2025 Gwinnett Stripers: Year in Review

The 16^th season of Gwinnett Stripers baseball has come and gone as the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate finished the 2025 campaign with a 63-87 record.

Gwinnett’s year was highlighted by a record 84 players donning a Stripers uniform as part of the 322 transactions involving the club which also set a franchise record.

The second year led by manager Kanekoa Texeira saw 38 players who spent time with both Gwinnett and the parent club Braves who themselves underwent a rare year of missing the MLB Postseason.

Ten players and coaches, including Texeira, provided their insight on the 2025 season.

Roster Fluctuation

The Stripers set the franchise record for players utilized on the second to last day of the campaign, when Brett Wisley was in the starting lineup on September 20.

Texeira was tested often with how to manage his roster during the year.

“We had a lot of ups and downs we lost a lot of guys, beginning to end we have a new team,” Texeira said in an interview with Stripers broadcaster Dave Lezotte. “It was tougher this year, we had a lot of pitching going up. The guys stepped up and pitching was our strong point this year.”

The rotation also shifted throughout the season, as the Stripers used 29 different starting pitchers, creating many challenges for first-year pitching coach Wes McGuire.

“In a lot of ways, it’s the nature of the beast especially in Triple A,” McGuire reflected. “We do the best we can to prepare guys for each game, giving them a plan of attack and how to go about things, but then it’s letting them do their thing. We just tell guys if you’re tired let us know and we’ll make a move.”

Rehabbing Stars

Gwinnett welcomed eight total players on Major League rehab assignments in 2025.

The first rehab player joined the club in just the second game of the season when Spencer Strider made his first career Triple-A start on March 29 at Charlotte. Strider pitched again on April 4 at Coolray Field, working with another familiar face behind the plate in rehabbing catcher Sean Murphy.

Similar to his rehab stint the year prior, Murphy launched a 415-foot home run on the second pitch he saw in the Stripers’ home opener on April 1.

For the first time since 2022, the Stripers welcomed outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. back to Gwinnett. The 2023 National League MVP sent Coolray Field into a frenzy with his 420-foot blast on May 20 as part of a five-game rehab stint.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. joined the Stripers on June 12 as the then-ranked No. 3 Braves prospect saw action in 18 games in three stints with Gwinnett.

Towards the end of the year, the Stripers welcomed the reigning National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale for three starts. Sale made his Stripers debut in a start on August 12, becoming just the second Cy Young winner ever to pitch for Gwinnett.

Pitching Dominance

The Stripers were headlined by their pitching staff, finishing fourth in the 20-team International League in ERA (4.07) and second in reliever ERA (3.73).

McGuire praised how his group went about their daily routine during the season.

“It’s been great, development is what we always talk about and sometimes it doesn’t always show up on the scoreboard, but the guys have done a great job,” McGuire stated. “All the guys we’ve had have done a good job of working every day and attacking the things they need to do to get better and going about it on a daily basis so really excited about it.”

He also credited bullpen coach Craig Bjornson with how he handled his staff.

“It’s a group of guys that wanted to get better and had a lot of talent,” McGuire said. “We’ve acquired a lot of guys as well that helped with that, but it was a good group. CB getting those guys on track or on a plan as far as how to get hitters out and bounce back to get ready for the next outing so an all-around good effort.”

Waddell in Year Three

The longest-tenured hitter in the Stripers lineup, infielder Luke Waddell again proved to be one of their best in 2025 despite a calf injury keeping him sidelined for just over two months.

The Braves’ fifth-round pick in 2021 finished with a .272 average with 17 doubles, one homer, and 30 RBIs.

“Obviously you want to get to the big leagues, but I was happy with how I played, hit and played defensively,” Waddell said. “Just have to keep getting better and keep building on what I got better at this year and go into the offseason and get better for Spring Training.”

Waddell made Gwinnett history, becoming the franchise’s 15^th player to join the 200-hit club. He ended the year with 206 hits.

Stripers hitting coach Dan DeMent worked with Waddell the past two years and was pleased with his overall season.

“Waddys done a great job all around, he had the injury bug for a decent part of the year, and he came back and picked up right where he left off,” DeMent said. “He’s a good player, he’s steady, very dependable. In the box on a nightly basis, you have a good idea of what Waddys going to bring to the table.”

For the second straight year, Waddell won the Stripers’ Fan Favorite Award becoming the club’s first repeat winner since Sean Kazmar Jr. won it three straight years from 2018-19 and 2021.

Old Stars Return

The Stripers welcomed back a pair of big-name relievers in Jesse Chavez and Craig Kimbrel in 2025.

Part of the Opening Day roster, Chavez appeared in 23 games, recording a 2-0 record with a 2.05 ERA in his third season with the Stripers.

The 41-year-old became the second oldest player to appear in a game for Gwinnett behind only 43-year-old Tom Glavine in 2009. Chavez also appeared in four games for Atlanta before retiring in late July.

