Minor League Thread Part Deux
- Thread starter 50PoundHead
- Start date
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
I just wish the braves were better at drafting catchers. They had a better track record. I’d start believing in him.
zbhargrove
Well-known member
I was down on Nick after he basically fell on his face his first full pro year, but he's come out of the gate with some adjustments and some good swings this year. Still super young with tons of raw upside.
zbhargrove
Well-known member
Guanipa is killing it to start the year
Another 4-5 and a homer today
Another 4-5 and a homer today
msstate7
Well-known member
I'd like to see him moved to reliever
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
Ftfy
Deester11
Well-known member
Man...do I got notes for yall..gonna be tldr...but I had people asking me if I were a scout..lmao. I love the random prospect fan boy in me. Lmao. What a weekend. I'll try to have it up at some point tomorrow. Rome and Augusta...my word! I told yall not to give up on Guanipa. Still middling..but upper middling....lol..
Can’t wait!
Deester11
Well-known member
Ok. So I have to break this into 2 posts. I have notes on more players from each squad if you like, but for the sake of spending too much time on this, I'll give you some tidbits of what I saw. IF YOU HAVE ANYONE YOU'D like Info on. Let me know.
So…this is the whatever annual eyeball viewpoint of a few of the Braves prospects. I always preference this by saying that while I’m no scout, I watch the Braves ‘spects from Rookie all the way to Gwinnett. I offer a little of my “who the hell are you” opinions, but I’m blessed to be able to talk to other baseball rats and argue for or against the EXPERT opinion of others. With that said, I got to watch Rome and Augusta this weekend and I have a few thoughts before I begin:
ROME – Smurfs. I think there are only two players over 6’3” on the team. But, they all look like baseball lifers and gritty azz players. During this visit, I was excited to see Isiah Drake, but damn if he didn’t play…grrr. He did make a spectacular high five when the game was over. For 7 innings, Carey was the only highlight. Defensively, fly balls galore. Not too many difficult plays but I did maintain eyes on Miller and Gil. Outfield was solid enough. (I didn't get to see promising prospects Murphy and Strider).
PITCHERS - ROME
Cade Kuehler – There are a lot of people who really like Cade. I’m not over the moon about him at all. However, saying that, I liked a few aspects of his game. He looks like he has an idea of how to pitch, and I like the way his curve comes out. Up close, it looks good. He changed speeds effectively, but the times he didn’t keep the BlueCrabs off balance, they squared him up pretty good. I’m talking about wood bat echoing and the barrel type contact. He sat roughly 90-91 and peaked at 93. I was told he has about 6 pitches and his CB and CH were the best of his offerings. He also has been as high as 97 previously with his FB, but this outing he looked worn down in the 5th inning. Serviceable start and I’m thinking the pen, but a long ways to go for that.
Owen Hackman – Reliever…I like. He came in with an attitude that said, here it is, hit me. Sat 92-94 easily. Loved his mechanics and mentality. He’s a 25 y/o college signee out of Loyola I think I read, but he’s not unlike a lot of the Braves pitchers. FB mid 90’s and decent offspeed pitches. He’s gotten results for the most part throughout his minor league career, and he has an idea how to pitch. I don’t think he’ll be starting as he moves up, but he’s interesting enough.
Riley Frey – Lefty with middling stuff to me. Where he did get me was that he had swing and miss stuff due to some herky jerky dance with his delivery. You won’t read too much about him being a hot prospect, but squint and you can see the interest.
BATTERS
Hartman – I could lump him, Carey, Miller and Jones into a who’s who of scrappy azz players. When Hartman steps into the box, it’s his world. Confident, easy swing and good barrel plane to the ball. He’s aggressive and controlled if that makes sense, and he goes up there looking to do damage. He had 2 hits and they were solid hits. The biggest thing for me…. HE HUSTLED EVERY SINGLE play. Whether he was running the bases or in the outfield, he was dialed in. He’s a player you hate to see coming unless he’s on your side.
Gil – So, it’s no secret that I like Gil. Just not as much as everyone. I have appreciated his growth both physically and as a ball player though. He’s come so far, but on the night, his first two at bats were as awful as you’ll see. 3 swings, all miss. Badly. Next at bat…looking at every pitch. THEN…. BAM. The last at bat was more like what we’ve come to expect. That swing looked controlled and he barreled it to drive home the winning run. That swing alone was enough to make MSSTATE proud. Ha. In the field, he had the game ending DP, but that was about the only chance he had. Flyball fest. Good enough arm though.
