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Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,197 comments Add your comment
David O'Brien
June 9th, 2009
6:41 pm
Shamus, I don’t know why you’re having such a hard time believing Cox would start Diaz ahead of Francoeur in RF. He did exactly the same thing for the Sunday, May 31 game at Arizona, when Francoeur was out of the lineup and Diaz was in RF.
richbrave
June 9th, 2009
6:41 pm
Burdell:
SCOTS-IRISH. Protestant emigres during the first half of the sixteenth century. Most previously resided in SCOTLAND, FRANCE, the GERMAN PALATINATE, WALES, and the north of ENGLAND with a few LONDONERS mixed in. These religious settlers were promised land and title by the ENGLISH crown in the north of IRELAND around ULSTER. Considered interlopers by the long-time CATHOLIC residents of the EMERALD ISLE. Many ultimately left for AMERICA in the 1700’s when the monarchy reneged on most of its promises to them because of IRISH resistance.
Tommy Hanson - #1 in our hearts
June 9th, 2009
6:41 pm
C’mon Braves! Pick Tommy Hanson #1. That will really show him that we love him.
BUST BUST BUST
June 9th, 2009
6:42 pm
2008 is officially a BUST!! If we only lost one more 1 run game!!! OMG such bad luck!!!!!!!
joe
June 9th, 2009
6:42 pm
Bud Selig’s still stuck in the 20th century! and too bad we couldn’t get the GA kid.
SlimG
June 9th, 2009
6:42 pm
DOB, is it just me or does Frenchy swing at every first pitch especially the slider away? Ask him when was the last time he saw 6 pitches in an at bat. Do he and TP get along or what? What’s your opinion of TP as a hitting coach. Mattingly seems to do very well in LA.
Count Chocula
June 9th, 2009
6:42 pm
Matzek plz!
Heath (Cleveland)
June 9th, 2009
6:42 pm
Here we go…Atlanta’s first round pick is…
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:42 pm
Aaron Crow, Tyler Matzek, Shelby Miller, Matt Purke, and Jacob Turner all on the board…
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
6:43 pm
Well, at least Minor is 21(December 1987 birthday). Maybe he can get to the majors soon.
Steve from OH
June 9th, 2009
6:43 pm
Unbelievable.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:43 pm
Atlanta selects P Mike Minor in the 2009 Draft…
Ugh.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 9th, 2009
6:43 pm
Minor it is.
richbrave
June 9th, 2009
6:44 pm
I saw MIKE KELLY play in RICHMOND. The mighty mite was pretty good in AAA. One of those 4 A guys, huh?
BravesFanChris24
June 9th, 2009
6:44 pm
They took Mike Minor.
Chop Chop
June 9th, 2009
6:45 pm
Unbelievable, Steve.
Frank Wren did you wrong.
Unbelievable.
The Braves are cheap.
Unbelievable.
Bravetiger
June 9th, 2009
6:45 pm
Mike Minor from Vandy is the Braves first pick. Surprise pick by guys on MLBN seem to think it was a good pick.
Rob (from SC)
June 9th, 2009
6:45 pm
I don’t follow college baseball, did we take this Minor kid because he is cheap.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:46 pm
Harold Reynolds says Minor has “great stuff.”
Right…
Heath (Cleveland)
June 9th, 2009
6:46 pm
Braves don’t get another pick until #87.
TBrown
June 9th, 2009
6:46 pm
Why not White? So frusterating
BUST BUST BUST
June 9th, 2009
6:46 pm
Great, now they are interviewing Wheeler, I’m done watching this bust draft. We just missed our pick.
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
6:47 pm
You don’t take potential mid-rotation guys at #7. Just sayin…..
MVH
June 9th, 2009
6:47 pm
Wow, what a waste
Shamus Thacker
June 9th, 2009
6:47 pm
DOB, that was just one game. Well, I guess this is too. lol
I’m just surprised he hasn’t yanked Frenchy from the lineup altogether, and much sooner, if that’s what this is, which I doubt.
Nate McLouth the Highlander
June 9th, 2009
6:47 pm
I’m Nate McLouth of the clan McLouth.
nolie
June 9th, 2009
6:47 pm
wonder with the Pirates taking Sanchez if there is any chance at all that Tate falls to the Bravos? Draft gurus, does this change our position at all? (EPI)
very unlikely they take Tate even if available.. He is not a good hitter and would be a long involved project, is a Boras client(not the kiss of death but not helpful) and has signed with a college. He will want above slot and most analysts rate him 10-15 though he will likely go higher.
David O'Brien
June 9th, 2009
6:47 pm
Safe, signable pick for Braves. I’d bet they’ve already got a deal in place or assurance that he’ll sign. We’ll find out soon enough.
