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102 comments Add your comment
Bill
February 22nd, 2009
4:34 pm
He provides some much needed leadership for the young guys. Why does everyone throw that BS in every deal that comes up…We have leadership already on this team. What the Sh#% do you know about his leadership. We need a R/H power hitter. More Management screw up. All F/H hitters and all R/H pitchers except old man Glavine. Damn its hard to love this team.
Spike
February 22nd, 2009
4:35 pm
“As DOB said, he hit .338 with runners in scoring position and .358 with 2 outs last year.”
This is what you call cherrypicking statistics.Here’s a Pro-tip – ALMOST EVERYBODY hits better in RISP situations, because guess what? The pitcher throws strikes because he doesn’t want to walk you. Part 2 – when there are two outs, pitchers throw strikes for the same reason. Anderson would make a decent complementary player on a team that hits for power. That does not describe the Braves OF.
Bubdylan
February 22nd, 2009
4:35 pm
I don’t understand the downers too much. In an off-season of economic spiraling, after four veteran starters got hurt, and when about five free agents spurned (in varying degrees of “spurning”) the club, Wren has scrapped and clawed to put together a team with some pretty notable and high quality additions, without dismantling the farm. I can’t complain, really. They look like they are trying to please the fans spend some money in tough times (when we hardly fill the seats in good times) and field a good squad, and with some success, too.
Richie
February 22nd, 2009
4:35 pm
TNScott
I picked that up from your comments. I was saying that might’ve played a part in his slow start as well. The benefit for Anderson will be, he is starting here from the ST versus coming here in July.
Gibby
February 22nd, 2009
4:35 pm
There is something else Garret Anderson brings and that is leadership. The guy is a class act and will be a voice in the club house. This takes a little pressure of Chipper to keep everyone focused. I was looking forward to seeing the young guys but I agree this makes the Braves a better team this year.
DiamondbackMac
February 22nd, 2009
4:36 pm
Enter your comments here
Coxlover
February 22nd, 2009
4:36 pm
N8, you say that Anderson isnt the “HOF name” that Griffey is. Well, I wouldn’t totally rule out Anderson being in the HOF one day if he can somehow get 3,000 hits. He’s already at 2,400 hits so you never know.
Chop Chop
February 22nd, 2009
4:37 pm
Worst-case scenario for an Anderson signing:
He sucks at an ungodly level and is released.
SeaAtl
February 22nd, 2009
4:37 pm
I totally disagree that “this team has .500 written all over them”. Starting rotation is better and deeper than last year and equal to or better than the rest of the NL East 1-5. Bullpen looks better and healthier. This is going to be a interesting and fun spring & summer, and we have a hope of playing into the fall if the Braves can avoid injuries. And STILL have nearly all of our great prospects for 2010 & beyond. I’m not finding much to be unhappy about here…..?
Coxlover
February 22nd, 2009
4:38 pm
Spike, would you stop complaining and just be happy for a change ?
Steve from OH
February 22nd, 2009
4:39 pm
Bubdylan, exactly. While Frank didn’t bring us an OF on the level of Manny Ramirez, he (while only marginally) did improve our outfield and didn’t lose any prospects doing it. All in all, seeing Lowe, Vazquez, Kawakami, and Anderson added to the club while only losing Tyler Flowers is a big plus in Wren’s column. I mean, we could be sans-Escobar,Schafer, or worse (Hanson) and not be in any better shape than we are now.
The Artist Formerly Known as Too Hot For Teacher
February 22nd, 2009
4:39 pm
spike i was following until you advocated an OF of Abreu, Dunn, and Burrell. May as well have a couple of stationary bp nets up in the OF to play defense and let the ss run after the balls in the gap.
Guys GA is not supposed to be a big bopper HR threat. I don’t think that is the mission of this team this year. He is supposed to be a high average guy who drives in runners in the clutch – which he does. If you are expecting him to hit like Manny then you are setting yourselves up for disappointment.
FaninFaytown
February 22nd, 2009
4:40 pm
Personally im just really glad we didnt make a trade for an outfielder. I think going into this year with most of our farm still intact is a great way to start out.
