Norfolk 2, Gwinnett 8
I would say it is hard to lose a game when your 2-5 guys go 8-17 with 5 XBH and one of those guys was 0-5 (Kelly Johnson, by the way). JoJo Reyes had his longest outing since coming off the DL and was just OK. He wasn't real special but he got the job done. I keep thinking Chris Burke is hitting better than he actually is. Tonight is probably the first night that his OPS creeped higher with the Braves than when he was in the PCL. Either way I think I would like to see him in Atlanta over Diory Hernandez.
Mississippi 8, Tennessee 5
Jason Heyward and Frederick Freeman just keep on getting it done. Heyward is still hitting right below .400 with a lot of XBH and it looks like Freeman is starting to really get his swing going for Mississippi. Travis Jones keeps flashing this talent stuff, but his July has still been attrocious. All that said I still think he is one of our better middle INF prospects. He just isn't giving me much hope right now.
Wilmington 7, Myrtle Beach 0
This team can be seriously bad. The didn't pitch well, hit well or field well (5 errors) in this game. Just a disaster all the way around. Gerry Rodriguez played another game in LF tonight as well. I wonder how he is out there? Has anyone seen him roaming the OF for the Pelicans?
Rome 6, Hickory 2
Shayne Moody and Yoel Campusano have both had multiple hits at the top of the order for 5 consectuvtive games (and 3 more combined before that game even). Not surprisingly the Braves are 6-2 in their last 8 games. Probably a coincidence. Randall Delgado has settled down a bit in July, his first month since April with a sub 6.00 ERA (actually sub 4.00 even!). A good sign from this game is he didn't walk anyone, which was only the second time in his last 10 starts that he did that.
Danville 6, Johnson City 5
Take note that this is the first game that our recently signed second round pick, David Hale, has pitched in. Hale steps in and instantly becomes one of the top two or three arms in our system (with regards to Craig Kimbrel and Paul Clemens). Here is a snippet from Baseball America's scouting report on Hale:
Hale helped himself considerably in his final outing of the season in front of a bevy of scouts, holding his 92-93 mph fastball velocity into the sixth inning and regularly reaching 95-96. He has topped out at 97 this year and pitches with minimal effort, but some scouts say his fastball is flat and easy to pick up. At times he'll flash a plus slider in the 84-86 range, reaching 88, but other times the pitch is sweeping and he struggled to command it. Hale still needs to learn to command his stuff in the strike zone, and questions about his ability to do so lead many scouts to project him as a reliever, though he'll show some feel for a changeup every once in a while.
I don't know how the Braves will use him, but I always like to see a guy start until he proves he can't. Also, the report states that he split time between pitching and CF in college and many believe that he will take off when he starts to concentrate on pitching. Also, keep an eye on Cory Harrilchak who is hitting .344 now for Danville. He is a gritty contact guy without tons of tools but just a little pop in his bat.
GCL Braves 1, GCL Pirates 2
Carlos Perez pitches like any good young pitcher with a great arm: wildly effective. This guy has the potential to be our next big international signing star. He and Teheran are the next wave (though Teheran is probably a cut above Perez, but it is early to tell yet).
0 recs | 43 comments
Is there a combo in AA ball better than Freeman and Heyward?
$5 bucks says there isn’t. But you never know.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
Was waiting for this one tonight
Freddie Freeman would be the talk of the organization if it weren’t for Heyward. Heyward is pushing 1.2 with his OPS (read: insane) and Freddie is over .800, now.
One thing, though-noticed Gearrin pitched for Myrtle Beach tonight. Did he get demoted? Not like he was exactly struggling with Mississippi…
Bronn - July 22, 2009
He did get demoted. No clue why.
cbwilk - July 23, 2009
It was the trickle down from Luis Valdez getting demoted from the majors. Gunderson went from AAA to AA, Gearrin from AA to Hi-A. Not sure after that.
gondeee - July 23, 2009
Really? Those are bad choices. Both of those guys deserve to stay at the higher levels. I don’t feel like looking at the rosters, but I’m sure both teams have at least 2 guys who could be demoted (or released) instead of them.
cbwilk - July 23, 2009
AAA in August
Move Freeman and Heyward to AAA in August and see what they do against AAAA players. If they continue to hit they should get the call in September.
Dammit JIm - July 22, 2009
not freeman
MAYBE Heyward, but not Freddie. If we’re gonna call up a 1B, it’ll be Barbaro. FF won’t play until mid-season 2010 at the earliest.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
I'm not so sure
I have a feeling the organization plans on both of those guys coming at the same time and at the rate their going they will both be here at the same time.
The only difference between the two is that Heyward instantly started hitting well in AA. Freeman seems to take a we or so to get going. im not sure if its mental but even still after he gets going he is hitting right there with Heyward.
I mean if they are putting up OPS of .800 and 1.000ish then by all means see what they can do at the next level.
We already saw both of them perform pretty good during spring training and i wouldnt put it past them to do solid for us when rosters expand in September or out of the gate next year.
drumzalicious - July 23, 2009
wouldn’t they be facing AAA players in AAA?
VivaLosBravos - July 22, 2009
Most people assume that
But occasionally, guys only play against Jo-Jo Reyes and Homer Bailey.
Bronn - July 22, 2009
With an occasional AB against Luke Hochevar.
VivaLosBravos - July 22, 2009
or Ian Snell.
VivaLosBravos - July 22, 2009
Im gonna add this too since it's the most recent post.
