Andrelton Simmons standing on a baseball field with a glove on his hand is a web gem waiting to happen, and this winter Braves Journal is going to determine which of his gems is the best of his best—his Jadeite. To see the previous posts in the series, click here.
Your votes have chosen the top two plays, but we have all had to mourn favorite plays falling by the wayside in the process. Several plays received such adulation from Braves Journal voters that it seemed a pity to not give them their proper due before we anoint the grand champion. Some of your most beloved plays (as indicated in past votes) are back, to help us determine the ranking of Simmons’s top ten plays.
Consolation Bracket: You Shall Not Pass vs. Superman
You Shall Not Pass
Editor’s Pitch: I’m really not sure how Simmons got to this ball. He had to dive, obviously, but then he had to reach up to actually catch it. I wouldn’t have guessed his arms were long enough to make this play, but the one lesson I have learned from watching Andrelton for three years is to always expect the impossible. And this certainly looks impossible.
Previous appearance: You Shall Not Pass moved past Run At Your Own Risk in the first round of the consolation bracket.
Superman
Editor’s Pitch: Take a screen shot at 0:28 of this clip, throw a cape on the man, and you’ll discover the true identity of Superman. Clark Kent has nothing on Andrelton.
Previous appearance: Superman lost to Slip ‘N Slide, 22-19.
I have no idea how to vote on this one.
In reference to the previous thread, I seem to recall John Hart getting a lot of credit for the various extensions handed out last spring, since he sort of pioneered the practice in Cleveland and had joined the Braves FO shortly before they happened. What I’m saying is that if you’re going to credit him with the Kimbrell/Freeman/Simmons extensions then you danged well better pin him with the CJ extension as well.
Wren plenished (?) and then failed to replenish the farm after graduating Tommy Hanson, Andrelton, Heyward, Freeman, Teheran, Kimbrel etc etc etc to the big league team. That’s a huge success followed by a huge failure, but there has been an insane amount of selective memory when it comes to his GM-ship. The man pulled the system and team out of the major funk that Schuerholz left it in on his way out and put the team in contention every year but his first and last, and even 2008 was pretty fun to watch. So dock him points for interpersonal skills or whatever else, but please remember that he did a huge portion of his job really well including pulling off a significant number of absolutely awesome trades that were widely lauded in the moment and in retrospect. The man was a good GM.
Teheran, Heyward and Freeman entered the organization before Frank Wren took the wheel. Wren became GM in Oct 2007. Those guys came in in June of 2007.
Wren gets credit for Simmons, Kimbrel, Minor and Gattis. And the sucking void left when they graduated.
What Wren did well at was keeping our young talent around instead of trading off some of those pieces. Wren also found some scrap arms via FA market. What he couldn’t do was spend his money wisely and all the big FA signings became duds.
Lowe, Uggla, Kawakami, and Upton is a bad rap sheet for any mid market GM to be able to survive from
Shelby hitting 94-95 today.
It’s tough to be a genius when you’re never allowed to sign the kind of players that don’t miss.
I voted for You Shall Not Pass, but I’m only now realizing just how similar these two plays are.
@6 I think Markakis is a perfect example of the type of player you get when you buy a low-risk player in the Braves’ price range. That’s why the guys with red flags are so tempting.
Um…no.
@3, he also gets credit for Alex Wood.
Well if Phil Nevin and Mark Grace say so.
Edit: If Phil and Mark are such connoisseurs, can they please tell me how to vote on this one?
In other news, it appears Fredi will be designating Cakes to hit for the pitcher today. Go Cakes!
This one was hard because they are similar plays. Similar incredible plays.
For some reason I’m pulling for Kelly Johnson to make the team. And still pulling for Todd Cunningham to start the season in CF. I can’t explain it.
It’s just spring training but I like the positives coming out of camp. Jace Peterson, Shelby Miller, Folty. Call me a glass is 10% full guy.
I will say that by getting guys like Folty and AJP I’ll be using initials and nicknames a lot. I can’t type worth a damn and my spelling has gone to hell with old age.
@mlbbowman: C Braeden Schlehuber, LHP Donnie Veal and Sugar Ray Marimom were all reassigned to Minor League camp this morning.
I’ve seen about enough of Sugar Ray Marimom.
@6: Or maybe you only get to be a genius if you aren’t allowed to sign guys who can’t miss. Genius GM’s are the ones who do more with less, not the ones who sign every top dollar FA. Remember, Wren handed out that atrocious contract to Belle in Baltimore, too. Once Mudge is cut, you will have every major free agent contract handed out by Wren ending in millions upon millions in dead money counting against the team’s budget.
Wren made some mistakes for sure, but I’d say during his tenure the moves he made were a net positive.
