<img alt="Salt River Rafters v. Mesa Solar Sox" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8RRR1Bmiqv-TeDBfUK5D5knykiw=/1x0:5077x3384/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73459890/1753599912.0.jpg">
Photo by Chris Coduto/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tolve and David Fletcher lifted Mississippi to a win The Atlanta Braves system is about to get a whole boost of talent, but before that starts let’s take a look at the guys currently playing it up down in the minor leagues. Blake Burkhalter had a phenomenal day down in Rome for the Emperors, but he may have been outclassed by our friendly neighborhood knuckleballing infielder in Mississippi. If you want to take a look at one of the biggest draft steals for the Braves from the past few years, how about reading up on the Futures Game from last night and Drake Baldwin’s phenomenal performance.
(44-48) Gwinnett Stripers 4, (42-49) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3
Box Score
Statcast
Forrest Wall, LF: 1-4, HR, .277/.384/.413
Yuli Gurriel, 1B: 3-4, 2B, HR, .277/.362/.447
Bryce Elder, SP: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 4.14 ERA
Daysbel Hernandez, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.93 ERA
With Nacho Alvarez out after being hit on the wrist last night and Drake Baldwin in Texas for the Futures Game, the Gwinnett Stripers roster looks a bit more boring than it has in prior weeks. Regardless, the offense did enough and showed off the power with three home runs to lead them to a win. Forrest Wall, the all-time leader in leadoff home runs for Gwinnett, did it again in this game by taking the second pitch he saw to center field for a 414 foot home run. Jacksonville would bounce back to tie the game, but Yuli Gurriel eked one over the wall and into the bullpen in the fourth inning for the second Stripers home run of the game. Gurriel was the clear player of the game with his three hits, falling a triple short of the cycle, though he didn’t do it with exciting contact as the 95.1 mph home run was his hardest hit ball of the game. Andrew Velazquez put a bow on this game with his 12th home run of the season, extending his team lead in that category.
The pitching staff is where things get interesting, as Bryce Elder was working his slider well all game. Elder’s slider has really been a hit-or-miss kind of offering for him this season, but when he is landing it in competitive locations he does show why he was an all star last season. Elder had ten swing-and-misses on his slider alone and the Jumbo Shrimp struggled to make any solid contact against either his slider or sinker. Unfortunately Jacksonville managed to string together some weak singles (three at 80.1 mph or below) against those two pitches in the seventh and ruin what was previously a good-looking line for Elder. Daysbel Hernandez popped 100.3 mph on one of his nine fastballs, the fastest he’s registered in a game this season. He did miss the zone on the pitch, but all in all he has been phenomenal lately and efficiently worked through a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save. Hernandez may be in Triple-A due to having options, but there is no doubt in my mind he should be on Atlanta’s postseason roster.
Swing and Misses
Bryce Elder - 12
Daysbel Hernandez - 1
(39-46) Mississippi Braves 3, (47-39) Birmingham Barons 2
Box Score
Tyler Tolve, C: 3-4, HR, .206/.263/.373
Cody Milligan, CF: 1-3, BB, 4 SB, .236/.296/.356
David Fletcher, SP: 8.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 4.87 ERA
Did anyone order a David Fletcher masterclass? Birmingham had their sights honed in on Fletcher in the first inning as the first three batters all got singles to score a runs, but other than a third inning home run they could not find grass against Fletcher’s knuckler after that. Fletcher retired 11 straight batters between the fifth and eighth innings, finally faltering in the ninth after a hit and a walk put him in trouble in a tied game.
