Chipper rejoins Braves in New York | ajc.com
I’d think that if they were activating him, the story would say so, so I guess he’s just traveling with the team… The official site has more.
“We’ll just have to take a look at him when he gets here,” said Frank Wren, assistant general manager. “We won’t make a decision until [Saturday].”
Marte is going to Richmond to make room for the activated Hudson, because Bobby is afraid of being short of pitchers with the two guys coming off the DL. But if Chipper is activated, they’d almost be out of players to send down. Orr, Johnson, and Francoeur have options, but they’d be pretty thinly stretched without those guys. So I am assuming for now that Chipper is not going to be activated tomorrow — well, today now. But who knows?
Davies or Colon would have to go down Sunday to make room for Hampton. The other one would have to go down when Chipper returns, whenever that is. I don’t see any other feasible options.
I dunno if this has been mentioned, but Bernero is gone in favour of Powell ( ahh that offseason signing which might work! ) and Thompson to the 60-day DL.
Why did they even bother to bring up Marte? Are they going to yo-yo him for the rest of the year every time they want to have an extra pinch-hitter on the bench?
He’s probably going to be Larry’s counter-balance. It’s frustrating, but is it so bad? He’s got nothing to prove in the minors, I know. But barring a trade, he’s the right yo-yo guy if we’re going to have one, assuming he can handle it. And I’m sure they’ve explained it to him. It’s clearly not giving up on him… just not having much in the way of other options. If you concede that he isn’t going to play right field (not agree, of course, just concede the point), what’s left to do?
I guess this means that Davies isn’t going down. I figured he’d be the first to go if he were going since it really wouldn’t cost the pen any. Maybe they’re saving him in case they need long relief for Hudson or Hampton.
Sending Marte down doesn’t surprise me. From an offensive perspective it makes more sense to send Francouer down for more seasoning although he did get 2 hits last night. However our positional needs are for an outfielder and it would be tough to ask the kid to do some OJT in the middle of a pennant race (although Miguel Cabrera did it). I guess that they brought him up because they thought Chipper was going to be on the DL longer and as a right handed part of a platoon with Betemit.
Davies is listed on Yahoo! sports as the starter for Monday’s game. I am really surprised it isn’t Colon or Sosa, but I am glad Sosa is going back to the pen.
I believe Davies will be sent down on Sunday instead of Colon.
It’s unfortunate that Marte is going down instead of Francoeur, even though Marte is the more advanced prospect of the two. It is unfortunate that Marte doesn’t play outfield, but I guess Chipper’s experience has scared the Braves from moving Marte to the outfield. Now that Kelly Johnson is the man at leftfield, the chance of Marte moving to outfield is pretty close to none.
It will be interesting what decisions the Braves will make this winter. Should we trading Rameriz? Should we moving Chipper to first base to make room for Marte? Or should we platoon Marte with LaRoche at first base next year? Should Francoeur spend one more season in the minor (the guy has not drawn a walk yet)? Should Colon and Sosa be starting or relieve pitchers? The options available are unbelievable.
The mlb.com scoreboard lists Sosa as the probable for Monday’s game. They may both just be guessing. But I like that one better. If Davies doesn’t go down, then who does? I guess it would have to be Boyer, since I’m sure it won’t be Sosa.
I agreee with earlier posters that given the roster composition at the moment, Marte to the minors was the only reasonable option.
I think Colon will be the first to go down, then it will either be Davies or Boyer. Davies could use some more time in the minors, but Sosa in the pen provides more flexbility since he can do long relief in case of a relapse by Hudson or Hampton. It will be interesting to see which way the Braves go with this one.
I think Colon will go down. The plan was for Colon to start a few AA games then move to AAA and become the closer. I think we need to see what he can do as a closer and then bring him up.
I am shocked that Frank Robinson didn’t come out after the Stanton balk and argue that both runners should be out becuase an illegal substance. Think if the Brian Jordan home run had been ruled fair now?
I think the Natspos are done. If a Braves pitcher had balked like Stanton and lost the game, Bobby would have been mad, but he would have gotten over it. Read what Robinson did, is he playing the game in the media…
“The Nationals vehemently argued the call and Robinson showed reporters the play on a small video monitor in the clubhouse to state his case that it was a bad call. The replays appeared to show it was indeed a legal step toward first base.
“Where is home plate? Down the first base line?” Robinson asked. “Does anybody here think that is a step to home plate? … Look, unless home plate is down the first base line, there is no way he stepped to home.”‘
Stupid Frank. The step towards first was not my issue. Maybe that’s what the umps said it was, but Stanton violated rule 8.05a, stating that if a pitcher’s free leg passes behind the rubber, he must throw to the plate. So it was a balk all the same, they just explained it wrong.
Has Stanton set some sort of record for fewest pitches to garner 2 losses? He threw one pitch June 28 and gave up a bomb to Brian Roberts, and he threw no pitches yesterday and balked in the winning run. 1 pitch, 2 losses. That has to be a record.
I’m sure the Braves have explained to Marte exactly what’s going on. That’s the way they do things, and I certainly can’t see them breaking the rule when dealing with one of their best prospects. They’ve probably told him to just relax, that they know the bouncing around isn’t easy, and just play hard. They know what Marte’s capable of, and a bad week in Atlanta isn’t going to change their opinion of him.
The good news is that obviously Chipper’s about to come back. If he can hit anywhere near the level he was before he got hurt, that’s a huge mid-season pickup.
