September 19, 2011 – Southern League (SL) Mississippi Braves
Pearl, MS – On Friday, September 16, the Atlanta Braves honored several Minor League pitchers and position players during Future Stars Night at Turner Field.

Of the 16 pitchers and position players who were named, five made stops in Mississippi which include pitchers Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill and former Shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.

Beginning in 2010, all five players made their first appearance in AA-Mississippi.

Teheran’s first appearance was July 28, against Huntsville, and he ended up making seven starts finishing the year in Mississippi with a 3-2 record and a 3.38 ERA. His claim to fame in Mississippi was on August 2, during his second AA-start, he threw a combined no-hitter with Tyrell Harris against Mobile, going 5.2 innings and striking out seven batters.

Minor began his AA tenure from game one of 2010. Over the course of 15 starts for the year, the lefty struck out an impressive 109 batters. This quickly led him to earn a spot in the Southern League All-Star game, however, he was promoted to AAA-Gwinnett before being able to make an appearance. On August 9, Minor made is first appearance with the Atlanta Braves.

In late July 2010, Delgado moved up the ranks to make his Mississippi debut. The right-hander from Panama, finished the year with a 3-5 record, and earned his first AA win in his sixth start of the season. He returned in 2011 to Mississippi earning a 3.84 ERA, striking out a total of 110 batters and was named a mid-season Southern League All-Star. On June 17, he became the 11th M-Brave to receive a promotion directly to Atlanta to make his first Major League mound appearance.

Spruill, the fourth M-Brave to receive the pitcher-of-the-year title for 2011, was the late-comer to the team. Promoted on August 1, 2011, Zeke made seven mound appearances before the conclusion of the season. While in Mississippi, Zeke made his mark with a 3-2 record for the year and threw one of the few complete games for the AA-Franchise on August 27.

Mississippi’s only position player to earn the coveted title was Tyler Pastornicky. Acquired via a trade with Toronto in 2010, he went 2 for 5 at the plate with an RBI and run scored during his first appearance as an M-Brave. He returned in 2011 and played in 90 AA games averaging .299, 13 doubles, five triples, and six home runs. In addition, on July 5, he achieved fame when he went 4 for 6 hitting the first cycle in M-Braves history.

Below is the full list of Atlanta Braves Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Year

Pitcher of Year Player of Year

Organizational Julio Teheran Joe Terdoslavich

Gwinnett Braves Mike Minor Stefan Gartrell

Mississippi Braves Randall Delgado Tyler Pastornicky

Lynchburg Hillcats Zeke Spruill Andrelton Simmons

Rome Braves Chasen Shreve Evan Gattis

Danville Braves J.R. Graham Brandon Drury

Gulf Coast League Braves Yean Carlos Gil Felix Marte

Dominican Summer League Oriel Caicedo Jose Peraza

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Julio Teheran had a huge game on Thursday and is the Braves Prospect of the Day. Here’s his stat line from earlier tonight:

8IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 11K

Teheran, who is widely regarded as the top-pitching prospect in baseball, is now 6-1 this year at Triple-A Gwinnett and lowered his ERA to 1.98 with his stellar performance. The start was arguably the best of his young career.

Despite two mediocre spot-starts with the Major League club earlier this year, Teheran has all the talent and ability to become an ace for the next decade. Armed with a fastball in the mid-90′s, devastating curveball and solid changeup, Teheran has the potential for more and more double digit strikeout performances as his career progresses. He’ll likely remain in the Minor Leagues for at least another month or two while he continues to gain valuable experience before becoming a stalwart in the Braves’ starting rotation.

By Scott Coleman

– Braves Contributor

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Jun 9, 2011 – The future has a much different outlook for the Atlanta Braves after this week’s MLB Draft. In previous years the club would have selected a bunch of 17- and 18-year-old high school kids and immediately sent them down to Danville for rookie ball, but this year could and probably will be different. Much, much different.

