Welcome to another year of minor league baseball here at Talking Chop! I think this is the fifth (fif) year I have been doing the minor league recaps and I am more excited this year than ever to see what the Braves minor leaguers have in store for us!
Durham 1, Gwinnett 2
- J. Schafer 1-4 RBI, K
- J. Mather 2-4 2B, K, SB
- R. Lopez 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K
- J. Asencio 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The Braves AAA affiliate kicked off the year with a win at home against a usually solid Durham (Tampa Bay) team. The ancient Rodrigo Lopez pitched a solid game though without much fanfare. Most of the damage came from the bottom of the order with Joe Mather being the only player to collect multiple hits. The bullpen also pitched well with thee scoreless innings from Cory Gearrin, Juan Abreu and Jairo Asencio (Luis Valdez). This team is primed for a very good year if the offense can get clicking on all cylinders.
Jackson 6, Mississippi 9
- T. Pastornicky 2-3 2B, 2 RBI, BB
- D. Linares 2-4 HR, 3 RBI, BB
- E. Mejia 2-4 HR, RBI, BB
- R. Delgado 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
- J.J. Hoover 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Randall Delgado got off to a fantastic start to the season by giving up no runs in five innings of work. The only negative was that he threw 90 pitches in that frame. J. J. Hoover came in and worked one inning of relief which confuses me a little because he pitched really well as a starter in his stint in AA last season. I can't imagine they would be pulling him from the rotation when he has only succeeded as a starter so far ... unless the Braves told him his best shot to get to Atlanta was in the bullpen. Still doesn't make sense to me. Tyler Pastornicky had a good start to the season as well and he could have the first shot at the SS job next spring when A Gon leaves Atlanta.
Lynchburg Hillcats
The Braves new Advanced A-ball affiliate will open their season on the road this Friday against Potomac. Hillcats manager Luis Salazar will return to the club for the team's home opener on April 15th. Rick Albert will be the team's interim manager.
Hagerstown 3, Rome 2
- M. Lipka 1-5 SB
- E. Reyes 1-4 K
- C. Bethancourt 1-4 K, SB
- E. Salcedo 0-3 BB, K, E
- D. Rohm 2-4 2B
- C. Perez 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K
- B. Harper 2-4 K, SB, CS
This team is going to be a lot of fun to write about this year because there are so many interesting players here. Edward Salcedo picked up where he left off last year with a hitless game and an error. He is the type of player that can make a farm system. If he fulfills his talent he could be a future star. Carlos Perez, the next ace in line, made a solid season debut as did our breakout player David Rohm. This guy can flat hit and I wouldn't be surprised to see him demolish the Sally League for a couple months before getting the bump to Lynchburg. We need some professional hitters in our organization. Bryce Harper also made his full season debut tonight and as you an see it was fairly successful for him. I will be seeing him here in Charleston, WV in a couple weeks and will be able to report if the hype is justified.