One month of strong ‘ball for Bravos

Braves better not trade Medlen for the A’s reliever. Not worth it

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Our Current Prez probable is dumb enouf to be thinkin spellin dis way is propa english Dog.

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Doc Holiday, my point was I don’t care how long a guy has been in the league as long as he can get hitters out (and his contract is reasonable).

OklahomaBrave, first of all I don’t think there is any chance the Braves are getting Carl Crawford. And frankly, why would the Braves want to give up what it would take to get him? He’s been about league average offensively in his career (102 OPS+) and at 27 he’s probably not going to be a whole lot better than that. Fine player but not worth what the Rays would ask.

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Buffalo NY Braves Fan

Good one.

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Roman Gal

I can’t believe so many people on here are willing to trade Schafer for just about anybody.

RG, I can’t believe so many people on here are willing to trade {insert any player’s name} for just about anybody.

This is TRADAPALOOZA!!

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I think you should go with “EXCUSEMEsirWOULDyouMINDconsideringTHATmouthIFitDOTHpleaseTHEE”

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Its a little long for the ole blog ha ha

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doc, yes i should have clarified that.

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So Tradapalooza is deemed stupid but, all this talk of ludacris and mouf and playa playa is not. So to that I say “throw dem bows.”

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mekonsbut .217 means a whole lot of rallies killed. Just say no.

not always. dude has a .348 OBP which means he still isnt making outs as much as say…alex rios, mark derosa, brandon phillips, curtis granderson, nelson cruz, freddie sanchez…yeah, pena is LESS of a rally killer than all those guys. and our guy nate mclouth has a .349 OBP. almost as much of a rally killer as pena.

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chc4, You forgot to include the Glavine whiners as well. I think Wren rushed Hanson.

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caveman/whatBOUT

I think it is your IP address that is probably blocked, in which place you are probably screwed. Did you say something really stupid or vulgar (not that any of the rest of us have EVER done anything like that) to get blocked??

OR, maybe your computer at home is just screwed up??? Do you have full internet access to all other sites?

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lol looking good Sir Mouth

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Shamus

Stick w/ the Q discussions and you can’t go wrong!

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Wayne if i ever said anything that offensive i sure didnt mean to. I might have gone back and forth with someone but never vulgar and i do have full access to everything.

I was never informed of anykind of blockage at least not pertaining to this blog

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eric in mo and wayne if it between roachy and kotchman i think i go with kotchman too. that was just for the folks begging for a 1st baseman with more power.

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OK this comment is kind of out of no where but how in the hell is Jamie Moyer 10-7????

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Hey youz guyzzz…….How abouts wes trades Johnson,Norton,Ross, and Mark LEmke for
Adrian Gonzalez!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats Fair right?????????

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whatBOUT

I used to be a technical expert, then I got old. I think you have a “bug” in your system. That is a technical term.

In other words, your screwed.

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Oh well wayne. I obviously have nothing important to talk about anyway

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Worse yet, what will happen if/when Prado comes back down to earth?? Wayne

Somehow, that’ll be Bobby’s fault. Perhaps he should be chastised for that preemptively?

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Shaun

July 28th, 2009
3:26 pm
“wjones, I see nothing wrong with more pitchers and fewer hitters. I don’t think 13-man staffs are that crazy, especially in the American League. It obviously depends on the makeup of the team, but if you have some great hitters, how many more good hitters do you need rotting away on your bench. It’s more likely that you’ll use the extra pitchers than the extra hitters. Sure, pitching changes aren’t fun to watch but unfortunately they are decent strategy if a team has the right pitchers and pitching depth.”