With 27 of the Braves first 30 selections being college players, including first round pick Sean Gilmartin, quite a few of those guys have the potential to move quickly through the Braves system in the next 18 months.

Among those players, Gilmartin could follow Mike Minor’s path through the Minor Leagues. The 2009 first round pick made his first four starts of his professional career at Rome (A-Ball) and then started the 2010 season in Mississippi (Double-A) before moving up to Gwinnett and eventually Atlanta in August. While Gilmartin likely won’t see the big leagues until 2013, he has the best chance of any of our recently selected prospects to do so in the shortest amount of time.

Outside of Gilmartin, there is a bevy of college pitchers — most of which project to be relievers at the Major League level — who could also move quickly to the higher levels of the system. Vanderbilt relievers Mark Lamm and Navery Moore could both move through the system quickly if they’re able to pitch effectively in the back-end of the bullpen. In addition, Cody Martin, a right-handed starter and reliever out of Gonzaga, could also move quickly should the Braves decide to keep him in the ‘pen.

Selecting all of these relievers in the earlier rounds of the draft can only mean one thing: the Braves are looking for an all-homegrown bullpen in the near future. Not only does it keep costs down, but it also avoids having to bring in a washed-up veteran in the mold of Scott Proctor or Scott Linebrink.

In addition to the recently added pitching depth, the Braves will now have an interesting dilemma in the infield. Last year the club signed Edward Salcedo, who projects to be a shortstop or third baseman, to the largest signing bonus in franchise history and also used their first two picks of the 2010 draft on Matt Lipka and Andrelton Simmons, who are both projected to be middle infielders. With both their 2nd and 3rd round picks of this year’s draft (Nick Ahmed, Kyle Kubitza) being left-side infielders as well, it will be interesting to see how the Braves handle this newly found abundance of infielders.

As far as immediate contributors go for the Major League club, Mark Lamm probably has the best chance to reach Atlanta in the least amount of time. He’s polished, throws hard, and the team could always use another talented reliever. Sean Gilmartin could also make an appearance after not too long, but with the starting pitching depth the Braves currently have, it’s tough to see him cracking the starting rotation for at least two or three more years.

All things considered, it appears to be a strong draft for the Atlanta Braves.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta and check out Talking Chop for complete coverage of the Braves 2011 draft.

Read More: Scott Linebrink (P – ATL), Scott Proctor (P – ATL), Mike Minor (P – ATL), Edward Salcedo (SS – ATL), Sean Gilmartin (PH – ), Matt Lipka (SS – ATL), Atlanta Braves

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Read More: Mike Minor (P – ATL), Edward Salcedo (SS – ATL), Sean Gilmartin (PH – ), Tyler Pastornicky (SS – ATL), Matt Lipka (SS – ATL), Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves built their foundation on selecting high school pitchers and developing them into stars at the Major League level. It has been that way for more than two decades now. That trend was completely obliterated after Tuesday’s action at the MLB Draft. Out of the 30 players drafted so far, three have been high schoolers. Three. 

Sean Gilmartin has already been covered so let’s take a look at some of the notable picks for Atlanta in rounds 2 through 30.

Nick Ahmed, SS – 2nd Round, UCONN

Ahmed originally came into this past season a bit under the radar playing up at UCONN, but he received a lot of exposure with two first round picks (Springer, Barnes) as his teammates. He plays solid defense at shortstop and has plus-speed, though he’ll have to improve his hitting if he hopes to make it in the Major Leagues as more than a bench player. 

The decision to take a shortstop in the second round came as a bit of a surprise. The club already has Tyler Pastornicky, Andrelton Simmons, Edward Salcedo and Matt Lipka in the system and all four of those players could become starting shortstops one day in the Majors. Perhaps the club plans to change his (or someone else’s) position in order to accommodate Ahmed.

