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
COMPLEX LEAGUES:
The DSL Braves had another tough week, going 1-3 with another game suspended by rain. After a difficult start to his season, right-hander Sebastian Estiven put up his second scoreless start in a row, going 3 hitless innings on Friday. Seventeen-year-old lefty Rafael Lasorsa is off to a strong start for his pro career, this week throwing 2.1 scoreless innings in a relief appearance. In his five games he has posted a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings, limiting batters to a .174/.278/.196 line against him. On the offensive side, outfielder Carlos Monteverde went 7-for-16 with 2 doubles and is now hitting .284/.430/.373 in his second trip through the DSL.
The FCL Braves went 2-4 on the week, including getting swept in a Monday doubleheader. Infielder John Gil, after a slow start to the season, has been on fire since mid-June, and had 9 hits this past week. Right-hander David Rodriguez tallied the rare complex league quality start, going 6 innings and allowing only 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 5. Righty Whilmer Guerra had a 4-inning scoreless start. Rehabbing prospect JR Ritchie had his first adversity in his performances to date, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits in 2.1 innings.
AUGUSTA:
The Greenjackets took 2 games of 3 on the road in Columbia this week before dropping 2 games at home against those same Fireflies, with Sunday’s contest suspended by rain. They will welcome Fayetteville to SRP Park for a six-game series starting Tuesday.
Nineteen-year-old righthander Didier Fuentes is our OFR Pitcher of the Week after spinning 6 shutout innings on Wednesday, allowing only 4 hits and striking out 9 without walking a Firefly. He was followed by 3 shutout relief innings by Juan Sanchez to complete a 4-0 shutout. Rehabbing Braves righthander Ian Anderson had another good performance, tossing 3.1 hitless innings. Recently promoted relievers Albert Rivas and Anthony Garcia made a good impressions, tossing 3.1 and 3 scoreless innings respectively.
Outside of a 10-run outburst on Monday, the Greenjackets offense was characteristically sparce. Outfielder Kade Kern continued his uptick, and has now hit .361/.425/.583 with 2 homers over his last two weeks. Catcher Jacob Godman and outfielder Noah Williams each hit their first Augusta homers of the year.
ROME:
Rome had a disastrous week in a split home-and-home six games against the rival Bowling Green Hot Rods, getting swept and dropping to 5-10 in the second half. Rome is now 5-11 since securing the first half division championship and a playoff berth.
The pitching was uncharacteristically uneven this week, with only Luis Vargas managing even 6 innings in his start. No pitcher in the typically stingy Emperor bullpen went unscathed by Hot Rod hitters.
Part-time infielder Nick Ward swatted his first home run of the season on Friday, but overall it was a week to forget for Rome. They will come back home this week for a six-game series against Greenville.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves played a rare split-city series with Biloxi this week so each team could have a crack at a July 4th crowd, playing in Biloxi Monday-Wednesday and Pearl Thursday-Saturday with a rare Sunday off. The M-Braves received some solid starting pitching this week, but the bullpen and offense could not carry their share of the load and Mississippi won just one of the six games during the week. The M-Braves now stay home to host the Birmingham Barons this week.
Starting pitching was quite good again this week this week as the team got four straight quality starts Tuesday-Friday and then a four-inning scoreless stint from opener Landon Harper on Saturday. Drue Hackenberg made his second Mississippi start on Monday and his first on the road and it did not go well as he gave up four runs in four innings which could have been much worse as he allowed fourteen baserunners. Ian Mejia was fine on Tuesday (6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) while Lucas Braun was impressive in his second Mississippi start with six scoreless innings on Wednesday. Luis De Avila followed that up on Thursday with three runs allowed over six innings and David Fletcher gave up two earned runs over 6.1 innings on Friday although that could have been much worse as he gave up seven hits, three walks, and hit three batters.
The Mississippi bullpen was subpar this week as four different relievers allowed at least three runs apiece. Patrick Halligan was a standout this week as he had three scoreless appearances covering 2.1 innings.
1B Bryson Horne had a big week for the offense as he drove in seven of the team’s twenty runs (.333/.391/.524). 3B Keshawn Ogans continued his recent hot streak by hitting safely in all five of his games with three multi-hit games (.450/.476/.500). OF Justin Dean went just 2-for-13 but added six walks and three stolen bases. C Tyler Tolve provided some much-needed power in going 5-19 with a double, two home runs and four RBI (.263/.300/.632).
