Welcome to the Braves Farm Report! Every Monday we take a look back at the previous week in the Braves minor league system, recapping the week’s action, spotlighting top performers, analyzing rosters and transactions, and sometimes answering questions or doing deep dives into Braves prospects.
Weekly Round-Up
FCL BRAVES:
The Braves got into the winning column this week and is now 2-9 on the young season.
Right-hander Luis Arestigueta and his 4-inning 2-hit start on Thursday was the story of this week as he walked none and struck out 6. At this point it’s a race to see who may get the call up to Augusta if there’s a rotation opening between Arestigueta and Jeremy Reyes, who gutted through a start without his best stuff and only allowed 2 runs (1 earned) despite only getting 1 strikeout. Mississippi reliever Austin Smith, out since early last season with a UCL tear, pitched a clean one-inning rehab start on Friday.
A few Braves bats started to produce this week, namely outfielder Junior Garcia, who went 7-for-18 with a double and a home run. Outfielder John Estevez homered as well and tacked on 2 doubles and a triple as well in a 5-for-17 week.
AUGUSTA:
The Jackets hosted the Salem Red Sox this week, dropping four of the six games to fall to 17-21 on the season and 4 games behind frontrunner Kannapolis in the Carolina League South. They remain in 4th place in the division as they host Kannapolis this week with an opportunity to make up ground.
Augusta’s woes continue to be mostly offensive with a couple of bullpen meltdowns mixed in for spice. Right-hander Cade Kuehler had his best start of the month on Wednesday, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, but also with uncharacteristic control issues as he walked 6 to run up his pitch count. The Greenjackets could only muster up 5 hits and reliever Beau Philip would allow two runs in the top of the 9th to lose the game.
Right-hander Davis Polo had his best start of the season on Friday, allowing only 1 run on 5 hits, but the Greenjackets could only muster up 4 hits and reliever Reibyn Corona would allow four runs in the top of the 7th to lose the game.
Right-hander Luis Vargas had a solid start stepping into the rotation for the first time this season on Thursday to cover Mitch Farris‘s promotion to Rome, allowing only 2 runs on 6 hits, but the Greenjackets could only muster up 5 hits… but it was enough for the Jackets to escape with a 5-4 win. So it’s not always Groundhog Day at SRP Park.
Right-hander Adam Maier continued his strong May with six shutout innings on Saturday and the team would overcome some shaky bullpen work for their second win of the week, 7-5. Left-hander Adam Shoemaker made the start on Tuesday’s Education Day, bumping planned starter Didier Fuentes out of fear that rain could disrupt the proceedings, but the rain stayed away and although Shoemaker’s control issues dug a hole the Jackets couldn’t come back from, Fuentes ended up having a nice day anyway pitching 5 innings in relief and allowing only 1 run on 2 hits.
Outfielder Jace Grady had a good week at the plate, going 9-for-23 with 3 doubles. Shortstop Diego Benitez only had 3 hits on the week but they included an RBI double on Wednesday to account for Augusta’s only run and a home run on Thursday, his second of the season.
ROME:
The Emperors waddled up to soggy Asheville this week to take on the Tourists. Rainouts and delays forced the two teams to play two doubleheaders this week, wrecking pitching plans, but in the end it was Ashville winning 4 of the 6 games to take the series. The losses dropped Rome out of first place in the South Atlantic League South, and they now sit in second, one game back of Bowling Green with a 19-18 record. They will host the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Nationals organization this week.
The week got off to an incredible start, with an 11-1 domination on Tuesday. Rome scored 5 runs in the first and never looked back, with right-hander Owen Murphy again showing out, this time only allowing 3 hits in 6.1 innings and striking out 11 Tourists without issuing a walk. Righty Cory Wall went the rest of the way, allowing 1 run on two hits and striking out 5, also without issuing a walk. The Emperors would bang out 17 hits in this game with everyone in the line-up getting at least one hit and lead-off man Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. going 5-for-6.
