The Braves kick off a 3-game series against NL East foe, the Phillies. Here are the pitching matchups for the week:
Braves Gain Extra Year of Control for Orlando Arcia
Boggy of Knockahoma Nation is a great resource for all things roster related and he told me that June 7th was the day that Braves could call up Arcia and gain an extra year of control. Looks like they can keep him around in 2022 if they choose to do so.
Scott Kingery Outrighted
It’s only relevant to the Braves as they’re playing the Phillies, but Kingery, halfway through his 6 year extension, was outrighted to AAA after he went unclaimed (and rightly so) through waivers. He’s getting paid $4MM this year, $6MM in 2022, and $8MM in 2023.
4 Braves Make MLB Network’s Top 25 Under 25
Look, MLB Network is a clown show and Harold Reynolds is the main mime. And while I agree on the 4 guys they got right, the order is just all wrong. They’ve not revealed the Top-5, so Ronald Acuna Jr. is just assumed. Here are the rankings:
Seriously…Austin Riley at 13, but Ozzie Albies at 17? Talk about recency bias. Ian Anderson, while not in this graphic, was named 10th and that’s pretty impressive considering the players he’s outranking. My guess is Acuna lands in the 2nd spot behind MLB loverboy Fernando Tatis Jr.
Braves Lineup
Drew Smyly pitching to a hot hitting team in a hitter friendly park. What could go wrong?
Smyly is still dead to me, but I’d never let the mere cessation of brain function and the autonomic nervous system get in the way of a good pitching performance. So I’m optimistic.
[quickly googles “autonomic nervous system”]
Man, that’s a great burn!
@17, @21, & @25 from the last thread: Early Andruw’s range was…how to describe it…disorienting. Runner on first and the batter would hit a line drive to the gap. I’d be asking myself if there was any hope the runner was slow enough that he wouldn’t score from first on the double, and then the tv would cut to the outfield and it was, “Oh, Andruw’s going to get it. Never mind.” He just didn’t fit in with my sense developed over 25+ years of being a fan of which balls were catchable and which ones weren’t.
His best defensive years were from ages 19-24, even though his national recognition lagged that by a couple of years. In his two months at 19, he played mostly right, but when he did play center, his range per 9 innings was 36% better than that of regular CF Marquis Grissom, who won his fourth straight Gold Glove. At 20, he also played mostly RF because Kenny Lofton was in center, but his range was better than Lofton’s too. At 21, he took over center and had 20 assists, the most by a center fielder in the last 50 years. (He had a very good arm, but I assume getting to the ball quickly helped too.) After 24 it looks like he had several years at “just” a Gold Glove level before he fell off a cliff.
@16 from previous thread, when Joey Gathright hit 0 homers his first 3 years in the minors, he was 21, 22, & 23. I’ll agree with you that 0 homers at those ages is a red flag, but that’s very different from 0 homers at 17 & 18.
Andruw was the best centerfielder I ever saw, and I am older than all creation but blazon.
I’m not as old as coop or blazon, but I did see Willie Mays, and Andruw was better. (One caveat: Mays was 30 before I remember seeing him, and 30 year old Mays was better than 30 year old Andruw. )
Another cf with a great defensive rep in my early baseball years was Paul Blair. Andruw was better.
My grandfather said Tris Speaker was the best defensive cf ever. We’ll have to ask coop about him.
TFloyd! Ouch.
Blair was tremendous. Andruw was better.
And here comes the three run shot by Hoskins after the walk
Edit- wow… quite the surprise out
I’m right with the other dinosaurs on center fielders. Let me add one more name. Garry Maddox was great as well… but Andruw was better.
A 2-run lead is far from enough Smyly Space.
That was a terrible at bat
Third time through…Snit says. “But he was doing so well”as he gives up four runs
I heard that since two-thirds of the earth was covered by oceans, Garry Maddox could only cover one-third of it. I’m confident Andrew had him beat.
The only thing that comes close to watching Andruw play defense was watching Andrelton play defense.
I see you Edgar. Nice work
After seeing Greene and Matzek, I have a slightly better appreciation for Smyly.
Although Greene got totally screwed by the ump.
Oh yeah, Shane Greene will fix the bullpen woes. This season, man.
I’m not surprised about the rust on Greene. May take a few outings to get it sanded off.
If they thought he would be rusty, then ya gotta ask if a one-run lead is the best time to get his feet wet.
Looks like it’s someone else’s turn to play Little League ball.
@13: amen, brother AAR.
I was trying to remember who said that about Maddox. Recall function broke.
Mediocrity is so difficult to achieve sometimes.
And the quote is from Ralph Kiner.
JF, are you bilious?
Mostly just flatulent, coop, which will surprise no one.
500 yea.
LOL Joey Votto:
Recapped.