2017 GCL Braves Review

2017 Minor League Recaps
DSL

On Friday, the Gulf Coast League Braves finished their season with a 7-0 win over the GCL Tigers East. Well, technically, they had another game on the schedule, but the game was canceled due to rain, leaving the GCL Braves at 31-28. It was the first time since 2003 that the GCL Braves finished the regular season over .500, though they did finish at .500 twice. There was some hope for a playoff spot, but a late-season three-game slide (including back-to-back losses to eventual division champ Yankees East) killed the chances that the GCL Braves would go to the playoffs in back-to-back years.

The team was a mix of some of the best talents from last year's July 2 class and some of the Braves' top draft choices from June. Midseason promotions to Danville hurt the lineup especially, but the GCL Braves still had enough firepower to enter the final day of the season with the league's sixth-best offense despite its third-youngest team. Their pitching staff was also especially young with the fourth-youngest group of arms in the league. Despite that, they closed the year with a 3.18 ERA, good for fourth in the league.

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2017 GCL Braves Pitcher of the Year - Miguel Jerez
Similar to Odalvi Javier, one of GCL Braves' top pitchers last year, Jerez isn't going to stand out when you grade his game. His stuff isn't top prospect-worthy and his velocity won't amaze bystanders. However, like Javier, the parts of Jerez's game that stand out is his ability to throw quality strikes and challenge the hitter. He opened the season with four games in the DSL, which is where he pitched last year after signing with the organization in May. By the beginning of the GCL season, he received a promotion and over 15 games, including one start, Jerez showed he could handle baseball in the states. In 39 games, he allowed just six earned runs. Don't worry, I will do the math for you - 1.38 ERA. He also struck out 35 compared to just ten walks. Jerez might not be a top prospect right now - or even a Top 50 prospect - but as long as the lefty continues to contribute, he'll continue to deserve attention.

2017 GCL Braves Player of the Year - Jeffrey Ramos
Though he spent most of August in Danville, Ramos finished with nearly a third of the GCL Braves' home runs (6 of 21) and he did that while at the tender age of 18. In a sign that the Braves liked his maturity, Ramos was signed last July 2 and less than three weeks later, he made his professional debut. He struggled considerably, slashing .230/.283/.333 - though only 13 of his 138 PA came against pitchers he was older than. That last nugget didn't change much this year (194 of 209 PA came against pitchers older than him), but that didn't stop Ramos from exploding onto the scene. Ramos was especially good right before his promotion to Danville. In his final 13 games at the GCL level, he slashed a robust .458/.526/.833, which I'm told is good. He also hit four of his six homers during the run. You can see why the Braves took pity on the Gulf Coast League and promoted him up a level. He wasn't as explosive in Appalachian League, but the outfielder still hit .278 with his seventh homer of the year in 78 PA. Ramos has done nothing but impress and will likely join Rome to open 2018.

Other Names to Remember
Yunior Severino, 2B - One of the top bats from last year's J2 class, Severino was also one of the few prospects who stuck around all season for GCL while others moved on. He slashed .286/.345/.444, which is rather impressive for a 17-year old. He also finished second to Baltimore's Will Robertson in doubles with 17 and it's worth mentioning that Robertson is five years older than Severino. The switch-hitter will have to work on strikeouts, though. Nearly 30% of all of his PA ended in a strikeout, which can be killer on a hitter once he reaches the better secondary pitches found in Double-A. That said, the Braves have to be happy with the production they did receive from the young middle infielder.

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Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B - Like Ramos, JCE spent most of August in Danville. Before the promotion, he was hitting .350/.374/.563. The only reason I went with Ramos for Player of the Year was that the outfielder showed more power and is slightly younger. Nevertheless, at just 19, JCE's accomplishments cannot be ignored either. JCE added eight doubles, four triples, and a pair of home runs to his stat-line before joining Danville, where he hit .290/.316/.355 with a homer. On defense, JCE has a strong arm but will need to work on accuracy. He's very nimble at third, though, and shows good instincts. At the plate, he has a big frame and should develop more power as he matures.

