The Braves named their minor-league position player and pitcher of the year Tuesday, acknowledging their two prospects who had the best seasons regardless of affiliate.
Catcher Shea Langeliers won the Hank Aaron Award as minor-league position player of the year. Right-hander Bryce Elder won the Phil Niekro Award as the organization’s minor-league pitcher of the year.
Langeliers, 23, hit .258 with an .836 OPS for Double-A Mississippi. He showed his budding offensive prowess with 13 doubles, 22 homers and 52 RBIs. Lauded for his defense, Langeliers also nabbed 30 of 72 base stealers (42%), tying him for the most runners caught stealing in the minors.
“I’ve grown the most (over the last year) with catching,” Langeliers said. “Just getting to know a pitching staff, getting close with the team, knowing pitchers’ strengths and how they’re going to attack guys, their go-to pitch in an important situation. Learning the scouting reports, how to take that into account when you’re playing different teams all year long. It was overwhelming at first, but getting ahold of that makes the game go a little bit slower.”
The backstop, taken ninth overall in the 2019 draft, has positioned himself to potentially make his major-league debut next season. Langeliers is one of the Braves’ most prized prospects, giving them a player capable of becoming the franchise’s long-term answer at catcher.
Elder, a member of the 2020 draft class, had a 2.76 ERA across three minor-league levels. He risen from High-A Rome to Triple-A Gwinnett by season’s end. The Texas product struck out 151 over his first 133-2/3 professional innings.
Credit: Patricia Ortiz/Gwinnett Stripers
Credit: Patricia Ortiz/Gwinnett Stripers
Like Langeliers, Elder is ascending quickly and could crack the majors next season. Elder, 22, could be the first rookie to debut for the team next season. He’s excelled at Triple-A, posting a 2.20 ERA with a 36:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in six starts.
“We still have a long way to go,” Elder said while acknowledging how quickly the past year has flown by. “It was a good year. I thank Shea, (catcher) Logan Brown and (catcher) Jonathan Morales who’ve caught me all year. Without them, the success I’ve had up to this point wouldn’t have been there. I’m pleased with where we are, and we’re going to try to continue down that path.”
Among other prospect standouts was Michael Harris, the spring training star who hit .294/.362/.436 with 26 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 64 RBIs in Rome. Harris also was 27-for-31 in stolen-base attempts. Right-hander Spencer Strider, another member of the 2020 draft class, impressed with 150 strikeouts across 93 innings over three levels.
“It’s going to be exciting to see guys like that (at spring training next year),” manager Brian Snitker said. “Because they’re going to be at a point where they’re going to be in play. You just never know. They’re college guys, and now they have a year under their belt. This was huge getting them through a total year. And then you get them, shoot, you never know. All these guys have pitched upper levels. You never know what might happen.”
The Braves graduated a haul of blue-chip prospects in recent seasons. Their farm system has dipped, but emergences from players such as Elder, Langeliers, Harris and Strider have helped keep the pipeline from suffering a painful drop-off.
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