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:
AUGUSTA:
ROME:
After splitting last week’s road series in Greensboro, Rome seems to finally have overcome their second-half funk with a home beatdown of the Asheville Tourists, winning five of the six games to pull out of the SAL South division cellar with a 20-26 record. The Emperors travel to Greenville this week looking to maintain a groove going into the SAL playoffs in four weeks.
Rome’s best starting pitching effort this week came from recent Augusta promote right-hander Adam Maier, who fired off 5 scoreless innings on Saturday, allowing 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Lefty Riley Frey got the week going well on Tuesday with a 5-inning start, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 6. Reliever Ryan Boursssa appeared in 2 games and threw a combined 3 hitless innings, striking out 6.
The top of the order for Rome was particularly productive this week, with lead-off man Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. getting on base at a .440 clip and scoring 6 runs and stealing 5. Two-spot hitter Drew Compton went 7-for-21 with 2 doubles and 2 walks. Shortstop E.J. Exposito showed signs of pulling out of his deep second-half slump, going 6-for-19 with 4 walks.
MISSISSIPPI:
The Mississippi Braves played a road series this week against the Biloxi Shuckers. Behind tremendous pitching in which the staff gave up just eleven runs in six games, the M-Braves took five out of six and now have a 23-22 record in the second half and are just 2.5 games out of first place. The M-Braves now return home to face the Chattanooga Lookouts.
Mississippi’s starting pitching was dominant as five out of the six starts went at least five innings, and no starter gave up more than three runs. Darius Vines got the bookend starts and won both as he gave up just one run over eleven total innings while striking out seventeen batters. Jhancarlos Lara got his first Double-A start in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader and it did not go well as he had no command at all, going just 2.1 innings while giving up three runs and walking eight and throwing just 27 of 73 pitches for strikes. Lucas Braun gave up three runs over 5.1 innings in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader in the lone loss for Mississippi this week. Drue Hackenberg had another great start on Friday as he tossed six scoreless innings, giving up just three hits while striking out six. David Fletcher had his second straight solid start on Saturday, throwing five scoreless innings on just 61 pitches in earning a win.
The Mississippi bullpen gave up just four runs (three earned) this week in 22 innings of work with four different pitchers earning saves. Trey Riley, Elison Joseph, Rolddy Munoz, and Patrick Halligan each had two scoreless outings and Drew Parrish tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in his lone outing of the week. Ian Mejia earned his first professional save with four innings of relief in piggybacking Fletcher’s start.
The offense did not contribute much for most of the week, scoring just thirteen runs in the first five games before breaking out for eleven on Sunday.
For the offense, newcomers contributed significantly to the M-Braves’ success this week. Catcher Adam Zebrowski, an injury replacement for Tyler Tolve, hit safely in his first three Double-A games and went 5-for-12 with a walk and two RBI. Outfielder Ethan Workinger continued his acclimation to a new level with three multi-hit games during a 7-for-22 week with a double, home run, and four RBI. Shortstop Cal Conley was 7-for-22 with five runs scored, two doubles, and two stolen bases while Yolbert Sanchez was 6-for-15 with a double and two walks.
GWINNETT:
The Gwinnett Stripers returned home for a series this week against the Norfolk Tides. The offense absolutely went off this week, scoring 54 runs and averaging nine runs a game as they took five out of six in the series. Gwinnett now takes their 58-62 record on the road to face the Louisville Bats.
The starting pitching was very good this week as they gave up just eight earned runs over twenty-seven innings. Reynaldo Lopez made a rehab start on Tuesday and gave up three runs in four innings of work while throwing 71 pitches. The Stripers got three straight strong starts after that from Bryce Elder on Wednesday (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), Ian Anderson on Thursday (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and Hurston Waldrep on Friday (5 H, 0 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 5 K). AJ Smith-Shawver started on Saturday but his outing was shortened by rain after just a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Allan Winans took the week’s lone loss on Sunday in giving up four runs over five innings after piggybacking Lopez with five innings of one-run ball on Tuesday.
