May 26-June 6, 2015
In This Issue
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Bus carrying Braves' farm team, the Carolina Mudcats, crashes
#3 Prospect Lucas Sims among six players placed on DL
after accident
A bus carrying the Braves' Class A Advanced Carolina Mudcats lost control and flipped on its side early Tuesday morning in Columbus County, North Carolina. Seven players and one team trainer were taken to a nearby hospital and later released, according to WECT-6 in Wilmington.
Operated by Abbott Bus Lines, Inc., of Roanoke, Virginia, the bus was taking the Mudcats from Salem, Virginia, where they had just finished a five-game series, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a three-game set. It's a trip of about 300 miles.
Kay Worley, Columbus County's Emergency Services Director, told WECT that the bus crashed around 3:45 a.m. with 33 members of the team on board. The bus, which had flipped onto its right side and skidded down Clarendon Chadbourn Road, was pulled upright around 6 a.m.
Mudcats director of broadcasting and media relations
Greg Young told WECT that he had dozed off before hearing the driver become frantic and lose control. The passengers exited through the hatch in the bus' roof.
With Minor League teams traveling thousands of miles by bus every season, often late at night, accidents are a concern. The Class A Short Season Williamsport Crosscutters were involved in a collision in Staten Island, New York, in 2011 that saw six passengers treated at a hospital and released. In 2013. A bus carrying the Elizabethton Twins north from Spring Training was part of a fatal collision near Jacksonville, Florida. No players were injured.
Games were called off for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the Carolina League team resumed play Friday night. They brought in a number of players from the Braves' A level team in Rome to replace the six Mudcats who landed on the DL - #3 prospect
Lucas Sims
(See photo),
Dustin Peterson, Dave Peterson, Jacob Schrader, Tyler Brosius, and
Andrew Thurman. That constitutes 3/5 of the Mudcats starting rotation and two of the guys who are usually hitting somewhere in the 3-5 area in the lineup, so the loss was tremendous for what was a very successful Mudcats squad before the accident.
Before the accident, the Mudcats were hot on an 11-2 run. Since, they have lost their last 8 games and dropped from first place to seven games out.
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Braves thankful for Shelby Miller trade
By Jeff Gordon,
St. Louis Post Dispatch
When the Cardinals traded
Shelby Miller to get
Jason Heyward, we joined the chorus of those wondering if this could become a reverse
Adam Wainwright trade with the Atlanta Braves.
The Wainwright deal -- acquiring a future ace pitcher for outfielder
J.D. Drew, a pending free agent -- helped spur the Cardinals toward perennial contention.
The Miller trade is looking like payback for the Braves. Miller has been the National League's best pitcher during the first two months of the season, as underscored by a his near no-hitter Sunday.
Miller is 5-1 with a league-best 1.33 earned-run average. He has allowed hits in just six of the 25 innings he has completed this month.
He just made Miami look ridiculous. So ridiculous, in fact, the Marlins fired manager
Mike Redmond after their 6-0 loss.
That move had been coming for a while, as had Miller's arrival as a high-end starting pitcher. Miller came within one out of no-hitting the Marlins before settling for a two-hit, complete game victory.
"Obviously, things didn't finish as we wanted, but at the same time, we got a sweep," Miller told reporters afterward. "I had a lot of fun. That's all that matters."
The no-hit bid ended when Justin Bour ripped a 95 mph fastball for two-out single in the ninth inning.
As for Heyward, he has been just so-so starting for the Cardinals. Like Drew back in the day, he is a pending free agent who could exit after just one season.
New Braves stadium finally resembles a ballpark
We still have about 22 months (or so) to go before the Braves call SunTrust Park their new home, but that hasn't stopped construction crews from working around the clock.
Thanks to the webcam overlooking the construction site, here is a fresh look at the stadium:
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International League News
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Gwinnett Braves 2015 Roster
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Atlanta Braves
2015 Roster
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Braves Organization Recent Transactions
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Don Stone
Gwinnett Braves Express Magazine; 770-381-1110
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News & Information on The Gwinnett Braves,
The Atlanta Braves & The Braves Organization
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Prospect Spotlight:
Gwinnett Braves Pitcher Matt Wisler
The Atlanta Braves pitching staff has been their downfall with a team ERA above 4.00 in 2015. What has been a staple for the Braves throughout the years, has become quite a hinderance for us fans this season - and I'm sure the front office as well.
