Cory Harrilchak finished his year by excelling near his hometown, teammates Ed Lucas and Ernesto Mejia dominated as well, and Tommy La Stella finished off his fine debut season.

Who's Hot?

Cory Harrilchak RF, Mississippi Braves -7-18, 4 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 HBP - Harrilchak finished his season with an away series against the Carolina Mudcats, playing just minutes from his hometown of Cary, NC. The 22 year old didn't disappoint his friends and family, putting up a slash line of .389/.522/.889/1.411 en route to his best week of the season. After a weak first half, he turned his season around, finishing with respectable numbers, a .266 average, a .737 OPS, 26 doubles, 5 triples, 7 homers, 56 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.

Tommy La Stella 2B, Rome Braves -9-21, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB - La Stella had another monster week, putting up a .429/.520/.810/1.330 slash line. From August 1st until the end of the season he had a .386/.443/.646/1.089 slash line, helping him to have the best season of any Braves 2011 draftee, finishing with a .328 average, a .944 OPS, 13 doubles, 5 triples, 9 homers, and 40 RBI in 63 games played.

Ed Lucas SS, Mississippi Braves - 10-23, 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 2 BB - After hitting just .218 with a .606 OPS in the first half for Gwinnett, Lucas was demoted to Mississippi, and he ended up playing well there, hitting .270 with a .785 OPS. Those numbers were greatly aided by the last week of the season, when he slugged .815 and put up a gaudy 1.194 OPS, rapping out 4 homers, including 2 in last Friday's game.

Ernesto Mejia 1B, Mississippi Braves - 9-27, 2 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 11 K - Mejia's monster season included setting new Mississippi single season records for hits (148), homers (26), and RBI (99), so it's no surprise that he finished with a great week, slugging .852 with a 1.185 OPS in his last 6 contests. The only downside of the week was that he struck out in 41% of his at bats for the week, which was much worst than the 31% rate he struck out at all year.

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett: Mauro Gomez, Wil Nieves, JJ Hoover, Wilkin Ramirez, Matt Young, Ben Swaggerty; Mississippi: Jose Lugo, Yeliar Castro, Zeke Spruill, Matt Kennelly, Chris Masters, Jordan Kreke, Sean Henry; Lynchburg: Ryan Buchter, David Hale, Mark Lamm, Shawn McGill, Andrelton Simmons, Joey Terdoslavich; Rome: Gus Schlosser, Tyler Stovall, Sean Gilmartin, Aaron Northcraft, Ryan Delgado, Matt Lipka, David Rohm

Who's Not?

Joe Leonard 3B, Lynchburg Hillcats - 1-26, RBI, 3 BB, SB, 7 K - Leonard had a tough year, hitting just .247 with a .689 OPS, and it ended with his worst week of the season, as he hit .038 with a .176 OPS in the year's final contests. When the Braves drafted him last year, they thought they were getting a power prospect, but he only had 36 extra base hits all year, slugging only .378.

Brett Butts RHP, Mississippi Braves -2 G, 0-1, 1.1 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 0 K - Butts is less than 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, and he'd be the first to tell you he's not back to 100% yet, so it's no surprise that he's struggled in the few games he pitched this year. In his final appearance of the season he allowed 5 earned runs while only recording 1 out, and in his final 4 appearances he allowed 14 earned runs in only 3 innings, good for a 42.00 ERA and a 5.00 WHIP. He'll be back to full strength at the beginning of next season, and games like this will be a distant, awful memory.

Chris Garcia 1B, Rome Braves -3-26, 3 RBI, BB, 5 K - Garcia had a great year as Rome's cleanup hitter, with a .305 average, a .917 OPS, 24 doubles, 16 homers, and 67 RBI in 348 at bats, but the last week of his season was abysmal, as he hit just .115 with a .263 OPS.

Ronan Pacheco LHP, Rome Braves - 2 G, 0-2, 9.1 IP, 11 R, 10 ER, 16 H, 5 BB, 6 K - Pacheco lost both of his starts this week, putting up a 9.64 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP. The huge 23 year old lefty had a rough season overall, with a 5-9 record, a 5.00 ERA, and a 1.48 WHIP in 95.1 innings.

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett: Brandon Hicks, Jairo Asencio, Dustin Richardson; Mississippi: Luis Avilan, Myke Jones; Lynchburg Hillcats: Barrett Kleinknecht, Todd Cunningham, LV Ware; Rome Braves: Edward Salcedo, Robby Hefflinger

Mauro Gomez hit .520, Zeke Spruill and Luis Avilan dominated AA hitters, Chase Larsson hit an even .500, and Brandon Drury extended his hitting streak to 16 games to earn their places on the Hot Sheet. Veteran Wes Helms struggled in AAA, and Brett Butts suffered a major setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Who's Hot?

