As you know from past years on Bravesjournal, now is the time of year when we start to write “Where Do We Go From Here?” posts and write player profiles of the players who will be on the 25-man roster next year. Beginning with the last offseason, our first without Mac Thomason, I began asking others to help out with all of these posts, as Mac had always done with his SEC previews.
So I want to ask for volunteers. If you would be willing to do any writing this offseason, either a player profile, a “Where Do We Go From Here?” post, or if you’d like to pitch something else, please email me using the email address at the top right. Thank you very much!
Oh, if you’re looking for inspiration, take a gander at this, which Timo linked in the last thread:
Paris in the
the spring.
Know what’d be really funny in a watching-a-train-wreck sense? Inviting an AJC commenter to write the profile for BJ Upton.
Never eat at an Indian buffet
If you must be somewhere
At 8am the next day.
I really don’t want the Nationals adding Price or Scherzer to that rotation.
CALLED STRIKE THREE
http://www.gammonsdaily.com/the-mostleast-called-third-strikes/
our bete noir, the called strike three
in table form the horror be
BJ for sure but Trout!
what this is all about
perception to the nth degree.
it’s apparently not what actually happens but what we perceive to happen that counts. Peter Gammons’ daily blog tabulates this dread category. We look for our men and there they are but there’s some strange bedfellows alongside.
And Andrelton comes near the top in the ‘least’ category. As a team the Braves were 4th worst in CST.
What i’d really like to see though is a table of CST with 2 runners on in scoring position, 2 out, the game on the line,and a minimum of a thousand fans at home screaming at their TV sets, ‘hit the fucking thing’.
Braves have outrighted 2B Phil Gosselin.
In other news, I’m firmly against acquiring Price given the talk about what he will cost in terms of prospects and money. Just don’t think he’s worth it so I really don’t mind hearing the Phillies and Nats attached to trade rumors. The only worry is, if it’s the Nats I think Price certainly increases their odds of winning the division for the next year or two and could relegate us to the dreaded play-in game.
@ajcbraves: If his medicals are sound, wouldn’t rule him out if Huddy goes elsewhere. RT @edwardsjohnm: @ajcbraves are @Braves checking out Halladay?
Forget the medicals, teams better make sure Halladay can still throw 85mph. He’s done.
Maybe if Halladay is a bullpen DUOOGY (Dan Uggla One Out Guy.)
Man, I’m glad Andrelton’s on our team.
Is there a particular time in the offseason when extensions tend to happen?
You’d think they would happen soon for the Braves if they’re going to happen at all, right? This is something Wren wants to take care of so he can get a little more long-term certainty, plan out other moves, etc.
But I guess Heyward et al want to see if this year’s FA market will help them get a better deal.
“DUOOGY (Dan Uggla One Out Guy.)”
Isn’t that anyone who can consistently throw strikes? About the only way Uggla can reach base anymore is via a walk.
You mean the guy with the second-highest number of home runs on the team?
@12 Oh. Right.
12,13- Actually, JUpton had 27 HR, Freeman 23, and Uggla 22.
Braves with more HR/ PA than Uggla in 2013: JUpton, Gattis, McCann, Francisco (!). Every regular but BUpton had a higher slugging percentage, as did Gattis, Pena, Francisco, and Laird. Elliot Johnson (!!) had a SLG just .003 worse than Uggla.
This will be a welcomed approach…
“When I was growing up my father was big on two strikes—shorten up, put the ball in play,” La Stella said. “That was something that was ingrained in me since the time I was a little kid . . . I’m not necessarily going to take away an aggressive swing if I get a pitch to hit, but at the same time I’m a little more focused. If it’s close to the zone I get the bat on it.”
@15, Amen. First thing I was taught, too.
@14: I stand corrected — nice little HR push Freddie made there at the end. May it carry into 2014.
Some nice baseball talk from Will Johnson, a terrific singer/songwriter whose band Centro-Matic is one of America’s very best, IMO. He has some pretty cool baseball paintings, too. Go to about 29:50 for the baseball banter. (And, um, he’s a lifelong Cardinals fan.)
@14 – thanks, I feel a lot better now. 🙂
@9 ububba
Exactly!