Heading into the 2014 Spring Training season, the Braves looked like they would encounter issues with the pitching staff, but they brought in
Aaron Harang and
Ervin Santana. These two pitchers stepped up huge and unexpectedly for the Braves.
GM
John Hart and the fellas in the front office thought they'd try their cards again in 2015 with this same approach
In the 2015 Spring Training, the Braves brought in veterans
Eric Stults, Wandy Rodriguez, Chien-Ming Wang, Jason Grilli and
Jim Johnson. Stults, Rodriguez and Wang were completing for the fifth starting spot. Stults won the job, Rodriguez was released, and Wang was sent to Gwinnett.
Since than, Stults hasn't pitched up to par and has given up way to many home runs.
Mike Minor had shoulder surgery and will miss 2015. Rodriguez was picked up by the Rangers and is pitching great. Braves called up their #3 ranked prospect
Mike Foltynewicz and he's pitched alright in his limited starts. And both
Julio Teheran and
Alex Wood haven't started the season like we all thought they would.
The starting pitching has to improve, period. The next move for Braves manager
Fredi Gonzalez may be to move Stults to the pen and bring up Atlanta's #2 rated prospect
Matt Wisler.
The 22-year-old is currently pitching for the Gwinnett Braves and has a 2-3 record with a 4.59 ERA in 2015. Though, in his last two games he has only given up two runs and one walk....he's also won both those games. He received the International League pitcher of the week with a 1.35 ERA, one walk, nine strikeouts and two wins.
The Braves traded
Craig Kimbrel and
Melvin Upton to the San Diego Padres to acquire Wisler,
Cameron Maybin, Jordan Paroubeck, and the 41st pick in the 2015 draft - and
Carlos Quentin, but he was quickly released.
Click Here for Full Story
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Stock Up, Stock Down for Braves' Top 10 Prospects
The Atlanta Braves (18-19) will see more youth on the field as the season progresses. Right-hander
Mike Foltynewicz has graduated off this list and made three starts for the Braves (2-0, 4.24 ERA). Meanwhile, fellow righty
Williams Perez made his first start for the Braves on Wednesday after a brief stint in the bullpen and was impressive with seven strikeouts and just one run allowed over five innings in a 2-1 win over the Rays
Todd Cunningham, Pedro Ciriaco and
Adonis Garcia have all been called up after injuries to some of the Braves regulars as well.
While the last four were not part of the top-10 list, they demonstrate that youth will be a major theme for the Braves moving forward.
With that said, here's a current stock report on the Braves' top 10 prospects.
No. 10 Prospect: RHP Jason Hursh,
Double-A Mississippi - With Foltynewicz moving to the majors, Hursh cracks the top 10. The Braves' 2013 first-round pick has largely been a forgotten man with all of the offseason additions to the farm system. It has been a struggle for the right hand pitcher in 2015 as well.
The good news is that he is coming off his best two starts of the season. Hursh took a no-decision in his most recent start Thursday night in an extra inning win over the Jacksonville Suns. It was his second quality start, allowing just two runs on ten hits over 6 1/3 innings of work. He also struck out five with no walks. Hursh will need many more of those starts moving forward.
2015 Season Stats: 1-3, 6.35 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, 39.2 IP.
Stock: Down.
No. 9 Prospect: LHP Manny Banuelos,
Triple-A Gwinnett - With
Eric Stults out of the rotation, it seemed Banuelos would be a strong candidate to fill that slot. However, the Braves decided to give the nod to Perez and let Banuelos continue to develop in the minors. The left-hander has pitched well in recent outings for Triple-A Gwinnett after a slow start with a 3-0 record and 2.70 ERA
His last outing was an 8-2 win over Toledo where he pitched six strong innings giving up just one run and five hits while striking out six and walking just one. It will be interesting to see if/when the team calls up Banuelos and how they utilize him, as they want to limit his innings after coming off Tommy John surgery.
2015 Season Stats: 3-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 43.
Stock: Up.
No. 8 Prospect: RHP Tyrell Jenkins,
Double-A Mississippi -
Shelby Miller has received loads of attention this week after his near no-hitter and dominant start for the Braves. While Miller has an influence on the outlook of the
Jason Heyward trade, Jenkins will also be tied to that swap. Tyrell has the talent to be an effective pitcher, but he has struggled to stay healthy to this point of his career.
So far so good on that front for the talented right-hander in 2015.
Jenkins is arguably coming off his best week of the season for Double-A Mississippi. The 22-year-old pitched 14 innings and allowed just one earned run. He gave up just three hits and no earned runs in his latest outing.
