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.
Gwinnett’s Drake Baldwin Helps Power NL Win In Futures Game
All-Star Week festivities got underway on Saturday with the annual Futures Game, a showcase that spotlights some of the top prospects in the minor leagues. The Atlanta Braves organization was represented by Gwinnett catcher Drake Baldwin, who started the game at designated hitter and batted ninth. Baldwin hit one of two home runs in the contest, the hardest-hit shot of the game at 107.3 mph, an opposite-field line shot off of Blue Jays right-hander Fernando Perez. Baldwin also reportedly had the fifth hardest-hit ball of the day, a line-out to the centerfielder at 104.5 mph that drove in another run. Baldwin finished the day 1-for-2 with 2 RBI.
Despite that output, Reds prospect Cam Collins, who hit the other home run of the day, was named the game’s MVP. Collins’s third inning dinger produced the first score of the game for either side. The National League would end up winning the contest by a 6-1 score.
Weekly Round-Up
COMPLEX LEAGUES:
The DSL Braves went 4-2 on the week, sweeping doubleheaders on Monday and Thursday before dropping contests on Friday and Saturday, with Tuesday’s planned match against the Giants cancelled due to rain.
With the rain, righty Edward Cedeno pitched in a piggyback role and did well, posting up 4 scoreless relief innings, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out 6. Lefty reliever Rafael Lasorsa continued his strong run of late, throwing another 2.1 scoreless innings.
The FCL Braves went 3-3 on a week that included two doubleheaders, with all three loses coming against the Rays of nearby Port Charlotte. The Braves have slowly been ramping up the play of outfielder Luis Guanipa, but this week he appeared in 5 games and went 5-for-17, including a homer and two triples. The top offensive producer however, and our OFR Position Player of the Week, was once again outfielder Junior Garcia, who went 7-for-11 with 3 stolen bases. Shortstop Mario Baez went 5-for-13 with a double.
Right-hander Whilmer Guerra turned in the best starting pitching outing of the week, going 5 shutout innings against the Orioles on Tuesday.
AUGUSTA:
The Greenjackets hosted Fayetteville for six games and held their ground, splitting the series 3-3 before moving into the break. Augusta is now 9-11 in the second half, five games behind Charleston. They will embark on a nine-game road trip on Friday, starting in Kannapolis.
Augusta would win Tuesday’s match-up in one of the sloppiest games you’ll see in full-season ball, with Augusta making 5 errors and Fayetteville walking 12 batters. Fayetteville tied the game 5-5 in the top of the 9th on an unearned run off piggybacker Adel Dilone (4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 5 SO), but Augusta would come back in the bottom half after shortstop Cam Magee and catcher Jacob Godman both walked — followed by a double steal — and an intentional walk to outfielder Robert Gonzalez, and then a walk-off line-drive single by oufielder Isaiah Drake to end it, final score 6-5.
The big story in Augusta this week however was the Friday return of 2022 first-rounder JR Ritchie to the team. The righty made the comeback from April 2023 Tommy John surgery and lead a three-pitcher shutout for 3-0 win. Ritchie was brilliant, going 5 hitless inning, only allowing one baserunner on a walk and striking out 7. Righties Davis Polo (3 IP, 1 H, 4 SO) and Reibyn Corona (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) followed to complete the job.
Augusta would take the final game of the series on a sweltering Sunday evening thanks to middle-of-the-order production from outfielder Kade Kern, catcher Harry Owen, and infielder Joe Olsavsky, who knocked in the go-ahead run in the 8th with an RBI single, his third hit of the contest. Righty Anthony Garcia got his first starting nod of the season (4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO), and was followed by LJ McDonough (1 IP, 1 H, 1 R), Giomar Diaz (3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO), and Albert Rivas (1 IP, save) on a combined 6-hitter.
Kern went 7-for-19 on the week with 3 doubles as he continues his second half offensive surge. Owen went 4-for-11 with a double and is now hitting .308/.362/.423 since June 15. Drake only had 4 hits on the week, his walk-off single on Tuesday produced his only RBI, and he struck out 11 times, but also walked 6 times and tripled.
ROME:
The Emperors continued to scuffle after winning the first half and a playoff berth, dropping four of six against Greenville, though they did snap a 10-game losing skid in the second part of a Wednesday doubleheader. They go into the break with a 7-14 second-half record, last place in the SAL South Division. They will resume the regular season on Friday on the road in Hudson Valley.