Carey – Hartman’s brother from another mother. He’s’ got a confident nature about him as well and he had a hit in the game. So far, his swing looks geared to hit line drives although he’ll run into a few as he gets more loft. It’s not a flat swing per se, but he could use a little more launch angle and I don’t think it’ll hurt him at all. Love his overall game.
Miller – Athletic arrogance or confident? Either way, Cody was playing 3B in the game. Cut Gill off on one play and made a helluva play. Another scrappy player that could be a .265-.280 hitter, but he loads up and was late with a few pitches leading to strikeouts. He has an idea, just needs to play. I like him as well.
Noted…Mason Guerra and Jake Steels. Didn’t know much about Steels..looks pretty good, had a hit, Guerra didn’t, but I noticed him last year.
So…this is the whatever annual eyeball viewpoint of a few of the Braves prospects. I always preference this by saying that while I’m no scout, I watch the Braves ‘spects from Rookie all the way to Gwinnett. I offer a little of my “who the hell are you” opinions, but I’m blessed to be able to talk to other baseball rats and argue for or against the EXPERT opinion of others. With that said, I got to watch Rome and Augusta this weekend and I have a few thoughts before I begin:
ROME – Smurfs. I think there are only two players over 6’3” on the team. But, they all look like baseball lifers and gritty azz players. During this visit, I was excited to see Isiah Drake, but damn if he didn’t play…grrr. He did make a spectacular high five when the game was over. For 7 innings, Carey was the only highlight. Defensively, fly balls galore. Not too many difficult plays but I did maintain eyes on Miller and Gil. Outfield was solid enough. (I didn't get to see promising prospects Murphy and Strider).
PITCHERS - ROME
Cade Kuehler – There are a lot of people who really like Cade. I’m not over the moon about him at all. However, saying that, I liked a few aspects of his game. He looks like he has an idea of how to pitch, and I like the way his curve comes out. Up close, it looks good. He changed speeds effectively, but the times he didn’t keep the BlueCrabs off balance, they squared him up pretty good. I’m talking about wood bat echoing and the barrel type contact. He sat roughly 90-91 and peaked at 93. I was told he has about 6 pitches and his CB and CH were the best of his offerings. He also has been as high as 97 previously with his FB, but this outing he looked worn down in the 5th inning. Serviceable start and I’m thinking the pen, but a long ways to go for that.
Owen Hackman – Reliever…I like. He came in with an attitude that said, here it is, hit me. Sat 92-94 easily. Loved his mechanics and mentality. He’s a 25 y/o college signee out of Loyola I think I read, but he’s not unlike a lot of the Braves pitchers. FB mid 90’s and decent offspeed pitches. He’s gotten results for the most part throughout his minor league career, and he has an idea how to pitch. I don’t think he’ll be starting as he moves up, but he’s interesting enough.
Riley Frey – Lefty with middling stuff to me. Where he did get me was that he had swing and miss stuff due to some herky jerky dance with his delivery. You won’t read too much about him being a hot prospect, but squint and you can see the interest.
BATTERS
Hartman – I could lump him, Carey, Miller and Jones into a who’s who of scrappy azz players. When Hartman steps into the box, it’s his world. Confident, easy swing and good barrel plane to the ball. He’s aggressive and controlled if that makes sense, and he goes up there looking to do damage. He had 2 hits and they were solid hits. The biggest thing for me…. HE HUSTLED EVERY SINGLE play. Whether he was running the bases or in the outfield, he was dialed in. He’s a player you hate to see coming unless he’s on your side.
Gil – So, it’s no secret that I like Gil. Just not as much as everyone. I have appreciated his growth both physically and as a ball player though. He’s come so far, but on the night, his first two at bats were as awful as you’ll see. 3 swings, all miss. Badly. Next at bat…looking at every pitch. THEN…. BAM. The last at bat was more like what we’ve come to expect. That swing looked controlled and he barreled it to drive home the winning run. That swing alone was enough to make MSSTATE proud. Ha. In the field, he had the game ending DP, but that was about the only chance he had. Flyball fest. Good enough arm though.
Carey – Hartman’s brother from another mother. He’s’ got a confident nature about him as well and he had a hit in the game. So far, his swing looks geared to hit line drives although he’ll run into a few as he gets more loft. It’s not a flat swing per se, but he could use a little more launch angle and I don’t think it’ll hurt him at all. Love his overall game.
Miller – Athletic arrogance or confident? Either way, Cody was playing 3B in the game. Cut Gill off on one play and made a helluva play. Another scrappy player that could be a .265-.280 hitter, but he loads up and was late with a few pitches leading to strikeouts. He has an idea, just needs to play. I like him as well.
