Roster Guide Update Part VIII: Others
This edition of the roster guide update will cover pitchers in the organization who are having good years and were not mentioned in the April preview.
Pitchers
Chris Masters (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Left Handed
Age: 23
Experience: 3rd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 11th round of 2009 draft.
Current Level: Advanced-A
Notes: Masters impressed in his first taste of pro ball back in 2009 at Danville, making 11 starts and 2 relief appearances, and going 8-4 with a complete game, a 1.42 ERA, and a 0.890 WHIP. He fanned 85 while throwing just 9 walks and allowing only 1 homer over 69.2 innings. Pretty dominant stuff. He came back to earth at Rome last season, making 27 appearances (26 starts) and going 3-11 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.368 WHIP. He struck out 123 batters over 136 innings, but also walked 52, hit 6, threw 10 wild pitches, committed 4 balks, and allowed 14 homers and 15 unearned runs.
2011: Masters has had a nice bounce back season at advanced-A. The lefty from Marietta has pitched in 14 games, making 10 starts, and is 4-3 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.232 WHIP. He has fanned 65 and walked 28 over 69 innings. He has allowed only 1 unearned run and 4 homers. Control is still a bit of an issue. He has uncorked 6 wild pitches, hit 3 batters, and committed 2 balks so far.
Elvin Garcia (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Left Handed
Age: 21
Experience: 2nd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves out of Nicaragua.
Current Level: Rookie Ball (Dominican Summer League)
Notes: Garcia was impressive in the DSL last year, making 23 appearances, including 4 starts, and going 5-1 with 2 saves, 1.34 ERA, and a 1.022 WHIP. He fanned just 27 and walked only 5 in 60.2 innings.
2011: Garcia is pitching in the DSL again and has gotten off to a good start. In 4 appearances (3 starts) he is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.947 WHIP. He has 12 K and 3 BB over 19 innings.
Jaye Chapman (Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 24
Experience: 6th season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 16th round of 2005 draft.
Current Level: AAA
Notes: Chapman hasn’t skyrocketed through the system like some players but his progress has been steady if slow. He was overwhelmed in his first year of pro ball at Danville back in 2006. In 14 games (5 starts), Chapman went 1-2 with a save, a 5.77 ERA and a 1.951 WHIP. He struck out 24 and walked 21 in 34.1 innings. Chapman was better in his 2nd season, pitching exclusively out of the pen. In 23 games at Danville and Rome he went 3-2 with a save, a 5.44 ERA, a 1.276 WHIP, 55 K, and 20 BB over 44.2 innings. He pitched in 21 games at low-A and advanced-A in 2008, making only 1 start, and going 4-2 with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.449 WHIP, 39 K, and 20 BB over 49 innings. With his progress somewhat stalled, Chapman spent 2009 pitching at low-A and advanced-A again and had a bit of a breakthrough year. He pitched in 46 games (all in relief), going 2-2 with 13 saves, a 2.79 ERA, and a 1.172 WHIP. He had 66 K against 24 BB over 58 innings. Last season he pitched at advanced-A and AA. He had some difficulty making the transition. He pitched in 46 games, including 1 start, going 1-5 with 2 saves, a 5.29 ERA, and a 1.619 WHIP. He struck out 74 and walked 32 over 63 innings.
2011: This has been a pretty big year for Chapman. While he has continued to progress through the system, Chapman’s climb has been slow, and he really needed to have a good year in a full season at the higher levels of the minors. So far so good. Chapman opened the season at AA, making 9 appearances and going 1-0 with 2 saves, a 0.64 ERA, and a 0.714 WHIP. Over 14 innings, Chapman fanned 16 against 5 BB, allowing only 5 hits and 1 run. He got the call up to AAA and has not missed a beat in 15 games, going 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.981 WHP. Chapman has struck out 23 while walking 7 and giving up just 10 hits over 17.1 innings. Overall in 2011, Chapman has made 24 appearances and is 2-0 with 2 saves, a 1.44 ERA and a 0.862 WHIP. He has struck out 39, walked 12, and allowed just 15 hits over 31 innings.
Andrew Wilson (Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 24 (on 7/30)
Experience: 3rd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 36th round of 2009 draft.
Current Level: Advanced-A
Notes: Wilson has been a fulltime reliever since his first season in 2009. Pitching in the CGL and at low-A that season, Wilson made 14 appearances and went 2-3 with 2 saves, a 4.15 ERA, a 1.292 WHIP, 25 K, and 8 BB over 21.2 innings. Last year he pitched in 36 games at low-A and advanced-A, going 0-0 with a save, a 2.92 ERA, a 1.204 WHIP, 36 K, and 22 BB over 52.1 innings.
2011: Wilson has been at advanced-A Lynchburg all year and has had a very positive season. He is 1-1 with 4 saves in 18 appearances, posting a 2.78 ERA and a 1.103 WHIP over 22.2 innings. Encouragingly, his strikeouts have increased and his walks have decreased (20 K and 6 BB over 22.2 innings).
Dan Jurik (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 24 (on 6/18)
Experience: 2nd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 25th round of 2010 draft.
Current Level: Low-A
Notes: Dan Jurik turned 23 during his first season of pro ball, and it seems like the Braves wanted to get his development off and running, as he pitched in 2 rookie ball leagues (Gulf Coast and for Danville) and at low-A. Jurik made at total of 12 starts and 2 relief appearances, going 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA, a 1.034 WHIP, 52 K, and 15 BB over 68.2 innings.
2011: Jurik has pitched at Rome and Lynchburg this season, making 3 starts and 8 relief appearances. He is 0-0 with a save, a 2.73 ERA, and a 1.329 WHIP. Jurik’s K’s are up but unfortunately so are his walks. He has fanned 25 and walked 13 over 26.1 innings, also uncorking 5 wild pitches.