1. Mauro Gomez 1B, Gwinnett Braves - 13-25, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB - Gomez won the International League Player of the Week award by hitting .520 with a 1.436 OPS, collecting a hit in all 6 games he played in. It's been a fine year for the 26 year old first baseman, as he's hit .288 with a .826 OPS, 31 doubles, 21 homers, and 74 RBI in his first year in AAA.
2. Zeke Spruill RHP, Mississippi Braves - 1-1, 16 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 2 K - Spruil had a rough go in his first 4 starts at AA, with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP in 23 innings, but he turned it all around this week, posting a 1.13 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP in 16 innings over 2 starts, including a complete game loss on Saturday. After a 2010 that saw him put up a 5.54 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 65 innings for Myrtle Beach, 2011 has been a great year for the 21 year old, who has a 3.25 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 6 complete games in 168.2 innings between Lynchburg and Mississippi.
3. Chase Larsson LF, Danville Braves - 11-22, 4 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB - Overall, August has been a poor month for the Braves 9th round pick in this year's draft, as he's hit just .232 with a .692 OPS in 26 games, but this week was a fantastic one for the 22 year old Canadian, as he hit an even .500 with a 1.360 OPS. His season numbers are respectable, with a .250 average, a .795 OPS, 8 homers and 26 RBI in 208 at bats, but the most impressive numbers are his 30 walks to 36 strikeouts. While he's played well on the road, hitting .324 with a .829 OPS in 111 at bats, he's struggled mightily at home, hitting just .165 with a .561 OPS in 97 at bats.
4. Luis Avilan LHP, Mississippi Braves - 1-0, 11 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 13 K - After beginning the year in the bullpen, and posting a 5.92 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP in 38 relief innings, the Braves moved the 22 year old Venezuelan to the starting rotation, and he's been much better in that role, with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 62.1 innings as a starter. He saved his best work for this week, putting up a 0.82 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in 11 innings over 2 starts, striking out 13.
5. Brandon Drury 3B, Danville Braves - 8-25, 4 2B, 6 RBI - Some other players might have put up better numbers than Drury, who hit .320 this week with a .800 OPS, but he had a hit in all 6 games he played in, extending his hitting streak to 16 games overall. During that streak, he's gone 29-72 with 8 doubles, a homer, 14 RBI, and 2 walks, numbers that come out to a .403 average and a .959 OPS. Also this week, the 19 year old was named the Co-Player of the Year for the Appalacian League, an award he earned by leading the league with a .346 average and 91 hits, as well as putting up a .888 OPS, 23 doubles, 8 homers, and 54 RBI.

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett: Anthony Varvaro, Yohan Flande, JJ Hoover, Todd Redmond, Ruben Gotay; Mississippi: Billy Bullock, Matt Kennelly, Donell Linares, Ernesto Mejia, Jose Lugo, Sean Henry; Lynchburg: LV Ware, David Hale, Chris Masters, Christian Bethancourt, Joey Terdoslavich; Rome: Ronan Pacheco, Evan Gattis, Tommy La Stella, David Rohm; Danville: Ryne Harper, Wilson Rivera, Rafael Bricenio, JR Graham, Fernando de los Santos, Kyle Kubitza

Who's Not?

1. Wes Helms 3B, Gwinnett Braves - 2-23, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K - After hitting just .191 with a .513 OPS in 110 at bats, the Marlins released the 35 year old Helms. The Braves, the team he began his Major League career with back in 1998, signed him to a contract with the plan to bring him up to Atlanta once rosters expand in September, but, if his play so far in AAA has any say in the matter, that plan may need revision. After going 2-4 in his first game with Gwinnett, he's gone just 2-27 since, striking out 7 times.
2. Brett Butts RHP, Mississippi Braves - 0-2, 2 G, 1.2 IP, 9 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 1 K - Butts is barely 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery, so anything he does this year should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Still, this was a bad week, as he lost both games he appeared in and put up a 48.50 ERA and a 5.39 WHIP. In 20.1 innings between the GCL, Lynchburg, and Mississippi, the 25 year old has a 7.97 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. Hopefully the Braves can send him to the Arizona Fall League to continue getting game action while he's recovering, because he was a promising reliever before the injury.
3. AJ Holland RHP, Danville Braves - 0-1, 2.2 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K - Holland, the Braves 16th round selection in this year's draft, only made one start this week, but it was a rough one, as he didn't make it out of the 3rd and posted a 26.97 ERA and a 3.37 WHIP. Prior to that game, he had a 2.80 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 25.2 innings for Danville, though the game raised his ERA to 5.08 and his WHIP to 1.20.
4. Jordan Kreke 2B, Mississippi Braves - 1-20, RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, SB - It's been a rough year for Kreke, who's hit just .212 with a .527 OPS in 335 at bats, and it only got rougher this week, as he hit a lowly .050 with a .186 OPS. He's particularly struggled at home, hitting .199 with a .482 OPS in 181 at bats.
5. William Beckwith 1B, Danville Braves - 4-27, 2B, 3 RBI, BB - Beckwith's season has been impressive, as he's hit .286 with a .939 OPS, 13 doubles, 11 homers, 44 RBI, and 8 stolen bases in 203 at bats, but he's been prone to feast and famine, going on home run binges, but also having weeks like this one, where he hit .148 with a .364 OPS. Like his teammate Larsson, he's truggled at home, hitting .212 with a .667 OPS in 94 at bats, hitting just 1 of his 11 homers, compared to a .349 average and a 1.166 OPS in 109 road at bats.

