Former Wiregrass Ranch Star Making First Start Today

John Gant [MLB.com photo]
John Gant [MLB.com photo]
Former Wiregrass Ranch High star right-handed pitcher John Gant will make his first major league start today, and it won’t be an easy one.

Gant is scheduled to face lefty John Lester and the first-place Chicago Cubs Sunday at Turner Field. The Cubs, managed by former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, are 42-18, the best record in baseball.

The game is at 1:35 p.m. and can be seen on WGN-TV.

Gant, 23, has been back-and-forth this season between Triple A Gwinnett and Atlanta, having been recalled four times, including twice this week.

In seven relief appearances with the Braves this season, he has a 6.17 ERA, but in seven starts at Gwinnett he was 3-0 with a 3.15 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 43 innings.

Gant, who was 6-0 with a 1.9o ERA as a senior at Wiregrass Ranch in 2011, was drafted in the 21st round by the New York Mets. He was traded in 2015 to the Braves — his favorite team as a boy — and has moved up Atlanta’s minor league ladder swiftly.

 

Brass Tap Now More Than Just Beer

BrassTapIf you’re like me and not particularly into beer the may have been avoiding The Brass Tap in the Shops at Wiregrass mall, even though you like the location and the live music and other “stuff” going on there.

Well, avoid it no more. Owner Jeff Martin is proud to have added a full, premium liquor bat at the Wiregrass Brass Tap and will soon unveil a “new BBQ and more food concept in the vacant former location of 100 Montaditos, which is adjacent to The Brass Tap (which has seven locations throughout the Tampa Bay area) at the mall.

For more information, stop in at The Brass Tap (2000 Piazza Ave.), call 991-4343 or visit BrassTapBeerBar.com/Wiregrass.Â