By the way, Baseball American had Minor as the Braves’ pick in its updated draft coverage yesterday. But I think they had already waffled on the projection by today. They had it right, however briefly.
richbrave
June 9th, 2009
6:48 pm
Didier:
6:39 p.m. CLINT come back, we need you.
joe
June 9th, 2009
6:48 pm
Oh well, now time to watch the Braves play! Hope Mike Minor doesn’t turn out like a Jo Jo Reyes
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
6:48 pm
Here is what Baseball America just posted:
“As Jim Callis predicted, the Braves took Mike Minor at 7. It’s an out-of-character pick for Atlanta in many ways, but the Braves believe in Minor, the 2008 Summer College Player of the Year. The Braves like the fact that Minor improved down the stretch when he took over the duties of calling his own pitches, and his cerebral approach should help him move quickly. Scouts who doubt Minor believe his stuff has flattened out the last year or so and believe he’s a fourth starter at best, with only plus pitchability and no true out pitch.”
Coxlover
June 9th, 2009
6:48 pm
A mid-rotation guy at # 7 ???????????? What are the Braves thinking ?
Edward
June 9th, 2009
6:49 pm
I trust our scouts.
Salty Dawg
June 9th, 2009
6:49 pm
Sorta glad the Braves didn’t get Wheeler after seeing that interview. Kid doesn’t seem to bright and at least Minor is a older, closer to ML ready presumably.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:49 pm
Rob,
Yeah, he’ll be an easy sign.
He has good pitchability and should move fast through the minors. At the same time, he’s not a high ceiling guy as he throws his fastball in the 86-89 range. He’s also tallied up a lot of innings in college.
TnBrian
June 9th, 2009
6:49 pm
I thought that White kid looked good, at least his numbers were impressive. I’ll have to check out Minor’s numbers.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 9th, 2009
6:49 pm
…I would not get over-excited, happy or mad, with the draft. You just never know how is going to pan out.
Mike Minor
June 9th, 2009
6:50 pm
Will y’all love me even half as much as you love Tommy Hanson?
Shane
June 9th, 2009
6:50 pm
The Braves could have drafted the next Willie Mays and you guys would still complain
nolie
June 9th, 2009
6:50 pm
mart move, imo, of the Pirates “brass” by not making Charlie face the Braves this soon after the trade. The kid has been know to be a bit fragile on the emotional side. So why give him the pressure of facing his old team, less then a week after moving? (N8)
yup, he’s a doo-doo head
Steve from OH
June 9th, 2009
6:50 pm
Man, these guys must be asking for huge bonuses if Leake, Minor and Hobgood are going before Matzek, Purke, Turner and Miller.
Interested Observer
June 9th, 2009
6:50 pm
I guess Minor essentially replaces Jeff Locke in the organization.
If I were Harold Reynolds
June 9th, 2009
6:50 pm
I would point out what a lard@$$ Tommy Hanson was.
BUST BUST BUST
June 9th, 2009
6:51 pm
Damn SF tie breaker
MVH
June 9th, 2009
6:51 pm
Why didn’t we take anyone else, offer them slot or 500K above and then if they don’t sign take the 8th pick next year with a deeper draft class?
Paul Lentz
June 9th, 2009
6:51 pm
David O’Brien………I appreciate you asking Jeff Franceour the questions you did. However a few “follow up questions” would have been nice. For instance, “how wise is it to lift weights the day after playing such a long game last night”? Also “how can you say that you are swinging the bat better when you are consistently swinging at bad pitches…and especially when you dont drive the mistakes that the other pitcher makes”?
Also, it would be nice if you could question Bobby Cox as to the logic he used in batting Franceour 5th on Sunday and 6th yesterday. I am not a Bobby Cox basher. I understand that there is information that he is privy to that the average fan doesnt have access to. However as a Braves fan who has seen every Braves game in the past 4 years on t.v. (when TBS started showing less Braves games, I decided to fork over money to watch the Braves on the MLB Extra Innings package on Direct T.V.), I feel that I have some insight of my own to offer on the subject. While I feel that Franceour should be benched…..I do understand why Bobby wants him playing right field. However, batting him any higher than 8th in the line-up hurts the Braves offense.
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
6:51 pm
ESPN dudes:
Keith Law: Roy Clark is tied up in a closet in Atlanta’s offices.
Jason Churchill: Roy, don’t worry buddy. I’ll be in Hotlanta in September to break you out! Not a surprise, but a few weeks ago, I would have bet the farm against a pick like this.
Keith Law: A low-upside polished college lefty with the seventh pick. I’m a sucker for upside, and they passed on probably a dozen guys I’d like better who bring that upside to the table.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:52 pm
Locke had better stuff. Minor’s more polished though.
