Active Roster | braves.com: Team
- Schafer, as expected, will start in centerfield.
- O’Flaherty makes the roster over Logan in the battle of the incompetent LOOGY candidates.
- Sammons starts the year as the backup catcher with Ross on the DL, though due to off days it’s possible he won’t play at all.
- Bennett and Carlyle make the roster, Acosta sent to AAA even though he pitched better than Bennett.
It’s a roster made out of a lot of “out-of-options” decisions.
With all the off days Acosta may need the work. That assumes that starting pitching does better than last year.
Nice to see an old-timey German name and an Irish name on the roster — gives it a retro feel. Although the names “Jordan” and “Eric” sort of destroy the effect. Maybe O’Flaherty can go by his middle name of George. I don’t know what to do about Schafer, whose middle name is evidently “J” (???)
sdp- I see maybe one decision motivated by options concerns….
I think the Braves will try to trade one of Carlyle and Bennett in the next two weeks before they need to activate Glavine. Frankly, I like this roster. Although I may have preferred to keep Blanco (or really Anderson) over Prado.
Game’s on Sportsouth. Kawakami looks pretty sharp so far. Pegged Ordonez and fell behind 3-0 to Cabrera, but nobody’s hit anything hard.
I don’t really mind the roster. I thought Anderson was the better option in center (I still don’t trust that Schafer can hit lefties) but I can’t complain about anything in particular. I mean, does anyone really care about Acosta?
@137 of the last thread: See that’s what I love about the Raiders, they bring all of us Broncos and Charger fans together in hatred of the common enemy… sort of my same opinion on the Yankees actually. I worry about exactly the same thing when it comes to McDaniels, and I would give anything to know how much Pat Bowlen would like to take back this whole fiasco and not have fired Shanahan in the first place. Thursday I was looking into FireJoshMcDaniels.com, but I’ve backed off a little, and figure I’ll at least give him through the draft, and if that goes well he’ll buy himself a half a season or so. Maybe we’ll get lucky and grab two impact defenders in the 1st round and have Michael Bishop fall to us in the 2nd.
I agree, Lovie Smith better turn it around quick, because Mike Shanahan is probably already on speed dial.
@138 of the last thread: I’m not saying the Broncos weren’t within their rights to try and trade him, but it was a colossally stupid move to get far enough along where he got wind of it and then not be able to get the deal done. I would’ve been critical of trading Cutler for Cassell, but at least it would of made sense from McDaniels’ perspective. I agree Jay should learn to communicate better, but I think the head coach should’ve been able to take the first step, and he never did (without taking the opportunity to “put Cutler in his place.”) A head coach that can’t communicate off the field makes me worry a lot more than a young quarterback with hurt pride who can’t.
As for missing workouts and meetings, he absolutely was within his rights to miss them, assuming he’s okay with forfeiting the bonuses that his contract stipulates. NFL contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, so I can’t blame a player for using any little bit of leverage he can control. Cutler decided he didn’t want to play for McDaniels, so he did what he could to force the Broncos hand.
How many times do I have to bring up O’Flaherty’s major league splits before you’ll stop calling him incompetent?
Eric O’Flaherty career versus Major League LHB:
.231/.311/.308 22 K, 12 BB, 1 HR in 149 PAs.
His total numbers are pretty cruddy, but he wasn’t being used as a left-handed specialist, just like he wasn’t in Spring Training (where he still put up predominantly good outings, soured by one or two awful ones.) Can we maybe let him try the role ONCE in his career before we say he’s incompetent at it?
Weldon, Anderson can’t play CF anymore.
And, as I’ve pointed out, O’Flaherty’s minor-league splits, which are more extensive, do not show any particular ability to get lefthanders.
KC, he means Josh.
Oh…Janderson?! He is completely off my mind already, but I don’t trust Josh can hit lefties either.
Ok, this is my first time watching Hanson pitches…that curveball is a freaking awesome pitch!
I am all for the Kawakami signing, but thank goodness we are still in spring training!
Sammons’s swing looks awfully weak…
Anyone else see Hanson K Polanco on three straight pitches to end the 3rd? Finished him off with a nasty, nasty deuce…Both Polanco and Hanson already headed to their respective dugouts before the ump could punch him out.
Not the last time we’ll see that.
Joe picking the Braves to win the wild card, lol.
Stupid Joe. Crap…Boog is worse…
Hanson finishes off the 5th with yet another 3 pitch strike out, punctuating this one with a swing and a miss at an eyeball level heater.
So filthy.
Braves outfielders with back to back extrabase hits…
😯
…aaaand Joe’s spent.
