PEARL — The Mississippi Braves were reminded of a harsh fact of life in minor league baseball — success comes with a cost.

Four of the Double-A team’s top players, who also happen to be among the top prospects in the Atlanta Braves’ organization, were promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Outfielders Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, and pitchers Ian Anderson and Tucker Davidson were all promoted before the M-Braves’ doubleheader against Tennessee.

Pache is the Braves’ No. 1 prospect. He had spent the entire 2019 season at Mississippi and, in 104 games, was hitting .278 with 11 home runs, 28 doubles, eight triples, 53 RBIs and 50 runs scored.

The 20-year-old Waters is Atlanta’s No. 2 prospect. He has played in 108 games for the M-Braves this season and is hitting .319. Waters also has 35 doubles, five home runs, nine triples, 41 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.

Waters leads all of Double-A baseball with 134 hits. He was a second-round draft pick in 2017 out of Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia.

Anderson is the No. 3 overall prospect in Atlanta’s organization, and the top pitching prospect after the team drafted him in the first round in 2016.

Anderson started 21 games for the M-Braves this season and is tied for second in all of minor league baseball with 147 strikeouts. He had a 7-5 record with a 2.68 ERA in 111 innings pitched.
Anderson threw a no-hitter for the M-Braves on June 28.

The 23-year-old Davidson has also started 21 games for Mississippi this season, and leads all of Double-A with a 2.03 ERA. He has 122 strikeouts and only 45 walks.
Davidson is the 13th-ranked prospect in the Braves’ organization. He was a 19th-round draft pick in 2016.

In corresponding moves, pitcher Thomas Burrows, outfielder Connor Lien, catcher Jonathan Morales and infielder Riley Unroe were transferred from Gwinnett to Mississippi.

Pitcher Nolan Kingham was promoted from High-A Florida to Mississippi, and the infielder Luis Valenzuela was released.

Burrows, Lien, Unroe and Morales have all played previously with the M-Braves.