Six M-Braves Named Southern League All-Stars

PEARL, MS - The Southern League announced today that six Mississippi Braves were named to the South Division roster for the 2019 All-Star Game on June 18 in Biloxi. The selections include outfielders Cristian Pache , and Drew Waters  and pitchers Ian Anderson, Tucker Davidson , Kyle Muller , and Jeremy Walker .

Pache, 20, the top overall prospect for the Atlanta Braves ranks among the top 10 in the Southern League in eight different offensive categories. In 54 games, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native is batting .293 with 14 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 27 RBI, six stolen bases and a .823 OPS. Among Southern League players, Pache ranks second in hits (61), third in extra-base hits (24), third in total bases (100), tied for third in doubles (14), fifth in slugging (.481), seventh in OPS and ninth in batting.

Pache has 19 multi-hit games this season and has recorded hitting streaks of eight or more three times. His best performance of the first half came on May 24 vs. Jacksonville going a season-high and Double-A best 4-for-4 with a double. Pache is batting .348 (16-for-46) over his last 12 games with three doubles, two home runs, six RBI, seven runs and three walks. 

The Atlanta Braves signed Pache as a non-drafted free agent on July 4, 2015. Pache was named a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star in 2017 for the Rome Braves and a Florida State League mid-season All-Star in 2018 for the Florida Fire Frogs. 

Waters, 20, the No. 5 overall prospect for the Atlanta Braves leads the Southern League in seven different offensive categories. Over a team-high 56 games, the Woodstock, Georgia native is batting .317 with 18 doubles, seven triples, three home runs, 18 RBI, 15 walks, 38 runs scored, ten stolen bases and a .859 OPS. Waters leads the league in hits (73), extra-base hits (28), doubles, triples, runs, at-bats (230), is second in slugging (.496), third in batting, fourth in OPS, 12th in on-base percentage (.363) and tied for eighth in stolen bases. 

Waters has recorded eight three-hit games this season and logged his team-leading 20th multi-hit game on Wednesday going 3-for-3 with a single, double, triple, three runs scored, a walk and falling a homer shy of the cycle. Waters leads all of Double-A baseball in hits, tied for first in triples, tied for second in doubles, second in total bases, tied for second in extra-base hits, tied for second in runs scored and fifth in batting. He is currently on a 13-game on-base streak, batting .380 (19-for-50) with 13 runs scored, five triples, three doubles, four RBI, five walks and a .446 on-base percentage. 

The Atlanta Braves selected Waters in the second-round (41st overall) in 2017. Waters was a mid-season All-Star in 2018 in the South Atlantic League for the Rome Braves. 

Anderson, 21, the No. 3 overall prospect for the Atlanta Braves currently leads the Southern League with 77 strikeouts and is 3-4 with a 3.12 ERA (21 ER/60.2 IP) over a team high 12 starts this season. Anderson ranks sixth in league with a .204 opponents' batting average and tied for eighth in innings pitched. The Rexford, New York native, has three quality starts this season and had a season-high 11 strikeouts on May 4 vs. Jacksonville. 

Anderson was the Braves' first-round pick (3rd overall) in 2016. This is Anderson's first All-Star selection. 

Davidson, 23, the No. 19 overall prospect for the Atlanta Braves ranks second in the Southern League with a 1.82 ERA and has 59 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched over 11 starts. The Amarillo, Texas native ranks fourth in the league in opponents' batting average at .199 and is 13th in strikeouts. 

Davidson matched a career high with eight strikeouts on May 3 vs. Jacksonville and recorded the best start of his career on Saturday, May 18 at Birmingham, logging a career-high 8.0 innings of shutout baseball with five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. 

The Braves selected Davidson in the 19th round of the 2016 draft. This is Davidson's first All-Star selection. 

Muller, 21, the No. 11 overall prospect for the Atlanta Braves went 3-0 with a 0.81 ERA (3 ER/33.1 IP), 11 walks, 33 strikeouts in five starts in May. Muller is 4-0 over his last six starts with a 1.12 ERA (fourth in MiLB) (5 ER/40.1 IP), 14 walks and 43 strikeouts. For the season, Muller ranks fourth in the league in ERA (1.97), tied for fourth in strikeouts (67) and first in opponents' batting average (.169). 

Muller was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week for his performance from May 20-26. In two starts, he went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA, giving up just one run on six hits in 12.2 innings, walking four and striking out 17.

The Braves selected Muller with their second-round pick (44th overall) in 2016. This is Muller's first All-Star selection. 

Walker, 23, has made 14 appearances, including one start this season and over 48.2 IP has 43 strikeouts to just three walks. The Advance, North Carolina native, saved the first two games of his pro career, May 29 and May 30 at Pensacola. Walker ranks fourth in the league with a 1.05 WHIP and is 10th in the league with a 2.59 ERA (14 ER/48.2 IP). 

The Braves selected Walker with their fifth-round selection in the 2016 draft out of Gardner Webb. This is Walker's first career All-Star selection.