7/6/16 WEDNESDAY MINORS FINAL ... Nice Carolina Sweep

[rico43]

WEDNESDAY'S MINOR LEAGUE RESULTS

CLASS AAA

Gwinnett 3, Norfolk 2

SP: Kelly 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
WP: Weber (2-3) 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Janas 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Cleto (Save, 1) 1 IP, 3 H,1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Kazmar 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Landoni 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Infante 2-4, 2B
Ruiz 1-3, BB

CLASS AA

Mississippi 4, Montgomery 3

WP: Whalen (7-5) 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER(1R), 2 BB, 9 K
Phillips 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER(1R), 0 BB, 2 K
Peterson (Save, 1) 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 B, 0 K

Lien 2-3, 2B
Albies 2-4, R
Meneses 2-4
Peterson 1-4, 2B, R, RBI
Schrader 1-4, HR (8th), RBI

ADVANCED CLASS A

Game One
Carolina 5, Salem 1 (7)

WP: Beech (2-2) 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Pfeifer (Save, 1) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Murphy 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Fernanzez 2-3, 3B, R, RBI
Curcio 1-3, R
Davidson 0-2, RBI, 2 BB
Harper 0-0, 2 R, 3 BB
(Only 5 hits)

Game Two
Carolina 11, Salem 5 (7)

SP: Bird 2.2 IP,5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Salazar 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
WP: Lewis (1-1) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Portuondo 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Curcio 4-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Davidson 2-4, HR (6th), 2 R, 3 RBI
Edgerton 3-3, 2 R
Daris 1-2, R, RBI
Tejeda 2-4, 3B, HR (2nd), 3 RBI
Giardina 1-4, HR (1st), RBI

CLASS A

Rome 4, Greenville 0

WP: Sanchez (5-6) 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
G. Jones 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
O'Flaherty 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Graham 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Riley 2-4, 2B (24th), R
Baez 2-3, 2B
Castro 1-4, R
Ellison 1-4, 3B, R, RBI

SHORT-SEASON

GCL Tigers 7, GCL Braves 6
ANOTHER BLOWN SAVE. 2 IN 9TH

SP: Rangel 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Javier 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Rodriguez 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LP: B.T. White (BS, 1-1) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER(2R), 2 BB, 0 K

Ventura 3-4, R, 2 RBI
Cruz 1-5
Concepcion 2-4, RBI, SB
Aquino 2-4, 2B, R, RBI
Boeldak 1-4, 3B, R, RBI

------------

DSL Braves 5, DSL Cardinals 3

SP: De La Cruz 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
WP: Vasquez (1-0) 4 IP,4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Rodriguez (Save, 2) 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Lora 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI
Blanco 1-3, R, 2 RBI
Michel 0-4
------------

Bluefield 6, Danville 2

LP: Mora (0-3) 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Cockrell 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Gilmore 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Grosser 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
Stanton 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Osuna 2-3, 2B, R, BB
Moss 1-4, 2B, R

[bravesfanMatt]

Rangel going for the GCL today.

he has 2 starts going 9 ip/4H/1ER/2BB/12K

[bravesfanMatt]

Infante with his first Minor league assignment today.

--K'd in the 1st after Rojas lead off with a double. :facepalm:

[CJ9]

Max Fried on the DL for Rome.

[striker42]

Max Fried on the DL for Rome.

Just when he was hitting his stride. Hope it's not arm related.

[bravesfanMatt]

Max Fried on the DL for Rome.

he left his start a bit early last time out. I think if it was arm issue, someone would have tweeted it out already.. betting it is a strain or bicep..something a little less serious..

[mqt]

Max Fried on the DL for Rome.

Everybody panic.

[CJ9]

Keith Law said blister for Fried. Honestly, probably not the worst thing for him considering his inning would be capped at some point anyway.

[Tapate50]

Keith Law said blister for Fried. Honestly, probably not the worst thing for him considering his inning would be capped at some point anyway.

I can't "Thanks" this post enough for allowing me a deep breath.

