It seems unlikely that anyone I haven’t named yet will start the season on the roster, barring injury — and probably multiple injuries. In addition to the four outfielders I’ve named, both first basemen and the probable second baseman can play the outfield corners. So the entire point in showing up for the following players is just so Bobby can get to know them.
T. J. Bohn was claimed off waivers from the Mariners in November. Bohn made his major league debut last year, but didn’t hit. He’s a fourth outfielder type, a step up from the Dewayne Wises that have populated Richmond in recent years, doesn’t have the power to play regularly as a corner outfielder, doesn’t (apparently) have the range for center, but hits for a decent average, will take a walk, and is a fairly accomplished minor league base stealer. His career minor league stat line of .281/.363/.426 was mostly achieved in the California, Texas, and Pacific Coast Leagues, and those leagues lean towards the hitter, so take them with a grain of salt. He’s righthanded, which limits his utility as a pinch-hitter, especially on this team. With a different roster, he might be worth having around.
Besides Bohn, the only remaining outfielder on the 40-man roster is Gregor Blanco. Blanco was born too late. In the seventies or early eighties, he would have had a fine career, because he can fly (158 of 226 on career SBs) and has on-base skills (.374 career OBP, over .400 in AA and AAA last season). However, he is completely lacking in power (about six and a half homers per 162 games, and none at all last season). Few teams are willing to keep a slap hitter around nowadays, and there’s a well-founded suspicion that those walks will go away on the major league level, because major league pitchers will just hammer him with fastballs with no fear of punishment. Blanco will probably get his chance in 2008, but could be up this year if there’s an injury or Andruw is traded.
The Braves also have a couple of non-roster invitees. Doug Clark is a lefty hitter but is otherwise pretty similar to Bohn, with almost the same career line (.294/.363/.424) in the same hitter-friendly circuits. Like Bohn, he doesn’t have the power for an outfield corner (12 HR/162 G) or the range for center, and can steal a base. He’s four years older than Bohn and would probably only come up in an emergency, but you can never tell who will get hot.
Willie Harris is listed as an outfielder, though for most of his career he’s been a second baseman. I have no idea why he was switched to the outfield, because even if his glove is that big of a problem he’s not a good enough hitter to be an outfielder. Harris has had a 369-game Major League career, in which he’s hit .238/.306/.294, entirely on the strength of (1) once having been a hot prospect for the Orioles and (2) decent stolen base ability. My suggestion is that he join Kelly Johnson in classes with Professor Hubbard and see if he can make it as a second baseman.
Brandon Jones is the only outfielder who shows up in most of the Braves’ top prospect lists, consensus fifth or sixth. He’s more finished than Francoeur was when he was called up, and held his own in Mississippi in the second half last season, at the age of 22, but has yet to develop big-time power. Still, his career line is .285/.363/.456 and he could be a good player down the road, though I don’t think he has star potential.
T.J. Bohn Baseball Statistics
Gregor Blanco Baseball Statistics
Doug Clark Baseball Statistics
Willie Harris Baseball Statistics
Brandon Jones Baseball Statistics
Other than Brandon Jones it is hard to get excited about these prospects. Jones probably needs at least half a season. A year or so ago there were some in the Braves organization who apparently compared Jones to Garrett Anderson. Yet, like so many prospects he has not quite put it together. I still think that the can be an asset and maybe an impressive one.
Your point about Blanco missing his decade strikes me as apt–but he should still get a look. I still have trouble seeing the attraction of T.J. Bohn…
Wasn’t Brandon Jones voted last year by the managers of the Carolina League as the player with the best power bat?
I thought I heard that. I think it was a Baseball America poll.
So, the whole site after (and including) Gregor Blanco’s name is bolded on my screen. Weird.
me too
Frankly, I hope Blanco gets a serious look. I miss the Otis Nixon type of player. I wouldn’t bet money on that look amounting to anything, but it would something fun to watch in Spring Training. Frankly, I’d love to see a guy who gets on base and can put a little pressure on a pitcher. Yeah, yeah, I have no logical reason to think Blanco is the guy who can or will do that, but I’d love to see him get a chance.
