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
AUGUSTA:
The Greenjackets had a fun final home series, taking five of six against the Salem Red Sox which included a combined 7-inning no-hitter. It helped take a little of the sting out of being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Augusta takes a 28-32 second-half record on the road to Kinston, North Carolina to take on the Down East Wood Ducks and wrap up the season.
The Jackets got strong pitching from a nearly completely reconstituted rotation, with right-handers Drue Hackenberg, Cade Kuehler, and Riley Gowens and lefty Mitch Farris all making their A-ball debuts. Pitch counts were tightly controlled with only spot starter Samuel Strickland and piggybacker Luis Vargas hitting even the 75 pitch mark.
In his first professional action, 2023 2nd-rounder Hackenberg threw 2.2 innings of no-hit ball, walking one and striking out 5 while showing off a good sinker/slider combo. After a Wednesday rainout, supplemental 2nd-rounder Kuehler made his pro debut and had similar success, going 2.1 innings without allowing a hit, walking three 3 and striking out 3. Right-hander Chad Bryant followed Kuehler and likewise kept Salem out of the hit column, going 3.2 innings and only allowing one walk. Zack Austin pitched the 7th inning and took the Sox down in order to preserve the no-hitter.
Recently minted FCL champs Gowens and Farris followed on Friday and Saturday, Gowens allowing 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 5 and Farris keeping Salem off the board in 4.1 innings and only allowing 2 hits while striking out 7. Strickland had a solid spot start on Sunday, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 8 but getting a no-decision when Augusta could only muster up 4 hits in a 5-2 loss, their only “L” of the week.
Third baseman Sabin Ceballos was promoted from the FCL and made an immediate impact. The 3rd rounder played in 4 games and and didn’t make an out until his sixth plate appearance, going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored in his Augusta debut, then walking in his first PA in his next game. Overall he went 6-for-14 with a home run and 6 RBI in the series. Shortstop Ambioris Tavarez stayed hot, going 8-for-21 with a double, 4 walks, and 3 stolen bases. Since August 15, Tavarez has been hitting .350/.435/.400.
ROME:
Rome went on the road to Winston-Salem and split the series against the Dash, which unfortunately was not enough to stave off elimination from winning the SAL South in the second half. Rome will wrap up their season at home against Asheville this week.
Infielder Keshawn Ogans had a big week at the plate, going 8-or-21 with 2 doubles and a key home run in Sunday’s 8-4 win while seeing time at second, third, and short. Centerfielder Kevin Kilpatrick went 8-for-26 with 2 doubles a triple, and 2 stolen bases, though he also struck out 11 times. Ignacio Alvarez bounced back after a tough series, going 6-for-21 and walking 4 times to get on base at a .407 clip.
Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach‘s second career start for Rome was a good one as he held Winston-Salem to 2 hits and no runs through 5 innings. Owen Murphy allowed 3 runs (2 earned) through 5 innings, striking out 7. Two pitchers made their Rome debuts this week. Right-hander Jhancarlos Lara allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 2 hits in 4.2 innings and struck out 6 while on Sunday Lucas Braun allowed 3 runs in 4 innings, striking out 5. Reliever Ronaldo Alesandro picked up two saves this week in two scoreless appearances and has a 1.49 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 12.1 innings since coming back to Rome from Augusta on August 4.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves returned home this week for a series against the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Behind strong pitching, the M-Braves won the series by taking four out of seven games and now carry a 22-35 second-half record over to continue their final homestand of the season against the Tennessee Smokies.
Mississippi’s starting pitching was tremendous this week as three different starting pitchers did not allow any runs and only one gave up more than two runs. Alan Rangel had the best performance of the week as he was dominant on Sunday with seven innings of scoreless baseball in which he allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out twelve. Luis De Avila also had a scoreless start on Thursday in which he pitched eight innings while giving up just four hits and a walk. Hurston Waldrep made his first Double-A start on Saturday and pitched three innings of scoreless ball with four strikeouts while allowing three walks and two hits before reaching his pitch limit. Domingo Robles (6 IP, 2 R) and Daniel Martinez (5 IP, 2 R, 9 K) each also had solid starts during the week.
