Atlanta Braves Batting Leaders – Baseball-Reference.com
Chipper is going to start setting a lot of “Atlanta” career marks next year, passing Dale Murphy in any number of categories. Of course, he’s still far behind Aaron and well behind Mathews, but will start showing up in the top three.
He’s just two behind Murph for fifth on the franchise runs scored list. He’s sixth in franchise hits, but only ninety behind Murph for fourth. He’s 32 RBI, one extra-base hit, 7 times on base, and 181 total bases behind Dale for third in both those categories. All are Atlanta records, and all but the last should be easily reached in even a half season. A full season would do it for total bases. He already holds the Atlanta records for doubles and walks.
If Furcal returns, he’d probably pass Ralph Garr for the Atlanta triples record. Andruw is also moving up the charts and into the top five for the franchise; he’s usually third to Chipper and Murph in Atlanta. Did you realize he only has 30 fewer homers than Chipper? Chipper is 40 homers behind Murphy for the Atlanta record (four behind Aaron’s Atlanta total); that record could fall twice in 2007 if Chipper keeps missing 60 games a year. Marcus is starting to show up in the top fifty and he (and Furcal, should he stay) could move up quickly.
Didn’t get much of a chance to participate in the NLDS forums, as I was in Georgia going to a wedding in Athens & actually going to Games 1 & 2.
Woke up in Atlanta today & just got in from a U2 show at MSG & I’m dog tired, but I felt the need to thank everyone here (especially Mac) for their input & their passion. For a Braves fan outside the Southeast, it’s a great comfort to come here & chime in with those who share the dedication.
Thanks again, Mac & Co. Night-night, our day will come again.
Mac,
Thanks a lot for the effort you put in here at Braves Journal. This place is usually my first stop whenever I sign on to the internet. I got a lot more out of this season because of this site. Thanks also to everyone who commented throughout the year.
Here’s hoping next year is better.
Cheers,
Bill
Anybody see Joe Sheehan’s recap on the Braves (he talks about the Angels/Yanks too)?
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4529
He makes several good points about how close games like game 4 (painful memories that they become) are. Personally, Sunday’s game hurt a lot like another game 4 hurt (though the stakes were obviously lower).
Isn’t next year the last year on Chipper’s current contract? What happens after that?
I’m pretty sure that there are three consecutive option years after next. They all have very expensive buyouts, and I see no reason to think that the organization would not excercise them. They may not even have a choice for some, because I imagine there are performance triggers (but I do not know the details).
Braves are expected to keep the same payroll this year(80 million). Even with Chipper defering his salary I think it is a stretch seeing the Braves spending 10 million on Furcal for 4 years. They should at least offer arbitration.
I think I misread the ’07-’09 figures in the hardballdollars.com chart. What looked like buyout prices to me may have been deferred dollars. But there are two option years on the contract about which I haven’t yet found details. Somebody once posted a great site listing contract terms, service time and other great info, but I can’t recall the URL.
>>Jones is owed $17 million for the 2006 season and then has two option years remaining on his current contract. Those options vest if he records 450 plate appearances or is an All-Star during the previous season. Despite missing almost two months because of injury this season, he still recorded 432 plate appearances. >(Bowman)
creynolds, here’s a good site for Braves contracts.
http://www.mlb4u.com/atl.html
From all the info here, I keep track on a spreadsheet of who gets what and when covering the next few years. Chipper has one year left, then team options for ’07 and ’08.
Thanks, Adam!
I feel better since the Yankees lost.
I’d like to see Chipper finish with the Braves. Letting Glavine and Maddux walk were good, but hard, decisions. I’d like to see one the Joneses stay with the Braves for his entire career. Smoltz will retire a Brave, at least.
I’ll be surprised if the Braves sign any major free agents this winter, including Furcal.
Tracy hired by Pittsburgh. From AP:
The Marlins gig is still a possibility, but we’ll probably be looking at LaRoche waved home on shallow singles for another season.
ok, chipper’s remain contract
06 : 17M ,
07~08 :Team option ( can vest with 450 PA or making All-Star team in the previous year ) 15M, + 2M deferred of 05 and 06 salary, included NO-TRADE clause, or buyout 5M
well,,,, In my case, where there is genuine interest , that is a matter of contract negotiation.
If the club exercises both the 07 and 08 options, then he receives a 5M bonus. It is a necessary and sufficient condition ?
