This is the place where all posts that aren’t recaps or game threads will live.
I’ve quite an extensive collection of Braves hats that I wanted to share with you all. This is the Navy/Baby Blue Cooperstown A Throwback. It’s a favorite of mine and when I go to a Braves game wearing this, I know what it’s like to be a good looking woman because I get a whole lot of looks. If any Braves Journaler is ever looking for a particular hat, reach out to me and I can likely find it.
Question for the Bar:
If Josh Donaldson were to be released by the Yankees, would you want the Braves to sign him to a MiLB deal? Why or why not?
Pieces Discussed in this Bar
- Braves News: Michael Soroka, Justus Sheffield and Still no Backup Infielder
- Gwinnett Stripers Players of the Month
- Did the Braves Fix Kolby Allard?
- An Alex Anthopoulos Appreciation Post
- Mississippi Braves Players of the Month
- Braves Trade Deadline Prediction
- Braves Draft, Day 1 & 2
- Braves Draft, Day 3 and Transactions
This bar is closed. And no, our pianist will not play “Piano Man” one more time.
My answer on Donaldson: He’s a red ass but brings a lot of energy and discussed several times how the Braves medical staff knew his body and how to keep him on the field.
No chance Donaldson would want to play in the minor leagues.
He’d only agree to it if there was an opt-out clause. Remember, he’ll still be getting paid by the Yankees.
The fact that he’s already been paid is probably why he would have no desire for the 12 hour bus rides.
If he got DFAed by the Yankees I could see the Angels or a major league team desperate for third base help taking a flier on him. If he didn’t get a major league contract I think he would hang them up.
I don’t get signing him. He’s really a DH. We need an infielder who can play multiple positions. Not having a backup is playing with fire.
Charlie C said “Me Voy” . Having him on the bench gave Grissom and Shewmake regular ABs at Gwinnett. I’d rather see if Charlie still interested.
I thought Tromp had only been optioned once to this point? When TDA came back from concussion IL?
His initial option counts.
That makes sense.
I think Donaldson might actually mess with team chemistry, even though I’m usually not a big believer in that. So it’s a no from me .
I wouldn’t mind Aguilar finding himself again in the minors and giving us yet another HR threat.
I think Aguilar is an insurance policy at first base and that’s all.
I feel the braves would be in deep Doo Doo if Olson goes down with a serious injury, so hopefully Aguilar can get it going anyhow.
Is Charlie in Gwinnett or did he opt for free agency? I’m surprised AA is rolling the dice with Tromp, too, but I won’t question him since he is a genius and I have day job in addition to my writing responsibilities here…
He is a free agent.
He “became a free agent” then re-signed with the Braves. The word I was told was that there was an arrangement.
I’d vote no.
From what I’ve seen of him so far in his 2 years in The Bronx, I think there’s a genuine possibility that Josh Donaldson is simply finished as a ballplayer. His last 600+ PA for NYY: .210/.295/.378.
There’s a reason he gets booed before & after every AB these days.
Culberson sure wasn’t a free agent for long!
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/06/braves-sign-charlie-culberson-seth-elledge.html
I would love to see Allard figure it out, from Ryan’s MILB piece today. I’ve wondered all season about Alan Winans…he has enjoyed success down on the farm, but AA must not be too enamored with his stuff if he is behind Dodd and Shuster.
If he can’t crack the rotation, he could be a great gospel singer!
I think the Braves might’ve Arcia’d Joe Dunand. The man is crushing the ball. And here’s my piece that Christian was talking about:
I just perused the baseball-ref page for the Braves. All our regulars and bench players except Tromp, have an OPS+ of 100 or better. To have that record this late in the season is amazing. Good luck navigating through that lineup.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Arcia and either Rosario / Ozuna finish the season below 100 OPS+. But who knows, wouldn’t it be something if we finish the season with all the regulars above 100 OPS+.
New piece for the Bar! What say you?