The Mississippi offense was a bit of a quiet affair throughout most of the game, as former Braves prospect Riley Gowens had them in control despite not getting many whiffs. Gowens went through the lineup once easily, then in the fourth inning lost complete control and walked three guys in a row. The first of these was Cody Milligan, and that was a mistake as he ran all over the defense. Milligan stole second and third base, then on a throw down to second scampered home for his third stolen base of the inning and the first Mississippi run. Geraldo Quintero drove in a run to tie the game as he grounded one through the right side, and Mississippi was still in business with runners on the corner and one out. Then with Tyler Tolve, one of their hottest hitters, at the plate they did about the worst thing they could do. Quintero was caught trying to steal second base (on a debatable call given the high tag) and Bryson Horne tried to pull off the same play as Milligan. Well Horne is significantly slower than Milligan, and also didn’t slide, getting tagged out for a double caught stealing to end a promising inning. Oh and Tyler Tolve? Let’s flash forward to the ninth inning. Tie game, Tolve at the plate with one out and Geraldo Quintero at first base. Well, Quintero got caught stealing again, this time quite clearly, for the second out. It didn’t matter though, as two pitches later Tolve got a pitch on the inner half and destroyed it for a walk off home run.
Swing and Misses
David Fletcher - 6
Tolve Time: Walk-Off Edition pic.twitter.com/3XVcGE6HZ2— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) July 14, 2024
(43-41) Rome Emperors 5, (37-49) Greenville Drive 2
Box Score
Sabin Ceballos, 3B: 1-4, 2B, .269/.360/.372
EJ Exposito, SS: 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI, .268/.338/.476
Ethan Workinger, DH: 0-1, 2 BB, .269/.361/.416
Blake Burkhalter, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2.63 ERA
Landon Harper, RP: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 4.39 ERA
Let’s talk about some good and some bad in this game. Rome had exactly two hits in this game outside of the fourth inning, both from Adam Zebrowski, and that is not exactly a recipe for success. Fortunately for Rome that fourth inning was a well-sequenced combination of hits and Greenville mistakes allowing the Emperors to score more than enough to win the game. Sabin Ceballos led off the inning by turning on one and sneaking it inside the third base line, easily cruising in for a double. A walk and an error then loaded the bases, bringing up EJ Exposito who is the one player that the Emperors always seem to get big hits out of. Expo worked deep into the count, fouling off a couple of tough pitches with two strikes, then got a fastball over the plate that he could do damage on. Exposito drove the ball into the gap in left field, clearing the bases for three RBIs and hitting what would ultimately be the game-winning waddle at second base. Exposito wasn’t done in the inning, stealing third base and then coming home on a double steal attempt that saw the throw skip away from the second baseman. Carlos Arroyo one-hopped the wall with a double to score Stephen Paolini from second for the final Rome run of a five-run inning.
Now on to some bad from Exposito, his defense at shortstop has been atrocious and he really doesn’t have the arm to fit there. Exposito had an error in this game — his 13th in 42 games at shortstop — but that wasn’t really even his most impactful defensive play. In the first inning with Blake Burkhalter on the mound Miguel Bleis chopped a ball over to Exposito, who made the right play in backing off to take a big hop but then lobbed the throw over to first which Bleis beat out. This contributed to Greenville scoring the lone run they scratched through against Burkhalter, who had a poor run of batted ball luck in an otherwise impressive game.
Burkhalter’s fastball and cutter were carving up Greenville, as those two combined to force 17 whiffs on 37 swings. Burkhalter used those two pitches heavily this game, partially because his command seems to be the thing lagging behind most right now. Burkhalter just hasn’t quite gotten his feel for location back since coming off of the injured list, and it was most notable in his slider which he could not land in competitive locations at all. His changeup saw light usage (five, by my count, though I missed a couple of pitches during the start) and was located decently well on a couple of occcasions, but mostly Burkhalter went fastball-cutter. He was dominant with those two pitches though, not really giving up much hard contact and getting six strikeouts. Burkhalter gets stronger every game, and has a 1.93 ERA and 29.1% strikeout rate over his past three games, but I would hesitate to have confidence in his walk rates right now. Greenville was hyper-aggressive on pitches in the zone this game, and Burkhalter’s command is far behind the 6% walk rate he’s allowed in High-A so far. It’s going to take some time for him, but I am confident in Burkhalter and believe we’re looking at either a started or a player who will be an impact reliever, he’s just looked that good on his pitch shape so far.
