Atlanta Braves Morning Chop, Throwback Thursday, Deep Farm System
By Jeff Schafer
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tyrell Jenkins pitched very well in his first career major league start, but Braves manager Brian Snitker has already said Jenkins will head back to the bullpen if all things play out and starters are healthy again. Kinda sucks because he threw so well, but the organization made the Jenkins to the bullpen earlier this season in Gwinnett for a reason. Jeff Francoeur’s name kept popping up yesterday — as he threw a runner out at home from left field, hit a massive shot that went just foul and kept getting on base. It was a seesaw game against the Phillies, but they took the lead in the bottom of the 8th inning when Freddy Galvis blasted a home run off of Vizcaino. For a full recap, here’s the link
Braves Lose 4-3
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jace Peterson 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .273 | .344 | .388 | .732 |
| Ender Inciarte CF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .231 | .299 | .311 | .610 |
| Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | .286 | .369 | .506 | .875 |
| Nick Markakis RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .255 | .333 | .343 | .676 |
| Jeff Francoeur LF | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .261 | .296 | .364 | .660 |
| Adonis Garcia 3B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .241 | .279 | .341 | .619 |
| A.J. Pierzynski C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .201 | .225 | .243 | .467 |
| Erick Aybar SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .224 | .279 | .283 | .561 |
| Chris Withrow P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Hunter Cervenka P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Brandon Snyder PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .231 | .600 | .831 |
| Arodys Vizcaino P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Tyrell Jenkins P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Ian Krol P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Chase d’Arnaud SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .260 | .331 | .360 | .691 |
| Team Totals | 35 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 38 | .200 | .243 | .257 | .500 |
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrell Jenkins | 4.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 |
| Ian Krol | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.78 |
| Chris Withrow, BS (2) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3.91 |
| Hunter Cervenka | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.39 |
| Arodys Vizcaino, BS (3), L (1-4) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.75 |
| Team Totals | 8 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4.50 |
Deep Farm System Gives Atlanta Braves Hope
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Most fans were over the rebuild when it first started, but that was over two years ago and we’re almost on the other side of this horrible thing. The Braves are about to get good — quickly and for a long time. The farm system is ridiculous with pitchers, middle infielders, new draftees, and new international signings. Everyone knows the name Dansby Swanson by now (and you should), but he can’t fill all the positions in the future. That’s why Braves General Manager John Coppolella has loaded the system. We’ve been saying it for a while, but just stay patient and we’ll soon be back on top of the NL East — where we belong!
"In an age where farm systems are so crucial to a franchise, Atlanta boasts one of the best in the MLB. The Braves have a treasure chest full of potential stars. Atlanta has done a masterful job of restocking their system, as six of the team’s top-10 prospects were acquired via trade.Perhaps the most impressive player from that haul is shortstop Dansby Swanson, who came to the Braves in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks last winter that sent Shelby Miller out west. Swanson capped off an outstanding college career at Vanderbilt by winning the 2014 College World Series. Then, he went No. 1 in the 2015 MLB Draft. Swanson embodies the five-tool player that every team covets. Swanson has a great swing, good speed, and excellent fielding ability. Swanson has the ability to one day be an All-Star, and it won’t be long before Swanson anchors the Braves’ infield.The Braves’ farm system is particularly deep with pitchers. Atlanta has done a great job of stockpiling prized hurlers with major league potential. Sean Newcomb, acquired from the Angels, posted a combined 2.38 ERA last season in Low-A, High-A, and Double A. Aaron Blair, acquired along with Swanson from the Diamondbacks, pitched just 33 innings in the minors this season before earning a promotion to the big leagues."
Javelin Thrower Shows Braves His Stuff
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Does anyone remember this?? In August of 1996, the Atlanta Braves gave Olympic Gold Medalist Jan Zelezny a tryout on the mound at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The javelin throwing Olympian had just won his second gold consecutive medal just four days prior to the tryout. As you’ll read below, the pitching session didn’t go that well and he admitted he had never thrown a pitch other than to his son. I guess it doesn’t hurt to try. I feel like this plot was lifted straight from The Scout movie with Brendan Fraser — but nope, it really happened.
"Bill Clark, who scouts international players for the Braves, first learned of Zelezny from the managers of a baseball team in Prague. Clark said he watched Zelezny at a track meet and then called Snyder. ”I told Paul, ‘I don’t know whether this guy can throw 70 miles an hour or 110 miles an hour, but he can sure throw the javelin,’ ” Clark said.Since then, Braves scouts had seen Zelezny’s arm strength in his winning javelin throw of 289 feet 3 inches and they had heard the reports that he has thrown a softball more than 400 feet.But Zelezny, whose form was hardly classic, admitted after his 15-minute tryout that he has never thrown a baseball, except to toss one to his 8-year-old son. Mazzone had to show him how to grip it and then explained, with the help of an interpreter, the pitching mound and the rubber."