Hey everyone!! Matt Young here, filling in for Tommy this week.  I'm here to give you a little more insight on the AFL and the Braves.

First things first...I am a Texas boy born and raised. I signed a Free Agent contract after attending the University of New Mexico for 3 years. I opted not to return for my senior season and am extremely happy with my decision (although I plan on going back to get my degree).  My first year in professional baseball was 2005 playing with the Rome Braves. Since then, I have touched every step of the organizational ladder on my way to AA Mississippi. A quick hello to all our fans in The Sipp!! I hope we are making you proud out here. I was priveleged enough to spend my entire season with Mississippi and win the Southern League championship in the best five game series I have ever been a part of.  It definitely took some years off my life!! I am looking forward to getting that ring this Spring Training!

I was a late addition to the Fall League roster this year, but I have had a blast playing for the Mesa Solar Sox. This team is amazing!  Everyone hits. And I mean rakes!! Not to be biased but Tyler Flowers has the most pop in the league (followed closely by Casper Wells of the Tigers). The pitching is incredible too. As you are probably all aware, Tommy Hanson is showing everyone what a big league pitcher looks like. Seeing him pitch is truly an unbelievable sight. It seems he one-ups himself every outing.

Also getting the opportunity to work with such great baseball men like Ryne Sandberg and Ray Burris is truly a blessing. I have learned so much, especially from Ryno, about the game: hitting, baserunning, plans, etc.  He has helped me handle the inside pitch a lot better and my numbers reflect it.  I have as many home runs here as I did in 140 games in AA this year. Needless to say he is a good guy to have in your corner. 

Currently we are in 2nd place but with 7 games to go it is still up in the air. At most we will be 1 game back as of this evening with the possibility of being tied to first.

Arizona is a great place to be this time of year, but I think everyone is about ready to head home & see the family.  It's been a great year and I've met some amazing people but I am looking forward to seeing my new niece Peyton and the cutest girl in the world Brooke (my other niece) for Thanksgiving as well as my brothers & parents. (I'm trying not to leave anyone out).

Thanks for reading and feel free to send me any comments.  God Bless. 

Hey what's up everybody, Tommy Hanson here again. The Mesa Solar Sox are currently 4-5 but are playing a lot better than our record proves. We're playing well and I think it's going to start to show in the wins column. Everybody on the team is coming together and getting over the awkward new faces on a new team thing. The first week when you look around you would see packs of guys with the same organization together. Now when you look around its not like that which is cool.
 
My last outing on Monday went well. I think it was the first time I walked three batters in one inning before but somehow I got out of it with nobody scoring. I was way too excited to pitch and usually when that happens I have trouble in the first inning. After the crazy first it went pretty smooth. I'm happy with my second outing here but there are always things to improve on. I take the mound again on Saturday against the Peoria Javelinas.in Mesa. My cousin Zech Zinicola is a pitcher for the Javelinas, so we have some family coming out to watch the game. Hopefully my first inning goes a little smoother. Talk to you guys soon.
 
Answers to questions:
Wellthen: I really don't worry about being traded. I understand that this is a business. If it happens then it happens. I cant control it so I don't worry about it. I do have a strong connection with the Braves and I really like everybody in the system including a lot of close friends that I've made.
 
Bryce11carrol: The thing I like most about Atlanta's organization is definitely the pitching coaches. I've had Doug Henry, Bruce Dal Canton, and Derek Botelho in my corner when I needed them. All three of them have helped me tremendously. And as far as getting to the big leagues, whenever they feel I'm ready they will call me up. That's another thing I try not to worry about. I work as hard as I can everyday to get to the big leagues as soon as possible.
 
I enjoyed the questions. Let me know if you've got anymore. Thanks to everybody who wished me luck.
 

Hello Fans!! This is Tyler Flowers, a minor league player from Marietta, Georgia with the

Atlanta Braves. I am currently playing in the Arizona Fall League as a catcher with the Mesa Solar Sox. Before my professional career, I attended Chipola College, where we won 2 conference championships and became the state runner-up. After signing with the Braves as a draft and follow in 2006, I have played for the organization for 3 seasons. I have learned so much and have really enjoyed working with all of the coaches and teammates. This past season I played in Myrtle Beach with the Advanced A Pelicans. We had a great season, winning both halves and coming close to a Carolina League Championship.

When I received the phone call in August to attend the Arizona Fall League, I was so excited to have this opportunity; however, I was a little nervous of what my fiancé would say. We had our wedding date planned for October 4th, and I wasn't sure what the timing conflicts would be. Fortunately, everything worked out, and, with a couple exceptions by the league, and my wife, I was able to come out to Arizona a few days late. 

This first week for me has been great. We have a pretty good team with a lot of talented players, many of which I already knew or had heard of. We have an exceptional coaching staff, including a hall of famer Ryne Sandberg, pitching coach Ray Burris, and my Myrtle Beach Pelicans' manager Rocket Wheeler. Considering my late report, I was stuck in the bullpen for the first two games to make sure that I was conditioned well enough before playing. This turned out to be a great opportunity to work with the pitchers and get to know their pitches (along with crazy bullpen stories which made for some good entertainment). We are now 5 games in, and I am really looking forward to what the next 5 weeks will bring. It is so great to be out here getting the experience I need to move to the next level. I really appreciate all of your support. See you in Arizona!

Hey everyone. I'm Tommy Hanson, a minor league baseball player for the Atlanta Braves. I'm currently playing in the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox.

I drove to Arizona on October 1st from my home in Redlands, Ca. We had workouts for a couple of days before myself and a couple other Braves players had to fly to Mississippi to be acknowledged for winning the Southern League championship. The workouts were pretty laid back and I got to know all of my teammates. It was fun meeting everybody and all of them seemed pretty cool.

They had me starting the first game of the fall league. I was ready to get things going and get back on the mound. We were on the road for the first game against Phoenix and Max Scherzer was the opposing starter. I threw 2 scoreless innings and I'm always glad to get the first one out of the way. We are currently 2-2. I'm scheduled to throw again on Monday in Scottsdale, which is actually about 2 blocks from my apartment. I really like where were staying. There is a ton of restaurants and a mall that's close.

I can't tell you enough how excited I am to be out here. It's a great opportunity to play against some of the best minor leaguers and to continue to get better to reach my ultimate goal of playing in the major leagues. I will be posting once a week letting you know how everything is going. If you have any questions let me know and I'll be happy to answer them. Take it easy.