Shamus Thacker
June 9th, 2009
6:52 pm
We’ve all been pretty much surprised, day after day, that Frenchy was STILL in the lineup, that one game notwithstanding..
Doc Holiday
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge has gone on the 15-day disabled list because of a sprained right knee.
TBrown
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
Minor wasn’t even the best lefty coming out of Nashville..
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
I think the Braves front office hand-cuffed Clark. Clark knows better…
Doc Holiday
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
NEW YORK — New York Mets reliever J.J. Putz has undergone surgery to remove a bone spur and fragments of bone from his right elbow.
The Mets said after Tuesday’s operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery that he is expected to start throwing in about six weeks. The team hopes Putz returns to games in 10 to 12 weeks.
Putz, acquired in the offseason from Seattle to be Francisco Rodriguez’s setup man, was put on the 15-day disabled list Friday after going 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA and two saves.
Bobby Cox
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
Minor has a “cerebral approach”?
What the %&$#?
Frank Wren, please trade this guy. I can’t deal with him.
David O'Brien
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
Paul Lentz, Francoeur lifted weights after seeing he wasn’t in the lineup.
BUST BUST BUST
June 9th, 2009
6:53 pm
Very bad day for Braves fans
Nats got it right and we didn’t
Shamus Thacker
June 9th, 2009
6:54 pm
What’s wrong with Minor? I like it.
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
6:54 pm
Interested Observer, that is an interesting way to look at it. I’ll be sure to ask Law and/or Callis that. If Minor has more upside than Locke.
TnBrian
June 9th, 2009
6:55 pm
Minor is a lefty, so that might’ve been attractive to the Braves.
Steve from OH
June 9th, 2009
6:56 pm
Matzek is a lefty, too. So is Rex Brothers.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:56 pm
Tigers got a good one in Turner. They were rewarded with Porcello because they were willing to spend money and I think they’re getting a similar guy here.
Doug
June 9th, 2009
6:56 pm
DOB,
How can you call that a good pick? An at best #4 starter with the 7th pick who can barely throw 90? Soft thrower with no real out pitch, so we can’t stick him in relief if he doesn’t work.
We could have taken a chance on one of the high school arms and played hardball with them. If we couldn’t sign them we get another high compensation pick next year when there might be some better position players available.
Really disgusted with the FO right now!
Mixxo
June 9th, 2009
6:56 pm
Sorta glad the Braves didn’t get Wheeler after seeing that interview. Kid doesn’t seem to bright and at least Minor is a older, closer to ML ready presumably. – Salty Dawg
Agreed. My Gawd, how hard is it to answer a few simple questions? Harold tried to loosen the boy up, but still ……
bravos2249
June 9th, 2009
6:57 pm
“Of course I want to play, but we had a long night last night and we’re playing a lot of games in a row. It might be nice to have a day off. I just went out and lifted and ran some, and my legs feel heavy after last night and playing a lot of games.”
yet he’s the only one to get the day off…aside from Prado whose hurt
Mark P.
June 9th, 2009
6:57 pm
Minor was picked to replace locke in Single A. IF they wanted to get best player available, they would have gone elsewhere. Won’t be suprised if this was about money either
TnBrian
June 9th, 2009
6:57 pm
Nats are stupid spending all that money on one pitcher when you know darn well that he ain’t gonna put them anywhere but MAYBE 4th place. That team has way too many holes.
JasonInFL
June 9th, 2009
6:57 pm
On the surface, it doesn’t seem to be a very good pick. But, I will say this…Roy Clark and the Braves scouting department…just a tad bit smarter than I when it comes to these things!
David O'Brien
June 9th, 2009
6:58 pm
A day after getting the win in the 15th inning, Medlen’s out there catching the ceremonial first pitch from some local businessman…
Reynold's wrap
June 9th, 2009
6:58 pm
“Harold tried to loosen the boy up…”
Crap. Now he’ll get fired AGAIN.
bravos2249
June 9th, 2009
6:58 pm
And also…if Matzek told the braves he wouldn’t sign with them then you don’t pick him and just hope next year you strike gold with another 1st rounder. I wonder how many of you said the same thing about Van Poppel in 1990.
nolie
June 9th, 2009
6:58 pm
Braves passing on Matzek, Purke, Miller…and even White…for Mike Minor. I see this as worst case scenario
too bad they weren’t saving 5 million by cutting Glav, we mighta been able to afford a decent draft pick. I’m sorry, but Miner at#7 sux.
TBF(n)K as Billy
June 9th, 2009
6:58 pm
Paul Lentz if he were to ask those questions he would never get the light of day from the players ever again…..at least if i was a player I wouldnt answer questions from a reporter that asked mee that.
