Braves minor league recap: Tough sledding for AAA Gwinnett last week
The Atlanta Braves farm system is not regarded very highly - there's talent there, but mostly in the pitching, and a lot of that is younger players. We're going to bring you highlights every week of last week's notable performances, top prospects, and things you need to know.
AAA Gwinnett - 0-6 last week, 2-12 overall
The Stripers ran into the buzzsaw that is the Memphis Redbirds, St. Louis Cardinals affiliate, who avenged Atlanta's series sweep in St. Louis with a sweep of their own. Dropping all six games, Gwinnett scored only 17 runs while giving up 38 to the Redbirds. The Stripers hit only two homers in the week, while the bullpen wasted some promising starts from Atlanta's AAA starters.
Notable Performances:
SP Michael Soroka - 1GS, 4IP, 3H, 1R, 2BB, 5Ks
Soroka continues to work his way back to the bigs after two Achilles tears, necessitating three surgeries, as well as multiple smaller issues - a hamstring strain, a sore shoulder - as he's tried to return to his 2019 All-Star form. He struggled a bit in the first, needing 29-pitches to make it through the opening frame, but then taking just 40 pitches combined for the next three. He physically looks thicker, in a good way, and it feels like he's a few starts (and a bit higher pitch count) away from being an option for the big league club should the need arise.
SP Dylan Dodd - 1GS, 5.2IP, 4H, 0ER, 3BB, 8Ks
Dodd, making his first minor-league start of the season, dazzled by coming just one out shy of six shutout innings. While the bullpen wasn't able to hold the lead, it's good to see a bounce back performance from Dodd after his clunker at home against the Padres.
INF Hoy Park - 5G, 6-14, 2RBIs, 4BBs to 4Ks
Park, an offseason acquisition from the Red Sox, has played 2nd and 3rd for Gwinnett and has looked more than capable in the infield, giving Atlanta more depth options in case of injury.
SS Braden Shewmake - 4-16, 2 2B, 1RBI, 1BB to 4Ks, 2/2 SBs
Shewmake, who had a rough start to the season, started to pick it up offensively last week before leaving Friday's game with a possible hand/arm injury. He didn't appear in either of the final two games of the series, so it's a scenario that bears watching, especially now that Vaughn Grissom is with the major league team.
This week: @ Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals)
AA Mississippi Braves - 2-4 last week, 3-6 overall
Mississippi struggled against a feisty Chattanooga Lookouts squad full of top Reds prospects, winning the first two games of the series before losing one-run heartbreakers in three of the last four.
Notable Performances:
SP Luis De Avila: 2GS, 7.2IP, 6H, 3ER, 7BBs to 11Ks
De Avila, a 2021 Rule 5 (minor league portion) selection by the Braves, is a converted reliever turned starter by Atlanta. Ranked as the 20th overall prospect in the Braves system by Baseball America, De Avila's an intriguing depth arm that needs to improve his secondaries to realize a shot at pitching in Major League Baseball. He's a groundball specialist, but needs to regain his previous above-average control and disguise his secondaries more to realize his potential. He pitched much better in the first outing than the second in the week, showing the limited ceiling when he's overexposed to an opposing lineup.
RP Kyle Wilcox: 4G, 4.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BBs to 8Ks
Wilcox, a 2015 6th rounder by the Mariners, is on his 2nd year with the organization after signing as a minor league free agent in May 2022. He pounds the zone, throwing 74% of his pitches for strikes, and is a candidate to help Atlanta out of the pen later in the year should the need arise.
2B Luke Waddell: 2G, 2-5, 3 RBIs, 4BBs to 1K
Waddell, who was promoted to AAA on Thursday to replace Vaughn Grissom, had been the best hitter so far in the young season for Mississippi, going 4-11 with 1 2B, 5 RBIs, and 7 BBs to only 1 K on the season prior to being moved up a level. The stats match his scouting report - some of the best contact ability in the entire organization, but an absurdly-low power ceiling owing to his stature (5'9) that projects him more as a big-league utility player and defensive specialist than first or second division regular.