Noted…Mason Guerra and Jake Steels. Didn’t know much about Steels..looks pretty good, had a hit, Guerra didn’t, but I noticed him last year.
Attachments
Deester11
Well-known member
Ok..On to the Next: Augusta.
AUGUSTA – I’d camp out to watch that team play. What a solid to spectacular group that could be if they all continue to grow. I didn’t get to see Juan Mateo or Carrero, but they are making noise and are young quick twitch players. Mateo I saw last year. He’s good as is Junior Garcia. Dalton McIntyre is on fire too. Top to bottom, I love the offensive side of the ball. Won’t mention much on fielding as it was a pretty clean game. Nothing ESPN worthy, but some rangy plays.
PITCHERS – Wanted to see Davis Polo. I missed Arestigueta, Bagwell, Holton (hasn’t debuted) and Aiven Cabral.
Zach Royse – FB/Slider kinda guy. Good arm. He was throwing about 93-94 comfortably and looks to have swing and miss stuff. His slider was biting pretty good and I noted that he could leave it hanging, but got away with it. Walked 3 this game and control might be a thing, but he didn’t miss up in the zone too much. He was a draftee in ’25, but I’m thinking he’ll be a level to level guy and end up a reliever. He’s ok though. I like his size.
Sifontes – When he came in, I was like…who is this little dude. (Listed at 5’9) He throws left and looks to me like a guy who must learn to “pitch” His FB has some arm side run and was veering into the other side of the batters box. I don’t see a lot in his repertoire, left a change or offspeed pitch spinning over the plate that got hit pretty hard. Eh?
Paez – Typical Braves reliever. FB, CH and Slider mix. Got some good results from the slider from what I noted. Low-mid 90’s on the FB. 5’11 pitchers give me pause but he seems solid enough.
BATTERS
Southisene – Most improved player in the system. (Montgomery may have something to say…more in a minute). So last year, I lamented his bat speed and his hand placement which was lower. He simply could not catch up with better FB’s, although I though he was decent with balls up in the zone. So I made an observation this spring about his hands starting out higher and he seemed to be barreling everything! Fast forward to now, he’s killing it. Barreling balls with quick wrists and punishing the ball. I’ve seen offseason adjustments by many players, but if he keeps this trajectory…look out. Great game in this one. 3 hits including a homer and a double. He stole 2 bases rather easily too. The speed is real. Perhaps the Braves were smarter than they were given credit for with this pick. He made a fielding error, but I chalked it up to concentration.
Lodise – The other dude. Ha. There is a lot to like about his game – especially defensively. He’s made some aggressive errors, but his range and arm are great for SS. He displayed everything you like and don’t like in each at bat. Took a walk, had a strikeout and a hit. From my view, off speed is the thing with him. He can hit a FB. How good he will be is contingent on him continuing to improve the hit and miss. (Once every 3 AB’s so far)
Guanipa – For good reason, many began whispering ‘bust’ or whatever. But I was steadfast in my belief that he’s going to figure it out. There is a LOOONNNGG was to go, but his strides are showing and from Rookie ball til now, the puzzle is coming together. He’s always been a line drive hitter, but loud contact and he refuses to strike out. (Only 8 times in 57 ab’s so far). I noted however that he’ll swing at anything remotely close to the plate, but that bat speed makes up for it. In the game, he had just one hit and a SF if I’m not mistaken but he’s got a real idea of what he wants to do. He’s a CF through and through and can go get it. Sample size..sure, but I stayed glued to his AB’s. (The entire lineup for that matter). MY ONLY THING IS THAT BAT FLIP. STOP IT!
Montgomery – I thought Nick was going to be an all or nothing player. Big azz catcher who’s rapidly improving behind the plate and at the plate. So…when he connects, it’s Mike Hessman power…(IYKYK). He connected on one that the fielder turned and looked like, “Damn…this thing ain’t landing.” Nick has improved his approach with a still upright stance, but he seems quicker to the ball. Now, you have to temper this considering his track record as a minor leaguer so far. I mean ugly numbers. He struck out about once every 2.8 at bats (spit balling). 5 HR’s don’t scream slugger. But he looked really good on this night! Good framing, big target. Could it be another catching prospect?
Didn’t get to see Juan Mateo or Cooper McMurray who I’ve heard good things about.
AUGUSTA – I’d camp out to watch that team play. What a solid to spectacular group that could be if they all continue to grow. I didn’t get to see Juan Mateo or Carrero, but they are making noise and are young quick twitch players. Mateo I saw last year. He’s good as is Junior Garcia. Dalton McIntyre is on fire too. Top to bottom, I love the offensive side of the ball. Won’t mention much on fielding as it was a pretty clean game. Nothing ESPN worthy, but some rangy plays.
