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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,442 comments Add your comment
jed
July 21st, 2009
3:14 am
alright…i’m out. please dont feed the animals…
birddawgbill
July 21st, 2009
3:23 am
Good night all. Go Braves.And one more thing jed. Hudson not being sharp is exactly why I hope they dont send him to the pen. They cant afford to have someone a little off in the pen. With him starting if hes not sharp then you have Medlen or Hanson come in, in long relief. 3 or 4 runs early can be made up but a bad 7th or 8th inning can lose the game.
ChurchMan
July 21st, 2009
3:25 am
“It’s been nice coming in and getting a chance to work with [Gwinnett Braves hitting coach] Jamie [Dismuke],” said Johnson. “He’s helped a lot and it’s kind of slowed things down.”
Players get sent down all the time when they need things to work on so I suggest the team tries to do this at some point (not right now of course since things are clicking for the team but later down the road when things might not be clicking so much …. just to try, can’t hurt), I say they send down TP and bring this hitting coach up. If things improve drastically then the right move has been made and TP needs to be released or traded, but if things stay the same then at least we’ll know TP wasn’t the overall problem.
But like I said, not now later down the road when things might not be working on so well.
laffing dice
July 21st, 2009
3:32 am
Good Lineup?
1- juan Pierre
2- Martin Prado
3- Nate Mclouth
4- The Man!
5- BMac
6 Yunel
7 G Anderson-Diaz-Church?7
one of the two (Diaz Church G Anderson) from here, hard to say? We need Pierre!!!!!!
Think about it??? Speed!!! at top of order!
That looks like ONE sweet Lineup!!!!?
Look for G Anderson~to have a really good second half!
Sweet Swingin Matty! Church aint bad?
Huddy commin back! WOW!!!!!!!!
I see At Least Wild Card!
Rick
July 21st, 2009
3:52 am
KJ may have been helped by the hitting coach at Gwinnett but he has probably been helped even more by facing AAA pitchers who can’t put the ball where they want to .
There’s a reason why these pitchers are in AAA and not in the Majors .
Capt Caveman
July 21st, 2009
5:33 am
Rick — you have obviously never faced a AAA pitcher. They may not be as good a major leaguers but they can certainly pitch and locate. You are obviously just looking for an excuse to downplay KJ no matter what.
JPS
July 21st, 2009
5:38 am
Oh man! Kelly The Fraud hit 2 homers last night. It won’t be long before he is back with the big club and Bobby installs him at his rightful second base spot. Prado will have to go back to the bench.
Don’t look now but Frenchy is on fire. I wonder if the Mutts will take Escobar or Vasquez to trade Frenchy back to the Braves.
AndyC
July 21st, 2009
7:17 am
It’s starting to look like the Braves made the right decision with both Glavine and Smoltz. It was time for them to go. I do think the Braves handled the Glavine situation poorly, no need to rehash that, but I think they were straight up with Smoltz. He is the one that has acted like a real jerk since leaving the team and hopeful there will be a reconciliation at some point in the future. Now Glavine, I don’t know if that situation can be fixed, maybe after a few years have passed.
TampaBrave
July 21st, 2009
7:57 am
I’m back from the brink. Hate to say I told you so, but I did. Kelly Johnson has always been a liability and should have been axed along time ago. When I suggested Prado would fill in nicely, Shaun and the gang of statisticians threw stats galore at me saying that KJ was in the top ten in some hitting category. Well, stats can only tell you so much about a player. So FW, quietly trade the guy for whatever you can get. Let’s rejoice that every ball hit to 2B will not be an adventure. Let’s rejoice that we don’t have to suffer through 5 weeks of slumpin to get one week of hot hitting. We should rejoice that we have a really solid player in Prado. Hate to say I told you so, but I did.
Jerry
July 21st, 2009
8:02 am
Kelly Johnson will be involved in a trade for a bullpen arm in the next 3-4 days. That would seem to be the best scenario for everyone. The Braves do not need any distractions from this point on and that would end another sad sap saga for them. I’ve heard they have contacted Baltimore and ..the mariners.
Jerry
July 21st, 2009
8:04 am
Heard as in a private chat room not like I know Frank Wren personally..LOL
Frank Wren
July 21st, 2009
8:29 am
Kelly will be called back up shortly. The guy can hit.
