Outfield Fly Rule

Monday Braves Farm Report, 4/3/2023

April 3, 2023 Andy Harris Minor Leagues 0

Braden Shewmake rounds the bases after his walk-off homer on Friday night at Coolray Field. (Bernie Connelly/Gwinnett Stripers)

Welcome to the the first Braves Farm Report of the 2023 season, 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.

Stripers Roster Review

On Friday just hours before their first game, the Gwinnett Stripers revealed their Opening Day roster. There were several moving parts in the form of last-minute trades and signings that likely were the reasons for the late reveal.

Infielders: 

Like most of the squad, the infield unit is a veteran-laden group with only OFR #12 prospect Braden Shewmake the only player yet to make his major league debut.

Culberson was a late addition to the group after he was released by the Tampa Bay Rays late in spring training. A Georgia native popular with fans after his three-year stint with Atlanta (2018-20), including a career best 2018 season where he hit .270/.326/.466 with 12 home runs in 113 games, he earned the nickname “Charlie Clutch” after hitting .397 that season with runners in scoring position. Culberson spent the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers where he has shown a marked decline in ability both offensively and defensively. Culberson lives in Marietta and rejoins his local pro organization where he is still very highly regarded as a teammate and veteran presence.

Fuentes, Park, and Sanchez are the veteran core of the group, with Fuentes likely getting most of the playing time at first base and Park and Sanchez at third. Fuentes, 30, has 149 major league games under his belt, all with Colorado (2019-21) and has hit .281/.319/.464 at the AAA level.

Park was acquired in a cash trade with Boston in December. The Korean-born 26-year-old signed with the Yankees in 2014 and made his major league debut in 2021 with New York before being traded at the deadline to Pittsburgh. He would finish out the season as a super-utility player for Pittsburgh and made the Opening Day roster for them in 2022, though he spent most of the season in AAA. Park brings versatility to the roster as he has logged innings at second, third, short, and all three outfield spots.

Yolmer Sanchez returns for a second tour with Gwinnett having played with the Stripers in 2021. Sanchez is an eight-year major league veteran and he spent time with the Red Sox and Mets last year. Sanchez was the White Sox regular second baseman from 2015-19 and won the major league Gold Glove for the position in 2019.

However the two regular middle infielders will be the reason a lot of folks will check out Stripers home games. Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake are both 2019 draft picks by Atlanta, and both competed well for the shortstop job in Atlanta this spring. The position went to Orlando Arcia however, with both young players were sent to Gwinnett to work on different things. Grissom of course has major league experience, coming up in August last season to play second base when first Ozzie Albies then Arcia got injured. He found immediate offensive success before fading late and ceding the position back to Arcia. He is looking to improve on the defensive side — getting better jumps on the ball, making better decisions, and honing his instincts. Shewmake on the other hand is considered ready defensively, but is looking to show that changes to his swing made over the course of the last couple years will consistently bear fruit in offensive performance. He will also play primarily second base to help increase his versatility.

Outfielders:

The Stripers will boast a premiere defensive outfield where all five players can capably handle all three positions.

Dean is a long-time Braves farmhand who is one of the fastest players in affiliated ball. He will likely play in a corner but has plenty experience in center field. He will look to build off a good Grapefruit League showing (.375/.524/.438, six stolen bases).

Batting clean-up for Gwinnett likely wasn’t what Jordan Luplow had in mind when he signed a guaranteed contract with Atlanta this offseason, but a strained oblique suffered early in camp set him behind the other bench candidates. That he still had options remaining was the other deciding factor. Luplow, 29, is a six-year major league veteran who has played with the Pirates, Guardians, Rays, and Diamondbacks and is looking to rebound from an injury-plagued 2022 campaign with Arizona. Luplow has a .294/.381/.501 career AAA batting line.

Sierra, 26, is a baserunning and defensive standout who made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2017 before being traded along with Sandy Alcantara and others to the Marlins for Marcell Ozuna. Sierra has spent parts of the last five seasons with the Fish, but was not able to stick due to a weak bat. Sierra has hit .275/.315/.389 in AAA with 62 stolen bases.

Wall was a first-round pick by Colorado in 2014, but hasn’t made it to the majors after eight seasons with the Rockies, Blue Jays, and Mariners organizations. Drafted initially as a second baseman, Wall was quickly moved to the outfield and has made himself a positive defensive fielder. The 27-year-old has 209 career stolen bases against only 68 caught and is coming off a strong Grapefruit League showing (.393/.469/.536, 6 stolen bases).

Eli White, 28, brings a sterling defensive reputation to Gwinnett. Drafted in the 11th round in 2016 out of Clemson, White spent all of last year with the Texas Rangers, where he spent the first half recovering from elbow surgery and then after 44 games with the Rangers suffering a season-ending wrist injury. White had an excellent spring, hitting .429/.500/.893 and 3 home runs, but like Luplow was sent to Gwinnett largely because he still had options remaining.

