Saturday seeds: AJ Smith-Shawver, Columbus starters impressing, and a proposed name change
Here's some of the news and notes you might have missed from this week
Our Saturday Seeds news roundup is presented by Chinook Seedery - for bigger and better sunflower seeds in both regular and unique flavors, check out Chinook Seedery and use promo code “Braves” for 10% off your order!
#FreeAJ
We were surprised/dismayed/frustrated that AJ Smith-Shawver, not Bryce Elder, was optioned down to Gwinnett last week. Several on social media speculated that the Braves were planning on using Elder in long relief rather than as a starter, assuming that AJ was only down in Gwinnett to stay on schedule because the Braves did not need another starter thanks to several upcoming off days.
About that.
Both players started on Friday night, Smith-Shawver for Gwinnett and Elder for Atlanta. The results were radically different, as well.
Smith-Shawver, pitching against Phillies affiliate Lehigh Valley, pitched 5.2 innings with eight strikeouts opposite five hits and two walks. He left with a 2-1 lead, but both bequeathed runners scored after he left to leave his final line with three earned runs.
Elder, facing the Minnesota Twins, allowed four earned runs in his five innings, striking out three, opposite three walks and allowing six hits. He left with a 4-1 deficit, but did not take his 2nd loss of the season after the Braves exploded for five runs in the 8th to complete the comeback.
There was a lot of…frustration evident across Braves Country as both games unfolded at the same time. Even MLB.com beat writer Mark Bowman chimed in to express his confusion:
“Did I mention how much I was looking forward to seeing Smith-Shawver build on the end of last weekend's outing? Choosing Elder over Smith-Shawver, especially after seeing AJSS end Saturday's outing, made no sense.”
We agree, Mark. #FreeAJ
Some impressive pitching in Columbus
When we broke down the affiliate rosters at the beginning of the minor league season, we discussed Columbus’ pitching staff in glowing terms. “It’s one of the most loaded pitching staffs in a farm system full of loaded pitching staffs, with all five of these guys potential MLB arms with continued development. Every single one of these starts is a must-watch.”
Thanks for proving us right, Clingstones.
Blake Burkhalter started in Tuesday’s home opener and put up 5.2 scoreless innings against Pensacola, striking out eight with just two walks and three hits. The converted college reliever is looking like one of the team’s better starting pitching prospects and could make it to Gwinnett sooner rather than later.
Lucas Braun was determined to at least match Burkhalter, though, putting up 6.2 innings with two runs on five hits the next night. Striking out seven with no walks, Braun showed why he’s almost universally a top twelve prospect on the Braves Prospects Composite.
Not to be outdone, veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel continued his “ramp-up” period in Columbus this week, striking out six of the eight batters he faced across two relief outings this week.
Imagine being a prospect, newly in Double-A after toiling in the lower minors, and you have to face a major league veteran with 440 saves and 1,265 strikeouts to his name? Unfair. Get that man to Gwinnett.
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More history was made on Wednesday
In case you thought we were done with that awful series finale in Toronto, we’re not.
With the top three of the order going a combined 1-12 with 11 strikeouts, including dual Golden Sombreros from leadoff man Michael Harris and two-hole hitter Austin Riley, you had to expect some history was made in that one.
Turns out, it was!
According to Elias Sports Bureau, this was the first time in MLB history that a team’s first three batters combined for eleven strikeouts in one game.
Not great!
Friday night was better - the top three struck out just four times - but then again, it was a different top three: Alex Verdugo (making his Braves debut), Riley, and Marcell Ozuna.
This new name is NOT it
There’s a movement from two brothers out of Augusta, GA to change the team’s name from “Braves” to “Bravest”, adding a “T” to the end. Their idea is to honor firefighters in both words and visual imagery, achieved by changing the tomahawk to a fireman’s ax.
I honestly can’t say I’m for this. The name of “Braves” seems, to me, to be in a different bucket than the recently changed Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) and Washington Redskins (now Commanders) in that it’s not disparaging, but rather a honorific. Additionally, the Braves organization has worked on a variety of Native American initiatives in recent years, including a showcase for the top Native American prep baseball players, various recognition and educational nights in the ballpark, and community events.
It’s a similar strategy as that employed by the minor league’s Spokane Indians, although they associate themselves very closely with one specific tribe, the nearby Spokane Tribe in Washington State.
This also isn’t the first time there’s been a proposal to change the name of the Braves, who have used that moniker since 1941. Prior to that, they were known as the “Bees” from 1936-1940, a short-lived name that temporarily replaced the Braves moniker they adopted in 1912 while in Boston.
Former owner Ted Turner proposed renaming the team to the “Eagles” in 1976, with the goal of aligning the team with the other bird-themed teams in Atlanta in the Hawks (NBA) and Falcons (NFL). Some have suggested “Warriors”, an even more generic version of Braves, while names to honor specific Atlanta-era people have been suggested in “Hammers”, to honor Hank Aaron, and “Kings”, to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
I’m fine if we stick with “Braves”, honestly.
Hmmm, AJ pitching the same day as Elder really does confuse me. I figured it was because they weren’t in sync but looks like that isn’t the case. Maybe they figure he will get more confidence working on stuff in Gwinett than in the majors?
I agree that the name Braves is "fine" for you and me, but we're not whose feelings should be taken into consideration when determining who this minimizes. It's a term coined by colonialists to describe their foe while expanding the U.S. territories. It may seem honorary in the eyes of non natives, but you might as well call them "Some of the good ones."