Atlanta Braves Minor League Recap: 5/2
by yondaime4 on May 2, 2010 6:42 PM EDT
in Braves Minor League Recaps
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PrintPawtucket 2, Gwinnett 11
- W. Timmons 4-5 2 2B, 2 RBI, .310
- M. Jones 3-4 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, BB, .276
- B. Hicks 2-4 2 2B, RBI, .179
- M. Dunn 2IP 2H 0R 2BB 2K 0.73
The Gwinnett offense appears to have righted the ship. Through April 17th they had scored more than 4 runs in just 2 games, in the 15 games since they have scored less than 4 runs just once and have gone 10-4 in that span. Mitch Jones has 10 XBH and 11 RBI in his last 10 games and has a 4 game XBH streak working right now. The team sits just 2 games behind the slumping Durham Bulls.
Mississippi 4, Jacksonville 10
- E. Duncan 2-4 2 2B, BB, K, .342
- M. Gomez 2-5 2B, RBI, .214
- C. Johnson 2-4 HR(6), 2 RBI, 2K, 2 SB(5), .253
Cody Johnson has found a groove of late with homers in 4 of his last 5 games. Yes he is still striking out a lot and he isn't walking much, but those bombs are nice to watch. Surprisingly he stole 2 bases today as well including 3rd. Cody isn't as slow as some make him out to be, but I think I'd be embarrassed if he ever took 3rd on me.
Frederick 8, Myrtle Beach 4
- C. Miles 2-4 K, .265
- C. Culver 2-4 2 RBI, K, .286
- Y. Castro 5IP 2H 0R 3BB 8K
JJ Hoover was not sharp in this game giving up 3 runs (1 earned) in the 1st inning and then 5 more in the 3rd before being pulled in favor of Yeliar Castro who was pretty dominant for 5 innings. With the loss Myrtle Beach is now 7-16 on the season, last in their division and possessors of one of the 10 worst records in the minors. They lead the league in homers but have the 2nd worst SLG and the worst OBP all while their pitching staff has posted the worst ERA in the league by almost a full run. None of that adds up to a fun season.
Rome - Off
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No Rome game today? Booooooooooo.
Until some of those Rome guys move up to MB, they’re gonna struggle all year long.
"(Jason Heyward) is like the Grim Reaper -- you know he's going to get you, you just don't know where or when."
really?
but i they started out so well…
that’s really interesting. that team has so much talent I just figured they’d be winning more than they are.
"(Jason Heyward) is like the Grim Reaper -- you know he's going to get you, you just don't know where or when."
by Scott Coleman on May 2, 2010 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I wonder if that applies to another team....
by DogDaysofSummer on May 2, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Wes Timmons is on fire. In the 3 games I saw this weekend he was 9-13 with 2 doubles, 4 RBI and a SB. And still playing amazing defense. He made a diving/sliding stab today that he couldn’t get the runner on first on but it did stop a runner from moving to third-it should have been a double-which eventually saved a run.
Hey, and where are all those folks who were writing Cody off after a bad first week? In his last 10 he’s hitting .270 with a .938 OPS, 5 homers and 9 RBI. Yes, he’s got 14 Ks and his OBP is low, only .289, but for a 21 year old in AA those are pretty great numbers.
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I would just love to see him get a September call up. He’s been an organizational trooper for a while now and I think it would be awesome for him to get a cup of coffee at the end of the year
He just deserves it so much. He could do a lot more for a team right now than say Joe Thurston. All that guy has going for him is he hits left handed, and that doesn’t really matter if you can’t hit.
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Won’t that start his arbitration clock a little early for a player that we all agree should spend another full year (or so) in the minors?
[only built for cuban linx]
by Mighty Healthy on May 2, 2010 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I forgot to mention that Brent Clevlen almost killed Ramon Ramirez today. He hit a liner back up the middle right at Ramirez, who tried to jump backwards and had to throw his hands up to try to block his face. The ball deflected off his wrist into center field for a hit and Ramirez had to leave the game immediately. After the game he left with his arm wrapped and had to go to the hospital. My guess is the ball broke his wrist.
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Think that might get to Clevlen alittle?
"Hey Fat Kid...the monster is right behind you! RUNNNN!!" -The Host
by bwellnjonesco on May 2, 2010 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
"pretty great" seems a bit too strong...
yes, the numbers aren’t bad. But the poor obp and high K rate would still be a concern. For his age, nice, and we hope it means those weak spots get better over the next year or two, but his problems are still there and still pretty bad.