A gratuitous number of replays of the Frenchy homer (which was, by the way, a fine piece of hitting), a little telestrater action, becoming a little flustered with his words, a little lube…just the way he likes it.
…if only someone would break a bat.
7 walks from KK today? Yikes
Kenshin will be fine. But you better expect some early struggles, Braves fans.
“Kenshin will be fine. But you better expect some early struggles, Braves fans.”
i say early success, and late struggles. the league will take a while to adapt to him.
So, I take it from comments that Glav didn’t make the opening day roster?
What’s the bench look like?
Glavine’s starting on the DL. The bench is what you would expect except for Sammons in place of Ross.
Well, I usually don’t inject my personal circumstances into things here, but for those of you who may, would you pray for my father? He had a heart attack today and is in the ICU right now, potentially facing open heart surgery. Thanks folks.
haven’t posted in years, but…
Happy opening day!! er, night.
Everyone has optimism every spring, which is of course why baseball is so wonderful. And yes it’s just all theoretical at this point, but I am excited about the Braves this year. On paper, I think they look as good as anything we’ve had since the days of furcal, maddux and sheff and javy lopez. It’s just one of those things where if everyone works out to their potential, we could contend. And it’s one of the best divisions in baseball, so all year there will be great matchups.
Enjoy it!
TDC
It’s a done deal, Rob. God bless.
Prayers sent.
What hospital? my dad’s on call tonight.
Prayers being sent now Rob.
The Braves are retiring Maddux’s #31 and inducting him into the Braves HOF on July 17.
http://tinyurl.com/dxjtb9
Rob,
Here’s to you & yours.
rob, awful news. consider it done.
Best wishes for your father, Rob.
You got ’em, Rob.
Where’s he hospitalized?
Hope everything turns out okay, Rob.
I hope everything works out, Rob, I really do.
Opening night. How exciting. Finally. For me it’s opening late night at 2 am. But I’ll stay up all night watching it on MLV.tv then catching a 7.30 am plane to London. I will be dead-tired in the meetings tomorrow but that doesn’t matter. I am excited.
Go Braves!!
Rob, all the best to your family.
@9: SO we’re putting more stock in 223 PA against minor league LHB over the last 4 years, than 149 PA against major league LHB over the last 3?
Also, if you take out his 2005 numbers (when he was sharing closer duties for his Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.) his splits get a whole lot more impressive.
Minor League splits v. LHB ’06-’08:
.230 BAA, 1.24 WHIP, 3.64:1 K:BB ratio, 0 HR (0!) and over 50% ground balls percentage.
Over the last three years he’s done a pretty damn good job when facing LHB in the Majors and Minors, anyway you slice it.
Also, here’s a quote from “U.S.S. Mariner” a Seattle blog, which does appear to be quite critical of the team when necessary.
This is from 2006 after O’Flaherty was called up for the first time:
“The interesting thing about O’Flaherty is that he’s effective in wildly different ways against lefties and righties. Lefties can’t touch him (6 BB, 32 K), but when they do, he’s about half and half grounders or flyballs. He struggles to throw strikes to right-handed batters (16 BB, 41 K) but is a dominant groundball pitcher against them.
The best guess that I can take away from his numbers is that he’s attacking RHB’s with sinkers down in the zone, refusing to leave a pitch up, even if it costs him a walk. Lefties just can’t touch his breaking ball, and he eats them alive with it…
He’s just 21 and has taken a big step forward this year. With his sinking fastball and effective out-pitch slider, he could be a very good left handed reliever…”
Lastly, Rob, well wishes to your family… lets hope the Braves can win one easily for you tonight without adding too much stress.
Rob,
Best wishes to you and your family. Hope everything goes well.
Not sure if this has been posted but Corky Miller, “The Hamster” made the White Sox 25 man roster. Not sure how but he must have some pretty incriminating pics of someone in MLB.
My flight gets into JFK at 11:30 tonight, so I won’t get home until the game’s over. But then I get to fire up that wonderful invention: DVR.
Hopefully, after midnight I’ll have an exciting game to zip through. Go Braves.
New thread.
Mac, I have to take issue with your comment that Eric O’Flaherty’s minor-league splits show no ability to retire left-handed hitters. In 2006, lefties hit .247 off him compared to .320 vs. RHBs, and his FIP against lefties was a full point lower. In 2007, the relevant sample is major-league (though there’s still a noticeable FIP split in his 2007 minor-league numbers). And then 2008 was a lost year because of his back problems.
You’re right, looking at his “career” minor-league splits, he’s nothing special against same-siders. But really, does it make sense to go all the way back to A-ball (where he spent one of his two years starting instead of relieving)? I don’t think so.