Atlanta righty Ian Anderson had his rehab assignment moved up to Rome from Augusta and he started on Friday, throwing exactly 60 pitches and getting through 4.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on six hits and leaving the game with a 3-2 lead. The Rome ‘pen wouldn’t be able to hold however and a late rally would fall just short, the Emperors ultimately dropping 5-6.
The Emperors would win on Saturday however thanks to the combined pitching efforts of righties Blake Burkhalter (4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 6 SO), Landon Harper (4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO), and lefty Scott Strickland (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 SO) and the offense would make the most of their 5 hits to win 5-2.
Wednesday’s win was started by righty Luis Vargas, who allowed 3 runs (1 earned) in 5.2 innings, but left the game with Rome down 1-3. Righty Ryan Bourassa would hold the Drive for the remaining 4 outs, enough time to allow an unusual 7th-inning rally that featured bases-loaded walks from catcher Dawson Dimon, outfielder Kevin Kilpatrick, and designated hitter Drew Compton for a 4-3 walk-off-walk-win.
Compton would only get 2 hits on the week, but also walked 4 times and homered. Outfielder Ethan Workinger homered on Tuesday.
MISSISSIPPI:
The M-Braves beat Birmingham 4 games to 2 in a six-game home series which included two rousing weekend walk-off victories to even their second-half record at 9-9, only 3 games behind front-running Biloxi. After the break the team will travel to Pensacola for three games followed by six in Montgomery.
The Braves got three very strong pitching performances this week, and all lead to winning games. Right-hander Ian Mejia set the tone on Tuesday and pitched the first 7 innings of a 6-hit shutout. He was followed by one perfect inning from each of Jorge Juan and recent Rome promotion Elison Joseph to secure a 6-0 win. On Thursday, left-hander Luis De Avila spun his latest gem, 7 innings of 5-hit, 1-walk shutout innings, tying a career high by striking out 11 Birmingham Barons. After a rough start to the season, De Avila now owns a 1.84 ERA in 7 starts since the calendar flipped to June, holding batters to a .190/.252/.234 line during that stretch and is our OFR Pitcher of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
Finally, infielder/knuckleballer David Fletcher came one out away from a complete game on Saturday, allowing 2 runs in 8.2 innings but leaving with 2 Barons on base. Anthony Vizcaya came on to get the third out of the inning and got the win thanks to a walk-off Tyler Tolve home run in the bottom of the 9th to push the Braves to a 3-2 win.
Righty Drew Parrish was solid in his start on Sunday, striking out 7 and allowing 2 runs in 5 innings. Elison Joseph would end up claiming the win after pitching 2 hitless innings to close out the game. In the 9th inning, outfielder Brandon Parker would draw a bases-loaded walk to score the tying run, and outfielder Justin Dean followed with a walk-off single to give the Braves a 5-4 victory, their fourth of the series.
Outfielder Geraldo Quintero continued his recent good work, going 7-for-19 on the week. Reserve infielder Cade Bunnell would get 3 hits on the week, all in one game. Shortstop Cal Conley went 10-for-24 on the week.
GWINNETT:
Stripers fans were treated to a pretty good week of baseball at CoolRay Field as Gwinnett hosted the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, winning four of the six game set to improve their second half record to 9-9 before the break, now 4 games back of front-running Louisville. The Stripers will host the Charlotte Knights for a three game series starting Friday.
Gwinnett started the week by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat… and the home plate umpire. After strong pitching from starter Allan Winans (5 IP, 1 R, 3 SO) and relievers Jackson Stephens, and Tommy Doyle as well as their Jacksonville counterparts, the score was 1-1 going into extras. Jacksonville posted an unearned run in the top of the 1oth, and had gotten two out and catcher Drake Baldwin down to his last strike. Baldwin struck out looking to end the game, but requested an ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) Challenge. The system overruled the call and Baldwin walked to load the bases, and first baseman Yuri Gurriel followed with a walk-off, 2-RBI single to win it for the Stripers.
Gurriel had a strong week overall, going 7-for-16 with a home run and had at least one hit in all four games he played in the series. He is .424/.537/.727 in the month of July, and now owns a .814 OPS in 54 games since joining the organization in late April. Baldwin played in three games before leaving to join the NL Futures Game squad and went 3-for-1o with a home run and four walks. Reserve first baseman/catcher Ryan Casteel was activated from the developmental list after Baldwin’s temporary leave and claimed a Friday walk-off 2-run home run in the 9th inning to bring home a 7-6 win.
