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Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Trade Deadline… Kinda Dead?

By Alan Carpenter

Jul 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield (41) rests in the dugout during a rain delay during the bottom of the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield (41) rests in the dugout during a rain delay during the bottom of the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mississippi Braves' Trustmark Park; photo credit Ken Lund via Flickr.com.
Mississippi Braves’ Trustmark Park; photo credit Ken Lund via Flickr.com. /

The Mississippi Braves are surging… this could delay a pair of key promotions as Minor League teams start to hit their home stretch.  Or those promotions may not happen at all.

The AA Southern League is home of the Mississippi Braves, and though they have been treading water with an overall record of 51-48, that doesn’t reflect their playoff chances at all.  That’s much better than you might think.

This is a first half/second half league… and Mississippi is now tied for the South Division’s first place position with the Mobile Bay Bears (Diamondbacks) at 17-13.  Moreover, they’re on a 2 game win streak and have been winning a lot more often ever since Ozzie Albies was brought back to join Dansby Swanson and Dustin Peterson.

The schedule favors the Braves, as they open a 5-game set with Birmingham (13-17) tonight at home.  Beyond that, they see Pensacola twice, Mobile, Jacksonville, Biloxi, and Chattanooga through August.  They get one more series with last place Biloxi (Brewers) on September 1-5 to the end of the regular season.  Only Mobile and Chattanooga (16-14) currently have winning records now.

So there’s better than a fair chance that Mississippi could run off and hide from the rest of the field in August.

The first half of the schedule was dominated by the Jackson (TN) Generals (Mariners) and the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds).  Jackson is still doing well (1.5 GB first place Montgomery in the North Division) though we’re not yet half way through the schedule for this second half of the season.

But the M-Braves are the hottest team in the league right now, winners of 8 of their last 10 and riding those 3 horses to go with very good pitching.

MississippiBraves
MississippiBraves /

If Mississippi makes the playoffs

, they would be engaged in a home-and-home, best 3-of-5 series with Pensacola in early September (starting in Florida), with the chance of advance to the title round against the winner of the North division.

The title series is another 3-of-5 affair and would begin in the home city of the North Division champion.  So it is possible that the end of the Southern League season could last until around September 18th or 19th.  Last year it went to September 21st.

That schedule obviously could impact call-up schedules, though do note this:  none of Swanson, Albies, or Peterson are on the Braves’ 40-man roster… which would be required to bring them up even for a late September cameo.

Would the Braves do that?  There’s actually a reason not to do so yet.  The Rule 5 Draft happens during baseball’s Winter meetings and none of this trio needs to be protected from being drafted away this year.  That’s not the case with some others, though, and roster spots might be at a premium given the large number of players currently on the DL that Atlanta might want to keep around.

So:  despite our personal preferences, perhaps, there’s actually a scenario in which Swanson, Albies, Peterson, et al don’t get a chance for some major league innings before… next Spring?  We’ll have to see how Coppy wants to play it in September.

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