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1,565 comments Add your comment
Doc Holiday
May 20th, 2009
11:16 am
That last stats refers to team stats.
oldschool
May 20th, 2009
11:19 am
has the braves announced there move to make room on the roster for Medlen yet?
goldenglove002
May 20th, 2009
11:19 am
Might be time to send Frenchy back to the minors again. If he’s abandoned his new swing and needs to work on getting it back, the big club is no place to do it. Lets see him get some work in while someone else atleast gets a few hits. If he’s truely becoming a veteran (he’s been around long enough IMO), then maybe he’ll send himself down, ala Brett Myers last year. And that worked out pretty well for him.
Question here would be what are the options to bring in if Frenchy does leave the team for a little while to get his swing back? I don’t think Diaz (we can’t have 2 guys in the OF at once who are horrible defenders) is a viable option, and same with Prado and Infante. I don’t like Brandon Jones very much, nor do I think Barton is ready to come up. Gregor Blanco has also been an absolute mess. Lets not talk about Gorkys, Heyward or Cody Johnson, we don’t want them up here before they are ready either. So this is really a big question of what other options do we have until FW makes a trade.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
11:23 am
Everybody seems to be raving about the pitching, which has been great so far, and how Mets and Phillies pitching has not been that great. Which belies the point of Braves getting a hitter who can make the whole lineup better. Or maybe it was just that the lineup needed to be changed around like last night. Scored more runs than we did in the last 3 games. Bottom line, if Braves can put up runs on the board, with the pitching, we can be very tough.
Macon Braves (RIP)
May 20th, 2009
11:24 am
oldschool–No, since he’s not pitching until tomorrow there is no reason to make the move yet. It will be done tomorrow.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
11:28 am
Last night was more of a fluke than a solution. I like the lineup change, but the team still needs someone that can hit for power and drive in runs in the 4 spot. This team would be much more viable in the NL East if they had a legit 4-hitter to protect Chipper and to move McCann into the 5 spot.
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:29 am
sportsmandh and beekay-I was listening to Rob Dibble’s show on XM Home Plate yesterday afternoon and he was talking about how the Nats would almost necessarily have to trade some of their offense in return for young, minor league pitching that would be developed within the next few years in order for Washington to be successful.
I think Dukes might be a worthwhile piece of the puzzle, but have to wonder whether or not Bobby and the Braves would chance his off field proclivities. Ya think?
Fred
May 20th, 2009
11:30 am
Supes (and all of the Cox and TP haters out there), As I mentioned earlier, all of the blame for our hitting problems can’t be placed upon TP and/or Cox because we have a flawed line-up (too left-handed, little power, little speed). The roster of position players was constructed poorly and we are unfortunately getting the results that many expected coming out of spring training. I can’t understand why we didn’t trade KJ (or Prado) as part of a package for an outfield power bat, given that we have 3 players capable of starting at 2B on a regular basis. And I know that hindsight is 20/20, but I also can’t understand why we traded J. Anderson and kept Shafer on the major league roster. That move would be understandable if Shafer was out of options, but that wasn’t the case. What harm would have been done by starting Shafer at Gwinnett? Our line-up would look so much better with J. Anderson leading off, Yunel in his customary 2nd spot, with KJ hitting 6th or 7th.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
11:32 am
Elijah Dukes is not the RH power hitter the Braves need. I would not feel comfortable with this lineup…
1) Escobar
Schafer
2) Kotchman
3) C. Jones
4) Dukes
5) McCann
6) Anderson
7) K. Johnson
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:32 am
monty-He’s about to turn 68-hardly ancient-at least from the point of view of someone who’s 58. Guess that might be a different take if you’re 20 something. However, that tends to change as you get older. The Who no longer hopes they die before they get old-kind of a moot point for Moon and Entwistle, though.
sri
May 20th, 2009
11:32 am
Isn’t it curious that JoJo has not made an appearance in relief? I thought they wanted to see how he performs in relief before they made the roster move for Medlen. Or is BC saving him to pitch after Medlen in case he falters? Does that mean the Bennett will be cut (hopefully)?
bravos2249
May 20th, 2009
11:32 am
beekay & sportsmandh
Dukes JUST got put on the DL.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
11:34 am
So, bloggers, if this team starts to hit, will you still want a RH Power hitter that can bat 4th?
