Atlanta Braves vs. Minnesota Twins – Box Score – June 13, 2010 – ESPN.
A more than satisfactory end to the ROAD TRIP OF DEATH. The Braves’ lead over the Phillies actually grew by a half-game over the past eleven days; the Mets have crept to a game and a half out by beating up on the worst teams the majors offer and really aren’t that serious a threat.
The Braves jumped on top with four runs in the first. Heyward doubled in Conrad; McCann walked, then Glaus singled to score Heyward to make it 2-0. Hinske doubled (on a rocket that hit off the facade in right and would have been a homer anywhere else), scoring McCann, with Glaus scoring on a throwing error on the relay man. All the Braves’ other runs came via solo homers, one by Prado in the second, two by Glaus in the fifth and seventh. They did leave ten men on base, hit into a double play, and have a strikeout-throwout DP as well; with a little better timing, they could easily have scored ten runs.
They didn’t need that many, as Kris Medlen was generally outstanding except for one hiccup in the seventh. He allowed only four hits (the first of them not until the fifth) and struck out five, with just one walk. He was ahead of the hitters all day (with the exception of Mauer). His one problem was a three-run homer in the seventh that made the Twins a little hopeful, but he came back and shut them down in the eighth. Venters allowed a leadoff single walk in the ninth, but that was it. Now, a precious, precious off day in Atlanta.
What the heck is an ‘off day’? Is that like an 0-fer with 3 Ks?
“More than satisfactory” is definitely correct. Coming out a game over .500 on the trip!!!
Right now we’ve played 39 games on the road, out of 64. Only a couple other NL teams have played even as many as 34. Given how we’ve been at home, this really is a good spot for us to be in.
In the 9th, Venters walked the leadoff guy on 4 pitches, but whatever.
Dang those Phillies. I was hoping they’d do the complete bellyflop at Fenway. They actually won today after giving up 20+ runs the first 2 games.
The Mets, after visiting Cleveland, take the Grand Central Parkway up to The Bronx next weekend. Hopefully, that will be a bellyflop. Then they get the Tigers & the Twins in Queens. We’ll see where they are after all that.
We could have went 10-1 on this road trip. We were in every game except maybe Lowe’s start in Phoenix.
off day and a rested bull pen
sdp, that’s a bit too greedy.
A good road trip. LA and Minnesota are quality teams and the Diamondbacks are tough at home. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that we’d be in first with Chipper hitting .228 with only 2 homers ….
BTW Melky has been playing pretty good lately. Just saying.
@6, With Kawakami going against the Rays, we may need it.
And we could’ve lost last night & we could’ve lost the getaway game in Phoenix. The injuries aside, this trip was more than merely something the Braves survived. For the most part, they played really well. Remember, we’re still a sub-.500 road team.
Coming home 10 games over .500 is terrific.
It sucks that we’re playing Tampa while the 2nd place team goes to Cleveland, but we do entertain the Royals while the Mets play at Yankee Stadium.
@7: Sure, I was just stating my observation. 🙂
I’ll be at Turner Field on Tuesday–Price vs. Kawakami. I hope Kawakami at least keeps in interesting.
mraver, @80 from the previous, because the 1B umpire is never going to overrule the home plate ump if he rules the batter went around, as I said earlier. The appeal by the catcher is a really a non-call on the check swing that the home plate ump can allow the 1B ump to make, so it’s not really an “appeal” in the strict sense of the word anyway. If the home plate ump thinks he saw it as a non-swing, he won’t allow an “appeal”.
okay… after this road trip, i am finally convinced that the braves are here to stay. They played really good baseball against two of the best teams. our pitching really rules. medlen was outstanding tonight. kk to the pen when jj returns. damn, how amazing is troy!!
@12
If the home plate ump thinks he saw it as a non-swing, he won’t allow an “appeal” should be If the home plate ump thinks he saw it as a swing, he won’t allow an “appeal”. Sorry.
What the heck is an ‘off day’?
An ‘off day’ is a day in which Prado only has one hit. 3 for 4 with a walk and an upper deck bomb today. Just another day at the office.
anyone else expect the braves to dfa chavez on tomorrow’s off day?
Since we blame Bobby for every game the Braves lose, are we going to give him any credit for having the team in first despite virtually no production from at least four positions?
No. Bobby’s the reason we’re only 10 and not 20 games over .500.
Kidding, kidding.
Between bites of crow, I say hats off to Wren and Cox. And Pendleton can stay around a little longer, too.
But Snitker’s got to go.
Marc- What four positions? CF and…? I’ll give you 3B, too, although everyone who plays there but Chipper is doing fine. As for LF, Hinske’s been crushing the ball since he started playing out there, and Melky’s been hot of late. Is SS the other one? Escobar has had a pretty good month despite his ice-cold start to the year. I’ll give Cox all the credit in the world for keeping the team close when half the team was sucking in April, but I’ll also give Heyward a lot of credit for that, too.
But then again, I’m generally of the opinion that Cox is a mostly-good manager who may not be great tactically and some time sticks with vets a bit too long but keeps players motivated and usually puts them in position to do well.
If I had to gripe about Cox this year, it would be that I think he’s put a bit too much on Heyward a bit too quickly. I can see moving him up to 2nd in the lineup, but the 3-hole is a lot of pressure. I’d just as soon keep him around 5th/6th when Chipper is out, with McCann/Glaus moving up to 3/4. Or even Infante/Heyward/Prado at 1/2/3.
Just seems like we’re asking a lot of a very young kid in his first major league season by putting him in the 3-hole. But I seem to have gotten off on a tangent. What were we talking about?
Chipper has hit for no power, but his OBP is still .375, so he’s far above replacement level.
That OBP is extremely walk-heavy — he’s bringing absolutely nothing else to the table right now. Hate to say it, but when the announcers start talking hopefully about batting practice performances and “just missing” pitches that end up lazy fly balls, the end be near.
Interesting fact: Kevin Millwood is also 0-8 with today’s loss
Chipper is still contributing. I keep waiting for that break out streak where he starts to tear it up. I am starting to wonder if he is ever going to be healthy again.
I ok with Melky in CF and Hinske in LF. When we get a lefty opponent I guess we finally get to see if Greg White can contribute.
The Venters: Walk, No Run. 😉
Can someone with solid pitching metrics knowledge say if Venters is flukey? It’s hard to believe that he was virtually unheard of until this spring.
@24, nice.
There’s nothing fluky in his major league stats, in that he’s struck out twice the number he walks and more than one an inning, and hasn’t allowed a homer; the ERA won’t stay below one, but it’s not like he’s been lucky. (Except that half his runs have been scored “unearned” due to his own error.)
