FAYETTEVILLE WOODPECKERS (HOU) (8-8) VS AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS (ATL) (7-9) Tuesday, May 18th - Sunday, May 23rd — Game #13-18/Home Game #7-12 – SRP Park — 7:05 EDT Game #17: RHP Cesar Gomez (0-2, 5.11 ERA) vs RHP Darius Vines (0-0, 0.00 ERA)(AUG) MiLB TV, GreenJacketsbaseball.com 4 HOURS AND 41 MINUTES SAUNDERS SET TO LEAD JACKETS Last night’s four hour and 41 minute affair was the longest Michael Saunders has been tabbed as the Manager for the nine inning game in all of baseball this year. The Woodpeck- 2021 campaign. Also joining Saunders will be Mike Bard as ers won 11-10 despite the GreenJackets offense drawing 20 Hitting Coach, Elvin Nina as Pitching Coach, Myles Schroder walks. Both teams committed three errors. Fayetteville outhit as a Coach, Austin Smith as the Athletic Trainer, and Kyle the GreenJackets 14-7 to get the win. Lindsey as the Strength Coach. Michael Saunders brings nine years of experience in Major League Baseball, having spent WILLIE CAN’T BE STOPPED time with the Seattle Mariners (2009-2014), Toronto Blue Jays Willie Carter has had the best start of any Augusta hitter so (2015-2016), and Philadelphia Phillies (2017). Saunders’ ca- far this season. Carter has reached base in all 13 games he’s reer batting average was .232 in 2,400 plate appearances. played in, and is 14-43 (.326) to start the year. He’s posted a He was a 2016 All-Star during his time in Toronto. In 2020, .473 OBP thanks to 11 walks so far, including three on Friday. Saunders was slated to be Manager of the Danville Braves. The Braves drafted him in the 34th round of the 2019 MLB Draft from Webber International. He also has two home runs and 12 BRAVES ERA BEGINS AT SRP PARK RBI this year. After spending the previous 16 seasons as the affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, the GreenJackets begin their new affil- STARTING PITCHING LIGHTS OUT iation with the closest Major League team to SRP Park: The They haven’t gone deep into games often, but the GreenJackets Atlanta Braves. Truist Park sits 162 miles from SRP Park and starting pitchers have been the best in the Low-A East. Augusta will serve as the Low-A Affiliate of the Atlanta Braves for the leads the league with an ERA of 2.08 for it’s starting pitchers. next 10 years. The Braves are the 4th major league affiliate The next best ERA is Down East at 3.25. The Jackets starters are since 1988 joining the Pittsburgh Pirates (1988-1998), Bos- 2nd in strikeouts with 87 and have handed out only 19 walks ton Red Sox (1999-2004), and San Francisco Giants (2005- (2nd least). Opponents are also hitting just .178 against them. 2020). The Jackets will play in the newly formed, 12-team, Low-A “East” league. FOUR TOP-30 PROSPECTS HEADLINE ROSTER The Atlanta Braves sent three Top-30 Prospects to North Augusta to start the 2021 campaign: #19 prospect INF THIS DAY IN JACKETS BOX SCORE HISTORY Vaughn Grissom, #24 prospect RHP Tyler Owens, #29 May 22, 2013: GreenJackets 12, Rome Braves 6 OF Stephen Paolini. All three were drafted out of high State Mutual Stadium - Rome, GA school in the 2019 MLB Draft and will begin the season at WP: Kendry Flores (3-2) LP: Wes Parsons (0-1) age 20. Following the first series of the year, the Braves sent Wes Parsons goes just three innings allowing four earned runs as the Jackets #21overall prospect RHP Spencer Strider to join the club bats smack 16 hits. Matt Duffy had three of them while lifting his average to in Myrtle Beach. Strider was selected in the 4th round of the .299 on the year. Trevor Brown hit a 9th inning home run on his way to a three RBI day for the GreenJackets. Late in the game, the Jackets turned the 2020 MLB Draft out of Clemson. baseball over to Steven Okert. He didn’t surrender a run over 1.1 innings and ended the night with one strikeout. UPCOMING PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS Saturday, May 22nd 7:05 EDT RHP Cesar Gomez (0-2, 5.11 ERA) vs R RHP Darius Vines (0-0, 0.00 ERA)(AUG) Sunday, May 23rd 6:05 EDT LHP Brayan De Paula (1-0, 3.12 ERA) vs RHP Alec Barger (0-0, 3.18 ERA) (AUG) OFF DAY 2:05 EDT TBD vs TBD Tuesday, May 25th 7:05 EDT TBD vs TBD Wednesday, May 26th 7:05 EDT TBD vs TBD TODAY’S TIDBITS: Jackets are 5-5 at home this year... Jackets have struckout the 5th most in Low-A East... Seven GreenJackets had multi-walk nights yesterday... Bunnell, Carter, Paolini, Parker