Rome Braves Program Vol. 07

Rome Braves Program Vol. 07

JULY 4-10, 2022

Rome Celebrates Championship Week as the Astros Affiliate Come to Town Featured Story: How Atlanta’s 2021 Championship Run Began in Rome ‘16

Northwest Georgia’s largest health care network

Learn more at AdventHealth.com

Braves Country: Land of Champions FEATURED STORY

8 Asheville Roster

9 Rome Braves Roster

10 Rome Braves Photo Roster

12 Group Tickets

13 Tradin’ Post Item of the Homestand

PLAY ALONG DURING THE GAME Answers revealed in the 5th inning

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2022 SCHEDULE

HOME

AWAY

Times, dates, and opponents are subject to change.

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Braves Country: The Land of Champions by Justin Franklin

In October of 2013, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series three games to one. The end of the somewhat storybook season for the Braves came abruptly, and some would say premature. It seemed like the year for the Braves. A stacked roster full of proven talent had just led them to ninety-six wins and given them their first division title since 2005. The 2013 Atlanta Braves seemed like a special bunch who was just getting started. However, the following season saw the Atlanta Braves finish with seven- ty-nine wins and miss the playoffs en- tirely. It was then that the Braves front office decided it was time to change.

There were several key trades that the Braves made after that 2014 sea- son, but a few transactions with the San Diego Padres forever changed the franchise’s history. At the time, these trades were major because fan favorite players were getting shipped across the country to play their home games in San Diego. On December 19th, 2014, the Atlanta Braves trad- ed slugger Justin Upton and pitcher Aaron Northcraft to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Jace Peter- son , Mallex Smith , Dustin Peterson , and a left handed pitching prospect by the name of Max Fried .

On the eve of Opening Day in 2015,

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the Atlanta Braves front office picked up the phone and yet again dialed up the San Diego Padres. There was an- other blockbuster trade in the works. This time, Atlanta was shipping off their franchise record holder for saves, and 2011 National League Rookie of the Year in closer Craig Kimbrel . This trade sent shockwaves throughout the fan base, as the Braves gave up their beloved closer along with outfielder BJ Upton for a very minimal initial return. In return for the best closer in baseball at the time, the Braves got Matt Wisler and the 41st pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. That pick was used to select a Mississippi kid straight out of high school by the name of Austin Riley . In that same draft, Atlanta used the 28th pick to take a right-handed pitcher out of Calgary, Canada. That was Mike Soroka . Shortly after the 2015 draft, the Braves signed a young right-handed hitter from La Guaira, Venezuela. Ron- ald Acuña Jr signed his international free agent deal with Atlanta in June of 2015, starting his journey through the Braves’ farm system. Passed on by most, Acuña Jr was signed in 2015 for a whopping $100,000. All of these young prospects met up in Rome, Georgia for the 2016 season. No one knew it at the time, but the 2016 season would be one of the best in Rome Braves history. The 2016 cam- paign started out like any other would. The roster was full of guys that the common fan had never heard of. Sure, those who were devoted fans of the farm system knew the names to watch for. Names like Lucas Herbert , Touki Tossaint , Kolby Allard , and Justin Ellison were all commonplace among

those who kept up with the Braves sys- tem.

Despite how high the prospects were ranked, the first half of 2016 was abys- mal for the Rome Braves. Randy Ingle was the manager for Rome at the time, and Ingle was essentially the babysit- ter for about 25 teenagers. The Rome Braves in 2016 were one of the young- est teams that played a full season. The average age of the Rome starting lineup in 2016 was about 20 years old, and the pitching staff averaged out closer to 21 years old. Ronald Acuña Jr and Max Fried battled injury after inju- ry, while Mike Soroka and Austin Riley were still finding their footing in the professional scene. The team limped to the all-star break that year, then hit the reset button. In the second half of 2016, the Rome Braves strung together a 43-27 record in the South Atlantic League. This was good enough to give them the second half division title, and land them in the first round of the playoffs against a loaded Charleston RiverDogs team. Rome took the opening series from Charleston on the backs of none oth- er than Mike Soroka and Max Fried. In the opening game, Soroka would hurl seven and two thirds of an inning while only giving up one run on seven hits. The RiverDogs would come back in game two to even the series, set- ting up a winner-take-all game three. Randy Ingle gave the ball to Max Fried that night in Charleston and Fried de- livered. Fried tossed seven and two thirds of an inning, giving up one run on three hits while punching out eleven RiverDog batters. Austin Riley drove in three runs alone, giving the Braves more than they needed to ad-

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vance to the championship series.

