MIAMI — Time and time again, the Braves have proven they’re not out of a ballgame until the finals are taped. The winning mentality that the club has developed permeates all levels of the minors. It — along with some impressive baseball skills — allows top prospects to skip triple-A for the majors in short order.
Elder delivered a career-high seven innings Sunday afternoon at LoanDepot Park before Harris, 21, hit his 12th homer of the year to tie the game in first place of the ninth inning, setting off a rally that the Braves did led a 3-1 win and their first win in four games against the Marlins since 2018.
“I was looking for a great pitch and I got it,” Harris said. “I was just trying to do whatever it took to get on base and help us win. I got there and did what I did and I really passed out. I mean, it was an incomparable moment. … It was surreal.”
Two batters later, Grissom drew an 11-pitch walk and proudly threw his bat toward the visitors’ dugout after counting for 3-2 and fouling five straight pitches to stay alive. Then Grissom trotted to first base as if he owned the basepaths. That swing alone was perhaps the most impressive of the afternoon, especially from a player in his fifth major league game – a credit to the organization for developing major league-ready talent.
“Grissom’s two walks were only – for a young man, [those] were just ‘Oh my God,'” said manager Brian Snitker. “Taking some hard pitches like he did… Just big bats from those [young] People.”
Grissom hit the game-winning run a few at-bats later, and while the “W” didn’t go to Elder — who threw a career-high seven innings with 10 strikeouts and allowed a three-hit run — the comeback would not have been possible without the 23rd’s top-notch showing -year-olds was not possible.
When Elder left the field after beating Peyton Burdick to finish seventh, he had no idea it was his tenth.
“I don’t think it would have changed anything,” Elder said. “I just rolled along and felt comfortable out there.”
This lightness comes from the repetition, but also from Elder’s awareness in the game. He knows he performs best when he’s mastering his sinker. In his four previous major league starts in April, his sinker moved more to one side of the plate. It happened again on Sunday, but this time he knew how to fix it.
“I have [catcher William Contreras] to slip out a bit, to throw a ball away, and just give myself a target,” Elder said, “and I threw it there, and I was successful with it.
“I think most of all it’s just the confidence. I simply commanded it to either side of the plate. And if I can move it to both sides of the plate, I have a good chance.”
And Elder, who was opted to triple-A after the game, isn’t the only one who values his chances when his stuff works.
“Bryce is definitely a big league talent,” said Harris, who played in the minors with Elder. “For him to get that opportunity – and you see what he did, he just absolutely pushed. … He’s a stallion and I mean, [when] He gets his chance, he will deliver every time.”
First Harris, now Grissom, Muller and Elder. It seems the Braves have an excess of “big league talent” in their farm system. That’s the opposite of a problem, especially for a team that’s been competitive in the postseason and is leading the NL wildcard race by six games while trailing 5 1/2 behind the NL East-leading Mets.
It’s Atlanta’s emphasis on winning that has helped develop such outstanding talent. Of course, this is not possible without first making clever draft picks and, as Müller said on Saturday, “putting the right people on the bus”.
“Learning how to win is a skill in itself,” Muller said. “So when people show up who know how to win, they know that’s the priority when you get here and doing the little things that you have to do to get to that point is that, what we are looking for as a big league club. And I think these younger guys bought into it very quickly.”