Congratulations to Sean Murphy and Orlando Arcia on being selected as All-Star starters!
I’m particularly amazed by Arcia, considering our concerns about shortstop in the offseason. When the Braves moved optioned Grissom and Shewmake in spring training, I don’t think any of us was expecting it. But Arcia has certainly earned his keep and this honor
Murphy’s selection is less surprising, but I’m just flabbergasted by the Braves sending three different catchers to the ASG in two years.
Now let’s see which pitchers get chosen.
Real question: which of our pitchers deserve to be chosen? Is it just Bryce?
I sometimes think an occasional reminder that it’s against the rules to use the IL to stash players who never were or are no longer injured is instructive. There’s something of a gray area here, particularly in the “no longer” category since a rehab stint is often part of the recovery from injury, but all it takes is a union grievance if a player’s not cool with being ILed in the first place or sent to the spring training site for two months as part of their rehab to get the team in trouble real quick.
The “time to throw [insert player who’s in a slump] on the fake IL” thing that a bunch of people do always makes me cringe. It doesn’t work like that…at least it’s not supposed to.
I’ll ask this: Why would a player who’s already making the $ be against it? Also, it’s worked like that for years, especially fringe guys. See Jackson Stephens 2023.
I’m intrigued by Allard’s curveball. As Ryan noted, he did a great job of having the curve finish down in the zone/below the zone. That allows for some significant vertical separation between it and the fastball.
Not only did Allard lean on the curve heavily in yesterday’s outing (29.6% usage, second only to his fastball at 32.4%), he also seems to have improved its vertical movement:
Average Vertical Drop (in inches):
– 2018: 59.5
– 2019: 55.5
– 2020: 56.8
– 2021: 56.6
– 2022: 61.8
– 2023: 66.5
Allard’s curveball this year has 5% more vertical drop than the average curveball. Granted, we’re dealing with the tiniest of samples here, but it’s still an interesting development and something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
Thanks for the context around those numbers, Stephen! I didn’t understand Ryan’s numbers at the top of his post.
As I recall, Kolby was part of the Braves’ strategy of being willing to draft pitchers who had an injury history. I don’t recall that it worked out terrifically, but injuries have accompanied him since the first day he joined the organization. I agree with Nick’s comment, even though I’m definitely one of the people who has called for using the fake IL.
I think it’s been interesting to see, especially in recent years, a lot of team comments to the effect of, “If we were in a stretch run, he could have played through it, but right now it makes sense to be cautious.” There were comments like that before Michael Harris went on the IL, and before Fried went on the IL. One thing that’s happening is a greater focus on preventative care, which is great. Another thing that’s happening is a blurring of the lines between the kind of nagging pain that every player plays through virtually every day, and what constitutes an “injury” that comes with a free 25-man roster spot. There’s a clear moral hazard associated with the spot, but taking player pain seriously and moving the emphasis toward preventative care seems so virtuous to me that I’m fairly willing for teams to fudge their injury lists, since it’s generally for the good cause of getting players well and forestalling more serious injuries.
That said, to Ryan’s point, I definitely think it would be possible to imagine a player fighting an involuntary IL stint – say a young player is performing terribly and the team wants to send him back down, but they don’t want to burn an option. And say that young player really doesn’t want to be sent back down to the minors. If that player feels they aren’t really hurt, and has a head full of steam, they just might fight it.
Here’s a link to a free stream of The Baseball Project’s new LP, “Grand Salami Time.”
Coming to a town near you this summer: http://baseballproject.net/
Ryan’s right to shower praise upon AA, of course. I have loved the guy from the moment he arrived five and a half years ago, and even I was gigantically wrong about his strategy in 2019.
He’s very good.
“Austin Riley: through 2023”
Correct? Transposition?
Typo. Fixed. 2033.
Ryan’s only misstep in his slobbering on AA piece is when he said, in the pullout quote, that AA is a good GM. Dude is an unbelievable GM and this is the best-run organization in baseball. He has been a Jedi-Master when it comes to locking people up, finding beauty among the ashes, and patching teams together. For all the “Give Acuna all the money he wants” (which I agree with), ownership ought to be giving AA everything he wants for a long time!
