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.
Weekly Round-Up
COMPLEX LEAGUES:
The DSL Braves 0-3 on the week before the league All-Star Break, bringing their overall record to 10-26. Shortstop Mario Baez concluded a torrid month of July by going 6-for-13 on the week with a double and a triple, stealing a base, and scoring 5 and knocking in 3. Baez was named a starter for the DSL All-Star team and got a hit in his only plate appearance in Sunday’s All-Star game. Righthander Rayven Antonio was was named to the All-Star team and appeared in relief, striking out both batters he faced.
The FCL Braves got reinforcements from the draft and non-drafted free agent ranks and responded, going 5-0 on the week to even their record at 19-19 and vault into third place in the FCL South Division, now 8 games behind the Pirates. Second baseman Will Verdung homered in his first professional at-bat and ended up with a .462 OBP on the week thanks to 3 walks and 3 hits. Third baseman and 3rd-round pick Sabin Ceballos introduced himself to his new teammates by going 3-for-7 with 6 walks. First baseman Drew Compton also homered this week and shortstop Cam Magee was on base half of his plate appearances. Perhaps inspired by his new teammates, shortstop Diego Benitez had a strong week as well, going 4-for-12.
While the FCL Braves line-up nearly completely turned over, none of the new pitching has made its way to the roster but the team got a hand from yet another rehabbing pitcher. Dylan Dodd made a start and threw 3.1 hitless innings, striking out 4. Righthander Davis Polo got starts to bookend the week, with the second the stronger of the two as he pitched 5 innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits and no walks, good enough to earn his professional win as a starting pitcher.
AUGUSTA:
The Jackets travelled to first-place Charleston and managed to split the series with some memorable games, including a 7-inning no-hitter on Sunday. Augusta will open August at home against Columbia.
After two lethargic losses on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first seven innings of Thursday’s tilt followed a similar pattern, with the RiverDogs getting to starter Owen Murphy early and building out an 8-0 lead going into the 8th. Third baseman Cory Acton started the comeback with a one-out, two-run homer end the shutout bid. From there it was all Greenjackets as they would score 3 more in the 8th on a bases-loaded E.J. Exposito double. In the 9th, the Jackets exploded for 9 runs which included a Tyler Collins 2-run double, a two-run single by Exposito, an RBI double by Acton, and an RBI triple by Francisco Floyd. who got into the game pinch-running for Jair Casanova earlier in the inning. Augusta would end up winning 15-8.
Charleston would win on Friday however, and with Saturday’s game rained out they would only need to win one game of a Sunday doubleheader to win the series. In game 1, Augusta prevailed 3-2 behind a solid start from left-hander Adam Shoemaker (4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER) and good relief work by Rolando Alesandro and Elison Joseph. That set up a game two started by right-hander Seth Keller, who has been in a rut since coming off the injured list on June 23. He was effectively wild on Sunday, walking 5 RiverDogs but keeping them hitless and scoreless through 5.1 innings. Righty Landon Stephens did the rest, allowing nothing in 1.2 innings and striking out 2 as the Greenjackets earned the series split with a 2-0 no-hit victory.
ROME:
Rome travelled to Asheville this week and was treated quite shabbily by the Tourists, dropping five of six in the series to fall to 13-17 in the second half standings, 6.5 games back of Hickory in a tough blow to their playoff chances. Rome will continue their North Carolina tour on Tuesday in Greenville.
Rome’s pitching was abused in this series, with only spot starter Patrick Halligan (5 IP, 2 R) keeping the Tourists even close to in check. Righty Jorge Bautista only lasted 1.1 innings, allowing 7 runs (6 earned) in Tuesday’s series opener. He faired a little better on Sunday, but still allowed 4 runs in 4 innings to get his second loss of the week. Ian Mejia, Daniel Martinez, and Cedric De Grandpre allowed 6, 5, and 7 runs respectively, all in losing efforts. The bullpen faired slightly better, with righthander Rob Griswold‘s 4.1 shutout innings over two appearances a standout.
