Another late recap from me, but this time I have an excuse! I was actually at the Braves game tonight! My first this season! I will also be at the weekend series in Cincinnati next weekend if anyone wants to hit me up.
Gwinnett 3, Scranton W/B 1
Scott Diamond rebounded nicely after having a rough first outing in AAA last time out. This is a guy that continues to get the job done no matter what level he is at even though he doesn't possess any plus tool except command. He uses a curve and a change that he can place anywhere along with a high 80s fastball. With those three offerings he has continually gotten hitters out at every level. He has long been a favorite of mine and I hope he get s a legitimate shot somewhere though i am doubtful it will be with the Braves.
Mississippi - Off
Wilmington 3, Myrtle Beach 4 - 13 Innings
This game was all about pitching with the Pelicans facing the Royals super-prospect John Lamb. Lamb did not disappoint going 7.1 innings and allowing just 3 hits to go along with 8K. Fortunately the Pelicans' bullpen was up to the task after the recovering Zeke Spruill wasn't very effective to start the game.
Lexington 5, Rome 9
I kind of like Jace Whitmer's bat but the guy takes less walks than a certain former Sports Illustrated cover athlete. And that is impressisad. Edward Salcedo is making a habit of being really bad one game then really good the next, except today he did both in the same game as he made three errors in the field. Brett DeVall also pitched today and gave up 5 runs, but just two of those were earned. Other than that he actually pitched pretty well, just not spectacularly.
Pulaski 1, Danville 8
Aaron Northcrazft improved to 4-0 on the season in what was his most dominant performance of the season. While allowing just two singles on the day he also induced 10 grounders to just one fly-ball. Not a bad day at all. The first 5 guys in the lineup also put on a show as they went a combined 14-25 with 3 XBH and all 8 RBI.
GCL phillies 7, GCL Braves 2
There just wasn't a whole lot to write home about in this game and honestly I am not sure I want to write about any Braves team that loses to a Phillies team. Matt Lipks is now 10/12 in stolen bases and has an 8/7 BB/K rate. These are surprising numbers to me considering he was supposed to be unpolished after focusing mainly on football in high school. I will give the SSS warning here but we may have gotten a steal with this guy.
DSL Braves @ DSL Angels - Postponed
0 recs | 21 comments
any info on the Northcraft guy…did he just have a good night…is he a prospect? does he have a good beard or great hair?
Swo12bv - July 22, 2010
He was one of only two high school pitchers that the Braves signed out of the '09 draft.
I don’t know much about his stuff, but based on age alone, i’d say he is a legit prospect.
J-Turn14 - July 22, 2010
does that say that simmons was 1-5 with 2 doubles?
telemakhos - July 22, 2010
im not sure if that makes him a good hitter or not…on the one side he is battign 200, but his power is unquestionabel
Swo12bv - July 22, 2010
John Lamb is a really cool dude. You’d never know he’s getting all this attention. Fun fact: his arm is covered in tatoos.
cbwilk - July 22, 2010
Yondaime
Were you drinking at the game………..just askin lol!
Jay212033 - July 22, 2010
no, but the computer I am using this week has a shadow effect on every letter that is typed so it is hard for me to pick up the typos sometimes. Combine that with it being 2 am when I did this and you have a recipe for a poorly written recap.
yondaime4 - July 22, 2010
LOL
I was just kiddin! Man you and CB do a great job, I could careless about the typos honestly.
Jay212033 - July 23, 2010
It’s just ironic that you had a typo in that sentence.
cbwilk - July 23, 2010
Also of note...
Gerry Rodriguez is back in Myrtle, and Clevlen is back on rehab in Rome.
Mr. Sanchez - July 22, 2010
What about Yoel?
bwellnjonesco - July 22, 2010
Campusano and Zazueta were both released after their suspensions were over.
cbwilk - July 22, 2010
Brett Devall
I think Brett pitched a spectacular game for the situation he has to pitch in. He allowed 5 hits, which 2 of those were questionable. You can’t give an error to a fielder who is playing out of position or to slow to get to a ball. You also can’t give an error to a ss who gives up a on a ball then stands there and watches the runner turn it into a double. Yes, I am taking about the highly touted Salcedo. Just another Escobar. Again, I know it is hard to talk about a game when you are going off of stats. I am speaking for all the Rome Braves pitching staff that has to endure the fielding of this team.
