Category: Player Analysis 2014

Did you know there are only 14 players from Colombia in Major-League history? Certainly, World Series hero Edgar Renteria (32.1 WAR) would be the most accomplished. But outside of him, only fellow infielder Orlando Cabrera...

Freddie Freeman earned the nickname The Offense last year, and this offseason has done nothing to make one suspect anyone will challenge him for that title for a long, long time. While the Braves have apparently shifted their...

Luis Avilan is one of the few holdovers from last year’s bullpen, but that means very little other than he’s one of the few guys I’ll recognize in Spring Training pictures. That being said, since his name is...

The Braves signed Kelly Johnson to a minor league deal last week, and though he’s not assured of anything but an invite to spring training and a chance to compete for a bench spot, we’re going to write him up here. This was...

A Scenario: It’s a Tuesday and you’re Craig Kimbrel. You haven’t warmed up in a game since last Wednesday when you helped salvage that getaway-day win in Cincy. It’s only seven weeks into the season… and you see where...

B.J. Upton’s first two years in Atlanta have been famously, catastrophically bad, and I’m not going to linger too long on the specific numerical details of it. Mostly because after two years, we’ve passed the point where...

I’m on a long-running group text thread with about 12 of my friends, and one schtick I’ve been on for the past two summers is to post “EVAN GATTIS” in all caps whenever I’m watching or listening to a Braves game and El...

After 4 unremarkable minor league seasons, Phil Gosselin had an eye opening 2014 in his second tour at AAA Gwinnett. Gosselin, who turns 27 in October, batted .344/.379/.487 in a not insignificant 378 at bats. Promoted to...

With the signing of A.J. Pierzynski as a 3rd catcher, the Braves appear to be serious about moving Evan Gattis to left field, thus surrendering the offensive competitive advantage they have enjoyed at catcher for the past 20...

After a breakout 2013 season, Mike Minor battled shoulder injuries in April and September, bracketing a forgettable 2014. Minor missed most of Spring Training and started the season on the DL with shoulder soreness. Then as a...

Alex Wood has been impressive in each of his two major league seasons, albeit in a limited number of starts. Wood, who turns 24 in January, owns a 1.119 career WHIP and has struck out almost exactly one batter per each of his...

So, the Braves signed Georgia boy Nick Markakis — he went to high school in Woodstock — for four years, $44 million. On its face, I don’t like this deal. On reflection, I don’t like this deal. On a bit more...

So, there was a blockbuster trade, where the Braves and Cardinals swapped one year of a talented but fragile left-handed right-fielder for a young Southern fireballing right-handed pitching prospect. If you started thinking that...