For the relief arms, Domingo Gonzalez tossed three scoreless innings over two appearances with six strikeouts while earning a win. Kyle Wilcox had three scoreless appearances covering 3.1 innings with four strikeouts while Brooks Wilson had two more scoreless one-inning outings. Tyler Owens, who is currently acting as the closer, had three one-inning scoreless appearances while earning two saves.
No M-Brave drove in more than three runs during the week and outfielder Jesse Franklin led the way in that regard with a 5-for-20 week with two doubles, four stolen bases, and three RBI (.250/.250/.350). 1B Bryson Horne hit safely in all four of his games during a 6-for-15 week with a double and a walk. Catcher Drake Baldwin made his first Double-A appearances and went 2-for-8 over two games.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers undertook their second-to-last road trip of the season with a series against the Memphis Redbirds. In a relatively low-scoring series, the Stripers took four out of six for a series win. Gwinnett now has a 28-27 second-half record, six games back of first-place St. Paul in the International League South Division. The Stripers now return home for a series against the Worcester Red Sox.
Due to forced pitch counts and bullpen games, the Stripers only got 18.2 innings out of their starters this week, forcing the bullpen to absorb significant innings. Kyle Wright’s rehab assignment was moved from Rome to Gwinnett this week and he made a start on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the start did not go as planned as Wright gave up three runs in 1.2 innings and only threw 15 of his 31 pitches for strikes. Michael Soroka pitched well the following night in giving up just one run in 4.1 innings before reaching his pitch limit of 75. Jared Shuster had the best Gwinnett start of the week as he gave up just one earned run over six innings of work although he allowed ten baserunners. AJ Smith-Shawver came off the injured list on Saturday and his start that night did not go well as he gave up a hit and three walks while just retiring two hitters and only threw 12 of 31 pitches for strikes.
In the bullpen, Seth Elledge had two scoreless outings totaling four innings. Brian Moran had three scoreless innings over two appearances with a save while Grant Holmes had 2.2 scoreless innings and a win. Ben Heller tossed two scoreless and hitless outings covering three innings with seven strikeouts. Dylan Dodd made a bulk innings appearance on Wednesday in relief of Kyle Wright and tossed 5.1 innings of one-run baseball although he allowed nine baserunners.
Gwinnett’s offense was once again led by Vaughn Grissom, who went 8-for-18 with two home runs and eight RBI (.444/.524/.833). Joe Dunand went 6-for-21 with a double, triple, home run, and five RBI (.286/.375/.571). Braden Shewmake went 7-for-23 with two doubles, two stolen bases, and four runs scored (.304/.333/.391).
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 8/28/2023: 2B Ozzie Albies activated from 10-day injured list, IF Vaughn Grissom optioned to AAA Gwinnett; RHP Darius Vines recalled from AAA Gwinnett, LHP Jared Shuster optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Vines gets his first major league call-up and made his debut in a starting pitcher assignment in Colorado two days later. Vines had essentially the best pitching debut in Coors Field, giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings, striking out 5 and putting him solidly in the 5th-starter mix for the rest of the season.
- 8/29/2023: RHP Brooks Wilson and IF Joshua Fuentes activated from the injured list for AAA Gwinnett, assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett; LHP Justus Sheffield placed on the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett and IF Daniel Robertson placed on the developmental list
Outside of rehab appearances, Wilson had been out of commission since getting Tommy John surgery following a UCL tear at the end of 2022 spring training. He will try to follow in the footsteps of Daysbel Hernandez, who likewise was waylaid by a torn UCL on the cusp of a major league call-up who finally made it to the majors earlier this season.
- 8/29/2023: RHP Hurston Waldrep and C Drake Baldwin assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; C Arden Pabst assigned to A+ Rome from AA Mississippi; IF Hudson Potts, RHP Ty Tice, and LHP Jake McSteen placed on developmental list for AA Mississippi
After three starts for Rome covering 12 innings, 2023 first-rounder Waldrep continues his meteoric rise up the org ladder with a AA assignment. Presumably he’ll stay at this level at least until the end of Mississippi’s regular season.