2015 Season Stats: 2-2, 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 45 IP.
Stock: Up.
No. 7 Prospect: LHP Ricardo Sanchez,
Single-A Rome - The Braves acquired the left-handed pitcher from the Los Angeles Angels in the offseason to further stock their pitching depth in the minors. Atlanta sent right-hander
Nate Hyatt and infielder
Kyle Kubitza to Los Angeles in the three player deal. Sanchez was entering the season as the second-ranked prospect in the Angels organization according to 'Baseball America.' While control has been an issue for the Venezuela native, his fastball can reach 91 with a plus curveball in the low 70s.
The 18-year-old is obviously years away from contributing at the MLB level. He also didn't get off to a good start with an 0-3 record and 8.79 ERA in four April starts. Sanchez hasn't pitched in May and is currently on the disabled list. We will continue to monitor his progress.
2015 Season Stats: 0-3, 8.79 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 14.1 IP.
Stock: Even.
Click Here for Updates on the Gwinnett Braves (AAA), Mississippi (AA) and Rome Braves (A) and the Carolina Mudcats (A)
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Braves Minor League Report
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Q&A with Rome Braves shortstop Ozzie Albies 
The small island nation of Curacao in the southern Caribbean has produced more than its share of professional baseball players over the past two decades, with one major pipeline leading directly to Atlanta.
Andruw Jones, Jair Jurrjens, Randall Simon and Andrelton Simmons - all have worn a Braves uniform with success.
Not surprisingly, the team has found yet another gem who may join his countrymen's ranks and at the young age of 18, Rome Braves shortstop Ozhaino "Ozzie" Albies is putting himself in a position to follow in their footsteps.
"My whole life is about baseball and family," Albies, who was signed by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent in 2013 at the age of 16, said about his love for the game and those around him. "When I was six, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to play. "The next day," he continued, "I was on the field and I've never stopped playing."
An expression of sheer joy spreads across the teen's face when he talks about the game and it's one that can be seen when he swings a bat and becomes a speedy threat on the bases or using his glove to steal singles away from opposing hitters and gun them down at first with throw that looks like it was fired from a cannon.
"He makes plays look easy that aren't easy. He does things you can't touch," Rome manager Randy Ingle, who was in Danville, Va., last summer when Albies played for the Braves' rookie-level ballclub in the Appalachian League. "Talk about someone who plays beyond his age - he plays like he's a lot older than he is."
Ranked as the Braves' No. 7 prospect, Albies proved he had the skills - and the hard-work ethic - right off the proverbial bat.
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Gwinnett Braves - Homestand Highlights
May 25-31
The Gwinnett Braves return home on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, to begin a seven-game homestand at Coolray Field. All tickets for Monday's 6:35 p.m. game vs. Lehigh Valley are just $5 (excluding the Home Plate Club), and all fans who present a military I.D. at the Coolray Field Ticket Office will receive a free ticket (limit one per I.D.).
The G-Braves open with a four-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, with 6:35 p.m. games Monday through Thursday. They finish the homestand with a three-game set against the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The first two games of the series vs. Columbus will start at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday, while the homestand finale is set to begin at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.
The week will feature several promotions such as Beach Night on Friday, May 29, when the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive leis for an evening that will feature several beach-themed promotions. Also, follow the G-Braves on social media for a beach ball scavenger hunt around town to win tickets to the game!. Fans can also follow the G-Braves on social media to participate in a beach ball scavenger hunt around the area for a chance to win tickets.
Saturday, May 30 is Superhero Night. The G-Braves will wear special Spider-Man jerseys, and all game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the game with bids accepted until 9:00 p.m. The jersey auction is presented by Gwinnett Medical Center.
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It's a great way to get the attention of Braves fans right around the corner in the Mall of Georgia/ Coolray Field neighborhood.
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Atlanta's Chris Johnson Set to Rehab with Gwinnett
Atlanta third baseman
Chris Johnson is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Gwinnett on tomorrow night, Memorial Day. That night, the G-Braves host Lehigh Valley for the opener of a four-game series at Coolray Field. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.
Johnson, 30, has been on Atlanta's 15-day disabled list since May 1 with a fractured left hand. Prior to suffering the injury on April 30 vs. Cincinnati, he batted .279 (12-for-43) with four doubles, five runs scored, five RBIs and one stolen base in 16 games for the Braves. He is the first Atlanta player set to rehab with Gwinnett this season. Click Here for Full Story |
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