Braves’ Minor League Quarterly Report- Gwinnett Braves
By Ryan Cothran
Minor League Quarterly Report- AAA Gwinnett Braves
Joey Terdoslavich is Catching Fire! Eat that, Catniss Everdeen!
Oh, where does the time go…The Minor League season is little over a quarter completed and while many Minor League gurus place the Braves’ farm system in the bottom-tier as far as prospects are concerned, there is proof that the system will be climbing the ladder when the next rankings come out. As has come to be the custom, the Braves continue to spit out quality pitchers, but there are a few offensive prospects that are shining just as bright. Let’s take a look at some players’ success stories in each affiliate (in no particular order). Over the course of the next week, I will be breaking down each team’s success stories. We’ll start with Gwinnett!
AAA Gwinnett Braves- Record: 21-17, 2nd place in the International League South
(For a full list of individual stats for the Gwinnett Braves, click here)
- Philip Gosselin– The Braves like him a lot, and he’s rewarding the Braves with good play. Carried by a .402 BABIP, look for Gosselin to come down to earth soon.
- Tommy La Stella– Been slumping lately, but he’s still walking. As a left-handed hitter who gets on base at a high clip and rarely strikes out, La Stella’s time to shine is soon. However, his .039 ISO is worrisome and I’m sure the Braves want to see some XBH before giving him a shot.
- Joey Terdoslavich– plagued by a terrible start, Joey has been absolutely abusing pitchers the last 3 weeks. I still feel he has nothing left to prove and only needs an extended chance in order to succeed. If one of our starting OF go down, it wouldn’t surprise me if Joey gets the everyday nod.
- Mark Hamilton– He’s walking more and striking out less than his career norms, but his power has been pretty vacant. Still, he’s filled the void left by Mejia’s departure quite nicely.
- Sean Kazmar– like Hamilton, Kazmar is walking more and striking out less. He’s also hitting the ball harder with a solid .149 ISO. He’s no more than organizational filler, but he’s spackling purty good right now!
- Todd Cunningham– Jack of all trades, master of none, Todd is still doing his thing and still projects to be a 4th OF. Look for him to fill Schafer’s shoes should Schafer continue shtruggling.
- Hector Daniel Rodriguez– a signee out of the Mexican League a few years back, HDR is finally showing what Braves thought they’d get out of this “diamond in the rough”. His K-rate is down but so is his BB-rate which probably means he’s given up a few MPH for control. If his success continues, look for HDR to be given a future look as a lefty out of the ‘pen.
- Cody Martin-started poorly and has been dominating lately! Strikeouts are up, walks are down and Cody continues to be, in my opinion, the most underrated prospect in our system.
- Yunesky Maya– Maya is having a solid year in AAA. While his peripherals have always left much to be desired, he finds ways to get people out. Like Kazmar, he’s just org. filler, but filling in nicely!
- Pedro Beato– could be a factor in the bullpen if needed in a pinch, Beato, like Maya, is finding success despite poor peripherals. He’s probably way down the pecking order for a steady Major League job, but could get a quick callup if someone gets injured.