IMHO, JS, I just think it doesn’t require servicing.
Note that the Yankees spent about $120M more on payroll than the Braves, but achieved essentially the same result. The more I think about it, the more striking the similarities are between the Braves and Yankees in terms of their “result arcs”, the primary difference being the number of WS championships during their peak years. Here’s what I mean: The Braves peaked in ’96, reaching 4 out of 5 WS (winning 1). After the Leyritz homer, they still had decent (but not great) playoff results over the next 4 seasons (going 4-4 in playoff series with one WS appearance, but no championships). Including ’96, the Yankees appeared in 5 out of 6 WS (winning 4). Since Rivera lost game 7 of the ’01 series (the Yankees equivalent of the improbable Leyritz homer), over the next 4 seasons the Yankees have gone 3-4 in playoff series with one WS appearance and no championships. So the Yankees peak was a little longer and higher, but the decline phase has been virtually identical so far. The Yankees are in fact the new Braves.
Think about how much time Chipper missed this year. He STILL had over 430 PAs. There’s almost no way he doesn’t hit 450 and vest his options the next couple of years. An injury would have to be something pretty severe.
The following link will likely resonate with some of the readers of this blog: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/lang_whitaker/10/10/the.links/index.html
I was just thinking about those Bobby Cox retirement rumors back in 2000. The Boston Globe reported he was going to retire after the season. Cox was asked and quoted as saying that was not true and he would manage atleast 3 more seasons. Here we are wrapping up the 2005 season. I think Bobby will retire when we least expect it. Anyway I just wanted to babble about that.
I was just thinking about those Bobby Cox retirement rumors back in 2000. The Boston Globe reported he was going to retire after the season. Cox was asked and quoted as saying that was not true and he would manage atleast 3 more seasons. Here we are wrapping up the 2005 season. I think Bobby will retire when we least expect it. Anyway I just wanted to babble about that.
If a season like this doesn’t push Bobby into retirement it might be safe to say only a WS title or death is going to do the job. Of course if 166 games with this bullpen didn’t kill him he may be invincable.
Cox is a living legend in Atlanta. Walk around the stadium you’ll see his face everywhere. I was thinking illness or a WS title would cause him to leave his spot on the bench.
If not Cox, then who? Do we prefer trying to continue the tradition with someone along the lines of Ned Yost? That’s my inclination, but he is under contract next year. Or would it be better to start over with a new and different type of manager? And again, who?
Suggestions either way?
Yea, Ned Yost would be part of the “family” if you want to call it that. He’s had proven success pulling the Brewers squad together. I’m not sure if Mazzone would be fit as manager; everyone knows him as a pitching wizard. To be honest, it’s hard for me to picture anyone else other than Bobby, but I know the day will come sooner or later.
I think I’d say no to any pitching coach… including, if not especially, Leo. I don’t think that’s a transition that can be successfully made by most people anyway, but that seems like an especially bad move for reasons I can’t quite articulate. Besides, if Leo wanted to manage I’d think we’d know. Then again, there’s the whole Cox loyalty thing that may just have him biding his time.
I think Pendleton would be an amplification of the negative side of Cox. I’m more comfortable with him as hitting coach than a lot of folks here, but I don’t know about manager.
Fredi Gonzales? I have no idea. He did wave LaRoche around 3rd on Sunday, and that still has me bitter.
Steinbrenner is going to throw a blank check at Mazzone. I know loyalty counts for a lot, but so does the bottom line. Losing Mazzone would hurt 10x more than losing Furcal.
I think JS will make every effort to re-sign Furcal, I just don’t know if it will be enough. They could go to 8 million per and still get outbid. However, if they do get outbid, than they may take the money earmarked for Furcal and throw it at B. Giles, given that fact that he might take a slight discout (say, 8m per vs. 9.5m per) to come and play with his bro. Basically, would you rather have Furcal leading off with Langerhans in left batting 7, or M. Giles leading off with Betemit at short batting 2 or 7 and B. Giles in left batting 5 or 2?
Fredi Gonzales is better than Bobby Dews at third. I wonder if we could put Jimmy WIlliams back at third if Gonzales becomes manager of the Marlins, Cubs, Phillies, Reds, O’s or A’s?
then they may take the money earmarked for Furcal……………..slight discount to play with his bro…………………..
sorry, annoyed by typos.
