I think it would make a lot of sense for the Bravos to offer arbitration to LaRoche, if he accepts, then we have him for the needed year until Freeman arrives, if he doesnt, we get a draft pick for him when he signs elsewhere.
Daslied, you’re speaking my language with that Steely Dan reference. Wish I could see them on their current tour where they play complete albums. If I was stuck on a deserted island and could have 1 bands catalog, it would be the Dan.
Heyward is ready, its more gonna be whether they are planning on doing the same as w/ Hanson and the Browns are doing with Brady Quinn…
Fewer than 200 ABs above bleepin’ A-ball, and proclaimed “ready”. The kid has 800 professional ABs total. Total! Even Chipper played a full year in AAA at the same age, and even Andruw had accumulated 1200 ABs by the time he came up at 19.
Keerist, what is the all-fired hurry on this kid? The team is going to have club control for six years, regardless of when he arrives, so why not give the kid a chance to grow up a little, first? And, oh by the way, make himself a tad better ballplayer for when he actually DOES arrive.
If the key question for the 2010 Braves is “When is Heyward coming up?”, bubba, you can tie those contention pretentions in a pretty bow and put ‘em on the shelf, because they’ll only be good for looking at.
I hope the Braves try to win the World Series, not just field a competitive team.
Sign LaRoche, he is a slugging, good fielding player. Freeman is someone who was average at AA. He may be great one day, but him being as good as LaRoche is 2 years at best.
Get a CLEAN UP hitter in left field. Don’t settle for stop gap players.
Get a hitter. Church is not a hitter.
Get a closer. We have $9,000,000 to spend from last years closers.
I will not remember next year because we kept the 1st base position open for Freeman. I will only remember next year if the Braves win.
Glad to hear from another Kings X fan. Live, there isn’t a hard rock band that can touch them.
Saw ‘em at the old Cotton Cub on Peachtree back in the early ’90’s. I stood close enough to Ty Tabor to have helped him fret a few chords. One of the best shows I have ever seen.
I saw Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, George Lynch, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Moses Mo and Neil Schon each from a distance of no more than 25 feet.
I saw Randy Rhodes from the 12th row in his last show before the crash.
Saw and jammed with some local guitarists in the ’80’s and ’90’s that could hold their own with alot of the signed guys.
Ah… good times.
One major regret – never got to see SRV.
Oh, that’s right… baseball blog. You distracted me. I got very lost in old memories…
Dap1 – best post of the blog – simple and to the point. I agree especially re: FF. He is not showing me anything which indicates they should save a spot for him. He needs to do a heck of lot more in the minors before I’d start warming up a chair for him.
FF is a wingman for Heyward and he gets Heyward praise/optimism overflow heaped on him undeservedly. They are not even remotely the same level of player yet FF is being penciled in as the long term 1B answer. Today this a huge mistake.
What disturbs me is Bowman (at MLB) is implying they may only offer LaRoche a 1yr deal and they “may” have to get an OF if Heyward is not ready.
Both statements are not in line with your hopes for this team or winning in the post season. They imply Diaz could be a starter with another human book mark in the OF (bad idea) and FF is on someone’s 2011 chart in ATL.
I hope Bowman is completely wrong especially about a 1yr offer to Adam. Why bother he will say no to that.
dap01….agree with your 11:12 except to acquire the said slugger it can’t be by trading Vazquez. Better the Braves extend Vazquez and acquire OF slugger via KK or Lowe trade. Diaz should be in RF until Heyward is deemed ready but I still feel Heyward will start in Atlanta opening day and Diaz will be the 4th outfielder.
VOR, great post, we need more of that from you! Did not know that you played the guitar!!
I must admit the Bowman post really changed my thought process of what the Braves are thinking for the 2010 team. From my viewpoint it seems:
- Braves will probably not re-sign LaRoche, MFIKY or Gonzo (I was guessing yes to Gonzo and Laroche)
- 1B will be a FA or a trade but probably a 1 year deal (they must like Freeman better that I thought)
- will trade Lowe or Javy for money savings (I thought they would resign Javy, but if they can pull another Renteria, I will be most happy)
- will consider Wagner or trade for a younger closer (never thought I would see Wagner in a Braves uni, would love a young closer that we could control for a couple of years)
I know that Random says the Braves will not trade KK, but when you look at trading Javy or DLowe, there are so many teams that those 2 will not work for that KK might be the most tradeable.
Javy can’t be traded to the AL or NL West. He did not work for the Yankees or the CHISOX. He likes the NL and the east coast and makes 11.5 million. Throw out the teams that won’t spend 11.5 million on a pitcher (Pirates, Reds, Cardinals, Rangers, Nats, Marlins, Rays, Royals, Astros, Indians) DO you want Javy to pitch for the Mets or the Phills?