And welcome back, Charlie and Michael Soroka, who will start tonight. I’m hoping he can shove and stick this time!
Great piece on AA, Ryan. We are so lucky.
Alex Anthopolous is overrated — by a tribe in Papua New Guinea who worship him as a God. For the rest of us, he is still slightly underrated.
The Branch Rickey of the 21st century. And you heard it here, first.
Also, on some recent piece on the Cardinals, I saw their list of “worst teams” by losses. Basically almost none from 1924 until now. Usually one year or less per decade. And I am pretty sure around that time Rickey became their GM. He created the farm system. Then, he went to the Dodgers and partly for moral reasons, (but partly for talent reasons) he integrated the game.
This guy is that transformational. So far, we can’t quite say anything as emphatic as “created the farm system. ” But 20 years from now people may be saying “The AA trade and extend.”
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!
New piece for the bar!
I’m good with the Andrus and Hand predictions. I think Hand is a higher priority not only because he’s good but because he’s left handed. I’m not sure Andrus is as much of a priority because of Charlie C and maybe Adrianza and the “break glass” options at AAA and AA. To me, it seems as if AA has stocked the bullpen with, let us say, more experienced options and the rest of the team with younger, more controllable options. I expect high turnover in the bullpen (and bench) year-after-year while other parts are more constant.
Also, I’m not sure how happy Andrus would be in a purely backup role. Probably why we don’t have him to begin with.
I don’t see why Grissom and Shewmake couldn’t play that role, unless Ryan is worried that riding the pine as a second-stringer would hamper their offensive development. I think that’s fair, though I also think that being in a playoff stretch run, and talking about the craft from some of the best hitters in the world, could also help them in other ways.
Anyway, I see the pen as a much bigger priority. Additional bench depth would definitely help, but I don’t agree with the infield and bullpen being equal priorities.
Thinking a little farther down the line, either or both of Grissom and Shewmake could be called upon in Sept or after the minor league season ends. There’s not that much LH pitching at Gwinnett (excepting the ones who have already seen MLB time).
It’s not that I’m against Grissom or Shewmake coming up to ride the pine, but it’s something the org hasn’t really done since AA took over.
What Alex said. Can’t see spending any capital on a spare infielder. RP first, then SP if there is still dry powder.
Andrus signed a $3MM deal. He’ll only cost ~$1MM and the trade cost will be crazy low.
Archie Bradley DFA’d by the Fish. I don’t think that’s the first time a reliever has been either optioned or DFA’d this year after the Braves have beat them up. LOL
I’m not counting on Fried or Wright returning or Elder (or Morton, for that matter) sustaining current levels of performance. This is a season to go for the jugular. An ace would be at the top of my shopping list.
Hey, Ryan, think i am gonna put together that Acuna piece. Aiming for it to be ready for the All-Star break.
That would be great!
Agree that I don’t see the need for a backup infielder to ride the pines. If one of the starting infielders goes down for any length of time, you call up Grissom (if it’s second or third) or Shewmake (if it’s shortstop).
As to pitching needs, I seem to be the only one here who thinks SP is a bigger priority than RP. During this remarkable June, the starting pitching was not very good, while the bullpen, especially Minter and Yates, was excellent. In fact, the fWAR of the rotation in June was just 0.3.
If Fried comes back healthy and effective, a playoff rotation of Fried, Strider, Elder, and Morton will be fine. But if even one of those guys is hurt or otherwise ineffective, you’ve got to turn to folks who have big question marks. I love Soroka, but he still has to prove he can recover his 2019 form. The rookies simply aren’t ready. I hope Wright is healthy by then, but I’m doubtful. So acquiring someone at the deadline who can start an October game if necessary seems pretty important to me. On the other hand, if both Fried and Soroka look great between now and July 31, maybe we’re ok.
