The Columbus Clingstones wrapped up their season at 64-68, and the second half brought a wave of prospects through the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A affiliate. By the end, the roster had turned into a showcase of both real wins and some rough edges, with Jordan Groshans and Brett Sears standing out as the clear choices for hitter and pitcher of the year.
Groshans was the surprise bat of the season. The former first-round pick and once highly regarded Blue Jays prospect signed as a minor league free agent and found a power surge that changed the conversation around him.
In 436 plate appearances before moving on to Gwinnett, the 26-year-old hit .282/.344/.588 with 18 doubles, six triples, 30 home runs, 36 walks, and 84 strikeouts. He had never hit more than seven home runs in a season before, but the raw pop that had always been in the bat finally showed up in a big way.
Sears made an equally strong case on the mound. He logged the most innings for Columbus and posted a 3.33 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 113 strikeouts over 94.2 innings.
His strikeout and walk numbers - 7.6 H/9, 2.1 BB/9, and 10.7 K/9 - backed up how polished he looked against Double-A hitters. He did spend some time in Gwinnett, but most of his work came with Columbus, where he looked too advanced for the level.
The offense had more than one bright spot. David McCabe and Adam Zebrowski would have entered the hitter-of-the-year discussion if they had simply piled up more plate appearances.
Both topped an OPS of .900, but each finished with only half as many plate appearances as Groshans. McCabe hit .282/.382/.580 with eight doubles and 16 homers in 220 plate appearances, while Zebrowski posted .271/.343/.589 with nine doubles, a triple, and 19 home runs in the same number of trips.
Patrick Clohisy brought speed and a little more across-the-board production, hitting .261/.344/.433 with 19 doubles, four triples, seven homers, and 37 steals in 299 plate appearances. Lizandro Espinoza also gave Columbus a useful line, slashing .278/.404/.500 with seven doubles, three triples, five homers, and 26 steals over 156 plate appearances.
Several prospects made their mark after moving up during the season. John Gil hit .315/.385/.446 with four doubles, three triples, and two homers in 161 plate appearances.
Alex Lodise produced .283/.343/.435 with five doubles and three homers in 102 plate appearances. Owen Carey finished at .211/.296/.322 with five doubles, two triples, and two homers in 152 plate appearances, though his numbers were better before a cold stretch in the final week.
Eric Hartman hit .182/.312/.265 with three doubles, a triple, and two homers in 157 plate appearances.
A larger group crossed the 100-plate-appearance mark, though production was uneven. Luke Waddell posted a .657 OPS, Ambioris Tavarez a .589 OPS, Archer Brookman a .685 OPS, Drew Compton a .556 OPS, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. a .680 OPS, Will Verdung a .580 OPS, Dalton McIntyre a .625 OPS, Ethan Workinger a .627 OPS, Logan Braunschweig a .483 OPS, Carson Taylor a .778 OPS, and Cal Conley an .811 OPS. Most of that group struggled, with Taylor, Conley, Brookman, and Kilpatrick in the second half doing the most to move the needle.
A few others made brief but notable contributions. Dixon Williams finished with a .762 OPS after a late-season promotion.
Tate Southisene was hit by a pitch in his first game, which ended his season early, though he is set to head to the Arizona Fall League. Tristin English added five home runs in fewer than 100 plate appearances.
On the pitching side, Columbus leaned on Sears, Garrett Baumann, Herick Hernandez, and Julio Robaina. Hernandez gave Sears the strongest competition for top pitcher honors, putting up a 2.80 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 64 strikeouts in 45 innings before his promotion, though he did miss time because of injury.
Baumann worked 76 innings between Columbus and Gwinnett and finished with a 4.26 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts. Robaina, signed during the season, delivered a 3.14 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts over 63 innings.
Among the starters with smaller workloads, Cam Caminiti was the most effective, turning in a 2.01 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Cedric De Grandpre posted a 3.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 11.3 K/9. Owen Murphy finished at 6.10 ERA and 1.79 WHIP with 11.8 K/9, while Drue Hackenburg logged a 0.96 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, and 8.4 K/9 over his 20-plus innings.
There were also shorter looks from other prospects, including Luke Sinnard, Davis Polo, and Hurston Waldrep. Sinnard had a 4.15 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 13 innings, Polo recorded a 2.19 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 12.1 innings, and Waldrep allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings during his rehab start.
The bullpen had its own standouts. Tyler LaPorte was the best of the group, finishing with a 1.84 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts in 49 innings.
Luis Vargas was right there in terms of swing-and-miss, posting a 3.23 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 96 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. Anderson Pilar had a 4.43 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 22.1 innings, and Isaac Gallegos turned in a 3.94 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts over 32 innings.
Not everyone finished on a high note. Jhancarlos Lara, since designated for assignment, and the injured, demoted Elison Joseph both struggled.
Lara, once viewed by some as a potential bullpen candidate this spring, posted an 8.22 ERA and 2.61 WHIP with 21 strikeouts and 29 walks in 15.1 innings. His command issues also showed in another stint, where he recorded a 3.06 ERA and 1.98 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and 26 walks over 18.2 innings.
Other pitchers who started games and reached at least 20 innings included Ian Mejia, Jack Dashwood, Braden Scott, and the since-traded Lucas Braun. Mejia had a 7.13 ERA in 66 innings, Dashwood a 6.59 ERA in 27 innings, Scott a 4.54 ERA in 40 innings, and Braun a 3.20 ERA in 51 innings. Among relievers who crossed the 20-inning line, Shay Schanaman finished with a 6.08 ERA in 61 innings, Samuel Strickland with a 6.39 ERA in 51 innings, Blane Abeyta with a 5.55 ERA in 49 innings, Owen Hackman with a 5.06 ERA in 48 innings, and LJ McDonough with a 7.59 ERA in 43 innings.
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