Catchers:

Gwinnett will have an experienced catching corps headed by Tromp, a nine-year minor league veteran who has had major league experience with San Francisco and, briefly, Atlanta in 2022 before an injury cut short his Braves debut after going 3-for-4. A native of Aruba, the 28-year-old was the starting catcher for the Kingdom of Netherlands in this spring’s World Baseball Classic, and he homered in his final game in the tournament.

Joe Hudson will be Tromp’s tag-team partner behind the dish. The 31-year-old is a nine-year minor league veteran who has logged major league duty with the Angels, Cardinals, and Mariners. Hudson spent last season with the Durham Bulls serving as the reserve catcher.

Of note is spring training invitee Ryan Casteel, who will be entering his 12th minor league season and his 4th in the Braves organization. Casteel typically backs up at first base and catcher and has 110 minor league home runs under his belt.

Starting Pitchers:

Young major league veterans highlight the Stripers starting rotation after rookies Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd made the Atlanta Opening Day squad. Bryce Elder was the first starter out of the chute. The 23-year-old 2020 draft pick out of Texas spent part of 2022 in Atlanta, pitching to a 3.17 ERA in 54 innings. Elder was optioned to Gwinnett to work on his command, and the Braves will look at him to approach the sub-10% walk rate he showed in 105 innings with Gwinnett last season.

Jackson Stephens will get stretched out as a starter for the Stripers after having spent 2022 in Atlanta’s bullpen. Signed as a minor league free agent before the ’22 season, Stephens was called up to Atlanta early and stuck all season, where he was serviceable in a middle relief role, pitching to a 3.69 ERA in 39 appearances. Stephens re-signed with the Braves after being non-tendered this offseason.

The most enigmatic starter for Gwinnett is Ian Anderson, the Braves 2016 first-rounder who made his major league debut in 2020 and found immediate success, pitching to a 3.25 ERA in his first two seasons. Anderson has been plagued with decreasing fastball command, allowing major league hitters are lay off of his plus-plus change-up. A lack of a consistent third pitch has not helped Anderson either. He returns to Gwinnett to hone his command and work on his slider.

The story of Soroka, a Braves 1st-rounder in 2016, has been well-chronicled. Soroka made his major league debut in 2018 and was runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting in 2019. Named as the Opening Day starter for Atlanta in 2020, Soroka suffered a torn Achilles tendon while fielding a ground ball in his third start of that season. Soroka has yet to climb a major league mound since then after suffering a second Achilles tear in 2021. While rehabbing last season he was hit on the leg with a line-drive, then after returning to minor league action came down with shoulder inflammation that ended his 2022 comeback bid. Able to have a normal offseason throwing program, Soroka strained a hamstring just before spring training which limited him to only one Grapefruit League appearance. With a 2.86 ERA in 214 major league innings, Soroka — still only 25 years old — represents the biggest potential upside of the Gwinnett staff if he can hone his command and knock off the rust of over two years away from the majors.

Darius Vines begins the season on the injured list with no word on his ailment. The 24-year-old is the #4 prospect on the OFR list and would presumably take a rotation spot when he can. That said, as a member of the Braves 40-man roster, Vines could be moved to the bullpen if it seems more likely that he would be of help to the big league squad there.

Other starting candidates on the roster include Allan Winans, who started 16 games in 2022 between AAA, AA, and the Arizona Fall League; Matt Swarmer, who had 20 starts between the Chicago Cubs and AAA Iowa last season; and right-handers Nolan Kingham and Connor Johnstone, who have bounced between starting and relieving for the last two seasons. Another potential Gwinnett starter down the road is left-hander Kolby Allard, the former Braves first-rounder who was re-acquired from Texas this offseason. Allard would likely have been optioned to Gwinnett this spring but Allard suffered a grade-2 oblique that lead the Braves to putting him on the 60-day injured list.

Relief Pitchers:

As is typical, the Stripers bullpen is mostly comprised of major and minor league veterans who could potentially help out the big league bullpen in a pinch. Last season alone, the Braves selected the contracts of four relievers that had originally signed minor league free agent deals.

Elledge is coming off a strong season with the Stripers after coming to the Braves on a minor league deal after having made 23 big league appearances for the Cardinals in 2020-21. Elledge was impressive enough that the Braves chose to add him to the 40-man roster rather than potentially losing him in free agency. By nature of his 40-man status, Elledge would seem likely to see major action with Atlanta at some point in 2023.

Also on the 40-man roster, Richard Lovelady was added at the last minute after a cash transaction with Kansas Cityon Thursday. Lovelady has made 46 appearances with the Royals and is coming off a strong spring.

Brian Moran, Ty Tice, and Danny Young are journeymen lefties who each return for a second tour with Gwinnett. Young pitched briefly for Atlanta last season, covering 2.2 innings in his sole appearance. Moran has had major league stints with the Marlins, Blue Jays, and Angels. Tice made his major league debut with Atlanta in 2021 before being claimed by the Blue Jays off waivers.

Grant Holmes was a mid-season 2023 pick-up by the Braves after he was released from Las Vegas, Oakland’s AAA team. Unsightly minor league performance hide a lively arm, and it would not be surprising to see Holmes used in a closer role.