I would.
McFann :Ô:
May 20th, 2009
11:35 am
Doc H.–
Old enough to drive, but I haven’t even gotten my learner’s permit (and I’ve got hardly any desire to get one.) Why?
Macon Braves–
Thanks!
McFann :Ô:
May 20th, 2009
11:37 am
MFin04 This team would be much more viable in the NL East if they had a legit 4-hitter to protect Chipper and to move McCann into the 5 spot.
I wish BMac could stay in the #5 spot, too. But, the team needs him to bat cleanup…
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:38 am
Fred-Yes, we have three players who can play second. Thing is that two of them also can play LF, CF, RF, 1B, and 3B. That’s why they are bench players and not starters.
If you trade Prado for an outfielder and Infante has to fill in for Chipper (stretch of the imagination?), who’s on the bench? Diory Hernadez, a seven year minor league player with a career .277 BA and .330 something OBP?
buzzmeat (BMAC AT CLEANUP!)
May 20th, 2009
11:38 am
SRI,
I was actually hopingto see JOJO last night, we had an 8 run lead and sidnt see why we used soriano and gonzalez
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:41 am
sri-I was thinking they’d bring in JoJo to pitch the 9th last night with a seven run lead. Guess Gonzo needed the work after being off for several days.
David O'Brien
May 20th, 2009
11:41 am
N8, it’s accumulated time on the 25-man roster. In other words, if he was on the 25-man for, say, 50 days of the 2007 season with Detroit, then that’s 50 days toward the six-year threshold, not one full year or a half-year or whatever. It’s exactly the time spend on 25-man major league roster (or the DL).
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
11:41 am
McFann-
B-Mac would be so much tougher to pitch to if he batted 5th behind a RH 4th place power hitter. Chances are that a runner or two would be in scoring position and at least one run would already have scored. And he get more RBI opportunities, and I bet the Braves would score more runs.
DAP
May 20th, 2009
11:42 am
sportsmandhJust stay away from Austin Kearns, he’s fallen off the face of the earth faster than Francouer.
kearns actually has a respectable OPS of .779, so thats a bit better than jeff (haha). kearns would also require waaay less in a trade because he is a free agent after this year and is a salary dump. he might be worth the risk, whereas we would probably have to give up enough for dukes for it to come back and bite us, plus dukes’ personal problems….kearns might actually be a better/more realistic option.
buzzmeat (BMAC AT CLEANUP!)
May 20th, 2009
11:43 am
LEW,
Back to back posts, about the same thing.. thats funny!
Fred
May 20th, 2009
11:43 am
Lew, I understand your point. But it is easier to obtain a utility player than a power hitting outfielder, and we probably don’t need two exceptional utility players like Prado and Infante (even though it’s a nice luxury to have them). I really believe Prado is good enough to start regularly at 2nd base and my earlier point is that we should trade from a position of strength to fortify a postion of weakness (outfield).
RHR
May 20th, 2009
11:44 am
I think Dukes might be a worthwhile piece of the puzzle, but have to wonder whether or not Bobby and the Braves would chance his off field proclivities. Ya think?
A guy the team had to hire a personal bouncer for to keep him in check will never play for Bobby and probably never for the Braves. Even after Bobby’s gone I don’t see the organization abandoning the …. Bobby way, if you will. The class of the organization…whatever you want to call it.
Macon Braves (RIP)
May 20th, 2009
11:44 am
OK, all the blame for the hitting woes can’t be placed on TP, I get that….but can SOME of the blame be put on him? Or is he immune from being held accountable for his job performance?
DirtyDawg
May 20th, 2009
11:45 am
I hope that Bobby’s been playing GA in order for him to do just what he has been, getting some hits and starting to look like a ball-player that just might be worth having – not us mind you, but somebody. This way when we offer the guy to some other team, they just might not laugh in our faces. The sooner he gets back to the AL where his lackadaisical approach to putting one foot in front of the other will fit right in, the better.
As for Jeff, maybe the earlier poster was right, see if that arm of his – about the only thing he’s got going for himself – is good enough to pitch a little, cause he sure ain’t gettin’ it done as an everyday player. He’s slow afoot, abat and athinking.