Thanks for the post timo!
Go Braves!
Is there anybody out there? This place is a ghost town. Guess not much news happening.
Who would you most like to see the Braves lock up long-term? Simmons, Teheran and Heyward are mine.
Simmons, Simmons, Simmons !!!
re ‘anyone out there>’…the hardest thing to accomplish on this board is to get a reaction to anything other than what might be called a rote post…i.e. well Freddie’s at 312/484/936 while John’s stuck at 223/357/441…deviate from that path at your peril – it’s not at all a question of hostility – it’s indifference, which is much worse.
An example, see #5 above…mine, of course so i’m hardly unbiased…as far as i know i found a new table that’s not been seen before and one that goes to the heart of something that was driving a lot of us crazy this season, called strike threes…a link, a limerick and some commentary…not entirely irrelevant to what we’re about…dead silence
Alex wants/needs new content…here’s some more, please note it is not remotely political for those who can’t bear KO, you sensitive souls…having done a more than decent job hosting the TBS post season coverage he’s back on this late night station at ESPN, a channel that has now become generally unwatchable so full of hype and crap as it is…but i’ll watch him, every night, because like a lot on here i care deeply about sports and am hopelessly addicted to any discussion/opinion that takes it above the yahoo level and makes us think…
His commentary/interviews over the last few days on the Dolphins fiasco/the Dorsett tragedy were journalism at its finest…it’s not all heavy, his take down last night of Francesca at WFAN was hilarious…if you care about the larger issues in sports watch him – then bitch away all you want…
at least he’d be getting a reaction!
Simmons, Teheran, Freeman, Heyward in that order
Well, there’s always SEC football talk…
#22
Yeah, I see KO’s trying to tangle with WFAN, but IMO a lot of that is really rooted in trying to use NYC’s top-rated sports radio station to promote his own show. WFAN’s morning-show guys seem to have taken the bait more than Francesa has.
FWIW, WFAN has smoked ESPN Radio in the local ratings game for years & if it’s smart, it’ll treat KO/ESPN as if it doesn’t exist. Why even talk about a show from a competing company that you’re stomping?
Good call blazon, that chart was interesting.
I didn’t expect to see Justin at #2 on the called third strike list. I’m all for patient hitters and occasionally you have to take a borderline pitch, sometimes the call will go your way and sometimes it won’t. But if you’re taking 2-strikes you better be right more often than not. It goes back to that La Stella’s approach that was mentioned earlier, one of the first things you are taught is to protect the plate with two-strikes. It would be nice to see a little more of that. Seems like they’re guessing on a 1-2 pitch too many times.
I am a “value shopper”. if the value is there, then sign any to extend in full through arb and either get (a) one guaranteed year on top or (b) two or more option years on top.
For a pitcher, that means that I would believe to be fair would require that you project arb reasonably and pay that and have the 2 options. They get a guarantee that if they blow their arm out / up they have enough to live off of if they aren’t a jackass, but in exchange for that, the team gets a chance to be ahead in “year 7, year 8” if the pitcher is performing. I would not want to guarantee any FA pitcher years (unless it was say a 3rd arb year time of contract).
Simmons is not the typical player in that so much of his value is on defense. But combining with mostly Chris Johnson and second mostly with Juan Francisco, he STILL brought about the lowest percentage of GB’s through any ML infield. Also, I think his post asb numbers show that he will grow into offense. It will be fits and starts, but I think his peak year could be 800 ops, maybe even 850. Fielding starts dropping at 25, but it won’t drop any more than his offense comes up. So, I would put him over the other position players.
Heyward carries too much injury and performance risk. He will want to be treated like an elite outfielder in multiple post FA years and it doesn’t make sense for the Braves to commit several years in advance at numbers that might not make sense.
I wish Liberty would do a “one time adjustment” to payroll. It actually would make sense for their long term revenue and resale values. Add 50 mill for this year. First, try to get the posting on Tanaka. If not, use the 50 as extra money to extend anybody who will accept extension numbers based on a reasonable basis based on pre 2014 salary numbers. Then, that money would protect the low minors prospects and keep this nucleus a little beyond its window (otherwise) and allow the team to compete while its local tv revenue continues to lag for another 13 or 14 years.