Joebrave
July 21st, 2009
8:36 am
Alabama Brave, Sorry dude I didn’t see your 11:40 post wasn’t trying to show you up dude!
cricket
July 21st, 2009
8:36 am
Guys,don’t go too hard on Paul, for DOB’s sake. That guy contributes at least 15% of the total blog pages every time, both from his looooong essays and the frustrated posts that they generate. You drive him away, there goes down DOB’s business a bit
You know, in poker, you don’t rag on and drive away a dumass player just because he sucks out on you – you want him at the table, you need him at the table because you know, it’s just a matter of time before he gives all the money back.
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
8:55 am
Trading Kelly Johnson would be a mistake.
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
8:55 am
KJ…has probably been helped even more by facing AAA pitchers who can’t put the ball where they want to
Recent AAA pitchers include David Price, Tommy Hanson, Kris Medlen, to name a few. Bums all, I guess.
you want [someone such as Dense] at the table, you need him at the table because you know, it’s just a matter of time before he gives all the money back.
Sorry, the analogy doesn’t hold. After reading three of his posts, I realized the guy is bankrupt, and any money he brings to the table is probably counterfeit. He doesn’t get to sit at my table, anymore. I’m shocked that any sane blogger here still reads him at all, but, I infer that some still do, from posters that I actually do read.
He isn’t the first looney-tunes poster in this forum, but, I certainly mark him as the poster child for much of what passes as the blog these days. Confrontational, whiny, self-obessed, clueless, name your own adjective, there are a lot more posters of that ilk than once upon a time. One deals with it, or doesn’t, I guess. Still plenty of legit contributors here, just a little harder to find them.
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
8:59 am
oh, yeah, blog lore…”Holy Cornelia”, derived from the fact that Mark Teixeira’s wife’s people are from (or reside in, one or the other) in Cornelia, Georgia. One (mercifully) long-forgotten blogger opined that the fact might play into Tex re-signing. Other bloggers shook their heads in amazement, and “Holy Cornelia” was birthed into the world. First actual usage by the blogmeister himself, if I’m not mistaken (though that could be incorrect; the truth of it is lost in the mists of time).
You want lore? I got it, brother.
McFann :Ô:
July 21st, 2009
9:13 am
Jones said he’s encouraged.
“The lineup is better. We don’t have [easy] outs any more,” he said.
Oooo! Ouch, man! Ouch…
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
9:18 am
Maybe a KJ for Qualls framework would make sense. Though the thought of Prado playing 2nd every day for years to come scares me. He’s still young, maybe he’ll improve on defense.
The Love Child of Dale Murphy and Johnny Cash
July 21st, 2009
9:20 am
I don’t understand the Kotchman bashing of late here on the ol’ blog (outside of the usual “reactionaries”, of course). Kotchman is a very solid ballplayer. I see alot of Braves legend Sid Bream in him. No, he’s never going to hit forty homers, but he is going to be a solid hitter and play as good a 1B as anyone in the league. As much as Escobar uses his arm at SS, Kotchman’s soft hands at 1B are a big positive for this team.
CB
July 21st, 2009
9:21 am
scoots. I am one of those who skips our friend’s posts, but what is irritating is the number of fools who bother to respond to anything he has to say. Wastes my reading their posts,lol.
glove51
July 21st, 2009
9:22 am
keylargo: Kelly Johnson MAY still have some trade value. I think Brroks Conrad is good enough (at least) to get us to the point that Infante returns.
Rex
July 21st, 2009
9:23 am
PWHjort-
If Prado’s defense at 2nd base scared you, then you must have been really frightened for the last 2 plus years while Kelly Johnson was manning the position. Prado is a much better defensive player than KJ.
Soph
July 21st, 2009
9:25 am
Sorry if someone’s already posted this. It’s an article about Esco reaching out to the media -
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090720&content_id=5960944&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
BravoMan
July 21st, 2009
9:25 am
Jerry,
What are your sources man??
The Love Child of Dale Murphy and Johnny Cash
July 21st, 2009
9:29 am
I can’t imagine KJ having much value at all in a trade by himself. The last Big League image of him is a guy completely lost at the plate. I think they’ll have to package someone with him to get an arm of any significance at all.
