Results tagged ‘ Rome Braves ’

Lefty Gilmartin will be headed to Spring Training

Starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin (2) of the Rome Braves, Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, prior to a game against the Greenville Drive on August 16, 2011, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. Gilmartin was Atlanta’s first-round pick (No. 28 overall) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida State. Making his second start of the season, he pitched four scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out four. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)

Lefty Sean Gilmartin, one of the Atlanta Braves’ top prospects, is one of the non-roster invitees who will be attending Spring Training with the big club next month.

The Braves’ No. 1 pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, Gilmartin was named the No. 20 prospect in last fall’s Arizona Fall League.

The club’s other non-roster invitees will include Christian Bethancourt, Andrelton Simmons, Todd Cunningham, Zeke Spruill, Stefan Gartrell, Jordan Parraz, Josh Wilson and Drew Sutton, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports.

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)

Atlanta’s top pick successful in Arizona

Starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin (2) of the Rome Braves, Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, in a game against the Greenville Drive on August 16, 2011, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. Gilmartin was Atlanta’s first-round pick (No. 28 overall) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida State. Making his second start of the season, he pitched four scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out four. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)

Lefty starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin, the Atlanta Braves’ No. 1 pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, is picking up steam in the Arizona Fall League.

Gilmartin, who was called up to Rome in August and pitched a game at Fluor Field against the Greenville Drive, allowed one run on four hits over five innings and struck our four in his latest outing for the Surprise Saguaros.

(I wasn’t sure what a saguaro is, but wikipedia says it’s “a large, tree-sized cactus species . . . native to the Sonoran Desert in the U.S. state of Arizona.” Makes sense.)

Anyway, Gilmartin has struck out 14 and walked just three in his four starts in the AFL.

Other Atlanta prospects are also doing well for Surprise:

1B Joe Terdoslavich is leading the AFL in batting at .462 and second with .512 on-base percentage and .718 slugging percentage

C Christian Bethancourt ended his eight-game hitting streak Monday but remains eighth in the league with a .375 average.

OF Todd Cunningham had a multiple RBI game for the third time Oct. 19 when he drove in three runs.

Boston prospects who played with the Greenville Drive are on the same team as those Braves:

3B Will Middlebrooks went 2-for-5 with his third homer and three RBIs on Friday.

C Dan Butler was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs on Friday and is 6-for-11 at throwing out attempting base stealers.

No worries about the background on this card

RHP J.J. Hoover (48) of the Rome Braves, No. 24 prospect of the Atlanta Braves, pitches in a game against the Greenville Drive on July 8, 2009, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)

Whenever I shoot I always worry about getting clean backgrounds, so I’m sure I was annoyed that I got some clutter behind this shot of J.J. Hoover pitching at Fluor Field in Greenville.

I needn’t have worried, however. This Leaf card which I discovered for sale recently on eBay just wiped the background clean, and did my work for me.

I normally don’t care too much for dropouts, but I’ll be a big fan of this series of cards when the check arrives.

 

Jason Heyward to start in right field for Braves

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Jason Heyward of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, warms up prior to a game against the Wilmington Blue Rocks April 10, 2009 at BB&T Coastal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Photo by:  Tom Priddy/MiLB.com
Bobby Cox today announced that rookie Jason Heyward, MLB’s No. 1 prospect, will start the 2010 season in right field for Atlanta.
Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com quotes Cox as saying during his meeting this morning with Heyward: “I’m delighted to tell you that you’re on the team, Jason, simply because it makes us a better team.”
Cox called it an easy decision because Heyward was batting .366 with a .500 on-base percentage in his first 16 spring games, Gonzalez writes.
Heyward is no stranger to my blogs. I love the guy and have photographed him many times, including:

Just plain old baseball batting photos

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       July 9, 2009: Infielder Stephen Shults (24) of the Rome Braves, Class A 
       South Atlantic League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, in a game against 
       the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. 
       Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images
Okay, just so we don’t get too carried away with cuteness (see the previous post), here are some just plain old baseball photos. Nothing but hitting.
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       July 9, 2009: Catcher Braeden Schlehuber (23) of the Rome Braves, No. 18 
       prospect of the Atlanta Braves, in a game against the Greenville Drive at 
       Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. Photo by: Tom Priddy/
       Four Seam Images

Rome infielder Rodriguez hits for the cycle

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Gerry Rodriguez, 21-year-old first baseman for the Rome Braves, hit for the cycle yesterday in a game against the Greenville Drive.
Not only that, but his final at-bat was a walk-off homer in the 10th inning.
Rodriguez is the third batter to hit for the cycle in the minors this year.
May 15, 2009: Infielder Gerry Rodriguez (43) of the Rome Braves during a game against the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images

Braeden Schlehuber is Atlanta’s No. 18 prospect

Catching last weekend for the Rome Braves in a series against Greenville was the Atlanta No, 18 prospect, Braeden Schlehuber.
May 15, 2009: Catcher Braeden Schlehuber (23) of the Rome Braves, the No. 18 prospect of the Atlanta Braves, in a game against the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images

No. 14 prospect DeVall gets a win in Greenville

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No. 14 Atlanta prospect Brett DeVall pitched against Greenville last Monday in half of a doubleheader. He pitched five innings, allowed no runs and now has a 2.89 ERA and a 2-1 record.
May 18, 2009: LHP Brett DeVall (53) of the Rome Braves, the No. 14 prospect of the Atlanta Braves, in a game against the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images

No. 27 prospect Thompson pitches in Greenville

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No. 27 Atlanta prospect Jacob Thompson pitched against Greenville on Monday. He pitched five strong innings and picked up the win. He now stands at 2-3 for the year.
May 18, 2009: RHP Jacob Thompson (49) of the Rome Braves, the No. 27 prospect of the Atlanta Braves, in a game against the Greenville Drive at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, S.C. Photo by: Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images
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