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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,878 comments Add your comment
Lew
April 29th, 2009
12:45 pm
Interesting-I just heard Charlie Manuel on XM-he was saying that it should be a four team race to the wire this year as ATlanta was much improved and their pitching was much better than anyone was giving them credit for.
I realize the offense has been non existent, but in the past nine games, the starters have given up 3 runs or less seven times (the other two are Kawakami starts )and 2 or less six times. In thos nine games, the pen has pitched 22 2/3 innings and given up three runs total-two by Moylan and of those three runs, two came in Braves wins.
So while the offense needs to discover itself (soon, I hope), we’ve finally got our pitching back. I’d rather score some more, but I’ll take those 3-2 and 2-1 wins, all the same.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
12:51 pm
Nope not necessarily, I am for getting the best deal possible. I am saying that KJ may have to be a piece to get that righty pop we need. I think we have too many swing and miss guys on our team and when KJ misses, he really misses! Besides KJ has some depth behind him. If we did trade Kelly, I feel we upgrade with either Prado or Infante. Those 2 allow you to play small ball. If we had gotten Furky in the offseason, I would not be entertaining trading kelly but we didn’t.
I don’t hink Jose Guillen is worth kelly, however sometimes you have to overpay to get what you want (see Tex trade).
Dr. Martin VanNostrand
April 29th, 2009
12:51 pm
DOB, I know this has been discussed before, but with the disappearance of greenies in the clubhouse, do you find that most of the Braves will drink a lot of coffee in the morning before a day game or even before a night game?
CB
April 29th, 2009
12:52 pm
I keep reading the pros and cons of running more-the answer is you play to the talent of your team. Random is correct-the Braves have never been a great running team but during the playoff years we had better hitters with more power. The Braves need to run more, more hit and run to manufacture more runs. We do not have eight Chipper Jones in our lineup folks.
DAP
April 29th, 2009
12:52 pm
lewin the past nine games, the starters have given up 3 runs or less seven times (the other two are Kawakami starts )and 2 or less six times.
and to emphasize your point, in one of those start by kawakami, 2 runs were unearned, so he really only gave up 2 runs. which mean in the last 9 games, 8 of them had 3 earned runs or less given up by the starters.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
12:53 pm
BTW- Peter Moylan looked really good last night. I like the way he and Rafe Soriano have dealing of late.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
12:57 pm
I like KK, I just think he needs runs scored for him early. He’s one of those guys that pitches better with leads. He was like that in Japan when i watced him pitch games there. I was stationed at Yokota AB for 3 years, saw lots of Japaneese baseballs. They used to get TBS there, lots of Braves fans.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
1:02 pm
new blog must be going up
Slugger
April 29th, 2009
1:14 pm
Anyone see Chris Griffin’s ‘Buffalo Bill’ dance on Family Guy this weekend.
Had to listen to ‘Goodbye Horses’ on my lunch break just for that, Clerks 2 and (of course) Silence of the Lambs.
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
1:19 pm
Our speed is showing up on defense in CF (the most important defensive position to have speed at). You’re right, though. We’re doing a very terrible job of running the bases. We’re 30th in baserunning according to Baseball Prospectus. This probably has to do with the fact that we’ve made a TON of stupid baserunning mistakes (and we’re always pretty inept at taking the extra base). And no doubt it’s cost us wins.
RC
April 29th, 2009
1:19 pm
Brooklyn Braves Brawler,
I don’t disagree with you that KJ might be a piece to get a right-handed bat in the lineup, but the question I’ve got is where do you play the right-handed bat? You won’t be able to get a 2b with enough pop to make up for the loss of KJ, because if you could the team wouldn’t want to trade that player for KJ at the same position. The only possible place in the lineup I see is in LF, and if you are doing that then you are giving up more than just KJ, you are also giving up Diaz (his playing time anyway). So the question is what right-handed is available that could be had for Kelly Johnson that will equal this equation: Player X + Omar Infante > Matt Diaz and Kelly Johnson (and Omar as utility backup). I’m not sure if that player is out there…
Gummy Bears...Bouncing here and there and everywhere....THEY ARE THE GUMMY BEARS!!!!
