Irrelevant games continued, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Watched some of the WBC, and I guess Canadians are into it. Good for them.
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Irrelevant games continued, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Watched some of the WBC, and I guess Canadians are into it. Good for them.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
Stephen, just read your Rome Braves piece on Chop-n-Change. Nice work, my man.
It’s nice to be reminded of all the pitchers who will be in Rome. Very promising.
I am surprised you didn’t mention Adam Milligan among the hitters. Won’t he start there? He’s a JuCo guy the Braves have been after for a couple of years and one of the few recruits Vandy lost to the draft (as you know well). I really hope to see great things from him.
Thanks Parish–it was nice to have AAR’s help improvements…
I am very curious about Milligan–but I would not be surprised if he opens at Danville. In fact, I hope that Milligan does start at Rome–he is not that young and I don’t know why he sat out last summer. Maybe someone out there knows–but it reminds me just a bit of Mark Jurich who was drafted in 2003, but did not appear in the minors until 2004 when he was 23. Obviously, to be 23 and start at Danville a player is about 3 seasons behind….Milligan will be 21–but I wish that he could have played some short season ball when he signed last summer.
Shameless plug but my former next door neighbor and “kid I played catch with and threw soft toss to” is going to be a flat out stud for the Mets, Daniel Murphy. Kid can just flat out hit. He hits everywhere he’s ever been.
He’s batting around .400 with regular ABs this spring and he hit .313 w/150 ABs with a very high OBP last season after being called up by the Mets.
I’m proud of him.
Screw dalight savings.
Just another reason why dropping 1.5 mil plus incentives on Glavine was a mistake (even if its just fill in the rotation until a June callup for Hanson, to depress his service time clock):
“1:22 pm March 7, 2009, by Carroll Rogers
….
I’d be remiss if I didn’t give another mention to the outing Jo-Jo Reyes had last night. He had a rocky first inning – a couple of walks, a wild pitch – but unlike so often last season, he figured his way out of it. As he said, instead of raring back to throw harder, he focused on a change in location, and started mixing in pitches inside. And the result was getting out of that inning without a run scoring on his way to retiring 10 batters in a row.
He threw 24 pitches in the first inning, 24 in the next three. Reyes sounds like a guy who is turning a corner, and pitching a little smarter. The Braves are noticing.”
Adam Milligan is built like Jason Heyward, and he’s going to be a stud. He’ll be at Rome, and a lot more people will be talking about him at the end of the season. Mark it down.
You will hear more about Milligan over at CnC. Mark it down.
Reyes has been abysmal. Let’s wait for a bit more than a good start in spring training before we decide he’s worthy of a rotation spot.
An outing with 2 BBs, 1 WP, and 0 Ks is not a good outing, no matter how it ended up. If you’re not striking guys out, you’re lucking out, not figuring it out. Now, this doesn’t portend anything bad for Jo-Jo, but no one should spin this positively.
I hope that Adam Milligan pans out, but as things stand now he is almost an a year and half older than Hayward and he has yet to play an inning of professional baseball….
JC, you can make positive strides in your game even if you didn’t K someone in one particular start. The point is that mentally he figured out how to get out of a jam. Plus, 8 pitches an inning won’t allow you to K a lot of guys up, but you can still be successful. I think you’re looking at things way too simplistic.
with A-rod opting for surgery, will prado talks begin again?
Prado for Chamberlain, straight up.
He was getting more flyballs than groundballs as well.
If you “luck out” like Chien-Ming Wang, you’re doing alright, but I have no real expectations for Jo Jo.
Hanson line today
4IP 1R 7K’s
Outside Hughes, Brackman, and Jackson, the Yankees prospects suck. Swisher would be great but I’m skeptical that we have the room to take his salary.
Yeah, let’s believe in Jo-Jo Reyes. I’m sure that’ll work well.
There’s reason to believe in Reyes – he’s averaged about a strikeout an inning in his minor league career while posting good ERAs and WHIPs. He’s also been stingy with the longball. And he’s just 24 this season. He’s not good enough to come close to our solid rotation, but I’d love to see him have a great season in the international league to make him more valuable in a trade.
Jo-Jo should, at minimum, be an effective LOOGY, and he’s our best bet for a decent lefthanded starter. I’d much rather use him than trot out Glavine again.
I agree Mac.
I just noticed the Braves are in first in the Grapefruit league:
http://tinyurl.com/dzmszf
Not that it really matters.
@22 – You can see that it doesn’t matter at all when you see who sits in second…The Pirates!
Mmm… Brandon Jones is quietly having a very nice spring.
