more punch, please

Though the Mississippi Braves continue to have problems scoring runs — they rank last in the Southern League through 20 games — there have been some bright spots in the attack. Ian Gac, the power-hitting first baseman, is batting .314 with two home runs (the club’s only two) and 14 RBIs. Phil Gosselin, a promising second baseman, is hitting .296 and Andrelton Simmons, the hot-shot shortstop, is at .295. All three are first-year Double-A players. On the downside, there is this group, all returnees from the 2011 club: Matt Kennelly, the backup catcher, is batting .194; outfielder Cory Harrilchak is at .191; and outfielder Mycal Jones is at an abysmal .121. They need to pick it up. Somewhere between those highs and lows is Christian Bethancourt, the catcher who is rated among Atlanta’s Top 10 prospects. Bethancourt is hitting just .219 with one extra base hit and three RBIs in 56 at-bats. But measure this against the fact that the Panama native is only 20 years old in an advanced league. There were concerns about his commitment last season, but he reportedly made strides while batting .303 at low-A Rome and .271 at high-A Lynchburg. Baseball America tagged him the No. 10 prospect in the Carolina League. Bethancourt goes 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds, and while he hasn’t hit much for power so far, he should develop some. He has a good arm and is improving defensively. This isn’t a make-or-break year for him, but the team certainly would benefit if he starts to produce a little more. P.S. Despite the lack of punch, the M-Braves are 8-12 heading into a five-game homestand that starts tonight. They’re just 3 games out of first place in the SL South.