From MiLB:
When John Gant was traded from the Mets to the Braves last month, it kicked off a homecoming more than 10 years in the making. He isn't back to his Georgia roots yet, but if he can replicate Wednesday's results a few times, he could be driving down Peachtree Street soon. The Braves' newest prospect had his best start yet at Double-A in his Mississippi home debut. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed one hit and struck out nine over six scoreless innings in a 3-2 win over Montgomery. He struck out the side in the first, then allowed just one hit and two walks the rest of the way.
"I felt like I had pretty good command with all my pitches," he said. "My curveball was a little shaky early in the game, but it came around later. … Overall, I'd just say it was command. I felt comfortable throwing all my pitches."
Gant (1-0) was traded to the Braves with right-hander Rob Whalen for big league infielders Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson on July 26. He made his organization debut on July 31, limiting Birmingham to an earned run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven in a 4-3 victory. Gant was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1992 but moved to Florida with his family just over a decade later.
"It's awesome to be in a Braves uniform. I was always a Braves fan," he said. "When I got the news [about the trade], I was happy to hear it. No disrespect to the Mets, they obviously have a great organization. But I didn't grow up a Mets fan."
Gant pitched all of last year with Class A Savannah and the Mets aggressively skipped him over Class A Advanced to Double-A Binghamton to open this season. He didn't stick there, though. After posting a 4.75 ERA in seven starts, he was demoted to St. Lucie in the Florida State League. He dominated there, going 2-0 with a 1.79 ERA in six starts. The Mets bumped him back to Binghamton in July and he managed a 4.63 ERA in four starts prior to the trade. The nine strikeouts on Wednesday represented a career best at Double-A -- he had a 4.70 ERA overall with Binghamton and never fanned more than seven there. He reached double-digit punchouts six times at lower levels, including a career-high 11 on June 11 with St. Lucie.
The big difference of late for Gant has been command, something he credits to adjustments made with St. Lucie pitching coach Phil Regan.
"I think toward the beginning of the season, I was a little off mechanically," he said. "I didn't feel so comfortable. When I went down to St. Lucie, [Regan] really tweaked a couple things mechanically that I think really helped and gave me a step in the right direction."
Through two starts with Mississippi, Gant is 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings.
THURSDAY SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES EDT
CLASS AAA
Rochester 7, Gwinnett 5
LP: Jenkins (3-2) 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.
Hursh 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. (AAA debut)
Bethancourt 2-4, RBI; M. Smith 2-4, R, SB; Hunter 1-4, R, RBI; Kazmar 2-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI.
CLASS AA
Mississippi 7, Montgomery 4
4-run 8th for Braves.
SP: Sims 5.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 K.
WP: Barbosa (4-1) 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.
T. Jones (Save, 12) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
Landoni 2-3, R, BB, CS; Hyams 3-4, R, 2 RBI; Ahrens 1-4, HR (5th), 3 RBI.
ADVANCED CLASS A
Winston-Salem 3, Carolina 0
LP: Whalen (1-2) 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR.
Waszak 4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K.
Roney 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K. (0.00)
Lien 1-4; Franco 1-3, BB.
CLASS A
Rome (45-63) @ Augusta, PPD.
SHORT-SEASON
Princeton 12, Danville 1 (9)
SP: Weigel 2.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K.
Riley 1-3, 2B, R (.364); Grullon 2-2.
GCL Braves 4, GCL Pirates 3 (10)
SP: Suarez 4 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K.
Heredia 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K.
WP: Geekie (3-0) 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K. (1.93)
Acuna 1-4, R, SB (10); Salazar 1-5, 2B, R; I. Wilson 2-3, 2 R, HR (5th), RBI, SB.
DSL Braves 6, DSL Tigers 4
16 total strikeouts for Braves.
SP: J.Sanchez 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
WP: A.Sanchez (5-0) 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.
Pantoja (Save, 3) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K.
Ventura 0-4; Concepcion 1-4, 2B, R, RBI; Fernandez 1-3, R, RBI;
Originally Posted by msstate7
