Springtime on the Farm: Taking a Look at the Atlanta Braves Farm System
The baseball season is a month and a half old and the Atlanta Braves are sitting in decent shape in the National League (20-16 overall).
It's a much better start to the season then last year and hopefully with the heat of summer the Braves continue to heat up for a playoff run.
The Braves minor league affiliates have not done as well so far this season. The Gwinnett Braves are the only affiliate above the .500 mark at 16-14. The other clubs are a combined 30-60 through May 9th. That is not a good sign, especially when you consider these teams are the future of the club.
But with the bad news there are some bright spots among the Braves prospects.
The Braves' top four overall prospects have played for the major league club and have shown promise that the franchise will continue its winning ways. Freddie Freeman and Craig Kimbrel are fixtures on the major level to start the season, both Julio Teheran and Mike Minor have made spot starts for the big club.
So lets take a look at the Braves prospects that have had hot starts to the season, as well as some that haven't shown up.
AAA: Gwinnett Braves Hot Hitters
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The Gwinnett Braves have started the season 16-14. This is good start compared to the rest of the Braves affiliates.
Through the first month and change Gwinnett boasts the best positional player in the Braves system.
First baseman Mauro Gomez leads all prospects in average, RBIs and OBP. He is also second in homeruns as well. His season so far may eventually have Gomez placed on the 40-man roster if he keeps up the tear he is on now.
He's hitting the ball with power and for average so far and that is quite a nice commodity to have on a team. Gomez is batting .393 with 6 homeruns, and 23 RBI for the season and while batting .361 with 3 homeruns and 9 RBIs in his last 10 games. The only downside his 28 to 8 strikeout to walk ratio.
Another bright spot is outfielder Jose Constanza. Batting mostly leadoff with an .333 avg with 10 RBI, Constanza is having a good start the season with Gwinnett. He also leads the team in stolen bases with nine.
Jordan Schafer is also off to a good start for Gwinnett. Batting either leadoff or second in the order Schafer is batting .286 with 1 homerun, 17 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. He's also batting at around .300 his last 10 games. This is a good sign for Schafer has he tries to get back on track after a dismal 2010 where he batted .201 all of last season.
AAA: Gwinnett Braves Hot Pitchers
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The top pitching prospects with the Atlanta Braves are having a good start to the season.
Julio Teheran made his major league debut Saturday against the Phillies. It was good experience for a pitcher that will more than likely be a top of the rotation pitcher.
His call-up for the spot start is definitely due to his great start with Gwinnett. Teheran is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA. He should continue having an outstanding season with Gwinnett.
Another top-10 prospect is Mike Minor. He hasn't given up more than two runs in six starts this season for Gwinnett.
In those starts he accumulated a 1-1 record with 1.93 ERA. Opponents are only hitting .203 off the lefty pitcher who leads the team in strikeouts with 35 for the season.
He made a spot start for the big league club early in April but it was his worst outing so far. But other than his major league opener, Mike Minor is having a great start to the 2011 season.
The veteran reliever Scott Proctor is having a great start to the season for the Gwinnett Braves. Pitching in 12 games so far this season he has only given up one run all season posting a 1.20 ERA, two saves, three holds and 22 strikeouts. Could he solve the middle relief issue in Atlanta till Pete Moylan comes off the DL?
AAA: Gwinnett Braves Cold Hitters
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Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez may have the a few good statistics to start the season with four home runs and 13 RBI but he's batting .213 for the season. He is also batting a lack-luster .121 in his last 10 games. Lets hope that this 2010 Future's Game representative gets his season on track soon.
Third baseman Shawn Bowman is also off to a struggle early. Batting a .230 with three home runs and five RBI, Bowman has made the majority of his start at third this season.
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AAA: Gwinnett Braves Cold Pitchers
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Truly the Gwinnett Braves only have one pitcher that seems to be struggling this far through the season.
Starting pitcher Jacob Thompson just seems to find the bad luck when it comes to the Braves pitching staff. In six starts this season Thompson is 1-3 with 7.03 ERA. Another sign of is his 23/18 strikeout to walk ratio. He has only made it out of the sixth inning once this season and his last outing he was pummeled and pulled after 1/3 of an inning giving up five runs with four walks.
AA: Mississippi Braves Hot Hitters
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At 12-19 the Mississippi Braves have not gotten off to a good start this season in the Southern League. While the team may be having difficulty getting on track two players are trying to ignite these Braves.
