Atlanta Braves Minor League Hot Sheet: 8/30-9/6

Who's Hot?

1. Brett Oberholtzer - 2-0, 17 IP, 1 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 21 K - The 21 year old lefty had one of the best weeks of any Braves pitcher this season, putting up a 0.53 ERA and a 0.58 WHIP while winning both of his starts. He recovered well from missing time in June and July and may have cemented himself as the Braves' top left handed pitching prospect.
2. LV Ware - 10-29, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB - After going 1-4 in a game for Myrtle Beach, Ware was promoted to Mississippi were he proceeded to hit .360 with a .968 OPS in 7 games to finish out the season. The outfielder isn't one of the Braves' top prospects, but he does have some tools and in high school was one of the top amateurs in the country, so hopefully this late season surge will act as a stepping stone for him.
3. Brandon Beachy - 6 IP, 0 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 8 K - Beachy, who was virtually unknown to most fans prior to the year, put himself on the map this season, leading the entire Minor Leagues with a 1.73 ERA, and his final start of the year was indicative of the kind of gaudy numbers he just kept putting up. He's made plenty of huge strides already, going from a college player with no chance of playing professionally, signing as an undrafted free agent and becoming an unheralded roster filler, before turning himself into a bonafide prospect on the cusp of the Major Leagues.
   
4. Dan Nelson - 12-25, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB - The Hot Sheet is usually reserved for more typical prospects, but after the week he put up, Nelson, who was signed as a free agent this year after being released by the Nationals, just couldn't be ignored. His signature game was his final one for Mississippi, where he reached base all 5 times he came to the plate, walking 4 times. He proceeded to hit like crazy after a promotion to Gwinnett, finishing the week hitting .480 with a 1.325 OPS overall.
   

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett - Cristhian Martinez, Barbaro Canizares, Cory Gearrin, Craig Kimbrel, Steve Marek; Mississippi - Randall Delgado, JJ Hoover, Yasser Gomez; Myrtle Beach - Jason Lowry; Rome - Dan Jurik, Willie Kempf, Steve Kent, David Hale

Who's Not?

1. Rome Offense - It's normal for young players to tire toward the end of their first full season, and that was likely a major reason for Rome's offensive woes this week. Pretty much every player in the lineup but up an ugly line, with Todd Cunningham hitting .154 with a .308 OPS, Christian Bethancourt hitting .136 with a .401 OPS, Edward Salcedo hitting .214 with a .535 OPS, Kyle Rose hitting .143 with a .315 OPS, Jace Whitmer hitting .182, with a .580 OPS, Barrett Kleinknecht hitting .182 with a .568 OPS (that included going 1-3 with a double and a walk in his last game with Danville), and Joey Terdoslavich hitting .172 with a .560 OPS. The only positive might be that they were on the road so the hometown fans didn't have to suffer through this rough patch with them.
   
2. Phil Gosselin - 6-30, 2 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 8 K - If not for his final game with Rome, where he went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI, Gosselin's week would have been much worse. He didn't play well after his promotion to Rome, hitting just .154 with a .423 OPS in 26 at bats for the Pelicans. Of course, it's hard to fault a guy for struggling in the last week of his first professional season.
3. Chris Masters - 0-2, 9.1 IP, 10 ER, 16 H, 5 BB, 11 K - The second half was very rough to Masters and things got especially bad at the end, as he put up a 9.64 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP in his last 2 starts. The lefty has promise but next year he might be better served pitching out of the bullpen.
   
4. Braeden Schlehuber and Matt Kennelly - 2-22, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 6 K - The Pelicans' catching duo combined to hit a pathetic .090 with a .357 OPS. Things would have looked much worse if not for Schlehuber's 2 run homer on September 2nd.
   

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett - Scott Diamond, Jose Ortegano, Orlando Mercado, Matt Young; Mississippi - Yeliar Castro, Myke Jones; Myrtle Beach - Luis Avilan, Paul Clemens, Andrew Wilson, Luis Sumoza; Rome - Aaron Northcraft, Ryan Weber