Once again, it was Max Fried who got the call for Rome, and just like every other time before, Max Fried delivered. In a championship game on the road, Max Fried spun seven innings of one run ball and fanned a then career high thirteen batters. Fried’s dominance had made Rome king of the mountain once again and had given the Atlanta Braves a glimpse into what the future could look like. Less than a year after giving Rome its second championship, Max Fried had gotten the call to Atlanta. On August 8th, 2017, Max Fried took the mound for the Braves in a relief appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies. The young lefty ate two innings out of the bullpen, picked up his first major league strikeout, and allowed zero runs.

Rome would return home to open up the series with the then Lakewood BlueClaws. Lakewood would waste no time, jumping out in front early and taking game one five runs to none. However, Rome would equalize the series before hitting the road to New Jersey. With the series knotted up at one game each, Rome would stun the BlueClaws and snatch a road win, set- ting the stage for a potential champi- onship clincher. September 16th, 2016 is a day that sent shockwaves throughout Braves Country, and potentially changed the course of the franchise. The Rome Braves found themselves on the cusp of their first South Atlantic League title since their inaugural season in 2003.

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In April of 2018, another piece of Rome’s 2016 title team made his way to the show. Ronald Acuña Jr debuted on April 25th that year against the Cincinnati Reds. The young phenom would burst onto the scene, earning National League Rookie of The Year honors and propelling the Braves to their first division title since 2013. Mike Soroka debuted that year as well, tossing six innings of one run ball against the New York Mets on the road. Lastly, Austin Riley found his way to Atlanta on May 15th of 2019, where he made his presence known with a home run for his first major league hit. It is no secret what happened for the Atlanta Braves in 2021. The Braves shocked the world and brought home their first World Championship since 1995. But did they really shock the world? If you were in Rome in 2016, the 2021 title run comes as no sur- prise. In fact, the two seasons are almost mirror images of the other. A less than ideal first half riddled with in- juries, and a magical second half that made the team look near unstoppable. There were several Rome Braves who played key roles in getting Atlanta to the top of the mountain. Austin Riley’s walk-off hit in game one of the Nation- al League Championship series is a

prime example. But no performance sticks out more than Max Fried’s.

Up three games to two in the 2021 World Series, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker gave the ball to the lefty from Santa Monica. Like so many times be- fore, the franchise called upon Max Fried. This time, he answered like nev- er before. On November 2nd, 2021, Max Fried took the mound in Houston, Texas and delivered a performance of a lifetime. With the trophy within reach, Fried turned in a stat line of six innings pitched, four hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts, giving the Atlanta Braves the World Champions title once again. Just like he was the hero back in 2016 against Lakewood, Mx was the hero that night in Houston. You can’t help but think that that magical run in 2016 played a pivotal role in the magical run in 2021. So as you take in the game at AdventHealth Stadium this year, take a good look around. Keep an eye on the dugout and remember the batters’ names as they come to the plate. Be- cause you never know, you could be watching a future World Champion to- night. The road to the show runs right through Rome, after all.