Ryan Weber (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 21 (on 8/12)
Experience: 3rd season
Drafted/Signed: by Phillies in 12th round of 2008 draft (did not sign), by Braves in 22nd round of 2009 draft.
Current Level: Low-A
Notes: Weber’s 2009 debut was brief but impressive, as he made 7 relief appearances in the GCL, going 0-0 with 2 saves, and allowing just 2 runs on 8 hits and no walks with 13 K over 10.1 innings. Last year he pitched for Danville and Rome, this time making 12 starts and 14 relief appearances, and going 5-7 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.214 WHIP. He struck out 75 against only 17 BB in 101.1 innings.
2011: Weber has pitched at Rome and Lynchburg this season, making 3 starts and 9 relief appearances, and going 2-0 with 2 saves, a 2.88 ERA, and a 1.057 WHIP. He has 30 K and 9 BB over 40.2 innings.
Tyler Hess (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 23 (8/29)
Experience: 2nd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 19th round of 2010 draft.
Current Level: Low-A
Notes: Hess pitched in the GCL and for Danville last year, making 4 starts and 8 relief appearances, and going 2-4 with a save, 4.73 ERA, and a 1.423 WHIP. He had 31 K and 16 BB over 32.1 innings.
2011: Hess has spent his 2nd season at Rome, making 16 relief appearances and just 1 start. He is 0-2 with 6 saves, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.337 WHIP. He has fanned 33 and walked 16 over 33.2 innings.
Aaron Northcraft (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 21
Experience: 3rd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 10th round of 2009 draft.
Current Level: Low-A
Notes: Northcraft’s first experience in pro ball was a struggle. He made 10 starts and 1 relief appearance in the GCL back in 2009, going 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.350 WHIP. He struck out 31 guys but walked 21 and hit 9 batters over 40 innings. He also threw 4 wild pitches and allowed 6 unearned runs. He had a better year last season, making 12 starts and 2 relief appearances for Danville and Rome, and going 7-4 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.328 WHIP. Control was still a big problem. He struck out 46, walked 24, hit 10 batters, and threw 10 wild pitches in 67 innings. He also gave up 7 unearned runs.
2011: Northcraft has pitched sparingly but effectively at Rome this season. He has made 4 starts and 4 relief appearances and is 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA, a 1.107 WHIP, 28 K, and 9 BB over 34.1 innings.
Kyle Mertins (Reliever)
Pitches: Right Handed
Age: 23
Experience: 2nd season
Drafted/Signed: by Braves in 28th round of 2010 draft.
Current Level: Low-A
Notes: Like Jurik, Mertins pitched in 2 rookie ball leagues (GCL and for Danville) and at low-A in his first pro season last year. He pitched in 20 games, going 0-3 with 6 saves, a 4.21 ERA, a 1.183 WHIP, 26 K, and 12 BB over 36.1 innings.
2011: Mertins has made 16 appearances at Rome this season, going 1-2 with 5 saves, a 2.33 ERA, a 1.293 WHIP, 16 K, and 5 BB over 19.1 innings.
Rowdy Hardy (Reliever)
Pitches: Left Handed
Age: 28
Experience: 6th season
Drafted/Signed: as undrafted FA by KC in 2006.
Current Level: AAA
Notes: You gotta pull for Rowdy Hardy, not just because of his name, but also because he’s still at this thing at age 28, still trying to make the big leagues. Not only did Hardy play 3 years of college ball (Austin Peay), he was 23 by the time of his pro debut. He went undrafted and ended up getting signed by Kansas City. He made 15 starts in rookie ball in 2006 and was totally unfazed, going 5-3 with a 2.80 ERA, a 1.046 WHIP, 52 K, and just 5 walks in 80.1 innings. He continued to impress a year later at advanced-A. He made 22 starts and 4 relief appearances, going 15-5 with a save, a 2.48 ERA, and a 0.958 WHIP. He struck out 91 against only 16 BB in 167 innings, but he did hit 15 guys. Hardy moved up to AA a year later and he found that transition to be much more difficult. He pitched in 28 games in 2008, 27 as a starter, and went 6-11 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.452 WHIP. He had just 87 strikeouts in 155.2 innings. He walked 31, threw 20 HBP, and gave up 14 homers. He spent part of 2009 in AA and part at advanced-A. He made 16 starts and 7 relief appearances, going 7-5 with a 2.74 ERA, a 1.292 WHIP, 68 K, and 29 BB over 108.1 innings. He spent another full season at AA in 2010, this time as a full time reliever. In 36 games, Hardy went 4-3 with 3 saves, a 3.44 ERA, a 1.309 WHIP, 57 K, and 18 BB over 81 innings.
2011: Hardy has been used exclusively out of the pen in his first year with the Braves, pitching at AA and AAA. In 21 games he is 1-5 with a 1.69 ERA, a 1.281 WHIP, 24 K, and 11 BB over 32 innings. He has allowed only 1 dinger.
Blaine Sims (Starter/Reliever)
Pitches: Left Handed
Age: 22
Experience: 2nd season
Drafted/Signed: as undrafted FA by Braves in 2010.
Current Level: Advanced-A
Notes: Sims spent 3 years in college (1 at Kaskaskia JC, 2 at Arkansas Tech) and then went undrafted. He was pitching for New Market in Virginia in the Valley League when the Braves found him. He pitched in 5 games for Danville in 2010, making 2 starts and 3 relief appearances and going 0-3 with a 4.19 ERA, a 1.397 WHIP, and 10 K over 19.1 innings.
2011: Sims is looking pretty good in his 2nd year with the Braves, making 2 starts and 15 relief appearances at Rome and Lynchburg. He is 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.261 WHIP, 30 K, and 14 BB over 39.2 innings.
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