D-Braves' Gilmore possibly a cornerstone of Atlanta's future

Jon Gilmore, perhaps the best prospect on the Danville Braves, is making the transition from shortstop to third base quite nicely.

The 19-year-old first-round supplemental draft pick was taken directly out of high school in June 2007 with the 33rd overall selection, the highest spot ever for an Iowa high school player to be drafted, and was promptly switched from shortstop to third base.

“Last year was a tough transition, definitely,” Gilmore said. “I struggled a little bit, mostly throwing the ball. It’s a different angle, and it’s been a work in progress, but I’m improving every day. I feel pretty comfortable at third base right now.”

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder skipped half of his final high school season, which began in late May, after signing with the Braves. He was offered several football scholarships to play quarterback, including from a number of Ivy League schools, and opted out of a scholarship with Wichita State after being drafted.

Gilmore is so highly regarded, in fact, that Baseball America has him projected as the Atlanta Braves’ starting third baseman in 2011.

He’s hit multiple doubles in a game three times for the D-Braves this season, including knocking three doubles in his first three at-bats during Danville’s rain-delayed 10-1 victory against the Bluefield Orioles on Tuesday at Dan Daniel Park. He doubled on a grounder down the third baseline in his first at-bat in the second inning and smacked another double in the fourth on a looping ball to right-centerfield. Jesus Sucre singled two batters later to score Gilmore, and Danville took a 5-0 lead before the game was delayed by rain in the top of the fifth. Gilmore hit yet another double, this one to shallow center field, in the bottom of the fifth inning after play resumed following a two-hour, four-minute delay, and he also singled in the eighth to drive home Danville’s final run.

Gilmore’s four-hit game tied him with Shayne Moody for most hits in a contest by a D-Brave this season, and his three doubles increased his season total to eight, good for second in the Appalachian League.

“Obviously the hitting is coming along for him and you can see his confidence growing every day,” D-Braves manager Paul Runge said, “and he’s really improving defensively as well. His whole game is on the rise.”

Coming into the contest, Gilmore was hitting .415 over his last 10 games (17 for 41) with a home run and six RBIs. He was second on the team with 24 hits, including five doubles and two home runs, and had eight RBIs and 12 strikeouts in 77 at-bats. He’d scored 11 runs and was third on the team with a .312 batting average.

Gilmore has started 19 of his 21 games at third base (the other two he was the designated hitter), has committed three errors, has an on-base percentage of .333, a .455 slugging percentage and an OPS of .788.

He produced a .284 batting average with Gulf Coast League Braves last season, where he collected 46 hits, including five doubles, a triple and a home run, and 29 RBIs in 162 at-bats. He scored 11 runs, had 28 strikeouts and committed 14 errors during his time in Florida.

Gilmore opened the season playing for the Single-A Rome Braves, where he hit .173 in 22 games, before being sent to Danville.

“It was a good learning experience, definitely. I couldn’t really put anything together up there, just a few scattered hits here and there, but nothing special,” Gilmore said. “Hopefully I’ll improve here. I’ve been hitting OK so far, and I guess I’ll just keep going forward.”

NEWS & NOTES
Bluefield hitting coach Jim Saul was the D-Braves’ manager in 2004, when current D-Braves manager Paul Runge was an assistant. … RHP Julio Teheran returned from Atlanta, where he was having his right shoulder looked at by team doctors. He will likely miss one start. … Bluefield is the only team in the Appy League winless on the road. … Bluefield’s Josh Faiola struck out four batters in the sixth inning, an inning in which Danville scored a run. Two batters struck out and reached first base on wild pitches, and Bluefield committed three errors in the frame. Danville, which did not record a hit in the sixth, left two runners stranded, including one in scoring position.

HOW THEY SCORED
BOTTOM OF THE THIRD: Raul Rivero pitching. Kuyaunnis Miles strikes out. L.V. Ware flies out to center. Shayne Moody triples down third baseline. Joel Campusano singles on grounder to left-center field, scoring Moody. Chris Shehan reaches first and Campusano scores on a throwing error by shortstop Rodolpho Cardona. Gerardo Rodriguez flies out to center. Danville 2, Bluefield 0
BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH: Rivero pitching. Jon Gilmore doubles to right-center field. Matt Kennelly grounds out to second, advancing Gilmore to third. Jesus Sucre singles to right, scoring Gilmore. Miles singles to left. Ware flies out to center. Moody doubles off the wall in right field, scoring Sucre and Miles. Campusano flies out to center. Danville 5, Bluefield 0
TOP OF THE FIFTH: Randall Delgado pitching. Brian Conley singles to right. Rain delay of two hours and four minutes. David Francis pitching. Conley caught stealing second. Jason Rook strikes out. Arthur Bonevacia singles to left and advances to third on a fielding error by left fielder Kuyaunnis Miles. Bonevacia scores on a wild pitch. Luis Bernardo strikes out. Danville 5, Bluefield 1
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH: Josh Faiola pitching. Sucre strikes out. Miles strikes out. Ware strikes out, but reaches first base on a wild pitch. Ware steals second. An error on Faiola on a failed pickoff attempt allows Ware to take third, and an error by centerfielder Jason Rook allows Ware to score. Moody strikes out, but reaches first base on a wild pitch. Campusano reaches first thanks to an error by first baseman Elvin Polanco. Moody advances to third on the play. Shehan lines out to third. Danville 6, Bluefield 1
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH: Brian Sisk pitching. Sucre singles to center. Miles singles to right. Ware doubles to right, scoring Sucres. Runners on second and third. Moody grounds out to the pitcher. Chais Fuller strikes out. Shehan reaches first base safely thanks to an error on first baseman Polanco. Miles and Ware score on the play. Rodriguez singles to left. Gilmore singles to center, scoring Shehan. Kennelly strikes out. Danville 10, Bluefield 1