Kyle Kubitza, 3B – 3rd Round, Texas State

This pick was a pretty big surprise. While talented, Kubitza was unranked by just about everyone in the industry and was projected as a 6th or 7th round player. Still though, he fits in nicely to the system and the Braves could certainly use some depth at the hot corner. He’s just a junior in college so it could cost a little extra to convince him to sign with Atlanta.

J.R. Graham, RHP – 4th Round, Santa Clara

Of the 29 picks the club made today, Graham is easily one of my favorites. The righty is less polished than most of the college pitchers taken in the early rounds and he’ll likely need quite a bit of coaching and development in the Minor Leagues if he hopes to make it to Atlanta, but the kid throws hard. His fastball sits in the mid-90′s and if he can continue developing his curveball and changeup he could really become an impressive prospect.

There are a few concerns about his ability to hold up on the mound and he may be destined to be a late-inning bullpen guy, but hey, you can never have enough talented bullpen arms available.

Mark Lamm, RHP – 6th Round, Vanderbilt

He spent five years at Vandy and predominately served as a set-up man this past season. He throws hard and the Braves have likely seen a ton of him in the last few years (Mike Minor was from Vanderbilt as well) and he has the potential to be in the Major Leagues in a year or two. Again, you can never have enough home grown, capable bullpen arms in your farm system and the Braves know this.

He also had this to say on Twitter:

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! It is seriously a dream come true. Been @Braves fan since I can remember. #TomahawkChop

I like him already.

Chase Larsson, OF – 9th Round, Cameron University

This kid was the best hitter in college baseball last year.

Well, the best hitter in NCAA Division II baseball. He led the country in home runs (29) and RBIs, though his defense does have some major questions. There are also question marks regarding his ability to translate his game from aluminum bats to wooden bats, but if he’s able to make the adjustment both at the plate and in the field, he could be an interesting prospect to follow.

Seth Moranda, IF – 11th Round, Buchanan HS (California)

Look! It’s high school player!

Navery Moore, RHP – 14th Round, Vanderbilt

We already selected Vandy’s set-up man, so why not go after their closer as well? Moore joins J.R. Graham as one of my favorite selections from Tuesday’s draft and he has a similar profile. He throws hard a hard, mid-90′s fastball and has been described to have a true closer’s mentality on the mound. Once a highly regarded prospect, he underwent Tommy John Surgery and it has limited his innings in college. Teams might have been scared away from the durability issues, but Moore could be a closer in the Major Leagues one day.

He also gets points for having the name “Navery”.

Troy Snitker, C – 19th Round, North Georgia

Yes, Troy Snitker is the son of Brian Snitker, the current 3rd base coach of the Braves. Let’s all hope his decision making is slightly better than his father’s as he rounds third base.

Just kidding, Brian.

But seriously…

Looking Ahead To Wednesday:

The 2011 MLB Draft will conclude tomorrow. Don’t expect too many big names at all; The latter rounds are mainly used by clubs to try and scoop up high school players who are highly unlikely to sign because of their college commitments.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta and Talking Chop for complete coverage of the Braves 2011 Draft.

Read More: Cole Hamels (P – PHI), Tom Glavine (P – ATL), Mike Minor (P – ATL), Sean Gilmartin (PH – ), Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves selected Sean Gilmartin with the 28th overall pick on Monday night. The decision was a surprise to most Braves fans as just about everyone in the industry saw the club taking a high school pitcher with their first round pick, but they’re called a “mock” draft for a reason. Let’s get to know the left-handed starting pitcher…

Video:

 

Scouting Reports:

Here is SB Nation’s own John Sickels on the selection:

Gilmartin might not have been easy for the Braves to choose, as they hadn’t selected a college player in the first round only twice since 1992. But the Braves know how to scout the South, and Gilmartin is a polished lefty who has patterned himself after Tom Glavine and Cole Hamels.

