Minor League Thread 813 Braves' Patiently Build Up Bethancourth's Bat
From MiLB.com
As soon as Christian Bethancourt's broken left hand healed last fall, the Atlanta Braves began to retool the catcher's swing.
"He can catch and throw at the Major League level right now," Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said during Spring Training of 2012.
But at the end of a Double-A season cut short a year ago, it was obvious that Bethancourt was a long way from being able to hit Major League pitching. That's why the Braves went to work on the 21-year-old and, after some ups and downs, the results have been dramatic the last two months at Mississippi.
Bethancourt was 4-for-4 with two homers Sunday against Jackson, extending his hitting streak to 14 games and his on-base streak to 38 -- tying the Mississippi record. He padded that record Tuesday, homering again.
"He made some pretty dramatic changes mechanically, and it took him a while to get comfortable," Atlanta general manager Frank Wren said. "But he's comfortable now and has been really impressive in the second half."
Since his on-base streak began June 13, Bethancourt is batting .333 (50-for-150) with an OPS of .954 thanks to an on-base percentage of .367 and a slugging mark of .587. The first two-homer games of his career have come in the past month. The Braves' No. 3 prospect has failed to get a hit in just five of the 38 games, and that he still reached base safely in them also shows just how far he has come.
"Walks haven't been his strong suit, but he's getting better," Wren said.
The streaks that Bethancourt keeps track of -- blocking balls in the dirt and nabbing runners trying to steal. His rate throwing out runners, though, is down to 34 percent this year after he caught 39 percent last season.
"The main thing is my defense," Bethancourt said. "I keep trying to get better, and I'm starting to put everything together -- blocking pitches, calling the game, throwing out runners."
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After Mississippi second baseman Tommy La Stella had his team-record hitting streak snapped at 23 games in Huntsville last Tuesday, Atlanta's No. 14 prospect bounced back to hit safely in his next five games. He is batting .338 through 62 games after going hitless Sunday and has a chance to qualify for the Southern League title despite a late start to the season and a trip to the disabled list.
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TUESDAY'S GAMES
CLASS AAA
Gwinnett (53-7) 3, Durham 2 (10) Gosselin walk-off RBI FC with error.
SP: Loe 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
WP: Obispo (2-3) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Gartrell 1-1, R, RBI, 3 BB; Pagnozzi 3-3; Gosselin 1-5, 2B, R.
CLASS AA
Mississippi (66-55) 5, Pensacola 3
WP: Northcraft (7-8) 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
Harper (Save, 8) 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Bethancourt 2-4, 2 R, HR (11th), RBI; La Stella 1-4, 2B, R 2 RBI; Martinez 3-5; Salcedo 2-5, R, RBI; Hefflinger 2-5, 2B.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Lynchburg (56-59) 6, Winston-Salem 4
SP: Holland 3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.
WP: Rivera (6-0) 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Cornely (Save, 5) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Castro 2-3, R, RBI, SB; Rohm 1-4, RBI; Moses 1-3, R, 3B, RBI; Landoni 1-4, R; E. Reyes 1-3, 2 R.
CLASS A
Rome (61-60) 2, Savannah 1
SP: Cabrera 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K.
WP: Chaffee (1-1) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Fitzgerald (Save, 1) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.
Peraza 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, SB (54); Carroll 1-3, 2B, R.
APPALACHIAN LEAGUE
Elizabethton 6, Danville (24-26) 3
LP: Ubiera (3-2) 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
Caratini 1-1, 2B, RBI, 4 BB; Camargo 1-4, R; V. Reyes 1-2, 2 BB; Piloto 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI.
GULF COAST LEAGUE
GCL Yankees 5, GCL Braves 2
LP: Grosser (1-2) 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.
Obregon 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Manwaring 1-3, 2B, 2 R (.136); Reed Harper 1-3.
DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE
DSL Tigers @ DSL Braves (24-34)
SP: TBA.