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
9:37 am
No, Rex, he’s not. Statistically Kelly Johnson is a superior defender. And I’m not getting into a debate over it with people who don’t have access to fielding bible numbers.
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
9:40 am
The last Big League image of him is a guy completely lost at the plate
More the last blog image, I would think. ML GMs take a longer view, and his past career performance would weigh more heavily than this year’s half-season. Not that a trading partner wouldn’t use that half-season to try working a discount, LOL.
Not even Johnson’s fans, of which I am one, would suggest that he regain the starting spot right now. It’s Prado’s to lose, just as it was Johnson’s to lose, and that’s how it should be. But, the idea of trashing Johnson to keep some others on the 25-man is, well, not very smart.
AlabamaBrave
July 21st, 2009
9:55 am
Joebrave
July 21st, 2009
8:36 am
Alabama Brave, Sorry dude I didn’t see your 11:40 post wasn’t trying to show you up dude!
I know you weren’t. It’s all good.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
July 21st, 2009
9:57 am
The Love Child of Dale Murphy and Johnny Cash,
Thats why I’m sure teams are scouting him in AAA that are interested in trading for him. I doubt these GM’s are sitting around saying “well, he was 0-5 with 4 k’s last game…. lets pass”
I think they have scouting departments for a reason and will do their homework.
monty
July 21st, 2009
9:58 am
PWHjort
You can pull out all the fielding Bibles you want sir. But you’re not going to convince any person on this blog that KJ is a better fielder than Prado. No one sir. Not anyone who watches real live baseball games and has a clue about baseball.
TampaBrave
July 21st, 2009
9:58 am
PWHjort, You must be high. Stats are lying to you. They don’t take into account the balls he should have got to, but didn’t.
18 Wheels of Love
July 21st, 2009
9:59 am
If we deal Kelly then all that would be left of the ‘Baby Braves’ is McCann. I think the better term for them should have been the ‘Maybe Braves’. I think the last 4 years show you how much of a crap shoot it is to plug in prospects everywhere. Davies, Frenchy, James, Thorman, McBride, Boyer, KJ, Marte, Langerhans. That’s a lot of prospects that didn’t pan out.
The Love Child of Dale Murphy and Johnny Cash
July 21st, 2009
10:00 am
I’ll have to respectfully disagree, scoots. Johnson has 230+ AB’s this year with a sub-.650 OPS. That’s a pretty decent sample size. Plus if you take out his hot streak at the end of ‘08 (selective reasoning, I realize), his numbers don’t improve greatly. I think we can agree that Johnson is at least extremely streaky. I don’t think he adds much to this team, with the exception of speed of the bench which I don’t think is worth a roster spot.
Soph
July 21st, 2009
10:03 am
Who is pitching for the Giants tonight?
varodrunner
July 21st, 2009
10:03 am
For all of you “rocket scientists and major league coaches, there is no way I change a thing right now. The Braves are winning and “if it ain’t broke, don’t F%^& with it”.
KJ has had a good night in Gwinnett, but that doesn’t mean he can “fill Prado’s shoes now!
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
July 21st, 2009
10:06 am
TampaBrave,
The beauty of fielding stats is that they DO give you this information. It’s not all about errors and fielding % anymore. There are stats such as range factor to consider as well.
varodrunner
July 21st, 2009
10:06 am
PWHjort
You gotta be kidding
Strong infield defender? NO WAY! Sorry, but he is not a second baseman!
JDH GT
July 21st, 2009
10:07 am
PWHjort,
You are correct in that Kelly is statistically a better defender (fielding percentage = 0.979 and range factor = 4.89); however, I don’t know if he’s superior in comparison to Prado (fielding percentage = 0.976 and range factor = 4.82). I don’t have the raw data, so I can’t say this with certainty; I have a feeling that they may not even be statistically different, especially given Prado’s relatively small sample size.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
10:13 am
PWH, I love Kelly Johnson but you must be smoking the hippie lettuce if you think he is a better defensive 2B than Prado. He isn’t as good as Infante there. Hell, I’d argue Conrad is better defensively. Kelly Johnson was only put at 2B because he was even worse in the OF but he can hit and the Braves wanted his bat in the lineup.
JDH GT
July 21st, 2009
10:14 am
In fact, Prado’s zone rating is a bit higher than Kelly’s.
wheelz007
July 21st, 2009
10:19 am
The Braves have won 13 of their last 19 games, and we’re talking about Kelly Johnson?
