Atlanta Braves make minor roster moves, including losing 2017 7th rounder

Braves make moves throughout January

The 2017-2018 offseason has been pretty slow for not only the Atlanta Braves but the entire MLB.  In one corner, its felt like January has been 72 days already while on the other hand it seems like it’s flown by.  Whichever your case, the MLB hot stove has moved like molasses.

While we’re all waiting for the next big splash that Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves have made a few transactions this offseason.  Though minor, moves are moves.

The Atlanta Braves MLB team have made three months this month — outrighted right-handed pitcher Luke Jackson to Triple-A, released third baseman Adonis Garcia and traded for right-handed pitcher Shane Carle.

Other moves on the Braves transaction page are the non 40-man roster invites to the 2018 Spring Training.

The minor, minor moves

Outside of the major league team, the Braves have made six moves in the minor leagues.

• Left-handed pitcher Troy Conyers retired from baseball from Rome Braves
• Right-handed pitcher Taylor Lewis is released from Rome Braves
• Right-handed pitcher Matt Custred is released from Rome Braves
• Right-handed pitcher Landon Hughes is released from Danville Braves
• Left-handed pitcher Gabriel Noguera was placed on the restricted list by GCL Braves
• Right-handed pitcher Gilbert Suarez was released from GCL Braves

Conyers was picked by the Braves in the 23rd round of the 2017 MLB draft out of the University of San Diego.  The relief pitcher threw in 18 games in 2017 after being drafted and held a 1.91 ERA.  Not that it matters much, but somehow in those 18 games, he had a record of 7-0.  Conyers had 43 strikeouts and just 12 walks.

The big 6’5″, 230-pound lefty looked to have a bright future with the Braves, but unfortunately he’s decided to retire from playing ball.  Out of high school he was recruited by Harvard so he’s a pretty bright young man.  Maybe he decided being on the road and being extremely underpaid was not the route he wanted to continue.

Lewis was drafted by the Braves in the 9th round of the 2015 MLB draft out of the University of Florida.  In his three seasons with the Braves minor leagues, he made his way from the Danville Braves to the Florida Fire Frogs in 2017.  He seemed to be progressing through the ranks, but in his final 16 games with the Fire Frogs, he posted a 8.87 ERA.

In 2017, in his 62.2 innings pitched he had 59 strikeouts and 31 walks.  The 24-year-old righty will no longer be a part of the Braves organization.

Custred was drafted by the Braves in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB draft out of Texas Tech University.  He wasn’t able to work his way up the minor league system past Single-A Rome Braves as he spent both 2016 and 2017 there.  In 2017, he posted a 1.16 ERA with Rome.

In his 24 games he appeared in, he had 48 strikeouts and just 15 walks.  I’m guessing the Braves just didn’t have room for Custred with the stacked minor league pitching staffs.

Hughes was the biggest question mark for me.  The Braves drafted him in the 7th round of the 2017 MLB draft out of Georgia Southern University.  In 2017, he threw in 15 games with the Danville Braves and just one game with the Rome Braves.  In Danville, he posted a 1.69 ERA with 27 strikeouts and five walks.

The big right-handed pitcher, 6’5″, 198-pounder was a homegrown talent from Marietta, Georgia.  We’ll probably never hear the reason he was released from the Braves organization since these minor moves aren’t talked about often.  Following the draft in June, I was actually pretty excited about Hughes when the Braves drafted him.

Noguera was signed by the Braves in 2017 and appeared in 14 games and started nine games for the Gulf Coast League and the Dominican Summer League.  He posted a 1.58 ERA in 2017.

Suarez was drafted by the Braves in the 18th round of the 2015 MLB draft out of San Ysidro High School in San Diego, California.

The 6’2″, 215-pound right-handed pitcher struggled in his first season with the GULF Coast Braves.  He posted ugly numbers again in 2017 which evidentially led to this release.

Next: Could the Dodgers and Braves Hook Up Again?

So these moves aren’t really the moves we’ll get excited for and run to MLB The Show to play, but they’re the moves that were made by the Atlanta Braves organization in January.  We’ll see what February brings.