PANHANDLEDAD - July 22, 2010
Yeah, I think anyone who understands anything about the way the Minors works realizes that the lower you go, the worse the fielding. A lot of pitchers get victimized at the lower levels by weaker fielding (and often poor field conditions), and it’s not really something that ever puts much of a dent on the pitchers’ careers.
As far as Salcedo being another Escobar, well, that’s just not the case. Their attitudes couldn’t be farther apart. It’s the kid’s first season of pro ball in a brand new country. He’s younger than almost everyone in the league, some guys he’s playing against are 4 years older. It’s an adjustment and a learning process, just like it is for everyone, Brett included.
cbwilk - July 22, 2010
Salcedo
cbwilk, i beg to differ with you on this one. What makes you think that if you dog it when you are 20 you won’t dog when you are 28. Plus, his attitude is already not to hustle now and it’s a pretty good chance it will get worse as he gets more comfortable here. You know Brett is only 20 also and there has never been a play that he has given up on.
There are many players on that team who nearing the end of the line.
PANHANDLEDAD - July 22, 2010
I disagree because I know Ed a bit and I know he hustles. I wasn’t there but if you say he made a bad play, he made a bad play. If you say he didn’t hustle, he probably didn’t. The thing is, when a fielder does something poorly, it’s a lot easier to noticed than when a pitcher does. A starting pitcher is going to get somewhere around a hundred pitches in a game (give or take depending on the situation). Not every one of those pitches is going to be a good pitch. Some are going to be downright terrible, and that’s the pitcher’s fault. I don’t care who you are, this happens to everyone. But not every bad pitch is obvious, because some are thrown in the dirt, some just aren’t hit, and some you get away with. Some are hammered and are easy to see, but most aren’t. So while in a given game a pitcher might make a number of mistakes that aren’t seen (and you could argue that a pitcher throwing a poor pitch is the same thing as not hustling, because he didn’t give it his all) if a fielder makes one it’s blatantly obvious, because even in his busiest game he’s only gettng a handful of chances.
As far as the last sentence, on any given team there are plenty of players who don’t have much career left, but it seems callous to blatantly point that out. Anyone can surprise you. There have been plenty of Major Leaugers that nobody would have thought would have made it.
cbwilk - July 23, 2010
Someone's dad has infiltrated TC!
Mr. DeVall your son is definitely talented. The Braves have high hopes for him, I’m sure. They aren’t too worried about the results at this point. There’s no reason to throw the other players under the bus just because your son got some results that you don’t like. Here’s a suggestion: check out minorleaguesplits.com. You can get his FIP (fielding independent pitching) stats. He has a nice 3.35 FIP, thanks to his very low HR rate and a K/BB rate of nearly 3.
(ps – “PANHANDLEDAD” and Brett being from the Fla panhandle city of Niceville totally gave this one away.)
buzzdeadwax - July 23, 2010
Last time he commented he said he was Brett’s dad, so he’s not trying to hide it.
I agree, nobody should really look too deep into anything Brett does this year because of the injury issues from this year and last. Any positives he gets are great, and negatives are just a byproduct of trying to get healthy. Next year with Myrtle Beach, when he’s well removed from his injury, is going to be a much better indication of what he can actually do.
cbwilk - July 23, 2010
I hadn't noticed that
I’ve been such a rookie that last couple of days. Well anyways, the rest of the post still stands. Frankly, I was kind of surprised at how solid DeVall’s peripherals were.
buzzdeadwax - July 23, 2010
He’s a good pitcher. He’s got a great head on his shoulders, which is a major plus, especially at a young age, and he’s got a big, strong body. I think he’s gonna do well next year.
cbwilk - July 23, 2010
I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a little action in Myrtle this year
Mr. Sanchez - July 23, 2010
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