TBrown
June 9th, 2009
6:59 pm
Rex Brothers > Mike Minor .. and its not close
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
6:59 pm
I think DOB’s right- I bet the Braves and Minor had something already worked out…at least preliminarily…
Mixxo
June 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
Crap. Now he’ll get fired AGAIN.
Steve from OH
June 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
bravos2249, If we don’t sign our first rounder we get a first-round compensation pick next year. Probably somewhere in the teens to go along with the first rounder we’d normally get.
Huh
June 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
Why doesn’t the AJC just hire a private detective to follow Francoeur around and find out the REAL STORY?
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
Mark P., of course it’s about money. I bet Matzek goes to the Red Sox or Yankees. It’s amazing. Hopefully they fix the system.
David O'Brien
June 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
Doug, I had already changed that to “safe, signable pick” by the time you asked me about it being a good pick.
I’ll always reserve judgment on just about any draft pick at least until I see how they do in professional ball above the rookie-league level.
Shamus Thacker
June 9th, 2009
7:00 pm
Could Nats be thinking trade? Guess not, or they’da just traded the pick.
Steve McP
June 9th, 2009
7:01 pm
I am amazed that Bud Selig, somebody at top of a huge organisation, has so little charisma when he makes these announcements.
Burdell
June 9th, 2009
7:01 pm
There’s a guy named Max Stassi available, and the Braves passed over him? No love for the Italiani. I’m sure their next pick with be Fergus O’Shanahan McGuiness.
CB
June 9th, 2009
7:01 pm
We need Lowe to step up tonight- bullpen needs some rest.
Chop It Up All-star
June 9th, 2009
7:01 pm
@ Reynold’s Wrap – hilarious…lol.
bravos2249
June 9th, 2009
7:01 pm
Mixxo
I know…I mean I ain’t no Giants fan but I know Linecum, Cain, Bonds, Mays, the rivalry w/ Oakland…..I even know players that are playing there that aren’t homegron/idols….Renteria, Randy…..heck I even know Sandoval….but I ain’t a fan…..and How could you not expect them to pick you when you have an orange/white balloon and a Giants hat….that was the only hat he had…..that stuff isn’t spur of the moment.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
“Jim Callis reports Jacob Turner to the Tigers. That means Detroit has cast signability aside, as it did in 2005 (Cameron Maybin), 2006 (Andrew Miller) and 2007 (Rick Porcello).:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/
And the Tigers got 3- now 4- very good talents…because they opened up their wallets.
I’d like to see the Braves allocate more money towards the draft…
Rob (from SC)
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
Leake has great numbers, why the hell did we take Minor
Paul Lentz
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
David O’Brien………thanks for the info on the weight lifting thing. However, the way you originally posted it, one could easily interpret it as him having lifted weights “before” he found out he wasnt going to be in the line-up.
Also, did you have a chance to either ask Franceour or Bobby Cox about Franceour initial lack of hustle on that last play last night? I caught it right away as soon as the first replay was shown that Franceour looked back and jogged the first 20 feet or so until he saw that the shortstop got to the ball and only then did he start hightailing it down the line to home. I feel that that is a very LEGIT question to ask. If the throw home was accurate, he is out.
What are your thoughts on the play?
joe
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
Is it too hard for Francouer to admit he’s being sat down because he’s struggling? He knows it, everyone knows it. Maybe he’s hoping we’re all that dumb.
Steve from OH
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
Efrim–it screws the low-market teams. Tell me that Cincinnati liked Leake more than Matzek. But going to a strict slot ain’t fair, either.
PWHjort
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
I have never been more legitimately angry with this club.
Doug
June 9th, 2009
7:02 pm
Minor had a 1.80 WHIP against lefties. YIKES!
bravos2249
June 9th, 2009
7:03 pm
Steve from OH
But…I’m not saying he’s a David Price….but after seeing him I’d expect decent pitching to come out of Vandy
No More Bobby
June 9th, 2009
7:03 pm
LETS GO 20 TONIGHT!!!!
Mark P.
June 9th, 2009
7:03 pm
Whats Minors record really 2-3 with a 3.55 ERA. Hope that is a typo!
Efrim
June 9th, 2009
7:04 pm
Wow. Rockies opening up the wallets. Good for them. Love it. Someone has too.
bravos2249
June 9th, 2009
7:04 pm
After hearing that about Matzek I understand why they passed on him….BUT I don’t know why they passed on the others…are they HS RHP’s?
I know we need LHP.
FloridaBrave
June 9th, 2009
7:04 pm
There goes Matzek to the Rockies…
PWHjort
June 9th, 2009
7:04 pm
And Colorado gets the steal of the draft.
Steve McP
June 9th, 2009
7:05 pm
Shamus Thacker – I don’t think that you can trade draft picks in the MLB.