Chop Chop
February 22nd, 2009
4:40 pm
I noticed Anderson’s career hit total the other day, Coxlover. He would be an interesting case for the Hall. The only guys who have 3,000+ hits that aren’t in the Hall are Rose, Palmeiro, and Biggio. Biggio will get there at some point. Would Anderson make it?
Bobby's Belly
February 22nd, 2009
4:40 pm
You mean avoid injuries after the 30-40 games Chipper will miss SeaAtl?
Andrew
February 22nd, 2009
4:40 pm
whoever was for the griffey signing (and i know there were a ton of supporters here) then you have to be all for this signing too baseball wise.
Jeff321
February 22nd, 2009
4:41 pm
So much for letting the kids play, eh?
McFann :Ô:
February 22nd, 2009
4:41 pm
Andy K–
No way. G. Anderson will hafta find another number for sure.
Tomorrow’s headline: McCann Gives Number to New Outfielder…
Tomas
February 22nd, 2009
4:42 pm
I would think the best option for the Braves is to bat Anderson in the third spot.
Against RHP:
CF Josh Anderson
SS Yunel Escobar
LF Garret Anderson
3B Chipper Jones
C Brian McCann
RF Jeff Franceour
2B Kelly Johnson
1B Casey Kotchman
P pitcher
Against LHP:
CF Josh Anderson
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Chipper Jones
C Brian McCann
RF Jeff Franceour
2B Kelly Johnson
LF Matt Diaz
1B Casey Kotchman
P Pitcher
mbatl
February 22nd, 2009
4:42 pm
“Of course, let’s not let the horse get ahead of the carriage”
N8, I think we should keep the horse ahead of the carriage. From my limited experience, horses are very bad at pushing carriages, but they can pull them pretty well.
BravesFanInRockies
February 22nd, 2009
4:42 pm
Spike
If you seriously think “EVERYONE hits better in RISP situations,” then clearly you never watched Francoeur play last year.
Spike
February 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm
Coxlover, I am completely happy. We have a quality infield, rotation and bullpen. We even have a decent bench for a change. A couple of moves in the OF can make this a dangerous team. Anderson is not an appropriate platoon partner for Diaz, Sergeant Rock, John Wayne or anyone else for that matter. Why don’t you try not being intellectually dishonest.?
Coxlover
February 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm
Honestly, I’m kinda glad now that we didn’t get Griffey. Griffey is more injury prone than Anderson and I think Anderson is just as good. He definitely hits for a higher average.
Gibby
February 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm
ESPN is now reporting it so if you guys worried that only DOB is reporting it, you have some confirmation. DOB is right again. More often that not
Steve from OH
February 22nd, 2009
4:43 pm
whoever was for the griffey signing (and i know there were a ton of supporters here) then you have to be all for this signing too baseball wise.
How do you figure? Junior posted an .841 OPS against righties in ‘08. Anderson posted a robust .774 OPS against righties in ‘08. Griffey was by far the better option.
Spike
February 22nd, 2009
4:44 pm
BFR – Frenchy would be the exception that proves the rule. How that stiff keeps a job is beyond me.
Bobby's Belly
February 22nd, 2009
4:44 pm
Jeff321 – I posed those sentiments to DOB re: the Braves are liars and I realize he can’t answer that, but it’s true.
Coxlover
February 22nd, 2009
4:44 pm
I just think that Anderson is a player that we really need. Remember how many 1 run games we lost last year ? Anderson hits very well in the clutch.
Bubdylan
February 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm
McFann, ya made me laugh…
StingerSplash
February 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm
I’m really concerned about Anderson (the Garret variety) has left. His numbers last year were solid (.293, 15 HR, 84 RBI in 145 G). But he hasn’t hit more than 17 HRs in a season since 2003. And he’ll be 37 in June.
And more than anything else, the Braves track record of signing such veterans, even when they look good on paper, has not been encouraging (B.J. Surhoff, Dave Martinez, anybody? In fairness to them, they each played solidly, if not spectacularly, though Surhoff’s injury cut short his Braves’ tenure. Then of course we had Wally Joyner and Bobby Bonilla. Not disasters, but not impacts, either. You want disasters – how bout Rico Brogna and Vinny Castilla? Yikes.)
