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Talking Chop

Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 6/20



Gwinnett 7, Lousiville 3

  • C. Burke 2-3 2B, RBI, BB
  • B. Barton 3-4 HR(4), 3 RBI, K

A smatterting of relievers pitched in for this start after Francisely Bueno left the game after the 2nd inning. Chris Burke will be the best player in Atlanta in two weeks. I mean the dude is hitting like .500 for Gwinnett! Call him up now! Not really, but you never know, he was a top prospect at one time so maybe he can find something with the Braves.

Mississippi 4, Chattanooga 4 - In the 10th

  •  K. Kirkland 1-4 3B, RBI, BB, 2K
  • J. Lyman 2-2 2B, 2RBI -  5IP 2H 1R 2BB 3K

As I write, this game is still going on. Jeff Lyman was pretty awesome on the mound and with the bat. Maybe we should convert him to a position player if he doesn't ever pan out as a pitcher. Also I must say I am not a fan of parents naming their kids with intentional alliteration in mind. I am looking at you Kody Kirkland.

Frederick 12, Myrtle Beach 7

  • F. Freeman 3-4 2B, K, HBP
  • C. Johnson 3-5 2 HR(20), 3 RBI, 2K

The Pelican's lineup reminds me a little of Atlanta's with a all the good hitters at the top, and some pretty useless guys once you get down past the 4-5 spots. Jason Heyward was 0-5 on the night and made a fielding error in CF. Cody Johnson finally broke out of his power slump hitting only his 2nd and 3rd homers of the month. Frederick Freeman continues to pound the baseball raising his OPS each month of the season (.870 this month). Now I want to see Heyward shake the rust off and catch Johnson in HRs.

Rome 4, Augusta 15

  • L. Sumoza 2-4
  • S. Shults 2-4 2B, RBI
  • D. Delgado 6IP 7H 3R 1BB 5K

Yet another solid start from Dimaster Delgado. Too bad just about everyone else sucked. I mean this was just a woodshed beating.

0 recs  |  32 comments

Comments

Now I want to see Heyward shake the rust off and catch Johnson in HRs.

That would certainly be something.

By the way, did anyone else notice who was batting 3rd in one of the minor league all-star games tonight?

Logan Schafer.

HAHAHAAH. Thats hilarious. A CF no less.

I thought everybody knew about this guy already.

Yeah...

but he’s an all-star now.

nope, I guess I’m not everybody. Sorry to disappoint you.

I demand you immediately relinquish your position to fandave.

CB, I am flattered. Truly, I am. But youdaime4 is muddling along pretty okay.

correction and abject apologies: yondaime4

HAH, he probably thinks Hernandez is still good. His OPS is down to .691 on the year.

He really got off to a rocky start with his new team didn’t he? I still think Hernandez is a good ballplayer, but I’m not ready to say he’s gonna be a major leaguer next season like some other folks were.

You're not everybody....

You’re somebody!

Busted.

I knew about that guy and I knew he was a CF. Did not know he was an All-Star and after looking at his stats, I’m kinda shocked he’s batting 3rd in any lineup, much less an All-Star game.

So how often do they put Heyward in CF?

he has played about half his games therre this year

It’s not as if they have anything better to play in CF.

Although CJ Lee has been decent, he’s also almost as old as McCann.

Does anyone know

why did Freeman get so many HBP this year?

It has to be a product of him standing in there and taking them.

Just like Chase Utley takes so many HBP, Freeman is doing the same thing. If he can continue improving his walk rate, he could be an on-base machine, because so far he’s been a .300 hitter everywhere he’s been, and he’s been among the youngest everywhere he’s been.

Chris Burke up, Kelly Johnson down?

Sound good mis amigos?

Yeah, because Burke's done so much better than Johnson in the last few years and Diory is really contributing to the team.

Great to see Brian Barton hitting.
He could really contribute at some point, I’m thinking.
Check his stats here.

i doubt that, at least not a serious contributor anyways. He is 27. I would guess that he is having his best season or two this year and next.

I think he’d be better than FYF, but that’s not saying much. I hadn’t seen him play since he was in AA and I have to say, he’s a shadow of the hitter he used to be. Back then, he could dominate a game in several ways, but now you can see, he’s a guy who’s just Ok and gets by on a lot of athleticism. He’d probably be a fine backup, and really with our lefty heavy lineup, I’d prefer him to Blanco right now.

27 isn’t that old to figure it out.

He had a fairly stellar minor league season, splitting time b/w A+ and AA, in 2006. If he can get hot in Larryville, then bring even some warmth to the Braves, he could potentially be a useful RH bat in the 2d half and help more than Blanco.

27 is ancient in terms of a guy figuring it out. Especially when he’s never been considered to be oozing with tools.

Is Matt Diaz more toolsy than Barton? He 1st got significant MLB playing time in 2006 at age 28, but is considered a fairly serviceable member of the roster now at 31.

When Matt Diaz was 27 in AAA, he posted an OPS of 1.057. Barton is what, 300 points lower?

Is he going to help more than Blanco in the 2d half?
Brandon Jones is undoubtedly a better long term prospect, but his power numbers in AAA have been unimpressive and he can’t play CF.

Jones is the best of the 3, but none of them are more than a 4th or 5th outfielder at this point.

Barton at 27: AAA: 59 games, .251 AVG, .341 OBP, .385 SLG, .726 OPS
Diaz at 27: mostly AAA: 75 games, .366 AVG, .403 OBP, .624 SLG, 1.027 OPS

Barton at 26: Majors: 82 games, .268 AVG, .354 OBP, .392 SLG, .746 OPS
Diaz at 26: AAA: 134 games, .322 AVG, .365 OBP, .571 SLG, .935 OPS

Barton at 25: mostly AA: 131 games, .305 AVG, .402 OBP, .420 SLG, .822 OPS
Diaz at 25: AAA and AA: 127 games: .354 AVG, .412 OBP, .529 SLG, .941 OPS

It would appear that, at similar ages, Matt Diaz was a much better hitter and probably should have gotten more playing time in the majors.

So you're lauding his performance in A and AA as a 24-year-old?

No, simply stating a fact.

Miss vs Chatt last night

I attended and it was a great game. Braves led up until the 6th, when the Lookouts came back to tie the game at 4.
It finally ended in the 11th the Bravos lost by 1…..Sound familiar!
I was able to see our hometown kid Cory Gearrin.

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