IMO, if Kelly Johnson gets called back to the big club, he’ll be a bench warmer.
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
10:20 am
JDH,
I don’t pay a lick of attention to fielding %. I’m talking about Range Factor, UZR, and +/-.
Monty and others, I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything, I couldn’t care less. Similarly, you’re not going to convince me (or any intelligent person) that Prado is the superior defender by using the argument, “he just is” or “just watch”. I do watch, and Prado doesn’t have half the range (especially when going to his right) that KJ does. Plus Prado frequently makes horrible, clumsy misplays.
TampaBrave,
UZR, +/-, and Range Factor are all about the balls you do and don’t get to.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
10:22 am
PWH, “horrible, clumsy” plays. Have you watched Kelly at 2B. He makes those plays all the time. Look, here is the thing. Right now Prado is the clearcut better player! If Bobby ever did anything so stupid as to put KJ back in @ 2B I will stop following this team because it would be clear Bobby should be fired.
Is there any coincidence that this team started winning when Prado got inserted into the everyday lineup?
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
10:23 am
Look, Kelly Johnson isn’t like the 2nd coming of Christ with his glove at 2B, he’s only ever so slightly above average. But Prado is HORRIBLE at 2B.
JDH GT
July 21st, 2009
10:24 am
PWH,
Read my posts. I tackle those stats too. Again, not a huge difference in range factor, and Prado’s zone rating is HIGHER than Kelly’s.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:24 am
KJ would be better than Greg Norton, at least he could “field” and pinch run.
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
10:26 am
JDH,
ZR was a cool stat in 2003, but it’s 2009. +/- and UZR are the ones we use.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:27 am
Prado is a better hitter and a better fielding 2nd baseman. KJ won’t be starting anytime soon. Bobby isn’t that dumb.
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
10:29 am
Robert,
I won’t disagree that Prado is the better overall player right now. No way. How could I? Prado is hitting like an MVP right now. The discussion was strictly about defense.
#31
July 21st, 2009
10:29 am
PWHjort, You must be high. Stats are lying to you. They don’t take into account the balls he should have got to, but didn’t.
…and stats don’t take into account all the times KJ is at the wrong base on a bunt, or not in position to cut off a ball from the outfield, nor do they take into account the plays Prado makes like the gamed ending one with the bobble and recover.
I’ll take baseball instincts over stats all day long.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
10:31 am
I do agree that if Kelly should replace Norton. No, Kelly doesn’t have the versatility that Norton does in playing multiple positions but his bat is a 1000 times better…As sad as that is.
The Love Child of Dale Murphy and Johnny Cash
July 21st, 2009
10:31 am
MFin04,
Agreed Johnson does bring more to the table than Norton, but I think Norton gets DFA’d once Infante is healthy. The real queation is, once Infante return’s, would you rather have Conrad or Johnson. I personally prefer Conrad, if for no other reason than he switch hits.
RHR
July 21st, 2009
10:33 am
Amen, 18 Wheels. Maybe Braves. I like it.
Scoots, do you really think Bobby will leave him on the bench? It would be great if he would, KJ would make a great bench player, secondary to Infante, of course lol. I just don’t trust Bobby to not “get him some at bats” and platoon him with Prado. I mean, if Prado goes into a long slump, sure, but I can see Bobby “getting him in there” within 2 days of him coming back.
#31
July 21st, 2009
10:34 am
I’m not sure that any stat can make KJ’s defense look acceptable. Just from watching the games he is so awkward in the infield, hands of stone. Doesn’t anyone remember the pop up he dropped last year at Philly that cost the game and sent the Braves into a tailspin? One play I know but if the topic is KJ’s defense…
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:34 am
Apparently KJ is faster and plays better D than Conrad. Conrad has shown he can hit homeruns, I dunno, I’m sure the Braves would pick KJ based on experience, but I dunno…
monty
July 21st, 2009
10:35 am
I watch every Braves game and I can’t remember ever seeing Prado kick a ball around or make “clumsy plays.” With KJ every routine groundball was an adventure,you had to hold your breath and let out a sigh of relief when he got it over to first. Everyone knows KJ isn’t even an infieder by trade. Stats don’t lie, but I take exception on this one.
