Matt Wisler, RHP, Triple-A Gwinnett
Ranking: No. 1 prospect by Baseball America
Wisler had his best two starts since coming to the Braves in the Craig Kimbrel trade, going 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in his first two wins with Gwinnett to earn an International League pitcher of the week award. Wisler allowed one run in each of the two starts, going 5 1/3 innings in a 3-1 win in the first and a career-high eight innings in a 9-1 win in the second. He walked one and struck out nine in the two outings combined.
Jose Peraza, 2B, Triple-A Gwinnett
Ranking: No. 2 prospect by Baseball America
Peraza continued to swing a hot bat on the G-Braves’ recent road trip, going 8-for-27 (.296) with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored over six games. He was a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases. By the end of the trip Sunday in Lehigh Valley, Peraza’s season batting average was up to .300 and his on-base percentage was .336.
Lucas Sims, RHP, high Single-A Carolina
Ranking: No. 5 prospect by Baseball America
Sims has strung together back-to-back impressive starts, allowing just two earned runs in 13 innings, walking two and striking out 10 against Frederick and Salem. Braves director of player personnel Dave Trembley and minor league pitching coordinator Rich Dubee watched Sims make a quality start against Frederick (two earned runs in six innings) and use better fastball command to snap a streak of three losses in which he’d given up 12 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings.
Ozhaino Albies, SS, low Single-A Rome
Ranking: No. 8 prospect by Baseball America
Albies entered the week on an eight-game hitting streak, with six of those games the multi-hit variety. Albies was batting a torrid .444 (16-for-36) over that span, with two doubles, two triples, seven RBIs and five stolen bases, while raising his season average from .256 to .314.
Rio Ruiz, 3B, Double-A Mississippi
Ranking: No. 11 prospect by Baseball America
The 6-2, 215-pound Ruiz, who came to the Braves from Houston along with Mike Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman for Evan Gattis and James Hoyt, is off to a slow start. He hit .195 through his first 25 games and had yet to hit a home run. He’s coming off a .293 year with 11 homers in high A Lancaster in the Astros organization and was named a “Rising Star” in the Arizona Fall League.
Tyrell Jenkins, RHP, Double-A Mississippi
Ranking: No. 13 prospect by Baseball America
Jenkins bounced back from a nine-run outing in 5 2/3 innings against Montgomery on May 1 by pitching six shutout innings his next start in Biloxi on Thursday. He gave up six hits, hit a batter, walked two and struck out five, while throwing 58 of his 97 pitches for strikes. Jenkins (1-2, 4.06 ERA) pitches again Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader against Mobile.
Manny Banuelos, LHP, Triple-A Gwinnett
Ranking: No. 14 prospect by Baseball America
Banuelos followed up his six shutout innings against Toledo with another six dominant innings in Lehigh Valley. The only run he allowed came on a solo homer. He walked only one to match a season-low and he struck out six. Banuelos is 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA through his first six starts in his second season back from Tommy John surgery.
Mallex Smith, CF, Double-A Mississippi
Ranking: No. 17 prospect by Baseball America
Smith started the week on a six-game hitting streak, during which he had gone 10-for-26 (.385), scored four runs and drove in two, including the decisive runs in a 4-2 victory Friday night. Smith stole a base Thursday night to snap a streak of nine games without a steal, a career-long streak for him. Smith led the minor leagues with 88 stolen bases last season.
Andrew Thurman, RHP, high A Carolina Mudcats
Ranking: No. 20 prospect by Baseball America
Since giving up six earned runs in five innings on April 23, Thurman has allowed only two runs — only one of them earned — over his past three starts. Thurman, a former Astros prospect the Braves got in return for Gattis, has gone 3-0 with a 0.55 ERA over his past three starts to improve to 4-2 with a 2.51 ERA in six starts.
Daniel Castro, SS, Triple-A Gwinnett
Ranking: No. 28 prospect by Baseball America
When Gwinnett shortstop Elmer Reyes went on the DL with a right hand contusion, the Braves promoted Castro from Mississippi to take his spot. Castro has been a bright spot in Double-A Mississippi, hitting .389 in 23 games there, including a 16-game hitting streak, which tied for fifth-longest in Mississippi Braves history.