April 29th, 2009
1:22 pm
I think DOB is really a terminator the T-1000, does this guy sleep with all the great work he does for the braves….
MFin04
April 29th, 2009
1:23 pm
Where can this base-running stat be found? Sounds interesting!
RC
April 29th, 2009
1:23 pm
What I’d actually like to see Bobby start doing is use Omar as a type of “super-sub”, like the way the Angels used Chone Figgins for the first few years of his career. If you rotate him between subbing at 2b, LF, and CF (and maybe SS) he can play between 4-5 times a week, without taking too much playing time from any one of your regular starters. A rotation could be set up that goes something like this: Monday – Omar sits; Tuesday – Kelly sits, Omar at 2b; Wednsday – Diaz sits, Omar in LF; Thursday – Schafer sits, Omar in CF. Then you start the whole cycle over again.
monty
April 29th, 2009
1:27 pm
BRavofan
Josh Anderson got beat out for his position,he got beat out by a young man who has never played above AA so what does that tell you? Hindsight is a beautiful thing, who knew GA would be a bust. Sure it would be fine having Josh now for his speed, but we don’t. We can bemoan and say “what if” about several players we no longer have. What about Salty, or Andrew, or Davies, but it won’t do a bit of good living in the past.
Jeff321
April 29th, 2009
1:27 pm
Free Agents Off On The Wrong Foot
Mark Teixeira, Yankees: .206/.363/.381 in 80 plate appearances. This contract runs through 2016, so it’s barely begun.
Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: .241/.326/.316 in 89 plate appearances. Signed through 2011.
Kenshin Kawakami, Braves: 7.06 ERA in 21.6 innings. Kawakami left his pinpoint control in Japan. He’s signed through 2011.
(EXCERPT)
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/04/free-agents-off-on-the-wrong-foot.html
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
1:27 pm
I thik we need to be honest about what Diaz is, he is a 4th OF period. He can rake, but he is too quirky to counted on day in and day out. I would start to work Matt at both corner OF spots and work Frenchy in CF on lefty days. Prado or Infante at 2b is sound and DFA G. Anderson. Bring in a corner IF for depth ala Shea Hillebrand, he’s a switch i believe and has a little fire in his belly, Catalanatto is also an option although he is a straight lefty.
KJ for Guillen is a thought but other deals could be had that may not require Kelly. I am all for keeping Kelly if you can get a better deal with some of our lesser talent ala B. Jones and Gregor Blanco.
ProScout90
April 29th, 2009
1:30 pm
Let’s be real her folks. The most feared hitter in the lineup is an oft injured 3b who hits 25 HR a year. Chipper is a hell of a hitter but this team needs a 40/120-130 hitter. They don’t have it anywhere in their organization. They survived in the 90’s with 3 HOF starters. They’ve got to get a superstar in that lineup. Plain and simple.
ncscoots
April 29th, 2009
1:31 pm
To be honest, I’m kinda sick of what I say on here because it’s usually the same thing over and again.
Maybe, but, dude…a little repetition over the number of years you’ve been showing up here is hardly a fatal flaw. It’s the folks who have been six minutes and managed to repeat the same boring post 638 times that make me a little antsy.
That stuff might be same-old-same-old to you, but, there are new folks finding this forum all the time, and many of them will find that “old” content interesting. Heck, I see something I know you’ve hit on before, and I still read it again my own self, LOL. Stuff’s good, bro, no backing up…not allowed, hear me?
The Real Don Steele
April 29th, 2009
1:31 pm
RC Yours at 1:23 is spot on. Great idea but BCox is not an inovator in any regard. He’ll do it the way Walter Alston did it for the Dodgers back in 1961. With creative managing and aggressive coaching this team could be very exciting to watch. As it is managed now, though, we will suffer through Cox’s usual plodding, unimaginative games.
Braves fan
April 29th, 2009
1:32 pm
Escoba although a good player as he is, he has to be deciplined for his recent poor base running, There were at least 3 games in the past 5 days that he did that to end the inning and Chipper had a hit in the next inning. The Bravo might have been better than 500 by now.
Not sure if Escoba is another Andruw Jones when it comes to listening to and taking advice from others. He did it a few times last season as well. Comments anyone ??
