Braves Add Two Minor League Players

The Braves for reasons known only to others once again siogned pitcher Kameron Loe to a minor league congtract. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from the move everyone knows about – Tommy La Stella up Tyler Pastornicky down – the Braves made a couple of other minor league depth signings. I’m sure one of these won’t be popular.

Three days ago the Braves once again  signed Kameron Loe to a minor-league deal. The Royals had shown Loe the door  last week after he threw just 11 uindistinguished  innings (he walked 7 and struck out 4) for Omaha,. You may remember that Loe was with Gwinnett last year where he put up a 3.07 ERA and a 1.208 WHIP in 27 appearances ( 76 2/3 IP.)  I’m positive you’ll remember his ignominious days with Atlanta where his 11 2/3 innings resulted 8 runs on 17 hits including 2 homers for a 6.17 ERA and a 1.886 WHIP.  His one appearance  so far for the G Braves lasted 1/3 of an inning when he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits for an ERA of 81.00 and a WHIP of 9.00.  The 32 year old right hander is – not to put too fine a point on it – DONE. I know it’s just minor league depth but he has no business in affiliated ball. There are surely younger pitchers in independent ball who could lose as well as Loe and might actually be useful at some point in time. This is a simply ludicrous signing from any point of view  Onward and upward. . .I guess.

Today (Thursday) the Braves’s transactions page says they signed former Marlin second baseman Ross Wilson to a minor league deal.  If anyone watched the MTV show Two A Days back in 2006 you might have seen Wilson who was quarterback of his high school football team and a star in the series. . . so I’m told.  Anyway, Wilson (25) was originally drafted out of high school by the Padres in 2007 by chose to attend the University of Alabama instead. He played three years for The Tide and according to Roll Tide he was “. . .an outstanding athlete who hits for both average and power … has excellent speed and may be the team’s best overall base runner . . . and was an All SEC candidate.” Those skills and .321 BA earned him an invitation to the USA National Team trials. Following his junior year he was picked by the White Sox in the 10th round of the 2010 draft and sent him to Great Falls for the remainder of that season. In 2011 he worked his way up to AA Birmingham for 10 games but 2012 saw him back in A and High A ball again. In 2013 Wilson became a Marlins farmhand but still couldn’t move above High A. he started this year with the Marlins Jupiter farm team and but was released. He’s accumulate d 1580 minor league plate appearances with a .255/.351/.350 line and spent some time at third base and in the outfield as well as at second. He too appears top be minor league depth as the Braves shuffle their deck of infielders.