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.
Top 30 Prospect List Updated
Make sure you check out the newest incarnation of the OFR Top Prospect List, our first update after the resumption of minor league baseball games. Unsurprisingly there was a lot of changes, including the first rankings of four 2021 draft picks.
Weekly Round-Up
FCL BRAVES:
The Braves went 0-3 with two rainouts last week, one of which washed away what was to be Atlanta right-hander Huascar Ynoa‘s first rehab outing. The three losses pushed the Braves overall record down to 10-13 on the season.
Slick-fielding shortstop Carlos Paraguate made good use of expanded playing time, seeing action in all three games and going 4-for-8. Outfielder Charles Reyes got a start on Saturday and homered.
Left-hander Corbin Clouse, on an unofficial rehab assignment after 2019 shoulder surgery, pitched a scoreless inning. Clouse has allowed one run on one hit in 4 innings pitched over 3 outings.
AUGUSTA:
The GreenJackets split a six-game series with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans ahead of yet another road trip up to Charleston to face the division-leading RiverDogs. Augusta is 3-14 against Charleston this season and are 20.5 games behind them in the standings.
The good news this week for Augusta was an offensive explosion from OFR Position Player of the Week Vaughn Grissom. Grissom went 10-for-20 with 6 walks for a .630 OBP on the week, allowing him to score 7 runs. After hitting 2 home runs this season, Grissom launched 3 last week and added a double for good measure. In the 13 games since Grissom has returned from a three-week IL stint, Grissom has hit .413/.526/.696.
Having nearly as good a week was OF/1B Landon Stephens, who went 8-for-21 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI. It was a good power week overall for Augusta, with catcher Victor De Hoyos, outfielders Brandon Parker and Stephen Paolini, first baseman Bryson Horne, and infielders Cam Shepherd and Cade Bunnell (x2) all going deep. Shepherd’s homer was the first of his pro career and was a walk-off with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th for a 5-3 Augusta win on Tuesday, easily the highlight of a tough debut season for the former Georgia shortstop.
As he often has been this season, 19-year-old right-hander Joey Estes was the pitching star of the week, getting bookend starts of the series and pitching a total of 10 innings and allowing 4 runs (0 earned runs) while striking out 15. Right-hander Miguel Pena did a nice job in middle relief this week, holding the line in 4 innings over 2 outings.
ROME:
Rome split their home series with the Asheville Tourists this week, losing more ground to the juggernaut first-place Bowling Green Hot Rods. Rome will now embark on a two-week road trip to Greenville and Hickory.
The highlight of the week was the combined 1-hitter thrown by Darius Vines (7 innings), Trey Riley (1), and Justin Yeager (1) on Saturday. Vines is the OFR Pitcher of the Week for his 7 no-hit innings, giving up two walks and striking out 9. Right-hander Alan Rangel also had a strong start, giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run in his win on Thursday. Over his last nine starts stretching back to mid-June, Rangel has not allowed more than 2 earned runs in a start, allowing hitters only a .174/.244/.298 line over that period with a 2.29 ERA. Trey Riley’s appearance on Saturday was his first since July 9, but he retired the side in order on only 8 pitches, so whatever was ailing him seems to have ceased.
Outfielder Michael Harris had been showing signs of breaking out the last couple of weeks, and he fully did so against Asheville, hitting .400/.556/.550 with a double and a triple, but the big news was drawing 5 walks after only walking 13 times the prior 61 games this season. He doesn’t have to walk a ton to be productive, but even a little more selectiveness should go a long way toward pitchers throwing to him honestly. Shortstop Beau Philip and outfielder Jesse Franklin only had 4 hits apiece, but each also had 2 home runs.
Right-hander Huascar Ynoa made a rehab appearances on Sunday, throwing 51 pitches in 2 innings, surrendering 6 runs.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves hit the road this week to take on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and were successful in taking four out of six games as well as regaining sole possession of first place in the Double-A South South Division, now sporting a 1 ½ game lead over Montgomery. The M-Braves travel next to Birmingham to take on the North Division-leading Barons.
The M-Braves received a couple of standout performances this week from their starting pitchers as Freddy Tarnok, in just his second Double-A start, gave up one run over five innings while striking out twelve. Bryce Elder pitched a seven-inning rain-shortened complete game on Wednesday, giving up just two runs. Spencer Strider continues to fight his way through the challenges being presented to him at the Double-A level as he gave up four runs in five innings but struck out nine while walking just one. Victor Vodnik was the sole Mississippi starter to start twice this week, with vastly different results: on Tuesday, he gave up only one run in 3.2 innings before reaching his pitch count but in the Sunday finale, he only recorded four outs while giving up seven runs including two home runs.
In the Mississippi bullpen, Indigo Diaz continued to make opposing hitters feel blue with two more scoreless appearances, bringing his scoreless streak to start his Double-A career to 7.2 innings. Diaz is now 5-1 this season with five saves, a 0.78 ERA, a WHIP of 0.72, a BAA of .119, and 66 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. Matt Withrow gave up just one run over five innings as he followed Victor Vodnik in each of his short starts during the week. Matt Latcham tossed two scoreless, hitless one-inning outings while Brooks Wilson gave up just a walk in his only one-inning outing during the week. Odalvi Javier appears to have been moved to the bullpen after the promotion of Freddy Tarnok from Rome and has been roughed up in both of his relief appearances thus far with one being a one-inning appearance this week where he gave up two hits (including a home run) and a walk.