BravesFanInRockies
February 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm
BTW, Frank, nice job signing GA, especially for the money. I’m not a huge fan — would have preferred Abreu or Griffey and said as much — but gee whiz, who would you rather have sharing a platoon with Diaz? Brandon Jones? Blanco? Josh Anderson?
OK, Coach, don’t answer.
Doc Holiday
February 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm
Well, we have added a guy that has only hit bellow .285 only twice his whole career. Looking at his RBI related to the games played on the season, I think we have ourselves a good acquisition. Even if he is old. He is as old as chipper is I think. And I dont see anybody complaining about the braves resigning chipper.
N8
February 22nd, 2009
4:45 pm
“Christ, people, do you even look at statistics?” spike
Hmmm. Do you?
Liftime .296 hitter. Lifetime .299 hitter against RHP. Lifetime .291 hitter against LHP. Liftime .295 hitter in the cleanup spot with 527 RBI (735 games – that’s about 116 RBI every 162 games). Lifetime .295 BA with RISP.
Looks to me like the only thing he hasn’t done in his career, is put up big HR numbers. I guess we might as well take him out back and shoot him, huh?
Pat Burrell on the other hand, is a .257 career hitter. Who has batted .263 with RISP. He has 557 RBI in 1335 career AB’s with RISP. One RBI every 2.39 AB in that situation.
Anderson? 972 RBI in 2219 AB’s. One RBI in every 2.28 AB in that situation.
Anderson will make 2.5 million in 2009.
Burrell will make 8 million in 2009.
Do the math. If you can’t do it yourself, buy a calculator.
You shouldn’t reference the baseball-reference.com website, if you can’t actually decipher what the numbers mean. It makes you look silly.
I’ll ignore the fact that you started your sentence off with Christ on a Sunday. I’m not that religous, but it shows lack of respect to those that are.
C's
February 22nd, 2009
4:46 pm
“Of course, let’s not let the horse get ahead of the carriage”
LOL!! Now that’s a funny typo.
Richie
February 22nd, 2009
4:46 pm
Spike
That isn’t true. Hitting with 2 outs demonstrates a clutch ability and a lot of hitters don’t perform this very well. The fact Anderson hit .358 tells me he is aware of the situation, is patient, and just focuses on getting a hit to gets runs in, not swinging for the fences.
Doc Holiday
February 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm
So I guess this means Blanco will start the season in AAA.
Blair
February 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm
Hey DOB, I used to be a journalist before I went to Law School. You’re a good reporter my man. I don’t know you, but I know you work hard. So much of what you do is unknown by the people that inhabit this blog. Good work breaking the Anderson, good to see you scoop Bowman (who I am not afraid to call a hack).
Steve from OH
February 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm
BFIR, true. GA beats the heck out of Blanco and Anderson. Not so sure about Jones, though he’s probably the better option over him, too.
Coxlover
February 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm
Doc, Anderson is younger than Chipper and Manny, so it’s not like Anderson is very old.
Poorbrave
February 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm
TOMAS, like that line up with 2 Andersons in outfield.
TnBrian
February 22nd, 2009
4:47 pm
DOB, no that’s not a bad deal at all! $2.5m is very good considering what he might bring. Well, we know he’ll bring his .285-300 avg, 80-90 RBI’s, but how many HR’s will he hit with Chipper and Mac, and maybe even Frenchy in the lineup protecting him?
Coach, just don’t puke on your computer, ok. We wouldn’t want your computer to tear up and miss all of your “expertise” on the blog.
N8
February 22nd, 2009
4:48 pm
mbatl Maybe THAT is why I can never get anywhere with my horses?
Sorry. I’ve never been so good with the cliche’s. I’m workin’ on 3 hours of sleep and one helluva hangover. But it was funny. I don’t mind being the butt of the joke when I type something stupid like that.
Jeff321
February 22nd, 2009
4:49 pm
>Jeff321 – I posed those sentiments to DOB re: the Braves are liars and I realize he can’t answer that, but it’s true.