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
1:33 pm
WW, I actually miss old Shaun, man. Even the Chinese water-torture of his single-mindedness on some subjects would be preferable to some of the stuff popping up here. Maybe he’s expanding his knowledge base somewhere else and will return, having decided that a park-adjusted Mike Cameron really ain’t all that great, after all, LOL. Scoots
Ya, never thought I’d say this, but I kinda miss Shaun too. “Even the Chinese water-torture of his single-mindedness on some subjects”…Absolutely hilarious Scoots. Perfect summation.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
1:33 pm
KK maybe in the bullpen by the All-star break. It won’t be his fault though. He needs leads to be effective. I see either Hanson or Huddy in the rotation by the All-star game if the Braves are within 5 games of first.
At that point the braves will not have the patience to work with KK, the bullpen maybe the best for him now, who knows. I like Buddy C in the pen. That kid has alot heart, he was just challenging Albert on Monday
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
1:35 pm
Kawakami just needs to adjust to Major League Baseball. That’s all.
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
1:35 pm
To be honest, I’m kinda sick of what I say on here because it’s usually the same thing over and again WW
Ditto.
18 Wheels of Love
April 29th, 2009
1:36 pm
Barry Bonds for LF? Has it gotten to that? Would you be OK to win with him or be content to lose without him? I’m starting to come around…a little…just a little.
Random
April 29th, 2009
1:40 pm
flange1 (12:42 pm): “The speed argument is interesting but we have just about beat it to death. I think Random showed “Coach’ that his stats were not too accurate.”
Thanks, but I’m not yet through beating it to death.
I’m gunning for N8 now.
Frankie Knuckles
April 29th, 2009
1:40 pm
This team is slow, there is no denying this fact. Question is, can Cox manage a fast team. Thats up for debate.
What do ya’ll think it would take to get Swisher from the Yanks. I know its not likely, but everything is for sale. Right?
chipperchop
April 29th, 2009
1:41 pm
What about trying to trade for Freel? He is unhappy in Baltimore, and he is a very hardnosed versitle guy with wheels. I’m not sure who we would have to trade to get him-very little I would suspect, and not sure where he would play, but interesting thought.
RC
April 29th, 2009
1:41 pm
As much as people liked to argue with Shaun, at least you knew his arguements were coming from somewhere reasonable, and he always had stats to back himself up. Not saying he was always right (Andruw’s walks his last season with the Braves did NOT make him a valuable part of the lineup), but he was much more well informed that some of the junk that’s been on the blog lately (these guys are terrible! why can’t Bobby make them hit better?! Infante and Prado should start at 2b and SS every game, and bat in the 1 and 3 spots!)
beekay
April 29th, 2009
1:42 pm
I think KK will be fine as a back of the rotation starter this year. He hasn’t pitched terrible until that last inning in Cincy. I think we need to move Kotch down to 6th. He is too slow in the 2 hole. He hits tons of ground balls to the right side and he might be the slowest runner in all of baseball=double plays! KJ will be fine, put him in the 8 spot and give #24 a chance to leadoff
1Jordan
2Esco
3Chipper
4Bmac
5Frenchy
6Kotch
7Diaz
8KJ
David O'Brien
April 29th, 2009
1:43 pm
Alright, folks. Out of our AJC meeting downtown and to the ballpark now. Getting a late start on new blog. Few autograph hounds outside the Braves’ lot already, in beach chairs. No players here yet, though.
Scuba Steve, no, if Gonzo pitches like last night, I’d not be worried.
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
1:44 pm
RC,
2nd base is a position historically played by players without pop. Kelly is merely a patch for our lack of OF power. If you trade him for a power RH OF bat, as you suggested, then do you really need a power bat at 2nd base?
2nd base should be a position of strong defense, and if you can get a .300/.350.750 bat in there that hits a moderate amount of doubles and does the little things like moving runners over and taking walks, then that’s great. Oh wait, the Braves have 2 of those guys on the bench.
