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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,586 comments Add your comment
Steve from OH
October 22nd, 2009
10:17 am
Ready for your 2010 Bill James projections? Here they are!
Yunel: .302/.381/.432
Heyward: .303/.371/.465
Infante: .278/.331/.392
KJ: .274/.354/.445
Chipper: .296/.408/.496
Roachy: 271/.348/.485
B-Mac: .291/.362/.511
Nate-Dawg: .263/.348/.349
Prado: .303/.357/.430
Schafer: .239/.339/.376
Bay: .268/374/.504
Holliday: .316/.391/.531 (Think Boras has already got this one?)
Ordonez: .311/.376/.476
Gonzo: 3.12 ERA
Hanson: 3.30
Hudson: 3.64
JJ: 3.69
Lowe: 4.06
Meds: 3.60
Moylan: 3.58
EOF: 4.20
MFIKY: 2.39
Vazquez: 3.60
I’ve missed a few, but that’s just tough tomatoes.
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
10:20 am
Oooh, I like this waking up to a new blog thing. Thanks, DOB. (Soph)
Uhmm, never mind. Don’t want to get banned.
DAP
October 22nd, 2009
10:21 am
ooo, steve….thats pretty bad for mclouth.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
10:21 am
Almost hate to say this, but I’m pulling for the Phils over the Yanks, assuming the Yanks don’t collapse againt the Angels. Never could stand the Yankees.
Anders can correct me if I’m wrong, but NYC and Philly as cities can’t stand each other. There’s going to be a lot of dishing going on between Yankee and Phils’ fans.
Regardless, I do think the Phillies are the better team. I like their pitching more than the Yanks. Might give an edge to the Yankees’ offense, but not by much.
richbrave
October 22nd, 2009
10:22 am
Enter your comments here
Mid Town Joe
October 22nd, 2009
10:24 am
Anders
This Steve Phillips thing doesn’t make too much sense to me, especially with his latest vixen. Didn’t he have similar tendencies while the Mets GM?
Daslied
October 22nd, 2009
10:24 am
PWH – enjoyed the Chipper/OBP posts last night. Good stuff.
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
10:27 am
Mid Town Joe- Yep, Phillips was dipping his pen in the company ink. I’ve vaguely heard about him being in trouble again but I didn’t follow up on it. What happened this time?
Rock On......
October 22nd, 2009
10:28 am
Phillies/Yanks should go 7 games. It will be Lee vs. CC in games 1,4,7. Should be interesting.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
10:29 am
DAP made a point earlier that’s worth noting: Bravos are on the verge of being one of the best teams in the NL. I’ve got to agree, as long as Wren makes the right moves this winter.
I’m assuming that the Bravos’ starting pitching will be as good, or nearly as good, as this season. Bullpen needs to be addressed, for certain. And, of course, the team needs more punch.
But, having said all that, as DOB pointed out, the Braves played right up there with the NL post season teams, except the Rockies.
Mid Town Joe
October 22nd, 2009
10:31 am
Anders (and all):
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/10/21/2009-10-21_steve_phillips_espn_analyst_and_former_mets_general_manager_rocked_by_affair_gon.html
Daslied
October 22nd, 2009
10:33 am
Steve – thanks for the Bill James stuff. Pretty bold prediction for Heyward/Haywood/Haysbert.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:35 am
Mixxo Guess y’all understand my mancrush for Victorino now huh? Guy’s a player…..and a crusher.
Yeah, he’s a “crusher” all right…dirty, rotten crusher…
I know talent.
Sure ya do…
BAS Tech can’t be that great; McFann’s daddy went there.
Something just doesn’t sound right about that sentence…
Oh, and Soph, how could you!
Yeah, you know what I’m talking about…
Hey, I laid it on the line about Mauer, but the Reaper? No way, no how. Don’t like that little…reaper…
Steve from OH
October 22nd, 2009
10:35 am
Daslied–was thinking the same thing…
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
10:35 am
Jeff R- I hate Philadelphia fans in general. I find them to be the most vulgar in almost all their sports. That’s not to say there aren’t good ones too and that NY doesn’t have their share of idiots – it’s just that Philly as a whole seems to relish in being known as so over the top nasty.