But Stuart Scott, of ESPN, is a fucking moron.
excuse my language, but its true. he’s always yelling or talking about something no one cares about. just shut up.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
p.s.
not sure if its Stuart or Stewart. But anyways, you get my point.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
Not a big fan of Stuart Scott
But he’s lightyears better than Stephen A Smith.
Bronn - July 22, 2009
LOL
didnt he get fired due to complaints of racist remarks?
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
I don't know
All I know he’s literally painful to listen to. I mean, physical assault on my ears. Seriously, what’s he yelling about?
Bronn - July 22, 2009
im not trying to be a racist…hell some of my closest friends are black, but besides Fred Hickman, i’ve never seen an african-american sportscaster who didn’t annoy the living shit outta me.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
Tom Jackson
is the man.
VivaLosBravos - July 22, 2009
Damn straight
And Greg Gumble isn’t bad. Bryant really needs a gag order, though.
Bronn - July 22, 2009
Also, Charles Barkley is just damned entertaining (if you like the NBA). He has his bad moments, but most star players are completely incapable of providing insight about the game after they leave, and he’s one of the rare exceptions.
Bronn - July 22, 2009
he’s more of an analyst tho. Stuart Scott is an anchorman.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
I certainly wouldn't go there
But ESPN does a good job of finding idiots and handing them microphones. Emmitt Smith, John Kruk, Steve Phillips, Joe Morgon, Stephen A…
Bronn - July 22, 2009
*ESPN* sportscaster
No, i fully respect a guy like Greg Gumble. He realizes people are tuning in to watch the basketball game, not him.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
joe morgan is terrible.
I do like harold reynolds though. He has a calm and soothing voice for tv, and he doesn’t yell like an idiot (stephen a smith).
Sparhawk - July 23, 2009
-1
When a person starts off with the line you just started out with 9 times out of 10 they are racist!
Jay212033 - July 23, 2009 via mobile
Agreed.
Never noticed till I got HD, but what da fuck is up with his nasty eye?
It is a special gross kind of creepy.
Kelly's Big Johnson - July 22, 2009 via mobile
i think its a glass eye.
its good for ESPN to hire announcers with a disability or whatever you wanna call it, but it does kinda weird you out a little.
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
Glass?
Looks like it is made from a snot rocket and a raisen.
Kelly's Big Johnson - July 22, 2009 via mobile
hahahahah
made me crack up
Scott Coleman - July 22, 2009
I think he suffered an injury after being on Sportscenter a while. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Scott
Looks like he was doing a drill at the Jets training camp and got hit in the eye with a football. He already had a lazy eye, but then this probably just made it all worse.
dunnytwogloves - July 22, 2009
Harrilchak
his first name is Cory.
VivaLosBravos - July 22, 2009
Our offense with the big club
Is giving us every reason not to rush Heyward and Freeman right now. I know it’s tempting to see what these guys can do at a higher level, but I say let them ride out the rest of the year at AA.
BigG1392 - July 22, 2009
Not trying to rush Heyward
But if he’s still hitting anywhere remotely this well in about 2-3 weeks, he certainly deserves to be sent on up the chain. There is absolutely no flaw in his hitting approach at the moment, he’s just been completely nuts since getting promoted.
Bronn - July 22, 2009
Challenging
I wouldn’t consider it rushing them, I would call it challenging them. They both seem to have AA already figured out.
JFP - July 23, 2009
Neither have huge HR totals
are they trying to develop a better power stoke before advancing?
VivaLosBravos - July 23, 2009
those HR totals you see are just since being promoted to AA a couple of weeks ago
drumzalicious - July 23, 2009
Yeah, I'm aware
but the primary concern for both players (especially Freeman) before their promotion was that the power hadn’t come along quite as far as was expected this season. Both have great power numbers in Mississippi, but neither have hit many homeruns, there or at the beach. Just a thought.
VivaLosBravos - July 23, 2009
personally
i could care less. no one on our team is really smacking a lot of HR’s in the first place so if it slowly develops then its fine until then i will take line drive doublees
drumzalicious - July 23, 2009
They have around 120 PA’s between them in AA. Double that number and we’ll have a much better clue where their at.
Realistically, Freeman’s production probably wouldn’t be greater than Kotchman’s. An .840 OPS in AA doesn’t equate to an upgrade over a .750 OPS in the bigs. Adding him to the 40 man and burning an option year on a 19 year old isn’t always a great thing. However, I could be sold on the idea that Heyward could post a better OPS than Church and possibly Anderson. I think Jason would more than hold his own at the big league level right now due to the soundness of his offensive approach but we’re still talking about promoting a soon to be 20 year old to the bigs. If Heyward is hitting like this a month from now, what the hell, bring him up.
jeg - July 23, 2009
its not rushing if they are ready.
yondaime4 - July 22, 2009
International Arms
Julio Teheran, Carlos Perez and Robinson Lopez are all pretty good international arms.
Jay212033 - July 23, 2009 via mobile
I was at the MS Braves game last night...
and got my first live look at J-Hey and Freddie. Freeman had the big blow of the two with an absolute blast to right field. But what stood out the most was how good Heyward is at making contact. One of his doubles was a screaming liner that hit the top of the wall and could have easily gone out. But he never got cheated at the plate. All solid hits.
Also Ryne Reynoso was very good last night. I was directly behind the plate and his has a lot of movement on his breaking balls and a live fast ball.
Travis Jones played the role of hero scoring the bulk of the RBI’s. But the best part of the night was just looking at Heyward and Freeman in the 3 and 4 spot and imagine them playing with an “A” on their cap instead of an “M”.
Fischerking - July 23, 2009
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