Blanco could be the second coming of Otis Nixon. Except, he doesn’t look like a cracked out Sammy Davis Jr.
Sorry, I put in a close italics tag rather than close bold.
Yay! It’s all normal again!
Anyhow, I think Jones could be a useful guy a year or two down the line. Probably not an every-day guy (although that’s still a possibility), but he could be a useful 4th OF if we trade Langerhans…. If he does develope some more power, he’ll be a cheap option at one of the corners (or maybe even CF), which can always be useful.
All that said, I’m with Mac in that I don’t think any of these guys will have an impact with the Braves this year. It would probably take two of Diaz/A. Jones/Frenchy/Langerhans going down to get one of them to the majors.
I bet TJ Bohn would have more likelihood of getting a look if he went by T-Bohn. Wasn’t that the nickname George Costanza wanted?
But he got to be Coco the Monkey
Love that T-Bone!
Rob says I can be T-Bone! He can be Coco!
We need to get Helton from Colorado.
That’s not happening.
Helton is small potatoes. Why not just get Pujols?
I’m sure your barber could make it happen… don’t you think, Smitty?
I’m thinking something along these lines:
BOS: J. Saltalamacchia, K. Kaaihue, R. Langerhans
COL: C. Hansen, J. Devine, J. Tavarez, M. Lowell
ATL: T. Helton, E. Marrero
Colorado sheds payroll, Boston sheds payroll, we get another OF/backup catcher, Boston gets a guy who can play serious center field next to Manny. Everyone’s happy.
Who pays Helton? We surely can’t.
Smitty just wants Helton because he was a UT QB.
Let’s be at least somewhat realistic people. My suspension of disbelief can only go so far.
If Langerhans could hit and if the Braves didn’t have the payroll of a Piggly Wiggly… that trade might work
Lets give them a sack of gum, a couple of old bats, a new humidor, Pete Orr and convince them to pay most of Helton’s onerous contract. I’m sure they would take that.
We do clearly lose that “ideal” deal. The stas that Helton puts up in ballparks outside Coors are not ideal either. And last I checked, Marrero plays with the Mets. Even if we get a nice backup OF/C, we’ll be pissed off when we see Salty and Ka’aihue tearing it up in Boston (Kaia’s got some pop in his bat, that’s for sure) and wish we had Devine with us when we inevitably need a fresh arm after someone goes down with an injury.
Is Doug Clark maybe Doug Clark, Jr. or III? The Braves seem to do well with a little humor around.
if it’s Doug Clark will there be a big hot nuts sold the peanut man promotion?
This is what I get for writing on Smitty’s Facebook wall about former UTers. Sorry folks…
Do you really think that if Cox gets around to giving Bohn a nickname that it won’t be Boney? :rollrollrollinzehay:
i wonder if anybody’s goona give our old friend tim Spoonybarger a look now that he’s throwing full strength after his 2nd tommyjohn op?
I figure it won’t be the braves after he ran his mouth about being traded.
I forgot, is Brandon Jones a centerfielder or a corner-outfieder?
I think he’s no-fixed-position, which usually means tweener. The players I’ve seen him compared to are Garret Anderson and Matt Lawton, both of whom are basically corner outfielders who could be stretched to center without embarrassing themselves.
I would say Francouer fits that description. Me and Stu were talking about this. He disagrees, but I think that Jeff might be a pretty good option to replace Andruw in center next year. Obviously someone like Baldelli would be a better choice because of experience, but Francouer DEFINITELY has the tools. He’s got a GREAT arm, he’s got serious centerfield wheels, and he has the ability and willingness to add to his range by diving or sliding. He does take bad angles to balls sometimes, but angles are totally different in center, and he can learn to take better angles. Plus, his offense would be better in his positional context.
I think I have to agree with Stu on that one, Rob. Francoeur can eat up some ground with his long stride, but I think his first couple of steps are slow, so I doubt he has the reaction time to play CF regularly. It’s the same reason he hasn’t been a good basestealer — it takes him a couple of steps to get going, but he looks great going from first to third, or bearing down on the plate.