His minor league statistics do not, in any way, foreshadow this performance. However, before this season he was used almost exclusively as a starter. When a pitcher is moved to the bullpen, his performance often improves because (1) he has no need to pace himself and thus can throw as hard as he’s capable of, and (2) he can simplify his arsenal and cut out marginal pitches, knowing he’ll only face a batter once in a game. A starting pitcher is a craftsman; a reliever is an assembly-line worker.
Watching the White Sox/Cubs game…Andruw is much more bent over at the plate than he used to be.
His last couple of years in Atlanta, he couldn’t bend over.
Also, this game is a double no-hitter in the 7th inning.
Well, the White Sox just got a hit, so only Lilly still has it going.
@26 – thanks, been waiting awhile to use that one…
Juan Pierre breaks up the no-no leading off the 9th.
I hope the Cubs lose this game.
Bobby hasn’t used Chavez in a week. I’d be pretty surprised if Resop doesn’t take his spot by game time on Tuesday.
@ 29 Hilarious,… and true CLASSIC MAC
Well, McCann has struggled and chipper has struggled (unless you think above replacement level is OK for third base) and cf hasn’t been much either and,really, Yunel is just now starting to hit. All I’m saying is Bobby deserves some credit because the Braves are not a Juggernaut.
“A starting pitcher is a craftsman; a reliever is an assembly-line worker.” – pure Thomason gold.
You oughta start a blog.
Clemson and Bama will be squaring off tomorrow, with a trip to the CWS on the line.
@23 If you have seen Chipper’s swing, you wouldn’t hold any hope of any break out from him. Man, his swing looks awfully weak.
“Any time you break a guy’s bat, you don’t expect it to go that far,” Slowey said
Sorry dude, I guess you don’t know Jason all that well!!!
“A starting pitcher is a craftsman; a reliever is an assembly-line worker.”
well said.
Wow Heyward has really fallen off a cliff in June – .163/.317/.184 in 49AB’s prior to today.
Hey, good thing Melky’s been hot.
Even when we’re going good, this is kind of a weird team. I’m not sure if I’m to believe we’ll ever get all of our bats going at once or if this is what we are. I kinda think it’s the latter.
@42-
Encouraging signs include him maintaining his walk rates, meaning it doesn’t look like he’s started swinging at bad pitches more than he used to. Discouraging signs include the utter lack of power in his game (I think today’s double is his only XBH in the month) and the dramatic increase in strikeouts. This speaks of a physical problem more than anything.
At least, that’s the conclusion I draw.
Completely agreed. He’s not playing like a guy who’s forgotten how to play baseball — he’s playing like a guy whose ability to swing the bat and generate power is being physically impeded. He hasn’t gotten a day out of the lineup since May 23; that’s the only Braves game he’s been held out of since he returned from his early May injury.
I’m no trainer, but I think an off day every now and again could do him a world of good.
Jason has admitted it’s no longer a health issue but a mechanical issue now due to over-compensating for the thumb injury. I am not worried about him. He will be fine.
This is one hell of a college baseball game going on live at Arizona State right now. Arkansas vs ASU. Great baseball.
Not that I disagree, but giving Heyward a day off would mean trotting out an outfield of Hinske/Infante, Blanco, and Melky right now. That’s probably why he hasn’t had a day off.
Troy Glaus- starting 1st Base National Leauge All-Star.
Okay, I know all about the guy in St. Louis. I’m just sayin’.
KJ used to be my underdog man crush but I think he has been replace by Kris “flat brim” Medlen.
Where would we be right now without Medlen?
#16 – Im sure Chavez has options so I dont think he’ll be DFA’d. I do think Resop joins the pen tomorrow to replace him though.
Seems like the twins players and manager had nothing but good things to say about our team. Great trip and yes while we couldve been 10-1 we also couldve been 3-8. A lot of close games and we ended up with a winning road trip with no off days. Ill take it
I can understand younger fans still “waiting for Chipper to break out.” I simply assume they weren’t around to watch Murphy collapse. Chipper isn’t as bad as that, but his bat speed is significantly decreased. I’d be shocked if e “broke out” again. I’m on record – I think he’s done.
I am not qualified to speak to whether Chipper’s bat has slowed and I don’t get to watch many of the Braves games anyway, but a year of struggling and no power for a 37-year old player certainly suggests it’s more than just a slump, although I think it’s somewhat unusual for a player of his caliber to decline so quickly like he seems to have done.
To me, a more mystifying issue is McCann. Is it his glasses or what?
I thought yesterday was a big, big win for the Braves. 5-6 would have been ok, but 6-5 has a completely different feel. The only disappointment is not winning the third game in Arizona. Yes, the Braves, in theory could have been 10-1 but that’s not really realistic. What I like about this team, that has been missing in the past, is the ability to score runs late, either to win games or put the game away. Whether that’s a tribute to the Braves or to poor bullpens by the other teams I don’t know but it makes a big difference, I think, to know you can score late.
McCann is not playing badly. His power’s down a bit and he’s had some bad luck on balls in play, but his walks are up (one more BB than K) and he’s producing runs. His Offensive Winning Percentage is higher this year than it was last.
Agreed. For a snapshot view, McCann’s last ten: .286/.457/.429. He’s fine.
@54, 55,
OK, I will defer about McCann to people that know more about it than I do. I’m glad to hear it.
Chipper isnt going to hit 20-25 HR’s anymore and quite frankly Id be surprised if he hit 15 now, at this point 10 may be a stretch. Im just surprised pitchers arent challenging him more right now
From the few games that I’ve seen Chipper’s bat does look slow. But, agreed. I am no expert either and I have seen very few games.
Jake Fox anyone? he just got DFAd…..his numbers are awful though
A quick peek at NL stats, ATL vs NYM:
Very similar overall pitching numbers.
NYM, 3.70 ERA (5th in NL)
ATL, 3.73 ERA (6th in NL)
Other pitching numbers very similar, too, except the Mets have allowed 40 more hits & 40 more BB.
Anyone who’s watched the Braves would know the big difference between the teams. The Braves get on base better than any club in the NL, so they’re second in runs. (Imagine saying that in April.) Mets are 8th with 29 fewer runs than ATL.
Like the Mets, ATL has a team SLG just below .400, but they hit slightly better (.261 to .255) & they walk like mad (91 more BB than NYM).
The big number in this comparison? ATL is first in the NL with .352 OBP; Mets are 13th at .324.