I wouldn’t count on getting a comment from Cox or Wren about that one. (As in, WTF are you doing signing this guy who’s going to take playing time away from the young bucks.)
However, with this lame blog only holding 100 or so comments, I don’t even bother trying to follow along much anymore.
rupert
February 22nd, 2009
4:50 pm
Good signing for the Braves. His numbers are better than griffey’s and he comes with much less injury concerns. The biggest laugh I get here is reading all the blog “experts” talk about needing to give the “kids” a chance. Really? The only kid who was going to play left would have been Brandon Jones and maybe Blanco. It’s going to be anderson or blanco in center (as DOB stated earlier, unless Shafer pulls a Furcal and gives them no choice, better financially for him to spend time in the minors). Diaz should be on the team and was going to platoon with B. Jones, unless he falls on his face. So the argument here is B. Jones and maybe Blanco (neither of whom has a long-term future with team probably with Heyward and Shafer on the way) vs Garret Anderson. No comparison, not if your trying to make the playoffs and not for 2.5 million. I am all for young players, but jones and blanco are not hot prospects, they will probably be serviceable major leaguers at best. So I think some should examine the situation and not just always go with the idea of younger players.
BravesFanInRockies
February 22nd, 2009
4:50 pm
StingerSplash
Considering what they’ve invested in GA and the one-year deal, I’m not as skeptical as you are.
My guess is, the price for Nady (who, if you can look past the L/R deal, has career numbers that are almost identical to GA’s) or Swisher in a trade was too high. Better to sign Anderson for this year and then see what you’ve got for 2010.
T-Rock
February 22nd, 2009
4:50 pm
Are we Sure we have signed Anderson??? I won’t believe it until he is dressed out and in the line-up – if the AJC reports it I AM NERVOUS!!!!!!!!!!
CCjacket
February 22nd, 2009
4:50 pm
Gibby,
actually all ESPN is reporting, is that the AJC, is reporting, that GA will sign with the Braves. They aren’t citing their own sources.
Jay212033
February 22nd, 2009
4:50 pm
So who gets taken off the 40 man roster? I feel a trade coming!
Daybed Wagmoe
February 22nd, 2009
4:51 pm
Tomas — you’d hit Francoeur in the 6th spot against RHP, 5th against LHP? I’m curious, what has he done since the end of last season to warrant him being above the 7/8 spot? I would argue that until he hits with consistency or shows vast improvement in Spring Training, he remain in the bottom of the order. If you’re batting him behind McCann, there is no reason that a pitcher would give Mac anything good to hit.
jtb
February 22nd, 2009
4:51 pm
great pickup imo….anderson has a great track record
Gibby
February 22nd, 2009
4:52 pm
CC Jacket you are right. I must not be as good a reporter as I thought.
TNScott
February 22nd, 2009
4:52 pm
DOB: Everyone has noted how bad our outfield performed and particularly Francouer, it could have been worse. Just think how brutal our offense would’ve been if the Braves had resigned Andruw for the ‘08 season.
Bobby's Belly
February 22nd, 2009
4:53 pm
Not an expert. A fan. I like the signing alot if I thought it would mean the Braves contend. I obviously don’t think it will. I think it’s a fair question to ask what message this sends to B. Jones, Blanco, Schafer, J. Anderson.
kirkinga
February 22nd, 2009
4:53 pm
Coach, I’ll answer the question. The Angels wanted Anderson, but only in a “limited role”, he was ready to accept that fact at the start of the offseason. Now at the start of ST and , until today, unsiged, he has come to terms with being a part-time player.
OPS is great, but it really only tells you that the player is likely to get an extra base hit, what it doesn’t tell you, like rbi’s, or BA, is when a player get’s his hits and extra base hits included.
Garret Anderson is for his career a .295 hitter with .796 OPS in late and close situations. Last season he batted in several different spots in the lineup and still did this:
Men on 2 outs: .366
Men on 3rd < 2 outs: 480
RISP w/2 outs: 356 (Runners in Scoring Position)
RISP: .338 (Runners in scoring position)
Runners on: .362
This is a great move people. Wren has done a good job this offseason, I can’t give it an A, especially because we couldn’t get Ohman resigned, but it’s a solid B+ now for sure.
