Atlanta Braves AFL Week 4 Report: A winless week for Scottsdale

This is Week 4 of our weekly look-in, covering several Atlanta Braves prospects in the Arizona Fall League.

The Atlanta Braves 2019 season painfully came to an end last Wednesday, leaving us all depressed, angry and wanting more.

And looking at how the Scottsdale Scorpions performed this past week, in the Arizona Fall League, it appears the baseball gods are still not through torturing us Braves fans.

The only bright spot of the week was an AFL East win in the Fall Stars game (4-2) on Saturday, a slight victory for Atlanta Braves fans, as outfielder Trey Harris was the lone representative of the eight Braves’ minor leaguers playing ball this fall.

We’ll take any win we can get right now.

For previous reports:

• Week 1 (Sept. 18-22)
• Week 2 (Sept. 23-29)
• Week 3 (Sept. 30 – Oct. 6)

Week 4 Recap

As you might’ve already gathered, Scottsdale didn’t play so hot in Week 4. Matter of fact, the Scorpions lost every single game last week, finishing 0-4, thanks to a whopping total of 4 runs overall by the offense.

The four-straight losses obviously didn’t help their place in the standings, as the Scorpions now trail first-place Salt River by four games.

With 10 games left to go — the AFL Championship game is Saturday, October 26 — Scottsdale has quite a bit of work to do if they plan on playing for a 2019 AFL Title.

AFL EAST STANDINGS

AFL WEST STANDINGS

Here’s how the individual players did this week

OF, Trey Harris

OVERALL: 11 games, .282 AVG, .843 OPS, 2 HR, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 5 runs, 1 stolen base, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts

WEEK 4:  2 games, .222 AVG, 1 double, 3 strikeouts

It was a short week for all Scottsdale players, so even Harris managed just 2 games in Week 4, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts on Tuesday, then 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout on Thursday.

However, Harris earned an appearance in left field in the Fall Stars game on Saturday, pinch-hitting for the Angels’ top prospect, Joe Adell. Harris struck out in his lone at-bat.

It’s been a heckuva year for Harris, with his Fall Stars appearance giving him 5 different jerseys in 2019… with it all beginning in Rome this past April.

1B, Greyson Jenista

OVERALL: 12 games, .214 AVG, .574 OPS, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 6 runs, 6 walks, 20 strikeouts

WEEK 4: 3 games, .300 AVG, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Jenista posted his best week of the fall season in Week 4, thanks to his three hits in Scottsdale’s loss on Tuesday.

In that game, with the Scorpions down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, Jenista came through with a leadoff double. Two batters later, Cullen Large singled to left, scoring Jenista, but Trey Harris ended the game with a hard line-out to left.

It’s good to see another XBH out of Jenista, as he’s been rather quiet this fall. He’s still not where he needs to be, but a .300 week is nothing to be ashamed of.

OF, Justin Dean

OVERALL: 8 games, .200 AVG, .524 OPS, 3 RBI, 5 runs, 1 stolen base, 6 walks, 13 strikeouts

WEEK 4: 2 games, .285 AVG, 1 caught-stealing, 3 strikeouts

Dean got in on the action on Wednesday and Friday, combining to go 2-for-7 in Week 4. When he has played, Dean has still been used as Scottsdale’s leadoff hitter and centerfielder.

The takeaway on Dean is still the same as the last few weeks: he still needs more at-bats.

OF, Garrison Schwartz

OVERALL: 5 games, .071 AVG, .349 OPS, 2 runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts

WEEK 4: 1 game, 0-for-3, 2 strikeouts

It appears perhaps Scottsdale manager Cesar Martin is beginning to lose hope on Schwartz, and I don’t really blame him.

The 23-year-old Schwartz hasn’t done anything at the plate to really warrant anymore playing time— zero XBHs in 14 at-bats. He got the start on Thursday and went 0-for-3 with two more strikeouts.

SP, Connor Johnstone

OVERALL: 4 starts, 14 innings, 2-2, 3.21 ERA, 16 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts, 1 HR

WEEK 4:  1 start, 3 innings, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 4 strikeouts

Johnstone got the start on Friday, but only threw 32 pitches in his fourth outing of the fall season, though 26 of those pitches were strikes (3 groundouts / 1 flyout).

His four strikeouts this week is nice, as you’d like to see him develop a little more strikeout-stuff, but if his three pro seasons are any indication (6.7 K/9), Johnstone’s probably who he is… and that’s not a power pitcher.

RP, Daysbel Hernandez

OVERALL: 5 games, 5.1 innings, 1 save, 8.44 ERA, 4 hits, 7 walks, 3 strikeouts

WEEK 4: 1 game, 1 inning, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk

The 23-year-old Cuban appeared in Friday’s game, working the 6th inning of Scottdale’s shutout loss to Surprise.

Hernandez faced 5 batters and threw 16 pitches in his lone Week 4 relief appearance, as his ERA is still bloated from a rough game a few weeks ago.

RP, Brandon S. White

OVERALL: 4 games, 5.2 innings, 3.18 ERA, 6 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts

WEEK 4: 1 game, 1 inning, 2 strikeouts, no runs.

It was another scoreless week for White, as he continues to lower his ERA (last week it was 3.86).

The South Carolina native worked the 8th inning of Scottsdale’s 3-1 loss to Peoria, facing just four batters and firing 10 of 14 pitches for a strike.

RP, Bradley Roney

OVERALL: 5 games, 6.2 innings, 1-0, 3 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts, 1 home run

WEEK 4: 1 game, 1 inning, 1 walk, no runs.

Of the three Atlanta Braves reliever this fall, Roney has been the sharpest thus far, earning himself more high leverage duties.

The 27-year-old from Montgomery failed to punch out a batter in his 8th-inning appearance on Thursday, but he was still efficient, facing the minimum three batters and throwing just 15 pitches (9 strikes).

Roney’s a little old for fall ball (almost 3 years above the average age), but a good showing in Arizona could perhaps get him back to Gwinnett in 2020.

That’s it this week. The 2019 AFL season has just 2 more weeks left… and then it’s no more baseball.