I’ve bashed TP a lot, but maybe it’s that some of these guys, as JF hinted at with that ‘gene’ comment, just don’t have the ability to translate thinking into doing.
And once more with feeling…when in hell is J. Schafer gonna do some bunting, or at least pretend he is. as well as learn from Chipper what it means to just get the bat on the ball and let your speed get you on?
McFann :Ô:
May 20th, 2009
11:47 am
getnathan–
Yeah. He’s a very good #5 guy…it would be so nice if we had someone else to bat cleanup.
Still can’t believe he struck out twice in a row on like, the same pitch! Low and away…sheesh…
oh SNAP!
May 20th, 2009
11:47 am
Jair goes out and dominates but the AJC has Francoeur on the front page….GO FIGURE.
Fleming
May 20th, 2009
11:48 am
DOB – How come noboby has asked for a lineup yet
Fred
May 20th, 2009
11:49 am
RHR, Good point about the personal bouncer. I can’t understand why any organization (sports or otherwise) would employ an adult who requires a babysitter to stay out of trouble. Pacman Jones was obviously in this situation with the Cowboys. I mean, in the real world, adults are expected to conduct themselves as adults, otherwise they risk losing their job and are at risk for other negative consequences. And I’m sure the Braves have noticed what the Falcons went through with Vick and they don’t want to head down that road with any player.
RHR
May 20th, 2009
11:49 am
“This team would be much more viable in the NL East if they had a legit 4-hitter to protect Chipper”
You don’t think Mac is a legit 4 hitter? I do.
Bobby is only 68? That’s closer to my dad’s age (62) than my granddad’s (82) which I always think of Bobby as being around my granddad’s age. He looks as old as my granddad for sure. Damn…how depressing lol.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
11:50 am
mcFann —
Big Mac is gonna get his RBIs though. he’s proven that he can get them in bunches for long periods of time.
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:55 am
Fred-We have minor league trade options for acquisition of a power bat. We need to have Prado and Infante as part of an extremely strong bench. Need I remind you of Pete Orr and Chris Woodward? It’s not just a matter of “picking up a bench player” anymore than it’s merely picking up a power hitter. Besides, other teams would grab at pitching-something all teams need and we have lots of whereas I imagine only Braves’ fans are that sold on Prado and Infante as everyday players.
Jim
May 20th, 2009
11:55 am
June 12!!
The day Jordan Schafer’s batting average passes Jeff Francouer’s?
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:57 am
RHR-Exactly!!!!
RHR
May 20th, 2009
11:57 am
OK, all the blame for the hitting woes can’t be placed on TP, I get that….but can SOME of the blame be put on him? Or is he immune from being held accountable for his job performance?
Definitely not, Macon, but I mean, it’s just like everything else on the blog. The what we DON’T have always looks better (Heyward! Hanson! Johnson! Josh Anderson! Rudy!) than what we DO have mentality gets annoying. If every hitter on the team since 2001 had to go to somebody else to get help then you could blame TP, but as far as I know Jeff is the only one who has sought help elsewhere. That leads me to believe the problem is Jeff, not TP. But hey, I could be wrong. Maybe TP just hates Jeff and doesn’t want to help him.
McFann :Ô:
May 20th, 2009
11:57 am
getnathan–
Yeah, he will…he needs to get some more extra-base hits. Some RBI doubles would be greatly appreciated. Also waitin’ (impatiently) on that first homer away from Citizen’s Bank Park.
Lew
May 20th, 2009
11:59 am
Fleming-Probably because the game isn’t for another 7 hours and no lineup has been written out, much less posted for the press? Just guessing here.
Jersey Gil
May 20th, 2009
12:00 pm
In Mr. Schultz Column he wrote:
“with the help of a little off-season perspective and extensive work with Texas hitting guru Rudy Jaramillo.”
EXTENSIVE…..In Frenchy Web Side he say that he work with Rudy only three(3) days in November and Three (3) days in Feb, In between he work with TP,Chipper and Mac in the Cage.
