Month: February 2003

The only other reliever to return from last year’s pen (out of eight who pitched in 30 or more games) and the most obscure of the lot. Gryboski is a former Mariner farmhand whom the Braves picked up cheap in … Finish Reading

Well, that was unexpected. Holmes, after a decade of being a credible reliever, washed out of the majors in 2000 by posting a 13.03 ERA for three teams. He had back surgery and spent the 2001 season out of the … Finish Reading

The Closer, and with the departure of Tom Glavine the Dean of the Braves by five years. He set the NL record for saves last season, but that’s not really that big of a deal; saves are a hugely overrated … Finish Reading

I’m working on the assumption that Jason will be the fifth starter, but he might be in the pen or sent to Richmond. That would probably be the best thing for him. The fifth starter’s role for the Braves is … Finish Reading

Are the Braves a bad organization? One of the danger signs of a bad organization is attempting to “fix” mistakes by bringing back players whom they mistakenly gave up on. However, when they gave up the players were young and … Finish Reading

The sabermetricist line on Ortiz is that he’s an average pitcher who gives up too many walks and homers but who was disguised as an ace by a home park that makes it tough for everyone who isn’t Barry Bonds … Finish Reading

The Enigma. Hampton’s career can be basically divided into three phases:

Phase one is from 1993 to 1998 with the Mariners (the first season) and the Astros, in which he was basically an average pitcher, though the Astrodome made him … Finish Reading

On to the pitchers, and the unquestioned ace of the staff. He’s also perhaps the single most important player for the Braves’ hopes this season. They need him to (a) make most of his starts, and (b) to be Greg … Finish Reading