FRIDAY MINORS FINAL 5/17/19: Is Matt Hartman latest scrap heap find?

JUST MAYBE ... A free agent steal

Right-hander Matt Hartman earned a 3.1 inning save Thursday night for Rome, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out six. His only other 2019 appearance was for Florida on April 27, when he allowed only one hit over five innings in an emergency relief outing. For those of you who are math challenged, that's 8.2 shutout innings so far for his 2019.
Hartman was signed as a free agent last July 31 out of Westmont College, but that isn't even half the story. He originally signed and played for the University of Arizona, transferred, and partway through his first season at Westmont, needed Tommy John surgery. He had thrown two complete game shutouts leading up to his injury. His Braves debut was a low-key series of five pitch-limited starts at Danville last season (0-1, 2.83, 15.2 innings). He walked 10 while striking out eight. This year, he has only three walks against eight strikeouts in his 8.2 innings for far.
He is a big boy -- 6-3, 220 -- and pitched out of the bullpen for Arizona as a freshman.

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I call your attention to Travis Demeritte. He's now hitting .307 with seven homers and 29 RBI in 35 games at Gwinnett. And "only" 35 strikeouts in 35 games. This is a significant improvement. He's still only 24.

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FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
All Times Eastern

CLASS AAA

Gwinnett 7, Pawtucket 5

WP: Allard (3-2) 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Burrows 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Dayton 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Minter (Save, 1) 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Demeritte 2-4, HR (7th), 2 RBI
Duvall 1-3, HR (13th), 2 RBI, 2 BB
Lopez 2-4, 2B, HR (1st), 3 RBI

CLASS AA

Birmingham 4, Mississippi 2

LP: Joey Wentz (1-3) 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Aro 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Pache 1-4, 2B
Didder 1-2, R, RBI
Waters 1-4, RBI, SB

ADVANCED CLASS A

Jupiter 8, Florida 6

LP: Tarnok (1-3) 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Shetter 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Borkovich 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Delgado 3-5, 2 R
I. Wilson 1-3, R
Unroe 2-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Contreras 1-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI

CLASS A

Rome 11, Columbia 3

WP: Javier (2-2) 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Mejia 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Cullen 4-4, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI
Harris 2-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI (.385)
Dean 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB, 2 BB
Benson 3-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI

Man. I can’t decide if If I want to try to catch the Mississippi game or not. Or do I want to do Sunday or do I want to do both

Pache just destroyed Lien on a nice catch. Wentz hitting 89. But not sure about stadium gun

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Originally Posted by bravesfanMatt

Pache just destroyed Lien on a nice catch. Wentz hitting 89. But not sure about stadium gun

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That’s not good, hope the stadium gun is wrong.

I think he's an extreme longshot, but Harris deserves a promotion. Dude is killing it in Rome.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bravesfanMatt

Pache just destroyed Lien on a nice catch. Wentz hitting 89. But not sure about stadium gun

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Results so far tonight for Wentz have been awfully good for 89 mph. I'm betting the gun is wrong.

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Originally Posted by Jaw

I think he's an extreme longshot, but Harris deserves a promotion. Dude is killing it in Rome.

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Probably not a big deal because he’s a long shot like you said, but it really doesn’t make any sense. Four years of success in the SEC. He probably should’ve just started the season at High A. Can’t believe he’s still in Rome.

Mo Cabrera pitching for barons. This should tell us if gun on Wentz is right.

Mo just max efforted a high fast ball at 96. No way gun is right.

Mo looks fatter. But he is sitting 93-95. Nothing over 96.

Last post. Wentz missing some bats. Got hit for a run but SS missed the easy double play ever. But he then got out of a bases loaded jam. Pache looks good. Waters not so much until he drove Pache in. Ripped a single to RF

Three more Gwinnett homers tonight. They have 72 as a team, 15 more than any other IL team.

Duvall keeps crushing the ball. We need to find a spot for him or trade him. I’d look to move him for a reliever and SF makes the most sense.

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Originally Posted by Hudson2

Duvall keeps crushing the ball. We need to find a spot for him or trade him. I’d look to move him for a reliever and SF makes the most sense.

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Wentz, Duvall and Ender for madbum and a good reliever.

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Originally Posted by CJ9

Probably not a big deal because he’s a long shot like you said, but it really doesn’t make any sense. Four years of success in the SEC. He probably should’ve just started the season at High A. Can’t believe he’s still in Rome.

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Trey can flat out hit. I don't consider him a long shot unless he fails at the upper levels. He is talented.

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Originally Posted by Deester11

Trey can flat out hit. I don't consider him a long shot unless he fails at the upper levels. He is talented.

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We’ll see. 32nd rounder and wasn’t drafted high enough to sign after his junior year. Not exactly a high success rate for those guys. Plus he’s 23 and beating up on the lowest level of the minors filled with much younger players.

Not saying he has no shot, but he’s pretty much the definition of a long shot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CJ9

We’ll see. 32nd rounder and wasn’t drafted high enough to sign after his junior year. Not exactly a high success rate for those guys. Plus he’s 23 and beating up on the lowest level of the minors filled with much younger players.

Not saying he has no shot, but he’s pretty much the definition of a long shot.

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Eh. Good points. I wrote a report on him. A scout at one of the games says he's the third most intriguing guy in the team after Dean and Vodnik. I think he'll have to prove himself at every level.

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Originally Posted by bravesfanMatt

Wentz, Duvall and Ender for madbum and a good reliever.

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I’d do that. The Giants probably would too.

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Originally Posted by Hudson2

I’d do that. The Giants probably would too.

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I have a feeling that the Giants will hold out for more. Some team will pay the premium+ for Bumgarner at the deadline. If we want to be that team then the package will have to be better. Maybe a Tucker Davidson?

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Originally Posted by thethe

I have a feeling that the Giants will hold out for more. Some team will pay the premium+ for Bumgarner at the deadline. If we want to be that team then the package will have to be better. Maybe a Tucker Davidson?

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Ender still holds value, especially with his defense in that big outfield and Wentz was a top 100 prospect on a list or 2 I believe. So that package isn’t that bad. Besides nobody else can or will give up a piece of their major league team like that besides us.