Dishonorable Mention: Mississippi: Kenshin Kawakami; Lynchburg: Matt Crim, Todd Cunningham, Caleb Brewer, Dimasther Delgado, Joe Leonard; Rome: Tyler Stovall, Tony Mueller; Danville: Edison Sanchez, Kurt Fleming, Sam Munson, Greg Ross.

Rome's dynamic duo of Tommy La Stella and Evan Gattis slugged their way to the top of the hot sheet, Myke Jones, Andrelton Simmons, and Brandon Drury each had extended hitting streaks, and Tyler Stovall took a major step backward in his development.

Who's Hot?

1. Tommy La Stella 2B, Rome Braves - 19-32, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 2 BB - La Stella had the best week of any Braves farmhand this whole season, with 6 multi hit games in a row that helped him to a ridiculous .593/.618/.969/1.587 slash line. The 22 year old has been very impressive since the Braves selected him in the 8th round of the draft this year, with a .322 average, .929 OPS, 7 homers, and 28 RBI in 177 at bats.
2. Evan Gattis C, Rome Braves - 14-31, 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 4 BB - Not that he needs a lot of help, but Gattis benefited from constantly having La Stella on base ahead of him, and took advantage of that to put up his own ridiculous slash line of .451/.514/.903/1.417, while extending his hitting streak to 9 games. Gattis is now the South Atlantic League leader in batting average, slugging percentage, and OPS, and, despite only getting 306 at bats so far this year, he is third in the league in home runs with 22.
3. Myke Jones CF Mississippi Braves - 11-23, 3 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB - Jones struggled for most of the year, but after hitting .522 this week with a 1.295 OPS, he's hitting .324 with a .885 OPS in August, which has pushed his season numbers to a respectable .256 average, .365 OBP, and .759 OPS, numbers that are actually better than the .262 average, .327 OBP, and .747 OPS he put up last season.
4. Andrelton Simmons SS, Lynchburg Hillcats - 12-28, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB - Simmons, the Carolina League leader in hits and batting average, hit .429 this week with a gaudy 1.143 OPS. His great week included three 3 hit games, extending his hitting streak to 6 games, and his first homer of the year. He's answered a lot of quesitons about his bat this year, hitting .309 with a .348 OBP, and a .756 OPS overall.
5. Brandon Drury 3B, Danville Braves - 10-29, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB - Drury's overall line for the week, a .344 average and a .835 OPS, isn't as impressive as the other players' numbers on this list, but he had a hit in every game, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. The third baseman, who just turned 19 on Sunday, is hitting .350 with a .899 OPS and he leads the Appalachian League in hits.

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett: Todd Redmond, Stefan Gartrell, Cory Gearrin, JJ Hoover, Julio Teheran, Diory Hernandez; Mississippi: Chris Cody, Jose Lugo, Aaron Shafer, Jordan Kreke, Ed Lucas, Ernesto Mejia, Benino Pruneda, Andrew Wilson, Cory Harrilchak; Myrtle Beach: Ryan Buchter, Eliecer Cardenas, Dimasther Delgado, Chris Masters, Shawn McGill, Phil Gosselin, Joe Leonard, Joey Terdoslavich, Marcus Lemon, Gerry Rodriguez; Rome Braves: Cody Martin, Gus Schlosser, Chris Garcia, David Rohm; Danville: David Filak, Ryne Harper, Adam Holland, Wilson Rivera, Nick DeSantiago, William Beckwith, Nick Ahmed, Kyle Kubitza, JR Graham

Who's Not?

1. Tyler Stovall LHP, Rome Braves - 3 G, 1.1 IP, 10 R, 9 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, 3 K - Stovall appeared in 3 games this week, and 2 of them when horribly, as he ended up with a 60.90 ERA and a 9.02 WHIP in just 1.1 innings pitched. His 27.1 BB/9 rate this week is all you need to know, as walks have been a constant problem for the 21 year old in his career. This season he has allowed 48 walks in 49 innings, compared to only 42 strikeouts. In his 4 year career, he's allowed 145 walks in 152.1 innings, a 8.6 BB/9 rate. He has an electric arm, but if he can't find some semblance of control he'll never get ouf of A Ball.
2. Chase Larsson LF, Danville Braves - 2-23, 2B, RBI, 4 K - Larsson had a rough week, hitting just .130 with a .304 OPS, continuing a rough August that's seen him hit .159 with a .512 OPS. He's shown good patience this year, walking in 13% of his plate appearances, but he's had trouble making contact, hitting only .225 on the year.
3. Edward Salcedo 3B, Rome Braves - 4-28, HR, 3 RBI, 4 K, SB - Salcedo struggled all week, hitting just .143 with a .393 OPS, and he's been limping toward the finish line with a .171 average and a .461 OPS in August. He's definitely gotten tired as the year has gone on, hitting .233 with a .691 OPS in the second half after hitting .268 with a .766 OPS in the first half.
4. David Hale RHP, Lynchburg Hillcats - 0-1, 4.1 IP, 9 R, 8 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 6 K, - Hale was knocked around in his only start of the week, allowing 8 runs without making it out of the 5th inning. After putting up a 1.80 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 6 July starts, he has a 7.13 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in 3 starts in August.
5. Matt Young CF, Gwinnett Braves - 3-23, 3B, RBI, 3 BB, 5 K - Young slumped to a .130 average and a .448 OPS this week, and since the All-Star break he's only hitting .228 with a .655 OPS. After hitting .300 with a .380 OBP and a .786 OPS for Gwinnett last year, the 28 year old has fallen to a .263 average, .360 OBP, and 698 OPS this season.

