8/27/14 MINORS FINAL: Wren leads Braves AFL contingent
Outfielder Kyle Wren, son of Braves G.M. Frank Wren, leads the Atlanta Braves' contingent as initial selections for the 2014 Arizona Fall League.
Wren, who has divided the season between Lynchburg and Mississippi, is hitting ,282 with 0 homers and 42 RBIs and 44 stolen bases in his first full pro season.
Infielders Daniel Castro and Edward Salcedo are also representing the Braves. Castro, re-acquired out of the Mexican League last season, is hitting .282-4-52 for Lynchburg and Mississippi playing mostly shortstop.
Salcedo, a big dollar free agent signing, is hitting .211-12-49, mostly with Gwinnett, and underwent a midseason shift from third base to the outfield.
Among the Braves' promising pitchers, starter Aaron Northcraft returns for another season, and is joined by relievers Brandon Cunniff, Ryne Harper and Nate Hyatt.
Northcraft has had a crazy split-season, going 7-3, 2.88 in Mississippi, but was promoted to Gwinnett and has gone a dismal 0-6, 6.23.
Cunniff, signed out of an indy league in 2013, has never lost a professional game; this year at Lynchburg and Mississippi, he has appeared in 41 games, going 4-0, 1.68 with 3 saves.
Harper has spent his second full season with Mississippi appearing in 46 games with an 8-5 record, 2.69 and one save.
Hyatt is in his second full season at Lynchburg, appearing in 34 games, going 4-3, 2.98 with 3 saves.
Also, Gwinnett hitting coach Garey Ingram will be the hitting coach for Peoria, which is where all the Braves prospects are assigned.
-----------
Southern League Pitcher of the Week
Williams Perez, Mississippi
(2-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 12 K)
It's been kind of a circular season for Perez at Mississippi. The following are his ERAs by month from April to August: 1.32, 2.38, 6.32, 5.74, 1.13. The last number represents just how strong he's finished this past month, as he exhibited last week. His Sunday outing at home against Birmingham represented the first time he's thrown eight innings in a start since signing with the Braves out of Venezuela back in 2009. Despite the up-and-down nature of his 2014 season, the right-hander leads qualified Southern League hurlers with a 2.91 ERA this season and sits third with a 1.18 WHIP.[/I]
PENNANT RACES: Mississippi, having won a M-Braves record eight straight, is one game ahead of Jacksonville, which has won five straight. They finish up the season with five games at Huntsville, which is closing up shop and moving to Biloxi next season to be the Pearl-based team's natural rival. Today is league-wide off-day; Hursh goes for his 12th win Thursday.
Danville was one-half game behind, but lost horribly to the league's worst team, recordi-wise, Bristol.
------------------
WEDNESDAY BOXES LINK
-------------------
CLASS AAA
Gwinnett 8, Duirham 1
WP: C. Martin (7-8) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K.
Cunningham 3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB.
Bethancourt 3-4, 2B, RBI.
Kazmar 3-4, 2 R, RBI.
Boggs 1-3, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBIs.
Terdoslavich 1-5, RBI, 3 K.
CLASS AA
Mississippi (80-54, 41-24), idle
ADVANCED CLASS A
Lynchburg 6, Carolina 2
SP: J. Miller 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K.
WP: Fiegl (3-2) 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K.
Camargo 2-4, 2B, R, RBI.
Ahrens 2-5, 2B (40th), R, RBI.
Godfrey 2-4, 2B, R, RBI.
Tewell 1-4, RBI.
CLASS A
Rome 5, Kannapolis 2
SP: Barker 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
WP: Bierman (2-1) 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K.
Schrader 2-4, 2 R, HR (10th), 2 RBIs.
Piloto 2-3, R, BB.
C. Franco 2-5, 3B, RBI.
Livesay 2-5, R, RBI.
SHORT-SEASON
GCL Tigers 7, GCL Braves 6
LP: Santana (3-2) 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Gaylor 3-5, 2 R, RBI.
Obrochta 1-4, RBI.
Mendez 2-4, R, RBI, SB.
J.J. Franco 1-5. (.347)
Bristol 11, Danville 1
LP: Ubiera (4-3) 4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
Gunther 0.1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K.
Morel 1-3, HR (1st), RBI.
Edgerton 2-3.