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ASHEVILLE TOURISTS Manager: Nate Shaver Coaches: Rene Rojas, Jose Rada, Mike Ramazzotti, Rob Collison, Sam Knox, A.J. Smith, Ashley Parisi

PITCHERS

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 186 170 220 235 195 195 234 213 190 222 197 218 195 256 WT 180 200 207 WT 182 210 196

DOB

Arrighetti, Spencer

26

R/R 6' 2" R/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 4" R/R 6' 6" R/R 6' 3" L/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 4" R/R 6' 2"

01/02/00 10/17/99 03/19/99 06/04/98 03/06/97 07/09/98 05/21/98 03/11/99 06/11/99 02/17/99 08/22/98 03/11/97 05/05/97 09/23/99

Betances, Jose Brown, Aaron Coats, Jacob Cody, Danny Gomez, Cesar Gruller, Kyle Gusto, Ryan

10 14

36

4 9

28 34

Jaquez, Ernesto Lopez, Juan Pablo McDermott, Chayce

19 18 17

L/L

6' 4"

L/R 6' 3" L/R 6' 1"

McDonald, Cole

29 24 38

Peck, Hunter

L/L

6' 2"

Taveras, Diosmerky

R/R 6' 5"

CATCHERS Alvarez, Jose Correa, J.C. Stubbs, C.J.

NO.

B/T

HT

DOB

41

R/R 6' 1" R/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 3"

06/04/00 09/15/98

11

32

11/12/96

INFIELDERS Carrasco, Deury Gonzalez, Cristian

NO.

B/T

HT

DOB

1

L/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 4" R/R 5' 9"

09/20/99 10/22/01 07/20/99

13

Santana, Luis

3

OUTFIELDERS

NO.

B/T L/L

HT

WT

DOB

Barber, Colin

15

6' 0"

200 184 220 195 190 185

12/04/00 03/21/00 01/23/99 11/09/98 06/12/98 09/21/98

Corona, Kenedy Daniels, Zach Guerrero, Luis Hamilton, Quincy Sandle, Michael

22 23

R/R 5' 11" R/R 6' 1" R/R 5' 11" L/L 5' 10" R/R 5' 11"

5

33

12

Roster as of 07/04/2022

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ROME BRAVES Manager: Kanekoa Texeira Coaches: Wes McGuire, Danny Santiesteban, Bobby Moore, Jesus Aviles, Joe Powell

PITCHERS Barger, Alec De Avila, Luis

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 201 215 175 210 215 210 210 215 210 205 205 227 230 210 205

DOB

30 34 22 38 59 58 32 26 45 20 56 54 37

R/R 6' 2"

03/24/98 05/29/01 06/15/97 06/06/98 09/30/96 07/06/97 02/02/00 03/12/96 04/14/00 04/21/98 04/10/01 07/24/98 01/27/97 06/22/99 06/21/98 07/05/98

L/L

5' 9"

De La Cruz, Isrrael

S/R 5' 11"

Dodd, Dylan

L/L

6' 2"

Dum, Benjamin

L/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 1" R/R 6' 5"

Freure, R.J.

Hoffmann, Andrew McSteen, Jake Munoz, Roddery

R/L

6' 0"

R/R 6' 2" L/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 3"

Riley, Trey

Salinas, Royber Santos, Lisandro Schwab, Davis Smith, Austin

L/L L/L

6' 1" 6' 4"

12

R/R 6' 4" R/R 6' 6" R/R 6' 4"

Spain, Dylan

7

Van Buren, Malcolm

23

185

CATCHERS Tolve, Tyler Valdes, Javier

NO.

B/T

HT

WT

DOB

55

L/R 6' 1" R/R 5' 10"

200 205

07/16/00 11/19/98

16

INFIELDERS

NO.

B/T

HT

WT 210 220 190

DOB

Grissom, Vaughn

15

R/R 6' 3" L/R 6' 3" L/R 5' 11" R/R 6' 3" R/R 6' 0" R/R 6' 2"

01/05/01 03/06/99 06/01/98 02/19/00 10/23/98 03/15/98

Horne, Bryson

9 2

Klein, Brian

Malloy, Justyn-Henry

24

212

Philip, Beau

8

200 204

Stephens, Landon

18

OUTFIELDERS Campbell, Drew

NO.