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett: Dustin Richardson, Steven Shell, Wilkin Ramirez; Mississippi: Luis Avilan; Lynchburg: Mark Lamm, Gary Moran, Barrett Kleinknecht, Todd Cunningham; Rome: Danilo Alvarez, Carlos Perez, Willie Kempf, Ronan Pacheco, Matt Weaver, Robby Hefflinger, Jarrett Miller; Danville: Rafael Bricenio, Greg Ross, Sam Munson, Ernesto Silva, Kurt Fleming

For once it was the bats making a name for themselves this week, especially that duo at Danville. Evan Gattis is about the only person hitting in Rome, but apparently he doesn't care if anyone else in the batting order can protect him. Both Delgado and Teheran had nice outings this week as well. 

Who's Hot?

1. William Beckwith, Danville Braves - 9-25, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BB, 4 K - His three homer night on Sunday cemented Beckwith's spot at the top of this list. He posted a .360/.484/.960 line for the week producing one of the most valuable offensive weeks of the year for a farmhand. He turns 21 this week so I'd like to see him in Rome. But maybe he plays at two or three levels next year if he has similar success. 
2. Evan Gattis, Rome Braves - 12-21, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K - We all know that Gattis is way too old to be playing in the Sally League. It doesn't mean he isn't destroying it though. He doesn't currently qualify but he would be leading the league in SLG and OPS if he did and he is just a couple homers off the league lead. His .571/.625/1.047 split is pretty absurd. 
3. Randall Delgado, Gwinnett Braves - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K - Delgado has not allowed a run in 13 innings since his promotion to Gwinnett and he won't allow any this week either as the Braves recognized his success (and scheduled turn in the rotation) by giving him the start in Atlanta. After spending much of the year just treading water, his last two starts have been a reminder that he is still a top pitching prospect who would be the top guy in a lot of systems. 
4. Brandon Drury, Danville Braves - 15-31, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 0 BB, 5 K - It seems like Drury and Beckwith are on this list every week.  Of course when you hit .469 in any given week its going to get you placed pretty high on this list. Drury has yet to take a walk this month, which is a concern, but at 18 years old and with the contact and power he is showing I'll wait and see if it becomes a problem. 

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett - Eric Cordier, Julio Teheran, Todd Redmond, Mauro Gomez, Wilkin Ramirez; Mississippi - Ernesto Mejia, Mycal Jones; Lynchburg Hillcats - Joey Terdoslavich, Andrelton Simmons, Joe Leonard, Todd Cunningham David Hale, Gary Moran; Rome Braves - Matt Weaver, Tommy La Stella, Chris Garcia, Robby Heffligner, Sean Gilmartin, Willie Kempf; Danville Braves - Nick Ahmed, J. R Graham, Adam Holland, David Filak.

Who's Not?

1. Edward Salcedo, Rome Braves - 2-18, RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB - It was just last month that Salcedo was blowing up offensively, but he followed that hot streak up with his longest and deepest slump of the season. He has yeat to collect and extra base hit this month and is hitting just .190 so far. I don't know if he is getting tired, is bored or has gotten something completely out of whack in his swing. 
2. Carlos Perez, Rome Braves - 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 4 K - Perez has had an up and down season though recently he has been pitching well. His command has been an issue all season long and this week's start was no different as he had issues keeping the ball down and he was hit hard while giving up six walks. 
3. Matt Lipka, Rome Braves - 2-21, 2B, RBI, BB, 3 K - Lipka's name seemingly appears on this list every week. His .573 OPS is a huge disappointment and with a .577 OPS in August he is actually in the middle of his second best month of the season. 
4. Stefan Gartrell, Gwinnett Braves - 3-21,  2 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K - Gartrell put on a power show in June and July but August has seen him backslide with just one homer this month and a .544 OPS. Oddly, he has already walked more this month than he has in any other prior month and his plate discipline has improved each month of the season. If the power comes back he could be even more of a force than before. 

