7/6/16 WEDNESDAY MINORS FINAL ... Nice Carolina Sweep

Bases loaded vs Whalen with no outs on an infield single and two Swanson errors. He gets a double play and a strikeout looking in an 11-pitch AB to limit the damage to one run. Pretty impressive.
 
Bases loaded vs Whalen with no outs on an infield single and two Swanson errors. He gets a double play and a strikeout looking in an 11-pitch AB to limit the damage to one run. Pretty impressive.

Just checked Southern League pitching leaders and Whalen is right up there in most categories. He'll be going on the 40-man over the winter. Wonder if he pitches in Gwinnett at all later in the summer.
 
Just checked Southern League pitching leaders and Whalen is right up there in most categories. He'll be going on the 40-man over the winter. Wonder if he pitches in Gwinnett at all later in the summer.

Yep, was wondering the same. I think it would be smart to have him get at least a handful of AAA starts. With so many question marks after Teheran and Wisler, Whalen is sneaking up the projected depth chart of rotation options for 2017. Probably the leader in the clubhouse for minor league pitcher or the year in the org.
 
Yep, was wondering the same. I think it would be smart to have him get at least a handful of AAA starts. With so many question marks after Teheran and Wisler, Whalen is sneaking up the projected depth chart of rotation options for 2017. Probably the leader in the clubhouse for minor league pitcher or the year in the org.

That's going to be quite the competition. Whalen, Weigel, Povse, Fried if he continues to pitch like he has recently, Soroka. Personally, I'd go with Soroka right now, given performance and age at his level.
 
Has Albies passed Swanson as a prospect in anyone's eyes yet?

I think Swanson generally gets more highly rated because of his polish, broader skill-set, and more mature on-base skills. There may be a perception that Ozzie is going to get the bat knocked out of his hands in MLB. It's an interesting question, though, because I feel that Ozzie doesn't get quite enough love for what he's done considering age vs. level.
 
Ozzie's 16 errors in 56 games with Gwinnett allowed many to take a deep breath on his breathless ascent.
That's probably right Rico, but watching Albies hit is a beautiful thing. I still think he barrels the ball better than any of our upper tier prospects (Peterson and Swanson are nice too). Matter of taste I guess, but 1 and 1A could be worse.

BTW...interesting perception note Julio. I haven't heard of that. I don't see that with Ozzie.
 
Taylor Lewis, our 9th round pick last year, really struggled in Rome (19.1 innings, 24 hits, 10 ER) this season but was promoted to Carolina anyway. Since that move, he has been dominant: 22 IP, 15 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 19 K. Another potential reliever prospect.
 
Taylor Lewis, our 9th round pick last year, really struggled in Rome (19.1 innings, 24 hits, 10 ER) this season but was promoted to Carolina anyway. Since that move, he has been dominant: 22 IP, 15 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 19 K. Another potential reliever prospect.

That's why you can't take all performances in the minors so intensely. There's a good chance he was just working on something in Rome.
 
No confidence in Braxton personally

K-rate is still too darn high for my tastes given the reward side of the equation has been that great to this point. Others here have seen him play and I'm curious if he's still taking too many hittable strikes. All this said, he's very young and the Braves are pushing him.
 
Since June 23, Tanner Murphy is hitting .250/.392/.525 with 3 HR in 50 PAs. Braxton Davidson has hit .225/.385/.475 with 3 HR in 53 PAs since June 23. Both of these guys have big power potential, but to this point, other than flashing, neither one has put it together and made enough contact to tap into that power.
 
Since June 23, Tanner Murphy is hitting .250/.392/.525 with 3 HR in 50 PAs. Braxton Davidson has hit .225/.385/.475 with 3 HR in 53 PAs since June 23. Both of these guys have big power potential, but to this point, other than flashing, neither one has put it together and made enough contact to tap into that power.

So, you think they're hot or have they figured it out?
 
I'm not too worried about the power coming for Davidson, I think it will. The one thing that will determine whether he is just a AAAA guy who can't get above .200 in the majors or a legitimate major league starter is whether or not he can cut down the K rate. He has maintained a high BABIP in the minors and I think he can do that consistently because he makes hard contact. So if he can just get the K rate down to something like 25% in the majors, he should be able to stick. But if it stays at 30% or above, he's never going to make it.
 
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