Kingham, Johnstone, and Olczak have not made their major league debuts yet, but all three are AAA veterans. Kingham was a 12th-round pick by Atlanta out of Texas and acted as a swingman for Gwinnett in 2023. Johnstone has been a swingman since joining the organization in 2017 as a 21st-rounder out of Wake Forest.

Yacksel Rios comes to Gwinnett on a minor league free agent deal after spending parts of 5 seasons with the Phillies, Pirates, Mariners, and Red Sox. Rios is coming off a strong World Baseball Classic performance where made 4 scoreless appearances for Puerto Rico.

As mentioned in the starting pitcher section, Matt Swarmer comes over from the Cubs organization, where he made his major league but last season, pitching in 11 games. The 29-year-old has logged 329 innings at the AAA level.

Roel Ramirez is back for his second year with Gwinnett after re-upping on a minor league deal. Ramirez made his major league debut with St. Louis in 2020 and has also spent time in the Rays and Mets organizations.

Wilson and Hernandez both looked on the cusp of major league call-ups until torn UCLs sidelined them before the 2022 season. Both should return to the mound at some point in 2023.

Weekly Round-Up

GWINNETT:

Gwinnett started off their 2023 schedule at home, hosting the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp for three games. All three games came down the the last at-bats, with two games decided in extra innings and the first game won on a walk-off home run, but by the end of the day Sunday Gwinnett had lost the series one game to two.

Game one starter Bryce Elder began well, being largely in control for five innings before losing command in the sixth inning. He got through the inning, but not before giving up three runs and the lead. Relievers Danny Young and Seth Elledge held Jacksonville enough for the Stripers to stage a comeback, but Ty Tice allowed a run in the ninth to lose the tie. Fortunately Braden Shewmake — who was wearing a platinum sombrero after striking out four times going into his final at-bat — hit a walk-off three-run home run to win it. Vaughn Grissom went 1-for-3 with a triple and two walks, scoring each time he reached base.

Game two starter Jackson Stephens faired worse than Elder, leaving after 2 innings and 45 pitches, allowing 3 runs. Nolan Kingham added to the hole for Gwinnett as he surrendered 4 runs in three innings, 2 of them unearned after a Shewmake error. All the while however, the offense kept pace and Gwinnett was able to tie the game in the sixth inning. Both defenses stiffened and the score remained knotted 7-7 until the 11th when the Shrimp scratched a run and held on to win. Outfielder Jordan Luplow went 3-for-5 while Shewmake went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, and a stolen base.

The end cap of the series saw former top prospect Ian Anderson make his season debut, and it probably couldn’t have gone worse. Utilizing primarily a flat, lifeless fastball, Anderson was knocked around in the first, leaving after allowing 6 runs (4 earned after another Shewmake error) powered by three home runs against him. Fortunately again the offense was able to keep in the game and the teams were tied 8-8 going into extra innings. The Stripers were forced to go to position players on the mound however and Charlie Culberson and Yolmer Sanchez gave up five runs in two innings combined to drop the game 13-12. Vaughn Grissom had a terrific offensive game however, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple, homer, and stolen base to seal our Position Player of the Week award. Seth Elledge led the bullpen with 2 scoreless innings pitched, striking out 4 to give him 6 strikeouts in 3 innings over the series.

POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:

Gwinnett infielder Vaughn Grissom. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

PITCHER of the WEEK:

Gwinnett RHP Seth Elledge. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Transaction Round-Up

  • 03/27/2023: Signed free agent Patrick Halligan to a minor league contract; assigns him to FCL Braves

Halligan was released by the Royals organization the week before, where he pitched after being drafted in the 13th round in 2027.

  • 03/28/2023: OF Greyson Jenista released by AAA Gwinnett

The 2nd-round pick by Atlanta in 2018, Jenista just couldn’t hit enough home runs to overcome his massive strikeout rate.

  • 03/28/2023: Signed utilityman Charlie Culberson to a minor league contract; assigns him to AAA Gwinnett

Culberson will work in a third and first base and, as we saw on Sunday, on the mound.

  • 03/28/2023: Signed RHP Scott Blewett to a minor league contract

Blewett is an 8-year minor league veteran and pitched at the AA and AAA level for the White Sox last season.

  • 03/29/2023: RHP Roddery Munoz assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett

Munoz had a good spring, but with the pitching staff loaded at Gwinnett he will begin 2023 in Mississippi.

  • 03/29/2023: RHP Zack Mort released by AA Mississippi

Mort was a minor league free agent pick-up from the offseason.

  • 03/29/2023: CF Luis Jose and C Kelvin Pena released from FCL Braves

Pena hit .158/.273/.228 last season in the FCL, his third season in the organization. Jose did not appear in a game last season. In his first season of pro ball, Jose hit .156/.260/.203.

The last moves for the major league roster before Opening Day saw these expected additions.

  • 03/30/2023: Atlanta trades cash considerations to the Kansas City Royals for LHP Richard Lovelady; options him to AAA Gwinnett

Lovelady has been mired with injuries the last couple of seasons but had an excellent spring and was considered likely to make the Royals squad.

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