RC
April 29th, 2009
1:44 pm
Btw, Jorge Cantu of the Marlins is on fire right now. 3/3 last night with a pair of HR, and he’s already homered off of Santana today to put the Marlins up 2-1.
monty
April 29th, 2009
1:44 pm
PWHjort
I agree with you about KK, trying to compare his entrance into a new league, new culture, et.. with the likes of Furcal,Tex,or anybody else who has played in this league for years, to me doesn’t make a bit of sense.
Gummy Bears...Bouncing here and there and everywhere....THEY ARE THE GUMMY BEARS!!!!
April 29th, 2009
1:46 pm
DOB no lunch?
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
1:46 pm
RC,
My argument with Shaun was that stats aren’t everything. You know, like Tommy Lasorda going with his gut sending out Kirk Gibson to face Eckersley?
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
1:47 pm
Talking about team speed, who do we have in the wings that could alleviate the situation? Gorkys Hernandez, if he could learn how to steal first, might help.
Freeman, from what I hear, is not much faster than Kotchman. Heyward probably has Andruw type speed, I am guessing.
I believe total team speed is much more important than someone who can steal 30-40 bases per year in the leadoff spot.
And WW, we are tired of you yet! (does anybody know what happened to Shaun? Maybe he is here as somebody funny now. Is that Shaun behind the “bubdylan” moniker?)
David O'Brien
April 29th, 2009
1:48 pm
Jackie Treehorn: Yes, Breaking Bad. Saw it. Great episode, just like the entire season. Top-of-the-line show, one of my favorites, for sure.
DAP
April 29th, 2009
1:50 pm
proscout90this team needs a 40/120-130 hitter.
why?
brooklyn brawler…what you said in your 1:27 post wont work. jeff cant play CF in the majors, hillenbrand hasnt played in the MLB since playing less than half a season in 2007 (he now runs a camel/kangaroo ranch…yeah) and KJ for guillen would go down as one of the worst trades in braves history.
im convinced that what we have is what he have, and honestly, we probably would be worried about it if only it was all in place. but with mccann, anderson on the DL, and chipper slowly recovering from his hand bruise, all the cylinders arent firing yet. hopefully, at some point they will be.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
1:51 pm
Bobby Cox- I agree, Prado can start on a good portion of MLB teams right now and Infante more than serviceable as a utility guy.
KJ is a tradeable piece but, I would rather keep him and send to LF and trade someone else for the RH bat we need. Matty D is part time player pure and simple.
Jersey Gil
April 29th, 2009
1:51 pm
DOB..Anyone…What happen with Heyward in Myrtle Beach, i see he didn’t play last two game also Rohrbough, he only pitch one game so far this season..if he is in the DL?…Mac was 3-0 last night with 1 so.
RC
April 29th, 2009
1:51 pm
Bobby’s Cox,
I never meant to imply the Braves need a power bat at 2b. What I meant to imply is that any player you acquire to play LF will need to be able to combine with Infante (or Prado if that’s who you want at 2b) to give you MORE production than a lineup featuring Kelly at 2b, Diaz in LF, and Infante and Prado available as subs. If you can’t get that, then it’s not worth the trade.
monty
April 29th, 2009
1:52 pm
Someone argued earlier that you couldn’t make Infante a starter because of his numbers a few years ago in Detroit? That’s lame! It’s called improvement. It’s called being in a new environment. Renteria didn’t do squat in Boston, he comes here and hits .320 with many a clutch hit. I guess based on past performance we shouldn’t have started him either. Meanwhile a guy who tore the cover off the ball at the end of last season and the same this year is relegated to spot duty.
David O'Brien
April 29th, 2009
1:52 pm
DirtyDawg: big fan of both Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss. Particularly Emmylou.
Chop Chop
April 29th, 2009
1:53 pm
Here’s an interesting article about Zack Greinke.
mbatl
April 29th, 2009
1:54 pm
I don’t have specific proposals, but IF the Braves want to trade for a RH bat later in the year, it’s not likely that KJ will be the trade bait.
You’re probably looking at a team out of contention who’s looking to shed payroll. KJ is not cheap ($2.8 mil now and 2 years of arb upcoming). If he’s still struggling, no team is gonna want to take that on – and if he’s not struggling, you don’t want to trade him.
