Atlanta's minor league hitters continue to impress
Going into 2023, the Atlanta Braves were considered to have one of the weakest farm systems in baseball.
It makes sense, if you think about it - the Braves graduated prospects Spencer Strider, Michael Harris II, and Vaughn Grissom last year and then have seen some of their top pitching prospects - Owen Murphy and Blake Burkhalter among them - lost to Tommy John surgery.
But to paraphrase Outkast: The hitters got something to say.
Atlanta's seen two amazing performances at the plate in the last week from the minor league ranks.
The first comes from SS Braden Shewmake, who hit for the first cycle in Gwinnett Stripers history.
It's not only the first cycle in Gwinnett Stripers history, it's the first AAA cycle for Atlanta since 1993, when Tony Tarasco did it for the Richmond Braves against Charlotte.
Shewmake is now batting .230/.312/.413 for Gwinnett in sixty games this season, playing mostly shortstop but also spending time at second base for versatility. He got a brief cup of coffee in Atlanta, starting one game at shortstop, and seems destined to be Atlanta's utility infielder of the future as soon as next season (or whenever Charlie Culberson is done playing).
Not to be outdone, outfielder Jesse Franklin V hit THREE homeruns for AA Mississippi on Friday, powering the Braves to a 11-5 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers.
Franklin, a 3rd round pick out of the University of Michigan in the 2020 MLB Draft, finished the game 4-4 with the three home runs, four RBIs, and two stolen bases. It was only the third three-homer game in M-Braves history, and the first for Franklin.
Franklin, who has played all three outfield positions for Mississippi, is batting .243/.308/.500 on the year with nine home runs despite half his games coming in the notoriously pitcher-friendly Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi.
His home and away splits bear out how extreme Mississippi's ballpark is slanted for pitchers: At home, Franklin is batting .156/.182/.250 with one home run in sixteen games. On the road, he's batting .316/.400/.711 with eight homeruns.
If you can hit for power in Mississippi, you can do it anywhere.
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