Jackson Stephens was a highlight for the bullpen this week as he followed up Smith-Shawver’s brief start with three innings of scoreless ball in which he struck out seven. Domingo Gonzalez had two more scoreless outings where he struck out four in just 1.2 innings. Zach Logue and Parker Dunshee each had a two-inning scoreless outing over the course of the week.
Gwinnett’s offense was impressive this week as they scored at least seven runs in all but one contest and had back-to-back nights on Wednesday and Thursday in which they scored 13 and 15 runs. Nearly half of the runs for the week were driven in by Alejo Lopez and catcher Drake Baldwin. Lopez went 13-for-24 with two doubles, a triple, and twelve RBI (.542/.621/.708). Baldwin was 10-for-21 with a double, home run, and fourteen RBI (.476/.542/.667). First baseman Yuli Gurriel only played in four games but went 8-for-15 with a double, home run, and two RBI while catcher Chadwick Tromp was 10-for-17 with a double and seven RBI in four games (.588/.706/.647).
POSITION PLAYER of the WEEK:
PITCHER of the WEEK:
Transaction Round-Up
- 8/12/2024: LHP A.J. Minter placed on the 15-day injured list (left hip inflammation); LHP Dylan Lee recalled from AAA Gwinnett
It’s the second time Minter has had to miss time with his troublesome hip, and this time it will require surgery. It’s a bad setback for a Braves bullpen mainstay in his free agent walk year. It is unclear if Minter will be able to return in time for the postseason.
- 8/12/2024: RHP Euder Gonzalez signed to minor league contract and assigned to DSL Braves
Another 19-year-old that caught the eye of a Braves scout, Gonzalez joins the DSL squad just as its about to wrap up the season.
- 8/13/2024: RHP Jimmy Herget recalled from AAA Gwinnett; LHP Zach Logue optioned to AAA Gwinnett
This was the second time Logue spent time on the Atlanta roster without being used in a game.
- 8/13/2024: RHP Jhancarlos Lara assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; RHP Austin Smith assigned to A+ Rome from AA Mississippi
The biggest prospect to move this week was Lara, who got the pop up to double-A after throwing 6 no-hit innings an striking out 12 in his final start at Rome.
Smith was fast-moving relief prospect before he tore his UCL and had TJS early in 2023. He got back to Mississippi on June 1, but hasn’t had the results he would like, so hopefully a drop in level will help him re-set.
- 8/13/2024: RHP Didier Fuentes placed on the 7-day injured list for A Augusta; RHPs Luis Arestigueta and Hayder Ortiz assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves; IF Cam Magee placed on developmental list
The 19-year-old Funtes has been a success story for Augusta this season. This injury looked to be blisters. Arestigueta will get a look in a rotation spot for now with an eye on keeping that spot to start next season.
- 8/14/2024: OF Michael Harris II activated off the 60-day injured list; OF Eli White optioned to AAA Gwinnett; RHP Parker Dunshee designated for assignment
- 8/16/2024: RHP Parker Dunshee outrighted to AAA Gwinnett
Harris had started warming up after a slow start to the season before his hamstring injury in mid-June, and he has picked up where he left off, going 6-for-19 with a double and a home run in his four games back.
There was some thought that the struggling Adam Duvall would be DFA’d to make room for Harris, but the Braves elected to maintain their outfield depth by optioning White instead.
- 8/15/2024: C Tyler Tolve placed on the 7-day injured list for AA Mississippi; C Adam Zebrowski assigned to AA Mississippi from A+ Rome; C Mac Guscette assigned to A+ Rome from A Augusta; C Alen Pineda assigned to A Augusta from FCL Braves
A chain-reaction of catcher movement prompted by Tolve’s injury. Zebrowski had been with Rome for the better part of two seasons and takes his leadership and power bat to Pearl for the last four weeks of the season. Former Alabama catcher Guscette gets a preview of the high-A level he will likely start in next season.
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