※ [本文转录自 Prospect 看板] 作者: Grant44 () 看板: Prospect 标题: Young Braves Arms 时间: Thu May 27 19:18:44 2004 When it comes to pitching depth, no organization is deeper than the Braves. The Braves might not have many impact arms at the Triple-A level, but looking beyond Richmond, you can easily see why losing righthanders Adam Wainwright and Bubba Nelson in the offseason hasn't stolen much of the pitching thunder. Double-A Greenville's 15-30 overall record masks a prospect-laden staff, with lefthander Dan Meyer leading the way. Meyer is 3-2, 2.38 in 34 innings with 42 strikeouts and only eight walks this season. The 6- foot-3, 190-pound lefty has shown great command of his low-90s fastball and plus changeup. His slider is in the 78-81 range and right now needs further development. "The big thing for Dan is commanding the fastball to go along with his change, which he's done very well up to this point," farm director Dayton Moore said. "He's got a hard-biting slider that he's going to have to use more in game situations and mix it in to give hitters a different look." Meyer endured a high ankle sprain while covering the plate on a passed ball in his first start, but after missing two rounds in the rotation, the supplemental first-rounder in 2001 out of James Madison hasn't looked back. "Initially, we expected him to miss a lot more time," Moore said. "But he's had a history in his career of these types of sprains, so he bounced back well and earlier than we expected." Where Meyer has had early success, lefthander Macay McBride has struggled. McBride is 0-6, 5.61 in 51 innings. His stuff appears to still be there, but not nearly as consistent as it was last season. McBride has fanned 53 and walked 25. "The thing with all pitchers is trusting what they have," Moore said. "He still has the same stuff; it's just a matter of not giving in to hitters. When you give in to hitters at that level, you're going to get hit. He just needs to stay on the attack, which has always been a special trait of his." Moore said McBride might have been trying to be too fine, relying on hitting spots more than being on the offensive on the mound. "Kevin Millwood struggled with that--even once he got to the big leagues," Moore said. "Not everybody is a touch and feel guy. Millwood wasn't and McBride isn't either. But this is a positive for him. It's the first time he's faced any kind of adversity. He'll respond and be a better pitcher. I still think he's going to have a great year. It's important for him to go through this right now." The Braves' talent on the mound is clearly evident in Myrtle Beach as well --Pelicans hurlers have won four Carolina League pitcher of the week honors. Righthanders Blaine Boyer, Jose Capellan and Anthony Lerew have all won the award, with Boyer winning it twice. Capellan's numbers have been outrageous this season. The 23-year-old Dominican is 5-1, 1.94 with 62 strikeouts in 46 innings. While he can hit triple digits on the radar gun, Capellan has been mainly working on improving his secondary stuff this year. His curveball has been a plus pitch and he's still working on mixing in a changeup for a third legitimate option. "He's mixing it in now and again and his confidence in it has grown from where it was at the start of the season," Moore said. "It's important to get all those pitches working together, but he's locating his breaking ball well, and when you can do that with a plus-plus fastball, it's a little easier to keep hitters off-balance." Lerew, an 11th-round pick in 2001 out of Northern High in Wellsville, Pa., is quietly putting up solid numbers on a staff with Capellan, Boyer, and Kyle Davies around him. He's 4-2, 3.00 with 50 strikeouts in 48 innings. Working with a 91-93 mph fastball with good movement and late sinking action, Lerew's changeup is nearly as effective as the fastball and sometimes looks more like a splitter than a straight change. He's working on developing a slider as a third option. "His fastball is above-average with deception and great location," Moore said. "He's needs to be more consistent with the slider and build his trust in it in order to use it more. But if you don't throw it, it's hard to trust it. He has outstanding poise and presence on the mound and done really well at the high Class A level." A level lower at low Class A Rome, stereotypical "little lefty" Chuck James is putting on a show as well. James is 6-0, 1.50 with 50 punchouts in 48 innings. The 6-foot, 170-pounder out of Chattahoochie Valley (Ala.) Junior College works with his fastball around 89-91, but his change is far and away his best pitch. James is also quickly becoming well-known in the South Atlantic League for his toughness on the mound and his fearlessness for throwing inside. "He's a tremendous competitor," Moore said. "He moves the fastball in and out all over the plate and just needs to get that third pitch moving. He's not afraid of anything out there." That third pitch is a slider, and while McBride might not be a "touch and feel guy," James certainly is. He hits his spots, consistently moving all three pitches around the zone. "His stuff is incredibly deceptive, not overpowering, but he keeps hitters guessing," Moore said. "He changes speeds well and does a nice job disrupting hitters' timing. He has an attacking style and when you have that kind of approach it's going to bode well for you." The Braves' approach of stockpiling pitchers has worked for more than a decade now. With the performance of many of their pitchers at lower levels, it doesn't appear likely to end anytime soon. --

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