McFann :Ô:
May 20th, 2009
12:02 pm
RHR–
He’s legit for the cleanup spot…just like him better as a #5.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of his stats from each spot this season (is that a good sentence?). He’s hit for more power in the cleanup spot, but his AVG is better when he bats fifth. Also has more K’s in the cleanup spot.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:06 pm
We’ll see what happens. I think the Braves should try and get a RH power hitting OF, even if this current lineup starts to hit.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
May 20th, 2009
12:06 pm
McFann,
Do you think Mac has more K’s in the clean-up spot because he changes his approach? What I mean is, he sees that he’s hitting 4th so he thinks he has to try and hit everything out of the park?
jack
May 20th, 2009
12:07 pm
as i said before tp messed up aj jf and now he is working on js
Fleming
May 20th, 2009
12:08 pm
Lew – I realize how long before the game. Just wondering why mfin and others hadn’t already asked like they normally do. Maybe they taking the morning off after a win LOL
David from NY
May 20th, 2009
12:09 pm
DOB,
With Medlen coming up tomorrow, has there been any talk about who they will send down? When Campillo gets back they will have another decision. Parr has looked pretty good recently. Will it be Bennett and then Carlyle?
Thanks.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:09 pm
Buffalo I think that’s exactly it. BMac is more of a doubles hitter, he’s not going to hit 30 HRs too often in a year, and he would be more suited to hit 5th. Those doubles will drive in lots of runs with him hitting 5th because Escobar and/or Jones will be on base
Keeping It Real
May 20th, 2009
12:09 pm
pryguy,
Good comments about TP and hitting coaches. It is so easy for people to criticize players and coaches regarding how to hit 90 mph pitches on the outside corner or pitches with changing speeds and location (change ups, sliders, sinkers, curve balls, etc.) when most of us have never had the experience.
I still maintain that speed is the saving grace of the Braves. They cannot wait around for the big hit with this team. They need to play solid defense, sacrifice, bunt, steal bases, take the extra base, move the runners along, or whatever cliche baseball terminolgy is appropriate.
Unfortunately, the Braves cannot do these things well as witnessed by their performance. Additionally, it is boring baseball. I like home runs, triples, doubles, stolen bases, etc. This is entertaining baseball. I do not believe that the fan base will come out. I don’t even watch on TV like in the past. Bring in the young guys and a big stick who can put it in the outfield seats.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:09 pm
I think Parr will be sent down when Campillo returns.
I bet Bennett pitches tonight. This is his last chance to show he can be effective.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:10 pm
McCann isn’t really a 4 hitter, much better suited in th 5th spot. But even if McCann is a 4-hitter. then we still have a huge need for a power hitting 5-spot hitter. So it really doesnt make much of a difference if McCann bats 4 or 5. (McCann doesn’t play every day which makes him more of a 5 hitter in my opinion)
CB
May 20th, 2009
12:11 pm
We keep over analyzing Jeff, but the real responsibility falls back on the player’s willingness to understand their own weaknesses and problems. When I don’t understand how to fix something I tend to respect those more knowledgable. It appears Jeff has a brick for a head. I blame this on management’s decision to send Jeff down and then calling him right back up. He has Chipper as a model- listen to his opinion if you don’t respect TP.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:11 pm
The power will get you to the playoffs, but the little things (bunting, moving runners over, solid defense) will win the World Series.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:12 pm
Top 5 Braves to be Least Worried About:
1) McCann
2) Chipper
3) Esco
4) Infante
5) Prado
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:12 pm
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!) —
Who are the Braves that we need to worry about?
Lew
May 20th, 2009
12:13 pm
Flemig-You’ve got a point there.
KC
May 20th, 2009
12:14 pm
I sure hate to get this name circulating on the blog again, but there’s a decent chance that Carl Crawford will be available at the deadline.
Other deadline possibilities for Atlanta… Jermain Dye, Matt Holliday (’09 rental), Aubrey Huff.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:14 pm
It also seems odd to bat McCann in the cleanup spot when he will be out of the lineup every 5th or 6th game. Not sure why, but it seems weird “replacing” your cleanup hitter.
KC
May 20th, 2009
12:15 pm
If you get a healthy Glavine back soon, that will help the back of the rotation. Then, if we could add a big bat AND Tim Hudson within 2-3 weeks of each other in late July/early August… this team could be a juggernaut down the stretch.
cvbraves
May 20th, 2009
12:15 pm
Here’s a guess at lineup (vs. lefty tonite):
Escobar, ss
Casey, 1B
Chipper, 3B
Infante, 2B
BMac, c
Diaz, lf
Jeff, rf
Jordan, cf
Sure hate to sit Kelly, though, and Bobby might want to find a place for Prado.