Livan Soto, SS - All in all, it would be easy to call Soto's first season a disappointment. He hit just .225 with five doubles. But when the season began for him on June 26, he was just four days removed from his 17th birthday. Unsurprisingly, he never faced a pitcher older than him - which makes his 27 walks to 26 strikeouts a bit more impressive. Soto, another seven-digit earner from last year's J2 class, won't mash the ball but is expected to fill out the stats line everywhere else. As he matures (he was listed at 160 pounds), Soto could develop into a second-division starter or supersub with the ability to play a capable shortstop. In addition to shortstop, he also played three games across the bag at second and started one game in center field.

Braulio Vasquez, 3B - One of the few DSL performers last year who flashed a nice hit tool, Vasquez was rolling through the first 31 games of the year with a .310/.402/.380 slash. He was also doing something that is one of my favorite minor league things - more triples than doubles. However, he bottomed-out in his final 16 games with a .192/.311/.231 run. Vasquez is a bit of a fan favorite. He shows a good understanding of the strike zone, a quick first step on the bases, and a good arm at third. In what is rapidly turning into a common line, he was rather young this year at 18. To stay at third, the 6-footer is going to have to flash some pop as nine extra base hits (no homers) in 292 career PA isn't going to cut it.

Abraham Gutierrez, C - For what it's worth, it might be spelled Abrahan. However it's spelled, at just 17, Gutierrez is one of those guys who may have needed a run in the DSL. Nevertheless, there he was, slashing .264/.319/.357 and flashing his plus-plus defensive skills behind the plate in the Gulf Coast League. There's good debate whether he or Danville's Wilson Conthass have the best arm in the system, but regardless of where you fall - hard for me not to side with Conteras - both have the skills to impress at catcher. I can't wait to get to see Gutierrez next year in Danville.

Yoeli Lopez, OF - If Vasquez wasn't your choice for DSL Player of the Year last year, it was probably Lopez, who slashed .240/.382/.357. The Braves hoped for more from Lopez and started him in the DSL to give him a jumpstart, but wherever he was, he was in the midst of a disappointing season. Lopez is a bit undersized, but has a strong body and flashes good pop. He also crowds the plate, inviting a number of pitches to come in on him for a HBP. Still, he doesn't make solid consistent contact and is prone to strikeout binges. If you squint your eyes, you see a Top 50 prospect. I'm waiting for him to open my eyes, though.

Zach Becherer, RHP - A 15th rounder, Becherer was notable for his Wild Thing impression on the mound this year. In 16 games, he walked 17 in 18 innings. He only hit one batter - a small miracle - but uncorked 7 wild pitches. On the bright side, he struck out 24 of the 88 batters he faced. There is some talent here and if he can throw more strikes, the Braves might have something. Like a great movie once said, though - "We better teach this kid some control before he kills somebody."

Troy Bacon, RHP - A fourth rounder out of Santa Fe Community College, Bacon had a solid first summer as a professional with 22 strikeouts in 18.1 innings next to just seven walks. He finished off seven of the 13 games he appeared in and has all the makings of a nice reliever. At 20, though, his production doesn't have the same shine of younger performers who did comparable work as a teenager this year. Bacon might be a guy who will skip Danville to open next year in Rome as a 21-year-old.

Hayden Deal, LHP - Undrafted? No problem. Deal logged 26.2 innings out of the pen for the GCL Braves and showed impressive control with just seven unintentional walks. He also struck out 23. Like with Bacon, let's condition this by mentioning that he's already 22. In his favor was an August promotion to Rome to help out a beleaguered pitching staff. In his one outing with Rome, he went four shutout innings with four strikeouts. He returned to the GCL, but he is on the shortlist for a bump past Danville to Rome for the opening of the 2018 season.

Tanner Allison, LHP - Completing the trifecta with guys who were solid, but too old for the GCL, here is Allison with just two walks in 16.1 ING out of the pen. A 19th-rounder out of THE Western Michigan University, Allison didn't make his debut until mid-July, but once he got out there, he showed he belonged. In addition to the control, he K'd 15 and finished with a 2.20 ERA. He's also 22, but a few months younger than Deal. How the Braves use all of these fringy arms will be interesting to watch next spring.

