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 for more observations and insights.
Weekly Round-Up
COMPLEX LEAGUES:
After only winning two of their first ten games, the DSL Braves won three of five last week. Edward Cedano and Jose Pineda provided starts of 4 and 3 innings each with neither allowing a run. Infielder Carlos Cordero shook of a slow start to his season and went 6-for-13 last week with a double, four walks, and 4 RBI. Infielder Angel Nieblas went 5-for-15 with a double, triple, and two stolen bases.
The FCL Braves took two of five games last week, running their record to 6-9. Infielder Luis Sanchez had a big week, going 5-for-11 with a double, triple, five walks, and four RBI. Infielder Leiker Figueroa and outfielder Douglas Glod homered. Shortstop Diego Benitez, the top prospect of the 2022 international signing class, continued to struggle at the plate and is now hitting .204/.259/.370 on the season. Right-hander Roddery Munoz had two starts of two innings apiece, allowing two hits and an unearned run and striking out 5. Piggybacker Albert Rivas had a 4-inning outing where he only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk and struck out 5.
AUGUSTA:
Augusta traveled to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to close out the first half of the season against the Delmarva Shorebirds, taking 2 of 5 games with one cancellation due to inclement weather. They finish with a 31-34 first half record, 8 games back behind Myrtle Beach who, along with North Division first-half champs the Down East Ducks, secure an automatic playoff berth. The Jackets will start the second half at home on Wednesday against Columbia.
For the second week in a row, righty Jorge Bautista threw a quality start, going 7 innings and allowing 3 runs on 4 hits while striking out 4, though this time it wasn’t enough as the Jackets were held to 5 hits and lost 3-2. Spencer Schwellenbach was rained out of his planned start on Thursday, but he instead threw on Saturday and threw a season-high 80 pitches in his second consecutive quality start, allowing 1 run on 5 hits. The Jackets would go on to lose that game 3-4 in 10 innings.
After a string of poor starts, Owen Murphy had a fun night on Friday, using a career-high 83 pitches in 5.2 innings to strike out a career-high 12 Shorebirds, allowing 1 run in a 3-2 Jackets victory. Right Jhancarlos Lara also established a new career-high in strikeouts in his start on Thursday, punching out 10 in 4.2 innings in a defensively sloppy game where he allowed 4 unearned runs. Nevertheless, Augusta picked up a win in that one, 5-4.
Shortstop Ambioris Tavarez had his best week as a pro, going 6-for-14 with three doubles, a triple, and 2 walks to earn our OFR Position Player of the Week award. Outfielder Ethan Workinger continued his excellent work at the plate, goung 6-for-17 with a double and 6 walks.
ROME:
Rome wrapped up their two-week northern road trip dropping 4 of 6 games against Jersey Shore. They finish the first half at 30-36, 6 games back of first-half winning Greensville. The will return home on Wednesday to once again face the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Third baseman David McCabe continued hitting well, though he only appeared in the first three games of the series. He is running a modest 5-game hitting streak and went 6-for-12 on the week. Keshawn Ogans played all six games and wnet 6-for-19 with 2 doubles, a homer, and a walk.
Right-hander Ian Mejia provided the team with a quality start, going 6 innings, allowing 2 runs and striking out 5 in a 2-1 loss on Friday. Luis Vargas and Patrick Halligan split Thursday’s game as evenly as possible, going 4.2 and 4.1 innings respectively. Vargas was good, scattering 7 hits and allowing 2 runs, but Halligan was brilliant in allowing only a hit and two walks and striking out 6 to pick preserve a 4-2 win.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves finished off the first half of their season slate this week as they faced the team with the worst record in the Southern League, the Birmingham Barons. Despite strong pitching that only allowed sixteen runs in the series, a lack of offense caused the M-Braves to drop four out of six and drop their record to 33-35, worst in the South Division. Mississippi will resume play on Wednesday in Biloxi against the Shuckers.
Starting pitching was mostly tremendous this week as Scott Blewitt (6 IP, 0 ER), Luis De Avila (6.1 IP, 1 ER), Domingo Robles (6 IP, 2 ER), and Tanner Gordon (6 IP, 1 ER) all registered quality starts. De Avila is now third in the league with a 3.03 ERA while Robles is third in WHIP at 1.17.
In the bullpen, Ty Tice tossed three scoreless innings with five strikeouts over two outings while Domingo Gonzalez, Hayden Harris, Daysbel Hernandez, and Victor Vodnik each had two scoreless appearances. The rehabbing Daysbel Hernandez kept on rolling with 2.1 scoreless innings over two appearances with a save. Hernandez now has ten scoreless innings over nine appearances while Vodnik has a 0.77 ERA since May 3rd with a 1.03 WHIP with 36 strikeouts over 23.1 innings.
The Mississippi offense failed to show up this week as they only scored 19 runs in six games with thirteen of those coming on Wednesday and Thursday. Catcher Tyler Tolve extended his on-base streak to eighteen games as he went 4-for-11 with an RBI. Outfielder Jesse Franklin went just 1-for-20 with four multi-strikeout games. Outfielder Justin Dean was 6-for-20 with two home runs, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Catcher Javier Valdes was 4-for-10 with a double, eight walks, and four RBI. Infielder Beau Philip was 5-for-15 with a double, home run, six walks, an HBP, and two RBI.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers finished off the first half of their season at home against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this week. Behind strong starting pitching, the Stripers took four out of six against the Shrimp and take a 33-42 record into the break before resuming the second half on Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota against the Saints.
