Atlanta Braves Announce Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Year
Atlanta Braves Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Year
Organizational Pitcher of the Year, RHP Tyrell Jenkins: In his first season in the Braves organization and sixth season overall, Jenkins split the year between Mississippi and Gwinnett, going 8-9 with a 3.19 ERA, the fourth-highest mark among Braves minor league pitchers. The 2015 Southern League All-Star made 25 appearances (all starts) between the two stops, with three complete-games, and five appearances of 5.0 or more innings in which he did not allow an earned run. He ranked fifth in the organization with 88 strikeouts.
Organizational Player of the Year, OF Mallex Smith: Smith, a 2015 Southern League All-Star selection, posted the fourth-best batting average among Braves farmhands with a combined .306 mark while playing in a combined 126 games between Mississippi and Gwinnett in his first season in the organization and fourth professional season overall. The fleet-footed outfielder swiped 57 bases on the season, tops in the organization and the fifth-highest total in all of minor league baseball. Despite his limited time with each club, he led Gwinnett (34) and Mississippi (23) in stolen bases. He finished the season batting .326 over his final 32 games with Gwinnett.
Gwinnett Braves Pitcher of the Year, LHP Manny Banuelos: Banuelos split his first season in the organization between Gwinnett and Atlanta, and went 6-2 with a 2.23 ERA over 16 starts with the G-Braves while earning International League All-Star honors. The 2.23 ERA stood as the lowest mark of his career and paced IL starters (minimum 15 starts). Made his Major League debut on July 2 and appeared in seven games (six starts) with Atlanta, compiling a 1-4 record and a 5.13 ERA.
Gwinnett Braves Player of the Year, INF/OF Adonis Garcia: In his first season in the organization and his fourth professional campaign, Garcia split the year between Gwinnett and Atlanta. The outfielder hit .284 in 87 contests with Gwinnett with 17 doubles and 47 RBI. He made his Major League debut on May 19 and stroked his first career home run on July 26. He collected 21 multi-hit contests for Gwinnett, the third-most on the club and posted two 10-game hitting streaks.
Mississippi Braves Pitcher of the Year, RHP Victor Mateo: Mateo went 10-9 with a 3.41 ERA in 27 appearances, including 25 starts, between Mississippi and Gwinnett. He led the Mississippi club (minimum 60.0 IP) with a 2.68 ERA and ranked second on the staff with 107.1 innings pitched, while going 6-6 for the M-Braves.
Mississippi Braves Player of the Year, INF Emerson Landoni: Landoni finished the season with a .297 batting average which ranked seventh in Southern League and led the Mississippi Braves (among qualifying players). The middle infielder tallied a team-leading 122 hits in 118 games, while also pacing the club in doubles (tied for lead, 23), runs scored (53) and total bases (156).
Carolina Mudcats Pitcher of the Year, RHP Brandon Barker: In his second professional campaign, Barker led Braves minor league pitchers with 12 wins on the season. Overall, he went 12-10 with a 3.25 ERA between Rome, Carolina and Gwinnett. He totaled an 8-5 record in 17 starts for the Mudcats, with his eight victories ranking tied for first on the Carolina staff, while his 3.00 ERA ranked second among starting pitchers.
Carolina Mudcats Player of the Year, OF Connor Lien: The outfielder led the Carolina Mudcats and ranked second in the Carolina League with 34 stolen bases. Lien paced the Mudcats with 129 hits and 72 runs scored, both of which were in the top five rankings in the CL (tied for third and ranked fifth, respectively). His .285 batting average ranked second on the club, while his 22 doubles were the third-highest total. He finished the season with five triples, nine home runs and a .762 OPS, the third-highest mark on the team.
Rome Braves Pitcher of the Year, RHP Sean Furney: In his first season with the Braves organization (acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 30) and his third season overall, Furney pitched at two minor league stops in 2015, with the majority of his work at Rome. He pitched at a 3.03 ERA over 21 appearances (14 starts) with the club while ranking second on the staff with 113.0 inning pitched (0.2 innings behind the leader) and 63 strikeouts. He combined to go 7-12 with a 3.76 ERA in 27 games between Rome and Carolina.
Rome Braves Player of the Year, INF Ozhaino Albies: In his second professional campaign, Albies collected 122 hits in 98 games with the Rome Braves. He posted a .310 batting average with 21 doubles and a team-high 64 runs scored. The South Atlantic League All-Star ranked second on the club with 29 stolen bases. During the month of June, he tallied 40 hits in 23 games (.388 average) and from June 1 through the end of the season, he hit at a .321 clip.
Danville Braves Pitcher of the Year, RHP Ryan Clark: The Braves fifth-round selection in the 2015 draft spent his entire first professional season with the Danville Braves where the right-hander posted a 6-1 record with a 3.08 ERA in 13 games, including seven starts. Clark's six wins led the D-Braves pitching staff and ranked tied for second among Appalachian League pitchers. He held opposing hitters to a .221 batting average, while striking out 40 in 52.2 innings pitched.
Danville Braves Player of the Year, 3B Austin Riley: Riley, a 2015 first-round selection (41st overall) by the Braves, was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Braves where he hit .255 in 30 games before joining the Danville Braves in late July. The right-handed hitting third baseman excelled with the Danville Braves, leading the club in batting average (.351, 39-for-111), home runs (5), and OPS (1.028), and tying for second in RBI (19), despite playing in just 30 games for the club.
Gulf Coast League Braves Pitcher of the Year, RHP Evertz Orozco: Orozco led the Gulf Coast League Braves in wins and saves after going 5-1 with a 2.33 ERA (7 ER/27.0 IP) and three rescues over 15 games, all in relief. 2015 marked his third season in the organization after spending 2013-14 with the DSL Braves, he has compiled a career record of 5-7 with a 3.64 ERA over 43 appearances, including a 2.63 mark (16 ER/54.2 IP) over the past two seasons.
Gulf Coast League Braves Player of the Year, C Jonathan Morales: Selected by Atlanta in the 25th round of the 2015 First-Year-Player-Draft, Morales paced the GCL Braves with a .304 (41-for-135) average and ranked second on the club in hits (41), home runs (7) and tied for second in RBI (22). He closed the season with six consecutive multi-hit games, going 14-for-22 (.636).
Dominican Summer League Braves Pitcher of the Year, RHP Ramon Taveras: Taveras went 3-3 with a 3.15 ERA (12 ER/34.1 IP) and seven saves in 23 appearances. His 23 games tied for the team lead.
Dominican Summer League Player of the Year, OF Randy Ventura: Ventura batted a team-best .329 (76-for-231) with 61 runs, 11 doubles, two triples and 25 RBI. He walked 35 times and fanned just 27, reaching base at a .421 clip. He swiped 55 bases in 58 games, the most in the DSL and 20 more than any other player.