If a deal is made, much more likely to involve Reyes, Morton, Rohrbough, Medlen, Locke, Ortegano, or any number of other pitching prospects (or low-service time guys). What did the Chisox want for Vazquez? A prospect. Same will hold true for a proven hitter.
David O'Brien
April 29th, 2009
1:55 pm
Anyone notice Francoeur is 1-for-15 with one RBI and one one walk in his past four games? It’s dropped his overall average to .269 and OBP to .301. Just when I was thinking he might be better option for cleanup than Kotchman….
ProScout90
April 29th, 2009
1:55 pm
You don’t need speed if you have power guys, you don’t need power guys if you have a lot of team speed, problem is Braves don’t have either. The “power hitter” in the lineup is Chipper with 25ish HR. This won’t cut it. The offense doesn’t have an identity, i.e. speed, power, and without one they won’t be able to suceed. Their pitching is good enough to win, especially when Hudson comes back. They need a bonified leadoff hitter and/or a bonified power hitter to help this offense. On the bases nor at the plate do the Braves have someone that strikes fear in the other team (outside of Chipper) and teams aren’t afraid of him they are just “careful” when pitching to him.
Lunatic Fringe
April 29th, 2009
1:55 pm
RC
at least you knew his arguements were coming from somewhere reasonable, and he always had stats to back himself up.
Statistics are not the end all to decision making. They are not a predictor of future events, only a controlled experiment can give you that. And if stats could acurately determine what actions should be taken there would be no need for a manager. There are so many statistics kept that you generally can always pull one out to justify a decision. So most of bloggers throw out there not so humble opinion (myself included) without providing the needed stat. I think this blog serves as a vehicle to vent as much as anything else.
I find it hard to beat up on BC ( not that you were) by throwing out base running stats or HR stats etc. He has seen more BB that any of us bloggers, and has forgotten more than most.
And no, I do not have a stat to back that up.
cphizzle
April 29th, 2009
1:57 pm
DOB i also noticed that is a 162 game season and we cant judge a line up on 15 at bats, come DOB not you to!
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
1:57 pm
Camel and kangaroo ranch, huh! The recession is hitting everybody I guess.
I was meaning a guy like him (switchy, bench guy with a little pop). Betemit/Hillenbrand type. Actually i believe frenchy could play CF, he is an above average OF and has pretty good speed. He gets great jumps on the ball.
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
1:58 pm
I did a piece on Kawakami’s struggles. I pointed out that the strike zone is bigger in Japan and some of Kawakami’s pitches that get called balls in MLB would be strikes in NPB. Patrick at NPBtracker added that Kawakami also got some calls in NPB because of his stature. It’s tough being a rookie all over again.
ProScout90
April 29th, 2009
1:58 pm
DAP- i think the reasons are obvious. Like I said in my 1:55 post. They need an identity on offense, and they need either a threat on the bases and/or a threat at the plate. With 20-25 HR a year Chipper is not a threat, a solid hitter to have, but not a threat.
Random
April 29th, 2009
1:59 pm
Willy Wally (12:00 pm): “To be honest, I’m kinda sick of what I say on here because it’s usually the same thing over and again”
Well, thank goodness I’m still fresh. And intelligency.
DAP
April 29th, 2009
2:00 pm
monty i dont disagree with you about infate improving, but citing renteria is a bad example. he was a very good player for years before he went to boston, and that one year in boston wasnt that bad, anyways, at least not offensively.
cphizzle
April 29th, 2009
2:02 pm
i mean to further my point here with the clean up spot nobody is goin to produce everytime. like don sutton has pointed out the best players in the game fail at the plate 7 out of 10 times so you have to look at it from that perspective and not well he is 1 for his last 15 lets put him in the pitchers spot in the line up
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
2:03 pm
RC,
Kinda of like the Ludwick for KJ deal that was supposedly on the table but the Braves wanted more pieces because of Ludwick’s risk? Ludwick, Prado, Infante > Diaz, Garrett, KJ no?
ncscoots
April 29th, 2009
2:03 pm
Renteria didn’t do squat in Boston, he comes here and hits .320 with many a clutch hit. I guess based on past performance we shouldn’t have started him either.