Mississippi’s offense had several significant contributors during the week, led by Drew Lugbauer, who was 5-for-17 with a double, three home runs, and five RBI (.294/.400/.882), but also Shea Langeliers (6-for-16, two solo home runs), Justin Dean (5-for-17, three solo home runs), Braden Shewmake (6-for-20, two solo home runs), and Greyson Jenista (three home runs, .267/.450/.867). Infielder Riley Delgado finally recorded his first hit in a Mississippi uniform and is now 1-for-18 as an M-Brave. CJ Alexander finally broke out of a 0-for-29 slump on Sunday with a double and a home run and stole two bases during the week to make him 7-for-7 for the season in that department.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers continued their winning ways on the road in Memphis this week by taking four out of six games from the Redbirds in a closely fought series with five of the six games being decided by one run and Sunday’s finale being decided by just two runs. Gwinnett’s successful week has pulled them to within 10 ½ games of first place with an opportunity to get even closer next week as last-place Charlotte pays a visit to Coolray Field.
Gwinnett’s offensive production was pretty concentrated this week as Johan Camargo drove in nearly a third of the team’s runs during a 10-for-25 week with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and nine RBI during a .400/.444/.680 week. Shortstop Yolmer Sanchez also contributed significantly during a 7-for-22 week with three home runs and five RBI. The outfield didn’t provide much help this week as Drew Waters (7-for-27, 10 K), Cristian Pache (3-for-20), and Travis Demeritte (4-for-20, 8 K) all had subpar numbers. The catching position was in a state of flux for Gwinnett this week as William Contreras’ production began to slow down (4-for-16, one home run) while Alex Jackson had his last two-home run game as a member of the Braves’ organization before being traded to Miami at the trade deadline for Adam Duvall. His spot on the roster was taken by the rehabbing Travis d’Arnaud, who was 0-for-3 with two walks while playing six innings in each of his first two games.
Gwinnett’s starting rotation was carried by Kyle Wright, who put up the only two quality starts for the week (14 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 16 K). Nolan Kingham (5 IP, 5 ER), Jose Rodriguez (4 IP, 7 ER), and Jasseel De La Cruz (5 IP, 5 ER) all were knocked around during the week.
The Striper bullpen was solid as Jesse Biddle, Victor Arano, Connor Johnstone, Jacob Webb, Trevor Kelley, and Dylan Lee all had multiple appearances where they didn’t give up any earned runs. The star of the pen, though, was recent arrival AJ Minter, who had three scoreless, hitless one-inning outings while racking up three more saves for a total of five in the last twelve days.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 7/27/2021: OF Jefrey Ramos activated from the 7-day IL for AA Mississippi; C Carlos Martinez placed on the developmental list
Ramos was hitting .381/.440/.905 in the seven games prior to his injury. He went hitless in the three games after, but has three hits in his last two games.
- 7/28/2021: RHP Malcolm Van Buren activated from the 7-day IL for A Augusta; RHP Zach Seipel released by A Augusta
Van Buren signed as a minor league free agent back in June, made one appearance for Augusta, and had to go on the IL after an innings. He tripled his output this week, going 3.1 innings over two outings. Seipel had not made an appearance since surrendering 6 runs in a 2.2 inning appearance on July 17. A 27th-round pick in 2018, Seipel departs the Braves organization with a 5.89 ERA in 81 innings over three levels.
- 7/29/2021: Released OF Ender Inciarte
And unfortunate end to the Braves career of the second best player on the rebuild teams.
- 7/30/2021: Traded PH Pablo Sandoval to the Cleveland Indians for OF Eddie Rosario and cash considerations
- 7/30/2021: Traded C Alex Jackson to the Miami Marlins for OF Adam Duvall
- 7/30/2021: Traded RHP Kasey Kalich to the Kansas City Royals for OF Jorge Soler
- 7/30/2021: Traded RHPs Bryce Wilson and Ricky DeVito to the Pittsburgh Pirates for RHP Richard Rodriguez
The trade deadline re-made the Braves outfield and added an experienced reliever to a shaky bullpen. Check out OFR founder Brent Blackwell’s complete transaction analysis on his new substack!
- 7/31/2021: Optioned LHP Sean Newcomb and SS Orlando Arcia to AAA Gwinnett
Making room on the 26-man roster for Rodriguez and Soler. Rosario is on the IL, but should be back within two weeks. Duvall simply stepped into Sandoval’s spot.
- 7/31/20201: C Tyler Tolve assigned to FCL Braves
Tolve joins RHP Andrew Hoffman among the 2021 draft class to be assigned to a team.
Your Moment of Zen
Here is @DaveLezotte on the call for Kazmar Jr.'s historic hit! pic.twitter.com/1ujZIsKIGR
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) August 1, 2021
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