Rock On......(the denizen formerly known as Dadgum)
May 20th, 2009
12:16 pm
Gotta laugh at the poll question on the blog. Didn’t see a button for “neither”. Really could there absolutely be a worse question than that? Obvious DOB doesn’t put them on here.
Cox said yesterday that Infante would start today. Prado probably next game for those that wanted to know. Lew, I am sure Prado and/or Infante would be picked up by more than 1 team if they needed infielders.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:16 pm
McFann (nice site by the way) –
.458 in the 5th spot vs .204 in the 4th spot, lol that’s more of an anomaly you would have to think.
Sandlot
May 20th, 2009
12:17 pm
Just saw this on MSN. Is there anything that *didn’t* happen during the Braves-Mets series at Citi?
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9593138/Woman-loses-tooth,-gets-stuck-in-Mets-toilet#
bry22
May 20th, 2009
12:17 pm
Can’t TP or Francour himself see that he has closed his stance back to where it was last year. I have no idea if that would get him out of his funk. But come on, it is clearly easy to see his batting stance is not the same slightly open stance he changed to over the winter and into the beginning of this season! If TP is no help at all, why have him!
Tomahawk210
May 20th, 2009
12:17 pm
Any line-up yet? Just kidding
I was watching the game last night and caught something I haven’t seen too much from our players. After Schafer struck out in his last at-bat they kept showing him and you could clearly see he was mad at himself and that was with a big lead at the time. It’s nice to see that kind of fire from someone on this team and as someone stated earlier the kid wants to improve on anything he can. He’s taking all the advice he can get and receiving it and it’s showing as of late. He turning on the inside pitches and has been hitting some screaming line drives foul the last couple of games. Also striking out less. I think if Esco struggles at the top we need to see him at the top soon. He has a great eye and doesn’t chase bad balls that much. The more at-bats he gets he’ll realize what pitch is coming in what situation. It’s not a matter of catching up to the fastball, it’s a matter of guessing what pitch may be coming. But it’s good to see the changes and adjustments he’s making working. Now if only someone else would make adjustments and take advice that is given and apply it without complaining. Schafer is going to be a good one, works too hard not to be.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:17 pm
KC—
I like the Rays because they remind of the Braves in the early 90s, so I don’t think they’re moving Carl Crawford because I think they’ll be in it (and hopefully beat the Yankees)
Matt Holliday would be a PERFECT #4 hitter for the Braves, and the A’s are not doing well right now.
Supes
May 20th, 2009
12:18 pm
Fred,
You are correct. NOT all the blame can be placed at TP/Bobby Cox, but you can’t “get rid of the players” at this point, so the logical thing in business is to replace the coach/Hitting Coach in this situation. Especially if this keeps up. This hot and cold offense, where people go outside of TP for advice, etc. Let me ask you this…why pay TP 150,000 dollars per year or whatever his salary is if he isn’t helping out the likes of Jeff, Schafer, McCann, Chipper, etc.? Maybe they aren’t listening to him…which is a part of the problem in itself. If that is the case…then he HAS lost the respect of the players and it’s even worst than we thought to begin with!
I don’t believe E. Dukes from the Nats is a Piece of the Puzzle. The Pieces of the Puzzle are in low minor league ball…and out there on other teams rosters (hint, Braves need to pull off a trade at some point, depending on how this season goes. If they are still in it before the trade deadline, explore your options and look for a POWER HITTING RH OF bat. If not, wait till the offseason, as the price for young pitching is steep, so you’ll have better suitors and more leverage)
Oh, and Doc Holiday…Garret Anderson is “heating up”…Right on. Professional SINGLES hitter. Hitting cleanup or 5th in the lineup. With the occasional double thrown in. Not my idea of the kind of production a FA LF should be bringing to the table.
So Anderson can hit .300, with 20Doubles and 140 Singles and drive in 50 runs…but that’s not what the Braves need out of LF.
This team needs a legit 30HR, 30-40Doubles high slugging percentage precense in the lineup out there in LF. Garret Anderson’s days of doing that (putting up those kind of slugging %) are GONE.
