This bar is now closed! Please join us at the new bar:
The Bar, 4/23-4/29
It’s a new week and it’s a new bar! All posts that are not Recaps or Game threads will be channeled to the bar!
Here are links to all the posts that are being talked about in this bar:
Does A.J. Minter Deserve the Closing Role for Good?
MIchael Tonkin, A Retrospective
Where Can I Watch the 2022 Braves Draft Class?
I think the news of the day is Varsity!
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36211469/braves-ace-fried-return-injured-list-start-padres
If you were going to walk from Kauffman Stadium to Petco Park, Google Maps thinks would take you roughly 515 hours to traverse the 1,578 miles. Fortunately, there’s apparently a three-hour nonstop flight from Kansas City to San Diego. Still, a night game in a new time zone immediately after a day game is always a little tough. So the offense might be a little draggy. It would be great if Max could go 6, but the most important thing is just having him back. Young Ryan Weathers is going for the Friars; his dad was one of the best relief pitchers of his generation. Pretty neat!
I really thought we were gonna see Soroka. He really seems ready.
A new piece for the bar!
And another piece for the bar!
Regarding Ryan’s latest piece linked above, my biggest concern is d’Arnaud – it certainly seems like it could be a long time before we see him back in cleats, and even then he may not don the tools of ignorance. I think the team is absolutely right to take as much time as possible to prioritize his recovery. Four concussions is scary, and if he comes back at all, I would be happy for him never to play the field again, just to ensure that his post-playing career remains as pain-free as possible. Getting his bat back in the lineup at DH would be wonderful (and, not for nothing, having him as a full-time DH would provide even more pressure to get rid of Ozuna).
Agree that Eli White is likely the first guy to go back to Gwinnett when Michael Harris II returns. Unfortunately, bullpen arms are not known for their health, so I’m guessing that when the relievers get ready to return, someone else will probably get hurt. But Kirby Yates feels like he could be on a hotseat, so if no one else is actually hurt, he might either go out with a phantom injury, or even get DFA’d. Yates and Jimenez have thrown fewer innings than any other healthy reliever, and Jimenez isn’t getting dropped first.
Regarding the small sample sizes, I think it’s worth pointing out that as of this morning, all the teams the Braves have played this season are below .500.
I think every position player that returns from this point where they don’t DFA Ozuna is malpractice. The man is done. Designate him for assignment and release him already! And don’t wait until Arcia comes back…do it when Harris comes back!
This.
Who goes when they come back?
I’m not so sure there truly are even decent options to replace Ozuna in AAA/AA. There’s no one beating down the door, for sure. Ozuna is generally well liked in the clubhouse, even if he is disliked by the folks in the stands. I think he will be with the big club until there is someone forcing themselves onto the team, like it or not, unfortunately.
All the focus on Ozuna’s terrible performance and repugnant character has let Rosario’s awful 2022 and 2023 go, more or less, unnoticed. The Braves need to replace both of them, honestly.
Everybody’s a decent option. We’re talking about literally the worst player in all of baseball. Replacing him with the worst player in all of baseball would be a push, at worst.
So apparently Luetge to the IL. Makes sense.
Trivia question:
Name all the pitchers in the Braves’ entire organization with a complete game. “Entire organization” is a hint that there is one you’re not thinking of off-hand.
This year, or ever in their career?
Something to consider, BJers. From my friend Boggy:
Ozuna is 30 days away from 10 yrs of MLB service & being fully vested in the MLB pension plan.
“But Boggy, he’ll make over $118M in his career. Why would the pension matter?”
10 yrs is a huge deal for veteran players & teams will sometimes do what they can to get them there.
According to Fangraph’s Roster Resource, the lucky phantom injury winner is Lucas Luetge. But I think Kirby has got to be next on the phantom injury list and Danny Young to get optioned (covers Iglesias and McHugh). Everything else seems straightforward assuming that both Adrianza and Ozuna stay (White for Harris, Tromp for D’Arnaud, and Grissom for Arcia). Of course I do not want Ozuna to stay but just sayin’. If Arcia is to start then Adrianza will stay and Grissom will start at AAA. If Grissom is to start then Arcia becomes the utility and Adrianza can go.
AA just sits back and waits for an appropriate injury to solve his roster issues. Now if Luetge or Yates or Soroka need to come up, I’m not sure what will happen…..yet…..