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers took their longest road trip of the season thus far with a series in Saint Paul against the Saints. The Stripers (40-47) used an offensive rampage on Wednesday and Thursday in which they scored thirty-two runs over those two games to help earn a series split before they head back home for a set against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Gwinnett starting pitching was a mixed bag this week as Bryce Elder (5 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K on Tuesday) and Dylan Dodd (4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K on Friday) tallied subpar starts while Darius Vines (6 IP, 3 ER on Wednesday), Zach Logue (five scoreless innings on Thursday), and newly promoted Drew Parrish (5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K on Sunday) fared better.
The bullpen had some solid contributors this week such as Daysbel Hernandez, who was optioned from Atlanta earlier in the week and recorded two scoreless one-inning outings and a save. Matt Carasiti tossed three scoreless innings over two outings while Parker Dunshee had four scoreless innings over two appearances. Ken Giles had two more one-inning scoreless outings while Hayden Harris pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit while retiring all five outs via strikeout.
Gwinnett’s offense had a LOT of contributors this week. First off, the prospects: shortstop Nacho Alvarez was 7-for-22 with a home run, five RBI, three stolen bases, and four walks with just three strikeouts (.318/.423/.455) while catcher Drake Baldwin was 7-for-21 with two home runs and four RBI while walking four times and striking out just twice (.333/.440/.619). Next, the rehabbers: outfielder Brian Anderson was 0-for-10 over three games with five strikeouts and two walks while outfielder Eddie Rosario was 3-for-11 with a triple and a home run in three games. Among the other players, 1B Yuli Gurriel was 7-for-17 with a home run, two RBI, and five runs scored (.412/.500/.647) while outfielder Eli White rode a monster game on Wednesday (6-for-7, two doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI) to an 8-for-17 week with eight RBI before being promoted to Atlanta late in the week. Catcher Chadwick Tromp was 6-for-18 with two home runs and six RBI (.333/.429/.722) while outfielder JP Martinez was just 3-for-16 but contributed two doubles, four walks, and five stolen bases (.188/.350/.313). Catcher Sandy Leon played in just three games but went 5-for-9 with five walks. Andrew Velazquez rode three multi-hit games to a 7-for-17 week with six RBI (.412/.412/.647).
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 7/1/2024: LHP AJ Minter activated from the 15-day injured list; RHP Daysbel Hernandez optioned to AAA Gwinnett; LHP Brian Moran placed on the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett
Minter was out 34 days with left hip inflammation, and while the bullpen pitched very well in his absence, having one of the best left-handed set-up men in the game return will always be welcome.
Hernandez once again acquitted himself well in an opportunity and has not surrendered an earned or inherited runner in the big leagues this year in 9 appearances.
- 7/1/2024: OF Bryson Worrell assigned to A+ Rome from AA Mississippi
Worrell seems to be the assigned emergency bench bat for the whole affiliate system. He has logged time with all four full-season affiliates, but Rome appears to be his home base.
- 7/4/2024: RHP Beau Philip assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; LHP Riley Frey placed on the 7-day injured list for A+ Rome
Philip is now just one rung away from matching his climb up the org ladder as an infielder in his first season as a full-time pitcher. The former 2nd-round pick posted a 4.68 ERA for the Greenjackets.
- 7/5/2024: OF Eli White selected from AAA Gwinnett; OF Forrest Wall optioned to AAA Gwinnett; LHP Ray Kerr transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list
White is latest outfielder to get a piece of the reps in Atlanta in the wake of the Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II injuries. Wall had gone ice cold and Ramón Laureano remains unavailable due to a mild oblique strain. Fortunately veteran Adam Duvall seems to be climbing out of the dreadful slump he had been in.
- 7/5/2024: OF Eddie Rosario signed to minor league contract; assigned to AAA Gwinnett
Rosario has been one of the worst hitters in the majors this season with the Nationals and was given his release last week. Anthopoulos has made a habit of picking up former Braves that have fallen with other teams (Duvall and Jesse Chavez two recent examples), so it was not a surprise that the popular Rosario was brought back into the fold. Presumably he will have to demonstrate some level of return to form in Gwinnett to be selected, but a Duvall-Rosario left field platoon has worked in spurts before in Atlanta.
- 7/7/2024: LHP Drew Parrish assigned to AAA Gwinnett from AA Mississippi; RHP Taylor Widener placed on the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett
Parrish returned to the triple-A level after making 21 appearances for AAA Omaha in 2023 and did well.
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