Braves Top Prospects Reflect on Double-A Promotion, Trade Deadline Buzz

It’s a new chapter for the brotherhood of prospects in the Atlanta Braves system. On Tuesday, four top prospects were given a heads-up that they were moving up from High-A Rome to Double-A Columbus.

The band stuck together even after a deadline that had the potential for the Braves to take a big swing, one that would break them up. As a ballplayer, you do your best to tune out the noise, but some of it creeps in.

“I mean, it’s pretty hard to hide from that,” Braves top prospect Cam Caminiti said on Wednesday. “And being around a lot of the prospects did have the potential to get traded. So, there was definitely a lot of noise in the clubhouse. “

With the possibility of someone heading elsewhere in the back of everyone’s minds, they did the one thing they could do: tease each other about it.

“I think we have a young enough and fund enough group where, like, we kind of just joked about it,” prospect outfielder Owen Carey said. “Like, just joke, bust each other’s, you know, stuff, but you look at it. I would check Twitter just in case I got banged, but I think for the most part, we just joke about it and kind of just flush it out, work on the game.”

On the field, it was all business. That’s when they took the time to seriously tune it out. They had a game to play. The fun with deadline was reserved for any other time.

Fortunately for them, the jokes stayed such. Instead, any news they got, albeit a farewell from their manager in Rome, Wynston Sawyer, was that they were heading to the next level of play.

While they came up as a group, each of them was notified individually. Some smiled because they knew what was coming, like Carey did. He had a gut feeling because he saw other prospects were moving up from Augusta.

Others like Caminiti got nervous.

“Wynston called me into his office, and he was like, I’m gonna miss you, man. I was like, I’m gonna miss you, too. And he’s like, You know what’s going on? Like, well, I hope I’m not getting traded. He’s like, You’re going to Double-A.”

Then, he was nervous he was heading up alone. Then, infielder John Gil was called in. Then Carey and outfielder Eric Hartman. They could head to the Clingstones in lockstep.

While Caminiti’s debut doesn’t come until Thursday, the others have their Double-A debuts under their belt. All three position players tallied their first hits. Carey picked up an RBI, and Gil and Hartman each swiped a bag.

“It was cool,” outfield prospect Eric Hartman said. “Like, seeing Carey get his first knock out of the way in his first at-bat, I was like, All right, it’s not too outlandish.”

The band isn't fully together. Tate Southisene is on the 7-day injured list for the time being. But the saga continues. Nobody's mind is on the majors quite yet. It's about getting better and supporting each other. Having your teammates with you makes that task that much easier.

Six more weeks remain in the Double-A season. Time to see the noise they make going forward and how much more hype they can generate as a unit.

The Double-A level is a major level with a major test. If you succeed at this level and beyond, it's a telltale sign you're the real deal.

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