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves - Yohan Flande; Mississippi Braves - Luis Avilan, Benino Pruneda, Zeke Spruill, Matt Crim; Phil Gosselin; Rome Braves - David Rohm, Tony Mueller, Kyle Rose, Ronan Pacheco; Danville Braves - Kurt Fleming, Edison Sanchez, Dan Jurik.

Tyler Pastornicky had a hit in every game this week, Elmer Reyes hit for the cycle, and brothers Kurt and Kenny Fleming starred for Danville to highlight this week's performances in the Atlanta Braves organization.

Who's Hot?

1. Tyler Pastornicky SS, Gwinnett Braves - 9-24, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, SB - AAA continues to be little challenge for the 21 year old Pastornicky, as he hit .375 with a .949 OPS this week. He had a hit in all 6 games he played in this week, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. During that streak he's hit .408 with a 1.279 OPS.
2. Elmer Reyes 2B, Danville Braves - 12-31, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI - Reyes had the biggest game of the week, hitting for the cycle on Friday. For the week, the 20 year old Nicaraguan hit .387 with a 1.020 OPS, helping him improve his numbers with Danville to a .278 average and a .737 OPS, much better than the .178 average and .474 OPS he put up at the start of the year with Rome.
3. Kurt Fleming CF and Kenny Fleming LF, Danville Braves - 22-47, 5 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB - It's a huge thrill for brothers Kurt and Kenny to get to play together, and this week only made things sweeter as the pair combined to hit .468 with a 1.170 OPS. 19 year old Kurt hit in all 7 games he played in, with a .429 average and 1.127 OPS, and 21 year old Kenny was even better, hitting .526 with a 1.240 OPS while getting a hit in every game he played in.
4. Joey Teroslavich 1B and Todd Cunningham CF, Lynchburg Hillcats - 16-45, 8 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, SB - Cunningham returned after nearly two months on the DL, and did a great job setting the table, with a .417 average and a .464 OBP, even adding a .667 slugging percentage to end the week with a 1.131 OPS. Terdoslavich was equally impressive at clearing the table, as all 6 of his hits on the week went for extra bases, with 4 doubles, to push his league leading total to 45, and 2 homers, to push his team leading total to 16. Combined, the pair hit .356 with a 1.119 OPS.
5. Randall Delgado RHP, Gwinnett Braves - 1-0, 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 9 K - Delgado's AAA debut couldn't have gone much better, as the 21 year old Panamanian shut out the Charlotte Knights on Saturday over 6 innings, striking out 9.

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves: Cory Gearrin, Todd Redmond, Wil Nieves, Wilkin Ramirez; Mississippi Braves: Donell Linares, Matt Kennelly, Dan Nelson, Myke Jones, Luis Avilan; Lynchburg Hillcats: Ryan Buchter, Andrew Russell, Joe Leonard, LV Ware, Keenan Wiley, Chris Masters, Andrelton Simmons; Rome Braves: Ronan Pacheco, Matt Lipka, David Rohm: Danville Braves: Greg Ross, William Beckwith, Edison Sanchez, Lucas La Pointe, JR Graham, Dan Winnie, Fernando de los Santos: GCL Braves: Gerardo Reyes, Hector Garcia, Felix Marte

Who's Not?

1. Nick Ahmed SS, Danville Braves - 2-26, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 SB - Ahmed, the Braves 2nd round pick in this year's draft, started his season strong, hitting .314 with a .842 OPS in June, before struggling a little with a .245 average and a .702 OPS. Things got worse this week, as the 21 year old hit just .077 with a pathetic .220 OPS. His season numbers are fairly ugly as well, with a .233 average, .319 OBP and a .656 OPS in 163 at bats.
2. Caleb Brewer RHP, Rome Braves - 0-1, 3 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 K - After putting up a 3.32 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in the first, numbers that earned him a Sally League All-Star appearance, Brewer has come apart in the second half, with a 9.80 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP. A lack of control has done him in, as he went from a 4.3 BB/9 and a 1.6 K/BB in the first half to a 5.7 BB/9 and a 1.2 K/BB in the second half.
3. Chase Larsson LF, Danville Braves - 4-27, 2B, 4 BB, 7 K - Larsson's overall numbers are pretty good, a .241 average and a .799 OPS, but he struggled mightily this week, hitting just .148 with a .466 OPS. His 7 strikeouts this week accounted for 29% of his strikeouts for the season.
4. Mauro Gomez 1B, Gwinnett Braves - 2-21, HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K - Gomez is having a great year for Gwinnett, as the 26 year old Dominican is hitting .276 with a .819 OPS, 19 homers, and 68 RBI, but he was ineffective this week, hitting .095 with a .507 OPS. After hitting .287 with a .828 OPS in the first half, he's slumped a little in the second half, with a .235 average and a .784 OPS.
5. Erik Cordier RHP, Gwinnett Braves - 0-1, 3.2 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 3 K - Cordier started out his season decently, with a .4.37 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in his first 9 starts, but in his last 4 starts he has a 9.17 ERA and a 2.21 WHIP. Walks have done him in, as he's put up 5.3 BB/9 and 1.2 K/BB on the year.

