This past week saw protracted struggles from every Braves' minor league team except Gwinnett. As such, there are fewer "hot" players this week. Ernesto Mejia, Todd Cunningham, and William Beckwith all had great weeks at the plate, while Joey Terdoslavich, Christian Bethancourt, Nick Ahmed, David Filak, and many more scuffled.
Who's Hot?
Ernesto Mejia, 1B/DH, Gwinnett Braves: 11-30, 4 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 1 SB, 2 CS, 0 BB, 9 K. Though his power was not quite up to his usual standards this week, Mejia just kept on hitting. On the week, Gwinnett's big 1B/DH posted a slash line of .367/.367/.433. Mejia's total lack of walks is slightly concerning, but he has never walked much, taking only 13 free passes in 213 plate appearances so far this year. Mejia also stole his 5th base on the year, but was caught twice. He has 5 steals and 4 CS on the year, so it's obvious that his speed isn't exactly his strong suit.
Todd Cunningham, OF, Mississippi Braves: 10-26, 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 2B, 1 SB, 1 CS, 1 BB, 3 K. In the midst of a 4 game losing streak, Todd Cunningham was one of the bright spots for Mississippi this week. Cunningham hit almost everything in sight this week, surging to a .384/.407/.500 line for the week. He clubbed three doubles on the week and took one walk (but only struck out 3 times). His 3 runs and 2 RBIs speak more towards Mississippi's offensive ineptitude this week than anything else. On the year, Cunningham has posted a nifty .315/.362/.383 line with 7 steals.
William Beckwith, 1B, Rome Braves: 9-24, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 SB, 2 CS, 2 BB, 4 K. Beckwith was a force in the middle of Rome's lineup this week, posting a .375/.423/.583 line over 26 plate appearances. The lumbering first baseman even swiped two bags on the week, doubling his season total. On the year, Beckwith has posted a .318/.367/.527 line. One of the biggest knocks on Beckwith is how few walks he takes (only 7 in 117 PAs) but if he can continue to hit over .300, it will cover many ills.
Honorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves - Yohan Flande, Felix Pie, Christian Marrero. Mississippi Braves - Sean Gilmartin, Zeke Spruill, Phil Gosselin, Barrett Kleinknecht. Lynchburg Hillcats - Matt Chaffee, Chasen Shreve, Adam Milligan. Rome Braves - Navery Moore, Will Skinner.
Who's Not?
Joey Terdoslavich, 3B, Gwinnett Braves: 3-22, 3 R, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 0 XBH. Terdoslavich's struggles at AAA have been well documented already. Last year's 56 double season seems miles away as Terdoslavich has posted a .180/.252/.263 line in AAA so far this year. This week's line of .136/.269/.136 provides little hope that he'll be able to turn it around anytime soon. If there is one good thing about his line, it's his walks this week. Terdoslavich walked 4 times to only 3 strikeouts, a clear reversal from his 50/19 K/BB ratio in AAA so far. If he can continue to work on his pitch recognition, maybe some of his hits will start coming.
Christian Bethancourt, C, Mississippi Braves: 1-15, 1 R, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, 0 XBH, 1 CS. Bethancourt had a rough week at the plate this past week, going 1 for 15 in somewhat-limited action. His four walks were encouraging though, as he has only walked 6 times all year in 115 PAs (including the 4 this week). Bethancourt has all the tools needed to break this slump, and it is no doubt at least partially due the extended time he missed due to injury. He should improve on his .067/.211/.067 line from this week.
Nick Ahmed, SS, Lynchburg Hillcats: 1-20, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 CS. Ahmed - and the entire Lynchburg offense for the most part - had an absolutely brutal offensive week. Lynchburg has lost 6 in a row, and Ahmed's struggles mirror the teams. Managing only one hit this week (a double last Monday), Ahmed has posted a putrid .050/.130/.100 line over the past 7 days. The normally speedy Ahmed, who has 18 steals to 6 CS so far this year, was caught twice on the basepaths without a successful steal this week. Ahmed has great tools however, and should bounce back nicely from this poor week.
David Filak, SP, Rome Braves: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 3 K. After getting blown up last week, to the tune of 9 earned runs over 5 innings, Filak got shelled again this week. Filak lasted only 2.1 innings, allowing 8 runs on 7 hits and two walks. While Filak's recent numbers have been wretched, there is cause for hope. In his last two starts he has allowed 17 of his 21 baserunners to score. That comes out to an astronomically low 19% strand rate, something that will absolutely not be sustained. Filak was awful this week, but he should improve.
Dishonorable Mention: Gwinnett Braves - Jair Jurrjens, Kris Medlen, Adam Russell, Jaye Chapman. Mississippi Braves - David Hale, Chris Masters, Cory Rasmus, Mark Lamm. Lynchburg Hillcats - Dimasther Delgado, Aaron Northcraft, Gus Schlosser, Blaine Sims, Myke Jones, Tommy La Stella. Rome Braves - John Cornely, Rafael Briceno, Ryan Weber, Brandon Drury, Kyle Kubitza, Fernando De Los Santos, Elmer Reyes.