There is a reason why the Angels let him walk…and it wasn’t b/c he was GOOD. He’s servicable at this point (comparing him to his prime years). That’s it. Nothing more. Braves were duped. So were the fans. And no, I don’t think Ken Griffey Jr would have been the answer either.
Ryan Ludwick and or Adam Dunn would have been much better options out there in LF.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:19 pm
Top 5 Braves to be Most Worried About (back by popular demand):
1) Frenchy
2) Schafer
3) GA/Diaz
4) KJ
5) Kotchman (has to drive in some runs, hit for more power, and hit with guys on base more consistently)
Supes
May 20th, 2009
12:20 pm
KC…You are correct, we do seem to have a surplus of servicable to good starting pitching.
I also like the idea of Hudson coming out of the pen if our rotation is set by September and we are still “in it”…as in 5 games or less…of course if the CHOCKING MUTS are leading the division by then…we are still in it at 6 games out:)
Rodney Derrick
May 20th, 2009
12:21 pm
Just compare Andruw Jones to Frenchy this year in all categories, but especially ration of strikeouts and walks. Both got tutelage from Rudy Jaramillo, but Andruw has Rudy working with him every day, and Frenchy has Pendleton. The verdict– Pendleton could not fix Andruw and he can not fix Frenchy. Braves need a better hitting coach. Not every Brave has a Dad as an expert, like Chipper, BMac, and Casey K.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:22 pm
You don’t sit KJ after slumping…and then going 3-4 with a SB. Not sure what you do. (KJ is hitting .314 with 2 hrs and 7 rbis against lefties.)
Diaz is actually hitting righties better this year.
Maybe play Infante in LF.
Rock On......(the denizen formerly known as Dadgum)
May 20th, 2009
12:22 pm
cvbraves….if they are going to put Infante at 2nd I would rather see him play RF and sit Francouer and then play Prado at 2nd assuming Cox is sitting KJ as he mentioned yesterday. That puts stronger bats in the lineup especially if you are also starting Diaz.
Regardless, I think we have seen the last of KJ as leadoff. Maybe (and that is a big Maybe) KJ will turn the corner with batting in the 7 hole or thereabouts. Not ready to say he is back after just one game though.
cabravesfan
May 20th, 2009
12:23 pm
CVBraves-
I promised myself I wouldn’t jump on you today but I can’t see Infante batting 4th
Supes
May 20th, 2009
12:23 pm
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
If you were getting better production out of LF, and RF…Kotchman’s power numbers wouldn’t be so troublesome. You could live with his numbers if our OF prodcution wasn’t so PATHETIC. 7 HRs out of the ENTIRE OUTFIELD. Just let that number sink in a bit. 7!
I’m not even going to bother listing all the OF with 7HR alone.
But if Casey hits around .300, with about 40 Doubles (he’s got 15 already, so good pace) that would be sufficient out of him…IF the OF would pick it up! So it’s all relative.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:25 pm
Correction, the Braves site has the stats messed up, Diaz is hitting .300 vs lefties.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:27 pm
Casey Kotchman is not going to hit for too much power. The only legitimate power hitter on the Braves is Chipper Jones and maybe Brian McCann. The way the Braves are going to have to win with this lineup is to string together 4 and 5 hits in a row. There’s really nobody we can expect to pop it out of the park. This lineup COULD work, but with Frenchy and Schafer consistently not hitting, rallies are killed, so we cannot get those 4 and 5 hits in a row to score. Since we have those liabilities in the lineup, we need a 4th place RH power hitting OF who can pop it out of the park, which will give Frenchy and Schafer more pitches to hit, and maybe keep rallies going.
Lew
May 20th, 2009
12:27 pm
Ex-Dadgum-I’m not so sure that the love exhibited for Prado/Infante on our blog would be quite so reciprocated by other clubs. Many here refuse to see that they are role players for a reason-that ML scouts and Front Office personnel evaluated them and decided this is where they are best suited to play. Quite honestly, if KJ and our outfield were performing anywhere near acceptable levels, our bench would get nothing more than what is due them as good subs.
Young pitching (which we have lots of in the minors) will get us what we need much faster than a couple of guys who have been good for reduced periods of time, but never on a full time basis. We’re dealing with a greener grass on the other side scenario here and nothing else.
