Name this player: 58 homers/.477 SLG as a Brave, 78 homers/.384 SLG for everyone else.
Name this player: 58 homers/.477 SLG as a Brave, 78 homers/.384 SLG for everyone else.
It ain’t Earl Williams…
Aha! Davey Johnson!
I’m beginning to grow tired of the “Joey Devine Experiment.” I voted never be good as a major league pitcher. But I hope I’m wrong.
Sam’s right.
I added one more answer to the poll.
Davey was on something during that ’73 season.
Would anyone here be interested in picking Mark Prior on an incentive laden contract? He could be a devastating #5 guy
#5 – sure, would love too
My suggestion was that the Braves sign Prior and then sign Leo to a “consultant” deal, and make Prior his sole responsibility.
I would take a chance on Prior but with the price of pitching these days someone will pay an outrageous amount of money for a guy that is for all intents a failure at the major league level.
Prior’s career record is 42-23; his career ERA is 3.51 in a 4.33 context. He’s hardly a failure.
Problem is, who are you going to drop from the 40 man if you sign Prior? Carlyle seems obvious, but given his success against RHs, and his value as a swingman, the Braves are holding onto him.
Ofcourse, Prior will push us over the payroll limits too, for no good reason. A flyer on Alexei Ramirez would have been interesting.
Poll suggestion. How many people think Aybar is going to make the 25 man roster?
As the weeks have gone on, I have suddenly become optimistic of a Bedard trade. We have so many spare trade chips, its not funny. Given that missing the playoffs in 2008 might be pretty bad for the Braves, I think they need to make a push.
Go Hawks????! Makes me feel like I am on acid and in some alternate reality world
Prior’s career record is 42-23; his career ERA is 3.51 in a 4.33 context. He’s hardly a failure.
No matter how bad the Cubs medical staff is, you have to worry about the condition of Prior’s arm right now.
Prior would likely be an even bigger waste of money than Tanyon Sturtze.
Yes, but there was no chance Sturtze would be useful, and there’s some chance that Prior could be very useful indeed.
In 2004, Chris Carpenter had just missed the entire 2003 season with a torn labrum. His career record was 49-50, and his career ERA was slightly worse than the league. He hadn’t really pitched well since his second season in the majors. The Cardinals took a flyer on him; over the next three seasons he went 51-18, winning one Cy Young and finishing third the next year. You think it would have been helpful if the Braves had been the team taking the flyer?
I’d rather try out Pryor than Devine, if that’s the question. Devine’s upside seems to be fourth starter- not Chuck James, but a bad fourth starter- while Pryor could still be great if his arm can stay attached. Of course, Roger McDowell’s record here isn’t hopeful, so we might need a nLeEw pOitMcAhZiZng cOoNaEch.
Well, Devine will never be a starter, because the collective wisdom of MLB states that sidearmers can’t be starters. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s the rules.
Is anyone other than me concerned about our closer role?
Nope Rob, I think Sori will be great in that role. The guy just has so much confidence in himself that he will bounce back quickly after failures. I think his personality fits the closer role perfectly.
I think Devine and Ohman will form a great seventh inning righty/lefty combo. Devine can’t get lefties out and Ohman can’t get righties out. They will supplement each other perfectly.
Lonnie Smith wasn’t too far off:
46/.474 for the Braves
52/.396 for everyone else
Well, Devine will never be a starter, because the collective wisdom of MLB states that sidearmers can’t be starters.
Well, how about that Walter Johnson guy?
Oops, the quote was intended to be in italics, not bold.
Prior is rumored to be heading to SD … he lives in SD …
Any deal on Mark would need to be very incentive laden and prepared to not have him expected to produce any results till August or so.
I have trouble calling Mark Prior a failure.
He hasn’t been what every one hoped he would be when he first came up, but failure? Strong words for a guy who is apprarently brittle.
I agree with Godot …
I like your suggestion, Mac, but I’d probably hire Carlos Gomez (now an instructor in the D-Backs’ system) instead.
As for Devine, I think he can be successful, but I doubt it will be with the Braves.
Godot,
I agree with you about the seeming number of spare parts and other assets we have that would make a strong offer for Bedard, but the report that we were only willing to give up 3 prospects for Haren indicates to me that we won’t be players on the Bedard front. Which is sad.
Oh, and I would be completely in favor of signing Prior, but I do think he’s heading to San Diego.
Great article by Carroll Rogers covering Tom Glavine and his family on the Braves page over at the AJC.
I think Prior would be perfect here because there would be no pressure for him to be the “Ace”. There would be none for him in SD either, with Peavy. I just dont feel 100% comfortable with the starting rotation, and I would be more at ease with spending $$ than trading prospects for it….
The always injured quota for the team has already been met by Mike Hampton. There is no room for Prior.
I’ve read Carlos Gomez’s articles on THT.com, and I don’t think he’s so deserving of a major league job. He just seems to pick out the few pitches whose mechanics he knows a little bit about. Pass.
pitchers*
Triple post…
I would love to see the Braves sign Prior because he’s got the upside that Bedard, Haren, and all the other beautiful trade baits this offseason would have provided, and you don’t have to give up any players for him. If he busts, then he busts, but he’s a good gamble. The only problem is you have three legitimate injury concerns on your 40 man roster (Gonzo, Hampton, and Prior) and you have to remove someone from the 40 man roster. I would be in favor of placing Carlyle on waivers in favor of Prior.