The Stripers got quality starts in four out of six games this week with Allan Winans getting two of them in his Tuesday/Sunday bookend starts. Winans gave up just one earned run over 7.2 innings on Tuesday with seven strikeouts and just four baserunners allowed. Sunday did not go quite as well but Winans still threw six innings, giving up three runs and two home runs while giving up an uncharacteristic four walks. Michael Soroka had the best start of the week as he came within one out of a seven-inning no-hitter during his doubleheader start on Thursday; he gave up a solo home run to Austin Allen to break up both the no-hitter and the shutout but went on to finish the game on just eighty pitches. Justus Sheffield had his best outing as a Striper on Saturday as he tossed six scoreless innings while giving up just two hits and two walks. On the other end of the success spectrum, Dylan Dodd gave up seven runs over four innings on Thursday and now has an ERA of 7.94 for the season while Kolby Allard gave up two runs and allowed six baserunners in 2.2 innings on Friday before reaching his pitch limit.
In the bullpen, Grant Holmes took over as closer in the post-Yacksel Rios era with three appearances in which he had two scoreless outings including a save before taking the loss in Sunday’s extra-inning affair. Roel Ramirez was the only reliever to record multiple scoreless outings during the week.
For the Gwinnett offense, Jesus Aguilar made his debut this week but went just 3-for-14 with two walks and an HBP while committing two errors. Infielder Luke Williams was 6-for-17 with a triple, home run, and two stolen bases while scoring six runs. Shortstop Vaughn Grissom was 8-for-26 with two doubles, a triple, and five RBI (.308/.308/.462). Infielder Braden Shewmake had his best week in a while as he went 5-for-16 with two doubles, four walks, two HBP, and three RBI (.313/.500/.438). Catcher Arden Pabst was brought up from Mississippi as an injury replacement and went 4-for-7 with a double and a home run.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 6/19/2023: C Hendrik Clementina placed on the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett
- 6/20/2023: C Arden Pabst assigned to AAA Gwinnett from AA Mississippi
It wasn’t great timing for Clementina to get hurt just as Chadwick Tromp was recalled to Atlanta. The week would get worse for the Gwinnett catching corps.
- 6/19/2023: RHP Didier Fuentes assigned to FCL Braves from A Augusta
Two days after his 18th birthday the Braves dropped Fuentes down the to FCL. At one point the youngest player in all of full-season ball, the organization clearly thinks highly of Fuentes’s arm and maturity to challenge him with an A-ball assignment at only 17 years old. He looked good in spots, but leaves Augusta for now having allowed 21 earned runs in 26 innings (7.27 ERA).
- 6/18/2023: OF Andrew Moritz released by AA Mississippi
- 6/20/2023: 1B Jesus Aguilar assigned to AAA Gwinnett from FCL Braves; OF Justin Dean assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett
While Moritz was released last Sunday, it didn’t get announced until Tuesday when Dean was dropped to Mississippi. Moritz was a 6th-round pick by Atlanta in 2018 from UNC-Greensboro. A career .407 hitter in college, Moritz couldn’t quite make enough hard contact to make up from his lack of power and while he was a good outfielder he wasn’t enough of a defensive asset to pencil into the line-up over other options. He leaves the Braves organization as a .268/.332/.326 career minor league hitter.
Aguilar joins the Stripers hoping to show the big league club he could be a late season/postseason bench option.
- 6/20/2023: RHP Trey Riley activated from developmental list for AA Mississippi; LHP Alex Segal placed on the voluntarily retired list
Segal, a 22nd-round pick in 2019 from Wichita State, battled through injuries that took his entire 2021 season and a good chunk of 2022 to get back to the field. He looked good enough in a late-season stint with Rome last year that he was selected to go to the Arizona Fall League last offseason where he was overmatched. He was assigned to AA Mississippi where he was solid though 16 appearances (4.02 ERA, .210/.380/.290).
- 6/21/2023: C Joe Hudson placed on the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett
- 6/22/2023: C Dominic Miroglio signed to a minor league free agent contract and assigned to AAA Gwinnett
With now both planned reserve AAA catchers on the IL this week, the organization pivoted quickly to minor league veteran Miroglio, formerly of the Diamondbacks organization, who had been given his release on June 12.
- 6/21/2023: IF Jose Dilone assigned to AA Mississippi from the FCL Braves
Dilone has swung the bat well in the FCL in his third stint with the team. The 20-year-old seems likely to settle into A-ball, but for now will act as an emergency infielder for Mississippi
- 6/23/2023: LHP Dylan Dodd placed on the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett
- 6/24/2023: OF Eli White activated from the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett
White had been out since June 7.
- 6/23/2023: RHP Seth Keller activated from the 7-day injured list for A Augusta
Keller, a 5th-round pick in 2023, had been terrific for Augusta before having to go on the IL on May 23. The 19-year-old will pick up spot starts and piggyback opportunities for the Greenjackets.
- 6/24/2023: LHP Hayden Deal placed on the developmental list for AA Mississippi
- 6/25/2023: OF Jacob Pearson activated from the 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi
Deal had been pitching well out of the M-Braves ‘pen, but had been used heavily.
- 6/25/2023: IF Charlie Culberson outrighted to AAA Gwinnett, elects free agency
It was somewhat surprising Culberson didn’t return to Gwinnett, given that there will likely be a bench opening available in Atlanta once they deem Sean Murphy healthy enough not to have to carry a third catcher on the roster.
Your Moment of Zen
Charlie Morton decided to join the mascot race 😂 pic.twitter.com/TwjuUG6JhC
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 25, 2023
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