Braves only trail NYY (365) in MLB OBP
“Braves only trail NYY (365) in MLB OBP”
Maybe it was the Franceour effect and the rest of the team has always gotten on-base at a good clip, but that statistic above blows my mind after watching this team the last few years.
The Mets have gotten to pitch a ton at home in Citifield compared to our own well documented lack of home games to date. I like those numbers to move in our direction when we start the long homestand, and get Jair Jurrjens back. You have to think the hitting will improve as well – currently 3rd in OPS+, but the team has a 100 point difference (70 of it slugging) in OPS at home. I have a lot of hope for the next month to be potentially decisive. 15/18 at home, and only 6 against teams over .500. Mets have 24 of the next 36 on the road, where they have been terrible. Phillies have 13/19 coming on the road, and against tough teams. This could be the time Atlanta puts some real daylight in the standings.
Braves only trail NYY (365) in MLB OBP
Does this count production from the pitcher’s spot, or just 1-8?
It does count the pitchers spot.
Braves OBP without pitchers is .359.
(sorry, because of technical problems, I have to try to reach out here)
P. W. Hjort,
Is it just me or is Capital Avenue Club site not working properly? It tries to load for minutes and minutes and locks up Internet Explorer.
I have had no other similar problems at about 30 other websites.
per mlbtr
The Braves aren’t going to trade righty Chris Resop before his Tuesday opt-out date unless they get an “amazing return,” tweets Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. They will instead call him up to work out of the bullpen, maintaining their depth.
Resop, 27, has been a revelation as a starter in Triple-A this year, posting a 1.84 ERA and 9.9 K/9 in 13 starts (73.1 innings). He spent last season pitching in Japan, and prior to that he was strictly a reliever in his pro career, which included stints with the Marlins, Angels, and Braves. Resop would have been able to opt out of his contract tomorrow if he had not been called up the bigs, and interest would have been plentiful if he hit the open market.
Cmon if OBP was so great they would post it on the scoreboard
Others in DC, am I wrong or do the Nats post OBP on the scoreboard-or at least in the player profile? I can’t remember, but I seem to think they do.
The Rays post OBP, SLG, and OPS on their scoreboard. Alright, I’ll quit talking about the Rays.
I’m going to the Saturday and Sunday games of the Braves/Detroit series. Anybody else going?
sometimes sarcasm doesn’t translate…
Yanks post all the slash stats now.
Rob,
I’ll def be there on the Saturday vs DET, possibly Sunday.
can Proctor get sent back to ext spring training for the 2nd time? he’s apparently still awful
So what do you all think a fair return for Resop would be, and who do we match up with as realistic trade partners? I mean, he’s at peak value right now, so unless you are convinced he has turned it around yhou have to move him, right?
Alex Gordon.
I dont see us trading him. Why would we accept some low level prospect. You put him in the pen and hope it works out, if not, he gets cut. Or you could just put him on the roster, wait two weeks and send him back down if he sucks. There isnt anything in the contract saying he has to stay on the 25 man for a specific time frame
Peter,
I’m also having the same issues with your CAC blog. It tries and tries to load, getting no where.
I think he’s worth quite a bit more than a low level prospect at this point, but sure if that’ all you can get back, you don’t move him.
Vince Young is so stupid.
I like the Gordon idea, Stu – clearly KC doesn’t think much of him at this point.
Even Dayton Moore isn’t dumb enough to trade Gordon for Chris Resop.
csg,
2 of 3 appearances by Proctor at the Beach are “fair”. K/9 and K / BB are fair. No home runs yet. He basically got hit pounded yesterday. Without having seen it, I wouldn’t assume the worst.
However, he may never make it back to ML at this rate. He was cheap insurance and with the emergence of Venters and with Kimbrel getting better and Dunn hot and Resop a possibility I don’t think we really need Proctor anyway.
What if we throw in Jo-Jo as a PTBNL?
Everybody around MLB has seen Resop get pounded at ML level. He has to be more established to bring anything worthwhile back. Besides, he still has this and one more year at ML minimum and 3 arb years. if he is a decent 3rd bullpen righthander he is worth holding on the roster.
Does anybody have access to Resop’s Japanese stats? Just curious what the MLE off those might be. As I remembered, they were better than his ML stats, but not some sort of “renaissance.”
Was this ever linked here?
The Fascinating Story of Chris Resop | FanGraphs Baseball.
Is there a way to have an outside trigger that kicks in a PTBNL?
Example, on Choo. Trade a mediocrity for him equal to his value for the rest of this year. Then, if his military service is completely waived, Cleveland gets to pick another player from a good list. Then, if he goes to service but comes back in 2 years, they pick from another list.
It’s Braves Day, apparently, over at FanGraphs. A nice article on the Myrtle Beach rotation and another one on Medlen at Venters. Neither was even written by AAR. Check ’em out.
@81, Why not? They aren’t going to play him at ten under and publicly stated they are in no rush to bring him up, he’s 26, the team thinks he’s not a hard worker, and has apparently leaked as much, they have a crowded outfield, . He’s got little value to the Royals apparently, and it doesn’t look like people are knocking them out with offers. Moustakas has kicked him off 3rd on the depth chart, and their rotation is a Shakespearean tragedy.
You know, all season, I’ve been under the assumption that Resop was just throwing his fastball past AAA has-been’s and never-will-be’s. But if his success is the result of a new pitch (2 seamer), couldn’t he be for real? I mean, this isn’t unprecendented is it? A guy struggles, gets sent down, learns a new pitch, comes back effective.
Unless the return in trade is very good, I say give him another chance in Atlanta.
We could use him in left field.
Looks like Auburn of Carolina is going to win. Feh.
how did Bama get this far? They can’t buy a hit.
When Jurrjens comes back, who do you guys think (not hope) moves to the ‘pen: Medlen or Kawakami? Why?
OK, it’s getting close to July.
Who’s on our wish list that might put us over the top?
I know this is crazy – especially because we already seem to be pitching-rich and Jair is on his way back – but I sure would like to add Oswalt to our rotation. Or Cliff Lee.
Well, Mac…we needed some measure of revenge after the Tide beat the hell out of us in football.
Two words can account for this new found emphasis on OBP.
Frank.
Wren.
Some of us told you so.