Rob
May 20th, 2009
12:28 pm
I am not worried about Kotchman at all. I am not worried about Schafer either. Remember when McCann hurt his hand. I believe Schafer’s wrist played a huge role in his struggles. Can’t have great bat speed with a injured wrist. He has been hitting the ball solidly the past week. Kotchman has been impressive. Not every player needs to have 30+ HR power. He is a great Complementary player.
We need to stay away from Matt Holliday. He is looking for a massive contract that we will not pay. We need a long term answer. When Heyward arrives he can replace Jeff Francoeur.
Fleming
May 20th, 2009
12:28 pm
MFin – Really worried about Kotch?? BA 301 SLG 459 OBP 363 RBI 2nd on team batting now in the 2 spot
McFann :Ô:
May 20th, 2009
12:28 pm
Buffalo NY Braves Fan–
That could be. Ha…and there’s no way he coulda hit those two pitches he struck out on outta the park. Not even Matt Diaz could do that!
That’s why I like him in the fifth spot–he seems more relaxed.
MFin04–
That’s Baseball-Reference.com. I use that one all the time.
One thing to keep in mind about the HUGE difference in BA is that before he went on the DL, he was batting cleanup. Since he’s come off the DL with the glasses, he’s mostly hit 5th (only two games in the cleanup spot to this point). I think that has a lot to do with it–he couldn’t see at the beginning of the season. He’s a career .287 hitter in the cleanup spot.
Rock On......(the denizen formerly known as Dadgum)
May 20th, 2009
12:29 pm
MFINo4…Cox is starting Infante today. Are you saying he is starting in place of Francouer? Don’t think Bobby would have said that yesterday with plans to play him in RF. Think Infante gets the nod at 2nd today and rests KJ regardless of his day yesterday. This is a typical Cox move. Actually I would rather see Prado there and Infante in RF to be honest. We’ll see. Regardless, playing Infante and Prado at the same time is great albeit a small drop off in RF defense maybe but a big plus at 2nd defensively.
Rob
May 20th, 2009
12:29 pm
Lew,
What good young pitching are you willing to trade. Hanson has to be off limits. I would classify Medlen that way as well.
No More Bobby
May 20th, 2009
12:29 pm
A-Rod has only been back for one week but has more homers than any Brave. Yikes!
DAP
May 20th, 2009
12:30 pm
Mfin5) Kotchman (has to drive in some runs, hit for more power, and hit with guys on base more consistently)
kotchman is tied for 2nd on the team in RBI with 18 (escobar has 18 and the leader, frenchy, has 19) leads the team in extra base hits with 17 (15 doubles, thats alot) and has hit .343 with runners on base, .333 with the bases loaded, .316 with runners in scoring position, and .421 with runners in scoring position and two out.
you need a new # 5.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
May 20th, 2009
12:30 pm
No More Bobby,
Apparently he’s still on the juice?
Lew
May 20th, 2009
12:31 pm
bry22-I would imagine since there were several of us on the blog who noticed Francoeur’s reversion to his former mechanics, Rudy Jaramillo noticed and called from Texas, his Father raised hell with him and Frenchy himself has commented that they’re aware of it by now.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:32 pm
I would liken Prado to Endy Chavez. Great part time players, but weaknesses would get exposed and exploited if they played full time, which is why Endy was so good in his part time role. Maybe Prado is in that category
sportsmandh
May 20th, 2009
12:32 pm
Sorry, can’t resist, arm chair quaterbacking is so much fun you know. My lineup today would be:
1) Infante – cf
Ross – c
2) Esco – ss
3) Kotchman – 1b
4) Chipper – 3b
5) Diaz – lf
6) Prado – 2b
7) French – rf
9) Vazquez
Give Mac the day off against the lefty. There are no off days for a while, and today is a favorable matchup we should be able to win IMO.
And yes, you see that right, make Chipper bat cleanup for the day. Maybe that is the solution for the days Mac is off, make Chipper hit cleanup, especially against lefties b/c he’s been hitting for good power off lefties lately. Also, there are other guys that can fit the 3 hole bill, Kotch, GA (or maybe even KJ if he heats up).
Lew
May 20th, 2009
12:38 pm
Rob-We have plenty of young pitching not named Hanson or Medlen. What about Reyes (not as much value right now), Charlie Morton, James Parr (don’t count him out), Locke, Redmond, or Nunez. How about at AA-Brett butts019K and 5BB in 19.1 IP or Jeff Lymon-23K in 25 IP with a 2.03 ERA?
