2016 Minor League Team of the Year: Rome Braves

When everyone looks back at the 2016 Rome Braves years from now, they may be remembered as one of the better minor league teams of the early 21st century. The rotation featured prospects in all six spots; that’s because it had too many prospects to settle for a five-man rotation. With third baseman Austin Riley and outfielder Ronald Acuna, the team had position prospects as well, and the bullpen had a number of hard-throwring relief aces.

But midway through the 2016 season, those Rome Braves stunk.

Minor League Team Of The Year

1993 Harrisburg/Eastern (Expos)

1994 Wilmington/Carolina (Royals)

1995 Norfolk/International (Mets)

1996 Edmonton/Pacific Coast (Athletics)

1997 West Michigan/Midwest (Tigers)

1998 Mobile/Southern (Padres)

1999 Trenton/Eastern (Red Sox)

2000 Round Rock/Texas (Astros)

2001 Lake Elsinore/California (Padres)

2002 Akron/Eastern (Indians

2003 Sacramento/Pacific Coast (Athletics)

2004 Lancaster/California (Diamondbacks)

2005 Jacksonville/Southern (Dodgers)

2006 Tucson/Pacific Coast (Diamondbacks)

2007 San Antonio/Texas (Padres)

2008 Frisco/Texas (Rangers)

2009 Akron/Eastern (Indians)

2010 Northwest Arkansas/Texas (Royals)

2011 Mobile/Southern (Diamondbacks)

2012 Springfield/Texas (Cardinals)

2013 Daytona/Florida State (Cubs)

2014 Portland/Eastern (Red Sox)

2015 Biloxi/Southern (Brewers)

2016 Rome/South Atlantic (Braves)

When the baby Braves went their separate ways for the all-star break in late June, Rome was 27-42, having lost five of its last six. The Braves were closer to the bottom of the South Atlantic League than the top.

Acuna was hurt, Riley hadn’t hit, and the pitching staff had not been nearly as reliable as expected.

“Coming out of spring training, we thought this group would take the lumps in the first half,” Braves assistant director of player development Jonathan Schuerholz said. “It shouldn’t be overlooked what (manager) Randy Ingle and his staff did. They got it handed to them in the first half of the season. They learned through adversity and didn’t let it get them down.”

What is apparent now is that those were growing pains. Rome had the youngest team in full-season ball in 2016, with a roster that averaged a year younger than the SAL average. In fact, Rome was the youngest team in the South Atlantic League in more than a decade. After learning how to survive in the first half, the young kids figured out how to dominate in the second half.

Lefthander Kolby Allard struggled in his first three starts in Rome, but after a short demotion he returned to show the dominant form the Braves expected when they drafted him in the first round in 2015. Once he found his form, he was one of four first-round picks in the Rome rotation.

In addition to Allard, Rome relied on righthander Touki Toussaint (Diamondbacks’ first- round pick in 2014), lefthander Max Fried (Padres’ first-round pick in 2012) and righthander Mike Soroka (Braves’ first-round pick in 2015). Lefthander Ricardo Sanchez, a trade pickup from the Angels, is also promising.

“It’s rare to look back and say I think every starter in the rotation on that team can be a starter in the big leagues,” Schuerholz said. “All of them have a chance to play in the big leagues in a rotation.”

But the best starter Rome had was a seventh-round steal.

Righthander Patrick Weigel had struggled during his three-stop college career, rarely finding the strike zone enough to be given much responsibility. But once the Braves signed him and developed him as a starter, Weigel proved he had four pitches, including a mid- to high-90s fastball that was hard for low Class A hitters to hit.

Weigel went 10-4, 2.51 in 22 appearances with Rome. He earned a late-season promotion to Double-A Mississippi, leaving behind a group of teenage pitchers who had grown into the role.

“Every day in the stands (when charting) it’s a treat to watch,” Weigel said. Whether it’s Touki (Toussaint), Fried, Allard.It’s the best pitching staff I’ve seen. Every guy is good. You come away shaking your head. It creates a higher standard. You know those dudes are right behind you. It drives all of us to get better every day. It makes you want to play better.”

By the time Weigel left, Rome could handle losing arguably the best pitcher in the league. The club went 43-27 over the second half of the season, helped by the return of Acuna, the development of outfielder Ray Didder and Riley’s emergence as a middle-of-the-order threat. Riley hit three home runs in the first half of the season, but after improving his swing, he hit 17 home runs and 39 extra-base hits in the second half.

Allard didn’t allow a run in two playoff starts and Fried struck out 24 in 15 innings to win two playoff starts himself. Rome knocked off Charleston and Lakewood to win its first title since 2003.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, so that makes what happened all the more special,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “So many different young players from different backgrounds came together, worked together, improved together, and won together. That team is a microcosm of the rebuild within our entire farm system.”

The Rome Braves won their title on the road, so they had a lengthy bus ride from Lakewood, N.J. back to Rome. When the arrived near midnight the next day, they found fire trucks, police cars and fans greeting them for an impromptu championship celebration.

“I don’t know if that happens in many cities,” Rome general manager Mike Dunn said. “We wanted to welcome the players home. Our office crew really engaged with the community on social media. The fan support and the community support were unparalleled. Everyone on that bus, their jaws dropped as they pulled in.”

Among those waiting for them was Weigel. He’d been promoted to Double-A, but he made the trip to be there to celebrate with his former teammates.

“It gets these guys in a team environment where they know how to play winning baseball together,” Scheurholz said. “They understand the feeling of, well sparkling cider in their case, in their eyes.”