Stu, Im guessing the Braves will decide on what there long term plans are for Medlen. If they want him in the rotation they could leave him there to extend out some of his innings. KK has been a lot better lately, but this lack of run support is very disturbing. For whatever reason, this team cant/hasnt been able to score when he’s on the mound. Id like to think its a fluke, but now Im unsure. Either way, JJ is coming back and we are a better team because of it
94—If you could get either of those teams to take Kawakami-san in return*, along with whatever prospects, I would agree. It’s sort of the reverse of ’07, when we needed pitching but traded for Teixeira because he was an impact player and there simply wasn’t any good pitching available (my on-the-record desire to trade Yunel for Bronson F. Arroyo notwithstanding). Now, there just aren’t any hitters available, but you’d still legitimately strengthen the club with a stud starter.
*That’s probably pretty unlikely.
Kawakami’s lack of run support, and his lack of “wins” is a fluke. Ignore those numbers when evaluating him. They have nothing to do with his actual performance as a pitcher. There’s just no functional cause-effect relationship between having Kawakami on the mound and not scoring enough runs to win.
Tell that to Furman Bisher.
Seattle might be a good fit for Kawakami and, say, Blanco or Shaffer.
Put Cliff Lee in our rotation and the Phillies surrender.
I’d rather have Medlen in the rotation than Kawakami.
Most probably would. That’s why I asked what you think, not what you hope.
PW has made the point that the Braves could move Medlen back to the ‘pen as a way of limiting his innings, which makes sense to me.
Furman Bisher was a hell of a writer.
In 1960.
with the starting pitchers available this offseason, there’s not a chance in hell that we are able to deal kawakami or lowe this offseason. with that in mind, i’d also like to see us trade kawakami for something useful around all star break, then if resop can step in to be a 5th starter (hell, give him 2 starts and see how it goes), then you’ve got one hell of a pitching staff:
hanson
hudson
jurrjens
lowe
resop
o’flaherty
venters
medlen
moylan
right hander from trade?
saito
wagner
Can you imagine if the Stupid ‘Stros would take Kawakami, McLouth, and, say, Robinson Lopez for Oswalt? I love daydreaming.
So does Vince Young get suspended?
—————-
Can Conrad be our everyday 3B?
I *think* Medlen will go, but I don’t put it better than 40/60. Medlen has pitched the hell out of some baseball recently, and Kawakami isn’t “winning.” Cox is old school enough to take that into account.
If it were me (the *hope*) portion, I’d go with a six man rotation with Medlen getting the limited “Sunday starter” role.
I think VY, Pac-Man Jones, and Plexico Burress should join up as a crimefighting team.
Perhaps they could get Ben Roethlesberger off the streets.
Holy cow…Clemson is approaching the Mother of all Meltdowns
I’m thinking that Seattle would want one of the top 3 starters in AA along with others for Cliff Lee.
AL has scored 5 in the ninth 8-6 now with two on and two out
And it’s done…good to see the Tigers back in Omaha
… As it’s one of the few places at the same cultural level as Clemson. [/BITTER]
I would make a “culture of Alabama” joke but really, yeah, Clemson isn’t going to compete with interesting places to exist either.
If a starting pitcher gets traded before july, it will be Medlen. I like him and want him to stay but it is the best sell high that the Braves have.
We should not make a trade for the sake of a trade. If we can trade some of our pitching surplus for a 2011 third baseman (preferably a right handed power hitter) then go for it. Or if we can unload Lowe’s or Kawakami’s contract then go for it. Otherwise don’t do anything.
I still can’t get over Bama beating Tech.
It should have been us playing Clemson, dammit!
Seat Painter @ 112 (and others),
In looking at a trade for a player like Cliff Lee (or whoever) you can afford to trade talent for the draft picks. However, the picks have to be paid, one of them is supplemental only, and you have to assume that the other pick is a late round first round or early second. So, the picks aren’t so valuable.
Then, you are trading something for a couple of months of a very good player. then, that something is gone forever.
So, I would possibly give up one of our top pitchers and one more player, but that is it.
We all have to remember, TINSTAAPP.
Jurrgens/Lowe/Vizcaino for Cliff Lee?
Mac, I’ll gladly trade you a MNC in football last year for Clemson’s trip to Omaha.
Straight up.
#117 – why would the braves trade Medlen or any other starter outside of DLowe and his contract? Braves arent selling and they have plenty of arms in the low minors to make a trade to improve with
Not me.
We have JJ, Hanson and Medlen as cost controlled pitchers for some time, why unload them?
Unless you get a cost controlled stud type back forget it.
#120 – I agree. Id be very reluctant to offer much of anything for a rental SP. However, lets say that Andrew McCutchen becomes available, Id change that stance
@121 – actually, I like it. It dumps Lowe’s salary and the staff is still awesome.
Lee
Hudson
Hanson
Medlen
Kawakami
Then Mike Minor replaces Lee in the rotation next year and you have a ton of money to resign Glaus and maybe go get a 3b. Plus you get the picks in next year’s draft.
Dude. Andrew McCutchen IS NOT AVAILALBE. Just stop.
You really can’t move Jurrjens unless you think his injury is going to impact him going forward. He and Hanson are the core of the rotation for the next three seasons.
#127 – you really cant read can you? You do this on about every post that you make. I shouldn’t have to explain this, but that was a HYPOTHETICAL situation as to where Id move a package a young prospects for a player.
The reason the team’s OBP has spiked this year is really pretty straigth-forward. You replace Frenchy with Heyward, add Glaus at 1B, and give Hinske lots of ABs in LF. Add in a full season of Prado raking, and you’ve got a bunch of deadweight and low-OBP guys replaced with players who work counts and take walks or are just flat better than the guys they’re replacing.
And seriously, how nice is it to have a guy like Glaus knocking XBH and HRs from the cleanup spot? It’s frickin sweet.
Hinske taking ACHE’s PA has been as big as Heyward replacing Jeffy. It’s a bit more than that. Three Braves regulars have seen huge spikes in their walk rates. In Chipper’s case, that hasn’t helped that much, and Yunel’s has only helped offset his low BA. But McCann’s OBP has gone up by 35 points. Ross’ OBP is up 40. That’s about 3-5 points of team OBP from the catcher position alone. (Plus no Sammons.) There’s also a little bit of an improvement from the pitchers, mostly from Medlen tearing it up (.412 OBP!) but also Hanson’s improvement.
it wouldnt be the dumbest idea in the world to declare medlen the 4th starter, move kk to the pen, and give resop 2-3 starts as the 5th starter.
@132, so what do you do when Jurrjens comes back in a couple of weeks?
Kawakami’s lack of run support is a direct result of Pearl Harbor. Ask Furman Bisher. By god, if they are going to bomb our ships, we won’t score any runs for you.
RE: Alex Gordon
I would imagine if we threw in a marginal prospect that Dayton still has ties to (ie Rasmus) and ate the difference in salary THIS year, Kawakami for Gordon would be do-able.