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves: Ruben Gotay, Brandon Hicks, Stefan Gartrell, Julio Teheran; Mississippi Braves: Cory Harrilchak, Aaron Shafer, Ed Lucas; Lynchburg Hillcats: Christian Bethancourt, Phil Gosselin, Marcus Lemon; Danville Braves: Nick DeSantiago, David Filak

Sorry for the late post on this one, had a lot of stuff going on with work and moving this week. For once it was much easier to fine good players than bad players over the last week. It was also a weird week with our top two starters having one excellent game and one not so excellent one. Delgado brought prospect purgatory back with his performance but Teheran didn't make either list. 

Who's Hot?

1. Tyler Pastornicky, Gwinnett Braves - 11-26, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 SB, 1 CS - Since his promotion to Gwinnett, Pastornicky has gone hitless in just one game and has recorded multiple hits in nine of his twelve games. His hot start at AAA has been fairly empty (just one extra base hit) but any time you hit .423 no one is going to complain.
2. David Hale, Lynchburg Hillcats - 13 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 10 K - If you read our recaps with any regularity you know the story with Hale who has jumped back and forth from the rotation to bullpen ever since he was drafted. The consensus on him coming out of college was that he would be a bullpen arm, but the Braves being the stubbor organization they are decided they would try him in the rotation. That failed so they moved him to the bullpen and he did well. Then back in the bullpen this year he struggled so the Braves gave him another shot in the rotation and lo and behold he has excelled since the move. 
3. Chase Larsson, Danville Braves - 9-22, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K - Larsson is still too old for the league at 22, but week's like this are nice no matter how old you are. His OPS over the last 10 games is north of 1.200 and appears to indicate a need for his promotion.
4. Brandon Drury, Danville Braves - 8-21, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 K - Drury is tied for third in the Appy League in batting average and is in the top ten in OPS. He is sporting a .401 wOBA for the season and has gotten better as the season has worn on with a .440 wOBA in July after a meager .262 mark in June. The only chink in his armor so far is his inability to take a walk, but I don't think I would take any walks either if I could hit everything thrown to me. 
5. Joey Terdoslavich, Lynchburg Hillcats - 11-25, 4 2B, HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K - It is easy to fall into the belief that Terdoslavich has fallen off since the start of the season, especially after he hit 11 homers in the first two months and has added just three in the last two months. But in 128 ABs since his All Star game he has posted a .320/.385/.500 line (that slugging is just 12 points under what he did in the first two months).

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett -Yohan, Flande, Arodys Vizcaino, Julio Teheran, Jairo Asencio, Todd Redmond, Brandon Hicks, Mauro Gomez; Mississippi Braves - Ernesto Mejia; Lynchburg Hillcats - Chris Masters, L.V Ware; Rome Braves - Chris Garcia, David Rohm, Robby Hefflinger, Caleb Brewer; Danville Braves - Edison Sanchez, Lucas La Point, Daniel Lopez, J. R. Graham, Adam Holland.

Who's Not?

1. Eric Cordier, Gwinnett Braves - 5 IP, 8 H, 8 R(4 ER), 2 BB, 2 K - Cordier started the season well enough, even if he did start it late, but July was a nightmare for him as he posted an 8.06 ERA with as many walks as strikeouts (17 in 22.1 innings). The Braves even game him an extra five days rest this past week but it didn't prove to be any help. 
2. Mycal Jones, Mississippi Braves - 4-21, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, SB - Jones has had his ups and downs this season and he has been pushed faster than normal because of how old he was when he was drafted. Unfortunately the one thing he was doing really well he has been take walks, but he hasn't been doing that well at all. In June he walked 22 times in 92 ABs. In July he walked just seven times in 100 ABs. 
3. Matt Crim, Lynchburg Hillcats - 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 K - What makes this week especially bad for Crim is that all of the runs and hits came in an appearance on Saturday where he didn't record an out. Crim is another guy that has switched roles this season but he has been pretty bad as a reliever, posting a 7.01 ERA in 16 games in the role. 
4. Phil Gosselin, Lynchburg Hillcats - 5-26, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K -  Gosselin has put together a nice season and was hitting well coming into July, but the last two weeks have not been kind to the keystone sacker. He has just one extra base hit in his last ten games and his batting average is 40 points lower than his season average for the month of July. 
5. Aaron Northcraft, Rome Braves - 4 IP, 6 H, 5 R(4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K - When Northcraft was promoted he spent a month as the best pitcher in the Rome Rotation but he has come crashing down in the last two months.  Northcraft has an excellent sinker but his stuff is just mediocre, and his second time through the league has caught up with him.

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves - NONE!; Mississippi Braves - Willie Cabrera, Marcus Lemon; Lynchburg Hillcats - Christian Bethancourt, Blaine Sims, Dimaster Delgado; Rome Braves - Matt Lipka, Edward Salcedo, Kyle Rose, Ronan Pacheco, Tony Mueller; Danville Braves - Kurt Fleming, William Beckwith.