The lack of quality pitcher overshadowed a good series for most of the line-up. Third baseman David McCabe went 9-for-22 with three doubles and two homers; he’s now hitting .303/.398/.488 for Rome since being promoted in late June. Outfielder Kadon Morton had two hits in part-time duty and both of them were home runs. Centerfielder Kelvin Kilpatrick and second baseman Kevin Kilpatrick had good weeks setting the table, posting a .462 and .500 OBP respectively. The Rome catchers also got into the act, with Adam Zebrowksi slugging two homers and Drake Baldwin getting on base at a .458 clip and scoring 5 runs.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves returned home from their long Tennessee road trip to start a two-week homestand, first facing the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. While the pitching performed well during the series, the bats mostly failed to show up, scoring just twelve runs over the first five games of the series before exploding for ten runs on Sunday. The Sunday win salvaged two wins for the series and the M-Braves will carry over a 10-16 second-half record into a new series against the Montgomery Biscuits beginning on Tuesday.
Mississippi received bookend quality starts from Domingo Robles this week, giving up three runs over six innings on Tuesday and two runs over six innings on Sunday. In between, Tyler Owens gave up one run over four innings on Tuesday with no walks and five strikeouts while Nolan Kingham tossed five scoreless innings on Friday night in one of the two Mississippi wins for the week. Luis De Avila did not get his third straight no-hit start but did give up three earned runs over 5.2 innings of work on Saturday. In the bullpen, Jake McSteen, Trey Riley, and Ty Tice each had two scoreless outings during the week in the first series of the post-Victor Vodnik era.
Among the offensive contributors, Cody Milligan went 6-for-19 with three doubles, a triple, and two stolen bases (.316/.350/.579). Luke Waddell hit safely in all five of his games as he went 6-for-18 with a double and three walks (.333/.429/.389). Outfielder Jesse Franklin went 5-for-18 with a double, two stolen bases, three walks, an HBP, and three RBI (.278/.409/.333).
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers ventured to Florida this week to take on the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Although the pitching fared well, the offense was mostly lacking this week which led to a series split. The Stripers, now 45-56 for the season, return home for the trade deadline for a series against the Indianapolis Indians.
Regarding the starting rotation, only one pitcher gave up more than three runs this week. Jared Shuster led off the week on Tuesday with an effort in which he was wild, throwing barely half of his 91 pitches for strikes, but accounted for six scoreless innings despite allowing six walks and three hits. Justus Sheffield followed that up on Wednesday with a five-inning, three-run effort. Darius Vines made his first triple-A appearance of the season on Thursday and pitched 4.2 solid innings, allowing just one run although he gave up four hits and four walks. Michael Soroka had a rough start on Friday, giving up five runs over 6.2 innings with two home runs allowed. Max Fried followed that up with a rehab start on Saturday with 4.1 innings and 79 pitches of work with two runs allowed in what Braves head honcho said would be his final rehab appearance.
Seth Elledge led the way for the bullpen this week with two scoreless appearances and two wins. Grant Holmes earned two saves while AJ Minter had two rehab scoreless one-inning outings. Beau Burrows also had two scoreless outings covering 2.2 innings.
Gwinnett’s offense scored nine runs on Tuesday but only managed eighteen runs over the final five games of the week. Braden Shewmake was 4-for-20 on the week with a double and a home run (.200/.273/.400) while Vaughn Grissom extended his on-base streak to 25 games and was 6-for-21 with two doubles and a home run (.286/.400/.524). Outfielder Justin Dean was just 2-for-15 but the hits were a double and a home run while adding eight walks (.133/.435/.400).
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 7/23/2023: 3B Will Verdung signed. C Jacob Godman signed to a minor league contract.
Verdung was the 13th-round pick while Godman was a non-drafted amateur free agent.
- 7/24/2023: RHP Pierce Johnson traded to the Colorado Rockies for RHPs Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon; RHP Dereck Rodriguez designated for assignment
Vodnik was OFR’s #13 prospect as of the pre-season prospect list, a spot that he still would be around if we re-ranked them today. Gordon has been a very good organizational pitcher. Both were pitching well at AA Mississippi and both will be challenged by the thin air of Colorado.
Johnson was signed by Colorado as a free agent to be their closer, but he has struggled with a 6.00 ERA in 43 appearances. As always, home/away stats are worth examining with any Rockies pitcher, and his away performance — 16 innings, 3.94 ERA, 29 strikeouts — give hope that a change of scenery will set him to rights. Johnson has always had strikeout stuff and owns a 28.6% strikeout rate. He will be a free agent following the season.