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
10:35 am
Love Child, I don’t mind disagreement, LOL. World would be pretty boring if everyone agreed with me. The world would be right and correct, of course, but boring, LOL.
Seriously, though, I could find 250 ABs for just about any player that would show said player to be either Ted Williams or Rafael Belliard reincarnate. That Johnson has been streaky, I’ll give you, but I doubt he’s the sub-.250 hitter we’ve seen this year. Guess that’s my point, in the midst of all this.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:37 am
3 for 4 with 2hrs and 7rbi
That is a monster game!!! WOW!
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
10:37 am
“and stats don’t take into account all the times KJ is at the wrong base on a bunt, or not in position to cut off a ball from the outfield, nor do they take into account the plays Prado makes like the gamed ending one with the bobble and recover.”(#31)
The stats I use do.
The Love Child of Dale Murphy and Johnny Cash
July 21st, 2009
10:39 am
It is nice to be splitting hairs over the 13th position player on the roster as opposed to the starting 2B or RF for a change.
PWHjort
July 21st, 2009
10:39 am
Monty,
KJ was drafted as a SS and played mostly middle infield in the minors. What do you have to do to be an “infielder by trade”?
RHR
July 21st, 2009
10:40 am
Soph – a rookie, Ryan Sadowski. It will be his 3rd start, I think. He had shutout wins in his 1st two starts. We can take him.
Doc Holiday
July 21st, 2009
10:40 am
monty,
Maybe you missed the game we lost against the muts, but I know what you are saying, and I agree. There no tension anymore when a ground ball is hit toward 2B.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
10:40 am
McFin04, don’t be so sure Cox wouldn’t start KJ over Prado. KJ hit two 3Hr yesterday while Prado went 0 for 4. That could be enough to convince Cox KJ is back!
David O'Brien
July 21st, 2009
10:41 am
ZR was a cool stat in 2003, but it’s 2009. +/- and UZR are the ones we use. — PWHjort
Oh. We’ll make sure to pass that along to Wren and Cox.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Sometimes stats are useless when compared to the common eye. All the stats in the world sometimes can’t make up for common sense. Martin Prado has played a better second base this year than KJ.
And here is the kicker…Bobby Cox doesn’t make his decisions based on stats most of the time, he usually goes with his big blubbery gut.
RHR
July 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Doesn’t anyone remember the pop up he dropped last year at Philly that cost the game and sent the Braves into a tailspin? One play I know but if the topic is KJ’s defense
Heh.
So anyway….
Love Child @ 10:39 – it sure is!
JDH GT
July 21st, 2009
10:43 am
Oh come on, PWH. Prado doesn’t have enough starts for a reliable UZR. I don’t know who this “we” is that you speak of, but you are obviously not a statistician.
Doc Holiday
July 21st, 2009
10:43 am
IMO:
Infante gets back = Norton DFA
KJ ready to come back = stay in the minors at least a month and stick with Conrad, right now he bring more to our team than KJ.
Hudson gets back = Logan back to AAA.
We are set.
monty
July 21st, 2009
10:44 am
Putting KJ on the bench and hoping BC doesn’t start him is like putting a drink of whiskey in front of an alcoholic and asking him not to drink it.
Epinephrine
July 21st, 2009
10:44 am
I don’t know if anyone else notices this, but I will say Prado and Esco seem to have better “chemistry” out there. They seem to turn DPs and defer to each other’s range better than KJ.
I do think Prado has worse range than Kelly, and he also makes miscues. But I don’t think he does it with quite as much regularity as Kelly.
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
10:46 am
RHR, re your 10:33, I would say that Johnson “getting some ABs” would be a good thing, no? Bobby did the same thing for Prado, even when Johnson was in one of his “rake” periods. Johnson, if he’s hitting, can be nothing but a plus on the team. Prado has to have some days off, after all. You want to see the likes of Conrad and Hernandez taking care of that? Plus, having Johnson back allows Infante to return to his original tasking of backing up SS and CF.
As I said earlier, the job is Prado’s to lose, and he’ll have to regress deeply for Bobby to make a change, again.
BT
July 21st, 2009
10:46 am
ZR was a cool stat in 2003, but it’s 2009. +/- and UZR are the ones we use. — PWHjort
DOB Oh. We’ll make sure to pass that along to Wren and Cox.