Like a lot of lefties, Gilmartin might not have a high ceiling, especially considering his unspectacular fastball. But he’s got a great changeup and a solid breaking ball and everyone raves about his makeup. Plus, the Braves know as well as anyone that a polished left-hander doesn’t have to throw 95 to win. As FSU pitching coach Jamey Shouppe recently said, “He’s just got the professional approach that a guy like Nolan Ryan, as a 10- or 15-year veteran, had.”

Gilmartin’s statistical profile this year was outstanding: 12-1, 1.83 ERA with 122/20 K/BB in 113 innings.

In addition, here is ESPN’s Keith Law on the lefty:

Gilmartin’s a college performer with adequate stuff but who may need to find another gear to be more than a fourth or fifth starter in the big leagues.

He’ll pitch with a fringe-average fastball, mostly 88-89 but touching a 91, and has a big, slow curveball that might work against lefties but wouldn’t be a weapon against better right-handed batters. His best pitch is his changeup, 76-78 mph with good arm speed and some late fading action, although he uses it a lot and I’d like to see him pitch more off his fastball. He’s a good athlete who can even swing the bat a little bit. He stays over the rubber well and pronates his arm very early after showing the ball to the center fielder.

This is what I thought Mike Minor was in college — a command lefty with a good changeup but an average fastball and no plus breaking ball. Minor added some muscle after signing and upped his velocity, at least temporarily, and I suppose Gilmartin could do the same.

The comparisons to Mike Minor were inevitable after Monday night’s selection of Gilmartin. Atlanta rarely drafts college pitchers in the first round, but for the second time in three years, they’ve bucked that trend and went for the lower-ceiling pitcher who was more of a sure-thing than the other prep school pitchers left on the draft board who had front-end of the rotation potential.

Career Path:

Selecting a college player in the first round has both it’s benefits and drawbacks. One of those benefits is the potential for the pitcher to move quickly through the Minor Leagues. Nothing has been announced, but the Braves will likely handle Gilmartin similar to the way they handled Mike Minor. He’ll likely make a few starts in either Rome or Lynchburg, possibly make a few starts in the off-season in the Arizona Fall League, and then start the 2012 season in either Lynchburg or Mississippi. 

With a solid make-up and proven track record in college, Gilmartin could potentially see the Major Leagues by 2013 if he impresses in the Minors. In a perfect world he improves his velocity and command of his fastball and becomes a solid front-end of the rotation starting pitcher. He’ll likely turn into a back-end starting pitcher with the potential to have a nice few seasons, though.

Impact on the 2011 Braves:

Talking Chop already speculated on this issue, but perhaps the Braves made the selection because they’re planning to trade away some of their young, Major League-ready pitchers in hopes to solidify their lineup for this year and beyond. While nothing but speculation and rumors have been made on a potential move, Atlanta has a bevy of pitching talent and could strike a deal should the right one come up. Gilmartin was one of the safer picks in the first round and could potentially be ready for the Majors in the next few seasons. This could be appealing to the Braves.

In Conclusion…

This was a safe, cheap pick by the Atlanta Braves. There were players other than Gilmartin with a higher ceiling that would have signed for the recommended slot bonus, but the Braves strayed away from potential and went with a safe, lower risk player. 

While this writer wasn’t a big fan of the selection, we should all probably know better than to question the Braves’ scouting department when it comes to pitching. Atlanta has consistently had a deep, talented list of starting pitchers in the Minor Leagues for years and years and doubting our tremendous scouts is probably foolish after all they’ve done for the organization.

Welcome to Atlanta, Sean Gilmartin. Best of luck and congratulations.

Be sure to check out SB Nation’s full coverage of the 2011 Draft. Braves fans should stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta and Talking Chop for complete coverage of all the Braves selections.

ATLANTA – Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez believes Mike Minor
isn’t far from delivering on high expectations.

It’s just that Minor, the seventh overall draft pick of 2009, needs
more seasoning in the minor leagues.

“I told him he did a hell of a job in both outings, this one and
the one in Pittsburgh,” Gonzalez said. “He kept us in the ballgame.
That seventh inning didn’t quite go the way we wanted it to go, and
we were behind the eight-ball coming out of it.”