I suggested a couple of weeks ago taking a flyer on Prior. I really don’t think he would be that expensive and he is far from a failure. To me, this is the type of guy that a mid-market team–which is what the Braves are now–needs to take a chance on because the Santanas and Bedards are pretty much out of the picture.
He just seems to pick out the few pitches whose mechanics he knows a little bit about. Pass.
Huh? He picked pitchers by whom he’s either intrigued or about whom readers asked him questions. It’d be a risk, sure, but I’d love to see the organization try something risky.
FWIW, even if he does only “pick out the few pitche[r]s whose mechanics he knows a little bit about”—again, I’m not even sure what this means, but I don’t think it’s true—Prior is one of those pitchers, so your point makes even less sense.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/breaking-down-the-broken-down-a-video-analysis-of-mark-prior/
In that second non-italicized sentence, “either” should come about 5 words arlier. Yikes.
Nice one Stu…
the Orioles have backed off on their demand for Jay Bruce from the Reds in a Bedard deal. He says they still require three top prospects, who would probably be Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, and Joey Votto. That would wipe out the farm system, as that trio ranks #2-4 in the organization according to Baseball America.
Didn’t we offer just 3 prospects for Haren? If this has any truth in it, we should try the same offer for Bedard.
Responding to these from 2 different people:
I would love to see the Braves sign Prior because he’s got the upside that Bedard, Haren, and all the other beautiful trade baits this offseason would have provided, and you don’t have to give up any players for him. If he busts, then he busts, but he’s a good gamble.
I just dont feel 100% comfortable with the starting rotation, and I would be more at ease with spending $$ than trading prospects for it….
Well, yeah, I agree that, in a vacuum, it’s better to give up just money than money and players. A couple problems here, though, at least from my perspective:
(1) I seriously doubt Prior’s upside is as high as Bedard’s. Yes, it used to be, maybe even higher. But shoulder injuries/surgeries are bad, bad news for pitchers. I think he’d be a good gamble, but I don’t think his upside is in that elite category anymore. I’d love to get him and be proven wrong, of course.
(2) Even if his upside is comparable, the reason you give up prospects for Bedard is that the risk is much lower. Bedard hasn’t been Glavine in terms of health, and pitching is never risk-free, but Bedard is a much safer investment than Prior, and that’s why he would cost more. It’s very unlikely that he’d bust. I know I’m repeating myself a lot, and I know it’s sort of pointless because we aren’t likely to even try to get Bedard, but I think it’s well worth giving up prospects for a guy like that.
Joshua, that’s encouraging, but we don’t have any Bailey- or Cueto-level pitching prospects, at least not as close to the major leagues as those 2.
If Prior goes to SD and returns to any form their rotation could be brutally good.
If we need to clear a 40-man spot, there’s no reason to keep Willy Aybar. He’s a zero, not a hero.
“I’ve read Carlos Gomez’s articles on THT.com, and I don’t think he’s so deserving of a major league job. He just seems to pick out the few pitches whose mechanics he knows a little bit about. Pass.”
Ouch….
No biggie, and you are very much entitled to your opinion, but that’s just not true…don’t know where that comment came from. I knew NOTHING about Hughes (except for the hype) before I wrote about him.
Also, I’m not an instructor with the D-Backs. I’m a professional scout.
Carlos
aka Chadbradfordwannabe
Ok I take it back Prior is not a failure. But he has been a disappointment through no fault of his own.
I’d love to have him. He is a reclamation project worth having. Yeah even hiring the supposedly magical Leo Mazzone for although I know that Mac was being sarcastic when he said that.
But someone is going to pay him a buttload of money despite his Hamptonian constitution.
Can we please blame Dusty Baker for Prior’s arm problems instead of taking it out on Prior himself. We’re being too hard on the Prior and not hard enough on Dusty Baker.
Dusty Baker is worse at managing than an SEC football team would be in a bowl game in Wisconsin in January. (bait)
j/k
I wasn’t being sarcastic. The Braves aren’t going to bring Leo back, but he’s hanging around in Atlanta, unemployed, and it wouldn’t be the first time a team used an available resource like that, or that a coach worked with one player.
i’d be all for a very cheap, incentive laden deal for prior… but i agree with whoever it was that mentioned earlier that somebody’s going to end up giving him more money than they should.
i’m still mildly disappointed that we didn’t try on josh hamilton. even if he’d probably be somewhat of another question mark instead of a check mark on the to do list.
i wonder if leo’s getting bored…
Do we know why the Braves won’t hire Leo? It sounded like they’d really soured on him by the end, and I couldn’t quite tell why — other than, I guess, maybe he was a bit of an abrasive personality. (Okay: “a jerk.”) But why in heaven’s name wouldn’t you ask the guy to work with a pitching headache to see if he might be able to work a little of his old magic?
What was the story of the breakup?