Great article up on Hardball Times
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/hall-monitor-the-case-for-andruw-jones/
David Ross is recruiting Tim Hudson and Brian McCann to Boston. Apparently, Huddy and Bmac have mutual interest.
Braves are happy to see both Huddy and BMac go to Boston. All that money and the “just wanting to win a world series” line gives cover to everybody.
Let Huddy go. The AL East will feast on a late 30s pitcher coming off an awful ankle injury.
Oh how quickly we turn our own when we can’t afford them…
I’m not turning on Huddy. I wish him well. But with all the pitching the Braves have I can’t see committing 2 years and over 20 million to a guy coming off of surgery.
I blame the Giants. The set the market with that ridiculous contract they gave Lincecum.
The more I hear from the rumors, I wonder if we will be surprised at how high the FA contracts wind up. Lots of money to spend out there right now.
@33- Yup. And I predict the Braves payroll to increase by about 65% of the average increase in salary MLB-wide. Though to be honest, its not clear what free agent moves need to be done.
Would folks here be satisfied with an off-season that included 4- or 5- year deals for, say, Freeman and Heyward (and not like sweatheart deals either, but close to market value) but no other major move? ‘Cause I kinda think that’s where we’re headed baring some out-of-left-field trade.
I’m not turning on him. I want him back. Just miffed at the greener pastures mindset.
@34 I would be. I love our young team and its potential and want to see it solidified as much as possible for years to come.
Happy belated birthday, Alex.
Keep having them, Alex. Getting old is the best path I know to humility.
Thank you! I don’t mind getting old, or even getting humble, but I hope I can avoid getting humiliated. That’s enough for me to blow out the candles on.
So Huddy and BMac may want to go to Boston? http://memedepot.com/uploads/2000/2339_bye.jpg
Glavine should be very glad he played in the 90s-00s. Move his career to the 20s-30s and I suspect he would have won 12 games.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9940495/ben-lindbergh-possibility-machines-replacing-umpires
But Maddux and Smoltz, I think, would be fine.
@22 – It would be nice to have a “like” button or something to quickly acknowledge a comment or post. I gave up a long time ago trying to comment on everything I find interesting, clever, or amusing here. It’s a tribute to the site that it’s just too much to keep up with.
I’m sure I speak for many people when I say that the posters and regular commenters here are greatly appreciated.
A win today might mark the high water mark of the season for Auburn, but boy it’s great to be back in the Top Ten again.
PS – note to Vols – consider stopping the run.
And, go ‘Dores!
Amen!
Didn’t want it to go a full day with no posts, so, DOB is throwing Lackeys name as a potential idea if Hudson doesn’t return.
I read somewhere the Lackey is going to make the league minimum next season because that’s what his contract stipulated, since he had TJS.
Not next season, but for a 2015 team option. He makes $15m next year.
Lackey should be highly motivated to have a great 2014 so they’ll pick up his option to play for the minimum salary in 2015. Right.
“…so, DOB is throwing Lackeys name as a potential idea if Hudson doesn’t return.”
Do not want.
AS
10 @ 125
B/L
PDQ
Bon Voyage
the tumult and the shouting dies
the Captain and the Kings depart
a Qualifying Offer tries
to stretch the time when we must part
acceptance now, with some regret
October K’s we can’t forget.
@52
if you were him, would you sign that?
would you?
assuming only his health you can make the case that leaves another 80 on the table
@53
last line, to better relate to the original (Kipling)
‘October K’s, lest we forget.’
Is it April Fool’s Day or something?
Ha. Might as well say the city’s getting another hockey team, too.
Hot damn, just when I needed to do work this morning.
Oh, WOW. This can’t be…and yet…
And now the official Braves account is saying it. So unless there’s some really sophisticated hacker, this move is actually happening.
The Braves official Twitter has confirmed:
What the hell?
http://homeofthebraves.com
Maybe the Rays will move to Turner Field.
That is really, really shocking. Can’t believe they could keep it this quiet.
No roofs, please.
Wait…What?!?!?
The Cobb County Braves.
