Minter is returning from an extended stay on the D.L. from April 13 to June 12 spanning 56 games following an adductor groin strain, which came on the heels of another extended D.L. stint thanks to Tommy John surgery in 2015 and being limited to just 34 2/3 innings of work in 2016. Finally healthy, his 2017 campaign included a five-appearance stop – all for one-inning – with the Fire Frogs, and I viewed two of those appearances versus the Tampa Yankees.

A Competitive Balance B (second round) pick out of Texas A&M, Minter showed a plus fastball siting 93-to-94 mph with plus movement, working it with arm side tail and some sink. His cutter is a deceptive offering, coming in at 88-to-90 mph with short, quick darting action. He also will throw the occasional slider in the 84-to-86 mph range that flashed average movement.

Minter is aggressive in the zone with the arsenal with plus command, and through these views he had yet to walk a batter while striking out 10 in six innings of work, which is a continuation of his 12.2 SO/9 rate that he had across three levels in his 2016 campaign. While he shows above-average swing-and-miss stuff, his future is entirely dependent upon his ability to stay healthy at this point, and build up his arm strength and professional innings without further setbacks. If he clears those hurdles, he could move through the system quickly, and he has the stuff to compete out of the bullpen as a future Role 60 set-up man, with a floor of a Role 55, above-average bullpen piece. His quick promotion to Mississippi on June 27 after just six innings of 2017 work under his belt shows that the Braves’ front office is watching his progress closely.