You will not have to pass that along. According to one of our most outspoken bloggers they already take everyone’s ideas. PL actually is the brains behind the organization. Don’t believe it, just ask him!
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
10:47 am
Monty, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:50 am
Not sure I’d do Hudson for Logan…Boone has been pretty good. I’m sure when the time is right, there will be an obvious pitcher to get rid of to AAA, of course the Braves probably won’t pick that obvious pitcher….
P-Town Brave
July 21st, 2009
10:53 am
PWH-
Keep smoking whatever it is you’re smoking brother if you think KJ has better range to his right than Prado…or have you missed the backhand throws from the air and all the diving stops in the last couple weeks? Yeah…just checking…
And guys, why are you all still talking about bringing Kelly up and sending Brooks down…shouldn’t we really just be talking about releasing Greg Norton?! I mean c’mon, its way past time, and I’m no Kelly Johnson advocate by any means, but at least I know he could provide the team with something better than what they’re getting from Norton.
Also, did anyone else find it interesting how much he talked about how the Triple-A hitting coach has helped fix his swing and give him drills to do when he’s had issues…
Where ya at on that one TP…oh yeah, still in line at the buffet!
And scoots…don’t worry bud…Diory will be gone just as soon as Omar finally gets back…and think of the bench the Bravos could have then if you replace Norton w/ Kelly and add Omar.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
10:54 am
If Hudson pitches well in his rehab starts I would say he takes KK’s place in the rotation. KK will move to the pen and Logan gets sent to AAA. Or the Braves could even hold Hudson off until September when rosters can be expanded and actually use a six man rotation with both Hudson and KK in the rotation.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
10:54 am
So Diory and Brooks are still up? So more than likely, they are gone and KJ and Infante are back? Bobby sure does love him some Greg Norton, I don’t see him being let go.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
July 21st, 2009
10:56 am
monty,
You must have missed the loss to the Mets over the weekend. Prado was getting picked on all afternoon and he looked lost more than once in that game.
wheelz007
July 21st, 2009
10:56 am
Does anyone think Chipper is heating up?
CB
July 21st, 2009
10:56 am
The argument of keeping Kelly in the minors is not smart,use him or trade him if sufficient return. Are we not supposed to put our best team on the field? Why is Norton still here? Kelly is still too young to give up on and provides a good utility guy with speed.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
July 21st, 2009
10:58 am
CB,
If by “utility” you mean “2B/PH/PR” then yes, “utility” would be a good word. If you think he can play multiple positions… well…. he can’t.
Lew
July 21st, 2009
10:59 am
Well, one thing about KJ is that we have known all along he’s more than capable of having a World Class month at any time. He hasn’t had one yet this year. Does this mean he’s due (or just that he sucks like so many think)? If so, think what THAT could do for the offense. Just sayin. Maybe we could convince another team that streak is just around the corner. Maybe convince them enough to give us some middle relief?
For some reason, I don’t see him as a pinch hitting specialist even if he does replace Norton on the active roster (not a bad idea, actually).
RHR
July 21st, 2009
10:59 am
Last thing I’m going to say about Kelly (today anyway
) is that I chuckle every time I see people refer to him as “above average”. He is the epitome of just plain AVERAGE in every way. Not knocking him for being average, but the waxing poetic here is a bit much.
Lew
July 21st, 2009
11:01 am
wheelz007-In a word, Yes. Does anyone really think he’s a .285 hitter a year removed from winning the Batting Title?
RHR
July 21st, 2009
11:01 am
As I said earlier, the job is Prado’s to lose, and he’ll have to regress deeply for Bobby to make a change, again.
All we can do is hope.
MFin04
July 21st, 2009
11:02 am
KJ’s speed alone, late in a game, is better than Greg Norton continuing to struggle at the plate, and bat .100, .150, .200, whatever the heck it is.
Alonzo
July 21st, 2009
11:02 am
Cox has gone on the record as making Prado his starting second baseman. In other words, he stood before the press and benched KJ.
Why do you folks believe he is going to back off the course he has stated publicly?
KJ will be a bench hitter. If he’s put out on the field to start, Wren is displaying him for a trade.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
July 21st, 2009
11:09 am
Um, Alonzo, its call history and a pattern.
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
11:14 am
If you think [Johnson] can play multiple positions… well…. he can’t.
