Minor League and Prospect Discussion

[ATLien]

I was going by rookies who have been in the majors, only.

But who knows, at our current rate, maybe Salty will be in Atlanta soon. Hell, I never thought Francoeur would be here this soon.

[ATLien]

Andy Marte has been called back up to Atlanta! Woo!

[General]

Who was sent down? Oh, I see, Jorge Vazquez was. When is Bernero going to be DFAd?

[ATLien]

Link

**Richmond: Kyle Davies won his first start after returning to the Class AAA International League, allowing five hits and a run over six innings against Durham. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one. . . . Adam Bernero is starting for the R-Braves and pitched five scoreless innings in his first game. . . . James Jurries, moved to right field when first baseman Scott Thorman was moved up from Mississippi, was hitting .289 with 15 homers and 48 RBIs. . . . Daniel Curtis, 3-7 with a 5.29 ERA, was sent down to Class AA.

**Mississippi: First-round draft choice Joey Devine allowed no runs and just four hits in his first seven appearances, going 1-0 with two saves. He had eight strikeouts and three walks in eight innings. . . . Sean White pitched six scoreless innings to win his first game after being promoted from Myrtle Beach, where he was 9-3 with a 3.71 ERA. The right-hander allowed four hits and one walk. . . . Outfielder Carlos Duran had a four-hit game that included a home run.

**Myrtle Beach: After a dominant 2004 season at Rome, left-hander Jake Stevens has struggled in the Carolina League. He was 5-7 with a 4.45 ERA and had allowed 106 hits in 97 innings. . . . Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia raised his average to .299, with nine homers and 39 RBIs. . . . Outfielder Matt Esquivel led the Pelicans with 15 homers and 64 RBIs while hitting .288.

**Rome: Reliever Bryan Digby, a second-round draft choice in 2000 from McIntosh High School, was sent down from Myrtle Beach. The right-hander walked 30 in 28 innings for the Pelicans and was 1-4 with an 8.89 ERA. . . . Cuban shortstop Yunel Escobar went 15-for-30 over a seven-game stretch and was hitting .309.

**Danville: Jairo Cuevas, a 21-year-old Dominican right-hander, is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA and 33 strikeouts to five walks over 27u0131 innings in the rookie Appalachian League. Opponents are hitting .156. . . Jo-Jo Reyes, a second-round draft choice in 2003, began his comeback from reconstructive elbow surgery.

**Gulf Coast: Venezuelan shortstop Elvis Andrus, who doesn't turn 17 until next month, was hitting .300 in the rookie league and had 15 RBIs in 22 games.

[General]

Elvis is the next A-Rod. Only not as flamboyant.

[ATLien]

Elvis & Escobar give Atlanta some hope at SS for the future.

It's good to see Salty Dog hitting well this season. I really love his potential to develop into a power hitting catcher with the possibility of being moved to first base when he is major league ready.

[General]

Rotoworld tidbit on the Salt man:

Single-A Myrtle Beach's Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a two-homer game yesterday.
In a tough environment for hitters, Saltalamacchia is batting .306/.383/.495 in 85 games this season. Brian McCann has more offensive potential, but Saltalamacchia does project as the better defensive catcher of the two. Both are very good prospects

[ATLien]

Salty Dog is alot more athletic than McCann, but the Braves brass loves McCann. I wonder what we are going to do with Salty Dog. Probably either package him in a trade, or move him to another position.

[General]

First base, anyone?

[General]

Little tidbit on Chuck James:

Chuck James - LHP Braves - James fell to the 20th round of the 2002 draft because he broke both of his wrists in a diving stunt that didn’t go quite as planned. He debuted in mid-2003 and posted a 1.25 ERA in 11 starts for Rookie Danville. Last year, he went 10-5 with 2.24 ERA, 92 H, 156/48 K/BB in 132 2/3 IP for low Single-A Rome. Again an off-field issue held him back, as some trouble while attending the South Atlantic League All-Star Game got him suspended and cancelled his scheduled promotion to Single-A Myrtle Beach. James did get to Myrtle Beach this year, but he needed just seven starts there before moving up to Double-A Mississippi. Between the two levels, he’s 11-4 with a 1.85 ERA, 78 H and 155/24 K/BB in 121 1/3 IP.

James isn’t a favorite of scouts, but it’s hard to overlook his success. He averages 90 mph with his fastball, an offering that minor league hitters are usually late on because his changeup is so good. He needs a better slider to have a long career as a starter, but because of his excellent command of his top two pitches, he should be able to have success as soon as the Braves decide to give him a chance. Other than the slider, the strike against him is his size. Since he’s on the small side, there’s doubt whether he’ll be able to hold up as a starter.

It’s possible that James will be the next starting pitcher called up by the Braves, although with Mike Hampton and John Thomson coming back, it doesn’t seem very likely that he’ll be needed this year. Expect him to get an opportunity during the first half of 2006. He turns 24 in November, so there’s not much point to holding him back any longer. Because of his slight build and his history of immature acts, James doesn’t seem like a great bet to have a long career. Then again, he is a Brave. If things break right, he should settle in as a third starter.

[General]

Andy Marte went 3-for-5 with a homer and a double yesterday for Triple-A Richmond.
It looks like Chipper Jones will avoid the disabled list with his shoulder injury, but if not, Marte would likely be recalled. He'll definitely be back with the Braves in September.

[ATLien]

James got called up to AAA this week.

[General]

Woo..Chuck James update:


Chuck James allowed one run and four hits in 4 2/3 innings Wednesday in his Triple-A debut.
James was 9-1 with a 2.09 ERA, 62 H and 104/18 K/BB in 86 IP for Double-A Mississippi. With Atlanta's rotation getting healthier, there's little chance that James will be needed as a starter this year. It's possible that he'll join the team's bullpen next month.

[ATLien]

Atlanta has a TON of players who can start in our rotation for 2006. A ton of guys who are quality #3/#4 starters.

John Smoltz & Tim Hudson are the only aces in the system, but then you got Hampton/Davies/Sosa/Thomson and maybe James.

[General]

Move them to the pen or trade them I guess.