Baldwin had been hitting .357/.481/.643 since July 1 for Rome with 6 home runs and striking only 24 times. It’s tough for a catcher to make the jump to a new level midseason and learn a new pitching staff; he made his AA debut as a designated hitter, and his first catching assignment was Waldrep, a pitcher he had caught previously.
- 8/29/2023: RHP Lucas Braun assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; OFs Isaiah Drake and Robert Gonzalez and Cs Will King and Alexander Martinez assigned to A+ Rome from FCL Braves and placed on the developmental list
Braun had only allowed 2 earned runs in 4 starts for the Jackets, easily earning the late-season bump. With the complex league seasons over, a handful of players get to shadow the players and coaches where they could be assigned next season.
- 8/29/2023: 3B Sabin Ceballos, RHPs Riley Gowens and LJ McDonough, and LHP Mitch Farris assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves; RHPs Drue Hackenberg and Cade Kuehler assigned to A Augusta; RHPs David Rodriguez and Garrett Baumann assigned to A Augusta and placed on the developmental list; SS Joe Olsavsky, Luis Sanchez, Diego Benitez, and Leiker Figueroa assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves and placed on the developmental list
The Jackets essentially turned over their entire starting rotation with 2023 2nd-rounders Hackenberg and Kuehler as well as Gowens and Farris stepping in for the recently promoted Lucas Braun, Owen Murphy, and Jhancarlos Lara. Ceballos should also get most of the time at third base the rest of the way.
More of the FCL Braves get to watch from the developmental list.
- 8/31/2023: Atlanta Braves sign LHP Adam Kolarek to a minor league free agent contract and assigns him to AAA Gwinnett
The journeyman side-arm reliever signs his second minor league contract with Atlanta, the first being in January 2017. Invited to major league camp, Kolarek ended up being released and he signed with the Rays where he was a bullpen staple for three seasons. Since then he’s bounced around to the Dodgers, A’s, and this season back with both the Dodgers and Mets before New York designated him for assignment on August 27.
The Braves sign him just under before the deadline for getting players in the organization that would be eligible for postseason. Kolarek could see action with the big league club if anything were to happen to the other lefties on the squad.
- 9/1/2023: LHP Dylan Lee activated from the 60-day injured list; OF Sam Hilliard transferred to the 60-day injured list; OF Forrest Wall recalled from AAA Gwinnett; IF Daniel Robertson activated from the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett
The September roster expansion went pretty much as expected, with Dylan Lee returning to active duty and Wall rejoining the team for pinch-running duties. Hilliard reportedly had a setback on his heal injury while on a rehab stint and it now seems unlikely he returns before the end of the season.
- 9/1/2023: SS Francisco Floyd and RHPs Wellington Guzman, Cesari Moreno, Kelvin Perez, and Efrain Polanco released by FCL Braves
The combined ERA of the four released pitchers was 5.63 in 59 innings.
Floyd however spent most of the season with Augusta and good a good amount of playing time filling in all over the infield, but he gets supplanted by better-hitting infield options.
- 9/2/2023: RHP Ben Heller recalled from AAA Gwinnett; RHP Darius Vines optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Despite a strong start from Vines in Colorado for his major league debut, the Braves opt to go with an extra reliever until a fifth starter is needed. Vines would seem to be a good candidate to be the 27th-man and make a start in the doubleheader scheduled on September 11 in Philadelphia.
Heller has made some slight mechanical adjustments while in Gwinnett and has allowed only a .111/.238/.167 line against him in 9 appearances with the Stripers since his early August demotion.
- 9/3/2023: RHP AJ Smith-Shawver activated from the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett
Smith-Shawver was on the IL for the minimum amount of time, resting a slightly sore shoulder. Even still, the Braves are treating him very cautiously, holding him to only 31 pitches in his start on Sunday.
Your Moment of Zen
WE DID IT AGAIN!
CADE KUEHLER, CHAD BRYANT, AND ZACK AUSTIN COMBINE FOR OUR SECOND NO-HITTER IN 31 DAYS! pic.twitter.com/OPLJvXI2vt
— Augusta GreenJackets (@GreenJackets) August 31, 2023
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