That being said, I’m glad we have moved on.
A GM’s genius corresponds fairly closely to the money he has to spend, draft position, money he has to spend, willingness to part with something to get something, money he has to spend etc.
@16:
“A GM’s genius corresponds fairly closely to the money he has to spend, draft position, money he has to spend, willingness to part with something to get something, money he has to spend etc.”
Exactly–that’s why Billy Beane and Andrew Friedman were considered perhaps the two best. So Much Money!
Also, this is why Ned Coletti and Brian Cashman are thought to be duds–no money 🙁
JohnWDB, what are you talking about?
He’s saying that having money to spend is not actually what makes a GM a “genius,” and that rather, having enough money to spend for big ticket free agents might be akin to having enough rope to hang yourself.
Which, you know, sure. But I think it’s fallacious to say the money has any relation to the intelligence of the GM. You can have no money and be Billy Beane or Andrew Friedman, and get tons of credit for what success you do have. You could be Ned Coletti or Ruben Amaro Jr, and have tons of money and get tons of blame for spending it.
But Brian Cashman, for having been given every advantage in the world, isn’t a Ned Coletti or Ruben Amaro. It may be catching up to him now, but he’s bought a couple of rings with all that money.
They can’t all be Schuerholz and Dombroski, with both brains and bucks. But you can’t say Billy Beane in Oakland is the optimal outcome for a fan. Schuerholz or Dombroski, and for that matter, Cashman, pretty much is. Teams got lots of money, GM uses it to win actual games. They might not be called “geniuses” for overcoming adveristy. But you play to win games.
@19, correct
I should’ve used Amaro instead of Cashman in my example.
I do wonder which GM’s have gotten fewer WAR per dollar than Wren on free agent acquisitions
If you had to guess…who is our cleanup hitter on opening day?
Gomes?
Also, it’s long been believed that the Albert Belle contract was strongly influenced by the Orioles’ meddling owner, Peter Angelos.
And his dog, rooby rooby roo.
@22
Mr. Chris Johnson is my bet.
Evan Gattis is a good hitter.
Maybe James Russell shouldn’t pitch to right-handed batters.
Speaking of Evan Gattis, Folty was supposed to start today and was a late scratch, I’m assuming this is going to be another Tommy John.
(edit: turns out Kohn started because of threat of rain.)
Zoilolol Almonte is 3-3 and now has a respectable spring working. Oh, how to pick an outfield? 3 spots to divide between Turd Ferguson, Opie Cunningham, Eric the Younger, oily Zoily, and You’re E. Perez? And one of those only keeping CF for Mudge.
I’m just really hoping we see a lot of Eury this year and find out if he can be the average CF I’m hoping for.
@28
Agreed. We may be going into a season where our optimal outfield is two thirds comprised by Eury and Terdz.
Oh man we have scored the third most runs in the Grapefruit League so far. Look out NL!
22 — Freeman or Markakis.
I think this is the first time i’ve seen Eury and EYJ in the same starting lineup this spring. It’s pretty telling that EYJ is leading off and starting in CF, while You’re E. Perez? is batting 8th and playing LF.
Di-Eury-uh.
Well, we scored 14 runs today. That’s more than the Braves scored during any regular-season game in 2014.
Progress!
If it makes anyone feel any better, my NL-only dynasty squad is absolutely loaded and primed for a championship this year.
In a related story, there are no Braves on my NL-only dynasty squad.
im liking more line drive hitters ..we may not hit HR’s but we are gonna make the defense catch the ball ..
my lineup against lefties
1. E Young, CF
2. J Peterson, 2B
3. Markakis, RF
4. Freeman, 1B
5. Gomes , LF
6. Simmons, ss
7. C Johnson, 3b
8. Bethancort,c
righties
1. E Young, CF
2. Peterson, 2b
3. Markakis, RF
4. Freeman, 1B
5. K Johnson, Lf
6. Pierzenski, c
7. Simmons, ss
8. Callaspo, 3b
Big shout-out to fangraphs for the addition of wGDP to the WAR calculation and recognizing Chris Johnson as our least valuable player last year.
I give Edward 100% of the credit.
@37, 2nd that
@36, will Callaspo make the team? I mean, strictly using Chris Johnson vs LHP is terrific, since hitting lefties is the only thing he does remotely well. But, is Callaspo good at anything? He’s managed to compile a .396 OPS in a fair number of spring AB’s (45), failing to draw even one measley walk. It was a fair gamble to sign him, since he was a valuable player not that long ago, but he has apparently not been doing anything that might help him return to form. Time to cut our losses. I’d rather give those AB’s to Goose or even this Ciriaco kid.
Will repost in the next thread