Maybe so, but first steps can be illusive. I would submit that your speed and recognition are going to be the biggest deals.
Stolen bases have nothing to do with outfield defense. First to second is 90 feet, 85 after your lead. A ball hit over your head or far into the gap (especially at the warning track) are going to be a lot longer than that, 110-130 feet atleast. Considering medium depth in center is going to probably be at 260 feet, since it’s 128 feet from the plate to second, I think that’s pretty fair. What is more important, the rate to full-speed (your first steps) or your speed? Add to that his arm strength, and I think you got a pretty good candidate to be solid in center.
Will he win a Gold Glove? Probably not, but neither will Rocco Baldelli or Ryan Langerhans, and I’m not calling him Edmonds, Hunter, Andruw, etc.
Bernie Williams was the classic example of a fast outfielder with range who couldn’t steal a base to save his life. Once he got going, he was great, however.
Was swapping emails with a pal from Boston today, who had his electronic chest stuck out (with this Helton thing). I had to remind him that he was beginning to remind me of the Met fans in my office. “It’s so unbecoming of you, Paul. You Sox fans are supposed to be so woe-is-me; I can’t stand it when you’re cocky.”
Here in Panama, you can see a movie for $6, sit in a VIP room Barcalounger & have people bring you food & drink like you’re in the corporate boxes at MSG. I feel like a sheik. Saw “Children of Men” (gritty, raw, strangely Biblical, a fun ride) and “Little Miss Sunshine” (another dysfunctional family flick, but sorry, it won me over).
Of course, lotsa poverty here, so even the pizza joints have to hire security guards toting weapons. It’s not quite like going to Israel, but you see lotsa machine guns here. Still, you can’t beat the weather…
Ububba,
A friend says Panama is pretty Americanized now a days. Is that true? He said that there were a lot of American retail stores too, but one he was definitely wrong about: he said there was a Best Buy there. That would be difficult considering they just opened their first store outside of North America in Asia this week.
I’ve only been in Panama City, so I can’t really speak for the whole country, but some of it is extremely Americanized—malls, fast-food places, little shopping centers, big hotels, Blockbuster, etc. And by that, I mean it looks like the US, unlike some places in South America, which look more like Europe.
But if you read up on the history of the US & Panama, in some ways it’s been like a 51st state. It feels a lot like Miami in some areas.
I gotta say that going to the actual Canal was pretty amazing. They have a restaurant/bar overlooking one of the locks & you can see these enormous ships pass through, with the millions of gallons of water pouring from one lock to the next—while you have dinner or drinks. It was like watching a Discovery Channel show before your eyes. The Hoover Dam has nothing on this thing.
And they’re enlarging the canal, so that even larger ships can pass through.
I suspect Rob’s take on Frenchy’s basestealing is more accurate. Remember, Frenchy was recruited to play wide receiver/ safety (he played both at Parkview) at Clemson. I doubt many football players get recruited if they start plays slowly. And his MO in the rest of his game is the same- poor technique which he tries to make up for with physical talent.
I’m just trusting my own lyin’ eyes on this one. To be clear, I don’t think he’d embarrass himself (at least, not any more often than he already does). But I see a big guy who gets a bad jump and I think he’s better off in RF, where I know he can be an asset.
Not to mention, putting him in CF would double the number of other outfielders he could wipe out. You know it would happen….
At least Marcus wouldn’t be there anymore. I’m pretty sure Francoeur would kill him.
i really liked children of men too, ububba.
To change the subject, Bing Devine died. The NY Times obituary recounts how he managed to get Tom Seaver from the Braves:
From the NY Times obit, I like this quote:
Devine once suggested there was an element to his success beyond a keen baseball mind. “You have to be lucky,” he told The Evansville Courier of Indiana in 2003. “And you’re never going to get lucky if you’re afraid to make a deal.”
Having a quick first step and good reaction time can have some bearing on where the player is positioned. Andruw’s amazing recognition and anticipation allow him to get a quick jump on fly balls and allows him to play much shallower than most outfielders. At least it used to.