Shaun, either you or I are seeing this one wrong, and it’s one of two topics raised today that I am absolutely in disagreement with you on. Yes, the AL staffs can carry 13 pitchers easier than NL teams, since you don’t have to pinch hit as much. But even with that you only have 3 bench players. You asked how many people you need rotting on the bench? I would think more than 3. If you carry only 3 bench players, you have a back-up catcher, you have a back-up infielder who HAS to be able to cover at least 3 positions (or have versatile starters), and an OF who can play CF (or be able to move someone in the lineup). None of this is impossible, but there is absolutely no margin in case of injuries, ejections, etc. If a player goes down, but not hurt enough to disable, then that decreases your bench by one more player. In the NL, you would have one more player, but since you need to sub more the situation is even more problematic, unless you use pitchers to pinchhit, pinchrun to a large degree. My thought is that the gradual evolution from 9-10 man staffs to 12-13 man staffs is alarming, and the usage patterns of relievers, combined with the increasing lighter workloads on starting pitchers, is going to reach a breaking point soon. You see it with our team, as many are concerned with innings logged by our relievers. Some new “genius” is going to have to come up with a new plan, that of course all will soon copy, that reduces pitching staffs again, whether it be more piggybacking, shuffling multiple pitchers back and forth between the big club and AAA (of course the Braves could do this easily), going back to using some relievers in fewer games but more innings (since they are already warm and effective), but depleting the benches much more is going to lead to a brand of baseball that is not going to be of the same quality that we have grown accustomed to. While managers may “go crazy” with their bullpen strategies given all the arms at their disposal, it definitely stifles their creativity knowing that their slow baserunners will have to run for themselves in a crucial spot, or their backup infielder will have to bat for himself in the ninth because only pitchers are left to bat. Unless rosters are increased, and the way budgets are managed these days that would be doubtful, the trend is one I am worried about.

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Wait…Myers might come back as a reliever for the Fillies?

Oh man, that stinks! I liked him better as a starter.

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I think Mercker would be 10-7 with that lineup.

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Wow…like the whole thing is a freakin’ link! Dunno how that happened.

Thanks for the lineup, Chief.

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Is anyone else a little surprised that KJ isn’t in the lineup? Not to suggest that he should play over Prado, but it might have been a nice idea to get him in there in RF just to get him a few more at bats in case the Braves decide to trade him before the deadline. Just a thought …

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Rob: I really wish some people on this board could realize that Schafer was injured pretty badly.

Unless he’s paralyzed from the hair down, summa these talkbots would never give him the benefit of the doubt.

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Good for Kotsy.

My favorite lineup – and before I leave work too? Dave is on the ball today.

Hey wasn’t today the self-imposed deadline the Jays set on unloading Halladay?

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Not only are they LEGIT–and you know I love the Marlins—but I see the Braves as the 3rd best team in the league RIGHT NOW. Lineup is positively scary and if pitching holds up they can beat anyone.

By the way, would ANYBODY take Uggla and Hermida for a tube of Desenex and a resin bag to be named later?? Marlins MUST sell because outside of Hanley and Cantu this lineup is putrid. Well, actually it transcends putrid and moves into a different sphere. Do have some arms in the bullpen a contender might want and Ross could be moved for value as well as Cantu–OBVIOUSLY!!

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Worse yet, what will happen if/when Prado comes back down to earth?? Wayne

We trado Prado for Ryan Freel, right buddy? haha

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Kelly Johnson and Greg Norton for Albert Pujols. I’d do it in a heartbeat. You can even throw in Jo Jo Reyes if that will get the deal done.

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Any coincidence that Braves got hot once KJ and Frenchy left the team for some long vacation
???????

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MLB trade rumor chat they said that RP Nick Masset would be a good fit

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=434665

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Herschel Talker,

Do we really have to throw KJ for that deal to get done?

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Hypothetical for y’all, If the Braves were in the Phils spot (The favorites to win it all if they add Halladay), Would you give Tommy Hanson and Heyward for him? for a good chance to win the World Series?

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Is the new marlins stadium going to be a dome? I can’t remember…I just remember this Jetsons looking thing.

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Sorry!! Have never been able to tolerate the abject pettiness of Smoltz and Glavine.