Nacho Alvarez had his first scuffling week as a Striper, only getting two hits in his four games played, though one was his 6th home run of the year. Alvarez was hit on the wrist by a pitch in Friday’s game and did not play the rest of the series.
Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver returned to the team after being activated from the injured list, starting on Sunday with a 50-pitch limit. He did not allow a hit in 3.2 innings, but left the game with two runners on due to a walk and a hit batter. Winans came on and gave up both inherited runners but was otherwise brilliant in a piggyback outing, but it was enough for Jacksonville to escape with a 2-1 win.
Spot starter Zach Logue had a solid outing (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 SO) while reliever Daysbel Hernandez threw three innings over two appearances and has run his streak to 11 games without allowing an earned run, which includes six appearances with the big league club, striking out 17 over those 13.2 innings.
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 7/8/2024: LF Eddie Rosario selected by MLB Atlanta; UT Luke Williams optioned to AAA Gwinnett; OF J.P. Martinez designated for assignment
Three games was considered enough ramp-up time for Rosario to re-join the Braves after his Washington Nationals tenure ended unceremoniously with his release after 67 games. The Braves will get a three week look at Rosario to see if he can be of help to a still-inconsistent offense before the July 31 trade deadline.
J.P. Martinez was removed from the 40-man roster to make room.
- 7/8/2024: RHP Bryce Elder recalled from AAA Gwinnett; LHP Dylan Lee optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Lee was the only reliever left in the Atlanta bullpen with options remaining, so he went down allow Elder another spot start. Lee has been extremely good out of the bullpen this year, and the Braves would later go to some lengths to return him from the AAA ranks well before the mandatory 10-day option period expired.
- 7/9/2024: RHP AJ Smith-Shawver activated from the 15-day injured list for MLB Atlanta; RHP Bryce Elder optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Smith-Shawver had been set to start for AAA Gwinnett on the ninth on rehab assignment for the strained oblique suffered on his May 23 spot start, but instead spent a day as the emergency long man for the big league club.
- 7/9/2024: RHP Elison Joseph assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; RHP Isaac Gallegos assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; RHP Drew Parrish assigned to AA Mississippi from AAA Gwinnett
Joseph and Gallegos get bumped up. For Gallegos he rejoins most of his draft class after a spring injury delayed the start of his season. Parrish acquitted himself well in a spot start for Gwinnett.
- 7/10/2024: UT Brian Anderson activated from the 10-injured list for MLB Atlanta; RHP AJ Smith-Shawver optioned to AAA Gwinnett; OF Ramón Laureano placed on the 10-day injured list (left oblique strain); LHP Dylan Lee recalled from AAA Gwinnett
Laureano hadn’t played in a game since June 26 but Atlanta slow-walked placing him on the injured list, which worked out because it allowed them to recall Lee early as an “injury replacement” for Laureano.
Anderson had been out with a bacterial infection.
- 7/10/2024: OF J.P. Martinez outrighted to AAA Gwinnett
Because this was Martinez’s first outright assignment and he had less than 3 years major league service time, he could not refuse the assignment and become a free agent.
- 7/11/2024: OF Skye Bolt placed on the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett
- 7/12/2024: LHP Brian Moran and C Ryan Casteel activated from the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett; RHP Brooks Wilson placed on the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett; C Drake Baldwin placed on the temporarily inactive list
Shuffling some role players. Casteel would fill in on the roster for Baldwin, who left the team to attend the Futures Game.
- 7/12/2024: RHP JR Ritchie activated from the 60-day injured list for A Augusta; RHP Tyree Thompson assigned to A Augusta from A+ Rome
The biggest prospect news of the week was the activation of Ritchie, one of the Braves two first round picks in 2022, after his completion of rehab from April 2023 Tommy John surgery. Now 21 years old, Ritchie is one of the top upside pitchers in the organization.
- 7/12/2024: OF Carlos Monteverde assigned to FCL Braves from DSL Braves
Monteverde was one of the more hyped members of the 2023 international signing class, but this year he remained in the DSL while most of his classmates moved to the States. He now joins an FCL outfield mix that already included Luis Guanipa, Junior Garcia, Douglas Glod, and John Estevez.
- 7/14/2024: OF Bryson Worrell transferred to AAA Gwinnett from A+ Rome; LHP Brian Moran placed on the developmental list for AAA Gwinnett
Outfield gunslinger Worrell rides into Lawrenceville.
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