The following night left-hander Riley Frey, promoted from Augusta to backfill for Spencer Schwellenbach‘s promotion to Mississippi, made his high-A debut and didn’t disappoint, going six innings and allowing only 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 5. Unfortunately reliever Shay Schanaman couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th, with a throwing error by Kilpatrick allowing in the winning run as Asheville walked it off.
The following night was a planned doubleheader to make up for a rain-out from last month’s series between the teams in Asheville. They would split the doubleheader with Rome taking game 1 behind 4.2 innings from starter Drue Hackenberg and 2.1 innings from reliever Samuel Strickland, combining to only allow 1 run on 7 hits and striking out 6 against only 1 walk. E.J. Exposito, working out of the lead-off spot in a change of pace, went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the 2nd and a 2-run homer in the 4th to account for half the runs in Rome’s 6-1 win. The second game of the series saw Asheville exact a bit of revenge for Tuesday as they pounded Rome 12-1 with emergency starter Landon Harper taking the brunt of the assault, surrendering 7 runs while only managing to get 2 outs.
Right-hander Jhancarlos Lara could only get in 1 inning of his start before rain suspended it on Friday. Rain and wet grounds ruined the doubleheader planned for Saturday, forcing the cancellation of one game. The suspended game resumed on Sunday, with planned Saturday starter Lucas Braun following up Lara’s 1 innings with 4.2 innings, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits. Rome held a 6-4 lead going into the 9th but this time Jared Johnson couldn’t hold the lead, giving up a 3-run walk-off homer to DH Logan Cerny. In the scheduled Sunday game, left-hander Mitch Farris made his high-A debut and got roughed up for 4 runs on 4 hits as Asheville wrapped up the series with 9-4 win.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves played around plenty of bad weather at home this week as they had to play two doubleheaders, but they did get all their games in as they rode tremendous pitching to take four out of six games against the Biloxi Shuckers. The M-Braves now take a 16-23 record to Chattanooga next week to take on the Lookouts.
Starting pitching was the story for Mississippi this week as they put up a 1.85 ERA over 34 innings. The best start in the organization this week was Ian Mejia’s seven-inning no-hitter on Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader. Mejia struck out eleven and walked two (with an HBP) while finishing off the Shuckers with just 92 pitches. Hurston Waldrep had bragging rights until that point as he pitched an eight-inning extra-inning complete game win in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader as he gave up just one run on six hits and no walks while throwing just 84 pitches. Spencer Schwellenbach made his Double-A debut in the second game of that doubleheader and jumped right on in with six scoreless innings in which he allowed just four baserunners while striking out nine. J.J. Niekro on Friday and Drew Parrish on Sunday put up matching 4.2 inning efforts in which each gave up just one earned run. Luis De Avila’s disappointing season continued with four runs given up in just 3.2 innings on Saturday with four hits and four walks.
Parker Dunshee was the only bullpen arm to get into two games this week and he tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Hayden Harris, Domingo Gonzalez, and Jake McSteen were among the pitchers who each had scoreless outings over the course of the week.
The offense scored just eight runs over their first five games of the week (winning three) before busting out with a seven-run effort on Sunday. Shortstop Nacho Alvarez was just 2-for-15 but he contributed five walks and two stolen bases (.133/.350/.267). Catcher Drake Baldwin had a nice week in going 5-for-19 with two home runs and five RBI (.263/.300/.474). Infielder Yolbert Sanchez got limited playing time but was 6-for-11 with two doubles and three RBI.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers made the road trip to Memphis this week to take on the Redbirds in a rare seven-game series as one of their games at Gwinnett was rained out earlier this season. After splitting the first two games, the Stripers dropped the final three contests to drop their record to 21-24 for the season. Gwinnett now returns home for a series against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Starting pitching left a lot to be desired this week as the starters put up a 5.97 ERA over just 34.2 innings. Dylan Dodd got the bookend starts: on Tuesday, he gave up six runs in five innings but only two of them were earned. On Sunday, Dodd gave up four runs over 5.2 innings. In the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, Zach Logue had a tremendous start as he threw a 1-0 seven-inning shutout, allowing just one hit and an HBP. Darius Vines had a rare tough start on Wednesday as he gave up six runs over 4.2 innings with two home runs. Allan Winans, like Vines, had a poor start as he gave up six runs over just three innings on Friday. AJ Smith-Shawver had mixed results during his Saturday start in giving up four runs (with three home runs) over 5.2 innings, but he did strike out eight.