Swing and Misses
Blake Burkhalter - 17
Landon Harper - 5
Samuel Strickland - 3
(35-49) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (39-47) Fayetteville Woodpeckers 11
Box Score
Isaiah Drake, CF: 2-3, 3B, 2 BB, .169/.244/.272
Luis Sanchez, 2B: 2-4, 2 2B, .231/.296/.282
Kade Kern, LF: 2-4, BB, RBI, .204/.277/.314
Adam Shoemaker, SP: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, 6.41 ERA
Tyree Thompson, RP: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 0.00 ERA
It’s been a minute since we’ve had one of those games from Isaiah Drake, and it felt like it was time for him to give us a good reminder of his talent. His seventh inning single was better for me than the triple, as he got a pitch on the inner half and did what he should — turning on it and driving it into right field for a hit. The third inning triple was a different situation, as he got a hanging breaking ball that by all accounts he should have demolished, but instead hit it out to left center field where the defender couldn’t make the play and saw it bounce off of his glove. It was solid power from Drake and he definitely showed the speed, but pitches like that need to be pulled and pulled with authority for him to reach his potential. Drake falls into a habit too often of trying to look middle of the field and over to left field and it serves to his detriment, as he is a player with too much raw power to not be giving it his best shot to jump on those pitches. Luis Sanchez twice doubled in this game, the first an inside pitch that he barely hooked inside the line and the second a better looking one as he hit a hard liner into left field that rolled to the wall. Sanchez’s lack of raw power is a bit unfortunate because he is one of the few players on this roster with the barrel control to make consistent contact, he just doesn’t hit the ball hard enough to make any use of it.
Now we move on to the ever-mercurial Adam Shoemaker, at times the most dominant pitcher on the roster and at times.... It was bad y’all. Shoemaker started the game off walk, hit batter, walk, walk, hit batter, and in that entire sequence threw two strikes with both of them being fouled off. When he did throw some strikes the Woodpeckers got hits, then after a strikeout he issued two more walks and was mercifully pulled. Tyree Thompson did his best to hold it together, but all three inherited runners ended up scoring and Fayetteville had nine earned runs off of Shoemaker in one inning. Shoemaker’s first two outings this season looked like he might have finally turned the corner, and his stuff is dominant whenever it is even close to the zone, but since those two starts he was walked 22.3% of batters and maybe he can work in relief with his stuff but right now that command won’t get him anywhere. I guess the one thing you can consider is Shoemaker’s height, and guys with long arms and legs like him tend to take longer to figure things out. The base of pure stuff is there, so if he ever gets it going he is a major league arm, but it’s not been a good look so far.
Swing and Misses
Tyree Thompson - 18
Rolando Gutierrez - 5
(18-31) FCL Braves 10, (29-20) FCL Rays 11
Box Score
Luis Guanipa, DH: 0-2, 3 BB, SB, RBI, .281/.356/.453
John Gil, SS: 1-5, 2B, BB, .275/.399/.377
Junior Garcia, CF: 4-5, 2 RBI, .311/.429/.439
Jhonly Tavares, SP: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 6.28 ERA
(18-33) FCL Braves 2, (30-20) FCL Rays 3
Box Score
Luis Guanipa, DH: 0-3, BB, .281/.356/.453
John Gil, 3B: 4 BB, .275/.399/.377
David Rodriguez, SP: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 5.97 ERA
John Gil reached base six times in two games, and it’s getting to be a bit comical just how good he has been. The competition in the FCL right now is not good at all, and Gil has taken every advantage of that though he did finally have another strikeout after seven straight without one. Gil has a .995 OPS over his past 20 games, with a 21.3% walk rate, a mere 6.3% strikeout rate, and he has been hit by pitches as many times as he has struck out. That means he has gotten a free trip to first base 27.5% of the time in his past 20 games, and oh yeah when he has made contact he has a .155 isolated power. It’s one of the craziest, most impressive rookie level performances we’ve seen in a very long time for the FCL Braves, the best I can remember since it was the GCL Braves, and there is plenty of reason to believe that this isn’t a fluke given his skillset.
