SL1 Mississippi Braves

Marte, Toussaint Named Mississippi Braves Players of the Month by Atlanta Braves

July 6, 2018 - Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


PEARL, MS - The Atlanta Braves announced on Friday that Mississippi Braves infielder Luis Marte and former pitcher Touki Toussaint had been named the club's player and pitcher of the month for June.

Marte, 24, led the M-Braves in June with a .337 (28-for-83) batting average. He racked up four doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBI and two stolen bases over his first full month in the Atlanta Braves organization. The San Francisco de Macoris, DR native was signed by the Braves on as a minor league free agent on May 23 after spending the first part of the 2018 campaign with the Texas Rangers organization.

Marte had a nine-game hitting streak, June 16-26, batting .529 (18-for-34) with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs over the streak. He capped his month with a 4-for-4 performance at home against Jacksonville on June 25. The shortstop has also excelled defensively, committing just two errors in 136 total chances. Texas originally signed Marte as an international free agent on Nov. 4, 2010.

Toussaint, 22, made five starts in June and was 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA, giving up just four earned runs over 30.2 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts and just 11 walks. Toussaint led the club in innings pitched, strikeouts, WHIP (1.01) and opponents batting average (.182).

Overall this season, Toussaint is 5-6 with a 2.82 ERA (29 ER/92.2 IP) and 112 strikeouts in 17 starts for the M-Braves and one start in Gwinnett. The Coral Springs, FL native led the Southern League and currently ranks fifth in all of Minor League Baseball in strikeouts.

Toussaint's last start on June 30 at Pensacola was his best of 2018, matching a career-high with 11 strikeouts over 7.0 shutout innings and just two hits allowed. Toussaint is the No. 11 prospect for the Atlanta Braves and was acquired by the Braves along with RHP Bronson Arroyo from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for INF Phil Gosselin on June 20, 2015. He was drafted originally by the Diamondbacks in the first round (16th overall) in 2014.

Other Atlanta Braves Players of the Month for June

Gwinnett: Pitcher: Evan Phillips, Player: Michael Reed

Florida: Pitcher: Kyle Muller, Player: Braxton Davison

Rome: Pitcher: Brandon White, Player: Jean Carlos Encarnacion

Danville: Pitcher: Jose Montilla, Player: Justin Dean

The Mississippi Braves are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Since the inaugural 2005 season, over 125 M-Braves have gone on to Major League Baseball. The M-Braves have made postseason play four times and went on to win the Southern League Championship in 2008. Stop by Trustmark Park or call 888-BRAVES4 Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For the latest news and updates, visit mississippibraves.com or connect with @mbraves on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Check out the Mississippi Braves Statistics



Southern League Stories from July 6, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central