KK’s not going to make a difference really for the Royals, but he’s defintely better than the 3,4,5 shit platter of Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, and Bruce Chen. Plus, one of Dayton’s biggest flaws is that he spends stupid money on marginal guys at the ML level. Hearing him speak, I think he feels some obligation to throw resources at the big league team (which I guess is admirable)…even if he isn’t good at it. Royals are really sour on Gordon, and they have him playing the outfield not so much because they believe he’ll be a major contributor, but because that’s the only place they believe he’d ever even conceivably be one.
Much as I like Conrad, Gordon could be a huge asset going forward. Especially with the vagaries of the Braves 3B position and the lack of any real depth in the farm system.
132,
do you really think Resop would do better than KK? If so, why? I have absolutely no problem with KK in our rotation. If luck ever evens out, he’ll win his share of games if he continues to be the pitcher he lately was.
I would call up Resop and put him in the pen. If he has gotten his act together as a starter, it should work even better as a reliever.
Medlen should stay in the rotation. He is better than KK now and will likely be better than JJ when he returns. I also see no need to limit his innings, especially since they are already limited because he started the year in the pen.
It’s a hypothetical about as useful as saying “if we had a magic unicorn with heat-ray vision we could plug that oil spill *likethat*.” Just say “I can’t think of an realistic scenario where I’d trade those guys” and be done with it.
If we managed to draft and develop a magic unicorn with heat-ray vision, do you think the Pirates would trade McCutchen for him?
Damn, I miss Roy Clark.
Shit, I would.
Gleeman on Alex Gordon –
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/06/alex-gordon-is-apparently-too-good-for-the-royals.html.php
The Braves aren’t going to trade righty Chris Resop before his Tuesday opt-out date unless they get an “amazing return,” tweets Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.
What exactly is “amazing return” for a guy that was in Japan last year? $400,000 cash?
@141, pretty sure they are just trying to keep from getting lowballed.
so does Resop have to be added/traded before the day is over or just sometime tomorrow
Let’s trade Darren Bragg, Matt Franco, and Ryan Langerhans for Ryan Zimmerman and Nyjer Morgan.
@JC–that proposal is more likely than some of the ones proposed above
Also, the stuff about 4th starter, 5th starter, etc. (see 132 for example) is pure nonsense. Other than the occasional skipped start (usually due more to pitcher health/fatigue than to perceptions of quality), all pitchers get an equal number of starts.
Resop for Strasburg.
ok frank, make resop our ace…satisfied?
another thought on the labeling of starters:
most pitchers that are considered 5th starters pitch a lot less innings than a pitcher that’s a 1 or 2 starter.
some people just dont have enough to complain about.
and can that magic unicorn do something about this oil that’s coming to the beach where i live?
There’s no rush to put Resop in the rotation. Let him start out in the ‘pen, and if he excels there, maybe give him a start or two at some point, a la Medlen. Besides, this team has a glaring need for RH relief pitching. I’ve honestly been wondering why we didn’t cut ties with Chavez and call up Resop a week or two ago.
A magical unicorn with heat ray vision would probably be a Boras client.
For those unmoved by the World Cup, try the Legos version: http://tinyurl.com/2vctyru
Joe Sheehan on the Pac-11:
It is pretty funny how so little is happening, after all.
Maybe I’m dumb. MLB is the only sport that really interests me.
It doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It just means you get to have productive hobbies for five months out of the year.
I try to cram all of my production into the evenings between the Super Bowl and Daytona. I call it my “golden week.”
@154
Daytona?
What the hell goes on in Daytona these days?
Let me guess, a lot of fast cars going in round circles for hours on end.
I can’t contain my excitement!
nascar sucks
The look on Tim Tschida’s face around 1:15…
How about this video in tribute of the braves coming off that 11 day road bender
SDP, that video is priceless. The ESPN player poll shows that the umpires we think are the worst — CB Bucknor, Angel Hernandez, and Joe West — are exactly the umpires the players think are the worst. That video suggests that Bob Davidson’s reputation might be well known even among umpires.
I actually think a lot of players & managers believe that Joe West is a good ump, just ridiculously arrogant. Kind of the opposite of Eric Gregg, who was challenged, yet engaging.
Bucknor & Hernandez, though, seem to be in a rhubarb in almost every game I see them work.
I really hate bitching about umps.
Are we really talking about umps at 12:16AM??
Green jacket, gold jacket… who gives a shit?
just passing the time.
Any USAF people here?
Nope, just us dumb rednecks.
#123- I don’t think they should trade Medlen but you have to trade something to get something. I have no idea if Resop will be any good or if KK will be serviceable in the bullpen. But when JJ returns someones going somewhere. Medlen has proven he needs to stay in the rotation, IMO.
@163
Damn I’m trying to find some common ground with “you people.”
Jon K,
I used to be. Now I just work for them.
Really? Where were you stationed?
Most of the time, I’m with you, Ububba. I don’t love bitching about umps — most of the time, the close calls even out, and it’s just not worth getting too worked up. But Bucknor and Hernandez are really, really bad at their jobs, and frankly, I’m glad that the spotlight is being shone upon them. Eric Gregg was terrible at his job, and MLB knew it, or they would have rehired him after the strike.
I understand that MLB can’t just go around unilaterally imposing performance standards on umpires, or the union will revolt. But there ought to be some kind of accountability for these guys. They’re not just inaccurate, they’re inconsistent. And everyone knows they’re bad. They’re not trustworthy arbiters, and that ought to mean something.
Lackland, Kelly, Kunsan, and Yokota.
168-
The issue, as with most things, is getting everyone to agree on a remedy that solves the problem while not setting a precedent that overly infringes on the interests of those who are affected.
I’ll be at Maxwell for COT, then to Langley for a year.
Cool. I used to live about a half hour away from Montgomery. That had a bit to do with me being a Braves fan.
With regard to the rotation, it’ll come down to Medlen vs. KK with one of them being relegated to the bullpen/(or much more unlikely)traded.
At least with regard to this year, I think it’s safe to say that Medlen has been “better” as a starter than KK, but IMO, he’s also proven he can succeed in high leverage situations out of the pen. KK is much more of an unknown quantity in that regard.
The question then becomes, at least to me, is the difference between KK and Medlen in the rotation so great as to outweigh the known utility that Medlen provides in the bullpen?
I personally don’t think so, and as things stand, would probably move Medlen back to the bullpen once it’s proven JJ has returned to form. Ideally though, I’d try to trade a starter if equal value could be obtained as there are a few guys in the AAA pen who seem to deserve a shot.