I am really not feeling that.
Definitely did not see this coming. I did not see a single person speculating that the Braves would not renew their lease of Turner Field.
I’m sure this is a ploy to get the City of Atlanta to throw in some tax breaks for Turner Field, but WOW. This is where I work and traffic is already a nightmare getting in and out.
Here ends my Braves fandom. Y’all enjoy the Cobb County Whatevers.
@70
They will still be the Atlanta Braves
@71- Not to me.
Here is where it is going to be.
Click to access 73UR_Aerial_of_Site.pdf
@70
I’m going with the Smyrna Civic Responsibility Abandoners, and at the moment my impulse is to join you.
As a fan from the Chattanooga area, I’m thrilled. 20 less minutes to the park I may even get limited season tickets.
Of course not knowing ATL as much as most here I’m curious to know if MARTA goes to the area. New stadiums usually mean new revenues too right? At least for a few years though not sure we have a good model for a team moving so far. A chance to improve the restaurant/bar scene around the stadium would be nice as well.
No rail transit to the proposed stadium site. Something tells me this isn’t the only critical factor that has been overlooked.
11/11/2013 — the day the Braves went from America’s Team to Nobody’s Team?
outside the perimeter
Geez, some of this overreaction.
@75-
MARTA doesn’t go to that area. Cobb County voters will see to it that it never does. (This is not me making a political argument, just pointing out a political fact.)
The logistics behind this are a disaster. I hope for the franchise’s sake that this is just a negotiating ploy for city improvements to Mechanicsville/Capitol Ave. and the creation of a MARTA stop at the Ted.
@78- Balkanized distrust and disgust flow just as readily from inside the Perimeter as the other direction.
@ 78 – as per usual.
Two things that stand out to me on why
1) The Braves like to own their minor league teams and statdiums. Will they own this stadium?
2) I would imagine the lack of a MARTA rail to the Ted played into this some. You may not need a MARTA rail for this stadium, but I have a feeling that will happen.
This isn’t overreaction. It’s reaction.
The Braves have been the city’s flagship franchise since 1966, and now it’s no longer in the City of Atlanta. That’s no small thing.
#82
The Braves will not own the stadium. From the site:
“Plans call for the stadium to be owned by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority, which also owns the Cobb Galleria Centre and Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. However, the Braves will enjoy the day-to-day oversight of the facility.”
If you view the Atlanta Braves as just an entity unto itself, you might consider it an overreaction. But if you think of it as a public trust that’s crucial to the vitality of a city you love, this is horrible news.
You’re entitled to be merely a sports fan.
Wow. Four miles from the home I left only 39 years ago. Guess I should have stayed. But seriously, I suspect there is a good deal of gamesmanship left in this process.
For those of us that grew up with the old Fulton County stadium and the Ted, this feels like a betrayal of our childhood and our fandom. Not asking others to feel that way, just saying that for myself, I will still be a fan of the team and root for them, but I will never set foot inside the new stadium.
I’ve never lived in Atlanta, so for those who do (or have before), is there a view of Cobb County that locals have that is making everyone so upset? Twitter and Facebook are blowing up with negative responses, and I cannot tell if it is just because this is different or if it is something deeper.
I’ve only gotten to go to Turner Field once, but I love the park and know that many around baseball consider it a nice one. That being said, since it opened there have been a steady stream of complaints about easy access to the park, parking, and the lack of things to do in the area once you are there. Basically, the Ted’s location stinks. Atlanta has done nothing to try to address that or build up the area for the past 17 years.
From what I am reading this morning, this move looks to address all of that. I’m seeing speculation that MARTA will finally expand north (although the past few comments here make me doubt that), the Braves have said that the area will offer more parking, and the team will try to create a Wrigley-like atmosphere around the park to give fans options of things to do. Also, if the map here (http://homeofthebraves.com/overview/) is true, this will get the park closer to where the majority of fans who attend games live. They will also still have an Atlanta zip code, right?
Since the team will own the area around the park, it will mean revenue. With our TV deal, isn’t that what we need? I don’t know how much of it will translate into on-field talent, but surely more revenue would mean we could raise payroll, right? Haven’t we been complaining for years about the Braves payroll restrictions? If a new location is a bad idea, what would be a better way for the team to generate revenue?
