Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have experienced just one full season at the professional level.
“Both of them are young puppies, but you will continue to see them progress,” Pendleton said. “If they continue to grow the way they have, I think you will see them in the big leagues.”
Gil, who ranks as the Braves' No. 14 prospect, and Guanipa, who ranks No. 15 on the same list, were the two highest ranked Braves position player prospects to participate in this year’s event. Both should begin this season where they ended last season, with Single-A Augusta.
Both prospects produced a near .800 OPS in the Florida Complex League before receiving a promotion. With the elimination of short-season Rookie-level teams, they made the jump to the Single-A ranks and struggled. Guanipa had a .450 OPS in 32 games and Gil had a .552 OPS over 39 games.
This was a humbling experience for Guanipa, who received a $2.5 million signing bonus. Gil has successfully played the underdog role since receiving a far more meager $110,000 signing bonus.
“We knew what we were sending there,” Pendleton said. “We knew it was going to be kids that weren't going to get crushed by this. Some kids lose confidence and they're done. You have to be real sensitive with certain kids. You can't send them there knowing that if they fail or don't succeed, they're done. These two kids will fight you, too, until they’ve got nothing left, you know? We knew they would bounce back if they had success or didn't have success.”
Gil started at shortstop on Sunday and went 1-for-3 with an infield single. He exited under his own power after seemingly pulling a left leg muscle while attempting to beat out a grounder in the sixth. Guanipa batted ninth and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout while playing center field.
Three of Sunday’s pitchers ranked among the Braves’ Top 12 prospects. Here is a look at how they did:
RHP JR Ritchie (Braves No. 8 prospect): The 21-year-old right-hander’s parents were among the friends and family members who flew from the Seattle area to see him start this game. They were treated to seeing him work a perfect first inning against three players from MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list -- Max Clark (No. 6), Kevin McGonigle (No. 28) and Thayron Liranzo (No. 81).
📩 SUBSCRIBE TO THE BASEBALL TRAVELER NEWSLETTER
Ritchie ended the first inning by striking out Liranzo with a 97 mph fastball. The young hurler, who was taken with the 35th overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft, allowed two runs, surrendered five hits and recorded a pair of strikeouts in three innings of work. He missed most of the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
“It was a great experience all around,” Ritchie said. “I loved it and I felt great. It was everything I thought it would be.”
RHP Garrett Baumann (Braves No. 9 prospect): The 6-foot-8 pitcher towers over Isaiah Drake, his 6-foot roommate last year. Drake playfully got under Baumann’s skin in the dugout last year. The tall pitcher responded with an impressive performance over the remainder of that outing.
“He wasn’t happy about what [Drake] did, so I asked him a question,” Pendleton said. “'Why don’t you take that to the mound with you?' You could tell what he has to offer. At times, it seemed like he wasn’t sure of himself. I said, ‘Hey we need to see that bulldog on the mound.'”
Baumann’s inexperience and nerves were on display as he walked five of the 10 hitters he faced on Sunday. He flashed his potential with a 98 mph fastball that he will try to harness as he likely begins the upcoming season with High-A Rome.
RHP Didier Fuentes (Braves No. 12 prospect): The 19-year-old hurler was added to Atlanta’s roster Sunday and he took advantage of the chance to shine. He flashed an upper 90s fastball while recording three strikeouts in a scoreless seventh and added two more strikeouts in a scoreless eighth. He finished his outing with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth, finishing his day with a game-high 7 K's.
Supervising Club Reporter Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.
