Of course, nobody asked me, but…
1. Release Brian Jordan.
2. Call up Kelly Johnson and install him in left field until he shows he can’t play.
3. Mondesi and Langerhans platoon in right.
4. Andy Marte replaces Johnson in left field in Richmond.
5. Release Tom Martin.
6a. Gryboski goes on the DL, or
6b. Send Roman Colon to AAA.
7. Call up Jorge Vasquez and Buddy Hernandez.
This leaves the Braves without a lefty reliever, but they don’t have any lefties who can get anyone out anyway.
I generally agree with most of what you wrote, but as for the likelihood, I don’t know. Here’s the way I figure it.
1. Won’t happen, at least not for a while. Cox and Schuerholz have too much respect for Jordan to cut him loose so early. There is precedent, though. Rico Brogna was released outright about halfway through the season in 2001, I believe.
2. Can’t imagine he’d be that much of an improvement. Jordan is batting eighth, after all.
3. Won’t happen, at least not in the way you mean. A true platoon would mean Mondesi only plays against lefties, and they’re not paying him $1 million to play once or twice a week. I figure the Buffalo gets it going soon enough, although he looked really bad on Wednesday.
4. Marte definitely should be brushing up on his outfield skills. I figure he’ll be up some time in May.
5. Should happen and probably will if Brooks looks decent after a week or two in Richmond. No Braves reliever had this bad a start to the season since Mark Wohlers in 1998.
6. Gryboski has alternated good and bad outings this year, so he’s worth keeping around as a situational guy. I’m disappointed in Colon. He’s got a great arm, but gets his pitches up too high in the strike zone to pitch with the game on the line. Makes you wonder why they threw him into this role so early when they were never willing to do that with Juan Cruz.
7. Don’t know much about Vazquez, but you have to figure Hernandez merits a spot by now. If they send Colon down, they could make Sosa the 7th inning guy and install Buddy as the long man.
I know that you are only venting but we are only 9 games into the season. I’m not a Polly Anna and I do disagree with some of the roster decisions but I think that the Braves will give Mondesi, Jordan, Langerhans, Benero, Gryboski and Colon more rope. Martin on the other hand. But as I said in an earlier post this is the same organization that kept Albie Lopez and his 1 million dollar contract for a whole season.
Johnny, I agree with you absolutely. It’s not that we agree with every decision JS and BC make, but I think we have learned enough to sort of know the managing style to those two. Don’t forget we kept Robert Fick the entire season too…As long as Bobby likes the guy, he will be on the team, and Brian Jordan is one of them.
Keep Jordan hes decent get rid of Mondesi who cannot hit period. Three times today came up there with risp and could not get them in struck out twice in fact. Pathetic
Well, I haven’t really posted here but I’ve been following for a while now. I just got back from the Red Barons/Braves game. I live about 45 minutes from Wilkes Barre. This was the first look I’ve been able to get of Marte. My thought on your suggestions are as follows:
1. Couldn’t agree more. Heck, I’m all for getting rid of Mondesi, too.
2. After seeing Kelly Johnson today, I figure he’s worth a shot. Like you said, he isn’t hitting amazing or anything, but it really can’t get any worse.
3. I’d attempt to give Langerhans RF on his own. Once again, what is happening right now can’t be any worse than the Jordan/Mondesi combo we are getting.
4. I like Marte playing LF in Richmond. I know I’ve only seen him once, and it was a cold night in AAA, but I got the feeling from him that he’s kind of…lazy. He just didn’t seem like was too interested in playing. His reaction on a ball hit in the 1st inning was really slow. Looked like he could have made a play on it but just didn’t really try. Not something I was to see on the hot corner.
5. Couldn’t happen soon enough.
6. Personally, I’d rather see Colon go down, for no other reason than Gryboski went to college near me and played on the team with my best friend’s brother. I feel like I have a tie to him.
7. I’m all for Buddy but I really am not sold on Vasquez.
Creg: Regarging #6, the only plausible reason I can accept that Cruz was handled the way he was then traded was because there was personal bad blood between him and Cox/Mazzone. He really was a great reliever.
Johnny: Didn’t Albie Nopez get FOUR million that year?
A. Lopez did indeed abscond with $4 million that year. The following spring there were stories in the paper quoting Mazzone’s disbelief that Albie got $1.5 million from KC. I wanted to ask him how that was any more ridiculous than what we gave him…
give it 30-40 games. i’m not saying that it will get better, but let’s not jump the gun 10 games into the season. i agree it looks bad, but let it ride a little while.
I don’t get why you want to send Colon down for Vasquez.
Colon’s entire professional history (including last year in the minors and this year in spring training) he has been a reasonably low home run allowed pitcher with a pretty decent K/BB ratio.
Last year, Colon pitched 77 innings in the minors (mostly with Richmond), and he allowed only 4 home runs and 22 walks while striking out 69 (3.14 K/BB ratio). His K/BB ratio and his HR allowed rate were both better than those of the much beloved Buddy Hernandez last year at AAA.
Colon was then called up to Atlanta last year, where he pitched 19 innings with a 3.32 ERA (and no home runs). This spring, Colon posted a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings (also with no home runs).
Even after his last 2 rough outings, Colon’s major league record is 23 IP with a 3.91 ERA, 2 HR, 11 BB, and 20 K.
Meanwhile, Vasquez has only pitched 3.1 innings above AA (with 4 Ks, but a home run and 3 ER). He is currently at Greenville. He has a live arm, and his K rates have been very good throughout the minors. But he did not pitch quite as well as Colon this spring, and it is far from clear that he has passed Colon in readiness.
Granted, Colon’s last 2 outings have been less than spectacular. But if you’re going send a reliever to AAA anytime they allow runs in consecutive outings, pretty soon we won’t have any bullpen arms left at all.
I agree with Joel Barret.
It’s tempting after a game like yesterday’s to paint him with the same brush as Martin et al. It might be a little too early for the hook. As for Martin, bury him with the pictures. My twenty month old daughter has a better arm.
That old bugaboo, personal observation. Colon’s not just giving up hits, he’s giving up hard-hit balls every time. Even his outs are rockets, and even in his previous outing when he didn’t give up a run he wasn’t fooling anybody. I like him, but he’s obviously not right right now and I’d rather he got right in Richmond than either sit in the bullpen in Atlanta or give up runs in Atlanta.
Josh, if Marte indeed lets his mind wander on defense, that’s going to be a lot bigger problem in left field than at third base. Infielders are a lot closer to the action and get more balls hit to them than outfielders. Thus, they have less of a chance to daydream.
I can vouch for Creg’s observation. I am a daydreamer. When I played in high school, I was mostly in left. There’s an awful lot to think about out there, and I got late jumps way too often. My second position was catcher, which suited my attention span (and total lack of foot speed) much better.
It’s martin and G-bo that suck.. why bring COLON into this?
Colon has given up two home runs and walked three in four innings. Granted, that’s a small sample size, but he’s getting hit and hit HARD in the early going this year.
Colon has given up two home runs and walked three in four innings. Granted, that’s a small sample size, but he’s getting hit and hit HARD in the early going this year.
It’s funny that most people are now smart enough to understand not to make roster judgements based on the small sample size of spring training, but then after nine games decide it’s time to overhaul the roster.
This is a case where I don’t care about the stats. (I know!) He just looks wrong out there, on top of the hits and the homers and the line-drive outs.