As an argument to give Infante 600 plate appearances, I’m afraid that one won’t fly. Renteria had a history of playing BETTER than his off year in Boston; Infante has a history of playing WORSE when playing more than part-time.
I’m not down on Omar, I love the guy. But, can you honestly tell me that you envision the Braves being a contender with Omar getting a full season’s worth of plate appearances?
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
2:05 pm
We should’ve pulled the trigger on the Ludwick deal and signed Orlando Hudson. Our offense would be so sick.
Lawton
April 29th, 2009
2:06 pm
DMack, thanks for your post on Heyward and Freeman at 11:28am
I was actually in Salem, VA for the Myrtle Beach series this past weekend. Heyward is a little banged up right now and doesn’t look great at the plate. He struggled with breaking pitches down in the zone. He did have a couple of solid at bats (sac fly to warning track off tough lefty reliever for example).
Freddie hit an absolute bomb on Saturday and made a coule of spectacular plays in the field. He got the team out of a 7th inning jam on Sunday by sprinting about 2/3 of the way down the right field line and making a fully extended running catch with his back to the infield.
The thing that impressed me the most about Freeman is his attitude. He is constantly smiling — can tell he loves playing the game. In the first inning on Saturday he makes a diving catch on a line drive. He gets up grinning and makes some hand gesture (sort of the “ok, not so bad” hand gesture) toward the dugout. I looked in the dugout and Rocket Wheeler is almost blushing. I can only guess that Freddie and Rocket had been having some exchanges about Freddie’s defense. Something like Freddie telling Rocket, “Hey, my defense is looking good this year, huh?” And Rocket says,”ah, it’s ok, not that great really” giving Freddie that same hand gesture. So, Freddie makes the diving stop and looks right at Rocket as if to sarcastly say, “Yeah, you’re right, my defense is just ok.” Great exchange between player and manager.
A couple of relievers for Myrtle Beach looked dominant — especially Cory Gearrin. Gearrin is a hard throwing side-armer with great stuff. I was standing near the scouting section when Gearrin was pitching on Sunday and the scouts were practically drooling over him. Good stuff.
Chop Chop
April 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
It’s already sick, PWH.
AndyC
April 29th, 2009
2:07 pm
Brawler, I agree that KK may be in the bullpen by the all-star break but they will not rush Hudson back from his injury even if the Bravos are in contention. We may see him in late August or September but not before then unless he pitches out of the bullpen, then we may see him a little earlier but not much.
DAP
April 29th, 2009
2:08 pm
brooklyn bravesActually i believe frenchy could play CF,
you might be the only one….
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
I did a piece on Kawakami’s struggles. I pointed out that the strike zone is bigger in Japan and some of Kawakami’s pitches that get called balls in MLB would be strikes in NPB. Patrick at NPBtracker added that Kawakami also got some calls in NPB because of his stature. It’s tough being a rookie all over again. PWHjort
I take offense to that whole post. I’ve never seen pitchers in MLB get calls because they’re a veteran. This isn’t basketball. Even Glavine would get calls a foot outside because he hit the glove, not because of his veteran stature. So, being a rookie all over again makes no sense whatsoever.
Again, in KK’s Japan video, he hit the glove. He hit his spots. He’s shown an ability to do so here, but probably less frequently due to difference in ball size. Really, if you haven’t seen him pitch yet, he really has a keen ability to hit the glove. McCann/Ross could catch his pitches with their eyes closed. KK just needs to work on doing that more often, and then cut down on his pitches thrown, because i think his arm tires (bigger ball) in the 5th or 6th when he’s thrown too many pitches.
David O'Brien
April 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
Gonzo leads major league relievers with 17.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, tied for MLB relief strikeout lead with 16.
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
2:10 pm
I was FOR the Ludwick/KJ trade before I was AGAINST it!
Lew
April 29th, 2009
2:12 pm
Wayne-Shaun doesn’t have a funny gene in his genetic make up. The numbers crowded it out. Have you been offering incentives to get someone else interested in Ryan Freel? Insidious.
McFann Ô
April 29th, 2009
2:13 pm
Bobby’s Cox McCann/Ross could catch his pitches with their eyes closed.