I’d rather try out Pryor than Devine, if that’s the question. Devine’s upside seems to be fourth starter- not Chuck James
Devine is never going to be a starter.
Well, Devine will never be a starter, because the collective wisdom of MLB states that sidearmers can’t be starters. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s the rules.
Doesn’t Jake Peavy pitch sidearm? I know Byung-Hung Kim does, and he is better than most team’s fifth starters.
mlb rumors..
Phillies Sign So Taguchi
The Phillies added some outfield depth today, signing So Taguchi to a one-year deal for around $1MM with an option for ’09. There had been a rumor that the Cubs were eyeing Taguchi.
well this week took Hamilton, Alexi Ramirez, and So Taguchi out of the possible CF options. All these teams got these players very cheap
#43 – didnt Leo ask for a lot more money and a multi year contract? I think that was part of the problem. He left and wont be coming back
If we signed Prior, couldn’t we waive Hampton? What would be the ramifications?
just asking, i am not sure how it works in baseball.
Contracts are guaranteed in baseball. The player gets paid even if he is released. The only thing that releasing a player does is open up a roster spot.
I am just glad that the Phillies didn’t sign Cameron–as they were apparently interested in him.
Cory Patterson is looking better by the day…..
Standing next to Neifi Perez is the only way to make Corey Patterson look better.
Cameron is running out of options for sure. Cincinnati maybe?
I wish we could sign Cameron–but he is probably out of the Braves’ price range. I would take Patterson over Anderson (21 major league games) and Blanco and let Schafer have the time he needs to develop.
Carl Loadenthal is not the answer either….
My house is crowded with family and Christmas is about start here so–I want to wish everyone who feels luck as I do to be able to come to this site a Happy Holiday. As the holiday draws near I want to add that I continue to be grateful to Mac and all at Braves Journal. Best of the Season to all!
Cory Patterson?
I concur with Sansho1. I saw Corey in the Day/Night DH in Atlanta in 2005 where after the games Dusty demoted him from starting CF. He was horrid defensively. Maybe he is a redemption story because his RF and PO per inning last year were quite respectable. However … as a Cub … when I got to seem him on occasion before moving to the Siberia that the Orioles have become (sadly), I wasn’t overly impressed.
Some place in the lineup to stay under the “soft” salary cap that seems to exist, there has to be economies and efficiencies (spelling?) and I am thinking CF might be the place to pull it off. Get a glove out there who can bat eighth. The key I think is to not hurt yourself defensively, rather than focus on the CF as an integral part of the day to day offense. Patterson to me would really have to show me his defense is not what it was in Cubs-land, circa 2005. He was pretty bad, on what was a pretty bad defensive team.
My thoughts.
Have a merry.
Just wanted to wish everyone here a Merry Christmas and Happy Hollidays to all….
Happy Holidays to all, hope your is warm and safe….
to echo the sentiments — Merry Christmas to everybody.
Here’s to hoping we all find a CF and… even a SP under the tree.
Double that — Merry Christmas and joy of the season to everyone.
And to those on the board (like me) who aren’t Christian, Happy impending New Year!
happiness all around…be safe and well. we’re gonna need everyone next season!
So, I’ve been thinking about the Falcons. Which is strange, since I’m not really a fan, but having lived most of my life around metro Atlanta, I’ve always at least been interested.
Anyway, the Falcons should trade up and get Darren McFadden. I think it will be doable, and I think they should make it happen.
If the Falcons would let Norwood get more carries they would be better, however, they’re still letting Dunn play for some reason. They need a QB and O line more than they do an RB
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4/5 vs NYM
4/19 vs LA
5/24 vs ARI
5/31 @ Cin
7/26 @ Phi
8/2 vs MIL
8/9 @ ARI
8/23 @ STL
9/13 @ NYM
what QB’s are leaving for the NFL and will be 1st rounders??? I cant think of any Qb’s that could possibly impact an NFL team next year
Matt Ryan, Brohm, Henning, Woodson, Brennan
I dont see any of these guys deserving a 1st round pick and also playing next year and impacting a team. Am I wrong…who did I miss
None will make an impact next year but part of that is because NFL coaches don’t think about the future anymore. Hardly any teams throw their rookies in from the start and let them learn by making mistakes. Manning threw 28 picks his rookie year. I am totally biased but I think Henne has the best combination of skills and experience to succeed in the NFL but don’t really think he deserves a 1st round pick.
Stu,
Who should the Falcons package to get the #1 pick? The Dolphins don’t truly need McFadden, but they probably need Dorsey or Jake Long, especially knowing Parcels they will want to start to fix the offensive line. The Falcons currently have the 2nd pick in the draft, I think McFadden will still be there at #2. Even though Ronnie Brown got hurt, I don’t think they will draft McFadden.
The Falcons actually have the fourth pick right now:
Miami
St. Louis
NY Jets
Atlanta
KC
Oakland
This even though the Falcons and Rams have the same record and the Rams won head-to-head. While that matters in divisional races, it evidently doesn’t play a part in draft order. The first tiebreaker is the strength of schedule from the previous season (although I don’t know whether it’s advantageous to have had a strong or weak schedule).
Merry Christmas everybody!