I mentioned in my last recap the lack of walks was the only real negative in his profile, so today he gives me four walks to talk about. Everything we’ve seen from Guanipa is indicative of the player we thought he would be and he has made tremendous strides in quieting his swing to help him make contact. Right now the only concern is how healthy he stays, as he missed time last season as well as getting a late start to this year, and the Braves have been hesitant to let him run wild on the bases. He stole a base in this pair of games, which was only his fourth attempt of the season. I totally get it because they need to protect him long term, but it definitely is something that leaves you hoping he doesn’t have soft tissue concerns long term, especially if they impact his explosive athleticism in any way.
Also Junior Garcia had another fantastic game with four hits, and what is new for him. I’ll be honest with you guys here, for some reason I had it in my head that he was a year older than he is and was repeating the FCL, but I am very wrong about that obviously and me tempering my expectations and impressions of his performance were completely asinine. The guy has been great, though his strikeouts are a bit higher than you would like it’s not a major concern. I don’t see him on the Guanipa/Gil tier of guys yet even if his numbers are better, I just haven’t gotten reports that are as positive as I have on those two, but he’s clearly a top 30 guy at this point.
(9-17) DSL Braves 4, (19-10) DSL Reds 9
Box Score
Juan Mateo, 2B: 0-4, .246/.350/.333
Juan Espinal, CF: 2-3, BB, .200/.349/.308
Jose Pineda, SP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 12.54 ERA
Jorge Nunez, RP: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1.54 ERA
Juan Mateo has seen a dip in his performance since coming back from injury, which isn’t really a surprise. He’s still making contact at a high rate and overall he is a guy I have fringe top 30 at the moment, and I’m really interested to see him stateside next season. Jorge Nunez is an interesting one that I’m going to ask about reports on. Still 16 years old, 6’2, and striking out a lot of batters with a low ERA. Sometimes these guys can have an ERA that is more indicative of talent at this level than peripherals, as it shows an inability for guys to make consistent contact even if DSL players are free swingers. Nunez has high walk rates, but that is all but expected of players at this age and level.
<img alt="Salt River Rafters v. Mesa Solar Sox" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8RRR1Bmiqv-TeDBfUK5D5knykiw=/1x0:5077x3384/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73459890/1753599912.0.jpg">
Photo by Chris Coduto/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tolve and David Fletcher lifted Mississippi to a win The Atlanta Braves system is about to get a whole boost of talent, but before that starts let’s take a look at the guys currently playing it up down in the minor leagues. Blake Burkhalter had a phenomenal day down in Rome for the Emperors, but he may have been outclassed by our friendly neighborhood knuckleballing infielder in Mississippi. If you want to take a look at one of the biggest draft steals for the Braves from the past few years, how about reading up on the Futures Game from last night and Drake Baldwin’s phenomenal performance.
(44-48) Gwinnett Stripers 4, (42-49) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3
Box Score
Statcast
Forrest Wall, LF: 1-4, HR, .277/.384/.413
Yuli Gurriel, 1B: 3-4, 2B, HR, .277/.362/.447
Bryce Elder, SP: 7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 4.14 ERA
Daysbel Hernandez, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.93 ERA
With Nacho Alvarez out after being hit on the wrist last night and Drake Baldwin in Texas for the Futures Game, the Gwinnett Stripers roster looks a bit more boring than it has in prior weeks. Regardless, the offense did enough and showed off the power with three home runs to lead them to a win. Forrest Wall, the all-time leader in leadoff home runs for Gwinnett, did it again in this game by taking the second pitch he saw to center field for a 414 foot home run. Jacksonville would bounce back to tie the game, but Yuli Gurriel eked one over the wall and into the bullpen in the fourth inning for the second Stripers home run of the game. Gurriel was the clear player of the game with his three hits, falling a triple short of the cycle, though he didn’t do it with exciting contact as the 95.1 mph home run was his hardest hit ball of the game. Andrew Velazquez put a bow on this game with his 12th home run of the season, extending his team lead in that category.