Dude, these are just a few-young pitching is something we have lots of and all teams need.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:38 pm
And yes A-Rod is still on steroids in my opinion, a biased one because I hate the Yankees with a passion
JJ
May 20th, 2009
12:39 pm
MFin –
I just don’t get the concern over KJ. What’s that about anyway? The obvious Top 5 to Worry about for me are:
1. Frenchy
2. JS
3. Middle Relief (be it Buddy, Bennett, or otherwise)
4. KK
5. GA
KJ would actually be in my Top 5 NOT to worry about. Put him in there instead of Prado and your list is good.
Lew
May 20th, 2009
12:40 pm
NoMoreBobby-And Arod makes just slightly less than the entire Braves’ lineup (seems so, anyway).
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
May 20th, 2009
12:40 pm
I’ll give the line-up a shot….
1-Infante 2b
2-Kotch 1b
3-Chipper 3b
4-Mac C
5-GA LF
6-Escobar SS
7-Frenchy RF
8-Schafer CF
9-Vasquez P
KC
May 20th, 2009
12:41 pm
Ya know folks, there’s one guy we’re not hearing about very much that could be up here soon…
Barbaro Canizares is hitting .322 with 7 homers, 25 RBI, and 11 doubles in 152 AB’s. He’s slugging .533 with a .921 OPS.
He’s a 30 year-old right-handed hitter that defected from Cuba just a few years ago. He played a A and AA in ‘06. Played a limited number of games due to immigration issues in ‘07 (at AAA). Last year was his first full season at AAA, and he hit .300 with 13 homers, 67 RBI, only striking out 67 times in 500+ AB’s.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:41 pm
I’m a pretty big downer on Kotchman I admit, but he just was not very good with RISP early on. Yes he is coming around hopefully, but he struggled mightily early on. I’m not ready to say he has turned the corner just yet. And he was getting the majority of RBI chances early on and failing miserably. That’s why Frenchy had soo many RBIs at the time, because Kotchman wasn’t getting the job done.
Either way, that is why I put Kotchman 5 on the list.
Lew
May 20th, 2009
12:41 pm
getnathan-That’s what I think s the case with both Prado and Infante. Like I said-If KJ and our outfield were performing, no one would notice those two weren’t playing regularly.
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:42 pm
No pitchers on the concern list, only hitters, those are the rules.
Fleming
May 20th, 2009
12:42 pm
KC – Isn’t Canizares terrible defensively
Fred
May 20th, 2009
12:43 pm
Supes, I agree that if Braves hitters are not listening to or benefiting from TP’s advice, it’s a problem. Don’t forget, though, that DOB said that it’s fairly common for MLB players to seek tutelage from coaches outside of their team. We probably will never know the full story and it will be interesting to see how the Braves situation is resolved.
getnathan
May 20th, 2009
12:43 pm
My top 5 most worried about Braves:
1) Francoeur (too many slumps, not stepping up to the #4 hitter I thought he could be)
2) Jeff Bennett (walks the ballpark)
3) Greg Norton (.130 avg)
4) JoJo Reyes (winless in forever, trade value going down)
5) Kenshin Kawakami (a distant 5th, will be good when he can stay out of the bad inning)
5) Kawakami
MFin04 (Time to Get Rid of Bennett, Buddy and Cox!)
May 20th, 2009
12:44 pm
ARod has a hr in 4 straight games. Yes he is on Roids. No he never stopped. Yes he should have been suspended.
I like KJ still playing today, no reason to sit him now
1-Infante LF
2-Kotch 1b
3-Chipper 3b
4-Mac C
5-KJ 2b
6-Escobar SS
7-Frenchy RF
8-Schafer CF
9-Vasquez P
JJ
May 20th, 2009
12:45 pm
Call me crazy, but I wonder if Cox won’t give Esco the day off since he got dinged last night.
My Lineup for tonight:
Omar SS
Kotchman / Prado 1B
Chipper
BMac
Diaz
KJ
JF
JS
Pitcher
Keeps KJ in the lineup and also gets Omar into it. I’m 50/50 on resting Kotchman but the Allknowing HOF manager dis state that Prado would get some time so maybe this is the day.