PITCHERS – Wanted to see Davis Polo. I missed Arestigueta, Bagwell, Holton (hasn’t debuted) and Aiven Cabral.
Zach Royse – FB/Slider kinda guy. Good arm. He was throwing about 93-94 comfortably and looks to have swing and miss stuff. His slider was biting pretty good and I noted that he could leave it hanging, but got away with it. Walked 3 this game and control might be a thing, but he didn’t miss up in the zone too much. He was a draftee in ’25, but I’m thinking he’ll be a level to level guy and end up a reliever. He’s ok though. I like his size.
Sifontes – When he came in, I was like…who is this little dude. (Listed at 5’9) He throws left and looks to me like a guy who must learn to “pitch” His FB has some arm side run and was veering into the other side of the batters box. I don’t see a lot in his repertoire, left a change or offspeed pitch spinning over the plate that got hit pretty hard. Eh?
Paez – Typical Braves reliever. FB, CH and Slider mix. Got some good results from the slider from what I noted. Low-mid 90’s on the FB. 5’11 pitchers give me pause but he seems solid enough.
BATTERS
Southisene – Most improved player in the system. (Montgomery may have something to say…more in a minute). So last year, I lamented his bat speed and his hand placement which was lower. He simply could not catch up with better FB’s, although I though he was decent with balls up in the zone. So I made an observation this spring about his hands starting out higher and he seemed to be barreling everything! Fast forward to now, he’s killing it. Barreling balls with quick wrists and punishing the ball. I’ve seen offseason adjustments by many players, but if he keeps this trajectory…look out. Great game in this one. 3 hits including a homer and a double. He stole 2 bases rather easily too. The speed is real. Perhaps the Braves were smarter than they were given credit for with this pick. He made a fielding error, but I chalked it up to concentration.
Lodise – The other dude. Ha. There is a lot to like about his game – especially defensively. He’s made some aggressive errors, but his range and arm are great for SS. He displayed everything you like and don’t like in each at bat. Took a walk, had a strikeout and a hit. From my view, off speed is the thing with him. He can hit a FB. How good he will be is contingent on him continuing to improve the hit and miss. (Once every 3 AB’s so far)
Guanipa – For good reason, many began whispering ‘bust’ or whatever. But I was steadfast in my belief that he’s going to figure it out. There is a LOOONNNGG was to go, but his strides are showing and from Rookie ball til now, the puzzle is coming together. He’s always been a line drive hitter, but loud contact and he refuses to strike out. (Only 8 times in 57 ab’s so far). I noted however that he’ll swing at anything remotely close to the plate, but that bat speed makes up for it. In the game, he had just one hit and a SF if I’m not mistaken but he’s got a real idea of what he wants to do. He’s a CF through and through and can go get it. Sample size..sure, but I stayed glued to his AB’s. (The entire lineup for that matter). MY ONLY THING IS THAT BAT FLIP. STOP IT!
Montgomery – I thought Nick was going to be an all or nothing player. Big azz catcher who’s rapidly improving behind the plate and at the plate. So…when he connects, it’s Mike Hessman power…(IYKYK). He connected on one that the fielder turned and looked like, “Damn…this thing ain’t landing.” Nick has improved his approach with a still upright stance, but he seems quicker to the ball. Now, you have to temper this considering his track record as a minor leaguer so far. I mean ugly numbers. He struck out about once every 2.8 at bats (spit balling). 5 HR’s don’t scream slugger. But he looked really good on this night! Good framing, big target. Could it be another catching prospect?
Didn’t get to see Juan Mateo or Cooper McMurray who I’ve heard good things about.
Deester11
Well-known member
Appreciate it!
CrimsonCowboy
Moderator
Very good stuff. Thanks for the info
Deester11
Well-known member
If I remember correctly, Johnny Washington was named Hitting Coordinator for the minors. I only know about saying that the organization wants hitters to have a plan instead of getting themselves out. So far, it's been welcomed. Also, the aggressiveness is still there with the hitters as of the last year. Lastly, I was told that he has a has an affinitiy for OBP and less strikeouts. Some of the hitters are known for having contact issues so we will see what happens. I've been begging for some type of hitting change for a while. Last year was see it, hit it, hack it. Most of the results were nice summer breezes throughout the ballpark. I'm gonna have to research him though.
Found this while researching: Focus: Standardizing the "ATM" framework (Approach, Timing, Mechanics). For younger players, Washington prioritizes establishing a consistent routine and a simplified plan for each plate appearance.