04 Jul

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Cory Harrilchak, the Mississippi Braves right fielder, enjoyed perhaps his best day at the plate this season on Sunday at Huntsville. The left-handed hitting Harrilchak, 5 feet 11, 180 pounds (or so), went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in the M-Braves’ 6-2 win, which gave the club a 5-6 record entering a four-game homestand that starts tonight at Trustmark Park in Pearl. The Braves have been waiting for fireworks from Harrilchak; maybe Sunday’s effort was the fuse that’ll get him going. He entered this season, his first in Double-A, as Atlanta’s No. 29 prospect (by Baseball America). A 14th-round pick in 2009 as a senior out of Elon in North Carolina, Harrilchak hit .299 with five homers and 88 RBIs (plus 36 doubles, 13 triples and 41 steals) at three levels of A-ball in his first two pro years. He also played well in the Arizona Fall League last season. But the 23-year-old Harrilchak’s adjustment to Double-A has been sluggish. He’s at .232 with five homers, 25 RBIs and 23 runs in 71 games. His plate discipline has been OK (44 strikeouts/23 walks), his defense solid. Surely the Atlanta brass would like to see a stronger finish, as would M-Braves fans. The club needs more production from several players, Harrilchak among them.

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