Atlanta's minor league rosters are full of promise
Friday was Opening Day for the rest of Atlanta's non-AAA full season affiliates
There’s just something magic about minor league baseball.
There’s legitimately no better place to be than a minor league park on a warm summer night, hot dog and cold beer in hand.1 It’s a distillation of the game at its most pure, in my opinion.
It’s also important for the future. The minor league players of today might be the major leaguers of tomorrow. With that in mind, let’s look at the rosters that started play last night and identify who you need to know.
Columbus Clingstones, Double-A
Play-by-play: Jack Johnson (first year)
Starting Pitching: Opening Day starter Drue Hackenberg (2023R2) leads a deep and impressive rotation of potential MLB starters. He’s joined by former Auburn Tiger Blake Burkhalter (2022R2C), Lucas Braun (2023R6), Jhancarlos Lara (2021IFA), and Ian Mejia (2022R11). It’s one of the most loaded pitching staffs in a farm system full of loaded pitching staffs, with all five of these guys potential MLB arms with continued development. Every single one of these starts is a must-watch.
Position players: Officially more catchers on the roster (5) than outfielders (3). Names to watch here include first baseman David McCabe and third baseman Keshawn Ogans (both Rule 5 eligible this winter), as well as outfielder Carlos D. Rodriguez (already on the 40-man and in his first minor league option year).
Best player: I want to go with Burkhalter, but give me Hackenberg for now.
Biggest Atlanta need here: Starting pitching. Hackenberg, Burkhalter, and Braun are all penciled into the “might debut this year” tab of the starting pitching pool for this season.
Rome Emperors, High-A
Play-by-play: Gavin Booker (third year)
Starting Pitchers: Opening Day starter JR Ritchie (2022R1) is joined by Garrett Baumann (2023R4), Herick Hernandez (2024R4), Adam Maier (2022R7), Didier Fuentes (2022IFA), and Riley Frey (2023R19)
Position players: Shortstop Ambioris Tavarez and outfielders Patrick Clohisy and Jace Grady are the bats to watch. I’ve always liked catcher Tyler Tolve and infielder E.J. Exposito, as well.
Best player: Ritchie is on the short list to be the organizations’s top prospect at the end of the season, assuming both Drake Baldwin and AJ Smith-Shawver graduate as expected.
Biggest Atlanta need here: A potential frontline starter. Ritchie appears to have all of the tools required to be a playoff starter as he continues to get distance from his Tommy John.
Augusta GreenJackets, Single-A
Play-by-play: Noah Adcock-Howeth (second year)2
Pitchers: Opening Day starter Owen Hackman is joined by Luke Sinnard (2024R3), Logan Samuels (2024R8), Jeremy Reyes (2023IFA), Davis Polo (2022IFA), Ethan Bagwell (2024R6), and more.
Position players: This is the most important group of hitters in the organization, as a lot of these ETAs are around the time that Atlanta will need to make some tough decisions at the major league level. SS John Gil leads an impressive young group of talent, including catcher Nick Montgomery and outfielders Isaiah Drake and Luis Guanipa.
Best player: Give me Gil. He’s the best defensive infielder in the system, although with some more development still to come on the offensive side.
Biggest Atlanta need here: Position player depth. As I alluded to above, the Braves might need to make contract choices on Orlando Arcia (2026 club option) and Ozzie Albies (2026 & 2027 club options), with the outfield corners opening up after 2027 (Profar) and 2028 (Ronald Acuña Jr’s final club option year.)
Gluten-free for me, of course
Also a subscriber to this newsletter, but he was my favorite even before that