Well that’s good to know……
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
2:15 pm
I dont’ mean to be such a stickler on the failed Ludwick trade. If I remember correctly, both sides overvalued their pieces. I think St. Louis wanted a good reliever, like Gonzo too, where the Braves wanted more value because of Ludwick’s past. But my point is, you have exactly what you’re looking for in Ludwick, you have extra pieces for 2nd, and perhaps could’ve negotiated for lesser pieces (Boyer, Marek, Bennett, etc..), but for whatever reason, the talks stalled off.
Lew
April 29th, 2009
2:16 pm
We HEARD there was a KJ for Ludwick deal in place, but no one really claimed it was all that close to happening. I’m betting it never was as far advanced as some like to believe, or that (seeing the defense I saw from the Cards at second last night) the Cards were really all that serious about it.
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
2:18 pm
Bobby’s Cox,
You’ve never seen someone get calls because of their stature? Well, I won’t even argue with you on that point, but Patrick suggested he got calls in NPB because of his stature. Nothing to do with MLB pitchers getting calls. And you took offense to the post? That’s laughable.
Bay Area Steve
April 29th, 2009
2:18 pm
Lawton, great post.
And Chop, thanks for the link about Grienke. Must read stuff.
Bobby's Cox
April 29th, 2009
2:18 pm
Wow DOB…nice stat! I had no idea…
ncscoots
April 29th, 2009
2:20 pm
Wanting Ludwick during an offensive cold spell in April is one thing; wanting him for a whole season is another. The same fears about his ability to sustain last year’s offense still exist, and will, until he proves otherwise. PW, I know you like the guy, but I’m still skeptical of him.
MFin04
April 29th, 2009
2:22 pm
It’s easy to say trade a guy when he is slumping for another guy that is hitting the ball hard…but Ludwick is hitting behind the best player in baseball right now….and we all know KJ is going to come around.
Kevin McGlinchy
April 29th, 2009
2:22 pm
DOB, it seems that, for the $2.5m we’re paying G. Anderson, plus the total potential value of the Glavine contract, we could’ve had Bobby Abreu ($5m, 1 year) patrolling LF this season.
My question is: do you have any indication as to what level the team tried to get in on Abreu? I recall reports at the time that we were in it, to some degree anyway. It just seems a shame to pay for GA when a far superior/durable player could have been had, if only the club were willing to cut ties with Tommy G. and let Jo-Jo/Morton/Hanson fill the 5th starter role.
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
2:26 pm
I don’t think a Ludwick deal could get done in today’s world, without giving up a starting pitcher. Just my thoughts.
Lew
Here is the plan. We deal KJ and Morton for an outfielder, move Prado to second, and then offer to take Freel off the O’s hands.
Andy
April 29th, 2009
2:27 pm
re Dylan’s new album – i like it okay, but am not wild about it. nice loose feel, great singing. but some really uninspired, trite lyrics – some real groaners. ugh. no truly great lines, no “wounded flowers dangling from the vines.” i’m glad he made it, and i’ll definitely put one or two songs in rotation. but after a few listens, there are some songs that i’m pretty sure i wouldn’t mind if i never heard again.
didn’t expect a whole lot lyrically, as it’s a collaboration with robert hunter (who helped bring us the dylan stink-bomb “Down in the Groove”) and considering dylan’s increasing propensity to cavalierly throw off lines in “plain speak” that could use a lot of revision.
also, great start from Jo-Jo! i haven’t given up on him yet. let glavine retire – please spare us, Tommy. Thanks for the memories and see you at the Hall of Fame, when I go to watch Maddux be inducted.
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
2:28 pm
I don’t blame anyone for being skeptical about Ludwick. He pulled his 2008 season of .966 OPS completely out of nowhere. However, he always had injury troubles before 2008. I don’t know if he’s for real or not. A wierd note: he hit righties better than lefties in 2008.
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
2:28 pm
Freel was part of a salary dump (O’s getting rid of their catcher and taking on his salary). Bet he could be had for a song.