It was a great week for Braves prospects, so much so that we've doubled the size of the Hot Sheet just to try to give all the top performers the credit they deserve. Evan Gattis demolished Sally Leauge pitching, Tyler Pastornicky made the transition to AAA look easy, and Myke Jones got himself going in the right direction.

Who's Hot?

1. Evan Gattis C, Rome Braves - 10-23, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 2 BB - Gattis was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week, and it wasn't much of a surprise as the 24 year old hit .435 for the week, with a ridiculous 1.087 slugging percentage and an equally ridiculous 1.567 OPS. He had 5 homers on the week, and 2 straight 2 homer days. He also showed off his versatility, playing catcher, first base, and DH. The week raised his season batting average from .288 to .304, his season slugging percentage from .534 to .593, and his season OPS from .861 to .955. That's a heck of a week.
   
2. Tyler Pastornicky SS, Gwinnett Braves - 11-27, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SB - The 21 year old earned a promotion to AAA after hitting .299 with a .345 OBP, .759 OPS, and 20 stolen bases in 355 at bats for Mississippi. He made the transition look easy, hitting .407 with a .836 OPS in his first week with Gwinnett. The only knock you could find was that none of his 11 hits went for extra bases, but his .429 OBP and 2 stolen bases were great numbers for a top of the order hitter.
3. Myke Jones CF, Mississippi Braves - 9-20, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K - It's been a trying year for Jones, but he's shown flashes of brilliance, like this week, when he put up a .450 average, a .5522 OBP, and a whopping 1.272 OPS. He also struck out in 40% of his at bats, and while his 24% striketout rate for the year isn't terrible, it's a number he'll need to improve on if he intends to be a top of the order Major League hitter.
4. Brett Oberholtzer LHP, Mississippi Braves - 2-0, 13 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 6 K - The 22 year old lefty had a great week, putting up a 1.38 ERA and a 0.77 ERA while winning both of his starts, and he's been on a roll, with a 5-2 record, a 1.93 ERA, and a 1.07 WHIP in his last 7 starts.
5. Tommy La Stella 2B, Rome - 10-19, 2 3B, RBI, 3 BB - La Stella, who the Braves drafted in the 8th round this year, didn't exactly fill up the stat sheet, but a .526 average and a 1.328 OPS will get you on the Hot Sheet every time. After starting his career with a .129 average and a .573 OPS in his first 8 games, the 22 year old has hit .314 with a .881 OPS in his last 21 games.
   
6. Jose Peraza SS, DSL Braves - 12-26, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 SB - It's hard to get noticed when you're playing in another country, but Pereza manged to get a hit in all 6 games he played in this week, which sounds good in any language. The 17 year old Venezuelan hit .462 with a 1.000 OPS, and he's having a solid debut season, hitting .276 with a .341 OBP, a .678 OPS and 21 stolen bases in 163 at bats.
7. David Hale RHP, Lynchburg Hillcats - 0-1, 8 IP, 1 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 3 K - A lack of offense led to a loss, but Hale was still fantastic in his lone start this week, recording his first complete game while walking none over 8 innings. The 23 year old has flourished since moving into the Hillcats rotation, with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 22 innings over 5 starts.
8. Stefan Gartrell RF and Mauro Gomez 1B, Gwinnett Braves - 17-51, 3 2B, 7 HR, 15 RBI, 5 BB - Gartrell and Gomez have excelled all year as Gwinnett's 4 and 5 hitters, and they upped their game this week, combining to hit .333 with a .804 slugging percentage and a 1.197 OPS. Gartrell hit 4 homers in 3 days and Gomez also homered in 3 straight games. Gomez had a hit in every game this week, finishing with a 1.247 OPS on his own.
   

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves: Jairo Asencio, Jaye Chapman, Todd Redmond, Dustin Richardson, Julio Teheran, Jose Constanza; Mississippi Braves: JJ Hoover, Jose Lugo, Benino Pruneda, Richard Sullivan, Matt Kennelly; Lynchburg Hillcats: Brett Butts, Eliecer Cardenas, Dimasther Delgado, Chris Masters, Joe Leonard, Marcus Lemon, Christian Bethancourt, Andrelton Simmons; Rome Braves: Willie Kempf, Gary Moran, Tony Mueller; Danville Braves: Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury, Kyle Kubitza, Chase Larsson, Nick DeSantiago, Jarrett Miller; GCL Braves: Logan Robbins, Felix Marte

Who's Not?