Logan Henderson Spins Quality Start as Sounds Take Series Lead
NASHVILLE – The Sounds thwarted a late Durham comeback bid on Saturday night, leaving three Bulls stranded on the bases late in the game to hold onto a 3-2 win and take a 3-2 series lead into the finale on Sunday. Logan Henderson was stellar in his first start back
Sounds Split Thursday Twin Bill with Durham
NASHVILLE – Nashville and Durham split their Thursday night doubleheader at First Horizon Park. The Sounds got solid starts from the mound in both games, with Brandon Woodruff and Carlos Rodriguez combining to work 10.1 IP without allowing a run on five combined hits. Nashville closed out the first game
Misiorowski Spins Quality Start in Loss to Bulls
NASHVILLE – The Nashville Sounds began the series against the Durham Bulls with a 4-2 extra innings loss on Tuesday night at First Horizon Park. Brewers no. 4-rated prospect Jacob Misiorowski spun his first quality start of the year and the first from a Sounds' starter this season as he
Daz Cameron Earns International League Player of the Week Honors
NASHVILLE (April 21, 2025) – Minor League Baseball announced today that Nashville outfielder Daz Cameron has been named International League Player of the Week for April 15-20. Cameron played in five games against the Charlotte Knights and hit .435 (10-for-23) with six extra-base hits, 12 RBI, and an OPS of
Series Preview: Sounds Host Durham Bulls For Six Games
NASHVILLE – The Nashville Sounds return to First Horizon Park for the start of a six-game series against the Durham Bulls (Triple-A, Tampa Bay) beginning on Tuesday, April 22nd. The series will feature all daily promotions at the ballpark along with special theme nights, two giveaways, and Booster’s 10th birthday
Sounds Set Franchise Record with Seven Home Runs
CHARLOTTE – The Nashville Sounds closed out the series in Charlotte by slugging their way to a franchise record seven home runs in a 14-11 win over Charlotte. Five different Sounds hit a home run, led by Jorge Alfaro and Andruw Monasterio who each had two home runs. Anthony Seigler
Homer Happy Sounds Earn Series Win Over Knights
CHARLOTTE – The Sounds earned their second consecutive series win with a 10-4 victory over Charlotte on Saturday night. Bruce Zimmermann picked up his first win of the season after spinning 5.2 IP with three runs allowed. Daz Cameron sparked a five-run second inning with a grand slam, one of
Sounds Drop First Game of Series in Charlotte on Friday Night
CHARLOTTE – The Nashville Sounds dropped their first game in the series on Friday night in Charlotte. Two outs away from extending their winning streak to four games, the Knights rallied to score two runs in the ninth inning for a 2-1 win. Making his third start of his current
Sounds Score Early and Hold On Late in Win Over Charlotte
CHARLOTTE – Nashville gave themselves complete command of the series in Charlotte with a 5-4 on Thursday night to take a three-game series lead over the Knights. Carlos Rodriguez pitched four-plus innings for the Sounds and struck out seven for the third time in his four starts. The Sounds jumped
Sounds Earn 11-7 Extra Innings Win in a Slugfest
CHARLOTTE – The Nashville Sounds jumped out to a two-game series lead in Charlotte after taking down the Knights 11-7 in extra innings on Wednesday night. The Sounds matched their season-high with 14 hits and three home runs in the winning effort and had six of the nine starters record
Garcia Earns Win in Return to Charlotte as Sounds Win 6-3
CHARLOTTE – Nashville began their road trip with a 6-3 win over the Charlotte Knights on Tuesday night at Truist Field. In his return to Charlotte, Deivi Garcia earned the win after holding the Knights to one earned over five innings while Andruw Monasterio and Daz Cameron led the way
Ernesto Martinez Jr. Named International League Player of the Week
NASHVILLE (April 14, 2025) – Minor League Baseball announced today that Ernesto Martinez Jr. has been named International League Player of the Week for April 8-13 after hitting .529 (9-for-17) with two home runs, eight RBI, and an OPS of 1.501 in five games played against the Memphis Redbirds. In
Sounds Drop Series Finale to Memphis