Yefri Del Rosario, RHP - You want a true prospect arm? Here's Del Rosario, a hard-throwing 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. The Braves continue to work with Del Rosario to clean up his mechanics and he caught too much of the strike zone at times this year, but he's a guy with high leverage relief potential or, with the development of a solid off-speed pitch, middle-of-the-rotation projection. He did strike out 29 in 32.1 innings and showed decent control with just ten walks. He'll be one of the arms to watch out for in Danville.

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Juan Contreras, RHP - Like Del Rosario, Contreras was signed in last year's J2 class out of the Dominican Republic. He received the biggest non-hitter signing bonus by the Braves at $1.2M due to his mid-90's heat and a wipeout slider. Now, can he control it? Hopefully, this year will serve as a "huh, that's odd" stat line in his career because he nearly doubled his strikeouts with walks (21 BB to 12 K) over 19.2 innings. Those numbers include an one inning, one K performance in the DSL before joining the Gulf Coast League. He might get a repeat assignment in the GCL depending on how he looks next spring (plus the roster situation in Danville), but don't sleep on Conteras. He could turn into a Top 5 arm in the system within a couple of years.

Freddy Tarnok, RHP - The 80th overall selection in June's draft wasn't given a lot of opportunities to flash his potential as the Braves heavily monitored his pitch count. He never retired more than six batters in any given start so it's hard to really get a read on him. That said, he only walked three in 14 innings, which is a good mark for a high school arm. He also K'd 10 and ended the season with a 2.57 ERA, all decent signs. Next year, we'll learn more about Tarnok, who likely will follow the Kyle Muller-path rather than a Joey Wentz one.

Guillermo Zuniga, RHP - Probably the third-best arm the Braves signed in July of 2016, Zuniga got into the action a lot quicker than his other J2 pitching classmates, appearing in five games in the DSL last year. He struggled notably this season in the GCL and as the season progressed, his control only got worse. He finished the year on a sour note, allowing five runs in 2.2 ING while walking two and hitting two others. It was his second outing of the year that he failed to strikeout a batter and things just never seemed to get going for Zuniga. The Columbian import might repeat the GCL in 2018, but I imagine he'll get pushed up to Danville where he'll look to bounce back.

Quick Stats
31-28, 6th-most in RS, 6th-fewest runs given up

Leaders
RS - Severino, 27
H - Severino, 54
2B - Severino, 17
3B - Encarnacion, 4
HR - Ramos, 6
RBI - Ramos, 30
SB - Vasquez, 12
AVG - Encarnacion, .350
OBP - Zack Soria, .389
SLG - Encarnacion, .563
ISO - Ramos, .231
wOBA - Encarnacion, .433
wRC+ - Encarnacion, 162

(min. 30 ING for rate stats)
W - Troy Conyers & Deyvis Julian, 3
G - Ramon Taveras, 17
GS - Albinson Volquez, 9
SV - Allison, Bacon, Deal, 2
IP - Julian, 40.1
BB - Contreras & Julian, 21
BB% - Taveras, 4% (lowest)
K - Jerez, 35
K% - Jerez, 22.6%
ERA - Jerez, 1.38
FIP - Taveras, 2.22

Transaction Tuesday: S-Rod, Minter, Winkler, Freeman

Not a huge week in quantity of transactions this week, but plenty of interesting ones as three players begin rehab assignments and three others continue theirs. In addition, a draft pick from 2016 gets released while a former football player decides baseball is tough.

Prospect Rankings reflect the preseason WOW list.

Atlanta
This does not include the July 2nd international class. I hope to do some legwork on that class in the following days. In addition, I already went over the Bartolo Colon/Rex Brothers transaction.

Signed: Andrew Daniel...An 11th rounder in 2014, Daniel opened some eyes in the Pioneer League (Rookie) shortly after being drafted with a .340/.408/.510 run with six homers and 13 steals. The seasons that have followed have not been nearly as noteworthy. In his second season at Double-A, he was hitting .225 with a .659 OPS before being released by the Angels. Being that he was in the Southern League, the Braves saw plenty of him and less than two weeks later, inked Daniel to a deal. He plays second and third base and seems like a decent enough defender with good athleticism, but he's more of a guy at this point than someone to keep a watchful eye on with Mississippi.