That said, I’d rather the Phillies win than the Yanks. I want Girardi to get canned some day never having achieved his stated goal of reaching Yankee Championship #27 for which he chose his jersey number. Just more self serving Yankee arrogance imo. I’ve been telling you guys since I got here, I hate the Yanks and their bought and paid for superiority with all my being, then there’s everything else.
DAP
October 22nd, 2009
10:36 am
jeff r, the good thing is that the biggest, hardest to get piece is in place, which is the great starting rotation. and i really think that it wouldnt take much to make this offense a very dangerous one. there are things the braves do well on offense, namely hit for average and get on base. a big time slg% player, a guy who slugs over .500 would be ideal.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:36 am
Steve B-Mac: .291/.362/.511
I’ll take it! Does that include 40+ doubles??
Jonathon
October 22nd, 2009
10:38 am
The free agent crop at 1B is sooooo weak. If they want someone other than LaRoche, it’s probably through a trade. Honestly, are any of these guys worth it, even for a season (or two) before Freeman is ready?
Rich Aurilia (38)
Jeff Bailey (31)
Wilson Betemit (28)
Hank Blalock (29)
Russell Branyan (34)
Miguel Cairo (36)
Frank Catalanotto (36)
Tony Clark (38)
Carlos Delgado (38) – Type B
Nomar Garciaparra (36)
Ross Gload (34) – $2.6MM club option
Eric Hinske (32)
Nick Johnson (31) – Type B
Adam LaRoche (30) – Type B
Doug Mientkiewicz (36)
Kevin Millar (38)
Fernando Tatis (35) – Type B
Chad Tracy (30) – $7MM option with a $1MM buyout
Daryle Ward (35)
Dmitri Young (36)
Maybe Hank Blalock, maybe. But even that’s a stretch. And he’d want more than a 1 or 2 year deal. DeRosa’s not on this list, but he’s a 1B option, but he doesn’t offer much power.
Would Jim Thome be serviceable enough to play 1B for a year? He’ll be 39 next season.
Steve from OH
October 22nd, 2009
10:41 am
McFann–41 doubles and 24 homers!
DAP
October 22nd, 2009
10:42 am
jonathan, branyan would be a better choice than blalock, for sure. and thome wont play 1st. the told torre that when he got traded to the dodgers. he said only in an emergency situation would he play 1st base.
i agree with you, it needs to be laroche, or wren needs to trade for prince fielder or adrian gonzalez.
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
10:43 am
Mid Town Joe – Phillips has to be a moron. He dodged the same major bullet some years back so he goes back for more? With a 22 year old? Sounds like a serial cheater. Oh well, look for him to be GM’ing in the Independent league or something for a decade to try and rebuild his career.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:44 am
How ’bout the Braves do a trade with the Marlins for Cantu? Then he cann hit 4th, BMac 5th, and instead of the “Killer Bees” we’ll have the “Cann-Doers”!
Wow…OK, that one even hurt to type…
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
10:44 am
Anders… I’ve got a good buddy from Long Island. Mets fan to the core. Rooted for the Bravos when they squared off against the Yanks in the 90s.
Philly fans can be the nastiest in the world. They eat their own!
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
10:44 am
McFann–41 doubles and 24 homers! (Steve from Ohio)
Was he traded to the Phils? {:
Daslied
October 22nd, 2009
10:46 am
Jonathon – Wren could sign, like, 10 of those guys to platoon, and Bobby could match them against pitchers they hit the best.
Why do I keep thinking that Rich Aurilia is 52?
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:46 am
41 doubles and 24 homers? OK! Or how ’bout 43 doubles and 22 homers?
How many RBI come with that?
