Shea Langeliers and Matt Withrow take home Players of the Week honors for Mississippi Braves

I recapped last week’s top players from the Braves minor league organization on Monday… and so did Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate — the Mississippi’s Braves. 

Congratulations to @MattWithrow35 and @Langeliers23, our first @MSFarmBureau Pitcher & Player of the Week!

Story > https://t.co/PiHN9m9c8b pic.twitter.com/aqAHGYwouE

— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) May 10, 2021

 

Catcher Shea Langeliers and right-handed pitcher Matt Withrow were announced as the Farm Bureau Player and Pitcher of the Week — a weekly team award that Farm Bureau Insurance sponsors. 

The 23-year-old Langeliers — a top-10 prospect in the Braves system and top-100 prospect by many in the industry — had a strong first week of the minor league season as Atlanta’s former top pick from 2019 finished his first five games with two home runs and a double, including a 2 for 4 performance this past Saturday against Pensacola. 

Langeliers’ current .188 AVG so far in 2021 isn’t quite ideal, but compared to two seasons ago, the defensive catcher has already made obvious improvements to his swing and approach at the plate. 

The fact that Langeliers is already holding his own at the Double-A level this early into the season is rather impressive, considering the Portland, Oregon native only logged 54 games for Single-A Rome (now Augusta) back in 2019. 

—

The more seasoned Withrow — 27-years-old — impressed both out of Mississippi’s bullpen and its rotation last week, totaling six innings of two-hit ball to go with just one earned run and seven strikeouts. The former sixth-round pick from the 2015 draft pitched the 7th and 8th innings of the M-Braves game on Wednesday (2 IP, 2 BB, 5 K) and then started Sunday’s contest (4 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K), both versus Pensacola.

Withrow, who played his college ball at Texas Tech, has never really been considered a Braves prospect during his time as a pro. However, he has put together quite an impressive minor league resume during his five professional seasons. For his career, Withrow sports a 3.73 ERA to go along with 8.8 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 301 ⅓ innings, primarily as a starter — 63 starts / 14 relief appearances — from rookie ball all the way up to what’s now his second stint in Double-A. 

Both Langeliers and Withrow are expected to be significant contributors for what looks to be one of the most talented Mississippi Braves clubs in several seasons.