By the way, back on the Bernero thread, someone asked about his options. I answered the question there.
Just a quick note. Apparently Al Leiter is going to the Yankees, per the Yankees anouncers.
Finally, a post from Godot! I’ve been waiting for him.
The Mets have DFA’d Al Leiter. The Fox announcers say the deal is done and he’ll start for the Yankees Sunday. Too little; too late, I say.
After seeing Francouer perform in the majors, I’d say it’d be a bad move to send him down at all the rest of the year. He is definitely doing more than I expected. Marte just hasn’t lived up to the hype I’ve been reading on this board for the whole season.
To get off on a tangent, I especially don’t like Marte’s batting stance. A local hitting guru in Gadsden who once played some minor league ball advocates that stance. I used it for a time when I played Babe Ruth league after going through a few sessions with him, but it just never worked. Francouer keeps his hands higher and generates more power and bat speed than Marte. Hey, if I were the GM…
I don’t think you can compare batting stances at levels that far apart, Davy. And Marte has been hitting the ball really hard during his occasional appearances.
rule 8.05(c) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base;
hey frank, know the rules before you make an ass out of yourself, k? or is directly to first base down the first base line as well?
Well there was more to my story, and I guess I can tell it. If you have ever played baseball, there are certain things that are universal no matter what level you are at, Mac, and batting stances happens to be one of them.
The “lazy hands” stance, as it was called by the former coach at Jacksonville State University, was despised there. He received two players who played for this aforementioned coach and immediately changed their stances. One went on to get drafted by the Yankees and played a little rookie league ball. How many players do you see using the lazy hands stance in the MLB today? Not many.
Marte was 7 for 44 with 0 homers in his short stint. Although he might have hit the ball hard occasionally, I saw him succumb to the weakness of that stance–the fact that when you start your hands in that low and relaxed position, you have to move them up anyway when you begin your swing. This means you have to be slightly quicker on the draw than someone like a Francouer who already has his hands in a high position, ready to hit.
I hated to get into a batting lesson on here, but I can tell you what I’ve seen…I played baseball at some level from the time I was 4 until 18. I may not be an expert, but I have played against the likes of Eric Chavez, Tony Mota, and Bobby Seay in tournament competition. I have played in one Babe Ruth and one CABA World Series and have tried out for two different MLB teams. I got Eric’s autograph when he was still 14 years old because I knew by looking at him that he was going to be great. I just don’t see that with Marte and don’t understand the hype. Until he changes that stance I just don’t see success in his future. Take it for what it’s worth. In my experience, for every person who likes or uses that stance, there are at least 10 who hate it.
There’s a reason Marte got sent down. He can’t hit in the majors.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/daviser01.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ripkeca01.shtml
just a couple guys that came to mind while reading your post. remember, just because you might feel uncomfortable doing something a certain way doesn’t mean everyone else will too. you say marte can’t hit because he has a poor batting stance? that’s just like me saying you didn’t make an impression at your tryouts because you used a bad stance. it’s absurd.
Okay…this just keeps dragging on…once again, I didn’t say I was the only one who felt uncomfortable using that batting stance. As a matter of fact, I never even used the word “uncomfortable.” It’s a stance that is comfortable enough in the batter’s box because it’s pretty relaxed, it just plain doesn’t work for most people. That’s a different point than being comfortable or not. I want success in a hitter, no matter what the batting stance–look at Julio Franco. I just happen to think that the one Marte uses has been proven over time to be one with which most batters struggle because of the “hand movement” issues. The players you brought up were rare commodoties with lightning fast hands and bats (all things considered) who, once again, are no longer playing in the MLB (I said that not many use it today, something I still stand by). I admit that they didn’t struggle with it, but they were RARE.
I also said that a college baseball coach who won over 1,000 games in his coaching career didn’t like it and made his players who came to him with it switch because he knew the damage that it did (in his opinion). This coach produced a great deal of MLB players and prospects.
I also think I cited more than just Marte’s batting stance to say that he can’t hit in the majors–he’s 7 for 44 with 0 homers. I also notice something in him that I noticed in myself and all the others who have never made it work–simple hand movement and bat speed issues. He just needs some more work and hopefully it will work out for him. I do predict that Marte will not be in the Braves organization for long if he can’t do any better than that and may make great trade bait.
As far as you saying I didn’t make an impression in my tryouts because of a “bad stance” and that being an absurd concept…Well, if I didn’t perform in my tryouts (like 7 for 44 for the day, for example) and the scout said he didn’t like my stance and that it didn’t work for most players that he scouted, then what? Tell him that it’s absurd and they should give me a shot anyway?
if you had dominated every level of baseball you had ever played at, of course. if you could hit like marte has hit AAA at age 21 with that stance, sure.
marte has absolutely smoked some balls this year with atlanta that haven’t been hits. just last week he hit three balls which would have all been home runs in some parks.
if i’m still reading this site in a year i’ll bump this thread up so you’ll be able to see how wrong you are about andy marte.
Man, I wish hitters got credit for “almost hits” that were hit hard. I hit several balls at a college park that I know would have gone out at a little league field, too. I remember that time I was 0 for 6 in a doubleheader, but all 6 balls were hit hard. I guess I batted .000*, *=some balls were hit hard
i wish hitters got more credit when they performed well as opposed to bloop hits lost in the sun too, but that’s not the way it is.