1. Gerry Rodriguez DH, Lynchburg Hillcats - 1-18, RBI, 9 K - A RBI single on Saturday saved Rodriguez from a hitless week, but he still finshed with a punchless .056 average and anemic .112 OPS, as well as striking out in half of his at bats for the week. This is the third year in a row the 24 year old has spent time at High A, but after .265 with a .785 OPS, 25 homers, and 94 RBI in 544 at bats for Myrtle Beach the last 2 years, he's hit just .208 with a .665 OPS this year, and his strikeout rate has risen from an already high 33% up to 37% this year.
2. Erik Cordier RHP, Gwinnett Braves - 0-1, 3 IP, 8 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 1 K - Cordier has had an up and down year, and this was a real down, as he allowed 12 baserunners and 8 runs in just 3 innings, good for a 24.00 ERA and a 4.00 WHIP. In his 2 starts before this one, the 25 year old had only allowed 2 earned runs in 12 innings, striking out 12.
   
3. Edward Salcedo 3B, Rome Braves - 3-23, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 7 K - Salcedo has had a very nice season for Rome, hitting .270 with a .790 OPS, 25 doubles, 10 homers, 48 RBI, and 14 stolen bases whle learning how to play third base, but this week was a bad one, as he hit just .130 with a weak .341 OPS. He also struck out in 30% of his at bats, a much higher rate than the 21% he's struck out at for the season.
4. Billy Bullock RHP, Mississippi Braves - 1-0, 2 IP, 5 ER, 1 H, 6 BB, 3 K - Bullock blew his first save of the season this week, though he actually ended up getting credited with the win in that game. Walks did him in this week, as he allowed 6 in just 2 innings, putting up a 22.50 ERA and a 3.50 WHIP for the week. While his 12.9 K/9 rate this season is outstanding, his 5.8 BB/9 and 2.2 K/BB rates are not, and must be improved if he's to tap into his huge potential.
   

Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves: Matt Young; Mississippi Braves: Paul Clemens, Cory Harrilchak; Lynchburg Hillcats: Ryan Buchter, LV Ware, Keenan Wiley, Blain Sims, Aaron Shafer, Phil Gosselin; Rome Braves: David Rohm, Caleb Brewer, Aaron Northcraft, Ronan Pacheco, Chris Garcia, Robby Hefflinger; Danville Braves: William Beckwith, Elmer Reyes, Sam Munson

Surprisingly it was very hard to find players who had truly bad weeks last week. Many players had less playing time because of the All Star Breaks and most every put together at least moderately good performances. A couple of low level guys get some love with their smoking performance to start the season. 

Who's Hot?

1. William Beckwith, Danville Braves - 8-22, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, SB - I hope you guys aren't tired of me singing the praises of this guy, because really I'm not going to stop until he stops hitting. His numbers this week translate into a .363/.416/.727 line. Looking at pictures of him you would really never think he is an athlete but he has shown an excellent eye at the plate with superb power and he is even 5/5 in stolen base attempts this season. 
2. Edward Salcedo, Rome Braves - 9-22, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, BB, 2 K, SB, CS - Salcedo is currently putting together his best month of the season and I expect he will spend his last month in Lynchburg. He hit .409 for the week and if you fudge the numbers and add last Sunday in you get - 12-26, 4 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 2K, SB, CS which comes out to .461/.481/.808. I'll take that from a 19 year old in A ball. 
3. Oriel L Caicedo, DSL Braves - 11 IP, 5 H, 1 R(0 ER), 3 BB, 7 K, 13-6 GB:FB - Caicedo was one of the Braves top international signings a year ago and already he is showing them what their money is worth. He has a .97 ERA on the season, good for the best in the league among players with more than one start. His strikeouts aren't mind blowing but you can't deny his performance has been phenomenal. 
4. Arodys Vizcaino, Mississippi Braves - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K - With every good outing Arodys Vizcaino moves back up the prospect charts. Baseball America and Keith Law released their mid season lists this week and Arodys was firmly inside the top 20 on both. 

Honorable Mention: Gwinnett - Eirc, Cordier, MIke MInor, Todd Redmond, Juan Abreu; Mississippi - Ernesto Mejia, Cory Harrilchak; Lynchburg - Joey Terdoslavich, Blaine Sims, Aaron Schafer; Rome Braves - Matt Lipka, Chris Garcia; Danville - Brandon Drury, Lucas La Point.

Who's Not?

1. David Rohm, Rome Braves - 0-19, 1 BB, 2 K, - There weren't a whole lot of truly bad players in the Braves system this past week but it is difficult to be worse than Rohm was. He had been putting together his best month to date, but this week has turned it into his worst month of the year.
2. Caleb Brewer, Rome Braves - 8.1 IP, 10 H, 12 R(11 ER), 2 HR, 7 BB, 6 K -  Brewer was the best pitcher on this team for most of the first half of the season, but over his last seven starts he has been a runs geyser. I would expect more than doubling his career high in innings has probably had something to do with that.
3. David Filak, Danville Braves - 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 K -  For the year Filak has a combined 8.22 ERA between Rome and Danville and he has allowed 91 hits in 65.1 innings of work along with 41 walks and just 47 strikeouts. It just hasn't been a great year. 
4. Rome Braves -  After being the worst team in their division in the first half, Rome continues their (non)dominance in the second half with the worst record in the league. They sport the third worst OPS and ERA in the league which just makes them all around bad.