week. Drew Waters was also solid, going 4-for-15 with a double, two home runs, and six RBI. Travis Demeritte had perhaps the most impressive week of anyone on the Gwinnett offense, going 5-for-17 during a .294/.368/.706 week in which he had a double, two grand slams, three stolen bases, and two outfield assists to earn OFR Position Player of the Week honors.
Gwinnett’s starting rotation had a couple of bright spots despite the constant shuttling between Triple-A and the big club. Jasseel De La Cruz had a second straight solid start with four shutout innings in which he issued no walks. Jose Rodriguez tossed five shutout innings in which he gave up just one hit while Kyle Wright gave up just two runs over six innings in his lone start of the week. Nolan Kingham returned to the rotation after missing a couple of starts to pitch four innings of two-run baseball while appearing to have a pitch limit of around 75.
The Striper bullpen was solid this week as AJ Minter racked up two scoreless, hitless one-inning saves after being sent down from Atlanta. Yoan Lopez and Jacob Webb each notched two scoreless outings while Tanner Roark tossed five scoreless innings over two appearances. Trevor Kelley continued his impressive work this season with three more scoreless innings to give him a 1.99 ERA in 19 appearances this season.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 7/18/2021: Signs OF Christian Robinson (15th round) from the 2021 amateur draft
- 7/19/2021: Signs RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (2nd round) from the 2021 amateur draft
- 7/23/2021: Signs RHP Ryan Cusick (1st round), SS Cal Conley (4th), SS Luke Waddell (5th), 3B Justyn-Henry Malloy (6th), RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (7th), OF Tyler Collins (8th), C Liam McGill (9th), LHP Adam Shoemaker (11th), C Adam Zebrowski (13th), SS Caleb Durbin (14th), LHP Kris Anglin (16th), C Tyler Tolve (17th), RHP Austin Smith (18th), and LHP Samuel Strickland (19th) from the 2021 amateur draft
As expected, the Braves signed 19 of their 20 draft picks, with 20th-round prep outfielder Ty Evans looking like he will honor his University of Florida commitment.
- 7/19/2021: LHP Kyle Muller and LHP Sean Newcomb recalled from AAA Gwinnett; LHP AJ Minter optioned to AAA Gwinnett; OF Ender Inciarte placed on COVID-related IL
Muller returned to the team after being sent down for work while the club worked around off-days and the All-Star break. Newcomb replaces Minter in the talented-but-troubled young left-hander role in the Braves bullpen.
- 7/20/2021: RHP Freddy Tarnok assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; LHP Mitch Horacek assigned to AAA Gwinnett from A+ Rome
After a late start to his 2021 season due to injury, Tarnok went back to the high-A level to re-establish himself and stretch out. He looks sharper than ever and now moves to AA.
Horacek was bumming it in high-A waiting for a roster spot to open up in Gwinnett.
- 7/21/2021: C Jonathan Lucroy outrighted to AAA Gwinnett; C Alex Jackson activated from 30-day and optioned to AAA Gwinnett; RHP Ty Tice claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks
Lucroy could have become a free agent, but elected to remain in the Braves organization. The Braves for now settle with the Kevan Smith/Stephen Vogt veteran catcher tandem.
Tice was exposed to waivers in preparation to designate him for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Alex Jackson.
- 7/23/2021: RHP J.J. Niekro and SS Anderson De Los Santos signed to a minor league contract
The 23-year-old 5th-year senior from Florida Southern College has a 3.53 career collegiate ERA and is the son of former major league pitcher Joe Niekro and the nephew of Braves great and Hall-of-Famer Phil Niekro.
De Los Santos is from the Dominican Republic, but immigrated to Rhode Island after going unsigned as an international amateur free agent. The Braves pick him up after the draft after scouting him heavily.
- 7/24/2021: OF Ender Inciarte activated from the COVID-related IL and designated for assignment.
It’s likely an inglorious end for Inciarte’s Braves career as the continued hamstring issues that started in 2018 utterly sapped his offensive tools and reduced him to essentially a defensive replacement. In his first three seasons with Atlanta in 2016-2018, Inciarte hit .285/.338/.396 with 50 stolen bases, two Gold Glove awards, and an All-Star selection and was a key player as Atlanta transitioned from a rebuilder to a contender.
- 7/24/2021: OF Jaycob Brugman released by AAA Gwinnett
Former Oakland A Brugman was signed to a minor league deal last offseason, but only played one game for Gwinnett before landing on the injured list, where he has remained until his release.
- 7/24/2021: RHP Rainiery Rodriguez assigned to A Augusta from the FCL Braves
By far the best and most consistent pitcher for the FCL Braves gets a quick promotion to Augusta. In four starts for the FCL Braves he allowed only 3 earned runs in 19 innings.
- 7/24/2021: IF Riley Unroe places on 7-day IL for AA Mississippi; IF Riley Delgado assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; C Mitch Calandra activated from A+ Rome developmental list
It’s been a tough season for Unroe, a dark horse candidate by many to make his major league debut this season. After struggling in an initial assignment with Gwinnett, Unroe seemed to find his groove back with Mississippi, but injuries have plagued him over the last month.
Delgado is promoted from high-A to replace Unroe on the roster. A strong contact hitter most of his career, Delgado has been struggling himself this season, and he has also struggled with injuries of his own.
Your Moment of Zen
DEMERITTE GRAND SLAM AGAIN!!! THIS IS JUST GETTING RIDICULOUS 🔥
Travis Demeritte has now hit 6 career grand slams, 3 of them have been in the last 7 games 😱
Stripers: 5 Tides: 0 pic.twitter.com/gkglU4WeUV
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) July 25, 2021
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