Ryan Ludwick had an RBI-single in the three-run seventh, Heath Bell
struggled to earn a fourth straight save and the San Diego Padres
beat the Braves 5-4 on Tuesday night for their season-high fourth
consecutive victory.

Minor (0-2) couldn’t hold a one-run lead in the fourth. Chris
Denorfia led off with a double, moved to third on Jason Bartlett’s
single and scored to make it 2-2 on Headley’s double-play
groundout.

Minor, who was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game, faced
one batter in the seventh, walking leadoff pinch-hitter Eric
Patterson before Gonzalez brought in rookie reliever Cory
Gearrin.

Outfielder Matt Young will take Minor’s place on the 25-man
roster.

“I understand it,” Minor said. “It’s not a really big deal to me
right now. I’d obviously want to stay here but I know I don’t have
a spot here. I’m going to go down and get better.”

In six innings, Minor allowed eight hits and three runs with three
walks and four strikeouts. He dropped to 0-3 with a 7.23 ERA in his
last seven starts, a span that began last Sept. 5.

“They were staying on pitches,” Minor said. “I threw a couple good
pitches and they hit them pretty hard. They’re good hitters. The
breaking ball obviously wasn’t there again. I was throwing a lot of
fastballs in.”

Chipper Jones followed in the Braves’ seventh with an RBI-single
off San Diego’s first reliever, Luke Gregorson, to make it 5-3.
Left-hander Cory Luebke recorded the third out with a three-pitch
strikeout of Brian McCann.

Freddie Freeman went 3-for-4. He and Jones were the only Braves
with more than one hit.

The Padres haven’t won four consecutive games since they had a
five-game streak last Aug. 15-19. They also took a series against
the Braves for just the second time in the last 13 tries.

Ludwick, who went 4-for-5, has hit safely in 15 of 18 games,
raising his batting average 77 points to .258 since May 10. He
finished the month with 23 RBIs.

Bell survived a tough ninth to earn his 14th in 15 chances. He
retired pinch-hitter Joe Mather on foul popup before walking walked
Jordan Schafer and getting Martin Prado to fly out before Jones’
RBI-single scored Schafer from second.

Bell forced McCann to fly out to end it, marking the second time in
his career, and first since last Aug. 10-13, that he got a save in
four straight games.

Mat Latos (3-6) allowed five hits and two runs with four walks and
seven strikeouts in six innings.

“My fastball command wasn’t there as much as I’d like,” the
right-hander said. “Earlier, I was getting behind in the count too
much.”

Latos lowered his ERA 11 points to 3.97 and closed May with a 3-2
record and a 3.38 ERA.

San Diego, which finished with 14 hits, took a 5-2 lead in the
seventh with RBI-singles off Gearrin from Denorfia, Ludwick and
Jorge Cantu.

Denorfia went 3-for-5 and scored two runs.

San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI-double from Chase
Headley that scored Bartlett from first.

Freeman put the Braves ahead 2-1 with a two-run double that scored
McCann from second and Eric Hinske from first.

NOTES: Padres CF Cameron Maybin underwent an MRI
that showed no structural damage in his right knee, but manager Bud
Black said he will go on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. OF
Aaron Cunningham will be called up from Triple-A Tucson to take
Maybin’s place on the roster. … Slumping Braves 2B Dan Uggla,
whose average dropped to .178 in Monday’s loss, was held out of the
lineup. He pinch-ran for Jones in the ninth. … Minor picked up
his first career hit in the third, but he erased by Schafer’s
double-play groundout. … Prado ended a 19-game hitting streak at
Turner Field, going 0-for-4.

NEXT: The Braves and Padres will close their
three-game series tonight at 6. FOX Sports South will televise. The
game will not be available on Windjammer Cable.

The Braves will be idle Thursday and open a three-game series at
the New York Mets on Friday night at 6. SportSouth will
televise.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.