At any level, if one of the youngest players in the league is throwing up a .938 OPS, that’s pretty great. Even if his OBP is low and he’s striking out a lot, you can’t argue with the production. Especially, again, given his age. When you hit for that kind of power, walks will come. We all talk about Heyward’s plate discipline, but last year he walked in 12% of his plate appearances while Cody walked in 13% of them. Does he strike out a ton? Sure. Ryan Howard averaged 191 Ks the last four years, but I doubt anyone wouldn’t take him as Atlanta’s first baseman. And before anyone says Howard never struck out as much as Cody in the minors, remember that when Howard was 21 he was playing 2 levels lower and just starting his career. Cody is damn good and we can’t judge him, for good or bad, based on small sample sizes.
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I'd agree with you completely...
but it’s still a bit of feast or famine with Cody, and while I agree with what you say, especially regarding his age and the short time he’s spent so far in AA, if he’s striking out near 50% of his at bats in AA, that doesn’t bode well for his potential to make contact moving up. Now, his rate have seemingly stayed steady as he’s moved up (and been among the youngest at each level), but as I say above, it’s still feast or famine with him. Put the bat on the ball, and the results are great (as his ops indicates), but otherwise, his still a liability (K rate and obp). We are basically arguing semantics, as you say he’s doing “pretty great”, and I’d say he’s doing “well, with areas still needing improvement”.
Most big power hitters are feast or famine. That’s just how it works. Remember Andres Galarraga? It wasn’t the case, but it seemed like every time he made an out it was a strikeout; if he made contact he got a hit. That’s what power hitters do. My guess is that at the end of the year Cody’s season will look pretty much like it has the last few years, a ton of homers, a ton of Ks, a good OPS. This is the nature of a guy who goes for power; if we’re gonna knock him for it we have to start taking stabs at every superstar who does it too. Sure, he might fail, but that chance existed for every star with the same M.O.
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Fair enough...
but just to say again, at the end of the year, we hope his K rate has reduced back closer to his normal 30-35% than 40-45+%, and his obp is over .300 and preferably .320+.
Again, I think we agree, and are more interested to see what his #s are at the end of the year vs. right now. At his age, we are definitely in the small sample size considering he likely has at least the rest of this season and likely into next year at the current level. I was just saying that while his numbers are solid, I’m thinking that K rate and obp is just a little worse than desired. But if at year’s end, his obp and K rate are around their current marks, people will crow about how he just can’t make enough contact to cut it at the big league level. CoJo has to be the most polarizing Braves prospect and possibly one of the most in all of baseball. I’ve been more on your side of the fence than the other cb, and still am on your side of the fence on this issue. But the extreme ends of his slugging and strikeouts make for some pretty extreme viewpoints on his potential. I’m curious to see what his line is like at year’s end, although I’m sure the debate of “He has such great power” vs. “He strikes out way too much” won’t be ending anytime soon. Personally, I’m just hoping for a K rate below 38% and an obp above .320.
I’m sure even if he made it to the majors and was hitting a ton of homers and striking out people would continue the argument. Look at Dunn.
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Yep. Anyone who wouldn’t take him on their team is stupid.
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Cody? I think after this year.
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I wonder if the Royals would take him?...
I can’t imagine we wouldn’t protect him on the 40 man whenever that happens. He’d be too easy for an AL team to swipe and see if he can become a big power DH.
I’m not going to get into another Cody Johnson debate because it’s been done over and over before. I’m encouraged by his home runs and his walks. He really has to cut down on his k’s though. He’s still so young that there is time for him to do it but until that happens, he can’t sustain this level of production at higher levels, period. I really hope he makes those adjustments but it hasn’t happened yet.
he can’t sustain this level of production at higher levels
Pure conjecture, because he hasn’t played enough at higher levels to make a real judgment about it. This is just your guess.
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And while it seems unlikely...
his K rate has sustained as he rose through the system. We’ll see if that pattern holds this year, but he didn’t K more at Myrtle than he did at Rome than he did at Danville.
...with his current contact rate
Is the correct context of that statement. It’s a fact that he’ll need to improve his contact skills in order to succeed at higher levels. A k-rate north of 40% in AA simply won’t translate. Now he’s young enough to improve that skill but he hasn’t done it yet even with his recent hot streak.
You can’t talk about his AA numbers after a month like they’re gospel. They could change dramatically in another month.
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Gwinnett could.....
see Strasburg later this week if he gets the call to AAA as expected. He suffered his first pro loss today but will probably still be promoted.
Watched the game today and the broadcast announcers say Logan Schafer should be ready soon. Awesome!
Mitch Jones has pretty much established that he is a legit AAA slugger.
So, does he get a chance this season with the Braves, barring a disabling injury to Diaz or MelkMan, or not?
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