ATL All Day
Fansided

Atlanta Braves sign former UCA pitcher Connor Gilmore

By Kathryn Morrison

May 30, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) greets second baseman Jace Peterson (8) after Peterson scores on a base hit by center fielder Cameron Maybin (not pictured) in the third inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports.
May 30, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) greets second baseman Jace Peterson (8) after Peterson scores on a base hit by center fielder Cameron Maybin (not pictured) in the third inning of their MLB baseball game with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports. /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Atlanta Braves signed University of Central Arkansas pitcher Connor Gilmore on Saturday, June 18. Gilmore will report to the Danville Braves.

The Atlanta Braves are continuing to add more depth to their farm system, this time with the addition of 6’5”, 220 lb., right-handed pitcher Connor Gilmore.

Gilmore didn’t attend the 2016 MLB first-year player draft, though he got the same result in the end. He received a text message on the last day of the draft, asking him if he would be interested in signing with the Atlanta Braves.

Gilmore attended Little Rock Catholic High School and began his college baseball career in 2013 with the University of Central Arkansas Bears.

His freshman year with the Bears, Gilmore went 5-0 with a 0.73 run average. The next two seasons, he went 15-6 with a 2.69 ERA.

More from ATL All Day

Gilmore, who reports to the Danville Braves in Virginia this week, appears to be excited about the opportunity with the Atlanta Braves organization, as well as UCA head coach Allen Gum.

VIA Josh Goff of UCA Sports 

"“It’s great to get to continue playing baseball and be a member of the Braves organization,” he said. “I got a text on the last day of the draft asking if I’d be willing to sign, and I said ‘Yeah, absolutely’, and then waited a bit and finally got the call. I didn’t go in the draft, but it’s all about the same. I got a phone call and a foot in the door and that’s all I need. It’s pretty cool to get to be doing this.”Gilmore will report this week to the Danville Braves, the Braves’ Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League.“I’m really excited for him,” said Central Arkansas head coach Allen Gum. “He did so much for our program during his four years here. He’s the all-time wins and shutouts leader, complete games, and on and on. He pitched in some big games and got some big wins for this program. It’s exciting to see his hard work pay off with this opportunity to play at the next level in the Braves organization. I couldn’t be happier for him.”"

It was his senior year when things began to fall apart. That season, Gilmore had a 2-8 record and a 5.15 ERA, with his opponents hitting .283 against him. However, that didn’t seem to matter to the Atlanta Braves, who clearly appreciated his stats over the course of four years as a whole. 

There’s no denying that Gilmore hit a rough patch his senior year, which he himself acknowledges. What will be the key to success in the pros for Gilmore? Putting that senior season behind him and focusing his energy towards improvement. 

According to Gilmore VIA UCA Sports,

"“I need to forget about it,” he said. “To be honest with you, I didn’t have a great year. I was blaming myself for a lot of things that happened, losses we had and all that. I’ve got to forget about all of that and turn the page to a new chapter. I need to get my confidence back a little bit. A new bit of scenery might help with that.”"

Next: Atlanta Braves: The return of Freddie Freeman

If he can find his way back to his old ways, good things could be in store for Gilmore and his future career with the Braves.

Home/Atlanta Braves