And DLowe is probably a NL pitcher these days. He will make 15 million for 3 more years. Again no to the Mets and Phillies and the financially strapped teams (see above)
So who is left? Brewers, Twins, Red Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Tigers for Javy and
Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Brewers, Giants, Angels, CHISOX, Twins, Tigers for DLowe..
[Freeman] is not showing me anything which indicates they should save a spot for him. He needs to do a heck of lot more in the minors before I’d start warming up a chair for him.
No offense, but, if you’re basing a projection of a 19-year-old on a couple of years’ worth of minor league stats, you’re missing context altogether. He had a month and a half at AA, and struggled (relatively) while hurt. That’s hardly a career-threatening blow or a prospect flame-out.
Maybe you should check out Escobar’s AA numbers (and those are for an entire year). Those stats would probably have warranted the same comment from you.
18 Wheels, it’s strange because I’m not a HUGE Steely Dan fan. I absolutely love the first two albums (Countdown To Ecstasy and Can’t Buy A Thrill), but I never got into the Aja-type stuff. It’s fine, but those first two are a little more in the rock vein, and the guitar work (Elliot Randall/Denny Diaz) is phenomenal. And, of course, Skunk Baxter’s pedal steel on the aforementioned “Pearl Of The Quarter”…
Hey Gibby: copy and paste that baseball america story to the blog the link is no good because you have to be a subscriber to view it. I think it is imperative that the Braves sign Laroche and if the Phils end it winning the World Series there gonna have a lot of momentum going into next season.
I do not see wagner in a Braves uni anytime soon. How bout’ this give smoltzie an invite to spring training and see if he can get guys out in the 9th eh??
Ozzie – Freeman is our #2 ranked prospect. As a mid-market club, we will have to rely on prospects filling important roles for us. We can not afford to buy players everywhere with ourd budget. We’re not the Yankees, heck we’re not even the Phillies or Mets. We’re on a budget
Although injuries limited Branyan to only 505 PAs, the season was enough for him to silence those who would condemn him to AAA or a platoon. Despite seeing more left-handed pitching than ever, Branyan lowered his K-rate to just above 31% and maintained his well above average slugging ability. Even against left handed pitching, Branyan reached base at a respectable rate of .321 and slugged a fantastic .481. His overall .520 SLG ranked in the top 15 in the American League and his 31 home runs caught the attention of the most traditional analysts.
Still, while doubters of Branyan’s hitting prowess existed prior to 2009, few in the sabermetric crowd were astonished by his season of solid hitting. The real question for Zduriencik and the Mariners revolved around his defense. In 329 career games at 3B, Branyan never flashed the leather. His UZR/150 of -6.9 left questions as to whether or not he could play the field. Still, these are by no means Adam Dunn type numbers, and there was evidence that Branyan wouldn’t detract from the defensive machine under construction in Seattle. The Mariners committed to him at 1B for 2009 and were not disappointed, as his +1.2 UZR and fantastic hitting numbers led to a 3-win season.
Given his late season back injury (herniated disk), he may not find more than 1 year guaranteed from anyone.
Big Cat was a FA and had a track record. Our track record developing 1B is less than stellar.
FF just needs to show more before he is penciled in anywhere in ATL.
He is not on the same trajectory as Heyward but many have him in Heyward’s back pocket. I disagree with that assessment. I like him but I am not sold on FF.
I put no weight in prospect rankings they are meaningless. Sometimes the guy who is ranked 42 in the system wins you a ring sometimes its captain obvious ranked at 1 or 2.
FF is very young and raw – he likely needs 2 yrs of seasoning IMHO before he is ML ready.
I walked into Ken Stanton music in Roswell late one afternoon (a long time ago) and ran smack into Lynch in the store. I scrambled to find something he could autograph for me, and the only thing I could come up with was a Colorado Rockies cap I found just laying around. He signed it on the underside of the bill. I still have it. It is the only team cap I’ll wear that doesn’t have an “A” on it…
Voice from the Past–wow, that’s a great story. Though I liked him better when he was using the equipment he liked (and hence got that great tone) before he sold his soul to ESP and whatever that amp company he’s peddling is. Seems like lately he’s just doing a bunch of frontman work for his sponsors. Bummer…
I think it would be ill-advised for Wren to trade Vazquez, as Bowman indicates is possible. If so, he better get a boatload of talent in return.
Without Vazquez, the roatation takes a step down, I believe. Still be a good rotation, no doubt, but not quite as good as with Javy.
Letting LaRoche walk would be a disappointment as well. I’m as high on Freeman as anyone, but he’s still a prospect and, likely, a season away, at best. Who can Wren acquire as a stop-gap who would deliver as well as LaRoche, offensively and defensively?
I’m a little surprised that Wren may let Gonzo walk. I expected he’d let Soriano go, but that he’d try to retain Gonzo because he’s a proven quantity. He’s not a lights-out closer or set up man, but he’s largely dependable. Capps is good, but what’s his price tag going to be?
So, as I see it today, if things transpire as speculated, the Bravos will take a step down in the rotation, need to figure out how to shape up the bullpen, need to find a righty power bat in the outfield and find a solid replacement for LaRoche.
Quite a challenge… Should be an interesting winter.
A couple of comments, I want no part of Matt Capps as a closer, and secondly, Billy Wagner has always wanted to play for the Braves, so I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he signs with the Braves, in fact, I would be very suprised if he didn’t. Not re-signing LaRoche would be a huge mistake in my opinion, because quite frankly unles you’re going to trade for Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder or someone like that, that aren’t many better options.
Thanks Steve. That was cool. Surprised I haven’t come across that yet. Once I start trolling on youtube, it turns into a 3-4 hour affair for me.
Damn. Lot of egos on that stage, huh? Reminds me of the old lightbulb joke (can insert profession of choice). Always forget how damn tall Paul Gilber is.
How many guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Here’s a cool clip of Kotzen doing “Stand” unplugged on his own. I never liked this tune because I never really liked Poison. But seeing him sing it instead of Bret Michaels and having it stripped down, shows how this song was meant to be.
tvportscaster- i really think the braves will go after derrick lee or paul konerko, they are both better than laroche. they are both free agents after next season. and would satisfy the big rh bat they are looking for. and all the while will look for an outfielder, but only to bat down the order in case heyward is not ready yet.
I’d go with the picture, and ask for a re-swing, instead.
FF just needs to show more before he is penciled in anywhere in ATL.
What, and Heyward doesn’t? Or Minor, or Teheran, or any other prospect that might have a shot? LOL, brother. Of course he has to show more; I believe that’s why they are called developmental leagues.
But, that has little to do with the judgment call that gets made on every prospect: what is his ceiling, and when might he reach it? If the Braves’ personnel evaluation is that Freeman’s ceiling is high enough and his arrival date soon enough, then, they will make related personnel moves accordingly.
Not everybody who has seen the kid play thinks he’s going to be some superstar (not even everybody on this forum thinks that way), but, he’s certainly shown enough, and to more than a couple of people, to justify projections of a fairly early arrival. ‘Course, those are folks who seen more than just his last stat sheet.
okay, now lets just look at the amount of games they’ll play in each season
Why don’t you look at the amount of games they’ve played each season. I don’t care. DAP already pointed it out, anyway.
BTW, in no way was I suggesting the Braves should pursue Nick Johnson over Adam LaRoche. Just pointing out that there are plenty of equally competent 1B available through FA or trade and fans shouldn’t be married to the thought of re-signing Adam LaRoche. He’s Adam LaRoche. Not Jimmie Foxx.
DAP- Konerko hit .277, 28 home runs and 88 rbi with an ops of over .850
laroche hit .277 as well, with 25 home runs and 83 rbi with an ops of under .850
giving to the account that konerko is a right handed bat, i think the braves would have a better fit with konerko
jeffrey d – I figured two days of referencing Vinings was long enough – and sticking Beach in the middle is too awkward – as long as no one thinks I’m floating down the Grand Canal
chrisKonerko hit .277, 28 home runs and 88 rbi with an ops of over .850
not in 2009 he didnt.
laroche and konerko had similar years last season, but laroche was in one of his prime year making about $5mil less and playing much better defense. you could get away with saying konerko and adam would perform similarly, but konerko is definitely not better.
chris sorry, meant to point out in my last post that konerko had an OPS of .842, which is not above .850, and is a point below what laroche did.
konerko being righthanded shouldnt matter. the braves hit lefties better than righties last year anyways, and konerko will be making $9mil more than what the braves paid for 1st base last year. atlanta could sign laroche and get the same (probably better) production for cheaper.
New blog coming up in a few minutes. Couldn’t quite finish before I had to leave hotel for ballpark. Just got done talking to Freeman, Kimbrel and Hyde. Freeman and Hicks are in lineup today, Hicks at 3B (he’s played there some this fall, but it’s only because Braves didn’t “draft” shortstop position for this league — long story, I’ll try to explain later if anyone cares, but teams draft positions here and then their guy gets precedence at that spot)
but of their hitters, Escobar, McCann, McLouth, LaRoche have historically hit righties better.