And your point? Prado is still the “utility” guy, in your definition of the word. If Chipper needs a day off, it’s still going to be Prado at 3B, just as it was in April. The only difference is Prado’s accelerated playing time, otherwise.
beekay
July 21st, 2009
11:14 am
Loaf has got so many broken bat, bloop, lost in the sun, bad hop hits this year. I’ve never seen such luck. He is coming around as a hitter and fielder and even flashes an occasional smile though. Any update on if we are close to signing our first round pick? If he signs would they send him to MB or Miss ?
Steve from OH
July 21st, 2009
11:15 am
PWHjort, You must be high. Stats are lying to you. They don’t take into account the balls he should have got to, but didn’t.
Hmmm…maybe, maybe not. I’m all for defensive stats, think they have a lot of value, especially if you wanna know something about a player you rarely get to see play. However, I will agree with PWH on this one. Marteeen might have better hands and just all-around look smoother while making plays (hence why many think he’s a better defender, no bobbles, etc), but Kelly has better range than Marteen. Now, Kelly’s nothing more than an average defender, and his defensive upgrade over Marteen is modest at best, and Marteen is sure swinging a better bat right now…
RHR–c’mon, bro, where did I say Kelly would be a .300/25 HR guy? One too many PBRs last night, I see, LOL!
My point is simply that he’s still good, and deserves a shot over Norty or Brooks, LOL, despite what Dentz-head thinks.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
July 21st, 2009
11:19 am
ncscoots,
the point was someone saying that KJ was a “utility” player….. hence that post. I understand that Prado can move to 3B and give Chipper a day off, or 1B and give Kotchman a day off, and KJ can spell Prado when he needs a day off.
That is not a “utility” player by any means.
Gary
July 21st, 2009
11:19 am
Kelly deserves a shot over Norton and that’s it. When Omar returns I am pretty sure its Diory who gets sent down. If and when they decide to activate Kelly, it should be for Norton’s spot only. Conrad has played the gritty baseball player since his call up and would continue to be a spark off the bench for the rest of the stretch run. Kelly could basically be the LH pinch hitter and runner off the bench. No need for fielding time, just take a crack at the plate and sit down. Omar and Prado both have versatility that one of them could man 3rd or 1st should the need arise while the other takes 2nd.
RHR
July 21st, 2009
11:20 am
Why do you folks believe he is going to back off the course he has stated publicly?
Is this your first day as a Braves fan? Look, I’m not a Bobby basher but….are you familiar with Bobby Cox? At all? He is the King of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Chances.
monty
July 21st, 2009
11:20 am
On KJ vs.Prado in fielding
Did a little checking, I’m not a stat guy like some on here which is fine. But I took KJ’s minor league fielding percetage versus Prado’s and here’s what I found. I took there seasons where they played their most games. Here are their fielding % stats coupled with games played that year.
KJ- 116gs.=.905, 118gs.=.952, 93gs.=.960, 91gs.=.959, 125gs.=.956
Prado-101gs =.978, 111gs =.980, 72gs =.974, 73gs=.975, 87gs.=.995
KJ has a minor league fielding avg. of .940,.947 in the above mentioned years averaged out. Prado’s avg. fielding of the above mentioned years is .980 Prado’s minor league fielding avg. is much higher than KJ’s.
RHR
July 21st, 2009
11:22 am
I don’t think anyone is arguing that Norton should get the nod over KJ. Nobody with a pulse would disagree with that. What we don’t want is KJ coming back and Bobby putting him in a platoon at 2B.
Steve – no, you didn’t say that, someone above you did though and I was just addressing all of y’all with one post.
Steve from OH
July 21st, 2009
11:23 am
Guys, fielding % is like batting average–it has its uses, just not that many, LOL!
ncscoots
July 21st, 2009
11:25 am
For sure, the Johnson-Prado topic has been as polarizing as any on this blog, LOL. It’s next to impossible to objectively view the two of them side-by-side, for most folks here. And if you make a post trying to do just that, one (or both, LOL) of the warring camps will have at you like hungry bears at a human campsite. Shoot, I’ve done it myself, launching Johnson hyperbole to counter Prado hyperbole. Not that I’m proud of it.
Bottom line for me is that the team is better when both those guys are playing well at the same time. The Braves can use that.