As to the pen, of course I’d love to have Hand, but I’m not sure that’s as essential.
EDIT–I see that I’m not alone in seeing SP as a need. Always good to be on the same page as Fun Police.
I’m not so positive about acquiring SP help since Odorizzi was such a wonderful acquisition last year. Will Smith may not have been so great but he’s certainly doing great for Texas.
Yes, it’s one thing to say that we need a starting pitcher, and another to identify someone who is actually good and available and someone the Braves can afford.
Braves have the best SP ERA in the NL. IMO, the team cannot afford to get a guy that will lower that ERA. Bullpen and bench help aren’t sexy but it’s what this team needs the most.
And I’d bet good $ that one of Wright or Fried stick around through the playoffs when they come back.
Anyone heard when Chavez will be back? He was very effective and would be a boost to the pen although I agree another good lefty is more needed.
Much to JonathanF’s chagrin, there are 5 more Braves named to the ASG, including the rest of the infield plus Strider and Elder. Well deserved.
I’m not exactly the biggest fan of the All-Star Game (I’d prefer for our guys to rest and enjoy the break), but it’s still cool to see their efforts get recognized. Very well deserved.
Great piece Alex.
A brief rumination, if I might (and who’s going to stop me?) on rule changes.
When any change hits baseball, there is immediate pushback. This just shows how much the sport is loved. Football, hockey and basketball allow changes, some needed, many ridiculous, to wash over them routinely. Baseball’s continuity is astonishing. 60′ 6″ I sometimes forget, has not been forever, unlike 90′. And of course what is the “proper” balance between offense and defense in baseball may have less to do with the athletes than with the attention span of fans. My continuing objection to the DH, athwart the tide of history, ie entirely philosophical and unrelated to the watchability of games. My distaste for the shift rules is both philosophical and a desire to see more dimensionality to batting skills. My embrace of the extra-innings Manfred Man is, by contrast, entirely a desire for watchability over a minor philosophical objection. I contain multitudes.
If there is a rule change that allows Atlanta to score 1000 runs, and everyone else to score 500, though, I have to admit that I’m for it even if it ruins the game completely…. seven seconds after I die.
Thanks for the article about the 1890s team, Alex. I recall that Bill James has said they were the best team of the 1890s, although players from the contemporary Baltimore Orioles such as John McGraw had long careers in coaching and gradually obscured that fact. It would have been wild seeing some of those games, with the little gloves and the rocky infields making defense much harder than we can easily imagine.
Burt Solomon wrote a great book called “Where They Ain’t” about those brilliant 1890s Orioles – Ned Hanlon and Willie Keeler and John McGraw and all the rest of them, so I came away with deep admiration of that squad.. I had never seen that comment by Bill James, but I’d love to learn more about them. Did anyone ever write a book about those Beaneaters?
Much of the information I have about the Beaneaters is from the New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.
P. 57: “It is interesting to note that while the Orioles are thought of as the great team of their generation, the Beaneaters won more championships (4-3), had the best one-year record of the decade, and the best overall record. The Boston team was the true offensive innovator of the period [inventing the hit-and-run], and was noted for playing clean ball, at least by contrast. Boston was the only team in the decade to lead the National League in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed, which they did in both 1891 and 1897.
P. 59: Best Pitching Staff: Boston Beaneaters, 1892 Kid Nichols, Jack Stivetts, Harry Staley, and John Clarkson. Boston’s pitching staffs were the best in baseball almost every year through the 1890s.
P. 63: The Boston Beaneaters of 1891-1892, with the double play combination of Joe Quinn and Herman Long, were +18 and +31 in double plays versus expected double plays. From 1983 through 1895, with Bobby Lowe and Herman Long, they were +28, +21, and +17.
A Very Good Movie Could Be Made About…the 1897 pennant race [which features] good versus evil, clean baseball versus Muggsy and assorted thugs—and good triumphs. It would be easy to root for Kid Nichols and Jimmy Collins and Herman Long and Hugh Duffy against McGraw and Jennings and Reitz.