In the Gwinnett bullpen, Jake Walsh was the only reliever to put up two scoreless outings while Patrick Halligan and Ken Giles each put up a scoreless frame. Daysbel Hernandez had another scoreless outing, running his tally to eight straight scoreless appearances dating back to April 18th (10.1 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 16 K).
Gwinnett’s offense continued its cold streak with just nineteen runs in seven games with six of those coming on Sunday. Outfielder Forrest Wall was a highlight, though, as he went 10-for-25 with two doubles, two home runs, two RBI, three stolen bases, and six runs scored (.400/.531/.720) to capture OFR Position Player of the Week honors. Fellow outfielder Eli White was a solid contributor as well with an 8-for-22 week with two doubles and two stolen bases (.364/.481/.455).
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 5/14/2024: RHP Spencer Schwellenbach assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; LHP Riley Frey assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta
The first major prospect promotion of the season is Schwellenbach jumping up to double-A. The 23-year-old 2021 second-rounder had a 2.53 ERA in 6 starts with Rome, and only 9 walks to 34 strikeouts in 32 innings. Frey was originally scheduled to start the season in Rome but had to start in Augusta due to numbers and injuries at the low-A level. Frey was outstanding for Augusta, pitching to a 1.53 ERA in 6 appearances (5 starts).
- 5/14/2024: OF Skye Bolt activated from 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett; OF Bryson Worrell assigned to A+ Rome from AAA Gwinnett
Worrell was only with the Stripers in this stint for one day, but he went 2-for-4 with a walk-off two-run home run on Mother’s Day.
- 5/14/2024: C Harry Owens assigned to FCL Braves from A Augusta
Owens was only up for a few days.
- 5/15/2024: RHPs Jose Chavez and Jhonny Martinez released by FCL Braves
Chavez was on the full-season injured list, so he wasn’t going to pitch in 2024. Presumably the prognosis on his injury was not optimistic. Martinez had made 14 appearances in each of the previous two seasons with the DSL Braves and FCL Braves respectively but had not gotten into a game this season.
- 5/15/2024: UT Leury Garcia placed on the 7-day injured list for AAA Gwinnett
The 10-year major league vet has been hitting well for the Stripers while logging time at second, third, left, and right.
- 5/17/2024: LHP Mitch Farris assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta
- 5/18/2024: RHP Rolando Gutierrez assigned to A August from FCL Braves
Farris has pitched very well for Augusta in a swingman role, and he will likely continue that with Rome as the team needed another piggybacker for starter Jhancarlos Lara. This is Gutierrez’s second stint with Augusta having pitched for them briefly last season.
- 5/18/2024: RHP Pierce Johnson activated from the 15-day injured list for MLB Atlanta; RHP Jackson Stephens sent outright to AAA Gwinnett
- 5/20/2024: RHP Jackson Stephens elected free agency
Johnson has been a critical piece of the Atlanta bullpen. Stephens cleared waivers, but in a bit of a surprise decided to become a free agent rather than report to Gwinnett. He’ll have the opportunity to see if another major league team has need of his services, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up back with the Braves.
- 5/18/2024: OF Isaiah Drake and IF Leiker Figueroa activated from the 7-day injured list for A Augusta; C Alexander Martinez assigned to FCL Braves from A Augusta
Martinez showed out to be defensively gifted but a near-complete lack of offense (7-for-58, 1 extra-base hit) showed that he still needs plenty of work.
Drake went on the IL three weeks ago with a strained hamstring and played in 5 rehab games with the FCL Braves before being activated. The OFR #22 prospect is off to a slow start at the plate for Augusta but his overall tool set remains among the most interesting off all Braves position player prospects.
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