NASHVILLE – Nashville dropped the series finale against the Memphis Redbirds 5-1 on Sunday afternoon at First Horizon Park. For the first time in the series, Memphis scored first and led throughout despite the Sounds drawing within one before Memphis scored the final three runs on their way to the
Woodruff Strikes Out Five in First Rehab Start
NASHVILLE – The Sounds earned their first series win of the 2025 season, taking down the Memphis Redbirds 6-2 on Saturday night at First Horizon Park. Brandon Woodruff made the first appearance of his rehab assignment and his first regular season action since September 23, 2023, after missing all of
Rodriguez, Cameron Shine in Friday Night Win
NASHVILLE – Nashville got back to their winning ways on Friday night against the Memphis Redbirds. The Sounds jumped out to the early lead and never looked back thanks to another dominating pitching performance. Right-hander Carlos Rodriguez started the game by striking out all three Redbirds in order to begin
Sounds Outhit Redbirds in 8-3 Loss
NASHVILLE – Nashville dropped their first game of the series against Memphis despite outhitting the Redbirds 13-7 at First Horizon Park on Thursday night. With Nashville leading 2-1 entering the sixth, Memphis scored seven runs over the final four innings to end the Sounds' three-game winning streak. For the third
Sounds Blank Redbirds for Second Straight Night
NASHVILLE – Nashville pitchers continued their dominant display of late, earning their second consecutive shutout win as they took down the Redbirds 3-0 on Wednesday night. Logan Henderson started it with five hitless innings and the bullpen took care of the rest. Nashville pitchers have now gone 24.1 IP since
Nasville Cruises Past Memphis in Myers Return to the Mound
NASHVILLE – The Nashville Sounds picked up a 8-0 win over the visiting Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A, St. Louis) on Tuesday night at First Horizon Park. In his first rehab appearance, right-hander Tobias Myers worked 3.1 IP and 45 pitches while limiting the Redbirds to two hits. Jared Oliva put the
Sounds Slug Their Way to Saturday Night Win
NASHVILLE – Nashville got early and often offense as they cruised past the Gwinnett Stripers 10-2 on Saturday night. Nashville racked up a season-high 14 hits and three home runs to give them a chance split their first road trip of the season on Sunday afternoon in Lawrenceville. Wes Clarke
Scoreless Through Nine, Sounds Fall in Extras to Gwinnett
NASHVILLE – Nashville and Gwinnett had an old-fashioned pitcher's duel at Coolray Field on Friday night. Neither team was able to cross the plate though the first nine innings and the Sounds came out on the wrong side of their first walk off decision in 2025 with a 2-1 loss
Henderson Fans Eight as Sounds Get Back in Win Column
NASHVILLE – The Sounds got some early offense and rode the right arm of Logan Henderson to a 5-1 win over the Gwinnett Stripers on Thursday night to end a four-game losing streak. After striking out eight in his season debut Saturday night against Jacksonville, Henderson was right back to
Sounds Held to Two Hits in Wednesday Loss to Gwinnett
NASHVILLE – The Sounds dropped their Wednesday morning game against the Gwinnett Stripers at Coolray Field. The two teams combined for just seven hits and the Nashville bullpen did not surrender an earned run while limiting the Stripers to one hit over the final 4.2 IP. Deyvi Garcia made his
Nashville Starts Road Trip with 5-1 Loss in Gwinnett
NASHVILLE – The Sounds first road contest of the season ended in a 5-1 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday evening at Coolray Field. The Stripers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning with MLB-rehabber Sean Murphy hitting a two-run home run off Sounds starter
Sounds Drop Extra Innings Pitchers Duel
NASHVILLE – Jacob Misiorowski's season debut was a good one. The Brewers no. 4-rated prospect spun five scoreless innings while allowing one hit and added seven strikeouts without a decision as the Sounds dropped the series finale 2-1 in extra innings on Sunday afternoon.' Nashville jumped out to a quick
Sounds Fall 11-3 Saturday Night
NASHVILLE – The Nashville Sounds saw the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp even their opening weekend series at a game apiece after an 11-3 loss on Saturday night. Jacksonville also outhit the Sounds 11-3 and each team recorded an error to have identical line scores across the board. A brunt of the