- 7/24/2023: LHP Taylor Hearn traded by the Texas Rangers to Atlanta for cash considerations; LHP Lucas Luetge designated for assignment
Hearn had been designated for assignment by the Rangers on July 19, so this is essentially a free look at a big lefty with a big arm that has been hampered by command problems.
- 7/24/2023: RHP Kodi Whitley signed to minor league contract and assigned to AAA Gwinnett
Gwinnett has a 5.65 team ERA at the time of this writing, and a lot of that can be placed on the bullpen. Most of the worst offenders are now off the team, either released or sent down to AA Mississippi and there’s essentially open tryouts for any minor league veterans to fill out the staff. Whitley has had a tough season for Memphis but owns a 2.97 career minor league ERA since being drafted by the Cardinals in 2017.
- 7/24/2023: Cs Michael Baez, Jacob Godman, and Will King, SS Cam Magee, 3B Sabin Ceballos and Will Verdung, and OFs Isaiah Drak, Jace Grady, and Kade Kern assigned to the FCL Braves
The first wave of 2023 draft picks and NDFAs made their pro debuts this week.
- 7/25/2023: RHP Nolan Kingham assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett
Kingham drops down to essentially take the traded Tanner Gordon’s spot in the M-Braves rotation.
- 7/25/2023: OF Brandon Parker placed on the 7-day injured list for A+ Rome
Last week’s OFR Position Player of the Week pulled up lame after grounding out in his only plate appearance last Sunday against Hickory and was replaced in the line-up.
- 7/25/2023: OF Eli White signed to a minor league contract, assigned to FCL Braves
White was designated for assignment last week to make room on the 40-man roster. He will continue his rehab for a torn labrum with the staff in North Port.
- 7/26/2023: LHP Lucas Luetge and Dereck Rodriguez outrighted to AAA Gwinnett
Luetge and Rodriguez both passed through waivers and accepted their minor league assignments.
- 7/26/2023: RHP Tyree Thompson assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; RHP Spencer Schwellenbach placed on the 7-day injured list
Schwellenbach last pitched in the Future’s Game and has yet to make his high-A debut. It seems likely that he was injured throwing on the side after his promotion to Rome. Thompson had just recently joined the Augusta rotation after spending most of the season in the bullpen. Thompson had pitched for high-A Hickory last season in the Rangers organization.
- 7/27/2023: Signed RHPs Seth Elledge and Rowan Wick to minor league contracts, assigned to AAA Gwinnett; released RHPs Matt Swarmer and Roel Ramirez
More Gwinnett bullpen churn. Wick had spent the last five seasons in the Cubs organization and pitched in parts of four of them with the big league club to solid results. He struggled this season with AAA Iowa and was released on July 15, but owns a 3.59 minor league ERA and a 3.82 major league ERA in 146 innings pitched.
- 7/27/2023: SS Alexander Then, Wilfrank Graciano, and Luis Moreno released from FCL Braves
When you are a reserve player in a complex league team, you’re only hanging on by a thread.
- 7/30/2023: RHP AJ Smith-Shawver recalled from AAA Gwinnett; LHP Taylor Hearn optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Smith-Shawver gave up 3 runs in 5 innings and left with the lead, but the 4 walks and 2 home runs probably will have him back in Gwinnett. With Max Fried reportedly going to make his next start in Atlanta against the Cubs this weekend, the fifth-starter spot will hopefully be the only rotation spot to fight about.
- 7/30/2023: LHP Taylor Hearn traded to the Kansas City Royals for IF Nicky Lopez.
Lopez is a superb defender at all the infield skill positions. While reserve infielder Charlie Culberson has barely seen the field at all, if something were to happen to one of the starting infielders it will be nice to have Lopez to fill in the spot rather than Culberson, who at this point in his career would be challenged defensively anywhere on the infield besides first base. Lopez also is an above average baserunner and would be a pinch-running option.
Your Moment of Zen
🚨 Augusta spins a seven-inning no-hitter! 🚨@Braves prospects Seth Keller and Landon Harper combine for the first @GreenJackets no-no since Domenic Mazza threw a perfect game in 2017. pic.twitter.com/HXdBjsfSnG
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 30, 2023
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