Of course, another injury could shift the whole paradigm and the depth could become invaluable at that point. In any case, as usual, it’s a pretty fine line.
Jon,
Army brat born at USA base in Germany, then worked civilian gigs for both the Army (Ft. Benning) & the Navy (Athens). I really miss the free medical & dental, not to mention the non-taxed beer.
AAR,
I hear you & you’re quite right. It can be frustrating, like the Hanson game in Arizona (not to mention a certain outcome in Detroit). I just threw my hands up at Angel Hernandez, the same way I did with Eric Gregg in 1997, when the stakes were way higher.
It’s tough, but I try not to invest too much emotional energy in the umps. You’re helpless. It’s not like I can hope Frank Wren will DFA the guy the next day.
It kills me whenever I see Wainwright having a good game. I don’t know why, I don’t have such feeling toward Feliz and Andrus.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/braves-first-round-pick-548811.html
Mike Minor is now throwing at low to mid 90s instead of high 80s to low 90s. Turns out he is not a soft throwing lefty we thought he would be!
@176 – I still think the Braves have a great scouting dept and this seems to indicate that. It’s awesome when you get a pick that is not as highly regarded as some and he far exceeds expectations. Hopefully this will happen with a few of the guys from the latest draft.
165—I like chicken wings.
165 – I live in Ohio.
165 — I currently attend a Big 10 school.
165—I like Metallica.
Whew, off days suck.
I am a carbon-based life form.
165 – To live, I must eat.
How did Bill Hohn not make the list?
Who has anything in common with Bill Hohn?
165- I’m an inflammatory jerk.
165 – I like baseball, football, golf, basketball. I play softball and only watch soccer during the World Cup
Regrettably, I do not like Keystone Lite.
I don’t see how that’s regrettable.
If I ran the Pirates, I’d have a Dock Ellis bobblehead night every year on June 12th.
Nice Q&A with Mike Minor
@191, let’s just say I know some folks who are into historical re-enactments.
And coincidentally, I had to re-watch this last night. Just a wonderful account of the game in question
spike, that is amazing.
DOB reporting that Chipper is going to announce his retirement at the end of the year…
Tweets by ajcbraves
DOB hasn’t confirmed with Chipper, he’s just reporting what he’s heard from a couple others. Knowing Chipper — who has announced that he’s thinking about retirement something like half a dozen times over the last decade — this could easily change.
Unless, of course, he personally comes out and says that he’s retiring and that’s that. But I doubt he will.
#195
If true, can’t say I’m surprised. Been a great run, Larry Wayne.
#191/193
I knew a retro-psychedelic band from Athens that had a free-form instrumental called “The Dock Ellis Story.”
@spike:
“Starting Pitcher: You, Sucka!”
If he really is retiring, all I can say is, “Thanks, Chipper.”
Going back to the soccer discussion, the odd thing when you think about it isn’t that the US rejected soccer, it’s that England didn’t. All the other English-speaking countries chose national sports based on Rugby Football; only England went with Association Football.
Can you imagine how long Doc Ellis would stare at a Doc Ellis bobblehead?
@200, in all fairness, rugby is a huge deal in England.
OK, now who do we root for in the CWS?
Btw, if you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend the CWS. Hard to describe its greatest appeal, but it just feels like 151-proof Baseball – as pure and distilled as you can get.
Sure, but not on the level of soccer — while the rugby descendants are bigger than soccer in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Please let me know if soccer has a Dock Ellis equivalent.
Good timing for Chipper if true. Going out with Bobby tightens the knot binding them. Chipper was great, but it’s time for him to go; and the extra money will help tie up our young studs long term and maybe even fetch a bat this off season.
Can he become our hitting coach now, regardless of when TP takes Bobby’s job?
@204, true – and the biggest rugby hotbed is South Africa. I lived there for a year and it unquestionably dominates the sporting landscape.
A search reveals that the most popular sport in Ireland, meanwhile, is “Gaelic Football”, which is kind of like rugby but with goals.
Troy Glaus has more RBIs than Albert Pujols.
I am not worthy.
195—That news makes me a whole lot sadder than I’d have expected it to.
You know, Hinske taking over at third, and re-acquiring KJ from the Dbacks to play left sure would add a lot of firepower. Not that it would ever happen, and certainly not this season, but Hinske is a 3B by trade.
If he is retiring I think I’m gonna lock myself in my room for the entire offseason and drink myself into a stupor everyday.
Dollars for Glaus?
@210–agree–it’s time but it’s also sad–I became a Braves fan after watching guys like Javy, Gant, and Chipper play in Durham 20ish years ago
someone at talking chop said that chipper might be a bench bat the rest of the year with omar getting the regular starts.
here’s the quote: “Just read on Atlanta Braves newspaper website that Chipper Jones to announce retirement at the end of this season. Truly the end of an era and a Hall of Fame career. Not confirmed. But DOB said two people told him the same thing. Omar Infante would become starting 3B. Chipper available in a reduced role off the bench – DOB”
Hinske at 3B? Not a bad idea.
But I still haven’t seen anything that says Conrad couldn’t do the job.
Not crazy about an infield platoon, but having Hinske, Conrad (and even Prado) available to play 3B makes losing Chipper somewhat easier to take.
But, damn, I’m going to miss him.
It’d be cool to see Bobby and Chipper go in the HoF together.
resop called up. no decision on who’s going down yet.
Cool, roll the dice on Resop. Maybe he’s lightning in a bottle.
Chipper swung and missed during bp on Sunday. I about cried. Its time
217,
I think Bobby’s not eligible until 2031.
From HOF website:
A. Eligible candidates must be selected from Baseball Managers and Umpires who
have been retired from organized Baseball as Managers or Umpires for at least five (5) years prior to the election. If the candidate is 65 years old at the time of retirement, the waiting period is reduced to six (6) months. If the candidate reaches the age of 65 during the five-year waiting period, the candidate becomes eligible six months after the candidate’s 65th birthday.
Does this mean Bobby goes in alone, because Chip has to wait and he doesn’t?
anyone else think it’s pretty damned cool that we’ll have 5 HOF inductees over the next 5 years? and if we count billy wagner, it will be 6.
from ajc.com
Chipper Jones is meeting today with Braves manager Bobby Cox and general manager Frank Wren to discuss his future with the organization and plans to address the media afterward, likely to announce his retirement at the end of the 2010 season, a source close to Jones said Tuesday morning.
Indications are Jones is considering announcing that he’ll retire at the end of the season but will leave open a crack of possibility that he could change his mind if things improved.