Signing with Atlanta as a minor league free agent before the year, Craig Kimbrel made headlines in reuniting with the organization that drafted him in 2008. Kimbrel also returned to Gwinnett for the first time since 2010, marking the longest time between appearances in franchise history.

In 15 games for the Stripers, Kimbrel collected a 2.45 ERA and three saves before rejoining the Braves for one appearance on June 6.

C-Rod Sparks Offense

Carlos Rodriguez had an impressive first campaign in the Braves organization in his first extended look at the Triple-A level after the 24-year-old joined the club from the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Rodriguez was promoted to Gwinnett on April 18, hitting .247 with 10 doubles, eight homers, 32 RBIs, and 17 steals. Batting over .300 in the first half, Rodriguez noted the many hills and valleys he navigated during the campaign.

“A lot of highs and lows, I started pretty good, but my stats went down in the middle,” Rodriguez said, “We were working the whole year with the coaches in the cages so I’m pretty happy with the results.”

Named as the Stripers’ Most Valuable Player at season's end, Rodriguez has a fan in his skipper.

“I think we’re all a big fan of Carlos, what he does, he’s such a big leaguer and hopefully he gets a chance one day,” Texeira voiced. “His contact and defense is on point, the person that he is, he shows up every day you know what you’re going to get.”

Wiles Warrants Attention

A trade at the tail-end of Spring Training brought Nathan Wiles over from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Wiles turned into a workhorse in the Gwinnett rotation, finishing with a 6-8 record and a 3.04 ERA in 25 appearances (19 starts).

The 27-year-old right-hander was contending for an International League ERA title before a late call-up to Atlanta on September 16 knocked him off the qualified leaderboard. It was the fourth time Wiles received a promotion to Atlanta, where he made his MLB debut out of the bullpen on April 22 during his first stint.

McGuire saw a lot of growth in Wiles during his first year with the organization.

“A guy that when he first got over here, really dominated the league,” McGuire said. “Was a strike thrower and was able to adjust throughout the year as guys adjusted to him and were more aggressive, he found other ways to keep getting guys out at a high level.”

Suero Saves Ballgames

Leading all of Triple-A in saves with 37 in 2024 with Sugar Land in the Houston Astros system, Wander Suero was able to repeat that success in 2025.

Spending most of the year with Gwinnett, Suero recorded 12 of his 13 saves with the Stripers. The 33-year-old had a 1.29 ERA across 45 appearances in a Stripers uniform and put together a 19.2-inning scoreless streak from May 7-July 5.

Suero also appeared in five games across two stints with Atlanta before being designated for assignment and joining the New York Mets organization to end 2025. In collecting his 13^th save on September 16 with Syracuse, Suero tied for the Triple-A saves lead to end the year.

Lara Reaches Triple Digits

Joining the Stripers bullpen on May 13 after opening the year as a starter with Double-A Columbus, Jhancarlos Lara added his name to Gwinnett record books.

Lara threw 73 pitches that hit triple digits, setting a franchise record dating back to the start of the Statcast Era in 2023. Nine of his pitches ranked among the 50 hardest thrown in the International League for the year. Lara topped out at 102.4 mph on a called ball to Nashville’s Eddie Rosario on June 3.

After 28 appearances (nine starts) with Gwinnett, Lara’s contract would be selected by the Braves for the first time on September 19.

Fuentes Makes History

On June 14, Didier Fuentes became the youngest Gwinnett pitcher to appear in a game at 19 years, 11 months, and 29 days old.

Fuentes became the third youngest player to appear in a game in franchise history behind Ozzie Albies (2016) and Acuna Jr. (2017). The Braves’ No. 10 prospect at the time of the start, Fuentes tossed 4.2 innings while allowing three hits and one earned run as he struck out six batters in a loss.

Fuentes joined Atlanta for four starts following the outing and made four more starts with the Stripers after returning on July 9.

Fourth of July Magic

In front of the largest crowd of the season with 9,269 fans at Coolray Field, Jonathan Ornelas created the memory of a lifetime on the Fourth of July.

With the Stripers trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ornelas launched a two-run homer to center field to get Gwinnett back in front.

“It was awesome, all the appreciation from everybody it’s good to have a crowd like this especially on the Fourth of July,” Ornelas acknowledged after the game. “Fireworks before the fireworks.”

Jose Ruiz tossed a hitless ninth inning to close an unforgettable victory.

“The crowd was packed, you couldn’t find a seat in the house,” Texeira said. “We made our way back to get a comeback and all of a sudden, Jonny hits that home run, that was probably my most memorable moment this year here.”

Harris Heads to the Futures Game and Beyond

Back for his second year with Gwinnett on June 10, Hayden Harris proved to be unhittable. The lefty reliever allowed just one earned run across 25 appearances and 29.1 innings, good for a 0.31 ERA.

Harris represented the Stripers in the 2025 Futures Game held at Truist Park in Atlanta, striking out Detroit Tigers prospect Josue Briceno.

The Stripers’ Most Outstanding Reliever made his MLB debut with Atlanta on September 2, appearing in three games for the Braves.

