Hot starts among Braves’ farmhands

Ozzie Albies is off to a hot start at Double-A Mississippi. The Braves’ shortstop prospect is batting .364 in five games through Sunday. He has a .391 OPB and an .800 OPS. He is 8-for-22 with a double and three runs scored. He has walked once and struck out three times. He also committed an error as the M-Braves lost four of the five games.

Another shortstop prospect, although he may end up as a second baseman in the majors, Dansby Swanson is off to a good start at high Single-A Carolina. In four games through Sunday, Swanson is batting .294, but has a .368 OBP and a .780 OPS. He has four RBIs, two doubles and a run scored for the Mudcats, who are 2-2.

Chris Ellis, Lucas Sims and Sean Newcomb all had impressive first starts for Mississippi. Their stat lines:

• Ellis, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts.

• Sims, 0-1, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts.

• Newcomb, 0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts.