I could do a “who will hit leadoff poll” but who cares, really? Leadoff hitting is almost as overrated as the basestealing it’s associated with. Last year the Braves had Marcus Giles in a bad year leading off and finished second in the NL in runs scored. Their 849 runs were the second-most in modern franchise history. And it wouldn’t change much if Jeff Francoeur were leading off. Trading a good hitter to get a “leadoff hitter” would be profoundly foolish unless there were other concerns involved.
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I know some on here have discussed trading for Baldelli and/or Rios. Does anyone have any interest in Marcus Thames? Detriot is trying to move him and he may come cheaper than the other two. He has good power and plays avg defense w/ an above avg arm. He could fill a void in LF for many years. None of these guys are typical leadoff hitters though, esp Thames or Rios…
I guess he strikes out a ton and I thought he was younger than 29, I guess not really a good option…
No Thames.
Between Kelly Johnson, Willy Aybar, Ryan Langerhans, Matt Diaz, and Scott Thorman, the Braves are set. Those guys can easily handle second base and left field, through some convoluted platoon arrangement. There is no need to acquire anybody else unless the Braves are offered something crazy that they can’t refuse. (Pete Orr for Albert Pujols? Well… all right.) The Braves already have a championship caliber offense. No need to destroy it just for the sake of doing something.
Do acceptable “other concerns involved” include finding a future replacement for Andruw? I think that, and the immediate improvement at LF, the real reason to like Baldelli.
Wow. I thought I was the only one saying this. I’m so sick off the “WHAT ABOUT THE LEADOFF SPOT” stuff people scream. Who cares? Put McCann there. It’s obvious from last season a leadoff hitter is vastly overrated.
That is why Adam LaRoche for Chris Ray or Mike Gonzalez is so much better than a deal for Melky Cabrera or Chone Figgins.
I’m just glad to see the reports this morning talking about us not getting rid of LaRoche without getting pitching in return. The Angels thought after we got Soriano that they could get LaRoche with position players and JS refused.
It looks as if there are three options right now/or 3 rumors right now.
LaRoche for.
1. Gonzalez – w/ the possibilty of flipping for Melky and Proctor (Proctor has to be involved)
2. Penn and Ray
3. Figgins and Shields
Figgins doesnt excite me at all, but Shields does
TAMPA — A Tampa teenager drafted by the Atlanta Braves has been charged with using a baseball bat to damage a vehicle, police said.
The Braves signed Evarts in June as a supplemental first-round pick. He signed a contract and got an $800,000 signing bonus. The left-handed pitcher was designated to play for the Gulf Coast League Braves. Last season, he went 2-2 with a 2.93 earned run average.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061220/NEWS/612200399/1006/SPORTS
Well, hold on, it’s not exactly rigorous thinking to conclude that because the Braves had offensive success in 2006 and because they did not have a successful leadoff hitter, then leadoff hitters are not important. If they had had a successful leadoff hitter, the Braves certainly would have scored more runs and won more games.
The real issue in my mind is what do the Braves have to give up in order to get a successful leadoff hitter? If Andruw has his typical year, we keep LaRoche’s power in the lineup, get Aybar in quite a few games, Chipper plays 120+ games, etc., then I agree the need for a good leadoff type is reduced. If we trade LaRoche, play Prado a lot at 2B, Langy a lot in LF, etc., then it is extremely unlikely the Braves score 850 runs without a significant upgrade at leadoff.
There is also the rumor about Melky Cabrera and Scott Proctor for Mike Gonzalez once we get him for Adam LaRoche. In that case, I’d rather just keep Gonzalez.
Dan–Thanks for the post–even if it is pathetic. Its a good thing that the Braves’ scouts factor in ‘make-up’ when they make their assessments….
I agree about leadoff hitters being overrated. Everybody talks about how important Furcal was, but the Braves scored more runs than the Dodgers and more runs than they did with Furcal. In general, having a good OBP is important regardless of where they hit in the order. And, in the NL, it might be just as beneficial or even more so, to have a lead off hitter than can hit for some power because he will often be following the pitcher with one or two outs already.
Flournoy,
I like the Orr for Pujols deal. I hope JS is following up on that. LOL
The Braves missed Furcal because of defense, not offense. You’ll find that a lot of career leadoff hitters are pretty ordinary offensive players whose value lay primarily on the defensive end. The original Rotisserie League creators liked to say that their inclusion of stolen bases in the scoring was their way of measuring defense…
Jeff, the Braves could also have done with a better #6 hitter; actually, Francoeur certainly cost the team more runs versus an average sixth-place hitter than Marcus did versus an average first-place hitter. The basic point is that you can build a strong offense in a number of ways, and once you have a strong offense it is foolish to wreck it so you can do it the “right way”. Trading one of your better hitters for an average hitter who happens to run real fast is stupid.
“I’m just glad to see the reports this morning talking about us not getting rid of LaRoche without getting pitching in return.”
What reports? I can’t find any.
Mac – the voice of reason in a wilderness of lovers of Baldelli like players and their ilk. I’ve been saying much the same thing over multiple threads. Mac of course has much more clout than I do.
That is why the Roberts for LaRoche, Figgens/Kotchman for LaRoche, Melky Cabrerra for LaRoche rumors mystify me. Even if LaRoche is closer to his career numbers than his 2005 season stats he is more valuable than all the above. Especially Figgins.
Jeff K. getting Baldelli as Andruw insurance is ok as long as we don’t hurt our 2007 chances in the process. I still don’t think that he is all that good but in the end thats just a difference of opinion. I think that you agreed that there was no way we should trade Chuck James in any package for Baldelli. I think (if my memory serves me and it often doesn’t) that you were ok with parting with Kyle Davies which in my opinion hurts our 2007 chances too much.
Flournoy, I agree with a lot of what you say. I certainly would take a chance with all those guys before I would trade LaRoche just get speed at the top of the order or an ‘established’ defender at second. But it does make me nervous that we are tying our little red wagon to Willie Aybar, Matt Diaz and Scott Thorman. (IMHO of who will be 2b and the lF platoon)
Assuming the most important stat for a leadoff hitter is OBP, the Braves had the wrong guy there last year. The Braves had 7 guys who played 100 games that had a better OBP than Giles. All of them had better SLG % as well, so they were able to get themselves in scoring position.
I agree with flournoy…the offense is fine and will probably get a little better. Who ever plays 2nd or leads off will have a better OBP than Giles. The only other place for real improvement is in RF. Franc and Orr are the only guys with 100 games with lower OBP than Giles. Orr you can forgive because he only had 155 AB’s. The Franc thing is unforgivable. God, will someone wake up and recognize the limitations of this guy. Any help out there would make the Braves an offensive machine.
Reading everyone’s opinion of who is the best leadoff, part of the selection process is that they’re selecting players who not only look like leadoff hitters, but players who don’t seem to fit any where else in the line up. Aybar or Johnson go to leadoff because no one could see them hitting 3-4-5-6…not because they would be best at the top of the lineup. Virtually any player other Franc would work at the top of the order if they just get on base. McCann would even work at the leadoff spot except that you don’t wany him wearing his legs down. Brian Downing didn’t look like a leadoff hitter, but he was great for a number of years (Salty…are your hearing this).
Offensively, no matter what they do the Braves aren’t going to mess up. They have too many good options. Much ado about nothing. If the pitching holds, the Mets can be taken.
Off-topic but building on my Furcal comments… Paging through the Hardball Times Annual, according to John Dewan the Braves had (a) the best outfield defense in the majors (+63 runs, about half of that Andruw) and (b) the third-worst infield defense in the majors (-48 runs). The corner infield was actually worse than the middle infield, a majors-high -33 runs. Chuckie James, your time has come.
Dan, here are two that I posted on the other thread. There are a few more also..
Interesting Notes for today….
The Angels and Braves had serious discussions about LaRoche, a young, power-hitting first baseman, at the winter meetings, and had the Angels been willing to part with Shields, a deal would have been done. I thought after the Braves acquired reliever Rafael Soriano from Seattle, they might be willing to accept a deal from the Angels that didn’t include a reliever — Atlanta also was interested in Figgins and first baseman Casey Kotchman. But the Braves are reportedly close to completing a three-team trade that would send LaRoche to Pittsburgh, Pirates closer Mike Gonzalez to the Yankees and Yankees left fielder Melky Cabrera to Atlanta, so the chances of LaRoche coming to Anaheim now appear slim.
Also….Unless the Yankees agree to give the Braves Melky Cabrera and Scott Proctor for Mike Gonzalez, a three-way deal including the Pirates won’t happen.
Of the players we actually already have, I would say Aybar comes closest to the Platonic ideal of a leadoff hitter, but he’s been caught stealing more often than he’s been successful in the minors so that’s not very likely to happen.
@12 I don’t know Mac. I agree for the most part but Furcal is an above average offensive shortstop. IMHO it was his and Giles combined production that allowed us to field crap corner outfielders and still compete.
That’s true, Johnny, but the Braves replaced his offensive production and didn’t miss the baserunning. It was the defensive falloff from him to Renteria that hurt.
We didnt have a defensive fallout from Renteria. He actually gave us a great year both offensively and defensively.
Renteria 2006: 399 Attempts 13 errors .978 FPCT
Furcal 2006: 493 Attempts 27 errors .966 FPCT
Gosh. With all the bleating about Left Field and 2nd Base I seem to forget that Renteria had a pretty good offensive season last season.
“But the Braves are reportedly close to completing a three-team trade that would send LaRoche to Pittsburgh, Pirates closer Mike Gonzalez to the Yankees and Yankees left fielder Melky Cabrera to Atlanta”
I saw this. This “beat writer” for the Los Angeles Times is really living in the past. The LaRoche/Gonzalez/Cabrera thing is three days stale. All the recent reports suggest the Yankees trying to get Gonzalez without the Braves, and the Braves refusing because no one if throwing in pitching.
I still have enough faith in Schuerholz to think he won’t trade LaRoche for Cabrera along or Figgins/Kotchman or even the now-dead Brian Roberts thing.
I for one am hoping that Aybar wins the 2B job. I say this because I like his potential, but more importantly because I don’t want to see us having traded a super-sub for another super-sub. I think the job is his to lose. If Chipper were to get hurt he could move to 3B and Prado or Johnson (who by the way we have no clue whether he can play 2B) take over.
As for the impending LaRoched trade, if we trade LaRoche for Cabrera only then I will scream. That seems like a trade for the sake of trading. It screams of money dump to me. LaRoche’s value may never be higher so we have to get pitching in return for him.
To extend this post’s title, Fielding Percentage, Schmielding Percentage. (Though Furcal’s FP in 2005 was actually .981.) Furcal made 5.23 plays per nine innings (RF9) in 2005; the league average was 4.51. Renteria made 4.15 plays per nine last year; the league average was 4.41. In other words, that’s about one out per game. That’s enormous. Now, some of that is because of new pitchers who got more fly outs, but most of that’s just that Renteria has the range of a sloth.
The Braves got more offense from shorstop in 2006 than in 2005, but gave it all back and then some on the other end.
I buy into the jamesian theory on speed and leadoff guys but they are a lot of fun to watch and add to the enjoyment of the game for me. I love the ol’ fast guy on first with a big lead situations even if in the big picture they don’t add much to the offense. IMO.
@ 12 – Right, I agree, we’re saying the same thing in different ways. I think the value of a leadoff hitter isn’t speed, but rather getting on base so that your doubles and HR power hitters can drive them in. It just so happens that the leadoff hitter: (1) bats more often than anyone else, and (2) bats immediately ahead of players who are better at driving runners in. Those are the reasons a leadoff hitter is important, and slightly more so than the bottom of the lineup hitters. The only reasons speed is an important factor are: (1) fast players tend to turn more outs into singles, singles into doubles, etc., ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL, and (2) better chance of scoring from 1B and 2B on singles and doubles.
@ 14 – Right, if I were JS, I wouldn’t trade James unless I was absolutely bowled over by the offer, and Baldelli isn’t a bowl-me-over player. I would package Davies/Salty for Baldelli.
Who cares Furcal is gone and Renteria is here, moving on….
Dan, Ben Maller at Fox Sports usually gives pretty good info, he’s stating this morning that the Cabrera for Gonzo is all but dead and the only way for the Yanks to get him from us is Proctor and Cabrera. They just rumors so I guess it really doesnt matter until something happens, in which it probably wont
I have no idea why we’d want Proctor, who turns 30 next month.
I say if we trade LaRoche for Gonzo, we had better keep him. He’s 28 but one of the best lefty relievers out there. With him, Boyer, McBride, Devine, and Startup that gives us a really good base for several years.
Oh yeah, I dont really know why we would want Melky either. We have enough 4th outfielders to choose from and I dont buy the idea that he can handle center once Andruw is gone.
“I say if we trade LaRoche for Gonzo”
Exactly. Don’t get Gonzalez for LaRoche if you’re just going to flip him for Melky Cabrera and Scott Proctor. Proctor ain’t nothing special and players like Cabrera are a dime a dozen.
@27 Apparently the Braves didn’t include pitching so the Baldelli deal is dead. I’m glad the Rays are morons.
I don’t mind dangling LaRoche, but I swear if all we get out of it is some punch and judy (now thats an old fashion term…showing my age) outfielder I just may limit my Braves watching to 50 games. Oh crap thats right….. I’m a TBS slave so thats all I get anyway.
If Salty/Escobar isnt enough for Baldelli than they can find another way to get Upton into their lineup. I wouldnt offer more than that for him either
I think the Braves should sit tight through Spring Training and see what they’ve got.
I like Aybar as the 2nd baseman. I see KJ as being able to sub in the infield and outfield. Why can’t he back uo Chipper when he needs rest or is injured?
I agree that JS should just wait until Spring to see where we are. Unless someone offers a deal that’s ridiculous, then there’s no reason to trade just to be making a trade.
Oh, and the Orr for Pujols thing? The Cardinals would have to toss in some cash, so as to not screw up our payroll….. đŸ˜‰
Another thing from the THT… David Gassko has an essay on “breakout” candidates, and has Davies with a 20% chance of substantial improvement in 2007. I guess I could point out that he also has Ambiorix Burgos at a 40% chance.
The offense was spectacular last year because of increased production in four positions, that being RF, SS, 1B, and C. Before ya’ll go crazy a full year of Frenchy was better than the failed Mondesi experiment that made us turn to Frenchy, and I think I could argue that the Braves got more production from left field as well, but I am not going to take the time to back it up with stats. So whether or not we get a leadoff hitter is irrelevant, if we don’t have sustained or improved production from the areas that were an upgrade last season.
Mac,
Do you know the shorthand conversion of outs per game (defensively) to runs per game? I was thinking a single (which is almnost always the result of a shortstops failure to catch) was around .25. If it is, the Furcla to Renteria cost us (assuming 150 games ) 37.5 runs. Then there is a factor for games lost which is something like 7. There are the playoffs for you.
Remember, with LaRoche and Chipper the balls they don’t get to frequently cost doubles and occasionally triples.
“a full year of Frenchy was better than the failed Mondesi experiment that made us turn to Frenchy”
But how much better would the Braves have been if instead of Frenchy playing 162 games, they had installed a platoon system that involved either Thorman or Langerhans against some Righties. Just because Frenchy was better than Mondesi doesn’t mean that someone else couldn’t help.
#35 – I think they are concerned with his shoulder. I dont think he can make throws from LF or 3B right now. 2B is our only option w/ Johnson from what’s been said. Aybar is still a better option there
Where should we improve from last year..
I’ll say pitching right now has signinficant improvement. Hudson, Hampton, Boyer, McBride, and Davies should all be better. Soriano and a full year of Wickman should be a huge addition.
Smoltz will be Smoltz, James probably wont have a 11-4 record, but will improve command and will be interesting to watch.
Positions that will probably drop a bit….
LF, 2B, SS
Push…(hopefully)
C, 1B, CF
Better…
3B (if healthy) RF
I think we are in good shape
I’ve heard of such things though the math is a bit beyond my level. Seven games seems maybe on the high side, and the Braves probably picked up one or two on the offensive end.
But defense, especially in the infield, is a system. I’m paraphrasing a James point here as I so often do, but if you have one bad fielder, you can cover for him. Two, and maybe you get away with it. But if you have three poor fielders in a row — or two and an average one (Giles) — you’re going to be in trouble. What happened in 2006 was basically that the system broke down and weaknesses which Furcal had covered for were exposed.
Could you imagine an infield of Thorman, Johnson, Renteria, Jones.
That’s gross
Let’s look at our payroll a different way. Dollars available broken down by position. Basically, to have a chance at playoffs, you have to have 4 known quantity starting pitchers, 3 known quality relievers, and 8 position players who, collectively, are above average (hitting and fileding combined).
You also then have at least 1 more starter or part-time starter, 4 low end relievers, a back up catcher, a back up middle infielder, a back up outfielder, with three more roster spots of corner infielders, outfielders, middle infielders, and pinch hitters. This 10 positions takes 3.8 million at major league minimum. In practical terms, because of injuries, you have to add two injured reserve pitchers. With any of these people being arb eligible you can’t hold this group under 10 million.
That leaves 70 million for 15 roster spots. That averages to $4,667,000 per player. Any close to market value superstars eat that up fast. Of these 15, the players you are counting on, at least 3 need to be non arb eligible minimum players. That leaves 12 spots to fill for 68.5 which raises the average to $5.71 million. If 5 of these are average arb eligible, they will take out about 4.5 each, leaving 46.0 million for the 4 remaining spots. That allows 11.5 million per additional spot.
My comment goes toward the direction that the object is to get above average production from each of the groups at this price. That is hard to do. That further shows the value of “the Baby Braves” and the need to quit the Tanyon Sturtze, Raul Mondesi, and Brian Jordan ventures. Assuming the best reasonable projection, you are better off to take what you can get out of non-arb eligible players.
Also, toward NOT TRADING people like Colon, Marte, Betemit, but holding on to them.
A further interesting stat, post season production of players is usually highest in the FIRST year in post season. Cox has a big problem with the “need for prove veterans.”
Silly UGA
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2702534
Another post, another argument for keeping Wilson Betemit…..
Saying that Francouer was better than Mondesi is like saying that I’m a better DBA than Heidi Klum.
On KJ… I read that he is practicing LF, 2B and 3B somewhere. MLB.com? I am all over the place on second base. I voted for KJ, stated that I think Aybar will be the starter and thought somewhere out loud that Prado would get it just because it doesn’t make any sense.
If I am making out the lineup card:
Johnson 2b – potential high OBP guy. A table setter.
Renteria SS – even if he only hits his career a good offensive player
Chipper 3B – our best offensive player, hope we get 135 or 140 games
Andruw CF- He is going to be the Bill Gates of CFs next season.
McCann C – maybe not a .330 hitter but he is good.
LaRoche 1B – so what if we follow a lefty with a lefty?
Frenchy RF – take a couple of pitches big guy and you’re a star.
Diaz/Thorman – LF if KJ can’t play second he plays here Aybar to second and he bats 8th.
KJ sucks
Johnny, are you saying Betemit should have been kept to leadoff? Because his OBP is pretty low and he isn’t a big stolen base guy either.
Smitty, I think KJ will be very good.
Smitty, I’m not really excited about KJ either
from Pittsburgh Live…
In other news, chances for a possible trade of closer Mike Gonzalez to the Atlanta Braves for power-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche appear to be fading.
Foxsports.com reported Atlanta could deal LaRoche to the Baltimore Orioles for closer Chris Ray. Ray is a better fit for the Braves because he has five years to go before free agency (Gonzalez has three) and does not have a history of injuries. However, the Red Sox and New York Yankees remain interested in dealing for Gonzalez.
“There aren’t many guys out there who compare” to Gonzalez, Littlefield said.
Mac,
New poll….which current infielder among all the Braves canidates, including 2nd base, possesses the most range/least amount of range…….
Even if you switch out Betemit with Aybar, the infield range would still suck….Another poll could be between Betemit and Renteria, who would you rather have (if salaries were similar) starting for Atlanta in 2007…
Smitty,
Don’t be so quick to judge about Bobo: As far as I’m concerned he’s 1-0 vs. a hated rival. Fifteen points is nothing to write home about, but Tech has a good defense this year & a win is always a good win vs. the Humble Bumbles. And with that great late-game drive, that one was a doozie.
As for our offensive line issues, we’ll see how that works out next year…
Johnny, good lineup. The pity is that 3 positions normally reserved for offensive players are batting 6-7-8 in the lineup. Upgrades in those spots could offset the loss of Andruw in 08.
Some of you are Bulldog fans..what was the general impression of Neil Callaway? He got the UAB job here and fans are hacked before he’s called his first play. Their hacked because a couple of other candidates weren’t even interviewed. I see him as a guy in his mid 40’s with no head coaching experience and wasn’t on anybody else’s list. I doubt he could be worse than Watson Brown but want to know what the GA faithful thought of the guy?
Mike Bobo= Randy Sanders
I just can’t understand why the Braves wouldn’t have Aybar pegged as their starting second baseman for this upcoming season, his bat is far better than the other candidates, and if defense is a worry then why isn’t he working with Mother Hubbard? He can’t be any worse defensively than Johnson, and his offense makes him more viable than Prado, and the whole supersub or Chipper’s DL stint replacement is a coverup of some sort. Sure seems like they bit hard on Aybar, and are dissapointed with the results.
I wouldn’t mind getting Chris Ray. LaRoche and Ray seem to be players that their respective teams are afraid will plummet to earth after fantastic seasons, and looking to sell high. Hopefully, if we deal him, Rochey won’t ACTUALLY be the second coming of Will Clark that someone on here said he might be. And hopefully Ray won’t be the second coming of Gregg Olson, our last big Baltimore relief pickup.
I would trade laRoche for Ray
I would love Ray or Gonzalez, but don’t we need another starter even more than a reliever?
What defines a good leadoff hitter? In my book it is somebody who gets on base. I don’t give a crap about a basestealer. If they can do it great, its an added dimension but the key is getting somebody on in front of Chipper, Andruw and LaRoche.
I’d say Renteria or Aybar are our best possible options right now. Though I wouldn’t be adverse to giving KJ a shot if he is the everyday secondbaseman.
I always thought that outside of The Rick ( 50 yr old henderson possible solution to LF problem?) Wade Boggs was the best leadoff hitter in the past 20 years. KJ could be a very cheap knock off of Boggs.
On KJ:
Ok. I’m just hoping I guess. He has an uneven body of work in the minors but the promise was still there. Even his 2005 stint with the Braves wasn’t all that bad.
.241 .334 .397 731 looks gross but he drew 40 walks in 337 PAs and his BA was suppressed by a horrendous 0 for 30 start. He didn’t hit for much power but I think he is good for 15 to 18 HR per full season. ( based on the very unscientific method of extending his 2005 numbers to a full seasons worth) But really its the plate discipline that makes him so attractive as a player. A little hit lucky and we get a .285 .385 .440 LF/2b that looks pretty good in our lineup.
JC, Any PrOPS informatioin on Kelly Johnson?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1919255
Interesting read on Tressel’s program at Ohio State – sounds very fishy to me when you consider Clarett and all that crap.
I don’t think I’ve seen this posted earlier. No surprise, but this from MLB Rumors:
The Padres have had talks with free-agent left-hander Mark Mulder, but Towers said he is looking to the trade market for a front-line starting pitcher if Wells doesn’t return. The Atlanta Braves’ Tim Hudson, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Jon Lieber, the Oakland A’s Dan Haren and Jon Garland of the Chicago White Sox are known to be available via trade.
Josh Q,
Yeah, I agree…I would love to have Gonzo or Ray, but we need another starter, I guess that’s why the O’s are adding Penn in the the deal. But he’s a 4 or 5 starter at best.
In ’05 KJ had a PrOPS of .833 compared to his OPS of .731. This is in line with his minor league numbers. Like Mac, I’m a big fan.
From atlantabraves.com
“Also expected to return to the broadcast team is Joe Simpson, who may find himself as one of the main broadcasters on the games that are carried by Fox Sports South.
It’s believed that Don Sutton is close to completing a deal that will make him the color analyst for the Nationals’ television broadcasts.”
Hmm. Would Joe be on every Braves game, TBS and SportSouth? I wouldn’t mind that terribly.
Hearing that Joe Simpson’s coming back puts a big, goofy smile on my face.
Although I remain a little dubious about his future as a 2B, I think KJ has a big upside & I’m willing to see what it is. Hope it shows this year.
Don on the Nats broadcasts! At least I’ll get to see him there.