First baseman Ernesto Mejia is having a hot start to the season for Mississippi. The Venezuelan is batting at .308 with six home runs and 16 RBI. Mejia is another first baseman hitting for power early in the season for Braves affiliates as he is in the top five among all Braves prospects in hits, homeruns, RBI, and OPS. He has started to cool off only batting .286 in his last 10 games.
Tyler Pastornicky is starting to heat up for the Mississippi Braves. The starting shortstop for Mississippi, Pastornicky is batting .304 with two homeruns, 13 RBI and five stolen bases. He has started heating up as the month turned to May as he is hitting at .385 clip with both homeruns and half his RBIs in the last 10 games.
AA: Mississippi Braves Hot Pitchers
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Top-10 Braves prospect, Randall Delgado is off to a good start this season for Mississippi. Delgado is 3-1 with a 2.75 ERA and leading the team with strikeouts with 41 total. He's gone seven innings his last two outings and looks to be the ace of the staff.
Starting pitcher Paul Clemens is also off to a good start this season. In six starts this season Clemens is 2-0 with 2.08 ERA and 36 strikeouts. He's gone five innings in every start this season giving some stability in the rotation.
AA: Mississippi Braves Cold Hitters
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With a below .500 ball club there are expected to be a few players not swinging the bat well. With only two players hitting above .300, most of the Mississippi Braves line-up has struggled to start the season.
Third base prospect CJ Retherford is truly in a major slump. After batting only .201 last season between AAA and AA, Retherford is not doing much better to start this season batting .169 with one home run and 12 RBI.
This is a far cry from his near .300 batting average while a Chicago White Sox prospect. Retherford is only hitting .125 in his last 10 games with nine strikeouts.
Outfielder Geraldo Rivera is not having a great start to his season. With Mississippi he batted .224 with three home runs and five RBI in 23 games. With this not so stellar start Rivera has been demoted to high-A Lynchburg in hopes of jump starting his season.
AA: Mississippi Braves Cold Pitchers
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I believe it may be time for the Braves organization to cut ties with its first Japanese import.
Starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami has not found the American game as favorable to his pitching style. After only one win last season in Atlanta, it was hoped that a stint in AA would bring him back to form.
So far this season that has not happened.
Kawakami is 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA and on the seven-day DL with a strained shoulder.
Relief pitcher Billy Bullock has struggled at points this season for Mississippi. He's either been really good or has been pounded for a lot of earned runs. In nine appearances this season Bullock has hefty 9.35 ERA giving up 11 hits and nine runs in 8.2 innings. Honestly only two outings hurt Bullock this season as seven of his nine earned runs have come in those outings.
A Adv.: Lynchburg Hillcats Hot Hitters
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At 10-18 through Monday May 9th, the Lynchburg Hillcats have plenty opportunity for improvement in the Carolina League.
Shortstop Andrelton Simmons is having a great start for Lynchburg. In 26 games for the Hillcats, Simmons has hit for .343 average, 13 runs, 11 RBI, and five stolen bases. He has at least one hit each of his last 10 games at .487 clip from the second spot in the line-up.
Outfielder Leonardo Ware has continued from where he left off last season in a stint with AA Mississippi where he batted .360 in seven games. Ware is batting .309 with two home runs, seven RBI and six stolen bases from the middle of the line-up. Ware also has a six-game hit streak going into the May 10th game.
Another outfielder, Todd Cunningham is starting to heat up as the season worked its way into May. Cunningham has at least a hit in every game played in the month and is batting .474 from lead-off.
For the season Cunningham is batting .311, scoring 12 runs, one homerun, and nine RBIs.
Outfielder Keenan Wiley is having a great start to his 2011 season. He's already been promoted from single A Rome has combined for .316 with 13 runs, eight RBIs and four stolen bases.
He has really heated up since joining Lynchburg hitting for .343 average. Even before with Rome, Wiley was hitting .293 for a struggling squad.
A Adv.: Lynchburg Hillcats Hot Pitchers
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One of the few bright spots for Lynchburg pitching staff has been Chris Masters. He's made seven appearances with three starts this season for Lynchburg posting a 3-0 record, 1.21 ERA, and 33 strikeouts.
He's made the most of where ever his opportunity has rose after starting the season as a long reliever and transitioned into a starter for a couple games.
Another bright spot is relief pitcher Eliecer Cardenas. He's given up just one run this season in eight appearances while posting a 0.77 ERA so far this season. Opposing batters are only hitting a .150 in 11.2 innings.