“It’s an awesome experience, not many people get the chance to do it and I’m very thankful for it,” Harris reflected. “That’s one of your goals is to make it there but the ultimate goal is to make it and stay there and contribute to winning for the big-league club whoever it is that wants you.”

It was the completion of a long journey for the once undrafted arm out of Georgia Southern which according to McGuire, was helped along with the improvement of his secondary pitches.

“The biggest thing is he’s always had an invisible fastball and that’s been really impressive,” Harris said. “The biggest improvements for this year have been with his two non-fastballs; his slider and splitter got a lot better control and command of those pitches and gave him another weapon to get out hitters.”

Waldrep’s Stellar July

Tying Wiles for the team lead in starts, Hurston Waldrep turned up the heat during his four July outings with Gwinnett.

Waldrep recorded a 0.78 ERA, allowing just two earned runs across 23.0 innings while striking out as many batters. The righty ranked second in the International League in ERA and fourth in batting average against (.176) during the month.

The Braves No. 4 prospect opened August by getting scratched from a start with the Stripers to pitch in relief for Atlanta at the Speedway Classic in Bristol.

Waldrep never returned to Gwinnett, as he won each of his first four appearances with the Braves and became the ace of the rotation in the second half with a 3.04 ERA across nine appearances (eight starts).

Following a rocky opening to Waldrep’s second year with Gwinnett, Texeira has enjoyed seeing the pitcher he’s become in Atlanta.

“He had a tough go of it in the beginning, we all knew his stuff was big-league stuff,” Texeira said. “Once it clicked it was going to be scary and towards the middle you started to see him making that turn and now, he’s doing his thing in the big leagues.”

Ritchie Makes Statement

Starting for the National League in the Futures Game while representing Double-A Columbus, JR Ritchie received news days later that he was promoted to Gwinnett.

The Braves’ No. 2 prospect and No. 99 prospect in baseball according to MLB.com was stellar to close the year, tossing a quality start in six of his 11 outings. The Stripers’ Most Outstanding Pitcher went 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA and recorded a season-best 20.2-inning scoreless streak across four starts.

From his promotion with Gwinnett on July 15 through the end of the campaign, Ritchie ranked among International League leaders in batting average against (1^st, .181), innings (2^nd, 59.2), strikeouts (T-4^th, 61), ERA (5^th) and WHIP (7^th, 1.09).

“I think the biggest thing was just learning how to pitch,” Ritchie explained. “I added a lot of pitches during the season, I’m really happy with how I was able to learn when to throw what where and in what count to different hitters. Just reading swings and what guys were looking for and pitching instead of just throwing my pitches.”

Leonard Joins Twenty Homer Club

On September 1, Eddys Leonard crushed his 20^th home run of the year to become the 11^th player in franchise history to reach the season milestone. Leonard was the first to do so since Travis Demeritte hit 21 longballs in 2021.

“That was my goal I put on for this year and I made it and I’m proud of myself that I did,” Leonard said.

Released by the Detroit Tigers at the end of Spring Training, Leonard went on to lead the Stripers in most offensive categories including homers, RBI (61), slugging percentage (.435), OPS (.739), doubles (18), triples (4), extra-base hits (42) and total bases (191). At season’s end, he was named the team’s Co-Most Competitive Player.

DeMent couldn’t have been prouder to see him hit his goal and improve the way he has.

“Eddys is a very talented player; he has a lot of hit ability and a lot of power,” DeMent said. “I’m proud of him, his work ethic and mentality, he steadied the pace and was able to achieve his goal this year. He’s a great kid a fun guy to be around every single day, he comes to play.”

Braun Nothing but Quality

The Gwinnett rotation received an additional boost at the end of the year with the arrival of Braves’ No. 12 prospect Lucas Braun.

After spending most of the season with Double-A Columbus, Braun’s three starts with the Stripers all ended in quality outings. Braun became the first Gwinnett pitcher to open his Triple-A career with three straight quality starts since Drue Hackenberg from August 30-September 12, 2024.

“I had a blast; it was a ton of fun coming out here pitching,” Braun said. “I was just trying to fill it up, pound the strike zone with as many pitches as I could on any given day. I had a great defense behind me all three games and letting them pick me up when I left a few too middle but overall, I felt like my stuff played pretty well and was able to collect outs.”

Weekly Awards

Braun’s final start of the year (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) vs. Indianapolis on September 17 earned him International League Pitcher of the Week honors.

He was the third weekly award winner of 2025 as Wiles (June 1) and Ritchie (August 31) also won International League Pitcher of the Week awards.

Wiles tossed 6.0 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out seven vs. Jacksonville. Ritchie struck out a career-high 11 batters across 6.0 innings where he allowed just one hit in a win vs. Norfolk.

On to 2026

The Gwinnett Stripers’ 2026 campaign will begin on Friday, March 27 vs. Memphis at Coolray Field. For the full season schedule and updates on the 2026 season, visit GoStripers.com.