The pitching staff is where things get interesting, as Bryce Elder was working his slider well all game. Elder’s slider has really been a hit-or-miss kind of offering for him this season, but when he is landing it in competitive locations he does show why he was an all star last season. Elder had ten swing-and-misses on his slider alone and the Jumbo Shrimp struggled to make any solid contact against either his slider or sinker. Unfortunately Jacksonville managed to string together some weak singles (three at 80.1 mph or below) against those two pitches in the seventh and ruin what was previously a good-looking line for Elder. Daysbel Hernandez popped 100.3 mph on one of his nine fastballs, the fastest he’s registered in a game this season. He did miss the zone on the pitch, but all in all he has been phenomenal lately and efficiently worked through a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save. Hernandez may be in Triple-A due to having options, but there is no doubt in my mind he should be on Atlanta’s postseason roster.
Swing and Misses
Bryce Elder - 12
Daysbel Hernandez - 1
(39-46) Mississippi Braves 3, (47-39) Birmingham Barons 2
Box Score
Tyler Tolve, C: 3-4, HR, .206/.263/.373
Cody Milligan, CF: 1-3, BB, 4 SB, .236/.296/.356
David Fletcher, SP: 8.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 4.87 ERA
Did anyone order a David Fletcher masterclass? Birmingham had their sights honed in on Fletcher in the first inning as the first three batters all got singles to score a runs, but other than a third inning home run they could not find grass against Fletcher’s knuckler after that. Fletcher retired 11 straight batters between the fifth and eighth innings, finally faltering in the ninth after a hit and a walk put him in trouble in a tied game.
The Mississippi offense was a bit of a quiet affair throughout most of the game, as former Braves prospect Riley Gowens had them in control despite not getting many whiffs. Gowens went through the lineup once easily, then in the fourth inning lost complete control and walked three guys in a row. The first of these was Cody Milligan, and that was a mistake as he ran all over the defense. Milligan stole second and third base, then on a throw down to second scampered home for his third stolen base of the inning and the first Mississippi run. Geraldo Quintero drove in a run to tie the game as he grounded one through the right side, and Mississippi was still in business with runners on the corner and one out. Then with Tyler Tolve, one of their hottest hitters, at the plate they did about the worst thing they could do. Quintero was caught trying to steal second base (on a debatable call given the high tag) and Bryson Horne tried to pull off the same play as Milligan. Well Horne is significantly slower than Milligan, and also didn’t slide, getting tagged out for a double caught stealing to end a promising inning. Oh and Tyler Tolve? Let’s flash forward to the ninth inning. Tie game, Tolve at the plate with one out and Geraldo Quintero at first base. Well, Quintero got caught stealing again, this time quite clearly, for the second out. It didn’t matter though, as two pitches later Tolve got a pitch on the inner half and destroyed it for a walk off home run.
Swing and Misses
David Fletcher - 6
Tolve Time: Walk-Off Edition pic.twitter.com/3XVcGE6HZ2— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) July 14, 2024
(43-41) Rome Emperors 5, (37-49) Greenville Drive 2
Box Score
Sabin Ceballos, 3B: 1-4, 2B, .269/.360/.372
EJ Exposito, SS: 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI, .268/.338/.476
Ethan Workinger, DH: 0-1, 2 BB, .269/.361/.416
Blake Burkhalter, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2.63 ERA
Landon Harper, RP: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 4.39 ERA
Let’s talk about some good and some bad in this game. Rome had exactly two hits in this game outside of the fourth inning, both from Adam Zebrowski, and that is not exactly a recipe for success. Fortunately for Rome that fourth inning was a well-sequenced combination of hits and Greenville mistakes allowing the Emperors to score more than enough to win the game. Sabin Ceballos led off the inning by turning on one and sneaking it inside the third base line, easily cruising in for a double. A walk and an error then loaded the bases, bringing up EJ Exposito who is the one player that the Emperors always seem to get big hits out of. Expo worked deep into the count, fouling off a couple of tough pitches with two strikes, then got a fastball over the plate that he could do damage on. Exposito drove the ball into the gap in left field, clearing the bases for three RBIs and hitting what would ultimately be the game-winning waddle at second base. Exposito wasn’t done in the inning, stealing third base and then coming home on a double steal attempt that saw the throw skip away from the second baseman. Carlos Arroyo one-hopped the wall with a double to score Stephen Paolini from second for the final Rome run of a five-run inning.
