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
AUGUSTA:
Augusta split the six-game series at home against the Charleston RiverDogs as the team continued the offensive awakening begun the previous week in Kannapolis. The Jackets are now 15-17 on the season, 3.5 games behind co-division leaders Kannapolis and Columbia, heading on the road to Myrtle Beach.
Augusta has two players now on long hitting streaks. Ethan Workinger is still going with what is now the longest hitting streak in both the minors or majors, now on a 16-game hitting streak during which he’s hit .327/.422/.618 with 3 homers. Fellow outfielder Jair Casanova is on his own 8-game hitting streak, hitting .406/.441/.781 with 3 homers of his own. Third baseman David McCabe busted out against the RiverDogs, amassing 11 hits in the 6-game series with 4 extra base hits, including a home run, to earn Position Player of the Week honors. The Jackets got good production from the catcher spot as well with Dawsom Dimon going 3-for-11 with a homer and Nick Clarno 3-for-10 with 4 runs scored each catching 3 games. Andrew Keck, Justin Janas, and newcomer Bryson Worrell also homered, with both Keck’s and Worrell’s their first as professionals.
Right-hander Cedric De Grandpre lead off the series with the best start of the week, shutting out Charleston for 5 innings, allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk and striking out 5. Spencer Schwellenbach threw 56 pitches in the following start, scattering 5 hits and 2 walks to make it through 3 scoreless innings. Right-hander Owen Murphy had a forgettable start, only getting through 2 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. Defense has a whole was a little rough this week and the team allowed 5 unearned runs off 12 errors.
Likewise relief pitching got beat up a bit, but right-hander Tyree Thompson posted three scoreless innings over two appearances. Jason Franks and Samuel Strickland each made a scoreless appearance of at least 2 innings, while Seth Keller had a 4-inning relief appearance while piggbacking starter Jorge Bautista, allowing 1 run and striking out 5.
ROME:
The R-Braves split a six-game series at home against Asheville last week, alternating wins and losses with the Tourists. They are now 15-17 on the season, in third place and 7.5 games back of front-running Winston-Salem. They’ll take the bus ride up to Hickory, North Carolina this week for six games against the Crawdads.
Braves pitching only allowed 21 runs this week, and they got off to a great start in game one with Hunter Riggins firing off 5 innings of no-hit ball, striking out 7 and earning Pitcher of the Week. In his past four outings Riggins has only allowing 1 run on 5 hits in 13.2 innings while striking out 15. Right-hander Tyler Owens made his fourth consecutive appearances as a starter, going 3 no-hit innings himself using 41 economical pitches. The other starting bids were less impressive, but were bailed out with overall stellar relief.
Newcomer Hayden Harris continued his recent good work from Augusta, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings over 2 appearances, striking out 6. Right-hander Jonathan Hughes added two more scoreless appearances to his streak, now running to seven, and he has a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 relief innings this season. After a rough start the season, righty Rolando Alesandro has now reeled off four scoreless appearances in a row, including two this series. Since moving up from Augusta, Rob Griswold has allowed only an unearned run in four appearances covering 6 innings, notching 2 saves.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves returned home this week to take on the Chattanooga Lookouts. There were numerous rain delays, postponements, and cancellations during the week, but the M-Braves still managed to squeeze in five games during a sweep in which tremendous starting pitching dominated the series. The M-Braves now take a 14-18 record on the road to take on the Montgomery Biscuits.
The M-Braves rotation put in tremendous work during the week in which the headlines were dominated by A.J. Smith-Shawver’s first start at Trustmark Park on Saturday, in which he tossed five shutout innings with seven strikeouts to run his season scoreless streak to 21 innings, but the entire rotation was spectacular this week. Scott Blewett gave up just one unearned run on Tuesday over six innings with eight strikeouts, Luis De Avila tossed five shutout innings on Wednesday, Domingo Robles gave up just one unearned run over six innings with eleven strikeouts in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader while Alan Rangel wrapped up the week on Sunday by giving up the lone earned run of the week for the starting rotation but still had a great start by striking out ten in five innings. For the week, M-Braves starters had a line of 27 IP, 17 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 9 BB, 41 K with a 0.33 ERA and 0.963 WHIP.
With the great starting pitching, the bullpen only had to cover fifteen innings this week. Victor Vodnik led the way with three scoreless innings over two appearances with two saves and just one baserunner allowed. Alec Barger had a save in his lone appearance while the rehabbing Daysbel Hernandez tossed a clean inning in his only outing with two strikeouts.
The M-Braves had an up-and-down week on offense with two games where they scored ten runs and three where they scored three runs or less. Infielder Cade Bunnell was 5-for-14 with a grand slam on Sunday (.357/.357/.571), shortstop Cal Conley was 5-for-18 with two stolen bases and seven runs scored, and catcher Javier Valdes played in just three games but went 2-for-6 with a double and six walks (.333/.667/.500). Outfielder Jesse Franklin was just 1-for-12 during the week but had a double and struck out just twice. Catcher Tyler Tolve, just activated from the injured list, was 0-for-6 over two games with two walks and two runs scored. 1B-DH Drew Lugbauer was only 2-for-13 but his two hits were a double and a triple and he had four RBI (.154/.421/.385). Outfielder Landon Stephens was 2-for-9 over three games with three walks, and HBP, a home run, and three RBI (.222/.462/.556)
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers took to the road for a two-week road trip through Tennessee beginning in Nashville to take on the Sounds. The team didn’t get much help from the starting rotation, but the bullpen did just enough to help the Stripers earn a series split before taking a 15-23 record west to begin a series against the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday.
