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.
Check out the OFR Farm Report tomorrow for more observations and insights.
Weekly Round-Up
COMPLEX LEAGUES:
Both of Atlanta’s complex teams wrapped up play last week with games on Monday and Tuesday before calling it a season.
The DSL Braves ended on a high note, winning both games and as usual getting strong pitching, though this time mostly in relief. Right-hander Jose Chavez pitching 3 innings of scoreless relief to get a save the hard way on Monday. Right-hander Davis Polo, fresh off a scoreless 4-inning start the previous week, provided a scoreless 4-inning relief effort for the season finale.
The FCL Braves split their final two games. Shortstop Ambioris Tavarez hit his first official professional home run on the final game of the season and outfielder Bryson Worrell went 3-for-6 with a triple over the course of the two games. Right-hander Albert Rivas had his best start of the season last Monday, going 5 innings and allowing 4 hits and 1 run while striking out 5.
AUGUSTA:
Augusta travelled to Myrtle Beach last week and won four of six games with yet more reinforcements arriving from the 2022 draft class to give the team a new look down the stretch.
The biggest buzz around the Jackets was for the arrival of both 2022 first-round draft picks, right-handers Owen Murphy and JR Ritchie. They started on Friday and Saturday respectively and gave a glimpse of their potential. Murphy threw 50 pitches over 2.2 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 run, walking 2, and striking out 4, displaying a fastball with good life and an excellent slider. Ritchie took advantage of Pelican hitters who clearly were looking to attack early in the count, pitching 4 innings on only 36 pitches and allowing only 2 hits and a walk while striking out 1.
Another 2022 draft pick was the star of the offensive side as outfielder Kevin Kilpatrick went 10-for-21 on the week with a double, triple, homer, 7 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. Nineteen-year-old Infielder Ignacio Alvarez arrived from the FCL this week and provided a spark, getting on base at a .539 clip thanks to 6 hits and 7 walks while playing well at both third base and shortstop. Outfielders Stephen Paolini, Ethan Workinger, and Kadon Morton each also homered this week.
ROME:
Rome dropped four of six games at Bowling Green; not the most compelling result but good enough to maintain a division lead by 2.5 games. The Braves next have their last home series of the regular season, facing off against the Greenville Drive for six games.
All of the games were hard-fought with solid pitching performances on both sides. The Braves won on Wednesday however despite one of Royber Salinas‘s most uneven outings of the year; he threw 58 pitches through 3 innings despite only allowing 1 hit due to walking six batters, including walking in a run in the third innings. Salinas escaped only allowing 2 runs, and the bullpen, lead by left-hander Jake McSteen‘s 3 scoreless innings, allowed the Rome offense to catch up for a 4-3 win. J.J. Niekro pitched 5.2 innings on Thursday, allowing 3 runs and striking out 7 with lefty Alex Segal coming in relief in the sixth and getting out of a jam, helping Rome to their second victory of the week by a 6-5 score.
Other starters this week included Luis De Avila (5 IP, 2 R, 6 SO), Dylan Spain (4 IP, a career high, 1 R, 4 SO), Jose Montilla (3 IP, 4 R, 1 SO), and newcomer Ian Mejia (3 IP, 2 R, 1 SO), the first member of Atlanta’s 2022 draft class to play at the high-A level.
Outfielder Drew Campbell had a big week, playing in 5 games and 5-for-11 with 2 homers, including a 2-run shot in the 2nd inning of Friday’s 6-5 win. On the flip side, catcher Adam Zebrowski arrived from Augusta and had a tough high-A debut, going hitless in 16 plate appearances. Shortstop Cal Conley only went 2-for-22 on the week, but walked 5 times and stole 3 bases. Infielder Geraldo Quintero stole two bases himself and also homered.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves escaped the torrential rains of Mississippi in a road trip to Birmingham to take on a re-vamped Barons roster after the White Sox affiliate welcomed the top prospects from their Winston-Salem and Kanapolis A-ball teams for an initiative they call “Project Birmingham”. After dropping the first game of the series, the M-Braves took four of the remaining five games to stay in second place in the Southern League South Division, 4 ½ games back of first-place Montgomery. The M-Braves now head back to Trustmark Park to take on the Tennessee Smokies this week.
The M-Braves did not get the great starting pitching results that they have received in past weeks but it was enough to keep them in ballgames until the potent offense could take over. Dylan Dodd gave up just one run over 4.2 innings during his start on Wednesday while Tanner Gordon put together another solid start the following night (6 IP, 2 R, 80 pitches). Alan Rangel also put together a quality start (6 IP, 3 ER, 9 K).
In the bullpen, Indigo Diaz had his best week in quite some time with three scoreless outings and two saves. Jake Higginbotham, Coleman Huntley, Cole Wilcox, Odalvi Javier, and Justin Yeager each had two scoreless appearances during the week.
Cade Bunnell was just 7-for-24 for the week but made the most of his hits with four home runs and ten RBI (.292/.414/.792). Outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy was 8-for-26 with four doubles, two home runs, and six RBI (.308/.379/.692) while Jalen Miller was 7-for-20 with a double, two triples, and four RBI (.350/.458/.600).
