The Gwinnett Stripers are not a good ballclub. Chock full of Quad-A guys that can get quick call-ups and, in all likelihood, make their way back to the Gwinnett or some other AAA roster. The objective here is simple: Anthopoulos has a farm, then he has a Quad-A farm. While some of the guys listed below are the Quad-A type, there’s still hope that a few on this list can turn into productive Major Leaguers.

Gwinnett Stripers Players of the Month: Offense

Joe Dunand: 80 PAs, 23H, 7BB, 4 2B, 8 HRs, 1.129 OPS

There’s no inside knowledge here, but Joe Dunand is very much different from the Joe Dunand that carried a .632 OPS while in Miami’s farm system. Let us also not forget that Dunand is a former 2nd round draft pick and there’s real pedigree here (his uncle is ARod). Something worth noting is that the Braves sent Dunand to the FCL twice and the 2nd time, he came back with some real thump. It would not surprise me to see the Braves add him to the active roster later in the year or to the 40-man this offseason.

Joe Hudson: 35 PAs, 7H, 5BB, .807 OPS

Braves got a good one in Hudson and seems like the kind of guy that could stick around in the org for awhile as a roving instructor. I’ve talked about the idea of the Braves DFA’ing Chadwick Tromp when they need a 40-man spot, and I think Joe Hudson is the main reason why I think they’d be ok losing Tromp.

Forrest Wall: 91 PAs, 26H, 10BB, 1 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 15 SB, 2 CS, .894 OPS

If there’s any development in the Minors that’s been more fun than watching Forrest Wall turning into a real force at the top of the Stripers order, point me to it. Like Dunand, Wall also has real pedigree as he was a 1st round draft pick by the Rockies (who notoriously suck at player development) back in 2014. Like Dunand, Wall could be a player added to the roster later in the year or grab a 40-man spot in the offseason.

Vaughn Grissom: 96 PAs, 29H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 3 SB, 1 CS, .772 OPS

Gwinnett Stripers Players of the Month: Pitchers

Even though he’s a top performer, as a Braves fan, it’s hard to get excited about these numbers, especially 96 PAs without a single dinger. Grissom might see time at the MLB level again in 2023, but my guess is that it will be with another team if it happens.

Allan Winans: 34 IP, 2.38 ERA, .554 OPS against, 24K, 9BB

Winans made my list as a pitcher that could grab a spot start at some point in the season. However, I think it’s more likely that he stays in Gwinnett, especially considering that Soroka, Allard, Wright, Fried, and Dodd all seem to be in front of him in the pecking order.

Michael Soroka: 3 GS, 19 IP, 1.42 ERA, 18K, 8BB

On June 4th, Soroka threw 3.2 innings of bad baseball and was sent back to AAA right away. Apparently Soroka dared, then double dared, then accepted the physical challenge. In 3 games since being returned to Gwinnett, Soroka has been lights out and will likely get the call back up within the next few days

Kolby Allard: 2 G, 6.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 8K, 2BB

Ok…now this is fun. Allard is back and has put up some strong results in a small sample. The Braves are in need of SP depth and Allard returning before Kyle Wright or Max Fried might be the thing that gets his career on track again.

Thanks for reading. Here’s another piece for the Bar that I wrote a few days back.

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