The numbers remain high even if you look at the last 3 seasons.
CCjacket
February 22nd, 2009
4:54 pm
Now Bowman has it on his blog…
again, tho, all the outlets had Furcal coming here too.
SeaAtl
February 22nd, 2009
4:55 pm
rupert at 4:50 pm – well said.
LivininAL
February 22nd, 2009
4:55 pm
DOB mentions the fact Garrett Anderson had some some big clutch hits; that was a real missing ingredient in last year’s lineup. If Josh Anderson can step up to an average year at leadoff, Kotchman gets comfortable in Atlanta, this team will be much stronger than last year.
I feel with all the awful, weird, killer, things happening last year we are due a few breaks this year. Go Braves!
Zach
February 22nd, 2009
4:55 pm
what about:
josh/shafer
yunel
Chipper
mac
anderson
frenchie
kelly
kotchman
vs. righties
and
josh/shafer
yunel
Chipper
mac
frenchie/anderson
frenchie/diaz
johnson
kotchman
As much as i dont feel that great about sending josh anderson to the plate to start off games for us, he probably better than putting kelly up there. Kelly is much better a little farther down in the order.
As far as G.Anderson, if he hits so well with risp then I put him after chipper and mac (both over .300 career hitters) any time he is in the game.
Bill
February 22nd, 2009
4:56 pm
2nd thought thats a great deal, GA for 2.5 million and Frenchy got 3.5 million. I’d take Anderson.
Blair
February 22nd, 2009
4:56 pm
Anderson is a great pickup. Looking at the numbers, he is more of what we need than Griffey. We wanted Griffey because he is a bigger homer threat. I doubt this is a team that hits a ton of homers. I think we are going to have an offense that hits a lot of doubles. With this lineup, we’re going to score runs. I love the clutch factor, he obviously gets big hits late in games (which means he is probably coming through against lefties). This guy is a big time player. If he can duplicate last year’s performance, we’re going to win 90+ games (book it dano). Just imagine how much better we would have been early on if we had anything resembling production from our outfield?
Few recall that we wasted early opportunities because Tex started slow, and our outfield never came around in the run production category. That said, our pitching had succumbed to injuries by the middle of May. Our bullpen was overworked, we were toast. Our pitching quality and depth should have in games every night. This team can score enough runs to win. I can list the keys to this season (in this order):
1. Health in the pen. We need Moylan, Soriano, and Gonzo to be healthy and have big season. I am not worried about innings pitched, our starters are going to go deeper into games.
2. Frenchy bounces back. Offense will not be a problem if Frenchy becomes the feared right handed stick we all know he can be.
3. Healthy Chipper. Always a concern, but there is little debate that when “Hoss” is healthy, he is still one of the 10 most feared hitters in baseball.
If we look back in 09 and find that these things happened, I bet Atlanta played beyond the regular season.
BuzzMEAT
February 22nd, 2009
4:57 pm
anderson singed , im kinda IFFey of that one..
so DOB any word on who will start thursday when the braves are on ESPN???????
Spike
February 22nd, 2009
4:58 pm
Christ, people, do you even look at statistics?” spike
Hmmm. Do you?
N8
Lifetime stats –
Abreu .300 .405 .498 903 OPS
Edmonds .284 .377 .528 905 OPS
Burrell .257 .367 .485 862 OPS
Dunn .247 .381 .518 899 OPS
Anderson .293 .325 .433 758 OPS
Can you guess which thing is not like the other? Can you guess which thing just doesn’t belong?
Richie –
Anderson lifetime close and late: .299 .339 .430 .769 Clutchy McClutch alright.
Tron5000
February 22nd, 2009
4:58 pm
Re: Garrett Anderson: I’ll believe it when I see him wearing a Braves jersey.
