Results tagged ‘ Mississippi Braves ’
A look at the prospects in the Atlanta Braves’ trade
RHP Zeke Spruill of the Atlanta Braves at Spring Training camp on March 14, 2009, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson from the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday in a trade that sent veteran utility man Martin Prado and starting pitcher Randall Delgado to Arizona.
Also in the deal Arizona received three prospects from Atlanta: pitcher Zeke Spruill, shortstop Nick Ahmed and first baseman Brandon Drury.
Infielder Nick Ahmed (22) of the Danville Braves, Appalachian League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, prior to a game against the Johnson City Cardinals on August 19, 2011, at Howard Johnson Field in Johnson City, Tennessee. Ahmed was Atlanta’s second-round pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. Danville defeated Johnson City, 5-4, in 16 innings. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
Infielder Brandon Drury (2) of the Rome Braves, an Atlanta Braves affiliate, in a game against the Greenville Drive on May 6, 2012, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. Drury is Atlanta’s No. 10 prospect, according to Baseball America. Greenville won, 11-3. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
Former Braves farmhand Matt Harrison re-signs
Matt Harrison of the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves’ Class AA affiliate of the Southern League, in a game against the Birmingham Barons on April 21, 2007, at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
Former Atlanta Braves farmhand Matt Harrison has agreed to a $55 million, five-year contract with the Texas Rangers.
A third-round pick of the Braves in 2003, Harrison played at every level of the Braves’ minors through Class AA before being traded to the Rangers along with Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia for Ron Mahay and Mark Teixeira. Those guys went on to be regulars for the Rangers, and, well, the Braves no longer have anything to show for that trade. (Insert negative editorial comment here.)
Saltalamacchia will get a big payday in 2012
Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves’ Class AA affiliate of the Southern League, in a game against the Birmingham Barons on April 23, 2007, at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
The Red Sox have signed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a one-year deal which the Boston Globe says is worth $2.5 million.
According to the Globe, “The 26-year-old Saltalamacchia will arrive in spring training as the team’s primary catcher after splitting the duties for much of last season with Jason Varitek.”
I photographed Salty at several stops in the minors, including one day in Class A when he asked me not to include his glove in any of my photos. He sheepishly said he had forgotten his gear and had to borrow a glove that he wasn’t under contract to use.
This image was taken one year when I was shooting the Mississippi Braves’ card set, and I was disappointed they didn’t use it for Salty’s card.
He’s always been one of my favorite players. I even learned how to spell his name by memory.
Braves said to be relocating Matt Lipka to outfield
Shortstop James Kang (2) of the Greenville Drive is out at second base as shortstop Matt Lipka (5) of the Rome Braves turns the double play in the second inning of a game on July 18, 2011, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. Rome beat Greenville, 7-3. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Atlanta Braves tested out 2010 No. 1 pick Matt Lipka in the outfield during this fall’s Instructional League play in Florida.
O’Brien reported on his Twitter feed: “Took to it well, impressed. Will play CF in ’12 in minors.”
The Instructional League is a chance for young prospects to get some additional training end experience in a Spring Training environment in Florida after the regular Minor League season ends. Very little official news comes out of these sessions. The Braves have not commented on their website.
Lipka is highly regarded by the Braves, as you would expect of any top draft pick, but the team has a line of good prospects waiting for a shot at the shortstop job, which is where Lipka has been playing.
Lipka played for the Rome Braves this year in Class A, and appeared in several games at Fluor Field against the Greenville Drive.
Atlanta called up their top shortstop prospect, Tyler Pastornicky, when rosters were expanded at the end of this season. However, O’Brien has also reported that the team will be looking for a one-year veteran at short in 2012 until Pastornicky is ready for the starting job.
Atlanta also has another highly regarded shortstop prospect in the minors, Andrelton Simmons, who played this year in High A Lynchburg of the Carolina League. At the end of the season he was named one of the league’s Top 20 prospects.
And if you want to go deeper into the Braves farm system, they also have rookie Danville shortstop Brandon Drury, who was named to the Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star Team this year and was named the league’s Player of the Year.
So that kinda gives a hint of what Atlanta is trying to do with Lipka.
Infielder/shortstop Andrelton Simmons (33) of the Lynchburg Hillcats, Carolina League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, prior to a game against the Wilmington Blue Rocks on June 15, 2011, at City Stadium in Lynchburg, Va. Simmons was a second-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
Matt Young gets the call for opening day
9 April 2008: Infielder Matt Young (6) of the Mississippi Braves, Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, in the season’s home opener against the Mobile BayBears at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss. Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images
Infielder Matt Young, a long-time Minor Leaguer, got the word today that he’ll be on the Atlanta Braves’ 25-man roster on opening day.
Reports from the Braves’ beat writers indicate that Young was so emotional when he was given the news Sunday morning that he temporarily forgot to listen to anything else that was said.
Nobody in the Braves organization has worked harder to get a roster spot. Young, generously listed at 5 feet 8 inches, has had to work harder than anyone else to get noticed. He has been a perennial award winner and all-star.
He hit .300 last year at Triple-A, .358 just a few months ago in Mexico, and in his career was player of the week in the International League, Southern League, Carolina League, Best Hustler in the Southern League . . . and you get the picture.
Has his height kept him back? Probably, but he keeps hustling and winning awards. And now he finally got the call after being in the Braves organization since 2005.
I’ve photographed him for several years, including quite a bit when he was in Mississippi, and I haven’t seen very many players work as hard as he has. He deserves this shot.
Also selected to the opening day roster today were Brandon Hicks, also a long-time Braves farmhand, another feel-good announcement.
15 March 2009: Brandon Hicks in a game between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros at the Braves’ Spring Training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com on Young
- David O’Brien’s coverage
- Matt Young in Baseball Reference
- Young’s Minor League stats
Kala Ka’aihue is picked up by Oakland
Reynoso is SL Pitcher of the Week
Braves trade three prospects for Pirates’ McLouth
J.C. Boscan picks up Southern League award
Diory Hernandez makes Major League debut
Tom Priddy
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