Atlanta Braves minor league recap: AJ Smith-Shawver turns in solid performance in Gwinnett

THE Atlanta Braves The system just added a huge talent in draft lefty Cam Caminiti, as well as another intriguing lefty out of Vandy, Carter Holton, in the second round. Be sure to check out our draft content from Day 1 and stay tuned for Days 2 and 3! While our scouting team gets busy putting everything on draft content, yours truly will bring you today’s minor league recap in a very abbreviated form, due to my limited scouting knowledge compared to the regular team. Regular programming will resume shortly.

(44-49) Gwinnett Stripers 1, (43-49) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 2

The score of the box

• Forest wall, CF: 2-5
• Luke Waddell, SS: 2-4, 1 2B
• AJ Smith-Shawver, SP: 3.2 innings, 0 pitches, 3 earned runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 5.97 earned runs
• Alan Winans, SP/RP: 5.1 innings, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 2.74 ERA

With Nacho Alvarez out after being hit in the wrist on Friday and Drake Baldwin in Texas for the Futures Game, the Gwinnett Stripers’ slate looks a bit more boring than in previous weeks. AJ Smith-Shawver started and was pretty unlucky but overall good for 3.2 innings. It was a pretty unremarkable outing for AJ, with unspectacular strikeout numbers and just one walk plus a hit batter, somehow resulting in 2 earned runs, which Alan Winans allowed to score. Winans was mostly strong, though, keeping the Shrimp off the bases for the most part, with below-average strikeout numbers but no walks. The offense, however, was mediocre, producing just one run thanks to Waddell and Wall.

(40-46) Mississippi Braves 5, (47-40) Birmingham Barons 4

The score of the box

• Cal Conley, SS: 2-4, 2B, SB
• Yolbert Sanchez, 2B: 3-4, 3B, 2 SB
• Drew Parrish, SP: 5.0 innings, 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts, 3.92 ERA

Mississippi is sorely lacking in upside right now, especially with someone named Drew Parrish on the mound to start Sunday’s game. The offense was productive enough without hitting a single home run to earn this win over the Barons, led by Cal Conley, Justin Dean and Yolbert Sanchez. Parrish, for his part, is off to a solid start to the season with 2 earned runs in 5.0 innings with 7 strikeouts.

(43-42) Emperors of Rome 0, (38-49) Greenville Drive 2

The score of the box

• Sabin Ceballos, 3B: 0-4, K
• EJ Exposito, SS: 0-4, 2K
• Cory Wall, SP: 6.0 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 3.23 ERA
• Jared Johnson, RP: 1 inning, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts, 2.83 ERA

This was a very bad game for the Emperors. The most offensive players were a walk and a single by Nick Ward. Four other players each had singles and that’s the extent of Rome’s offensive output, which (combined with poor sequencing) is why we got shut out. Cory Wall got off to an admirable start, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings with just 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Meanwhile, reliever Jared Johnson was a bright spot, striking out two batters in his scoreless inning of work.

(36-49) Augusta Green Jackets 5, (39-48) Fayetteville Peaks 3

The score of the box

• Isaiah Drake, CF: 0-3, BB
• Robert Gonzalez RF: 1-3, BB, K
• Kade Kern, designated hitter: 3-4, 2 2B
• Anthony Garcia, starting pitcher: 4.0 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 5.35 earned runs
• Giomar Diaz, RP: 3.0 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 run, 5 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA

It was a bit better from the Braves affiliate, as the offense did what it needed to do again, with an impressive performance from Kade Kern and a number of contributions from across the lineup, including the intriguing Robert Gonzalez. The pitching staff was solid overall from top to bottom, with the highlight being Giomar Diaz pitching in relief for 3 innings with an impressive 5 strikeouts.

My apologies to anyone disappointed by the relative lack of depth compared to our usual minor league recaps, but just consider me a modestly qualified replacement today and the real pros will be back in no time.