Carolina Countdown — Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Countdown previews the rest of the Carolina League in advance of the season. We will take a look at each club, both on and off the field. The countdown will progress alphabetically, and a new post will go up every weekday until it is over.
Introduction: The Mudcats are now in their fourth season in the Carolina League and, after three years under the Cleveland Indians’ umbrella, are beginning their first year of affiliation with the Atlanta Braves. The franchise originated in 1978 as the Kinston Eagles and relocated to Zebulon in 2012 after the original Mudcats relocated to Pensacola, Fla. The 2015 season is a big milestone for the franchise, as it represents their 25th anniversary playing at Five County Stadium in Zebulon.
Last season: With a 62–74 overall record, the Muddies struggled throughout the 2014 campaign, finishing in third place in the Carolina League Southern division, 19.0 games behind first-place Myrtle Beach. Carolina owned the worst record in the league during the first half of the season at 29–38. The Mudcats made things interesting in the second half of the season, but the Dash ousted them from postseason consideration during the final set of the half.
Ryan Merritt dominated on the mound for Carolina, going 13–3 with a 2.58 ERA in 25 starts en route to both Midseason and Year-End All-Star Team honors. Outfielder Anthony Gallas (.276/.331/.480, 21 2B, 8 HR, 31 RBI) and infielder Erik Gonzalez (.289/.336/.409, 14 2B, 7 3B, 3 HR, 46 RBI, 15 SB) also represented the Mudcats in the Midseason All-Star Game.
Manager: After managing the former Braves’ High-A affiliate in Lynchburg the last four seasons, Luis Salazar will now the lead the ship in Carolina. Salazar, now in his fifth season with the Braves and his 13th as a minor league manager, has guided his teams to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. This included the Lynchburg club that won the 2012 Mills Cup Championship over the Dash. A 13-year major league veteran, Salazar will be joined in the dugout by pitching coach Derrick Lewis and hitting coach Carlos Mendez.
System: After winning 94 and 96 games, respectively, in 2012 and 2013, the Braves slumped to a 79–83 finish last year, causing the team to unload many veterans in an attempt to rebuild for a brand-new ballpark scheduled to open for the 2017 season. The offseason trades to dump Jason Heyward, Evan Gattis and Justin Upton, in particular, netted Atlanta seven of their top 13 prospects as ranked by MLB.com. In addition to stocking up their farm system, the lineup teardown should put the Braves in position for a high draft pick in 2016.
Trying to replicate their 14-straight division title run of the franchise’s glory days in the mid-90s and early-2000s, Atlanta’s system is loaded with arms. In fact, of the team’s top 15 prospects by MLB.com, 10 are pitchers. That being said, the Braves’ top prospect according to MLB.com is middle infielder Jose Peraza (№39 overall), who batted .339/.364/.441 across both High-A and Double-A last season.
Rated as 78th-best prospect in baseball, Mike Foltynewicz (№79 overall) was acquired from Houston in the Gattis trade over the winter. The flame-throwing right-handed went 7–7 with a 5.08 ERA in 21 Triple-A outings (18 starts) last season. He fanned 102 batters in 102.2 innings. Atlanta also has two other prospects in the bottom of the MLB.com’s rankings in catcher Christian Bethancourt (№94) and right-handed pitcher Lucas Sims (№95). Bethancourt batted .283/.308/.408 in 91 Triple-A games before getting a cup of coffee at the big league level to close out the 2014 season. Meanwhile, Sims posted an 8–11 record with a 4.20 ERA in 28 High-A starts spanning 156.1 frames.
Best Promotion: On the weekend of May 15–16, the Mudcats will wear specially-designed jerseys for “Strikeout Cancer Weekend.” Following Carolina’s Sunday game against Myrtle Beach, the team will hold a jersey auction giveaway with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to cancer research charities.
Fun Fact: Thirty-year-old catcher Yenier Bello appeared in eight games in High-A last season, and his path to get there was incredibly interesting. Bello was caught attempting to escape from Cuba in 2012 and was immediately suspended from baseball and had his passport revoked. In the spring of 2013, he retired from the game, eventually earned his passport back and traveled to Ecuador. From there, Bello went to Mexico, established residency and, come March of 2014, signed a minor league contract with Atlanta.
Mudcats in Winston-Salem: The Muddies visit BB&T Ballpark during the Dash’s first homestand of the season, a three-game series from April 20–22. From there, Carolina won’t come back to Winston-Salem until the second half of the season, returning from July 22–24 and then again from August 21–23 in the penultimate regular season homestand.
The Carolina Countdown will continue tomorrow with the Frederick Keys. Stay tuned!
- Scott