[nsacpi]

Return of the Kazmar

[CJ9]

Claudio (Italy): Hi Ben and thanks for the wonderful coverage on J2. Speaking of last year's J2, what kind of hitter we can expect out of Derian Cruz? I thought he was a light hitting missile with a good glove, but he already slugged one over the fence. Any chance for solid power?

Ben Badler: Thank you. Between the bat speed and the strength through his wrists and forearms, there's a good amount of snap in his bat to grow into 10-15 home run type power. Obviously what stands out the most is the speed and explosive athleticism, but he's got a lot more physical upside to grow into solid pop for a shortstop.

[bravesfanMatt]

Brandon T. White with a blown save.. He will be the first Brandon White to go possibly..

[IslandBrave]

Austin Riley with another 2B today. Makes 24 on the year.

[Tapate50]

How can Sanchez allow 9R in 3IP with only 5 hits and walks total?

[mqt]

How can Sanchez allow 9R in 3IP with only 5 hits and walks total?

He threw 5 shutout innings. Typo.

[smootness]

Typo. He pitched 5 innings...0 R, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K.

[bravesfanMatt]

How can Sanchez allow 9R in 3IP with only 5 hits and walks total?

More impressive is that he gave up 9 runs but was winning 2-0. TALENT!!!

[CJ9]

Four scoreless for Rob Whalen with two hits, one walk and seven Ks.

[smootness]

It's really interesting that Whalen has been so overlooked to this point. Looking back, he hasn't really ever been old for his level and has put up good numbers. Definitely has taken a step forward this year, though. That trade may end up being one of the best afterthought deals we've ever made.

[CJ9]

Pfeifer threw 1.1 scoreless innings to close Carolina's first game, 4 Ks, 0 hits and 2 walks.

[msstate7]

Swanson is not having a good game...
0-2, 2 k
2 errors (both fielding)

[CJ9]

Bases loaded vs Whalen with no outs on an infield single and two Swanson errors. He gets a double play and a strikeout looking in an 11-pitch AB to limit the damage to one run. Pretty impressive.

[CJ9]

Braxton Davidson two-run homer.

[50PoundHead]

Bases loaded vs Whalen with no outs on an infield single and two Swanson errors. He gets a double play and a strikeout looking in an 11-pitch AB to limit the damage to one run. Pretty impressive.

Just checked Southern League pitching leaders and Whalen is right up there in most categories. He'll be going on the 40-man over the winter. Wonder if he pitches in Gwinnett at all later in the summer.

[dak]

Just checked Southern League pitching leaders and Whalen is right up there in most categories. He'll be going on the 40-man over the winter. Wonder if he pitches in Gwinnett at all later in the summer.

Yep, was wondering the same. I think it would be smart to have him get at least a handful of AAA starts. With so many question marks after Teheran and Wisler, Whalen is sneaking up the projected depth chart of rotation options for 2017. Probably the leader in the clubhouse for minor league pitcher or the year in the org.

[smootness]

Yep, was wondering the same. I think it would be smart to have him get at least a handful of AAA starts. With so many question marks after Teheran and Wisler, Whalen is sneaking up the projected depth chart of rotation options for 2017. Probably the leader in the clubhouse for minor league pitcher or the year in the org.

That's going to be quite the competition. Whalen, Weigel, Povse, Fried if he continues to pitch like he has recently, Soroka. Personally, I'd go with Soroka right now, given performance and age at his level.

[Enscheff]

Has Albies passed Swanson as a prospect in anyone's eyes yet?

[Julio3000]

Has Albies passed Swanson as a prospect in anyone's eyes yet?

I think Swanson generally gets more highly rated because of his polish, broader skill-set, and more mature on-base skills. There may be a perception that Ozzie is going to get the bat knocked out of his hands in MLB. It's an interesting question, though, because I feel that Ozzie doesn't get quite enough love for what he's done considering age vs. level.

[rico43]

Has Albies passed Swanson as a prospect in anyone's eyes yet?

