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Atlanta Braves minor league season review: Part 2, the mid-minors

By Alan Carpenter

KISSIMMEE, FL - MARCH 20: General view of Osceola County Stadium during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros on March 20, 2014 in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KISSIMMEE, FL - MARCH 20: General view of Osceola County Stadium during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros on March 20, 2014 in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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ROME, GA – APRIL 22: Chris Warner of the USA, riding for Webcor, competes in the individual time trial as he finished in third place in Stage 4 of the Tour de Georgia on April 22, 2004 in Rome, Georgia. (Photo by Colby Kidd/Getty Images)
ROME, GA – APRIL 22: Chris Warner of the USA, riding for Webcor, competes in the individual time trial as he finished in third place in Stage 4 of the Tour de Georgia on April 22, 2004 in Rome, Georgia. (Photo by Colby Kidd/Getty Images) /

This season could be dubbed ‘the year of the prospects’ as the organization exploded with talent at all levels.  But did that help the bottom line?

This is the first part of what I hope to be a run-down of the Atlanta Braves minor league teams and players for 2017.  In this, the second installment (here’s the first one), we take a look at the A-level teams.

Let’s get right to it.

ROME BRAVES

  • TYPE:  First full-season league, South Atlantic League
  • HISTORY:  Was located in Macon until 2003.
  • STADIUM:  State Mutual Stadium, Rome GA.  Seats 5,105.
  • TEAMS:  14 teams across 2 divisions
  • DIVISION:  Southern (NYY/COL/BOS/ATL/SF/KC/NYM)
  • FINISH (1ST Half):  38-32, 3rd place, 3.5 GB Greenville (Red Sox)
  • FINISH (2ND Half):  36-33, 4th place, 6 GB Charleston (Yankees)
    • Overall:  74-65, 3rd in division; 4th in league.
  • LEAGUE STANDOUTS:
    • Hitting:  Randy Ventura, Cristian Pache.  Ventura hit .294 and was 5th in league for average (.310 was #1).  Pache was 9th (.281), plus 5th in hits, tied for 4th in steals.
    • Pitching:  Bryse Wilson, 2nd in ERA (2.50).  Joey Wentz was 4th (2.60), Jeremy Walker 16th (3.97).  All in top 20 in innings.  Strikeouts:  Wentz #2 (152/132IP), Wilson #3 (139/137IP), Ian Anderson 24th (101), but he did that in only 83 innings.

TEAM STATS – Pitching

  • 2nd in team ERA (3.19).  3.07 was best, 4.72 worst.
  • Homers:  4th fewest (60).  Best was 55, worst was 133 (!).
  • 400 walks allowed (9th best of 14).  Best was 317, worst 461.
  • Best in strikeouts (1254 in 1258 innings).  Worst was 1000.
  • WHIP of 1.25 was middle of pack.  Best 1.15; worst 1.42.

TEAM STATS – Hitting

  • Homers:  least in league (48).  Best was 115.
  • Doubles:  2nd fewest in league (198).  189 was worst; 292 best.
  • Triples:  best in league with 47 (go figure).  Worst was 22.
  • Walks: mid-pack with 368.  Spread went from 324 to 466.
  • Strikeouts:  middling… 1144.  Range was 1020 to 1243.
  • Steals:  2nd best in league with 157.  Best was 229; worst 46.
  • OPS:  3rd lowest at .659.  Lowest was .649; best .740.

Best team overall:  79-60 for the Greenville Drive (Red Sox).  Worst was the Augusta GreenJackets (Giants).

ROSTER

Most players coming through the Braves system will spend a year at Rome.  This season has seen a bit of a departure from that practice for certain prospects, but it’s still more the rule than the exception.

Manager:  Randy Ingle, who has been around the Braves for quite a while (managing in the minors since 1990).  Got to 1,500 wins last season.

Notables:

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