BuzzMEAT
February 22nd, 2009
4:59 pm
and blair… add one thing to that list, healthy starting rotation
Jair was the one one NOT to go to the DL
Tomas
February 22nd, 2009
4:59 pm
Daybed Wagmoe, Well that is if Franceour indeed goes back to his 2006-2007 season. If not then he’d have to bat 8th and Kelly would bat 6th or 5th.
mbatl
February 22nd, 2009
5:00 pm
kirknga, now that the big issues are resolved (LF, 5th starter, arbitration with Kotchman, Frenchy and KJ), I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Braves make another offer to Ohman, if prices are as depressed as we’re hearing … a guy like Boone Logan is gonna command at least $400 K; if there’s any money left at all, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us offer Ohman $900 K instead.
Just a guess, though. Maybe not.
CaliChopper
February 22nd, 2009
5:00 pm
Terrible, terrible move, Wren must be desperate. I live not far from the big A and since TBS stopped broadcasting Braves games the Angels is who I watch out here. GA is a horrible pick up. Check out how many times he actually played in the field in recent years as opposed to being the DH. Personaly I hope one of the kids wins the spot and Wren just payed 2.5 for a ineffective bat off the bench.
Spike
February 22nd, 2009
5:00 pm
Sorry about the “christ” thing, but N8, if you value hitters by BA and RBI, really, we’ve got nothing to talk about. Sorry to have riled you up.
Jeff321
February 22nd, 2009
5:01 pm
I also prefer GA over Griffey or Frenchy all day! However, I’m just wondering about the mixed messages of PROPAGANDA emitting from this and other “reputable” websites. (Which I guess were “leaked” from Braves officials!)
Mac
February 22nd, 2009
5:01 pm
“Slugger”? Is this the Dead Ball Era? Because Anderson has hit between 14 and 17 homers every year in the last five. How is that a slugger? “Former slugger”, maybe. “Tweener”. “Has-been”.
BravoMan
February 22nd, 2009
5:01 pm
Frank Wren’s goals for the offseason…
-sign 2 veteran starters and a power
-sign a power hitting OF
Wren’s accomplishments…
-Derek Lowe 4 yrs 60 mil
-Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan for Flowers, Lillibridge, and others
-Kenshin Kawakami for 3 yrs 23 mil
-Garret Anderson 1 yr 2.5 mil
Wren added one more starter then he had planned(not including Glavine), added a slugging OF, and held on to guys like Infante,Norton etc, didn’t trade key prospects, and is still in a postion to give the new captain, Chipper Jones, a 3 yr extension.
Overall grade- B+
Bubdylan
February 22nd, 2009
5:02 pm
“Re: Garrett Anderson: I’ll believe it when I see him wearing a Braves jersey.”
Hell, Tron, where’s the fun in that??
McFann :Ô:
February 22nd, 2009
5:02 pm
Bubdylan–
Wow!
Thanks.
Coxlover
February 22nd, 2009
5:03 pm
Cali, GA played LF 82 times last year with 0 errors and 9 assists
chris from maryland
February 22nd, 2009
5:04 pm
DOB and others,
I, too, was hoping to get Edmonds and especially Griffey based upon their superior OPS but here are a few more comparisons:
Over the last three years, Anderson has hit .280,.297, and .293. Edmonds– .257, .252, and .235. Griffey– .252, .277, and .249.
Anderson has also proven to be more healthy. Over the same period of time he had 543, 417, and 557 at-bats. Edmonds– 350, 365, and 340. Griffey– 428, 528, and 490 (yes, I know that walks count for some of this but not this much).
Anderson had an ops of .828 in 2007 better than any of Edmonds in the last three years and better than Griffey last year as well as Griffey’s 2006 season. He is consistent and clutch. In sum, a fine pickup.
Chris from MD
David O'Brien
February 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm
So now that they’re getting a better, healthier player (at this stage of their careers), do I get greeted with roses? I mean, our story was responsble for them not getting Griffey, right? Right?
Kelly's Big Johnson
February 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm
**NOTE TO BLOG FROM KELLY’S BIG JOHNSON**
The Garret Anderson signing has dramatically increased bloodflow to Kelly’s Big Johnson!
Chop Chop
February 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm
Good point, Spike.