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
10:46 am
DAP… you’re right about the Bravos’ starting pitching. Just hope Wren can lock down the bullpen.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:47 am
Anders–
Don’t ever…no. NEVER even KID about such a thing! Do you understand me? Just don’t even go there…
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:48 am
Besides, he hit 42 doubles and 23 homers in ‘08; same total, different combination…
Grizzled Veteran
October 22nd, 2009
10:48 am
Don’t post often but am a long time reader of the blog. I’ve got a story you all may find interesting – and applicable to the Braves getting better. After the 1965 season (told you I was a grizzled veteran), the Pittsburgh Pirates and their manager, Harry, “The Hat” Walker made a trade with the Giants for outfielder Mateo (Matty) Alou. Alou was a left handed hitter generously listed at 5′9″ 160 lbs. but who took a big swing with an even bigger bat and fancied himself a power hitter like his taller brothers, Felipe and Jesus. His big swing had gotten him to the majors five years earlier, but he had always been only a part time player and had hit only .231 the year before.
Walker, however, needed a lead-off hitter and asked Alou to come to his (Walker’s) home in Leeds, Alabama that off-season to try to talk Alou into changing his swing. Matty didn’t like the idea, but Harry persisted and managed to get Matty to go out ot the batting cage in the Walker’s back yard to work on a “two-strike swing”. Harry pointed out that Matty had hit less than .200 with two strikes and that this was a way he could improve his average without really sacrificing power.
Harry was a former batting champion and a superb teacher. He showed Matty how to get his weight off his back foot and slap the ball to left field. Within only a couple of days, Matty had a new “two-strike” swing that worked very well. The next spring Matty was doing so well with his new swing that Harry wanted him to use it full time (Harry’ original intention), but Matty resisted, still insisting he could be a power hitter. To make a long story short, they ended up compromising. Matty would still use his old swing with no strikes and then go to his new swing.
Walker put him in center field and in the lead-off spot in the order, (Matty really preferred hitting fifth or sixth.)and tried to get him to bunt at least twice a week. What happened? Well, Alou hit .342 in 1966 and led the league in hitting, beating out his brother, Felipe and his teammate, Roberto Clemente. And even though he continued to be a .300 hitter for several more years, he never abandoned his old, no-strike swing.
The moral of the story, boys and girls, (at least for those of you with the patience and attention span to read this far) is that the Braves already have a young, undersized, power hitting, lead-off man center fielder who would really prefer to hit in the middle of the order. It just seems to this old-timer that both McLouth and the Braves would be better served if there was someone (Harry died a few years ago.) who could teach McLouth a pared down swing that he could use with two strikes and maybe against left-handed pitching. (And also someone to teach him how to be a better bunter.)
The thing is, McLouth has several advantages over Matty. First, he really does have good power and would need to used a smaller swing only with two strikes. Also, he is faster than Matty ever was, has a better idea of the strike zone, and is just a better natural hitter, in my opinion. So, who could both sell McLouth on the idea and also have the skill to teach a shorter swing? How about Brett Butler? He knew how to do it – he was a good lead-off man for a long time. Maybe there is someone better. But are the Braves and McLouth even interested in trying?
DAP
October 22nd, 2009
10:48 am
jorge cantu would be a downgrade both offensively and defensively at first base.
Jonathon
October 22nd, 2009
10:50 am
didn’t we have branyan a couple years ago? i don’t remember it working very well. i think he played outfield, however, and struck out, like, all the time.
Daslied
October 22nd, 2009
10:50 am
I hate Utley, Victorino, Werth, Hamels, Lidge and Eyre.
I hate Teixeira (now), A-Rod, Swisher, Cabrera, Jeter, Posado, Pettite, Joba and John Sterling.
Sigh. Go Phils. Unless Girardi decides to rest his starters. That’d be a good move, Joe.
Ben
October 22nd, 2009
10:51 am
Xavier Nady might be a good stop gap solution at 1B. He’s a free agent and could come cheap on a 1 year contract.
Bobby
October 22nd, 2009
10:55 am
Steve from Ohio-Thanks for James’ predictions. Heyward surprises me to the upside, McLouth to the downside. I am not surprised to see Kelly with an OPS higher than Prado.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
10:57 am
DAP–
Yeah…I was…kidding…
Soph
October 22nd, 2009
10:58 am
Uhmm, never mind. Don’t want to get banned.
Thanks, Anders. I knew someone would misinterpret what I said. You win.
