Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 4/12

by yondaime4 on Apr 12, 2009 8:21 PM EDT in Braves Minor League Recaps

Gwinnet 4, Charlotte 3

G. Blanco 1-4 K, SB
B. Jones 1-3 2B, RBI, BB, K, SB
C. Morton 6IP 1H 1R 1BB 12K

Damn Charlie Morton, make a case for yourself. Seriously the guy has as good an arm as anyone in our system. Maybe we should bring him up for the frist half of the season since someone will have to come up with the Glavine issue (see next recap) to get maximum value out of him and then when he gets tired (like he does every year) we send him back and bring up someone else. Just a random thought. Blanco did everything a hitter can today except a HBP.

Carolina 4, Mississippi 7

T. Glavine 2IP 3H 1R 1BB 0K
B. Hicks 2-4 HR, 2 RBI, 1K
P. Britton 3-4 2B, 2 RBI

Tom Glavine left this game after only 36 pitches and word is he is very discouraged. He apparently had some shoulder stiffness. They are saying it was precautionary, but whenever the 5th starter spot comes around in Atlanta you can bet it won't be Glavine making it. Brandon Hicks whipped out the power stick and he was the only INF not to make an error today (5 errors!). Britton hit some today and he threw out 1/2 base stealers.

Wilmington 3, Myrtle Beach 6

M. Fisher 3-5 RBI, K
J. Heyward 1-5 2B
F. Freeman 3-4 2B, 2 RBI, K, E
C. Johnson 1-3 BB, K
C. Rohrbough 5IP 4H 1R 1BB 6K

Doing this makes me realize how many guys there are on this team to keep an eye on. I don't know what is wrong with Johnson since he didn't hit a homer today. Heyward gets his first XBH of the year and tossed in an OF assist (see what I did there?). Rohrbough was pretty ridiculous and along with Locke, he could be our best pitcher in the minors at the end of the year.

Rome 0, Charleston 2

B. Schleuber 1-3 2B
R. Delgado 3.1IP 5H 2R 2BB 4K
D. Francis 3.2IP 3H 0R 1BB 1K

Yeah, I'm not too excited about our offense in Rome this season. There just isn't a single guy on the team that really wows me except maybe Sumoza. Rodriguez has power but I'm not sure if he has much contact ability. Delgado was roughed up a bit in his first start in A ball, but he's a teenager and has great stuff so I'm not too worried. Francis is a guy we need to keep an eye on this year as he had some moments last season where he was just filthy. Who know if he is really that good, but he might surprise us this year.

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Comments

Damn, Charlie.

Ive always liked this kid. Wouldn’t mind seeing him up in Atlanta instead of Glav while we let Hanson get more innings in AAA under his belt

by Zeus12888 on Apr 12, 2009 8:30 PM EDT reply actions

Christ, Charlie.

You should have showed that last season.

Oh, Bobby.

by sdp on Apr 12, 2009 8:38 PM EDT reply actions

He did. Check those AAA stats.

"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Apr 12, 2009 9:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I meant up with the big club, but yeah...

Oh, Bobby.

by sdp on Apr 12, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions

as I alluded to, Morton has history of pitching well early and fading later on. I dunno if he just can’t build long term stamina or what. Maybe this year?

by yondaime4 on Apr 12, 2009 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I think they’d be better off giving up on that and letting him dominate out of the pen, but I see why they keep trying.

"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Apr 12, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I’ve never thought of him as a pen arm. He’s a guy with pretty good control, 1 plus pitch, and three average ones. His ability to throw several different pitches and mix them up is his strength. The whole package needs the starter label, if you ask me.

He’s still only 25. I think he’s a solid bet to end up as a #3 guy somewhere. I hope it’s here.

by Bronn on Apr 12, 2009 10:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Well said

I’ve always liked Morton as well and I hope he can really put it together this year. I would like for him to stay a Brave, but even if he gets traded, I hope he’s a successful starter somewhere.

But hopefully not against the Bravos.

by Sparhawk on Apr 12, 2009 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I haven’t compared pitch f/x data, but I think Morton compares to Dan Haren pretty favorably. Haren throws a good splitter but Morton’s slider can be a similar out pitch. Morton’s curve could also be plus. His development has been rough but he has the tools to dominate out of the pen or rotation if he can get over the hump. He doesn’t have the prototypical demeanor of a back end reliever but who the hell knows exactly how much that matters.

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism,
but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism,
until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism." --Nikita Khrushchev

by jeg on Apr 13, 2009 1:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I’ve always like Morton. Great stuff and I hope he develops the confidence to go along with that stuff.
On another note, does anyone know if Devall is starting in Danville and any particular reason why he didn’t start at Rome? Are they being overly cautious for some reason with him and keeping him short season rookie ball?

by BravesFan on Apr 12, 2009 9:37 PM EDT reply actions

It could just be a thing where they had other guys who were already ahead of him, older and played at Danville last year, and maybe they outperformed, or at least played just as good as, him in ST. He’s a HS guy, so there’s plenty of time for him. Even if a spot opens up, there’s DeVall, Rasmus, and Stovall all seemingly ready to go to Rome.

"At least he didn’t nail the bitchy fat girl from Hell's Kitchen."
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Apr 12, 2009 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Well the thing last year was his back. He had some sort of back injury when they gave him cortisone shots he followed it up with a dominant outing. he would then have like 3 bad ones and then they will give him another and he will do good, then bad for 3 more. then they shut him down.

I always liked the guy. It kinda makes me regret those long contracts we have for our pitchers (Kawakami and Lowe) Also makes me thing Hudson will be elsewhere next year. If Morton dominates AAA and then shows some consistency in the Majors along with JoJo Reyes that gives us 3 Starters to put in our rotation next year including Hanson.

by drumzalicious on Apr 13, 2009 2:44 AM EDT reply actions

Charlie Morton Tom Glavine & Bobby Cox

I like the guy and wish him all the best, however he does have a tendency to get tired and fade away. Maybe he hasn’t learned to pace his self yet. As for Glavine maybe his time has come to move over an make room for somebody else.After all he has been around for 16-20 seasons and over 300 wins. Sometimes I just don’t understand Bobby"s logic, so many times he has left pitchers who are getting rocked pretty hard on the mound whom I feel like should have been removed long before he decided to remove them, I think some of the games we have lost in those kind of cases could have been won. That is just my way of thinking. I don’t think I am alone in this.

robert warren

by bobbywarren95 on Apr 13, 2009 7:12 AM EDT reply actions

yondaime4, really appreciate the work you put in for the minor league reports. It’s great being able to get all the scores in one place as well as knowing which prospects to keep an eye on.

I don’t have a cookie for you though.

by Sparhawk on Apr 13, 2009 12:14 PM EDT reply actions