Atlanta Braves : News : Atlanta Braves News
I certainly like that. Not that he’s actually drawing walks — he has one, though nobody walks much in spring — but if he’s being more patient at the plate he should play better than I expected. Even if he doesn’t draw a lot of walks, just laying off the foot-outside curveballs should keep him hitting for a high average with power.
Also, Brian McCann is his mother.
Someone named “Key Ray” is allegedly emerging as a bullpen candidate. I literally have never heard of him before, but he’s thrown three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks in Braves games this spring. With Boyer and McBride unlikely to start the season, there’s a spot for a Cinderella or two.
There is no doubt that Boyer will be able to pitch, it’s just a matter of whether he will be available on the opening day or the second week of the season. McBride’s status is less certain at this point, but the Braves don’t seem to think it will keep McBride out for long.
Considering Reitsma, Villarreal, Devine, Cormier, and Remlinger are already locked to the bullpen, there are only two spots left in the bullpen, and those two spots are actually temporary which will be filled out by Boyer and McBride when they return. As much as we like a six pitchers bullpen, we know it’s not going to happen.
So, one of the two temporary spot should be going to Chuck James, which I think it’s a good decision. The second spot can be going to Thomson or Sosa, depending on how much they want to keep Davies in Atlanta’s rotation rather than Richmond’s. Some may argue to put Davies in the bullpen, but I really don’t think the Braves have any plan to use Davies as a relieve pitcher considering his struggle with that role last season.
So, I really don’t see the urgency of making a trade if nothing attractive comes along because the Braves have plenty of arms. Key Ray can certainly be that last man in the bullpen if the Braves decide to send Davies down to Richmond because the last pitcher in the bullpen will not be anything important anyway.
One thing I am very happy about this season is that we don’t need to deal with the likes of Kolb, Martin, Gryboski, and Bernaro. Thank goodness.
Clearly atlantabraves.com is in rusty spring form. “Key Ray” is actually Ken Ray. Career minor league ERA: 4.45, nearly 4 BB/9 and only 7 K/9. Not exactly the key to our bullpen woes, wouldn’t you say? Sorry, couldn’t help it.
I really don’t see the sense of putting Davies in the bullpen either. In fact, I do not understand the desire to quickly trade Thomson. Why not keep Thomson (he would not be the first pitcher to have a great season with free agency looming) and move Sosa (since Cox seems set with Horam)to the pen. A rotation with Smoltz, Hudson, Thomson, Horam and Davies would still be strong and the return of Sosa to the bullpen would make it deep. There is still time to trade Thomson (especially with James and Lerew on the horizon) if he does not work out.
Cox really likes pitchers like Ray–especially if they can get lefthanders out. There is something to be said for going with the hot hand, but I wonder if makes more sense in the long run to develop young pitchers. Kevin Barry (this year’s Buddy Hernandez) can pitch well, but it hardly seems to matter.
The story on Francoeur is encouraging; I would hardly be surprised to see him surpass the expectations which people such as John Sickels have set forth.
I would love to se them trade Thomson and HoRam while the value is still there and give the spots in the rotation to Davies and James. The other guy I’m worried about is Sosa because his record last year has led many to callg him “the luckiest pitcher in baseball” since his peripheral numbers don’t fit the ERA and W-L record at all.
What has happened to the number of pitches that Francoeur has taken in spring training vs. in the majors last year? Does anyone have that data to hand?
I thought “Key” was an unlikely name. Most likely, someone’s finger went up instead of down, which happens to me sometimes but I usually catch it.
I don’t know if anyone publishes pitches/PA for spring training. The sample size is so small and (again) the walk rates so much lower than in the regular season that it might not matter for most players.
I agree that it would be great if the Braves could try HoRam, but he seems to have become a fixture.
Talking patience and being patient are two different things. I think Frenchy will have a major league year, but I don’t think he’ll repeat what he did last year. The pitchers in AA and those MLB pitchers he faced at the end of the year knew how to get him out, and they will figure it out again. If he does have an All-Star year, then I’m going to catch a bus to Mississippi and ask those coaches what the heck they were doing with him last year that hurt him so bad in the minors.
Other teams appear to look at Sosa as a reliever, so it seems like we’re more likely to get what we need by trading Thomson.
I’m pretty sure Francoeur has yet to strike out since coming to camp, but that could’ve finally changed yesterday.
From the last poll, I say our new rival should be the Astros.
Hey guys. Interesting article on how much the Braves are worth. Basically justifying the $400-$450MM price tag …
baseballstrategy.blogspot.com/
Hmm – very interesting article.
What did the Sox go for .. was it $700m? Would be interesting to see the analysis for them.
I just can’t bring myself to hate the Astros. They’re too blah. Annoying, faceless, and boring. Calling them a rival would be like admitting that there’s a single interesting player on that team. Instead they have a bunch of boring white guys like Jason Lane and Mike Lamb and Adam Everett.
Can we make the Dodgers our rivals again? Now that they have Furky and J.D. Drew and Odalis, and even Kenny Lofton, I almost feel like we can just imagine the rivalry didn’t disappear after the divisions changed.
Off topic but i would love to see the braves pick up Carlos Pena
Maybe. I wish they’d pounced on Hee Seop Choi in waivers. Can’t believe the entire NL passed.
Chuck James numbers are incredibly good but after seeing him this spring scares me. Don’t get me wrong, he has been relatively good this spring. But the fact that he has NO stuff whatsoever, and that he is a lefty, I can only see him as a situational pitcher, unless he can dominate the majors like he did the minors. If it wasnt for the shortage in lefties, I’d be suspecting JS to be ‘showcasing’ Chuck James for possibly a big trade he’s going to make. It may be soon or next season, but there is some suspicion…