Saw him hit a HR yesterday off lefty Phil Coke, one of the Yanks’ better prospects.
oh chip sure does look good at the plate
0-6 5K’s
All of our allegedly average young outfielders are running together in my mind.
Can someone give me some perspective on Brandon Jones? Thanks!
Geez, Chipper. What a lousy at-bat.
hank, good looking prospect two years ago. Was terrible at the plate in AAA last year and showed no power. Did an okay job up here last year, but looked lost on breaking balls. It seemed like he didnt have much arm strength last year either. Still young though and has promise
Gregor Blanco just misplayed a ball for VEN, cost them the lead.
now he made up for it and singled in the go ahead run, VEN 3 USA 2
Apparently, MTV used to play music videos. And they’re in the process of putting up, allegedly, every music video they ever played. This should be fun — I was getting tired of some of the restrictions on YouTube.
Should the Indians struggle and we do not, I’d love to get DeRosa back before the trade deadline.
Can someone tell me why we didn’t sign Dunn? Gah.
@33
I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.
Cutting Glavine, Ross, and Ganderson is 5.5 MM saved.
Somehow, for 40 HR’s you’d think they could find another 4.5MM. In any case, I’d trade Frency for a bag of baseballs in a sec to save 3.3 MM if it meant it.
Apparently, Chipper left the game vs. Venezuela because of a mild oblique strain suffered during the second at bat.
@34, I hear ya. He just worked the count for a well-earned walk, too.
Mets fans must love Ollie Perez’s outing for Mexico!
Chipper’s oblique is like a wet paper bag.
Nice standup triple by Gregor Blanco, who’s 3-5 tonight out of the leadoff spot. I love seeing him increase his profile like this.
@39
I really like Blanco. The issue is that if Janderson has a spot, by default, Blanco doesn’t.
For 13 roster spots:
1. C. Jones
2. Y. Escobar
3. K. Johnson
4. C. Kotchman
5. B. McCann
6. J. Francoeur
7. J. Anderson
8. G. Anderson
9. G. Norton
10. M. Diaz
11. O. Infante
12. D. Ross
13. M. Prado
Who does he replace?
Also, on the main Braves site, the side and top banners of any story; is that supposed to be McCann?
I missed the game–but I also like Blanco and if the Braves can’t keep him, he ought to bring something decent in a trade…..
Mac–MTV used to be great–but you have to back to the 1980s or early 1990s. Happily enough, some of the international versions (such as the ones in Europe and Singapore) still showed videos…Unfortunately, for me 18 months ago the UAE got MTV-Middle East leaving me in a situation nearly identical to US viewers….Of course I should be getting on with my work….
#19–I agree with Jay–it is too early to give up on Jo Jo….though he has a lot to prove….
Blanco just got finished posting a .309 SLG, third-worst in MLB. I don’t think anybody’s lining up to get him.
True enough–but his .366 OBP is not a bad number for a rookie. Basically, I think that he can be a decent 4th outfielder who can lead off….
I’m wish sansho on this one…309!!!!
Sorry, I meant with..
I’m with Mac when he said Blanco basically came around 20 years too late, he would have been fine in the astroturf era, but he has no business holding down a starting job in the big leagues. 4-5th OF is about as good as he can hope for.
From AJC
“Braves third baseman Chipper Jones suffered an oblique strain during a World Baseball Classic game in Toronto late Sunday night. His agent said the injury was not serious, but Jones has had two stints on the DL in his career because of similar injuries.”
WSBGM’s wants to know who has the best bullpen in the NL East. We’ve broken down each team’s set of relief pitchers and included a poll to vote.
Link: http://pabaseball.blogspot.com/2009/03/nl-east-bullpens.html
Please give it a link, if you like it. Thanks!
#48 – Excellent, our season is over!
KC–Hard to say that I am surprised….One more reason to give cheers for the WBC….
If anything, this oblique strain (if it is mild) is a blessing–it ought to put Chipper out for the rest of the tournament, or maybe limit him to pinch-hitting.
@52 – hopefully, it just puts him out. Although, you know he’s got to be disgusted with his performance thus far (very Andruwesk), and will want to redeem himself.
I missed the game–but I also like Blanco and if the Braves can’t keep him, he ought to bring something decent in a trade…..
The Braves can keep him, it will just be in Gwinnett. He has at least one option year left.
Quite frankly, Stephen, I actually like the WBC concept. I just don’t like the rules and the format.
Who would have thought three and a half years ago Andruw Jones would be almost out of baseball? He is super done
New post is up.
#56 … AJ is 5 for 12 the last 5 games with Rangers … hitting over 400 for those at bats .. who knows he may actually be listening to a hitting coach !!!!!