Now on to some bad from Exposito, his defense at shortstop has been atrocious and he really doesn’t have the arm to fit there. Exposito had an error in this game — his 13th in 42 games at shortstop — but that wasn’t really even his most impactful defensive play. In the first inning with Blake Burkhalter on the mound Miguel Bleis chopped a ball over to Exposito, who made the right play in backing off to take a big hop but then lobbed the throw over to first which Bleis beat out. This contributed to Greenville scoring the lone run they scratched through against Burkhalter, who had a poor run of batted ball luck in an otherwise impressive game.
Burkhalter’s fastball and cutter were carving up Greenville, as those two combined to force 17 whiffs on 37 swings. Burkhalter used those two pitches heavily this game, partially because his command seems to be the thing lagging behind most right now. Burkhalter just hasn’t quite gotten his feel for location back since coming off of the injured list, and it was most notable in his slider which he could not land in competitive locations at all. His changeup saw light usage (five, by my count, though I missed a couple of pitches during the start) and was located decently well on a couple of occcasions, but mostly Burkhalter went fastball-cutter. He was dominant with those two pitches though, not really giving up much hard contact and getting six strikeouts. Burkhalter gets stronger every game, and has a 1.93 ERA and 29.1% strikeout rate over his past three games, but I would hesitate to have confidence in his walk rates right now. Greenville was hyper-aggressive on pitches in the zone this game, and Burkhalter’s command is far behind the 6% walk rate he’s allowed in High-A so far. It’s going to take some time for him, but I am confident in Burkhalter and believe we’re looking at either a started or a player who will be an impact reliever, he’s just looked that good on his pitch shape so far.
Swing and Misses
Blake Burkhalter - 17
Landon Harper - 5
Samuel Strickland - 3
(35-49) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (39-47) Fayetteville Woodpeckers 11
Box Score
Isaiah Drake, CF: 2-3, 3B, 2 BB, .169/.244/.272
Luis Sanchez, 2B: 2-4, 2 2B, .231/.296/.282
Kade Kern, LF: 2-4, BB, RBI, .204/.277/.314
Adam Shoemaker, SP: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, 6.41 ERA
Tyree Thompson, RP: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 0.00 ERA
It’s been a minute since we’ve had one of those games from Isaiah Drake, and it felt like it was time for him to give us a good reminder of his talent. His seventh inning single was better for me than the triple, as he got a pitch on the inner half and did what he should — turning on it and driving it into right field for a hit. The third inning triple was a different situation, as he got a hanging breaking ball that by all accounts he should have demolished, but instead hit it out to left center field where the defender couldn’t make the play and saw it bounce off of his glove. It was solid power from Drake and he definitely showed the speed, but pitches like that need to be pulled and pulled with authority for him to reach his potential. Drake falls into a habit too often of trying to look middle of the field and over to left field and it serves to his detriment, as he is a player with too much raw power to not be giving it his best shot to jump on those pitches. Luis Sanchez twice doubled in this game, the first an inside pitch that he barely hooked inside the line and the second a better looking one as he hit a hard liner into left field that rolled to the wall. Sanchez’s lack of raw power is a bit unfortunate because he is one of the few players on this roster with the barrel control to make consistent contact, he just doesn’t hit the ball hard enough to make any use of it.