Winterville
October 22nd, 2009
10:59 am
I don’t know if anyone posted this yesterday but Matt Diaz did a live chat for ESPN and his fans yesterday. Here is the link.
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29012/braves-of-matt-diaz
Keith B
October 22nd, 2009
11:00 am
TMI. Good God, TMI.
I hope you don’t talk like you write.
You could have said what needed to be said in about 5 short paragraphs. Instead, you went on and on and on and on and on and on and on. Good God.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
11:00 am
Grizzled Veteran… Good points about Matty Alou. But I’m not sure if McLouth can or would make the changes.
Soph
October 22nd, 2009
11:01 am
Oh, and Soph, how could you! Yeah, you know what I’m talking about…
But, McFannnnnn – I said I don’t like him when he plays us. That has to count for something, right? You can’t be too mad at me. I defended B-Mac last night when Mixxo made some snooty remark about his Lasik re-do. I de-friended him Monday through Saturday and everything.
CB
October 22nd, 2009
11:01 am
Grizzled Veteran, I loved your story.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:01 am
Steve I’ve missed a few, but that’s just tough tomatoes.
David O'Brien
October 22nd, 2009
11:01 am
Nolie, see Bay Area Steve’s 2:53 a.m.
DAP
October 22nd, 2009
11:02 am
jonathandidn’t we have branyan a couple years ago?
nope. and yeah, he Ks alot, (not that much more than laroche) but still puts up a pretty good OPS, so it doesnt matter.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:04 am
Soph You can’t be too mad at me.
I’m not…
I defended B-Mac last night when Mixxo made some snooty remark about his Lasik re-do.
Good job! How’d I miss that? Was that on the last Blog? I’ll have to look for it…
I de-friended him Monday through Saturday and everything.
Yeah, but hoe ’bout now?
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
11:04 am
I think the difference between Yankee fans and Philly fans is that Yankee fans are arrogant and Philly fans are nasty, as I mentioned previously. I prefer nasty to arrogant – if having to make a choice.
You’ve got to believe that Yankee fans are already assuming their boys are world champs… just need to go through the formality playing the Phils in the series.
David O'Brien
October 22nd, 2009
11:06 am
Samuel Stiles: I’m envious of you going to N.O. for the Voodoo Fest. That lineup is insanely good and eclectic.
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
11:07 am
Grizzled Veteran – You Matty Alou piece sounds like the Frenchy story from last off season – without the happy ending.
Well, at least until Hojo got a hold of Frenchy. Hey, maybe McLouth should give Hojo a call? {:
David O'Brien
October 22nd, 2009
11:07 am
Jeff R — well said (11:04) about difference ‘tween Yanks and Phils fans.
David O'Brien
October 22nd, 2009
11:08 am
DAP: Yes, Braves had Branyan … in spring training. Didn’t make team. He was sent to minors late in 2004 spring training, then — get this — traded to Cleveland for a player to be named later a month later, on April 25, 2004.
The PTBN? Uh, Scott Sturkie.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:08 am
OK, I found it, Soph. I know why I missed it–Two reasons: It didn’t mention BMac by name, and I tune out certain bloggers when they aren’t mentioning BMac “by name” (and even sometimes when he [they] is [are])…
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:09 am
Hate it when the “…” goes on the last line all by itself like that…
Keith B
October 22nd, 2009
11:11 am
Infante – 2B
Diaz – OF
Prado – 3B
Escobar – SS
LaRoche – 1B
McCann – C
McLouth – OF
??? – OF
JJ, Vasquez, Hanson, Hudson, Kawakami
Let em go: Choker, Lowe, Soriano, Johnson, Church, Norton, Anderson). Free up about $30 mil (?) per year. Buy power and some speed.
Bobby needs to get real and move Jones from the #3 spot. The dude hits .230 the last 70 percent of the season and Cox is waiting for what, a turnaround, the last month? Bobby, the object is to WIN, not to reward a future HOF with your loyalty at the expense of the team (and the Braves organization) or the fans. Quit managing the entire season like its still spring training. Quit picking your nose. Examples: Leaving Lowe in until 8 hits in one inning. Batting Moylan (his first career at bat) during a critical time during 7th inning: then, take him out PRIOR to pitching in the 8th. Telling us all how ‘you know what you’re doing’ in pitching to Howard (Phils), after he’d gone yard 6 games in a row. You really knew how to pitch to him. He homered yet the next two games, making it 8 straight.