Ozzie's 16 errors in 56 games with Gwinnett allowed many to take a deep breath on his breathless ascent.

[Deester11]

Ozzie's 16 errors in 56 games with Gwinnett allowed many to take a deep breath on his breathless ascent.
That's probably right Rico, but watching Albies hit is a beautiful thing. I still think he barrels the ball better than any of our upper tier prospects (Peterson and Swanson are nice too). Matter of taste I guess, but 1 and 1A could be worse.

BTW...interesting perception note Julio. I haven't heard of that. I don't see that with Ozzie.

[CJ9]

Taylor Lewis, our 9th round pick last year, really struggled in Rome (19.1 innings, 24 hits, 10 ER) this season but was promoted to Carolina anyway. Since that move, he has been dominant: 22 IP, 15 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 19 K. Another potential reliever prospect.

[UNCBlue012]

Taylor Lewis, our 9th round pick last year, really struggled in Rome (19.1 innings, 24 hits, 10 ER) this season but was promoted to Carolina anyway. Since that move, he has been dominant: 22 IP, 15 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 19 K. Another potential reliever prospect.

That's why you can't take all performances in the minors so intensely. There's a good chance he was just working on something in Rome.

[Tapate50]

Davidson figuring it out would do a lot for our needs/issues going forward.

[bravesfanMatt]

Davidson figuring it out would do a lot for our needs/issues going forward.

No confidence in Braxton personally

[Tapate50]

No confidence in Braxton personally

Cool.

[50PoundHead]

No confidence in Braxton personally

K-rate is still too darn high for my tastes given the reward side of the equation has been that great to this point. Others here have seen him play and I'm curious if he's still taking too many hittable strikes. All this said, he's very young and the Braves are pushing him.

[KB21]

Since June 23, Tanner Murphy is hitting .250/.392/.525 with 3 HR in 50 PAs. Braxton Davidson has hit .225/.385/.475 with 3 HR in 53 PAs since June 23. Both of these guys have big power potential, but to this point, other than flashing, neither one has put it together and made enough contact to tap into that power.

[50PoundHead]

Carolina Sweep sounds like the name of an Alt-Country band.

[msstate7]

Since June 23, Tanner Murphy is hitting .250/.392/.525 with 3 HR in 50 PAs. Braxton Davidson has hit .225/.385/.475 with 3 HR in 53 PAs since June 23. Both of these guys have big power potential, but to this point, other than flashing, neither one has put it together and made enough contact to tap into that power.

So, you think they're hot or have they figured it out?

[smootness]

I'm not too worried about the power coming for Davidson, I think it will. The one thing that will determine whether he is just a AAAA guy who can't get above .200 in the majors or a legitimate major league starter is whether or not he can cut down the K rate. He has maintained a high BABIP in the minors and I think he can do that consistently because he makes hard contact. So if he can just get the K rate down to something like 25% in the majors, he should be able to stick. But if it stays at 30% or above, he's never going to make it.

[jimsnores]

I'm not too worried about the power coming for Davidson, I think it will. The one thing that will determine whether he is just a AAAA guy who can't get above .200 in the majors or a legitimate major league starter is whether or not he can cut down the K rate. He has maintained a high BABIP in the minors and I think he can do that consistently because he makes hard contact. So if he can just get the K rate down to something like 25% in the majors, he should be able to stick. But if it stays at 30% or above, he's never going to make it.

Reasonable assessment. I hope he figures it out. Odds are against him, but he's young, and might be one of the exceptions. Power is in such short supply that it sure would be nice.

[Tapate50]

Reasonable assessment. I hope he figures it out. Odds are against him, but he's young, and might be one of the exceptions. Power is in such short supply that it sure would be nice.

He is young, most believe the power will come once he finds his sweet spot on pitch selection. It could be one of those 24 year olds before we know what we have.

[CJ9]

Derian Cruz is 3-5 with a double and three-run homer today. Pache is 2-4 with a triple.

No prospects threw today. Still waiting on Ian Anderson and Bryse Wilson to debut.