Signed: Kevin Matthews...This one is a bit more interesting. Selected with the 33rd pick of the 2011 draft, Matthews went to the Rangers' organization. A bit undersized at 5'11," Matthews never shined with Texas. He often posted decent strikeout numbers with little-to-no control. Shoulder injuries also led to a lost 2013 season. In 2015, the Rangers switched Matthews to the bullpen hoping to jumpstart his career in the South Atlantic League, but he continued to struggle to find the strikezone. A DUI in early May convinced the Rangers to give up on him. He kept the baseball dream alive this season in the United Shore Professional Baseball League with the Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers. In five starts (25 ING), Matthews cruised through this opponents while striking out 43. Matthews, who calls Richmond Hill, GA home, heads to Rome to begin his Braves' career and already logged a two-inning, two-K scoreless outing with no walks.

Gwinnett
Optioned from Atlanta: Jason Hursh...The 2013 first-rounder has been up with the team three times and I'm becoming more-and-more convinced that he's worth a longer look. He's throwing harder out of the bullpen than ever and getting improved movement on his slider. We know that he has pretty good control and the ability to induce a lot of weak contact that his infielders gobble up. But he's been flashing some better swing-and-miss skills of late and that is what I'm getting excited about. He may never be a high-leverage reliever, but could he fill Cristhian Martinez's old role with the team? Quite possibly.

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Rehab: Freddie Freeman...I write these things to cover the week that was in Braves' transactions, but this rehab assignment is already finished by the time you read this as the Braves announced Freeman's return to the majors for their game on July 4th. He logged one attempt at third base during the rehab assignment.

Rehab: Dan Winkler...After an appearance in Rome and three with Florida, Winkler landed in Gwinnett to begin the week. His first three outings there have been steadily worse. He worked around a pair of hits against Toledo before Charlotte roughed him up for six runs over two outings. The good news is that those two outings came in back-to-back appearances, a hurdle the Braves would like to see Winkler cross before considering him for a promotion back to the majors where he still needs to finish off his Rule 5 requirements. The former University of Central Florida standout still has about a week-and-a-half remaining that the Braves can use during this rehab assignment to evaluate him.

Mississippi
Promoted from Florida: A.J. Minter (#19)...It's been a frustrating run for Minter, who looked, with a strong spring, like he might jump from Mississippi to the majors less than two years after being drafted in the '15 draft. Injuries - that's plural - have limited him along the way. He's finally amping up for a possible promotion to the majors and it included a return to Mississippi last week. He pitched three times and allowed a hit, two walks, and K'd three. There are reports he's headed up to Gwinnett, though they are unconfirmed for now. He's yet to pitch in back-to-back games, but his last three appearances came over a six-day period.

Florida
Rehab: Chaz Roe...Sidelined with a right lat strain, which has already stopped one rehab stint in its tracks, Roe is back in action for Florida. Quietly a solid arm over the last two seasons (25% K-rate, 3.52 FIP, 3.67 xFIP), Roe hit the DL very early on for the Braves, but there is no promise that this rehab stint will end with a return to the majors. With Winkler and Minter also moving up the ladder, Roe might have a tough time getting back on the roster even if some trades open up things. That said, he's better than many people think and the Braves might not be anxious to lose him.

Promoted from Rome: Joe Rogers...Somebody must like Rogers. After flaming out of the Tigers' system and getting cut late in camp, the Braves pounced and Rogers has logged a total of 14 games between Rome, Florida, and Mississippi. The results are abysmal, but the 26 year-old keeps getting assignments. In his defense, he's riding the best K/9 of his career at 11.3, but his walks are also a career-high. Like I said, somebody must like him. He's probably going to have to get going, though.

Rome
Promoted from Danville: Alan Crowley...The release of one 2016 draftee opens up a spot for Crowley, who was 0-for-7 with Danville prior to the promotion. A catcher from Reedley College (California, obviously), Crowley did have a hot stick in the GCL last year (.327/.375/.385). Most catchers drafted that late in the draft are projects - catchers with a good glove, but no bat or vice versa. With two of their most-used catchers now in Florida (Brett Cumberland and Tanner Murphy), Rome needs someone to pair with Lucas Herbert and why not Crowley?