I get what your saying, but I think they should go after a right handed bat for either LF or 1B. Whatever power bat they get should be switch hitting, or right handed. Just my two cents on that.
that surprises me. ive never thought laroche had good range, but a very good glove and arm.
Well, it’s important to remember that a 1-year sample of fielding stats isn’t enough to draw any definitive conclusions about a player’s fundamental skills. Perhaps Konerko got a bit lucky and LaRoche got a bit unlucky, but LaRoche is a fundamentally better fielder than Konerko (something I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn). The only question the fielding stats answer is “what happened?”, not “who is better?”.
chippershop: I think you could be right! Carlo Delgado could be a perfect fit here if he is healthy from surgery. Power, OBP average defense and coming off an injury shouldn’t cost more than $6 million. Trade D. Lowe and sign Carlos Delgado and put him in the batting order with a Jason Bay and suddenly it looks at lot more dangerous. McLouth, Prado, Chipper, Bay, Delgado, McCann, Escobar, Diaz(Till Heyward) That WORKS!
lol your right guys. ops was .842 but again, but i still think konerko is a tad better than laroche. even with more money, and i think the braves would either look at derrick lee or konerko for the fact that they both are free agents after next season.
zzie – Freeman is our #2 ranked prospect (Uga Acc)
that kinda worries me a bit since I’m not sold on him. Not saying he won’t make it, just that there are more questions there than I would prefer for the #2 prospect of the entire system. What does that say about guys who are rated lower? maybe worries is a bit too strong a word
I think they are making a lot of assumptions based on one decent year at his age. he could do well again, or revert to near worthlessness. Do they wanna take the chance after already dumping him once B4? I think he’d have to be pretty cheap.
Should any Braves fan really be judging Konerko anyways? We don’t watch White Sox games regularly. Watching a guy play day in & out is how I would make my judgment, not just with stats,etc. I have no idea what kind of player Konerko really is.
I figured two days of referencing Vinings was long enough – and sticking Beach in the middle is too awkward – as long as no one thinks I’m floating down the Grand Canal 9VJ)
I remember it too. I was eixttng one of my friends when he came up and he was watching the game too. He is a Phillies fan so you can imagine the jealousy going into the season. As soon as Heyward makes contact you KNOW its gone. He calls me immediately to tell me he hates me because we have Heyward and he doesn’t. I love the ESPN call of this over the Chip Carey call cause Chip is suppose to cheer for the Braves. When Heyward made contact the ESPN guy sounded like he wanted it gone
2,392 comments Add your comment
dmack2027
November 3rd, 2009
10:49 am
dam, not damn. Apologies.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
10:58 am
dmack, no. i will never forgive you for that.
O.J.
November 3rd, 2009
11:00 am
I think it would make a lot of sense for the Bravos to offer arbitration to LaRoche, if he accepts, then we have him for the needed year until Freeman arrives, if he doesnt, we get a draft pick for him when he signs elsewhere.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
11:02 am
has anybody seen any rumors about the cubs trading derek lee?
P. W. Hjort
November 3rd, 2009
11:03 am
I like Berman, yes. He’s a Brown guy.
18 Wheels of Love
November 3rd, 2009
11:05 am
Daslied, you’re speaking my language with that Steely Dan reference. Wish I could see them on their current tour where they play complete albums. If I was stuck on a deserted island and could have 1 bands catalog, it would be the Dan.
ncscoots
November 3rd, 2009
11:05 am
Heyward is ready, its more gonna be whether they are planning on doing the same as w/ Hanson and the Browns are doing with Brady Quinn…
Fewer than 200 ABs above bleepin’ A-ball, and proclaimed “ready”. The kid has 800 professional ABs total. Total! Even Chipper played a full year in AAA at the same age, and even Andruw had accumulated 1200 ABs by the time he came up at 19.
Keerist, what is the all-fired hurry on this kid? The team is going to have club control for six years, regardless of when he arrives, so why not give the kid a chance to grow up a little, first? And, oh by the way, make himself a tad better ballplayer for when he actually DOES arrive.
If the key question for the 2010 Braves is “When is Heyward coming up?”, bubba, you can tie those contention pretentions in a pretty bow and put ‘em on the shelf, because they’ll only be good for looking at.
Rob from SC
November 3rd, 2009
11:10 am
ncscoots
Regardless of when Jason Heyward get the call to be our everyday RF,he will play a key role on whether or not the Braves make the playoffs.
dap01
November 3rd, 2009
11:12 am
I hope the Braves try to win the World Series, not just field a competitive team.
