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Atlanta Braves pitching prospects impressing at low-A Rome

By Blake Silvers

JUPITER, FL - MARCH 11: An announced crowd of over 6,000 fans watch the Atlanta Braves play the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training baseball game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 11, 2017 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
JUPITER, FL - MARCH 11: An announced crowd of over 6,000 fans watch the Atlanta Braves play the St. Louis Cardinals during a spring training baseball game at Roger Dean Stadium on March 11, 2017 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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There’s a constant buzz surrounding the Braves minor league system and there is no shortage of flash at low-A Rome.

The Atlanta Braves have a plethora of premium pitching prospects throughout their top-rated farm system, and this year’s Rome rotation has a few more gems earning their stripes.

In 2016, the Rome Braves starting rotation made waves around minor league baseball with impressive stats and dominating performances. Perhaps a bit more under that radar in 2017, guys like Bryse Wilson and Joey Wentz are holding their own in the South Atlantic League.

Rome has played over 100 games on the season so far, and Wilson and Wentz have both been on the roster right out of spring training. Both are still only 19.

Wilson, a fourth round pick in the 2016 draft, started six games for the Gulf Coast League Braves last season, going 1-1 with an 0.68 ERA through 26.2 innings. Those innings include three other appearances from the bullpen.

With 19 starts for Rome this season, Wilson is 7-5 with a 2.81 ERA. He has a complete game – which is rare at the low-A level due to pitch count monitoring – in an outing that was also a shutout, another rare feat at this level.

Through 99.1 innings this season, Wilson has 97 strikeouts. That’s good for a seventh place tie in the South Atlantic League. He’s also fourth in ERA, and his 1.04 WHIP is good for a league fifth best.

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Also a 2016 draftee, Joey Wentz played for both the Gulf Coast and Danville Braves last season before making the Rome staff out of spring this season.

Wentz has a record of 6-3 through 20 Sally League starts this season and is second in ERA (2.51), third in strikeouts (115) and eighth in WHIP (1.10).

The rest of the Rome rotation has been doing well in the development process as well, as starters include Atlanta’s top 2016 draft pick Ian Anderson, Jeremy Walker,  Ryan Lawlor and now Alan Rangel and Tucker Davidson.

All of the players mentioned above have sub-5.00 ERA’s, and very respectable strikeout-to-walk ratios on the season. The highest WHIP among those names is 1.47 (Walker), and the highest hit batters is 10 (Anderson). Still plenty of work to do, but stats don’t always tell the complete story at the low-A level.

Next: Randy Ventura an underrated speedster at low-A Rome

Look for several of the current Rome starters to do well at high-A in the Florida State League next season, and possibly even at double-A Mississippi.

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