each walked three times... Bullpen ERA is 10th (5.45 ERA)... Wille Carter leads the GreenJackets in average (.326)... Braulio Vasquez is 1st in stolen bases with 12... Cade Bunnell is T-8th in the Low-A East with 14 walks... GreenJackets went 24-21 against teams from North Carolina in 2019 (Asheville, Greensboro, Hickory, Kannapolis)... BATS/THROWS: R/R HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 190 LBS AGE: 23 HOMETOWN: OXNARD, CA ACQUIRED: 7TH RD (2019) HS/COLLEGE: CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD #2 DARIUS VINES 2019 TEAM: DANVILLE/GCL (ROOKIE) 2019 STATS: 0-5, 6.68 ERA, 12 G (11 GS), 32.1 IP REPERTOIRE: FASTBALL, CURVEBALL, CHANGE SEASON HIGHS LAST FIVE OUTINGS LAST WIN: 5/06 vs Columbia... 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 SO (GS) (0.00 ERA) LAST SAVE: 5/13 vs Myrtle Beach... 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 SO (GS) (0.00 ERA) MOST STRIKEOUTS: 6 vs MB (5/13) MOST WALKS: 2 vs COL (5/06) MOST IP: 5.0 IP vs MB (5/13) ABOUT HIS HOMETOWN NOTES & TRENDS: -In 2nd start of season vs MB, 5 IP, 0 ER... Allowed leadoff double in 5th, went on to strikeout the side... OXNARD, CA -Made his season debut on May 6 vs COL. 4 IP, 0 ER, 4 SO. Combined shutout. Drew Campbell walk-off single to give Jackets a 2-0 victory. • Located one hour and nine minutes north of Los Angeles, CA. • Oxnard boasts over twenty miles of coastline covered with exceptionally soft, white sand. • Oxnard is well known for its huge strawberry ABOUT: Selected by the Braves in the 7th round of the 2019 MLB Draft... Pitched in 12 games during his first profession- fields consequently being named the “Strawberry al season, 11 for Danville, 1 for the GCL Braves... Began his collegiate career at Yavapai junior college in Prescott, AZ Capital of the World.” before transferring to Cal State Bakersfield... Is the highest drafted player in Roadrunner history... Had two teammates also drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft (Edgar Barclay, LHP, Yankees 15th RD...Jake Ortega, C, Mets 28th RD) BATS/THROWS: R/R HEIGHT: 6’0” WEIGHT: 223 LBS AGE: 24 HOMETOWN: LITHONIA, GA ACQUIRED: FREE AGENT (2019) HS/COLLEGE: GEORGIA GWINNETT COLLEGE #5 BRENT BURGESS 2019 TEAM: GULF COAST LEAGUE BRAVES (ROOKIE) 2019 STATS: 1-0, 1.46 ERA, 8 G (0 GS), 12.1 IP REPERTOIRE: SEASONSEASON HIGHS HIGHS LAST FIVE OUTINGS LAST WIN: vs COL (5/05) 5/05 vs Columbia... W, 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 SO (0.00 ERA) LAST SAVE: 5/09 vs Columbia... L, 1.2 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 SO (3.86 ERA) MOST STRIKEOUTS: 4 vs COL (5/05) MOST WALKS: 1 (2x) MOST IP: 3.0 IP vs COL (5/05) ABOUT HIS HOMETOWN NOTES & TRENDS: -Placed on the Injured List on 5/11 LITHONIA, GA -Made his season debut on May 5 vs COL. Collected the win: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 SO. Helped secure a one-hitter •Just 18 miles east of Atlanta • Lithonia means “City/town of stone” • The huge nearby granite dome, Stone Mountain, is composed largely of a rock called Lithonia gneiss, a form of granite. The area has a history of rock quarries. ABOUT: Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Braves in 2019... Appeared in 8 games with an ERA of 1.46 for the Danville Braves... Attended Georgia Gwinnett College...40th round selection by the Texas Rangers in 2016...38th round selection by the New York Yankees in 2017 BATS/THROWS: R/R HEIGHT: 6’0” WEIGHT: 180 LBS AGE: 21 HOMETOWN: PUERTO PLATA, P.R.ACQUIRED: FREE AGENT (2017) HS/COLLEGE: #9 ESTARLIN RODRIGUEZ 2019 TEAM: DANVILLE/GCL (ROOKIE) 2019 STATS: 1-2, 4.09 ERA, 8 G (0 GS), 22.0 IP REPERTOIRE: SEASON HIGHS LAST FIVE OUTINGS LAST WIN: 5/20 vs FAY 5/06 vs Columbia... 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 SO (13.50 ERA) LAST SAVE: 5/11 vs Myrtle Beach... 1.0 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 SO (15.00 ERA)(L)(1-1) MOST STRIKEOUTS: 3 vs COL (5/06) 5/15 vs Myrtle Beach... 3.2 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO (6.75 ERA) MOST WALKS: 2 vs COL (5/06) 5/20 vs Fayetteville... W, 3.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 SO (4.66 ERA)(W)(1-1) MOST IP: 3.2 IP vs MB (5/15) ABOUT HIS HOMETOWN NOTES & TRENDS: -Entered game on 5/20 and allowed an unearned run. Two scoreless frames after in his most productive outing of PUERTO PLATA, D.R.