David O'Brien
April 29th, 2009
2:29 pm
18 Wheels, good think you’re starting to come around on Barry in LF. Braves need to get even more left-heavy, particularly if they can land a guy with legal problems, more baggage than a 747, and, oh, yeah, a guy who hasn’t played in a while.
Nick
April 29th, 2009
2:29 pm
This is the best idea I’ve ever heard. I’m sure Kelly’s trade value will never be as high as it is now…
Nick
April 29th, 2009
2:30 pm
Also, isn’t Freel on the DL after getting beaned on a pickoff attempt by Justin Masterson, or am I confusing him with someone else?
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
2:31 pm
Let’s hear your odds on Glavine getting over 3 quality starts this year. I say 10% chance.
MFin04
April 29th, 2009
2:31 pm
If we are considering Bonds…why not Michael Vick…surely he could steal some bases? Not sure if he can hit…but maybe he could pitch?
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
2:31 pm
Plus we’d be peeing on Hank Aaron’s record by signing Bonds, he’s got to be pathetic in the field right now, and he’s a clubhouse cancer (I hate myself for using that term).
PWHjort
April 29th, 2009
2:32 pm
3 quality starts for Glavine? 1.5 %
Mark
April 29th, 2009
2:32 pm
Why does no one ever talk about Norton’s problems? Why does he get away with hitting .067 while eating up a roster spot? The guy is awful and has been dragging the team down for a year now…
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 29th, 2009
2:34 pm
With KK, you also gotta remember that a 85-90mph fast ball over there is like 95-98mph fastball over here. They go oppo exclusively over there and only pull off-speed pitches. They are a fundamentally sound group of players over there. There best power guys are washed up MLB cast offs that are dead pull guys. Ron Gant would have had field day until the started throwing him curves and changeups.
I like KK but believe his time in the pen is coming.
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
2:35 pm
Nick
Freel is an inside joke from a couple years back. Yes, he is DL’d.
DOB
Why such negative waves over Barry???
MFin04
April 29th, 2009
2:35 pm
Norton hit the crap out of the ball last night…and I’m betting he will come around. It’d be nice to get him a start so he can get some ABs any maybe back into the groove of things.
Tomas
April 29th, 2009
2:35 pm
DOB, the big difference with Kotchman and Frenchy is that Frenchy has 13 RBI’s with a 400AVG with RSIP(and where their 2 outs is 636AVG best in baseball), while Kotchman has 4 RBI’s with a 227AVG with RSIP.
Jackie Treehorn
April 29th, 2009
2:35 pm
McGlinchy, with the benefit of hindsight, we should have not probably not signed Kawakami and used his contract and Anderson’s contract to get Raul Ibanez, and broke camp with a rotation of Lowe, Jurrjens, Vasquez, Reyes, and Hanson. But I will say that at the time, both seemed like decent deal that the Braves needed to make.
Lew
April 29th, 2009
2:37 pm
Kevin McGlinchy-I have a baseball signed by you, Jason Marquis, Odalis Perez and John Rocker and Andruw Jones. NOT a cornerstone of my collection.
Wayne in Utah
April 29th, 2009
2:37 pm
Mark
Try to keep up. Norton was clutch in ‘08.
Nick
April 29th, 2009
2:38 pm
Oh my bad…here I am thinking, “Jeez, Ryan Freel? Really? Why not just go after Willy Taveras…”
Mark
April 29th, 2009
2:38 pm
Norton is hitting .067…The guy is garbage…Brandon Jones could accomplish what he is doing at a much lower salary…But for some reason the Braves love retread hacks…
Mark
April 29th, 2009
2:39 pm
Yeah…Braves had a real ‘clutch’ team in ‘08…He was a real difference maker in our 72-90 season….
Chuck James was Solid until the 6th!!!
April 29th, 2009
2:39 pm
I havn’t read back all the way so please forgive me if this had been complained about. Although there is a sever lack of speed on this team, that has not been the ultimate problem (other then the teams tendency to put up 2 runs a game consistently). I think the massive problem with this club now is base running in general. I can recall 5 times off the top of my head in the last week where guys, including Chipper of all people making idiot base running mistakes to end innings, most occuring between 2nd and 3rd base. That is pathetic and needs to end now, that is not Braves or Bobby Cox baseball.