Jones, 38, has been frustrated over his lack of production this season and continued injury problems. He is hitting only .228 with three home runs. Since winning the National League batting title by hitting .364 in 2008, his offensive numbers have tailed off considerably and he’s faced a steady stream of nagging injuries.
He missed seven of 11 games on the Braves recent road trip with a sore ring finger that has ailed him for several weeks.
Jones has talked openly this season about his willingness to surrender his third spot in the Braves order to rookie phenom Jason Heyward and lately has leant his support for backups Omar Infante and Brooks Conrad filling in at third base in his absence.
Why do our politicians make us give drivers license exams in 12 different languages? This is Alabamma…We speak English. If you want to live here…learn it. We are only giving that test in English, if I’m governor. Maybe it’s the businessman sense in me, but we will save money and it makes sense. Does it to you?
@220-
Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chris Resop pajamas.
@226-
MAC, can we please show this idiot the door?
Where am I getting 21 years? Am I crazy?
I have no idea where you got that idea. The quoted rule is the Casey Stengel rule — because he was not likely to make the five-year waiting period after he retired from the Mets.
Jon, that’s it. One more thing, and you’re out.
BTW, as I’ve mentioned, Chipper would set a record (breaking one held by Drysdale) for longest career under only one manager.
so is anyone going to be a little pissed if they send down Kimbrel over Chavez?
Obvious troll is obvious. That sort of thing really doesn’t bug me.
Kimbrel doesn’t need to be up if he isn’t getting regular work. And I can understand why Bobby’s hesitant to use him in tight situations. He doesn’t always know where the ball’s going.
Jon’s quoting a political ad by gubernatorial candidate Tim James.
Gaelic football is absurdly fun to watch. If you know what hurling is, it’s basically the same rules, except that hurling is played with a hurley stick and a ball called a sliothar and Gaelic football is played with a ball that’s sort of a cross between a soccer ball and a volleyball.
You can run downfield carrying the ball, but every couple of steps you either have to bounce the ball on the field or kick it back to yourself; you can pass either by a drop kick or by a volleyball-serving motion. There is a much smaller goal guarded by a goalie as well as a set of uprights, which you can kick towards at any time. Kick it through the uprights, and you get one point. Through the goal, and it’s three points.
Gaelic football is so popular that Ireland may be one of the only countries outside of North America to refer to European football as “soccer.”
What’s wrong with that mac? That’s a direct quote from tim james governor candidate. Why is that wrong to post that? I just find that quote interesting and wonder if alabama folk feel the same.
It’s trolling, and I’m tired of it. It’s also getting into politics, which is expressly against the rules.
“Alabamma”
Nice. Or should I say nicce?
234 – true, but why isnt he getting regular work? its gotta be hard throwing strikes when only used once every two weeks. Moylan doesnt throw strikes and gets used every game.
If Chavez stays up there is always a chance that Bobby will use him too
Hey who was that guy who was the huge Resop fan first time around? Think we’ll see a return from him?
I’ve seen his name for years, now, but I still can’t read it without reading it backwards.
wun!
well, with poser making a comeback and saito set to come off the dl this saturday, chavez should be in AAA no later than this weekend.
Wun.
ryan – good point
If Chipper does retire, who the hell plays third next year?
you know whose posts i really miss? ricflair. he never got out of character.
Jac Holtzman was pretty great, too.
its time to offer something for Alex Gordon
Yup, Jac had a great handle.
246: Troy Glaus.
248—Seconded. He’s probably in jail after filming that Erin Andrews video, though.
I also miss brule.
@246
i think we could seriously trade for uggla. he’ll be cheaper than chipper and could move to 2nd and prado to 3rd. if chipper retires, we’ll have 49 million dedicated to lowe, hudson, kawakami, mccann, infante, and mclouth. (6 players)
arb eligible for the first time: escobar, prado, jurrjens, o’flaherty (estimated 10 million in salary)
arb eligible for the 2nd year: moylan (estimated 2 million in salary)
arb eligible for the 3rd year: saito and melky (estimated 9 million in salary)
arb eligible for the 4th year: diaz (which probably means he’ll be gone).
total thus far: 70 million for 13 players
minimum guys: schafer, heyward, hanson, medlen, kimbrel, resop, freeman, conrad, venters, dunn (estimated salary 9.5 million for 10 players).
total thus far: 79.5 million for 23 players: obviously melky’s production and saito’s health will have to be taken into consideration, but i could easily see both of those guys on our team next year (i really do hate to admit it but melky is more useful than matty d).
so, how to fill out the roster? there’s no backup catcher or starting 2nd/3rd baseman. i’m done for now because there’s too many question to address right now. even without chipper, money’s going to be tight unless we can trade a starting pitcher during this season.
I miss Morgan Shiell.
Any interest in trying to do a Braves Journal interview of Chipper after the season, where we compile our questions, approach his agent and post his responses?
Not that I’m volunteering myself to organize this, since I’m not the right person for the job…but I think it’d be interesting if done right.
Stop the Presses: Tickets went onsale today for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Set to play at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 30 (brrr), the new bowl (just what we needed) will pit the Big East’s 4th-place team vs the Big 12’s 7th-place team (insert Big 12 joke).
In the event that the Big 12’s 7th-place team isn’t bowl-eligible, then Notre Dame will get the invitation.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
I don’t think Glaus has 3B in him at this point. He’s a DH or 1B until he retires.
TCU’s baseball coach’s name is Schlossnagle?
I’ll be pulling for South Carolina in the CWS this year, but I think FSU will be winning it all.
@258
I happen to agree, but that leads to another question: Do we try to resign Glaus at the end of the year?
He’s been our best hitter so far, and only RH power source. Problem is, he will probably demand a multi-year deal, and will block Freeman. He’s also on the wrong side of 32.
I honestly don’t know what should be done here. I guess I’m leaning toward resigning Glaus, if the money/years aren’t too high.
246,
Out of nowhere thought: Michael Young.
Let’s see what kind of shape Glaus is in by year’s end.
Schlossnagle is pretty good, almost like Pittsnogle.
Fave sports name: Anicet Lavodrama, a basketball player for Houston Baptist & an Olympian with the Central African Republic team.
I think Glaus gets 2 years and 14 million this winter. I don’t think he gets it from us.
But if you’re signing Troy Glaus to play third base, you can go ahead and sign Chipper Jones to play shortstop.
I mean to say he’s a bit stiff.
260,
Depends on if Freeman is ready or not. If he is it’s a no brainer to pass on Glaus and spend the money elsewhere.