A Adv.: Lynchburg Hillcats Cold Hitters
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Second baseman Philip Gosselin hopes that his bat shows up soon as his career in baseball has not gotten off to a good start with the Braves organization.
Last season with Myrtle Beach he only batted .154 and so far this season is only batting at .222 clip. To go along with this he only has one home run and 15 RBI in Advanced A ball.
Designated hitter Riaan Spanjer-Furstenberg is off to a less then stellar start to 2011. In his first season with Lynchburg, Riaan is batting .188 and 1 RBI. Not the statistics one would want from a designated hitter or any position for that matter. Hope is he returns to his previous seasons when he batted .359 and .267 his past two years.
A Adv.: Lynchburg Hillcats Cold Pitchers
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Starting pitcher Cory Rasmus has not done well in his four starts this season. He has posted a 0-3 record and 6.35 ERA. Opponents are also hitting .265 off right-hander.
Also in four starts he's gone no farther than 4.1 innings and the last two starts he has combined for 3.0 innings total. In his career Rasmus has not posted a victory in advanced A ball.
Starting pitcher Arodys Vizcaino also is not off to a good start for Lynchburg. In six starts this year, Vizcaino has posted a 1-2 record, 4.22 ERA, and opponents are batting .276.
He's only made it into the sixth inning once this season and during his last three starts has not gotten out of the third inning.
With these struggling starting pitchers, the bullpen is going to see a lot of work when either of these two are on the mound.
A: Rome Braves Hot Hitters
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With only eight victories this season it was hard to find any player that was hot for these Braves but did decide on a few players with Rome swinging the bat.
At least third baseman Edward Salcedo, a top 10 Braves prospect, is starting to heat up. For the season Salcedo is batting .292 with two homeruns, 11 RBI, and six stolen bases.
In his last 10 games he is batting .323 with an seven-game hit streak currently.
Designated hitter Jakob Dalfonso is also having a good season so far for Rome. The Georgia native is batting for .292, with 12 runs, seven RBI, and an .804 OPS in 29 games. He's hit safely in eight of his past 10 games with two multi-hit games during the same period.
A: Rome Braves Hot Pitchers
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It was near impossible finding one pitcher that is having a good start to the season for Rome.
Relief pitcher Kyle Mertins is one of a select few. In eight appearances this season, Mertins has a 1-1 record with 1.80 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and a save. Mertins has only given up two earned runs in 11 innings pitched and has not given up an earned run in his past five appearances.
Though he makes his time on the mound interesting—to say the least—has he has given up at least one hit each appearance.
A: Rome Braves Cold Hitters
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For a club that boasts four of the top 10 Braves prospects, the Rome Braves are not starting the season on a good note.
Catcher Christian Bethancourt, the No. 8 prospect, is struggling this season posting a .223 average, one home run and 14 RBI in 26 games. For a top-10 prospect one would hope for more offensive production. For a catcher it may not be too important but the pitching staff has struggled as well.
Shortstop Matt Lipka is off to a horrendous start with Rome.
The No. 9 prospect is batting at .220, 3 RBI, and no extra base hits. The speedy Lipka batted .288 last season. With his speed he can turn a normal singles into doubles but so far that has not happened. The bright side is that when he is on base Lipka has posted 10 stolen bases.
Starting second baseman Elmer Reyes is off to a slow start as well for Rome. In 30 games this season, Reyes is batting for an .186 avg, one home run and 10 RBI. This is a far cry from his .301 average last season in the minors.
A: Rome Braves Cold Pitchers
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As hard as it was to find one pitcher that was having a decent season so far with Rome, it was not that difficult finding struggling pitchers.
The seventh overall Braves prospect, starting pitcher Carlos Perez, has struggled so far this season.
In seven starts this year for Rome, Perez is 2-3 with a 4.38 ERA. The bright spot is he leads the team with 41 strikeouts, however he has given up the same amount of hits to opposing players.
Starting pitcher Steven Kent would like to forget the 2011 season so far.
The Aussie has posted a 1-4 record with 5.63 ERA. Opponents are hitting .311 off of him this season while giving up 21 earned runs in 32 innings so far. Kent had a good season returning after missing the 2009 season posting 0.69 ERA in 19 appearances with Rome.
Relief pitcher Chasen Shreve has made his eight appearances interesting for the team leader in saves this season. He's given up a hit in all but two outings so far while posting a 0-2 record and 4.80 ERA.
The End
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There is hope for those players on the cold list as the season is rather young and lets hope all their seasons turn around.
As for the players on the hot list the hope is for a promotion to the next stop and they continue their path to the majors.
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