CBN Player of the Week, Week X - Mitch Bratt

Former Toronto Mets LHP Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) of the Hickory Crawdads.

June 15, 2023

By George Farelli

Canadian Baseball Network

Mitch Bratt was given the short straw during the World Baseball Classic.

Or some would say.

LHP Bratt, 19, had to face former MVP winners Mookie Betts (2018), Mike Trout (2014, 2016, 2019) and Paul Goldschmidt (2022). Bratt was 11 years of age when Trout won his first MVP.

Canada’s goal at the WBC was to finish in the top two countries in their pool to qualify for the next round.

RHP Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont.) pitched five scoreless innings for Canada against Colombia with the bullpen of Curtis Taylor (Coquitlam, BC), Travis Brigden (North York, Ont.) and Scott Mathieson (Langley, BC) also putting up four zeros. They combined for a five-hit, 5-0 win and put Canada in a win one and advance position.

Canada was losing to Mexico 3-2 in the fifth when a walk to No. 9 hitter Austin Barnes loaded the bases. Next Randy Arozarena doubled and Mexico was on the way to a 10-3 win. Retire Barnes, Arozarena is walked intentionally and who knows after that?

Betts, Trout and Goldschmidt were not at AdventHealth Stadium in Rome, Ga. as Bratt, the former Toronto Met, took the mound. It went like this as Bratt earned Canadian Baseball Network minor league Player of the Week for Week X ... the best of the 132 Canadians in the minors, indy ball and in foreign lands.

How Bratt’s six innings went for the Hickory Crawdads against the Rome Braves

* * *

First inning

Pop up to short.

Walk.

Ground ball double play.

Second

Strike out swinging.

Single to centre.

Fly ball to centre.

Pop up to third.

Third

Grounder to third.

Strike out swinging.

Ground ball to first

Fourth

Line out to centre.

Ground ball to third.

Error by third baseman.

Fly ball to centre.

Fifth

Fly ball to centre.

Strike out swinging.

Pop up to first.

Sixth

Fly ball to left.

Fly to centre.

Single to centre.

Fly ball to right.

Bratt threw 67 pitches -- 44 for strikes (66% strikes) -- as Hickory scored a 7-0 win before 2,125 fans.

* * *

Best Offensive Performances

Name Class Team AB RUNS HITS HR RBI AVG

Konner Piotto A Down East 10 1 5 - 2 .500

Jared Young AAA Iowa 26 7 11 2 9 .423

Otto Lopez AAA Buffalo 23 5 9 - 5 .391

David McCabe A Rome 12 1 4 1 4 .333

Tristan Peters AA Montgomery 20 2 6 - 1 .300

Damiano Palmegiani AA New Hampshire 24 4 7 1 5 .292

Jacob Robson IND Kansas City 13 5 6 1 4 .462

Matt Lloyd IND Sioux City 12 3 5 - 3 .417

Kole Cottam IND Frederick 15 5 6 3 4 .400

L.P. Pelletier IND Trois Rivieres 26 4 10 1 4 .385

Noah Myers IND Evansville 24 6 9 1 1 .375

J.D. Osborne IND Kane County 14 - 5 - 1 .357

Taylor Wright IND Ottawa 21 5 7 1 4 .333

(Minimum 10 ABs)

* * *

Best Pitching Performances

Name Class Team Games Win Save ERA Inn K WHIP

Mitch Bratt A Hickory Crawdads 1 1 - 0.00 6.0 3 0.067

Bratt is a 19-year-old pitching prospect, selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft by the Texas Rangers, and the Newmarket, Ont. native is currently active with Hickory Crawdads in the Single A South Atlantic League. This week on June 10 he had an excellent start in a 7-0 win over Atlanta’s affiliate the Rome Braves, he pitched six scoreless innings gave up two hits while striking out three, to earn his second win of the season.

His overall record with Hickory in 10 Single A South Atlantic League game starts is now 2-3 with a 3.05 ERA.

* * *

Name Class Team Games Win Save ERA Inn K WHIP

Mike Soroka AAA Gwinnett Braves 1 1 - 1.50 6.0 6 0.833

Soroka was recalled to the big league roster by the Atlanta Braves from his rehab stint with triple-A Gwinnett, and on June 4 made a start versus Arizona Diamondbacks but afterwards, and exercising their usual caution, it was decided by Atlanta to option him back to Gwinnett. On June 10, he made a start against the Charlotte Knights and in an 8-2 win, he pitched very well, giving up three base hits and one earned run while striking out six, to earn the win.

This gutsy performance with Gwinnett improved his record in nine triple-A International League appearances, to 2-2 with a 3.92 ERA.

* * *

Name Class Team Games Win Save ERA Inn K WHIP

Jared Mortensen FGN Heidenheim 1 1 - 0.00 9.0 12 0.556

Mortensen was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013 by the Tampa Bay Rays and played in their minor league system for four seasons, reaching the Triple A level in 2016 with Montgomery Biscuits. Between 2017 and 2021, he played with various teams in the American Association and Frontier independent leagues, but in 2022 accepted an offer to play in Europe.

Currently active with Heidenham Heidekopfe in Germany’s Bundesliga, the 35-year-old native of Abbotsford, BC is putting together an outstanding season, including this past week when he pitched a complete game shutout in Heidenham’s 2-0 win over Stuttgart Reds. In another dominant performance, he surrendered only three base hits while striking out 12, to earn his seventh win of the season.

His overall record thus far in nine Budesliga appearances is 7-0 with one save and a 0.98 ERA, which includes 54 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched.

* * *

Highlight _ If you follow Canadian ball players no doubt you’re aware the Qualifier for the 2023 Pan American games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina next week, with five teams competing for one spot in the Santiago, Chile Games in October of this year.

Team Canada has announced its 23-man roster and since it incudes 13 players currently active (one in affiliated ball and 12 with Independent League teams), some background information might be worthwhile.

As agreed to by the various teams involved, the players listed below are now shown in our weekly list with the (S) notation, which denotes they are on the Inactive List.

Player Hometown Position Classification Team

Landen Bourassa Lethbridge, Alta. RHP IND Winnipeg

Michael Brettell Fonthill, Ont. RHP IND Quebec

R.J. Freure Burlington, Ont. RHP IND Lincoln

David Glaude Quebec, Que. 2B IND Quebec

Matt Lloyd Okotoks, Alta. 1B IND Sioux City

Brandon Marklund North Vancouver, BC RHP IND Winnipeg

Connor Panas Etobicoke, Ont. OF-INF IND Lincoln

Jake Polancic Langley, BC RHP IND Evansville

Jordan Procyshen Calgary, Alta. C AAA Round Rock

Jacob Robson Windsor, Ont. OF-INF IND Kansas City

Jake Sanford Cole Harbour, NS OF IND Sioux City