Here’s a stat line for ya:
This guy is a career .290/.378/.541 919 OPS hitter.
His career close and late stats?
.282/.379/.555 933 OPS
Who the hell could this clutch player be?
Mitchie-san
February 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm
So we STILL dont have a clean up hitter?
I like the Anderson signing, but who will bat clean up? McCann normally and maybe Chipper on his days off?
Anderson is solid, but not a #4….
Chop Chop
February 22nd, 2009
5:06 pm
It’s Mark Teixeira.
Kris in NC
February 22nd, 2009
5:06 pm
For once Braves management was able to get someone signed without anyone knowing about it until the deal was actually done. After the Griffey situation, management came out and said they were going to look at the younger players, yet it appeared they went into discussions with Anderson about signing with us and no one knew about it.
DOB, are you going to get some of the players reaction to the news of Anderson signing with the team?
I, personally have to say, the Braves managed to go through this off season without giving up our top prospects like Heyward, Freeman and Hanson. In fact, the Braves kept the farm system pretty much intact. Pretty hard to do in this day and age. Yeah we gave up Flowers and Gilmore but to keep those guys I mentioned, nice work.
Now that we got a veteran LF’er, let the show begin.
nolie
February 22nd, 2009
5:06 pm
I would like to hear the argument on Anderson over Edmonds. I haven’t heard one yet. Look at the numbers. Edmonds hits RHP better C’s
yes he does, but with his penchant for diving all the time and his age, perhaps they view Anderson as the safer bet injury-wise.
Redstick19
February 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
being honest… garrett anderson signing doesn’t excite me at all, because I think this means Matt Diaz will rot on the bench in most games. I had a feeling that Diaz was going to have a bounce-back year in a straight platoon. But now I’m afraid Anderson will be in there 95% of the time. Besides- now we’ll have two Andersons in the outfield. Confusing. Hopefully Garrett will perform well and change my mind, but this has a Raul Mondesi feeling for me.
Poorbrave
February 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
DOB, Yes you deserve The Roses…thanks
Bubdylan
February 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
(Hands DOB an “almost fresh” discount rose from Dollar General’s coke cooler…)
BravesFanInRockies
February 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
Spike
It’s not Dec. 1 any more. Anderson and Edmonds were the only two remaining options, and it’s not at all clear that Edmonds will play at all for what DOB correctly calls utility man money. He may just retire.
Heck, I’d rather have Ibanez than any of those guys, but he’s not available. And going with GA is much less risky than hoping Brandon Jones or Blanco or Josh Anderson will play well above anyone’s expectations.
Bobby's Belly
February 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
Coxlover – Let’s not imply GA is a good defender. Adequate, OK. But OF assists is misleading as heck. Alfonso Soriano had a bunch of assists last few years and he’s brutal. If you suck people will run on you and the blind squirrel finding a nut theory comes into play.
Run Heap Run
February 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
Hey DOB can you have someone take a photo of G Anderson in Braves gear when he arrives tomorrow? Just for reassurance amongst the denizens.
Zach
February 22nd, 2009
5:08 pm
CaliChopper,
Just because someone had the option to dh doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t play in the field. Maybe the Angles had a better fielding left fielder than anderson and they chose for anderson to DH. The fact that he was a dh as much as he was shows me that can still hit. What playoff team puts a player that can’t hit in their dh spot in the lineup???
cabravesfan
February 22nd, 2009
5:08 pm
like the signing…always been a fan. He may not be a great power hitter (although I have no problem with 15-20 HR’s a year from him) but he is a consistent hitter who hits for a good average against both LHP and RHP, he is very patient at the plate and drives in runs…what else do you need? Those things will win us more games then sitting around waiting for a three run homer.
Bobby’s Belly you ask what message this sends to the young guys? I would respond the same one that the team has been sending all off season and into the spring- they have not hidden the fact they were looking for an outfielder and Garrett Anderson will not be playing centerfield…
CCjacket
February 22nd, 2009
5:10 pm
DOB,
Roses.
Also, FW pulled this off without a leak. Definite improvement.
JS-like.
