Wednesday, August 18, 2021
-Clint Manry
On Tuesday the Braves made some minor league moves, and while one wasn’t too surprising… there was one in particular that was.
Atlanta’s fifth-round pick from 2020, 22-year-old righty Bryce Elder, is headed to Triple-A as he and Nolan Kingham essentially swap places.
No. 8 on my Midseason Braves Top 30, Elder has been a busy guy this season, starting the year in High-A Rome before ascending to Mississippi after just nine starts. The former Longhorn has flourished at both levels…
Bryce Elder (2021)
- Rome – 45 IP, 2.60 ERA, 11 K/9, 4 BB/9
- M-Braves – 56 IP, 3.21 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9
There’s no question that Elder is deserving of this promotion, it’s just a bit surprising that the Braves are being this aggressive. Oftentimes, the organization is a bit more conservative with its top-tier pitching prospects. However, obviously there’s a much more urgent plan with Elder, so we’ll see what happens. Regardless, congrats to the kid for such an accomplishment during his first season as a pro.
For Kingham, the demotion seems appropriate. After the 25-year-old (his birthday is today) dominated in Double-A, pitching to a 2.29 ERA in 55 innings with the M-Braves, the Braves moved him up to Gwinnett. However, once in Triple-A, Kingham completely imploded, posting a 10.13 ERA in 29.1 innings. Hopefully the former 12th-round pick can find his footing again, for its hard to believe he was able to perform so well at one level, but get such poor results at another.
Victor Vodnik headed to the IL is real unfortunate, especially given how well he was pitching sine returning from his previous ailment. Hopefully the righty can bounce back and make a fee starts before the minor league season ends.
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Be ready to see Elder on the mound for Gwinnett as soon as this week. Today Kyle Muller will take the bump for the Stripers, followed by Spencer Strider for Mississippi.
Braves Farm 