He goes on to describe the 1897 pennant race, but that will have to wait until tomorrow!
Looks like Max Fried will be beginning a rehab assignment on Sunday. Gwinnett has announced that he’ll be starting for them that afternoon. If he returns and is healthy and effective, it will be a big boost for the starting rotation.
The problem with that ’94 team was really the manager. How many times did I tell the world about the third-time-through penalty for starting pitchers without Salee so much as thinking about going to the pen in the 4th?
I don’t do this often: LOL
What he said. Best comment of the day!
Yeah, and he never won a World Series either.
The Beaneaters won the Temple Cup (the league playoff between the two top teams) 4 times in the 1890’s. It was often referred to as the “World Championship” or “championship Series” although the title “World Series” was only used in 1890 between the National League and the AA winners
How about McHugh and Vines for Hand? If there is a weak link in the bullpen, it’s McHugh. And Vines has to be one of our most marginal, available trade chips. Both McHugh and Hand have options for next year.
Vines just now started pitching live games again. He threw 2 innings at the FCL and this development supports my theory that the Braves utilize the IL to fix things. Watch Vines get his debut before season’s end and look totally different.
On a side note, I’m 11K above sea level in FairPlay, CO and will be out of commission to write come today or tomorrow.
I think the market for Hand will be higher than a old reliever in his twilight and a fringe prospect.
New piece for the Bar to discuss. Any draft guys out there that can tell us who we should be most excited about?
Good draft, piece, Ryan. I am excited to see Hurston and that splitter, as well as Isaiah roam the outfield one day. There is something about that homegrown talent that works out well for the Hammers!
I think we got the steal of the draft in Hurston and knocked rounds 3-5 right out of the park. i’m excited to see these kids play
The 2024 schedule is out & the Braves come to The Bronx for a 3-game weekend series June 21-23.
Beers at the Yankee Tavern, y’all…
I would really enjoy catching a game with you, ububba. BravesJournal trip, anyone?
Quick flight from Zurich, count me in!
A Gotham trip? C’mon up (or over, as it were)… I’ll guess JonF wouldn’t mind either. 😉
I’ll bring it up again in the offseason. Pretty sure there’s a group ticket rate available via my sales person.
Ruh roh. Nick Anderson just went to the 60-day IL. Braves picked up Dalton Guthrie (no idea why). My guess is that Fried will be activated soon, someone will go away (Eli White?) and Allard will move to the bullpen. There may be something up on the trade front that AA isn’t letting anyone in on…….
Eli White recently suffered a shoulder injury which could be season-ending, so Guthrie was likely acquired to replace him at Triple-A.
As for Nick Anderson, his placement on the 60-day IL is less than ideal. He had a few rough outings before the break, but overall, he’s been really solid this year. In fact, his 0.8 fWAR places him among the top 30 relievers in baseball. Looks like Minter, Jimenez, and Yates will be the high-leverage guys for now, though AA will almost certainly pursue bullpen help before the Trade Deadline.
New piece for the bar.
I don’t care how bad Munoz was, he’s not worth promoting Luetge. I’m guessing they weren’t very happy with Allard’s first relief attempt. Why not just promote Danny Young and hold onto Munoz???
Now, I sure hope something is up on the trade market.
Danny Young has been pretty bad at Gwinnett. Look for him to be DFA’ed sooner rather than later.
I don’t like Luetge either. My guess is that he’s a short term replacement until Lee is back, and maybe they are trying to build his value if he does reasonably well. (Get well soon Dylan!)
They must have done an MRI on Anderson and not liked what they saw. Not good.
Yeah, tried to embed a post but didn’t work:
Pretty cool post from the Braves VP of Marketing
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adam-zimmerman-479685a_its-been-a-fantastic-first-half-of-the-season-activity-7085328674597597184-8IMW?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop