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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4,246 comments Add your comment
Steve from OH
August 2nd, 2009
10:51 am
Kotchman is a detriment at the plate.
Not really…he’s more or less exactly league average. I don’t see what’s so hard about average hitter with an above average glove and below-average baserunning=average player. Then again, like I saw Bradbury say the other day, most fans equate average player with bad player and good player with average player, so…
Great discussions last night, btw. And just to be clear, IMO Heyward should be up May/June 2010, so we get 2010 plus 2011-2016 of club-controlled years.
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
10:52 am
TommyP-The only thing I’ve changed my mind on is that I doubt the Braves will win the NL East, but that is due to their play much more than how the Phillies have been recently.. Had we won a couple of key games, I wouldn’t even go quite that far.
Ruben Jr. made another good deal. No way I’ll ever disparage the Dude-as a person or as a GM. I’ve known his family for over 45 years and know too much about his character and intelligence (Dude graduated Stanford, PreMed). He’s top flight in both regards. As to the Phillies-well, let’s see how it all goes. They have been pitching WAY over their heads in recent days and I doubt that it is sustainable-even with the addition of Lee, which DOES make them tougher.
However, Jamie Moyer is closer to 50 than 45 and still has an ERA well over 5 runs per game. Hamels is not having his best year by far and if you think Happ will continue to put up those numbers, despite being considered a lower rotation pitcher who people are still having their first look at, then we’ll have to disagree. Keep in mind they are still planning on bring up Pedro Martinez. They are still grsping at some pitching straws.
The Phillies have a great offense and it can cover up many pitching ills. They are still prone to streakiness, though. But even so, we’ve seen numerous times this season that they can still lose and lose big-and often. They are far from being a perfect team, but at the moment, only a fool would think them out of it-or even in lkess than the driver’s seat.
toga party
August 2nd, 2009
10:52 am
Confession time. I have MLB Extra Innings. I have watched every Braves game this year, except for yesterday.
Yesterday was one of those life-altering days, for better or for worse. I learned a lot about myself that I didn’t want to know. I learned a lot about my brother that I really didn’t want to know.
I learned a lot about my immediate and extended family that I really, really, really did not want to know. I can not express how thoroughly I did not want to know what I now know about my family. I am positive that I can never look at my mother and father the same way I could when I woke up on Saturday. I must now treasure the love and support of my wife more than I ever have before. I must appreciate the small miracles that are my children. And most importantly, I must try to pretend that the things that happened yesterday will not change who I am. I can not let yesterday change who I am. I can not. I must not. I absolutely must put one foot in front of the other, and hope that I can reach my destination. I must not give up on hope. I must not. I can recover from yesterday. I can. I must. But these are my demons, not yours.
The only thing I really need to know, before I can log off, and begin to reconstruct my life…
Did Norton really have the game winning RBI? Cause I just read the game story. And if you’re messing with me, today is not the day. Today is really, really not the day.
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
10:53 am
richbrave-Works for me, but it’s Frank Wren’s move to make and not Bobby’s.
richbrave
August 2nd, 2009
10:54 am
LEW:
Officially, yes…..
NCBravesFan
August 2nd, 2009
10:55 am
TommyP – I think Ricchardi & the Jays are going to regret not making the Halladay trade with the Phils – or somebody. That whole organization is pretty messed up right now, with the Vernon Wells contract on the books and playing in the toughest division in baseball.
I agree that the Phils did a masterful job – Lee is a definite stud, and he gives them a chance to win a couple more titles before the current group starts to slip.
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
10:58 am
toga party-Dude, sorry about your familial revelations, but yes, it is true. Greg had a Pinch Hit single.
To quote Dear Abby, Ann Landers and the rest of them. Get Counseling.
JasonInFL
August 2nd, 2009
10:58 am
Steve from OH, I always enjoy reading your posts. But, I have to disagree slightly on Heyward. If the dude happens to be ready, and can help this team this year at a run towards the WC, then he should be brought up. Period. Super 2 status be damned. Now, if he is not quite ready, and people don’t think he will have an impact; keep him in the minors. I guess my only point is I would hate to see a player that could help us this year stay in the minors only to avoid Super 2 status and so we can have him under control in 2016.
Frenchy got called up and had an immediate impact and helped us win a pennant. Some will argue that rushing him messed him up. I disagree. If it messed him up, he would have regressed in his first couple of seasons. He regressed after teams got a book on him, figured out his many flaws in his swing, and he failed to adjust. Now, I won’t say that the added pressure of being a hometown hero didn’t factor in, but I fail to believe he got “messed” up because of his call up from AA.
If Heyward can help now, call him up yesterday.
NCBravesFan
August 2nd, 2009
10:59 am
Lew: I think the Phillies biggest obstacle to repeating might actually lie in the relief corps, rather than the starting staff.
Marc from FL
August 2nd, 2009
11:01 am
I’m also of the belief that we leave Heyward down a little longer and probably till next year, but hey, if the kid’s hitting .500 in a couple weeks… I think you have to at least give him a chance and figure out the financials later. Jeff fell off the cliff, but he is doing better with the Mets and most good players don’t fall flat like that. Alex Gordon may be the biggest example of an early call-up backfire.
richbrave
August 2nd, 2009
11:02 am
DOWN ON THE FARM:
LEW:
Has the rain slacked off up there? We are having a normal summer. Our first in decades. Rain when you need it, and not too much. Corn nine feet high, and filled out. No BERMUDA highs holding stagnant dry heat in place off the coast. Life is sweet.
Steve from OH
August 2nd, 2009
11:02 am
Jason–yeah sure, if he can provide an impact now, call him up. I don’t think he will provide a big enough impact to justify a call up, and I really don’t think it’s a good idea to give a 20-year old his first ML experience in the heat of a pennant race, and IMO, it’s out of character for the organization. As for Super 2, we could call him up in late April/early May and still gain a year of control while making him super 2 eligible, IIRC. In all honesty, I don’t think we’ll see him this year. But then again, I don’t have access to all the info the FO does either.
But hey, I’ve been wrong before, so take it with a grain of salt…
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
11:04 am
Jason_still waiting for that Hank Aaron email Dude.
NCBravesFan-I don’t doubt that you hit the nail on the head. However, I see an offensive AND pitching slump in their future. It is NOT out of character for them. They are a quite streaky team.
Steve from OH
August 2nd, 2009
11:04 am
uga-brave–not a fan of Green Day either, bro. You’re not alone.
Rob from SC
August 2nd, 2009
11:05 am
Lew
You can’t compare Schafer and Heyward. Shafer always had high strikeout totals. He hit .260 at DOuble A. Heyward has more walks than strikeouts. To me that is one of the most important statistics. He is not getting fooled at the plate.
McLouth of the South
August 2nd, 2009
11:07 am
Wonder if the Gorecki kid that got four hits last night will be up in September? His stats look good over the past couple of seasons, 18HR and .830-ish OPS over 630 PA. Might be a late bloomer 4th-OF type…
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
11:07 am
richbrave-We finally got some sun this week (and th corn and tomatoes shot up a foot) and temperatures actually hit the middle 80’s-except Friday which never hit 70 and rained all day. This week looks good and highs are supposed to be in the mid 70’s.
We drove up to Montpelier (about 30 miles NW of us, higher in the mountains) yesterday and there are numerous trees with leaves changing already. Oh well. I already ordered the heating oil.
NCBravesFan
August 2nd, 2009
11:07 am
Lew – I agree 100%. They really looked pathetic the last time we played them … and then they took off!
Will be interesting to see if their bats can work that second half/playoff mojo again this year.
Terry "Big Fat Tub of Goo" Forster
August 2nd, 2009
11:08 am
Both of my Goo boys, Bennett and Boyer, pitched well in relief, yesterday for the Rays and D-Backs, respectively. Coupled with the Norton game winning RBI, these are clearly signs of the Apocalypse.
McFann :Ô:
August 2nd, 2009
11:11 am
Lew–
Aw! That’s so sweet! Bet those claws are something else, though…
JEB No Way I take McCann out of the 4 hole! TOO Good at that spot.
Uuummm…yeah, OK.
He hasn’t been bad. But let’s take a look at his career numbers batting fifth (my personal favorite), and batting fourth:
Career Batting Fifth (220 games, 219 starts): .299 AVG, .365 OBP, .525 SLG, 41 HR, 59 2B, 2 3B, 166 RBI, 1 SB, 1 CS, 85 BB, 114 SO, 28 GDP, 5 HBP, 2 SH, 8 SF, 14 iBB, 7 ROE, 106 tOPS+
Career Batting Fourth (121 games, 121 starts): .292 AVG, .357 OBP, .491 SLG, 18 HR, 39 2B, 0 3B, 88 RBI, 6 SB, 0 CS, 47 BB, 62 SO, 16 GDP, 3 HBP, 1 SH, 5 SF, 4 iBB, 5 ROE, 97 tOPS+
Power numbers are much better in the fifth spot–he averages 1 homer every 20.12 AB batting fifth, and 1 homer every 25.89 AB batting fourth. Not to mention he has 30 more doubles, 2 more triples, and 78 more RBI in 99 more games batting fifth.
I personally think he’s much more suited to bat fifth. And if they move LaRoche to the cleanup spot, then they wouldn’t have to worry about their cleanup guy getting a day off once a week. I thought it was a mistake to start the season with BMac as the cleanup hitter in the first place, since, being a catcher, he needs regular days off. Now, it hasn’t hurt us terribly, but we might have been better served early this year if we’d had a cleanup hitter who didn’t play as demanding a position.
Just a thought.
JasonInFL
August 2nd, 2009
11:11 am
Cool…my only point is to not keep him down only because of financials. If we don’t think he will have a big impact, then of course he should stay in the minors. I just think he is more advanced than Frenchy, certainly more advanced than Schafer (offensively), and from everything that I have read; his head is in the right place. I wouldn’t be worried about calling him up in the heat of a pennant race…just don’t think he is the type of guy that will be scarred long term, mentally or baseball wise, if is called up and fails. Of course, I have never met the guy either!
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
11:11 am
Rob-I’m not comparing their performances, jjust mentioning that you can’t always count on the performances of young players and Heyward is three years younger than Schafer, who needed more seasoning (like many of us claimed in Spring Training).
Dude, you just have to realize that there are NOT many 19 year old players achieving great success in the majors-never has been. Sometimes (especially when talking about a talent like Heyward’s) it’s better to tread lightly and take your time with their development. If he’s ready, numbers at AAA will tell us. NO need for the jump from AA to MLB. There are better alternatives avaiable.
JasonInFL
August 2nd, 2009
11:14 am
Lew, I am a freaking slacker these days. I started to write it the day I said I would, baby started crying, and I was too lazy to get back on it…I will try again today though!
Braveheart
August 2nd, 2009
11:14 am
Interesting analysis of Javy Vazquez’s .500 or so career record:
http://www.3-dbaseball.net/2009/07/javier-vazquez-case-study-in-common.html
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
11:19 am
Later Y’all-Been a real nice morning. No grief from anyone (except the one Robert clone) and some great, worthwhile discussions.
I’m certainly looking forward to Heyward’s arrival, whenever it may be. I trust Frank Wren to know when that particular trigger needs pulling. Someone on a broadcast said yesterday that with prospects, you look for the ones who dominate at every level. Hanson was one and Jason Heyward appears to be another. Love it. Wish we had more!!!!!!!
Richbrave-Enjoy that perfect summer. I think I’ll be mourning any summer at all come this fall here in The North Country. Hopefully there won’t be 37 feet of snow this year.
Shamus Thacker
August 2nd, 2009
11:19 am
Lew: Marc-I wouldn’t go rushing out there like the Rays did with Evan. Consider The Mysterious Case of Jeff “Frenchy” Francoeur. Had he signed that long term deal with the Braves when Mac signed his, think of the shape we’d be in right now.
Lew, I believe not signing that contract had much to do with Frenchy’s struggles. He held out for an even bigger payday. He KNEW he HAD to keep producing at levels AT LEAST equal to past performance, to make it happen. Each strikeout, each slump, each foul-up of any kind, was magnified in his mind 1,000-times. There had to be a point where deep regret (over not signing) set in. His mind just wasn’t in it the past couple years.
toga party
August 2nd, 2009
11:21 am
Thanks Lew. I’m thinking I’ll act on your good advice at some point in the near future.
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
11:22 am
Shamus-Dude, THAT’S something we;ll likely never know about Jeff, no matter how much speculation we indulge in. No matter the reasons for Francoeur’s downward slide, the fact remains he COULD have signed and had he done so, we’d be the ones crying right now.
I’d still give any player a year or two before signing them to an appreciable long term contract. Given the current salary structure in MLB and the club’s 3-6 year control over their players makes it unnecessary to sign them long term that quickly. Wait and see how they do.
Frankie Knuckles
August 2nd, 2009
11:23 am
“Super 2 be damned”
Couldn’t agree more. If Heyward can contribute call the man up. You don’t put up numbers like he has at AA, and get destroyed at AAA. He’s a number 1 that feels bonafide numero uno. If he pans out ownership will throw enough guaranteed cash his way.
Lew
August 2nd, 2009
11:24 am
toga party-We all wish you the best, whatever course you take. Family dynamics can be a sticky mess at the best of times. Peace, Bro.
Jay212033
August 2nd, 2009
11:27 am
How bout we just trade Heyward in the off-season for an established ML and watch Heyward become a superstar somewhere else!
northbeach Scott
August 2nd, 2009
11:30 am
Braveheart Great link at 11:14 about Vazquez. I must admit, I was wrong in my opposition the Vazquez/Flowers trade with the ChiSox. In the right environment (Bobby Cox) he has elevated his game.
He is also a pleasure to watch pitch as he really has 4 terrific pitches to baffle hitters. I have a feeling Vazquez may eventually resign with the Braves for a more modest salary and pitch a few more years here.
Shamus Thacker
August 2nd, 2009
11:43 am
Lew: No matter the reasons for Francoeur’s downward slide, the fact remains he COULD have signed and had he done so, we’d be the ones crying right now.
If Frenchy’s down-slide was for the reason I stated, then we might not be crying if he’d signed. He created a pressure cooker for himself by not signing. One from which he never recovered.
semiballcoach
August 2nd, 2009
11:44 am
does anyone know if sportsouth/foxsportsouth own any part of the braves or vice versa? or peachtree own? or is it just liberty that has ownership?
Steve from OH
August 2nd, 2009
11:45 am
I must admit, when Lew brought up Vazquez early last off-season, I looked at his ERAs and just casually dismissed him as sucking. When the trade went down, I looked a bit more carefully and found that I really liked the deal. In short, I was against Vazquez before I was for him (and H/T to Lew for being the original “lets get JV” guy).
I too think JV would accept a 3 year deal here. I hope we can find a way to keep him.
pryguy
August 2nd, 2009
11:47 am
Carroll,
Thanks for the quotes, hope you enjoyed your night. I look forward to the new blog…hopefully sooner rather than later.
semiballcoach
August 2nd, 2009
11:48 am
jay
as previously noted, with the impending additions of freeman, heyward, and shafer from minor leagues, the braves will be too left handed and so one of them must go..mccann is a lock to stay, is mcclouth a lock or tradebait?
is it easier to find a right handed hitting corner guy for the outfield or the infield?
Jay212033
August 2nd, 2009
11:54 am
Lew
One thing you need to realize is that a player can hit .300+ with 20 HR per season and have the best BB/K ratio every season in the minors but still may turn out to be mediocre to horrible players. Which is why the minors is such a crapshoot. If Heyward were to get called up now and fails who’s to say if he stays in the minors 3 more seasons that the same results would not happen? Everyone keeps grouping this kid along with Frenchy and they are two totally different players. It will not and I repeat WILL NOT stunt this kids grow from 1 month in the majors!