Soph
October 22nd, 2009
11:12 am
Good job! How’d I miss that? Was that on the last Blog? I’ll have to look for it…
It was on the last blog. He made a joke about how he got a procedure done the second time around and how he was going to be better now. It was sometime last evening – maybe page 24 or 25. Not funny, Mixxo!
Yeah, but hoe ’bout now?
lol did you call me a hoe?
Well, today’s Thursday so technically not on speaking terms with him. Only when the Falcons play since he loves his Yankees so much.
Bad Scooter
October 22nd, 2009
11:13 am
I feel that not re-signing LaRoche would be a big mistake. Sure, he probably would want more than a 2 year deal, and the Braves might not be willing to do that. But we have a legitimate 30 homer, terrific defender at 1B who wants to come back and play in Atlanta. Freeman may not be ready in 2 years. How much better were the Braves last year with LaRoche? They were a completely different team. He changed that lineup, making it pretty solid 1-8. Let’s get real- there are only a few better slugging first basemen who can pick it over there in the majors- probably just Pujols and D. Lee. Wren needs to get this deal done. Stick with Matty D. in right, maybe Schafer in center and McLouth in left. I think this should be priority number one this winter.
CB
October 22nd, 2009
11:13 am
You guys are getting excited about Bill James predictions for 2010- ok,the C officially stands for Carnac in the future.
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
11:13 am
You’ve got to believe that Yankee fans are already assuming their boys are world champs… just need to go through the formality playing the Phils in the series. (Jeff R0
Not so much anymore. Yankee fans are definetly feeling more comfortable than they have in the last 5 or so years but they have underlying doubts. They believe if their boys play like they can they have the horses to beat the Phils but they aren’t 100 % positive this group of guys can deliver like the late 90’s when all they did was throw their gloves on the field and collect their trophies. Plus they’re worried about Girardi mucking this whole thing up. Especially in an NL park. There’s arrogance in the air but it’s a quiet arrogance. It will splatter everywhere should they win the WS however. Been a while for the Bronx lovers.
Jonathon
October 22nd, 2009
11:16 am
We did have him. According to Baseball Reference, he signed as a FA with Atlanta in Feb. 04, but was traded to the Indians on April 25, 2004. He was then traded to the Brewers in July ‘04. I think he spent his time with the Braves’ franchise in Richmond. Maybe I just remember him from spring training games or something.
Jonathon
October 22nd, 2009
11:19 am
Thanks, DOB. I love that Branyan’s nickname is 3TO, as in “three total outcomes.” Because he either walks, strikes out, or hits a homer.
RHR
October 22nd, 2009
11:21 am
I believe Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
I am a Met fan,
Well that explains it.
Hey Steve, you will pass out cigars though, right?
DAP
October 22nd, 2009
11:21 am
DOBDAP: Yes, Braves had Branyan … in spring training.
didnt know that. i stand corrected.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
11:22 am
Anders… I see… Do hope the Phils beat the Bronx bombers. I always love the way NYC media goes into full crisis/attack mode when the Yanks fail to live up to expectations. Think Girardi survives if the Yanks blow it?
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:24 am
Soph–
Yeah, I saw it…
Lame lam lame…don’t even know what he’s talking about, but lame lame lame…
And, haha, no…that was s’posed to say “how”…sorry ’bout that.
Well, today’s Thursday so technically not on speaking terms with him.
Today’s brighter than the nighttime, so technically I’m not on speaking terms with him, either.
(Just playing around a little, Mixxo. But you can’t very well say you “know talent” when you choose to trash BMac any chance you get, no cann you?)
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:25 am
“NOW cann you”! Dangit! Pushed “submit” too soon…
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
11:27 am
JeffR – First of all I’m hoping the Angels come back and beat the Yanks. That aside, I really don’t know who wins the Phils/Yanks Series? Playing in those two parks with those lineups has to really take it’s toll on pitching staffs. We could be in for a HR record breaking WS. Pop ups go out of both parks.
Yes, Girardi is back next year regardless. Especially if he gets them to the WS. Remember the Yankee brass has this whole Torre thing that went down. You know they didn’t want him getting to the series before Girardi. They dodged that embarassing bullet this year.
Grizzled Veteran
October 22nd, 2009
11:30 am
Jeff R: “not sure if McLouth can or would do that”
It has been my observation that most people will do what they perceive to be is in their best interest. Is this in McLouth’s best interest? I believe it would be. How much value is there in a lead-off man who can hit .300 with an OBP of, say, .370 and hit 20 homers. (I think he could also steal 35 bases if he determined to do so.) What he needs is someone to convince him that he could do it and then could also show him how.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
11:30 am
Anders… Dodgered it, they did!
RHR
October 22nd, 2009
11:34 am
Again last night Torre is asleep at the wheel.
Meh. The Dodgers just aren’t nearly as good as the Phillies. The Dodgers aren’t even as good as the Braves. They got in the playoffs based on their April May and June play, they haven’t looked like a playoff team since before the all star break. Thems the perks of playing in the NL West.
I hope the Yankees win it in 4, mostly because it will get Anders goat. What an ass.
bruce
October 22nd, 2009
11:41 am
Dave,
Do you think there is anything to the timing of the roster moves on Buddy and Jorge? For instance are two roster spots needed in next few days? or why several others were not given similar fate at this point? for example, Barbaro (is his glove really that bad?, sure saw him smacking at the plate a couple of years ago in Richmond) and Norton. Any thoughts on timing? Thanks, Bruce
Anders
October 22nd, 2009
11:43 am
I hope the Yankees win it in 4, mostly because it will get Anders goat. What an ass (RHR)
Did I miss something? I don’t recall having a fallout with you? Or is that just your general assessment of me?
rammerjammer
October 22nd, 2009
11:44 am
Grizzled Veteran,
Thanks for your thought-provoking posts. I looked at McLouth’s minor league history and he WAS the guy you’re saying he could be. Batting average around .300, lots of stolen bases and occasional homers. His 20 HRs this season were more than his last three combined seasons in the minors, for example. But his batting average in those minors years were .300, .322 and .297, with a high OBP, too. Really, a classic leadoff hitter.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
11:45 am
Grizzled Veteran… Sounds good. Wouldn’t mind having a leadoff hitter with pop and higher base-stealing potential. Hope McLouth and management consider making adjustments.
About Steve Phillips...
October 22nd, 2009
11:47 am
When I read that he had an affair with a 22 year old intern named Brooke, well, lets just say the mental image I conjured was miles from the truth. Yikes.
McFann Ô
October 22nd, 2009
11:48 am
Howdy, Bruce! What’s happenin’? Hope all is well!
RHR
October 22nd, 2009
11:48 am
No Anders, I don’t recall a fall out either, but your assy comment about filling our own park just rubbed me the wrong way this morning. I’m sure I’ll get over it.
bruce
October 22nd, 2009
11:50 am
Jeff R. —
regarding your preferring nasty to arrogant…
Friendly question and perspective request: is your experience based on being at games in Philly and NY or from general fan interaction? My take on the Nasty meter: Philly fans should be part of the definition (and football folks say Eagles much worse than Phillies) and cause “city of brotherly love” to be removed from their name even if it has to go back to the original Greek, which I think is where it comes from, not anything anyone in Philly has done.
I have not experienced Yankee stadium more than once or twice and it was not against the braves, but Yankee fan arrogance seems to me to be a bit knocked down by their past few years failures and Joe Torre’s success in LA.
Your insights would have to be profound for me to change from rooting for any team but Philly which is where I have been since Braves were out of the wildcard. ( I realize this is not your objective, nor do you even need to respond, but more about my personal experience of philly fans when attending braves games in philly,) thanks, Bruce
Jake W.
October 22nd, 2009
11:50 am
I think the Dodgers question mark all season was their starting pitching. All their pitching though seemed to make the fatal mistake when it comes to playing the Phils and thats walking people. In the first game they loss I can’t remember how many they walked, Kuroda just didn’t have it in the other. Broxton walking Stairs(the phillies equivalent of Norton) and even Padilla walked Utley and Howard before the Werth homerun. They are going to hit homeruns, just try to make them solo homeruns. In the only game they won they gave up a solo shot to Howard I believe.
I think the yanks would be a good matchup for the Phils because their hitters can be just as patient and we all know where the phils weakness is. If they can consistently get in that philly bullpen I like the Yanks chances to win it. If they follow the same formula as the dodgers the Phils have the edge.
Jeff R
October 22nd, 2009
12:10 pm
Bruce… I think Anders did a good job of addressing the Yanks’ fans arrogance factor. He concurs that given their knock-downs, Yankee fans aren’t as visibly arrogant as years past.
Philly, I’ve spent time there on business. Philly sports fans are take-no-prisoners types, in my estimation. They have no hesitancy riding their players if they think it’s deserving. But they are loyal to their teams.
Now DC is another animal. I lived there and still go there regularly on business. Forget the Nats (not even on fans’ radar there yet). Redskin fans sort of reflect the city. Love them when they’re winning and turn on or abandon them when they’re losing (just like politicians). Granted, that’s painting with a broad brush; they are certainly die-hard ’skins fans, but, generally, my experience is with the fickle fans up there.
Oooo… Braves rumors!
October 22nd, 2009
12:12 pm
[...] takes this David O’Brien blog post, where he talks to Braves GM Frank Wren, and lists the “hot [...]
MitchC
October 22nd, 2009
12:16 pm
Dave, the loss of Laroche is going to hurt, big time. Think of how poor this team’s offense will be without him. Mccann is our only true offensive threat otherwise, because Chipper wont play more than maybe 120 games a year.
If it were me, I’d let Hudson go, if it meant saving the money to sign Laroche. If FW resigns Hudson, he’s going to have to trade a starting pitcher anyway to do so, so, why not just let Hudson go, save the 9 to 11 mil or what ever it is, and use the money to re sign Adam.
Our rotation, even without Hudson isnt bad. We still have.
Hanson,
Vazquez,
Jair
Lowe
KK or someone else.
I’m not sure we are going to be able to trade Lowe or KK anyway, so why keep a 34 year old starting pitcher coming off TJ surgery, when we so clearly need offense? This team will suffer far more without Laroche, then we will without Hudson.
I know that there’s the Freddie Freeman matter to take into account, and that he’s supposed to be ready in either 2011 or 2012. We need a power hitter at first base, considering our other power deficinies. We already saw what a disaster Casey Kotchman was at first before we got Laroche back.
Also, if we end up letting both Gonzo and Sori walk, we need to get a power closer. I dont like the idea of submarine man Moylan closing games. A team is best having a guy who throws 90 plus to dominate the ninth inning.
I’ll be very interested to see what Frank does.
keylargo
October 22nd, 2009
12:18 pm
Xavier Nady might be a good stop gap solution at 1B. He’s a free agent and could come cheap on a 1 year contract. Ben
Two things are wrong with your proposal:
1. He has played 4 innings at 1B in the last three years.
2. He is on the 60 day DL with the Yankees having undergone Tommy John surgery 7/10/09
You are correct though that he can be signed cheap.
Nova Scotia Steve
October 22nd, 2009
12:22 pm
So I read on mlbtraderumors that Theo Epstein believes JD Drew is worth a tick above $14 Million a season.
Is he serious??
David O'Brien
October 22nd, 2009
12:27 pm
Bruce, I wouldn’t read much into timing of removing that trio from 40-man. If you look at it, those are three guys who because of age and/or injury, weren’t going to be traded for anything of value. So why keep them on roster any longer? Maybe they just startedtrimming with the obvious ones. In the case of Canizares, since you mentioned him, who knows if some team out there might have interest? Or Braves might at least want to protect him until last minute they can before possibly using that roster spot for someone else. He’s not as old as the three pitchers who were released, and he put up big numbers. I’m not suggesting he’s going to play for the Braves, just saying he could have some value to them or other teams.
P. W. Hjort
October 22nd, 2009
12:33 pm
Steve,
Thanks for the projections.
The Bill James thing is a misnomer, really. He has nothing to do with the projections other than slapping his name on them, throwing them in his handbook, and making a lot of money off of them.
I asked Bill about his projections one time (I think he had Tim Hudson pitching like 150+ innings last year). He responded, “I don’t have anything to do with those projections”. Fair enough.
They’re still good stuff, though.
And Francoeur’s projection?
.276/.318/.437.
P. W. Hjort
October 22nd, 2009
12:40 pm
Daslied -
Thanks.
atlwolf
October 22nd, 2009
12:42 pm
If the Bankees win the Series, this will have been a sad year indeed for baseball.
Shaun
October 22nd, 2009
12:42 pm
So I read on mlbtraderumors that Theo Epstein believes JD Drew is worth a tick above $14 Million a season.
According to FanGraphs.com, Drew was worth $20.7M in 2009 and $18.6M in 2008. This is based on the going rate for wins in free agency those years.
TnBrian
October 22nd, 2009
12:42 pm
And you think you’re mad that Atlanta might not resign LaRoche, imagine how Chipper feels? Ouch, I think I just heard him swaller his dip.
Shaun
October 22nd, 2009
12:44 pm
If the Bankees win the Series, this will have been a sad year indeed for baseball.
Really? Why? Because they spent a lot of money? I’m almost certain teams have spent a lot of money and won the World Series before and I don’t know that those years were sad.
P. W. Hjort
October 22nd, 2009
12:49 pm
Ouch, I think I just heard him swaller his dip.
HAHA.
rammerjammer
October 22nd, 2009
12:52 pm
Unless I’m misinterpreting DOB’s remarks, it looks like Frank will sign a free-agent first baseman to a one-year contract with Freeman penciled in for 2011. Dang, that kid must be good.
P-Town Brave
October 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
Hmm…what about going for some combination of Dye, Abreu, and Heyward and then having one of the 3 work out at 1b. If its Heyward, it would simply be like the Justice situation when he first came up, basically warming the position while allowing the team to get another bat into the lineup until the permanent move to RF.
Yes I realize its more logical to ask Dye to play 1b…and yes, I know that weakens the defense with those 3, BUT getting those bats in the lineup could make a whole lot of difference (see Howard and Ibanez) AND it couldn’t be any worse than those mentioning Dan Uggla for 1b or LF.
O.J.
October 22nd, 2009
1:02 pm
There are so many ways Frank Wren could do this. He could:
Sign or trade for a power hitting second baseman, move Martin to first until Freeman arrives, then to 3rd when Chipper retires.
he could keep Martin at 2nd, get a 1st baseman for a year then move him to 3rd when Chipper retires
Man, too many ways he could go, i cant think of them all.
atlwolf
October 22nd, 2009
1:02 pm
Just my opinion, bub. Don’t get all defensive.
Atlanta Flowers
October 22nd, 2009
1:03 pm
The Braves have the SP which is the foundation but they are weak in the pen, poor defensively and really have a lack of patience, speed & power. Overall they need to improve the pen and 4 plus defenders & offensive players-no small order.
http://www.avasflowers.com/georgia/
dap01
October 22nd, 2009
1:06 pm
The Braves should not sign stop gap players. They need to try to WIN next year. With the starting pitching that they have, they could easily make a couple of additions and be a top level club.
dmack2027
October 22nd, 2009
1:07 pm
I thought Barbaro did pretty well with the Braves last year. He is a right handed power hitting first baseman. He is also cheap. Wouldnt you rather have him than injury prone nick johnson?
dap01
October 22nd, 2009
1:10 pm
McLouth will not have 20 SB’s next year. Cox could slow down Vince Coleman in his prime.
nolie
October 22nd, 2009
1:14 pm
(DAP)
Branyan has a career 331 OBP. That is not goosecially not good enough to make up for all the Ks. He has had just a couple of decent MLB seasons and has stunost of the time. last time they had him they dumped him b4 st ended.pretty sure they aren’t gonna revisit that story