Also, Glaus pretty much perfectly fits the mold of 3-true outcomes hitters without 80 raw power that fall off a cliff in their mid 30’s. The Richie Sexson’s of the world. I think it’s best to probably just quit while you’re ahead at the end of the season and go with someone younger in 2011. Then again if Freeman ain’t ready and he’ll sign a reasonable 1 year deal it’d be hard to pass up.
So Dave O’Brien has totally changed his tune about Chipper.
“Chipper Jones has scrapped plans to discuss the possibility of retiring following the 2010 season with the media Tuesday.
Amid speculation that Jones was close to announcing his retirement at the end of the season, a source close to Jones indicated Tuesday morning that Jones planned to meet with Braves manager Bobby Cox and general manager Frank Wren Tuesday to discuss his future with the organization, and possibly announce afterward he was leaning toward retiring after the season.
Tuesday afternoon that source said Jones would not be commenting on the subject and thought reports about it were premature.”
Crawford next year for LF
trade Minor for Dexter Fowler (CF)
Trade Schafer for Alex Gordon.
Why on God’s green Earth would we trade for Dexter Fowler at all, much less give up our best advanced pitching prospect?
What’s not to love about a career OPS+ of 85?
I thought we were getting Alex Gordon for Chris Resop.
Why don’t we just get Carl Crawford for Chris Resop and not have to deal with the uncertainty of free agency?
Carl Crawford should’ve played for the ’80s era Cardinals.
As Elvis Costello once sang, he’s a man out of time.
Crawford’s got a little more pop than Willie McGee..
Also, when you search Carl Crawford on baseball-reference, it asks if you want Carl Demonte Crawford, or Carlos Lamonte Crawford.
Doppelganger.
@211 I have zero interest in bringing back KJ. I think its no coincidence that he’s doing better outside Atlanta and in the dry air of the NL West.
I thought we were trading a magic unicorn with heat ray vision for Andrew McCutchen.
Not worried about next year. This team is for here and now.
DOB just can’t keep his mouth shut about undone business. How many more players will he piss off?
New rule: Anybody advocating the Braves trade for some fast guy who can’t hit will have their comment changed to “I love Gregor Blanco!”
For what it’s worth, Carroll Rogers has been the one filing the reports.
I’d trade Schafer for Alex Gordon yesterday.
Blanco at least gets on base.
Since it reminds us of how lucky we are to have ended up with Wren over Moore, how about “I love Joey Gathright!”
I mean, he can jump over cars, so he must be a good ballplayer, right?
Is it a job requirement at the AJC to be an untalented hack?
does anyone know whats up with matt diaz? i seem to remember that he was only going to be out for 2-4 weeks and that was 6 weeks ago. there’s been no talk of when he’ll be back and when he might start a rehab…has anyone heard anything?!?!
I was glad Chipper had decided to retire. I am disappointed this seems now to be untrue. I don’t like watching a great player decline and become a burden to his team.
“Premature” doesn’t mean that the report wasn’t accurate.
Peanut: To compensate for the lack of outfielders in Gwinnett, the Braves have signed Josh Anderson to a Minor League deal. Anderson hit .294 with three homers in the 40 games he played for Atlanta in 2008. The speedy outfielder has spent the past two years within the Tigers and Royals organizations
#280 – Diaz will be back between the end of June and the AllStar break. That was last I heard
Schafer for Gordon – fair offer? Id do it
I love Josh Anderson!
Maybe I’ll go with “When will the Braves offer Josh Anderson a chance?”
Just voted 25 MORE times for Heyward, Glaus, Prado, and McCann.
Made my girlfriend do it to.
I did my part 75 times.
“Premature” doesn’t mean that the report wasn’t accurate.
Whatever. The reporting was awful to begin with. Lets see: Chipper may retire at the end of the year. But he also might not. Give me a break. Any competent reporter wouldn’t have run with that flimsy of a story.
anderson is useless, we cant figure out this outfield thing can we?
anderson, clevlen, schafer, mclouth, cabrera, blanco? when does it end?
The Braves are a touchy organization, so it’s quite possible to change a story just by breaking it in the first place. But what is DOB or Carroll supposed to do? Two sources, that’s enough. They aren’t PR reps, they’re reporters.
I’m not getting my hopes up for Freddie Freeman. Since OPSing 899 in A ball, he’s gone downhill every year: 771 in A+/AA and 746 in AAA. At the bare minimum he’s 1 more year away. I wouldn’t hate signing Glaus to another 1-year.
If Glaus drives in 110+ runs this year, as seems likely, he’ll be looking for a multi-year deal. As he should, and he’ll probably get it.
@284. Until Schafer can hit at least AAA pitching, that is not a fair swap at all.
@289 When we acquire Andrew McCutchen!!!!!!!!
Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. I know he’s not available and we aren’t getting him, so don’t get worked up about it.
@291, he was very young at every level, which does not put him any closer to Atlanta, of course, but my hopes remain high for him. 746 in in International league is actually quite impressive for a 20 year old. Almost half of his hits are for extra bases, with an 8%BB rate and 15%K rate. OBP is low, but better than at AA against far superior pitching. I am actually quite encouraged by his progress.
295-
I’m just saying he’s more than likely not going to be playing 1B for us next year.
I’ll never understand why the Braves pushed Freeman to AAA. He posted a .650 OPS is a mere 169 PA in double-A last year. It made no sense to not at least start him in AA.
291-
Freeman is a 20 year old in AAA putting up comparable numbers to what Colby Rasmus did as a 21 year old. I’m curious as to what you would consider reasonable expectations for the kid?
I like Blanco. Which is not to say I’m delusional about his worth. But he seems to know his limits, and does what he can to contribute given those limitations. Choking up and providing some pesky at bats, the (rare, on this team) speed, the decent OBP. I like having him around.
Rosenthal says we are looking for another RH OF.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/atlanta-braves-armed-for-fight-in-nl-east-061510
/edit – I doubt the Nats would let go of WIllingham, and doubly doubt to Atlanta, but dang, he’d be a good fit.
@297, he is holding his own at AAA. To me, that’s where you’d want the guy. He’s challenged, but not overmatched.
At some point, Wren is going to have a take a chance and trade away a good player if he wants a good outfielder. You’ve got to give to get, and we’ve got enough pitching to be in a position to give handsomely.
Game thread.
Jeremy,
I don’t want to say that you don’t know what you’re talking about, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I’ll not speculate on what really happened, but I’m pretty sure that the reporter got at least one and probably 2 sources.
If you’ve ever spent any time doing a gig like that, you’d understand how it works.