New thread for the bar!
Is the purpose of the bar to keep people from being “JC’ed” when there is a new thread?
The purpose is to streamline conversation for all the articles that aren’t recaps or game threads.
I think the idea is that there are going to be a lot more articles going forward, so in that case, it should also help with the “JC’ing.”
@RustyS. Agreed.
We have a game thread, ladies and gents.
Somehow couldn’t comment in the recap threat. Thanks JonathanF.
Love West Coast games, waking up at after 5 and watching the last three innings. 7 straight!
After 5? <>
I wait until just before 7 and watch the highlights
Thanks Cade, for the piece on Tonkin. Whenever there is the occasional need to ask the question “Who is the emergency catcher?” my automatic reply is: “The guy who is happiest just to be here.” So, I suppose Tonkin is also the emergency catcher.
Braves claimed Nick Solak. Pretty good player and could platoon in LF with…Sam Hilliard!
Maybe Nick Solak is the answer to what will happen when Arcia comes back and the Braves designate Adrianza?
A new piece for the bar in where I flatter Dylan Lee.
Gave us two good innings last night.
And we also have a Game thread ready to go.
Dylan Lee will be around as long as he is our second best LH reliever (with Matzek down). If there was any possibility Luetge would supplant him (this is likely why he didn’t make so many rosters), things might be different but Lee is better than Luetge.
So what do you do when your two worst players (Ozuna and Yates) are two of your most highly paid players?
This from the Dylan Lee appreciation post is gold, Ryan: “he locates likely better than any bullpen arm on the team, and that is the secret sauce.” He finished his work and just walked off the mound, matter-of-fact-like…I love it! He expects to dominate and does!
New Piece for the Bar!
Regarding the “Who closes?” question… I thought this piece was interesting: https://theathletic.com/4408440/2023/04/13/saves-and-holds-rankings-closer-report/
I don’t think there’s any need to have a strict Closer™ — I think a two-headed monster can work well, and just bring in whichever guy is the best guy for the situation.
I agree. One thing I’d like to mention about Minter (without statistical backup) is that he seems to do much better when getting early strikes (0-1, 0-2, 1-2, etc…). I think his slider/cutter is thrown out of the strike zone a lot (crossing the strike zone area, though) and when he’s ahead, batters swing and when he’s behind, they don’t and get more walks. I always thought the turning point for him was developing the changeup. His changeup, when used properly, is a devastating pitch that is unhittable.
That being said, a shared closer or matchup-based would be a great way to use both Minter and Iglesias. This was true for the 8th when the 8th was ruled by the Night Shift.
We have a game thread, ladies and gents!
of note, several of the stats cited in the Minter piece stabilize at very low sample sizes; chase rate is specifically the one I have in mind, but I think hard hit% and avg EV move pretty fast too. That means those stats (definitely chase rate, and to some extent the other I think) are more predictive than you might expect this early in the season.
It’s happening!
This is such great news. It is hard to watch how badly things have deteriorated in Oakland.
Somehow Cliff was able to recap an unrecappable game. There’s power in sorrow and water in tears.
A couple of requests re: site navigation. First, more than five entries in the recent comment box would be helpful (scrollable would be great, but if not then maybe 10 entries?). Second, when you click on an entry in recent comments, it momentarily goes to that comment in the relevant thread 🙂 but then immediately jumps to the top of the post 🙁
I’ll ask Matt.
OK, if the DBacks are willing to DFA MadBum then we should do the same with Ozuna.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/04/diamondbacks-dfa-madison-bumgarner.html
Yup.
We have a few new posts for the Bar.
First, if you’re having login issues, please come read this and let me know what’s up. Matt has lessened the restrictions so many should find it easy to navigate.
Here’s that piece: https://bravesjournal.com/2023/04/21/login-issues/
Next, a new MiLB piece on 3rd Round Draft Pick Drake Baldwin:
Good to know about Drake! Ryan – why would you want to see him at 1B or corner OF? My thought is, if a guy can stay at catcher, that’s by far the most valuable place for him to stick.
Drew Frowny, I mean Smyly, pitched a gem today against LA. Because why not? Lost a perfect game in the 8th on a swinging bunt that he and the catcher both tried to field, and collided with each other. Pretty funny actually.
We have a game thread, ladies and gents.