Right now our best trade piece is LaRoche. Frankly, we need starting pitching. Our staff is full of Big IF’s. I’m comfortable with the bullpen as it stands right now. It will be a huge improvement and will be solid at worst. We can talk all day about getting a lead-off hitter, but if our rotation isn’t good enough it won’t matter. I don’t understand trading Hudson right now because that would leave us even worse off in the rotation. I think we will score enough runs with the players we have now. Just like last year, the question will be whether we can stop the other team from scoring to many runs. We didn’t win those division titles on the strength of our lead off hitter or our 2B. JS has talked at length about rebuilding the pitching back to previous levels. No doubt the bullpen is on a firm foundation. Now I’d like to see something done with the rotation.
anyone think we should give Reitsma another look as a starter
what the hell, why not…
From NY Times
Cashman has been seeking opinions on the idea of trading outfielder Melky Cabrera in a deal for Mike Gonzalez, a left-handed reliever from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees like Gonzalez, who converted all 24 of his save chances last season, and they believe the elbow problem that ended his season last August was not serious.
But the Yankees are mostly observers in the Gonzalez talks. They have no direct match with the Pirates, who are trying to pry first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Atlanta Braves for Gonzalez. The Braves would ship Gonzalez to the Yankees for Cabrera, but they also want a second baseman from Pittsburgh to replace Marcus Giles, who was not offered a contract. That price is too steep for the Pirates.
I hope we don’t have to take a look at him as the 5th starter.
If the Pirates want LaRoche, I hope JS sticks to his guns and gets more than Gonzalez. It would be nice if we could expand the deal and get Maholm to compete at the 5th starter position. The Pirates don’t have a 2B worth our time not names Freddy Sanchez.
“names” named
Congratulations Mac!!!! You has been named Man of the Year.
DOB on rumors
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/braves/entries/2006/12/20/braves_brass_in.html?cxntfid=blogs_braves
How about this trade?
Pit – LaRoche
NYY-Gonzalez
Atl- Cano, Proctor
I’m not enamored of Cabrera, but do you think the Yankees would be willing to part with Robbie Cano? He’d fill the 2b hole, and could probably hit leadoff for us. I’m not sure Cashman would do that however, but that’s a trade I could live with.
Nope, Cano will stay, but I would definitely want him
Seat Painter,
Yeah I would do it, but there is no way the Yankees would do it….who would replace Cano?
The Yankees would be only slightly less likely to trade Derek Jeter than Robinson Cano. Right now, anyway. When he is exposed as not really a .340 hitter, then Cano will be out.
Well, he’s not a .340 hitter. After a thousand MLB ABs, he’s only a .319 hitter, which is pretty good for a guy who doesn’t walk & hits in the #7 or #8 spot.
http://braves.scout.com/2/602717.html
Braves sign Chris Woodward
I guess these are the major free agent signings we will have to get used to living with.
Who?
Good — we need someone to keep L’il TP off the roster. This is a decent bit of news.
Woodward-A guy with a lifetime .687 OPS and .384 slugging percentage can be a 1B alternative for platooning purposes? Boy, that sure is getting a lot out of the 1B position. Why does JS have this fascination with non-hitting RH first baseman (Brian Jordan)?
I think that is his fetish.
This keeps Lil’ Johnny, Lil’ TP, and Lil’ Jordan off the roster. All is well.
Lil’ Jordan? How about Ole Jordan?
He could be Lil’ if we’re referring to production.
Romo over Vick? Who votes for the ProBowl?
As a former leadoff hitter, I can say that while I agree that it’s overrated who in fact performs those duties, I will defend Marcus G. and say it takes a certain mindset to do it, and it can be a bad fit if you don’t have that mindset. I was always very patient so it was good for me. The only thing I didn’t like about it was you had no opportunity to gauge the pitcher’s ‘stuff’ or get any feedback from your teammates or learn any patterns.
I was always more annoyed with hitting in the 2 hole because you had to take so many pitches so that the leadoff fast guy could try to steal, especially so in high school where your fast leadoff guy, at least in the AHSAA is going to try to steal 2nd pretty much everytime he’s on first.
>>Leadoff hitting is almost as overrated as the basestealing it’s associated with.