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers underwent the long road trip to Lehigh Valley this week to take on the IronPigs and, for the first two games, the rehabbing Bryce Harper. After Harper abused Gwinnett pitching to the tune of 5-for-8 with two walks, two doubles, and two home runs, he was mercifully bumped up to the big-league club and the Stripers managed to split the remaining four games to set their season record to 60-63, 14.5 games out of first place. The Stripers now return home to start a series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Gwinnett’s week kicked off with Jared Shuster struggling with his command but otherwise pitched fairly well with a solo home run to Bryce Harper being the only damage in four innings of work. Kyle Muller had another tremendous start on Thursday with 6.2 innings of shutout ball, he struck out nine while throwing 69 strikes in 97 pitches to capture the OFR Pitcher of the Week. On Friday, Ian Anderson did not share the same success as he gave up seven runs and ten hits in 5.1 innings. He walked just one batter but made too many hittable pitches. On Saturday, Mike Soroka’s overall numbers were not pretty (4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) but all the damage was done in the second inning, he pitched well after that until he reached his limit of 75 pitches with two out in the fifth inning. Freddy Tarnok’s start on Sunday was a short one as he really ran up the pitch count as he threw 78 pitches in just 2.2 innings. Tarnok gave up just two runs but gave up three hits and walked four.
The rehabbing Darren O’Day had two more scoreless one-inning outings this week as he continued his holding pattern before finding an opportunity to rejoin the big-league club. Bryce Elder and Darius Vines were both bumped from their starts this week, but both got some work in with three scoreless innings apiece in long-relief appearances.
Delino DeShields Jr. was just 3-for-17 this week but also contributed seven walks, four stolen bases, and seven runs scored. Rylan Bannon had a monster week he had a double, two home runs, and thirteen RBI (including an eight-RBI game) during a .429/.520/.762 week to earn the OFR Position Player of the Week award. Orlando Arcia was 2-for-5 with a double and three walks in two rehab games while Chadwick Tromp was 0-for-4 with a walk in his lone rehab appearance for the week.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 8/22/2022: IF Ehire Adrianza activated from the 10-day injured list for Atlanta; IF Ryan Goins designated for assignment
Adrianza spent exactly 10 days on the 10-day injured list.
- 8/23/2022: RHP Victor Vodnik activated from 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett; OF Travis Demeritte placed on 7-day injured list
Vodnik had been out since July 10 with an undisclosed injury. It’s been an up-and-down season for Demeritte, who started the year on the Braves 40-man roster and was recalled when Eddie Rosario went on the injured list for eye surgery. After initial success in Atlanta — he was hitting .327/.387/.527 after his first 17 games with the Braves — he only had one hit in his final 9 games before being sent back to Gwinnett. He remained cold with the Stripers, hitting .170/.255/.223 in 26 games after his demotion, and now finds himself off the 40-man roster and on the injured list.
- 8/23/2022: LHP Hayden Deal activated from the 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi; RHPs Jason Creasy and Jasseel De La Cruz placed on Developmental Lists; RHP A.J. Puckett activated from Developmental List
Deal was having a solid year as a multi-inning reliever for Mississippi before going on the IL at the end of May. A.J. Puckett has had a similar role, but from the right side. Creasy is an inventory pitcher who spent most of the year in the FCL. Jasseel De La Cruz has battled injury and poor performance for two seasons after looking in 2019 like someone who was close to a major league breakthrough.
- 8/23/2022: RHPs Ronaldo Alesandro, Ian Mejia; C Adam Zebrowski, and IF Braulio Vasquez assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; RHPs William Silva and Seth Keller; LHP Adam Showmaker assigned to A+ Rome from FCL Braves; RHPs Landon Leach and Seth Keller, LHP Adam Shoemaker, and IF Braulio Vasquez placed on Developmental List for A+ Rome
Rome gets some reinforcements for the stretch drive, though not as many as it seems on first glance. Mejia is a 2022 draft selection who became the first of his Braves class to pitch in high-A. Alesandro and Zebrowski had been key performers with Augusta. Silva likely was assigned to Rome as a mistake; the Augusta Greenjackets put out a press release naming Silva among the players moving to the team. Finally Vasquez, Shoemaker, and Keller were moved up just to jump on the Developmental List.
- 8/23/2022: RHPs Cedric De Grandpre, Owen Murphy, and JR Ritchie; IF Ignacio Alvarez assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves; C Victor De Hoyos assigned to A Augusta from A+ Rome; RHP Justin Militello assigned to A Augusta; RHP Luis Vargas placed on Developmental List
The big news here is first rounds Murphy and Ritchie getting a taste of full-season ball before the end of the season.
- 8/23/2022: RHP Grant Holmes assigned to FCL Braves
Holmes is a 26-year-old right-hander who last played in the Oakland A’s organization. Holmes had been on the A’s 40-man roster since the 2018 off-season but never got the call and was finally released at the end of July.
- 8/24/2022: RHP William Silva assigned to A Augusta from A+ Rome
And as expected, the likely human input error was corrected and Silva was assigned to Augusta as planned.
- 8/27/2022: RHP Jay Jackson recalled from AAA Gwinnett; RHP Jackson Stephens placed on the 7-day injured list (concussion)
Stephens was hit with a line drive 91 mph right to the forehead in Friday’s game in St. Louis. Amazingly, the stout righty kept his feet, but was shown to be disoriented with a large welt forming at the point of impact.
Your Moment of Zen
Mistah Muñoz!
6 up, 6 down, and this 96 mph cheese from Roddery Muñoz!#ForTheSip pic.twitter.com/ML9H9nkAHQ
— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) August 28, 2022
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