B/T L/L

HT

WT 180 215 185

DOB

11

5' 11"

11/10/97

Carter, Willie

14 19

R/R 6' 0" L/R 6' 1"

04/08/97 06/01/98 11/23/99

Pearson, Jacob

Robinson, Christian

25

L/L

6' 2"

211

Roster as of 07/04/2022

9

ROME BRAVES COACHES

13

28

1

Wes McGuire Pitching Coach

Danny Santiesteban Hitting Coach

Bobby Moore Assistant Coach

50

Kanekoa Texeira Manager

Jesus Aviles Athletic Trainer

Joe Powell Strength + Conditioning

Angel Piva Clubhouse Manager

ROME BRAVES ROSTER as of 07/04/22

2

7

8

9

Drew Campbell Outfielder 11

Brian Klein Infielder

Dylan Spain Pitcher

Beau Philip Infielder

Bryson Horne Infielder

10

ROME BRAVES ROSTER as of 07/04/22

12

14

15

16

18

Austin Smith Pitcher

Willie Carter Outfielder

Vaughn Grissom Infielder

Javier Valdes Pitcher

Landon Stephens Pitcher

19

20

22

23

24

Jacob Pearson Outfielder

Trey Riley Pitcher

Isrrael De La Cruz Pitcher

Malcolm Van Buren Pitcher

Justyn-Henry Malloy Outfielder

25

26

30

32

34

Christian Robinson Outfielder

Jake McSteen Pitcher

Alec Barger Pitcher

Andrew Hoffmann Pitcher

Luis De Avila Pitcher

37

38

45

54

55

Davis Schwab Pitcher

Dylan Dodd Pitcher

Roddery Muñoz Pitcher

Lisandro Santos Pitcher

Tyler Tolve Catcher

56

58

59

Royber Salinas Pitcher

R.J. Fruere Pitcher

Ben Dum Pitcher

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GROUP TICKETS

308

307 306

Pressbox

310 309

305

304 Jumbo Suite

311

Boardroom Suite

Terrace

314

301

201

200 202

203

204

206

205

208

207

100 102

210

101

209

103

104

106

105

Gate 6

108

t

107

gou

Du

ay

110

Aw

109

112

Bubba’s BBQ Barn

111

113

Marina

115

117

Picnic Pavilion

Kids Zone

Suzuki Showcase

The Terrace

Suites

The newly renovated Terrace is set to debut for the 2022 season. The Terrace is the most exclusive area at the stadium. Terrace parties include a 90-minute pre-game buffet inside a climate-controlled area with full bar service available. The Terrace also offers your guests one of the best views in the stadium.

An evening in a Rome Braves luxury suite is the perfect way to watch the Rome Braves at AdventHealth Stadium. In fact, a luxury suite is much more than a night of exciting ac- tion-packed entertainment. It’s Rome’s most exclusive opportunity to entertain your clients, employees, family and friends.

Picnics

Parade of Champions

Perfect for large company outings, Picnics in- clude a 90-minute pre-game buffet and a re- served Box Level ticket for each guest. Unique compared to other group areas, there’s no limit on how big your party may be.

Any group reaching one of three reward tiers will be invited to parade around the warning track during pre-game festivities and the Rome Braves will make a donation per the reward program back to your organization.

Suzuki Showcase

Birthday Parties

A covered private party area in Right Field is the perfect place to celebrate little league team parties or birthday parties! With picnic table seating and a grassy-berm area, it’s the perfect area for all to play. Reserve your date today and let the children celebrate.

Celebrate your birthday with the Rome Braves! Enjoy the game with three reserved picnic ta- bles, cake, and the opportunity to eat it too! We’ll even get the entire crowd to sing happy birthday on your special day. National Anthem Packages Does your choir, class, or church group want to perform the national anthem? Groups of 50 or more will receive a discount when booking through our group line!

Picnics

Perfect for large groups who don’t need the amenities of a group area. Discounts are based on how many tickets are purchased.

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15% OFF THIS HOMESTAND ONLY

NIKE RED ATL BRAVES TEE

The newly renovated Terrace is set to debut for the 2022 season. The Terrace is the most exclusive area at the stadium. Terrace parties include a 90-minute pre-game buffet inside a climate-controlled area with full bar service available. The Terrace also offers your guests one of the best views in the stadium.