What am I missing here as a non-Atlantian?
@85
Sounds like a done deal.
@87
I also imagine it will be smaller than Turner Field. There were some issues the city could have addressed with Turner Field and I guess they chose not to do so.
Some people may be pisssed about the move, but there are more that likley two sides tot he story that will come out over then next few days, weeks, months and years. It may be too quick to pass judgment.
@87
A couple of things. First, it’s not up to MARTA whether they expand north — Cobb County has prevented them from doing so for 40 years.
As far as views of Cobb County from Atlantans, let’s just say it’s frustrating to see so many of them refuse to admit that their standard of living is attributable to their proximity to the city of Atlanta. Instead, many of them just view the city with disdain.
@88
Nothing is signed yet. They still have time to pull a Furcal.
@87-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight
@91
I don’t think so. I guess it is possible, but I don’t think you roll an announcment out like this unless the plan is set.
This is not an argument for or against the move, but if you are waiting on a professional sports franchise to not do what is in their best interest for the sake of civic responsibility, then I guess you haven’t been paying attention the past 20 years. You are always free to not support the team anymore – and it is a shame that they will not be staying in downtown Atlanta – but it will not change my support of the Braves one bit and I predict it will be a huge boon to the organization.
Moving closer to your season ticket base and into a location where they can control the build-out of bars, restaraunts, hotels, and other supporting gameday attractions…seems like a good move.
The one downside is that that area has the worst traffic in the city…and it’s going to get twice as bad now.
@95: For one downside, that seems like a significant one. Isn’t one of the major problems with the current location that it’s impossible to drive to quickly?
@96, I’m sure they’ve done traffic studies and will have better routes in/out of the parking lots, so that aspect should be better than the Ted, but the problem is the huge number of commuters that work in Atlanta and live in the NW burbs, plus the constant stream of thru-traffic up 75 to Chattanooga and points beyond.
I guess the positive will be that if you are faced with driving north on 75 to get home then you might be very tempted to stop and take in a game. I would expect them to sell out every seat for many years, especially since it’s going to be a smaller facility.
‘Rissa: As I said above, I left 39 years ago, so I can’t comment definitely on any sociological issues, or even traffic issues, but this is almost (but not quite) in the city limits. If they can get people in and out of there, this seems like it would work. Turner Field and its predecessor never developed the area sufficiently to get people to hang around before and after the game, so I’m not sure what people are so nostalgic about. Again, I’m almost surely not the best commenter on these issues, because I’m so long gone, but if you can solve the traffic problems, what’s not to like?
I am for a smaller more intimate designed for baseball facility for the Braves. Just don’t make it a band box park that negates the one thing the team does well which is develop pitching.
Like ‘Rissa I am not from Atlanta and don’t understand the regional emotions. So purely from an objective point of view it does make sense to move the team closer to its target audience. Having experienced Atlanta traffic though if y’all are saying that this is the worst area of town, then I do hope that some sort of accommodation is made for that or all the team has done is move the access to the stadium problem north.
@99-
“then I do hope that some sort of accommodation is made”
That’s the rub. This part of the metro area is almost violently opposed to infrastructure development in the form of public transit. Especially if it brings people from the Atlanta city core outwards.
Assuming this actually happens (not sure if it isn’t a strong-handed negotiating ploy), then I would argue that this is the best thing that could happen for the pro-light-rail-up-75 camp. But even if they started now it’d probably take 20 years to build it out.
Some of this seems like overreaction or a resistance to change.
I have lived in Atlanta all my life, but I do not feel a part of the “us versus them” mentality of suburbs and downtown that I interpret as being expressed here.
The best summation is in post 95 – this seems like it will improve the commute and ballpark experience for most fans of the team.
@100
I have a feeling that public transportation will be part of the agreement.
New thread.
101 – Seriously, 20 years?!?
I guess that would require union labor and be completed just in time for the team to move to Dalton.
There’s a definite disconnect/”us vs them mentality” between the suburbs and the city. I just wouldn’t count this particular suburb as part of that group.