November 15, 2011 – International League (IL) Gwinnett Braves
Lawrenceville, GA – Former Gwinnett Braves right-hander Craig Kimbrel received the 2011 National
League Rookie of the Year award in an announcement made Monday by the Atlanta Braves. A dominant
closer for the G-Braves in 2010 that fulfilled the same role with Atlanta in 2011, Kimbrel secured all 32
first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in becoming the seventh Atlanta
Braves player to win the award all-time.

Kimbrel edged teammate and fellow former G-Brave Freddie Freeman, who earned 21 second-place
votes and seven third-place votes.

Kimbrel, 23, set a Major League rookie record with 46 saves in 2011, going 4-3 with a 2.10 ERA (18 ER
in 77.0 IP) and 127 strikeouts in 79 appearances. Major League opponents hit just .178 against him in
his first full professional season. In 2010, he went 4-0 with one save and a 0.44 ERA in 21 outings for the
Braves, but did not qualify for Rookie of the Year voting.

Originally drafted by the Braves in the third round in 2008 out of Wallace State Community College (AL),
Kimbrel pitched two scoreless outings with Gwinnett in 2009 and enjoyed breakout success with the G-
Braves in 2010. He went 3-2 with 23 saves and a 1.62 ERA (10 ER in 55.2 IP) in 48 International League
outings that season. Kimbrel shared the club’s “Most Outstanding Pitcher” of 2010 award with right-
hander Stephen Marek.

Kimbrel is the first Braves player to win the award since Rafael Furcal in 2000 and the first unanimous NL
Rookie of the Year selection since Albert Pujols of St. Louis in 2001.

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• Former G-Brave Kimbrel Is Nl Rookie of the Year – Gwinnett Braves

• Indianapolis Indians Collect 23.82 Tons of Recycling – Indianapolis Indians

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Read More: Dan Uggla (2B – ATL), Martin Prado (3B – ATL), Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves

The Colorado Rockies don’t have an established second baseman or third baseman at the moment, so it shouldn’t be particularly surprising that the club is showing interest in the Atlanta Braves’ Martin Prado, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

Prado, 28, was the Braves’ primary second baseman in 2010, but he’s seen time at third base and in left field since the club added Dan Uggla to fill that position in 2011. Prado slipped to a disappointing .260/.302/.385 line this year with Atlanta, but he was an above-average hitter and one of the league’s best second baseman the year before. Presumably, the Rockies are interested in a potentially resurgent Prado that could provide a major upgrade at second base.

The current Brave isn’t under contract yet for next season, but he’s arbitration-eligible, so his team can tender him a one-year contract for roughly $4.5 million based on his previous salaries and performance. He’s not the only second baseman that the Rockies have shown interest recently, so don’t expect the team to go into next year without adding some additional options at the position.

For more on the Rockies, check out Purple Row, SB Nation’s Colorado Rockies blog.

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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• Braves Name Pitchers and Players of the Year – Mississippi Braves

• Mobile BayBears Win Southern League Championship – SL

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Braves 6-5, Mets 5-1

NEW YORK — Julio Teheran gave flashes of his vast potential in earning his first big league win and the Atlanta Braves, using a lineup with Chipper Jones starting as the No. 2 hitter for the first time in 15 years, beat the New York Mets, 5-1, Thursday night to complete a sweep of a doubleheader made necessary by the threat of Hurricane Irene.

Jones had a sacrifice fly and RBI double in the nightcap and a solo homer and a double in the opener, a 6-5 victory for Atlanta. The Braves were making a quick stop in New York to play two games postponed Aug. 27-28 after being handed their first three-game sweep of the season, by the Phillies.

The Braves next head to St. Louis for a crucial series with the team they lead in the wildcard race by 71/2 games. Only several hundred fans were on hand to see the start of the twinbill at 4:10 p.m. A few thousand more sat through a misty rain in the nightcap, though the announced attendance was 25,953.