Maybe we are going to bring Rocket Wheeler into the fold. I think Pat Coraliss is done too.
From my perspective Gonzalez hasn’t been too good as a third base coach. I’ve watched him numerous times send runners when it wasn’t needed. He’s got this uncontrollable rotating arm. I’ll never forget last year when he sent Julio home from first. Of course, he was out by 2 miles. I was like “Who is this idiot coaching third base?”
Bring back Clarence Thomas and let him coach third. Or better yet, Stevie Wonder. Either could do a better job than Fredi.
I think he’s… uh… sorta busy. It’s hard to know he’s there since he apparently never says anything. But I’ve heard that he is and that there is occassional evidence of it found on soda cans.
PLEASE don’t rip me for making a political comment. The actual politics have nothing to do with my post. I just think I’m funny, even though I should probably no better.
Sorry to change the subject, but has anyone heard what’s up with Smoltz’ shoulder? Is he having someone check it out? Any diagnosis? That has me really worried about next year if John has shoulder problems.
Leo’s reputation has been built on taking veteran pitchers out of the trash heap and turning them into winners. Did he do any of that this season? Maybe with Sosa (barely a “veteran”), but I’m not sure if Sosa’s success has as much to do with luck as with newly developed pitching skills. Has Leo, perhaps, started believing his press clippings and stopped working as hard as he once did with individual pitchers? Kolb, Martin, Foster, and Reitsma certainly did not have steller seasons under Mazzone’s tutelage and the kid pitchers, thick with potential, did not seem to show much improvement after they reached the big club. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a disaster if Leo were to accept the Yankees’ millions.
I heard something along the lines of rotator cuff, FOX announcers mentioned that. Not sure if it was certain or not. I too would like to know something about the condition of his shoulder.
I’ll respond for fun:
Kolb – not everybody can be fixed. And not everything works for everybody. Sometimes tried and true methods for most are actually a detrement to some. It’s a knock on Leo, but not a fatal one. -2
Sosa – He is a success story. Call a lot of it luck if you will. But even though I don’t think it can last, even under Leo, his success has to count for something. +1
Martin – Some guys just plain can’t pitch anymore. No adjustment.
Foster – Overly and sometimes improperly utilized by the manager. I’m confident Leo got more than the max out of him, although I don’t ever want to see him again. A slighlty grudging +1.
Kids – They looked good to me. Some struggles, some successes. Very little direct influence from Mazzone either way since most were not up a lot of the year.
My count comes to an overall zero for Mazzone. This is typically the best you get out of a pitching coach, IMO. So I’m fine with it.
If we start questioning Mazzone now, then this is really getting ridiculous. I don’t say peep when the Cox bashers are going off, because they have a point in that Cox has never been a great postseason manager. Of course, we never would’ve even been in the postseason 14 straight times if not for Cox, but I digress. Mazzone is not perfect. Some pitches suck beyond help. John Schuerholz and some idiot scout should be blamed for people like Tom Martin, not Mazzone. Just because he only turned one guy from terrible to good this year doesn’t mean we can do without him.
And neither of us mentioned Smoltz. His health for 95% of the year is at least a +1 for Leo… if not a +2… when you factor in his age and significant role change. So I’m comfortable that he was an overall positive this year, even if possibly still slightly less that we’re used to.
Yes, I give him a plus for Smoltz’s health and no negative for Hampton or Thomson. I think that’s fair though.
How does everyone think of Joey Devine and his pitching mentality for the years to come?? I mean his first year in the bigs and he gives up grand slams, and a gw homerun. I hope the kid doesn’t become a head case. Maybe I’m just looking too deep into this.
I thought Devine through well. Even “The Pitch” was a good one. It was in on that guys hands and wouldn’t have been a hommer in most places.
I think the Yankees have to get permission from Braves mgmt to interview Mazzone if they aren’t going to offer him the manager’s job, since their pitching coach position would be a lateral move. I’ll defer to someone who knows more about this, though.
I heard from a good authority that Smoltz cannot lift his arm above his shoulder right now. It’s doubtful he could have pitched again this year. That makes Thursday night’s performance so much more impressive.
I watched Devine pitch at least 40 times in college, and talked with him at games whenever I got the chance, maybe 4 or 5 times total.
He has a very good head on his shoulders; he’ll be using this first season, and that last pitch, to push himself to improve. He’ll be a solid 7th or 8th inning guy next year, and only get better from there.