Braves Arizona Fall League updates

October 25th, 2019

Eight Braves prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 2019 Arizona Fall League: First baseman Greyson Jenista (No. 11), outfielder Trey Harris (No. 18), right-hander Daysbel Hernandez (No. 20), outfielder Justin Dean (No. 23), right-hander Connor Johnstone, right-hander Brad Roney, outfielder Garrison Schwartz and right-hander Brandon White.

Here’s a day-by-day look at how Atlanta's AFL contingent is faring:

Oct. 25: Mesa 3, Scottsdale 0
Connor Johnstone’s final Fall League start was a strong one as he turned in three scoreless frames against Mesa. The right-hander peppered the strike zone, tossing 31 of 40 pitches for strikes, en route to compiling three strikeouts and no walks. He worked around a pair of singles in the first to escape unscathed before ultimately retiring seven of the final eight batters that he faced. The 25-year-old posted a 3.27 ERA across six starts for Scottsdale.

Justin Dean added a single and drew a walk Saturday to close out his time in Arizona as a .200 hitter. The 22-year-old collected nine hits while with the Scorpions, although none went for extra bases. Garrison Schwartz had a rough go of it during the Fall League, but he finished by notching a single in each of his final two contests.

Oct. 24: Surprise 10, Scottsdale 2
Garrison Schwartz went 1-for-3 with a walk from the bottom of Scottsdale’s lineup. The hit, a single, was his second in 26 Fall League at-bats. Brandon White gave up four runs on two hits and three walks and recorded just one out in a relief appearance for Scottsdale, though two of the runs charged against the 24-year-old right-hander scored after he’d departed the game. He’s allowed multiple runs in back-to-back outings after a string of three straight scoreless appearances. Daysbel Hernandez posted two scoreless frames out of the Scorpions’ bullpen, striking out two and allowing two singles.

Oct. 23: Peoria 6, Scottsdale 1
Trey Harris hit a few balls hard, but didn’t have much to show for it aside from a first-inning single. Justin Dean scored Scottsdale’s first run of the game after singling and stealing his third base of the AFL. The lone run was all the Scorpions’ offense was able to generate Wednesday and Dean finished 1-for-4. It’s hard to pitch much better than Bradley Roney did on Wednesday. The Southern Mississippi product lowered his ERA to 1.59 as he cruised through two scoreless innings on one mound. Roney needed just 12 pitches, nine strikes, to strike out the side in his first inning, then fanned one more in another clean frame.

Oct. 22: Scheduled off day for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 21: Peoria 4, Scottsdale 3
Playing in the shadow of his hometown, Garrison Schwartz continued his AFL struggles Monday, finishing 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. The left-handed-hitting outfielder is now 1-for-23 for Scottsdale with 12 strikeouts.

Oct. 20: Glendale 7, Scottsdale 2
Trey Harris went 0-for-4, but more importantly, the outfielder left the game in the eighth inning after crashing full speed into the right-field fence. Harris was able to walk off under his own power.

Oct. 19: Glendale 5, Scottsdale 2
Connor Johnstone threw 50 of 72 pitches for strikes, including 21 swinging strikes, but also gave up three runs on five hits over five innings. Johnstone did, however, pick up seven strikeouts, the most he’s had in a Fall League start, bringing his AFL total to 16 through 19 innings. Brandon White struggled on the mound for Scottsdale, yielding two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings. Bradley Roney turned in his fifth straight scoreless outing and struck out three over 1 1/3 innings. Garrison Schwartz went 0-for-2 at the plate, but reached base twice via a pair of walks.

Oct. 18: Scottsdale 4, Mesa 0
Trey Harris extended his hitting streak to four games by going 1-for-3 on Friday night against Mesa. Playing right field and hitting third, Harris also walked in the first inning and scored on Giants prospect Jacob Heyward’s three-run homer. Harris nudged his average up to .306 and has gone 6-for-14 over his last four games. Justin Dean manned the other corner outfield spot for Scottsdale, but came up empty in the batter’s box. Dean went 0-for-3 and struck out twice, bringing his average down to .184.

Oct. 17: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 16: Scottsdale 3, Mesa 0
Daysbel Hernandez worked two scoreless innings of relief, with his first frame ending after a lined shot deflected off of him and straight to an infielder. He entered the night with the highest ERA on the Scottsdale roster, but lowered that number drastically in his first multi-inning performance of the Fall League.

Justin Dean finished 1-for-3, collecting an opposite-field single in the eighth. He immediately took off and swiped second base, his second steal of the fall, before ultimately coming around to score. Garrison Schwartz remains in a rut after an 0-for-3 performance Wednesday. The Arizona native has not had a hit since his first AFL game back on Sept. 21, currently caught in an 0-for-14 slump. He did make loud contact in the seventh with a deep drive to left that was caught.