Now we move on to the ever-mercurial Adam Shoemaker, at times the most dominant pitcher on the roster and at times.... It was bad y’all. Shoemaker started the game off walk, hit batter, walk, walk, hit batter, and in that entire sequence threw two strikes with both of them being fouled off. When he did throw some strikes the Woodpeckers got hits, then after a strikeout he issued two more walks and was mercifully pulled. Tyree Thompson did his best to hold it together, but all three inherited runners ended up scoring and Fayetteville had nine earned runs off of Shoemaker in one inning. Shoemaker’s first two outings this season looked like he might have finally turned the corner, and his stuff is dominant whenever it is even close to the zone, but since those two starts he was walked 22.3% of batters and maybe he can work in relief with his stuff but right now that command won’t get him anywhere. I guess the one thing you can consider is Shoemaker’s height, and guys with long arms and legs like him tend to take longer to figure things out. The base of pure stuff is there, so if he ever gets it going he is a major league arm, but it’s not been a good look so far.
Swing and Misses
Tyree Thompson - 18
Rolando Gutierrez - 5
(18-31) FCL Braves 10, (29-20) FCL Rays 11
Box Score
Luis Guanipa, DH: 0-2, 3 BB, SB, RBI, .281/.356/.453
John Gil, SS: 1-5, 2B, BB, .275/.399/.377
Junior Garcia, CF: 4-5, 2 RBI, .311/.429/.439
Jhonly Tavares, SP: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 6.28 ERA
(18-33) FCL Braves 2, (30-20) FCL Rays 3
Box Score
Luis Guanipa, DH: 0-3, BB, .281/.356/.453
John Gil, 3B: 4 BB, .275/.399/.377
David Rodriguez, SP: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 5.97 ERA
John Gil reached base six times in two games, and it’s getting to be a bit comical just how good he has been. The competition in the FCL right now is not good at all, and Gil has taken every advantage of that though he did finally have another strikeout after seven straight without one. Gil has a .995 OPS over his past 20 games, with a 21.3% walk rate, a mere 6.3% strikeout rate, and he has been hit by pitches as many times as he has struck out. That means he has gotten a free trip to first base 27.5% of the time in his past 20 games, and oh yeah when he has made contact he has a .155 isolated power. It’s one of the craziest, most impressive rookie level performances we’ve seen in a very long time for the FCL Braves, the best I can remember since it was the GCL Braves, and there is plenty of reason to believe that this isn’t a fluke given his skillset.
I mentioned in my last recap the lack of walks was the only real negative in his profile, so today he gives me four walks to talk about. Everything we’ve seen from Guanipa is indicative of the player we thought he would be and he has made tremendous strides in quieting his swing to help him make contact. Right now the only concern is how healthy he stays, as he missed time last season as well as getting a late start to this year, and the Braves have been hesitant to let him run wild on the bases. He stole a base in this pair of games, which was only his fourth attempt of the season. I totally get it because they need to protect him long term, but it definitely is something that leaves you hoping he doesn’t have soft tissue concerns long term, especially if they impact his explosive athleticism in any way.
Also Junior Garcia had another fantastic game with four hits, and what is new for him. I’ll be honest with you guys here, for some reason I had it in my head that he was a year older than he is and was repeating the FCL, but I am very wrong about that obviously and me tempering my expectations and impressions of his performance were completely asinine. The guy has been great, though his strikeouts are a bit higher than you would like it’s not a major concern. I don’t see him on the Guanipa/Gil tier of guys yet even if his numbers are better, I just haven’t gotten reports that are as positive as I have on those two, but he’s clearly a top 30 guy at this point.
(9-17) DSL Braves 4, (19-10) DSL Reds 9
Box Score
Juan Mateo, 2B: 0-4, .246/.350/.333
Juan Espinal, CF: 2-3, BB, .200/.349/.308
Jose Pineda, SP: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 12.54 ERA
Jorge Nunez, RP: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1.54 ERA
Juan Mateo has seen a dip in his performance since coming back from injury, which isn’t really a surprise. He’s still making contact at a high rate and overall he is a guy I have fringe top 30 at the moment, and I’m really interested to see him stateside next season. Jorge Nunez is an interesting one that I’m going to ask about reports on. Still 16 years old, 6’2, and striking out a lot of batters with a low ERA. Sometimes these guys can have an ERA that is more indicative of talent at this level than peripherals, as it shows an inability for guys to make consistent contact even if DSL players are free swingers. Nunez has high walk rates, but that is all but expected of players at this age and level.
Link to original article