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Thrill

In a heartbeat man!!!

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Loe Vales….did you say the Braves lineup is scary?? Let’s not get carried away buddy.

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Woogidy, absolutely not. Hanson is already showing he has ace stuff and Heward is the second coming of……..Junior?

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DOB or anyone else who thinks they understand baseball (which would eliminate about 99% of you) – Why did we want Kotchman last year or Kendry Morales?

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DOB,

Assuming the Braves keep all their pitchers this week and that Huddy’s rehab continues to go well. Do you get a sense whether the Braves will pick up Huddy’s contract and trade Vazquez, or whether they will decline the option and keep Javy?

If you dont have a sense, maybe you could ask around about this issue…..? Not sure if you are likely to get an answer to that question, with so many variable factors, but it will be an issue this offseason.

Seems to me the smarter move is to pick up Hudson, and trade Javy to obtain prospects. Personally, I hope Hudson resigns with the Braves next year.

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Heyward

AsFan09 how about Kj straight up.

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This is TRADAPALOOZA!!

Good point, Shamus. It’s still annoying, though. Then again, I’m sure just about any of the other 29 teams would be willing to take him off our hands…

One thing I love about the Braves is that they usually know which players to keep and which ones to sell high on.

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How about Uggla and Hermida and you can keep the Desenex??

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RHR – I believe the Marlins new stadium is supposed to have a retractable roof like Miller Park and Chase Field.

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If the Marlins new crib is not a dome the selig should demand that they be moved out of south florida. Maybe to tornado alley OKC.

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woodgidyf the Braves were in the Phils spot (The favorites to win it all if they add Halladay), Would you give Tommy Hanson and Heyward for him? for a good chance to win the World Series?

absolutely not, which is why i dont think the phils will get him. they are already in first by a good margin, and will mostly likely win the division and go to the postseason, where anything can happen. its not like they are the ranger right on the edge. they dont need halliday to get to october baseball.

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“wjones, I think it largely depends on the makeup of a team as to whether it’s a good idea to carry 13 pitchers. Sure it means three bench spots, but chances are you have a versatile player or two in your everyday lineup. So the bench players don’t have to be quite as versatile (and talented) as it would seem on the surface, IF you have versatile and talented players in your everyday lineup. Also, it largely depends on what kind of talent you have in your everyday lineup. Obviously a team deep in solid (and perhaps young and healthy) everyday players who are good on both sides of the ball can afford to carry more pitchers because that team probably isn’t going to have to make quite as many offensive and defensive substitutions. Maybe I’m a geek but I think this is an interesting topic, the evolution of roster makeup.”

Shaun, whether you are a geek or not , I would have to agree with you that this is a very interesting topic. I will admit personal bias, in that I grew up with the 15 man position player, 10 man pitching staff lineup, and my mind automatically bends that way with a team construction. That may not be practical anymore, with the trends in pitcher usage, but I frankly don’t see (without roster modifications) how much further we can bend in that direction. You are right that if the roster is contructed in such a way, with health, youth, versatility, etc., all on your side, that a 13 man staff could work, especially in the AL. If you weren’t worried about any starters missing significant time, or needing to be hit for, ran for, taken out for defense, and there was enough versatility to cover multiple minor injuries, then it could be helpful. That’s a lot of ifs, though. I think that sooner or later someone is going to have to come up with a better pitching staff model that brings back the number of pitchers needed. Perhaps the rule about waiting 10 days to call up a player after being sent down could be revisited. After all, what if we were rotating Medlen, Acosta, and Boone between Atlanta and Gwinnett, keeping one always at Gwinnett for a series while using the other two on the big club? The one at AAA could work or rest, depending on what was needed, while the other two would be available, allowing an extra bench player to be utilized (or even an extra arm if needed). But I’m sure there has been at least one or two instances where a team (maybe Rockies) have had a 14 man staff on short occasions, and if it goes beyond that, then the team is asking for trouble.

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