Oct. 15: Scottsdale 2, Salt River 1
Trey Harris finished the night with just one hit, but he definitely made it count. Harris blistered a ball (101.4 mph exit velocity) for an RBI double in the fourth inning, which ended up proving to be the difference in Scottsdale’s 2-1 win over Salt River. Justin Dean entered the game after Jacob Heyward (Giants) was ejected for arguing balls and strikes and was retired in each of his two plate appearances. Bradley Roney turned in his fourth straight scoreless appearance for the Scorpions on Tuesday. Roney walked two, but struck out one and didn’t give up a hit over 1 1/3 innings.

Oct. 14: Scottsdale 6, Salt River 5
It looks like outfielder Trey Harris is back on track. Playing right field and hitting sixth, Harris went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. It’s his second straight two-hit game after going 0-for-7 in his two games before that. Monday’s two-hit night brought his average back up to .310. After Scottsdale took a 6-5 lead, right-hander Brandon White came in to close things out in the ninth and while he did allow a hit, he did collect his first save of the Fall League season.

Oct. 13: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 12: East 4, West 2
Here's how every player performed in the Fall Stars Game. More »

Oct. 11: Surprise 2, Scottsdale 0
Greyson Jenista and Justin Dean both went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts on Friday in Scottsdale’s loss to Surprise. They’re batting .200 and .214, respectively, in the Fall League.

Connor Johnstone took the loss for the Scorpions despite giving up just one run on two hits in three innings. He racked up four strikeouts in the outing, tallying two apiece in each of the first two frames, and did not issue a walk. Johnstone owns a 3.21 ERA through 14 innings (four starts) in the Fall League, Daysbel Hernandez allowed a run on two hits in the sixth inning as he ran his fastball up to 96 mph.

Oct. 10: Surprise 3, Scottsdale 1
Trey Harris doubled and singled as part of a 2-for-4 day and raised his fall average to .282. Greyson Jenista went 0-for-3 with a walk in the loss. Garrison Schwartz went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, and is still looking to get things going with the Scorpions. Bradley Roney threw a scoreless eighth frame, walking one and lowering his AFL ERA to 2.70.

Oct. 9: Peoria 3, Scottsdale 1
Brandon White has posted back-to-back scoreless outings and held the opposition without a run in three of his four outings after spinning a scoreless eighth for Scottsdale. Justin Dean singled in each of his first two at-bats, though he was caught stealing after the first. The outfielder finished 2-for-4 on Wednesday and is 3-for-8 over his past two games.

Oct. 8: Peoria 3, Scottsdale 2
Greyson Jenista fueled the Scorpions' offense with a 3-for-4 performance that included a 107.8-mph double -- the hardest-hit ball in the game -- and an RBI single. He also scored one of the team's two runs. Trey Harris went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, but he came within a few feet of hitting a walk-off home run for Scottsdale. Batting in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, one man on base and the Scorpions chasing by one run, the Braves’ No. 18 prospect smashed a deep drive to right-center field (101.6 mph exit velocity) that Peoria center fielder Jarren Duran ran down at the wall. Harris’ blast, per Statcast, had a 75-percent hit rate and would have been a home run in two Major League stadiums.

Oct. 7: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 6: Scottsdale 6, Glendale 5
Justin Dean went 1-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk out of the leadoff spot for Scottsdale as his AFL average dipped to .174. Greyson Jenista is batting .181 after a 1-for-4 performance, while Garrison Schwartz’s average sits after .091 after he finished 0-for-3. Connor Johnstone spun a second straight scoreless start for Scottsdale as he scattered four hits over five innings against Glendale. The right-hander issued two walks, struck out one batter and recorded eight groundball outs while throwing 41 of 64 pitches for strikes. He owns a 3.27 ERA through 11 innings (three starts) in the Fall League. Daysbel Hernandez took over for Johnstone in the sixth and delivered a scoreless frame.

Oct. 5: Navojoa 4, Scottsdale 1
Trey Harris batted cleanup for Scottsdale and drew a pair of walks during an 0-for-2 performance. In addition, Harris swiped his first bag of the fall in the eighth during the Scorpions’ rally. The Braves’ No. 18 prospect owns a .922 OPS through his first nine contests.

Oct. 4: Scottsdale 6, Mesa 5 (10 innings)
Brandon White entered out of Scottsdale’s bullpen into a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning and issued back-to-back run-scoring walks before ending the frame. He fared better in the seventh, recording three quick outs in a 1-2-3 inning. Bradney Roney struck out the side in the 10th inning to earn his first Fall League save.

Oct. 3: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 2: Salt River 4, Scottsdale 2
Trey Harris paced the group of four Braves prospects who played against Salt River on Wednesday, going 1-for-4. The single raised Atlanta’s No. 18 prospect’s average in the AFL to .321, to go along with an OPS that sits at .946. Braves No. 11 prospect Greyson Jenista went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, while No. 23 Justin Dean went 0-for-4 and was fanned twice. Garrison Schwartz walked twice in four plate appearances, and scored one of the team’s two runs in the affair.

Oct. 1: Salt River 5, Scottsdale 2
Trey Harris has performed well in Arizona and is hitting .320, but went 0-for-4 on Tuesday. Greyson Jenista drew a walk, but finished 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

Sept. 30: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Sept. 29: Scottsdale 17, Los Mochis 0
Trey Harris, Atlanta’s No. 18 prospect, went 0-for-4 but reached base twice via walks and scored two runs from the leadoff spot. Greyson Jenista (No. 11) turned in one of his better performances of the Fall League, going 1-for-4 with two RBIs and runs apiece.