Ben
February 22nd, 2009
5:11 pm
2008 SEASON – STARTED 142 GAMES – LF 82 STARTS – DH 60
PJ
February 22nd, 2009
5:12 pm
Jeez, it seems like the world is falling apart, according to some fans. I truly think we have a shot this year, provided that we stay healthy. Remember, had our one run record been near .500, we would have been in the thick of things.
Also, unless I am just plain missing something, the Rays were hardly spectacular last year. No one hit more than 31 dingers and their highest regular average .295. I know that there are more stats than that and that they play in the AL, but I think the thing they had going most for them was chemistry. I live in the Tampa area, and it was rather clear that they gelled as a team. They had a great crowd that supported them 100% and it clearly had an effect. I went to a game where the were down 3-7 going into the bottom of the ninth, and the crowd was going nuts as the went up to bat. Seriously, the place was alive. They ended up coming back to win the came, and you could tell they and everyone else was excited.
My point? I think a lot more goes into a team than just raw numbers. Team chemistry is just as important. This ties in with a blend of youth and leadership, and this is exactly what the Braves have. I can’t predict a first place finish, but if the Braves come together as a team, which I think they will, then they could be very dangerous indeed. Just my $.02
twinbrave
February 22nd, 2009
5:12 pm
Well it’s obvious FW didn’t read my post earlier and take my advice, be patience. Don’t make any moves yet, a good deal will come in the form of a trade in May. No instead he signed another aging player, that hasn’t played much in the outfield in a while.
FW didn’t even give the kids a chance to try to fill the position. I wonder how many Garet Anderson jersey’s will sell for the Braves? Is there any reason to buy one? You could make a case for Griffey future hall of famer. You can also make a strong case for our young players, they might actually turn out to be great players. But Anderson’s days of hope are over, he is a platoon player at best. Yeah we have another platoon player, I’m all a quiver.
Right now on paper the Braves are still the third best team the division, maybe forth. I can see the Met’s and Phillis sweeping our butts now. GOOOO Platoon,yeaaaaaa.
Chop Chop
February 22nd, 2009
5:13 pm
Garret Anderson’s quiet. There’s no Hall of Fame cachet attached to his name. That makes it easier to do a quiet deal.
Bobby's Belly
February 22nd, 2009
5:14 pm
cabravesfan – Reality is there were 2 open spots. And now there is 1. And that spot is probably going to be J. Anderson due to options. For a team that won 70 games last year to go into the START of spring training with (questionably) only 1 open job is ridiculous imo.
cvbraves
February 22nd, 2009
5:15 pm
DOB: A dozen Roses
Moby Grape
February 22nd, 2009
5:15 pm
If you seriously think “EVERYONE hits better in RISP situations,” then clearly you never watched Francoeur play last year. —BFIR
nor has he spent very much time studying stat break-downs
N8
February 22nd, 2009
5:15 pm
spike, like I said. The Christ thing doesn’t bug me, but I know plenty of people that it would. Nothing more, nothing less.
As far as judging hitters by BA and RBI. I realize that the RBI are subjective to whoever is around them in the lineup.
But BA don’t lie. I know the hot trendy stat to go with is OPS. Which is fine. Plain and simple, the guy is a consistent hitter. Any “split” you look up on the guy and he’s right around .300, across the board.
This team could use a little consistency, IMO.
Take Tex’s numbers for example. In the end his numbers are huge. But the guy was as consistent as Arod’s apology. 7 games in a week, he might have hits and RBI in 2 of those games (going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI in each), and doing NOTHING the other 5 games of the week.
I’m not saying he’s perfect. He obviously was about 10th on Wren’s “wishlist”. He was desperate. But in relative terms, at 2.5 million per year (for only one year – with our young guys on the way), I’ll take it, as opposed to 2 years of Burrell (at 16 million) and Dunn (at 20 million).
I think Abreu and Anderson are about a wash. Same hitter, basically and neither is real stellar with the glove. We got ours for 2.5 million, the Angels got theirs for 5 million.
Wren did OK here.
Andrew
February 22nd, 2009
5:15 pm
edmonds hits like 230…not good ..would rather have anderson for sure.