Teheran (1-1) gave a performance more in line with his minor league credentials than his first two big league starts in May. The International League’s Most Valuable Pitcher and Rookie of the Year went 15-3 for Triple-A Gwinnett, but he gave up a combined five runs in 82/3 innings for the Braves earlier this year for a 5.19 ERA.

This time, he gave up two hits to start the first and a sacrifice fly then little more in 51/3 innings.

He left after walking two with one out in the sixth but Cristhian Martinez retired two in row to end New York’s best threat.

Dan Uggla had an RBI single in the first, driving in Michael Bourn two outs after the speedster reached on Jose Reyes’ fielding error at shortstop.

Catcher David Ross had an RBI single in the fifth off Dillon Gee (12-6) and a homer in the ninth to straightaway center.

Jones drove in a run when his sinking liner was caught by a diving Jason Bay in the seventh and doubled after Bourn tripled in the ninth.

Bay hit a grand slam off Mike Minor (5-2) in the opener and had a sacrifice fly in the finale, both coming in the first inning.

The Mets had won 10 of 13 coming in and had a chance to pull to .500 in the opener but are now 70-73.

Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez tried shaking up his scuffling club, losers of five of six over all coming in, by stacking his top on-base percentage guys up front, and his squad, with Jones starting as the No. 2 batter for first time since 1996, responded in the opener.

Jones homered for the second night in a row and third time on the homestand, helping the Atlanta Braves to a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a matchup of NL playoff contenders Friday night.

He also ended any speculation this might be his last year, though he had said as far back as spring training that he intended to play out the remainder of a $42 million contract that runs through 2012.

“I feel like I’m contributing,” the 39-year-old Jones said. “Now, am I putting up numbers like I did in the late ‘90s and early 2000s? No. But I’m still helping us win ballgames.”

Michael Bourn and Brian McCann also homered for the Braves, accounting for the rest of their runs. Derek Lowe combined with four relievers on a six-hitter, leading Atlanta to its fourth win in five games against the two best teams in the NL West.

The Braves took three of four from the San Francisco Giants, winning the finale of that series 1-0 Thursday night on Jones’ solo homer.

Last season, Jones considered retiring in the midst of a terrible slump, turned things around, then tore up his left knee in August. That made him more determined to come back for 2011, and he never seriously considered cutting out on a contact that will pay him another $14 million next season.

“This is definitely not a situation where I’m going to say I’m retiring at the end of the year,” Jones said. “I feel like I’ve played well this year.”

Manager Fredi Gonzalez isn’t thinking ahead to next season, but he was glad to hear Jones put off any talk of retirement. The third baseman has shaken off several nagging injuries to hit .275 with 12 homers and 56 RBIs.

“He’s a big presence in our lineup,” Gonzalez said, “and in that locker room.”

Bourn led off the bottom of the first with his first homer since coming to the Braves in a trade last month. McCann added a two-run shot in the third, and Jones extended the lead in the sixth with an opposite-field drive to left-center.

Lowe (8-11) turned in his best effort in nearly two months, allowing four hits and striking out seven over the first five innings. He started the sixth by plunking Justin Upton with a pitch, then walked Miguel Montero after Upton stole second.

Gonzalez immediately popped from the dugout on ball four, turning to the bullpen after Lowe’s 99th pitch of the night. Rookie Arodys Vizcaino got out of the jam, striking out Ryan Roberts and Lyle Overbay before Chris Young flied out to right-center, just short of the warning track.

“That’s obviously not as far as I’d like to go,” said Lowe, who has yet to pitch more than seven innings this season. “With my track record in the sixth, Fredi didn’t want it to snowball. I don’t blame him. You’ve got to earn the right to pitch deep into games.”

Eric O’Flaherty came on in the seventh, facing another mess after Vizcaino walked two straight hitters with one out. This time, the Diamondbacks broke through. Upton drilled a two-out double to the gap in right-center, bringing home both runners to cut Atlanta’s lead in half.