Released: Ramon Osuna...A 14th rounder out of Walters State Community College last year, Osuna had some nice numbers with Danville (.276/.342/.423, 16 EBH in 184 PA), but struggled greatly after his late May placement in Rome. With no room down in Danville and Osuna limited to first base, the Braves moved on from their recent draftee. He hit just .164 over 72 PA with three doubles and 35 K's before being cut.

Danville
Promoted from GCL: Jose Bermudez...This is interesting. The last we saw of Bermudez, he was playing outfield in the Dominican Republic. He hit .258 with eleven steals. However, the switch-hitting soon-to-be 20 year old is listed as a pitcher now.

Promoted from GCL: Shaen Michel...With a full name like Raysheandall Juliandru Vernon Michel, it's nice of him to shorten it to Shaen. The outfield from Curacao has some good speed and a little bit of pop in his bat, but the results are fairly meh to this point. He spent 2015 in the Dominican started there again in 2016 before a midseason promotion to the GCL to finish the year, where he struggled badly. A little surprised to see him promoted to Danville, but the problem with having so many good players is that it can be tough to find time for the guys who aren't highly-rated prospects.

Released: Sanders Commings...Well, that didn't last long. The former Kansas City Chief and Georgia Bulldog gridiron standout had a much quieter switch to baseball than Tim Tebow, but it was a little surprising to see him give up on the dream so quickly. Commings appeared in just six games with the D-Braves and K'd in 9-of-15 PA. When I saw him last week, his swing did look wonky, but the Braves seemed content to give him time in the D-Braves outfield with Isranel Wilson, Bradley Keller, Justin Smith, and company.

GCL
Promoted from DSL: Juan Contreras...One of their top pitching targets last July, Contreras is one of many of that J2 class to skip an assignment in the Dominican and jump to GCL instead. Signed for $1.2M and ranked #41 in Baseball America's Top 50 international prospects, Contreras has a mid-90's fastball and a really nasty slider. He might end up as a reliever if he can't develop something offspeed, but that's what the Braves' development team is for. He doesn't turn 18 until September, by the way. In his first professional start, he set down all three batters he faced and struck out one.

Rehab: Micah Johnson...Part of the reason Emilio Bonifacio was on the roster when the season opened was an injury Johnson suffered on a defensive play near the end of spring training. He fractured his left wrist on the play and finally got back into action over the weekend with some time in CF. I've written about Johnson before and like his swing when he's not so focused on slapping the ball. Things have changed in Atlanta since the release of Bonifacio and with the guy below Johnson also ramping up to return, it could be tough for Johnson to find a place in the majors, but a big rehab run could help.

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Rehab: Sean Rodriguez...The initial fear after Rodriguez underwent shoulder surgery following his scary car accident before spring training was that he would miss the entire season. However, as the calendar switched to July, there he was getting some time with the GCL club. Rodriguez was coming off a career-year in 2016 with 18 homers and a .859 OPS. He's best used in platoon situations where he can bash left-hand pitching, but his other value - especially in the NL - is that of a super utility player who played all but catcher and pitcher last season. So far, he's already played both 2B and SS during his rehab.

Released: Bredio Vega...Vega had not impressed many people after two years of rookie ball coming out of Panama. Last year, his only year stateside, Vega had a 6.35 ERA over 22.2 innings with the GCL club - an improvement of 0.35 from his 2015 ERA in the Dominican. He was a project pitcher who was a bit too old at 21 to be taking time from other project pitchers who can't legally drink yet.

DSL
Demoted from GCL: Luidemid Rojas...A day after being assigned to the GCL roster in last week's update, Rojas was demoted back to the DSL roster and that's where he'll begin his career. This is either a mistake or the Braves found themselves pushed to the roster limit in the DSL and needing to make a move. Rojas was signed in last year's J2 class our of Venezuela. Another switch-hitting infielder (the Braves have scores of them), Rojas was a depth guy coming out of that group.