Connor Johnstone tossed four scoreless innings to pace the Scottsdale Scorpions on the mound in their 17-0 rout of Caneros de los Mochis. The 24-year-old right-hander scattered three hits, walked one batter and struck out a pair while throwing 33 of 50 pitches for strikes. Daysbel Hernandez topped out at 97 mph and flashed above-average with his upper-80s slider as he pitched around three walks to strike out the side in the eighth, and righty Bradley Rodney notched a strikeout during a perfect ninth to seal Scottsdale’s victory.

Sept. 28: Scottsdale 2, Surprise 0
Trey Harris, Atlanta’s No. 18 prospect, has hit safely in five of six games for Scottsdale this fall after a 1-for-4 performance on Saturday. He’s batting .381 with a 1.131 OPS for the Scorpions on the heels of a breakout regular-season campaign in which he batted .323/.389/.498 with 47 extra-base hits while ascending three levels, from Class A to Double-A.

Sept. 27: Surprise 4, Scottsdale 3
Outfielder Trey Harris put Scottsdale on the board when he connected on a solo home run in the second inning that hit the batter’s eye in center field. The Braves’ No. 18 prospect’s homer was his second in the AFL and had an exit velocity of 105.6 mph, per Trackman, and he also hit a double in the contest before finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored. He’s batting .412 this fall after a breakout regular-season campaign in the Minors. Greyson Jenista and Garrison Schwartz both reached base once but were held hitless, going a combined 0-for-6 with three strikeouts. Brandon White gave up two runs on two hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings out of Scottsdale’s bullpen. The 6-foot-2 right-hander struck out two.

Sept. 26: Thursday's game between Scottsdale and Peoria was rained out and will not be made up.

Sept. 25: Scottsdale 8, Mexicali 1
Justin Dean singled and drew a walk as part of his 1-for-4 performance. He also stole a base, his first of the Fall League.

Sept. 24: Mesa 8, Scottsdale 4
Both Greyson Jenista and Trey Harris notched a single and scored a run in Scottsdale’s loss against Mesa. Jenista reached base twice in the contest, going 1-for-3 with a walk, while Harris salvaged his night at the plate with a ninth-inning single after striking out in his first three at-bats.

Sept. 23: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Sept. 22: Salt River 11, Scottsdale 4
Connor Johnstone struggled in his start for Scottsdale. The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits in two innings. Daysbel Hernandez walked three and gave up four runs on two hits over 1 2/3 innings.

Justin Dean got things started for Salt River as he singled and scored in the first inning. Dean also scored after drawing a walk in the eighth and finished 1-for-3. Trey Harris has impressed early in the Fall League and boosted his average up to .400 with a 2-for-2 night at the plate. Harris singled in each of his first two at-bats, drew a walk in his third plate appearance and then finished his night with a sacrifice fly.

Sept. 21: Glendale 1, Scottsdale 0
No. 11 prospect Greyson Jenista had his modest two-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday in Scottsdale’s 1-0 loss at Glendale. Playing first base and hitting fifth, the 2018 second-rounder went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and is now 3-for-12 with a double over three games. Outfielder Garrison Schwartz made his first start of the Fall League season and picked up one of Scottsdale’s three hits. The Chandler, Ariz., native who attended Grand Canyon University went 1-for-3 hitting eighth and playing left field.

Sept. 20: Scottsdale 3, Glendale 2
After going 2-for-4 with a home run in his AFL debut on Wednesday, No. 14 prospect Trey Harris had a rougher go of it in his second game. Hitting in the cleanup spot, the outfielder went 0-for-4 and left six men on base for Scottsdale on Friday night. Right-hander Brandon White spent nearly all of the 2019 season in the Class A Advanced Florida State League and could use the Fall League to catapult himself to the upper levels. He tossed two shutout innings in his debut on Friday, allowing three hits while striking out a pair.

Sept. 19: Scottsdale 8, Surprise 6
No. 11 prospect Greyson Jenista went 2-for-5 with a double for Scottsdale on Thursday, batting eighth. The second-round pick from the 2018 Draft split 130 games between Class A Advanced Florida and Double-A Mississippi this season, batting .233 with nine home runs and a .667 OPS. No. 23 prospect Justin Dean batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 with a single, two RBIs and a walk.

Right-hander Bradley Roney picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, walking two and striking out two. Roney posted a 1.94 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings this season between two levels.

Sept. 18: Scottsdale 5, Mesa 4
Trey Harris went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Scorpions in their AFL Opening Day victory on Wednesday. The 23-year-old was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2018 MLB Draft and played his first full season of pro ball this year, batting .323 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs in 131 games for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. Greyson Jenista, Harris' teammate with the M-Braves for half of the 2019 season, collected a hit across his four at-bats and was replaced by a pinch runner. Daysbel Hernandez earned the save with a perfect inning of relief to close out the win for the Scorpions.