CF Cody Milligan: 5G, 6-18, 2 2B, 2 RBIs, 4BBs to 8Ks
Milligan, a 9th rounder in 2019 out of junior college, was a Southern League All-Star last year who is sneaking up on a lot of prospect evaluators owing to his defensive flexibility (he can play all three outfield positions, as well as second base) and collegiate experience behind the plate, making him an attractive future utility option. Another player, like Waddell, that struggles with a lack of overall power in his game, the extra base hits last week are heartening to see - the defense is good enough to potentially be a 2nd division regular, but the power has been lacking and last year's combined slugging of only .381 isn't enough.
This week: @ Montgomery Biscuits (Rays)
High-A Rome Braves - 2-4 last week, 4-4 overall
Rome had a disastrous start to the week, losing the first four games of the series, before exploding for 22 runs over the weekend against Bowling Green (Rays).
Notable Performances:
SP A.J. Smith Shawver: 1GS, 4.2IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB to 8Ks
I'm known for being high on A.J Smith-Shawver, having called him the "Spencer Strider starter kit" when discussing Braves prospects with our own Jake Mastroianni. He finally made his season debut and looked great, getting thirteen swings and misses using both the slider and the fastball for an overall 33.3% CSW. Control and mechanics are both on the to-do list for AJSS - he falls off the mound to the 1st base side, wasting momentum and kinetic energy than can be harnessed into the pitch.
(Here's Jake and I discussing it on Locked On Braves, but you should really go watch the entire thing)
3B Ignacio Alvarez: 6G, 8-23, 1 2B, 5 RBIs, 4 R, 6 BBs to 2 Ks, 1/2 SBs
"Nacho" Alvarez is one of the higher ranked position players in the Braves system, and for good reason. The 2022 5th rounder out of junior college has shown fantastic strike zone discipline, walking more than he struck out both in his final year of college and last year in his minor league time (divided between rookie ball and Augusta). A versatile defender who can play anywhere on the left side of the infield, he needs to work on elevating the ball to tap into his above-average power and raise the ceiling for his offensive potential.
C Drake Baldwin: 3G, 6-13, 2 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 R, 2BBs to 5Ks
Baldwin, another early 2022 draftee out of college (3rd round, out of Missouri State), is known more for his bat than his glove. He's splitting time with Adam Zebrowski behind the plate and is continuing to work on his defense, an area of needed focus.
This Week: Home vs Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees)
A Augusta GreenJackets: 2-4 last week, 3-4 overall
Augusta has dealt with adverse weather to start the season, having had four games postponed to date and only one yet made up. They struggled with the Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers), dropping the first four games of the series before pitching back-to-back shutouts over the weekend.
Notable Performances:
3B David McCabe: 5G, 6-15, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 2Rs, 2 BBs to 5Ks
McCabe, the 2022 4th rounder, is a massive human being who crushes baseballs. He was able to do that in his final collegiate season at UNC-Charlotte, finishing with more extra-base hits (29) than strikeouts (28), but struggled in his post-draft taste of professional baseball last year. He's adjusted well, though, with a promising debut week. Atlanta's going to look for him to keep the strikeouts down as he works to improve his defensive actions at third base, where Atlanta moved him to after finishing his time in college as a 1st baseman.
SP Jorge Bautista: 1GS, 5IP, 4H, 0R, 2BBs to 5Ks
Bautista, a 2018 international free agent, opened his first full season in Augusta in style, blanking the Wood Ducks on his way to picking up the win. He spent time in both the Florida Complex League (rookie ball) and Augusta last year, but struggled on his promotion to the GreenJackets, sporting a 8.78 ERA across seven starts and thirty-seven innings. He's not currently a rated prospect in the system, but the 22 year-old is looking to get back on the age-appropriate development path and this outing is a good first step.
SP Owen Murphy: 1GS, 4IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB to 6Ks
SP JR Ritchie: 1GS, 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BBs to 7Ks
SP Spencer Schwellenbach: 1GS, 2IP, 2H, 1R, 0BBs to 1K
The new "Big Three", as some Atlanta fans are already trying to establish, are three of the four highest rated lower minors pitching prospects in the Braves system. The trio all excelled in their season debuts, and they're all seen as incredibly athletic arms that can pound the zone for strikes. Their development this season will be crucial for the Braves rotation in 2025 and beyond, as they potentially could comprise the core of the next Braves rotation.
This Week: @Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs)
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