Gwinnett’s did not get much from their front-line starters this week as Dylan Dodd had two bad outings as the bookend starter for the week, giving up seven runs in 3.1 innings on Tuesday and five runs in five innings on Sunday with five home runs given up over the two starts. Jared Shuster was slightly better as he gave up four runs over 5.2 innings on Wednesday with three of the runs coming in the third inning. Michael Soroka’s start on Thursday began horribly as he gave up a three-run homer in the first inning to Keston Hiura but he settled down to retire ten of the final eleven batters he faced before leaving after four innings and 73 pitches. Things got better later in the week as Beau Burrows limited Nashville to two runs over four innings on Friday and Tanner Gordon improved significantly from his first start in allowing just two runs over 4.2 innings on Saturday, although he gave up eight hits.
In the bullpen, Yacksel Rios gave up a run in his first outing, but he did get a save in his second one. Kyle Wilcox had two scoreless appearances and his first AAA save on Saturday. Nick Margevicius had his best outing as a Striper thus far as he tossed 3.1 scoreless innings of middle relief during Soroka’s start. Roddery Munoz had two scoreless outings but allowed three hits and four walks over 3.1 innings while throwing only about half of his pitches for strikes.
Shortstop Vaughn Grissom had his first full week at Gwinnett after being optioned from Atlanta and went 7-for-23 with three doubles and a home run (.304/.385/.565). Catcher Chadwick Tromp also returned and helped to boost the offense as well with a 4-for-13 week with a double, two home runs, three walks, and four RBI (.308/.438/.846). Outfielder Eli White was just 4-for-17 during the week but he had two doubles, a home run, and a stolen base (.235/.278/.529). Fellow outfielder Forrest Wall had a rough week in going just 2-for-26 although he did have a game with three stolen bases. Outfielder Nick Solak only went 5-for-26 on the week, but notched a Wednesday grand slam to propel him to 7 RBI in the series.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 5/8/2023: Activated C Travis d’Arnaud from the 7-day injured list (concussion); optioned C Chadwick Tromp to AAA Gwinnett
There was some thought that Tromp may be kept on the roster if d’Arnaud wasn’t ready to resume catching after the fourth concussion of his career but that turned out not to be necessary.
- 5/8/2023: 1B Makhi Backstrom released by A Augusta
- 5/9/2023: OF Bryson Worrell assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves
The 2019 draft for the Braves was marked by a number of signings of high-risk high school talent for overslot bonuses in Day 3. Vaughn Grissom has been the most successful of that group so far, but also in the system are outfielder Kadon Morton and pitchers Jared Johnson and Tyler Owens while right-hander Joey Estes was part of the trade that brought Matt Olson to Atlanta. Backstrom was also part of this group, but severe contact issues prevented his from climbing the organizational ladder.
Worrell essentially takes Backstrom’s roster spot in Augusta. The former East Carolina standout will look for opportunities in a suddenly crowded outfield.
- 5/9/2023: Placed LHP Max Fried on the 15-day injured list (left forearm strain); recalled LHP Danny Young from AAA Gwinnett; RHP Nolan Kingham activated from the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett
The Braves made clear that the UCL was not torn, but this is expected to be a somewhat lengthy IL stint for the Braves ace.
- 5/9/2023: LHP Hayden Harris assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; RHP Nick Howard assigned to A+ Rome; RHP Daysbel Hernandez assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome
A former Reds farmhand, Howard had been signed to a minor league free agent deal back in February, but had remained behind in extended spring training.
- 5/10/2023: C Tyler Tolve activated from the 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi; OF Jacob Pearson placed on the developmental list for AA Mississippi
After a good spring, Tolve opened the 2023 season on the injured list, but he now can reform the impressive catching tandem that Rome enjoyed most of the last season with Javier Valdes.
- 5/10/2023: RHP Darling Florentino activated from the 7-day injured list for A Augusta
The former Rome third baseman officially returns for his second stint in the Augusta bullpen.
- 5/11/2023: Signed free agent UT Chad Pinder to a minor league contract
The long-time Oakland utility man has bounced around this offseason, first signing with the Reds then the Nationals. He requested his release early in May after the Nationals didn’t bring him up. Pinder has 553 games of major league experience and would be a likely call-up if there’s an injury once he gets back up to speed.
- 5/11/2023: RHP JR Ritchie placed on the 7-day injured list for A A Augusta; LHP Rolando Gutierrez assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves
Ritchie came out of his last start on May 6, but the Braves waited until the 11th to place him on the IL. Hopefully this is a sign that the injury isn’t too serious.
Gutierrez was a standout starter for the DSL Braves last season before getting the bump up to the FCL.
- 5/14/2023: LHP Samuel Strickland assigned to A Augusta from A+ Rome; LHP Rolando Gutierrez assigned to FCL Braves from A Augusta
Gutierrez gave up 5 runs in 1.1 innings in his full-season debut and the Braves decided to put him back in the oven. Strickland has struggled in his high-A debut and drops down to Augusta where he was a reliable arm in 2022.
Your Moment of Zen
.@Braves' No. 4 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver struck out 7 for the @mbraves and has yet to give up a run in 21 innings this season: pic.twitter.com/hkRQAJ5VSw
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 14, 2023
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