Steve from OH
August 2nd, 2009
11:57 am
as previously noted, with the impending additions of freeman, heyward, and shafer from minor leagues, the braves will be too left handed and so one of them must go..mccann is a lock to stay, is mcclouth a lock or tradebait?
I don’t see this as as big of a problem as many here see it. I want the best eight guys out there. Besides, with Yunel, Prado, Chipper, and Diaz as a 4th OF, there’s 1/2 of your regular lineup that bats righty against lefties (and mashes lefties). The way I see it, Freeman, Heyward, Schafer, and Prado are probably a part of our future now because of the cost of our starting rotation and bullpen and Chipper and Mac. We need cheap, controllable position players, as Lowe, Chipper, JV, Huddy, and KK are under fairly big contracts, and we will see Mac and McLouth’s salaries begin to escalate starting 2010. In addition, JJ and Yunel will be in line for some big arb raises after 2010, whereas (IMO) Prado’s will be less so. Finally, we’re gonna have to pay to retain Soriano or Gonzo, and if we don’t retain one of them, we’re gonna have to pay on the FA market. That said, the rest of our future relievers in Moylan, Acosta, EOF, Valdez, Kimbrel, Gearrin, and Logan will be cheap. But still, when you’re gonna have those costs tied up in those players, you’re gonna want to find and use cheap, controllable players wherever possible. Schafer, Freeman, Heyward fit that description.
Besides, they’ll all (IMO) be good with the bat, and Schafer is + on the basepaths and ++ with the glove. Lotsa value there that doesn’t care what hand you hit with.
AndyC
August 2nd, 2009
11:57 am
I don’t know if it was mentioned last night but Jeff Bennett pitched well for TB last night. Faced two batters and struck them both out. Maybe Atlanta is cursed. Former players go away and play well (Frenchy 18 RBI in 18 games).
Braveheart
August 2nd, 2009
11:58 am
Even if Frenchy signed that contract, it wouldn’t have necessarily been crippling. This is what McCann is making for the next three years: $5.5, $6.5, $8.5. That’s what Frenchy would have been making. It would suck to have a black hole stealing an average of about $7 mil a year, but, hey, we’re used to that sort of thing having had to deal with Hampton’s $8 mil holding the team hostage for years, Glavine’s $8 mil last year, Wickman’s $6 mil in 2007, Smoltz’s contract last season, Hudson’s contract this year, Soriano’s $3 mil last season, etc. Unfortunately, unlike alot of those contracts, insurance wouldn’t have picked it up. The franchise’s budget however would have nevertheless been eaten up during the offseasons like they were by those contracts
Carroll Rogers
August 2nd, 2009
12:04 pm
new blog is up!
RHR
August 2nd, 2009
12:06 pm
Probably a good thing the game time was pushed back because it has been raining like never before all morning, atl will probably get that line of rain in the next couple hours.
RHR
August 2nd, 2009
12:08 pm
I don’t know if it was mentioned last night but Jeff Bennett pitched well for TB last night. Faced two batters and struck them both out. Maybe Atlanta is cursed. Former players go away and play well (Frenchy 18 RBI in 18 games).
Who cares. Glad they’re both gone, I don’t miss the feeling of impending doom I got when either one of them showed their faces wearing a braves jersey.
semiballcoach
August 2nd, 2009
12:10 pm
5 lefties is too many
UNCBrave
August 2nd, 2009
1:11 pm
HEYWARD AND FREEMAN UPDATE:
OF JASON HEYWARD-23 Games, .420 average, 81 AB, 3 HR’s, 19 RBI, 11 2B, 14-BB, 9-K’s, .500-OBP, .716-SLG, 1.216-OPS
(HEYWARD turns 20 1 week from today)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=&sid=t430&t=p_pbp&pid=518792
1B FREDDIE FREEMAN-24 games, .310 average, 87 AB’s, 2 HR’s, 20 RBI,
7 2B, 5 BB, 7 K’s, .347-OBP, .460 SLG, .807 OPS
He turns 20 next month..
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=&sid=t430&t=p_pbp&pid=518692