Six Mudcats picked to play in upcoming AFL
ZEBULON, NC - It was announced recently that Johan Camargo, Joseph Odom, Connor Lien, Lucas Sims, Andrew Thurman and Mauricio Cabrera were chosen as six of the seven Atlanta Braves prospects to play in the upcoming Arizona Fall League beginning on October 13. All six players began the 2015 season with the Mudcats; Camargo, Odom and Lien each finished the year with Carolina in Zebulon.
The Arizona Fall League begins on Tuesday, October 13 and consists of six teams including the Peoria Javelins, Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Glendale Desert Dogs and Surprise Saguaros. In all the Braves will send seven players to the AFL this season and all seven, including Camargo, Odom, Lien, Sims, Thurman and Cabrera, will play for the Peoria squad with home games scheduled at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, AZ.
Camargo, 21, was both a mid-season and year-end Carolina League All-Star in 2015. The Panamanian born shortstop finished his fifth year as a pro batting .258 with 101 hits including 15 doubles, six triples and a home run.
Odom, 23, established career highs in home runs, doubles, hits and RBI in 2015. In 65 games played the Mudcats' catcher amassed a total of 48 hits with 24 of which going for extra-bases.
Lien, 21, finished the 2015 season batting .285/.347/.415 with a team best 34 stolen bases and team high 129 hits over 128 games. His .285 average was tied for the fourth highest in the Carolina League this season and his 34 steals were the second most. Lied also led Carolina League outfielders in assists and most double plays with 21 and seven respectively. Like Camargo, Lien also earned Carolina League year-end All-Star honors while with the Mudcats this season.
Sims, 21, entered 2015 ranked as the Braves second best prospect according to Baseball America's preseason 2015 Prospect Handbook. He began the year with the Mudcats and eventually moved on to Double-A Mississippi following a lengthy stint on the disabled list. His Carolina League run in 2015 saw him post a 3-4 record and a 5.18 ERA over nine starts. The former first round pick (2012, 21st overall) later went on to go 4-2 with a 3.21 ERA over nine starts with the Mississippi Braves before the season concluded.
Thurman, 23, also spent time on the disabled list, but like Sims, began the year with Carolina before moving on to Mississippi. Thurman went 5-4 and posted a 3.77 ERA over 11 starts with Carolina before his promotion to Double-A. He later finished the year 1-4 with a 5.18 ERA over five starts with the M-Braves.
Cabrera, 21, entered the season as one of Atlanta's top pitching prospects and appeared in 23 games with the Mudcats before pitching in 13 games with the M-Braves in Mississippi. The hard throwing right-hander from the Dominican Republic struck out 28 and was 2-2 with a save and 5.52 ERA over 31 innings with Carolina this season. He posted a similar earned run average in Mississippi at a 5.71 ERA, but struck out 25 in 17 1/3 innings between July and September in the Southern League.
The eight AFL teams are split into an East and West division. Major League Baseball teams each send several of their top prospects to their respective fall league affiliate and in all the league features 180 players. The games are played in Spring Training facilities used by the Giants, Mariners, Padres, Cubs, A's, Royals, Rangers, Diamondbacks and Rockies.
Season tickets, group packages and mini-plans for the upcoming 2016 Carolina Mudcats season are available online at www.carolinamudcats.com, by calling (919) 269-2287 and by visiting the Five County Stadium box office.
The Carolina Mudcats are the Class A Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The 2015 "Braves New World" season was the first for the Mudcats as an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and their fourth straight in the historic Carolina League. First established in 1991, the Carolina Mudcats recently concluded their 25th straight season of baseball at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C.
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