Sign LaRoche, he is a slugging, good fielding player. Freeman is someone who was average at AA. He may be great one day, but him being as good as LaRoche is 2 years at best.
Get a CLEAN UP hitter in left field. Don’t settle for stop gap players.
Get a hitter. Church is not a hitter.
Get a closer. We have $9,000,000 to spend from last years closers.
I will not remember next year because we kept the 1st base position open for Freeman. I will only remember next year if the Braves win.
Voice from the past
November 3rd, 2009
11:12 am
Glad to hear from another Kings X fan. Live, there isn’t a hard rock band that can touch them.
Saw ‘em at the old Cotton Cub on Peachtree back in the early ’90’s. I stood close enough to Ty Tabor to have helped him fret a few chords. One of the best shows I have ever seen.
I saw Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, George Lynch, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Moses Mo and Neil Schon each from a distance of no more than 25 feet.
I saw Randy Rhodes from the 12th row in his last show before the crash.
Saw and jammed with some local guitarists in the ’80’s and ’90’s that could hold their own with alot of the signed guys.
Ah… good times.
One major regret – never got to see SRV.
Oh, that’s right… baseball blog. You distracted me. I got very lost in old memories…
ozzie
November 3rd, 2009
11:26 am
Dap1 – best post of the blog – simple and to the point. I agree especially re: FF. He is not showing me anything which indicates they should save a spot for him. He needs to do a heck of lot more in the minors before I’d start warming up a chair for him.
FF is a wingman for Heyward and he gets Heyward praise/optimism overflow heaped on him undeservedly. They are not even remotely the same level of player yet FF is being penciled in as the long term 1B answer. Today this a huge mistake.
What disturbs me is Bowman (at MLB) is implying they may only offer LaRoche a 1yr deal and they “may” have to get an OF if Heyward is not ready.
Both statements are not in line with your hopes for this team or winning in the post season. They imply Diaz could be a starter with another human book mark in the OF (bad idea) and FF is on someone’s 2011 chart in ATL.
I hope Bowman is completely wrong especially about a 1yr offer to Adam. Why bother he will say no to that.
P. W. Hjort
November 3rd, 2009
11:29 am
Nick Johnson career wOBA – .371
Adam LaRoche career wOBA – .353
Gibby
November 3rd, 2009
11:33 am
Here is Baseball America’s braves top ten list for those that might be interested.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2010/269096.html
Rock On......
November 3rd, 2009
11:36 am
dap01….agree with your 11:12 except to acquire the said slugger it can’t be by trading Vazquez. Better the Braves extend Vazquez and acquire OF slugger via KK or Lowe trade. Diaz should be in RF until Heyward is deemed ready but I still feel Heyward will start in Atlanta opening day and Diaz will be the 4th outfielder.
Rock On......
November 3rd, 2009
11:38 am
ozzie….the Braves will have to get an outfielder even if Heyward is ready. Totally agree on LaRoche
flange 1
November 3rd, 2009
11:39 am
Morning All,
VOR, great post, we need more of that from you! Did not know that you played the guitar!!
I must admit the Bowman post really changed my thought process of what the Braves are thinking for the 2010 team. From my viewpoint it seems:
- Braves will probably not re-sign LaRoche, MFIKY or Gonzo (I was guessing yes to Gonzo and Laroche)
- 1B will be a FA or a trade but probably a 1 year deal (they must like Freeman better that I thought)
- will trade Lowe or Javy for money savings (I thought they would resign Javy, but if they can pull another Renteria, I will be most happy)
- will consider Wagner or trade for a younger closer (never thought I would see Wagner in a Braves uni, would love a young closer that we could control for a couple of years)
I know that Random says the Braves will not trade KK, but when you look at trading Javy or DLowe, there are so many teams that those 2 will not work for that KK might be the most tradeable.
Javy can’t be traded to the AL or NL West. He did not work for the Yankees or the CHISOX. He likes the NL and the east coast and makes 11.5 million. Throw out the teams that won’t spend 11.5 million on a pitcher (Pirates, Reds, Cardinals, Rangers, Nats, Marlins, Rays, Royals, Astros, Indians) DO you want Javy to pitch for the Mets or the Phills?
And DLowe is probably a NL pitcher these days. He will make 15 million for 3 more years. Again no to the Mets and Phillies and the financially strapped teams (see above)
So who is left? Brewers, Twins, Red Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Tigers for Javy and
Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Brewers, Giants, Angels, CHISOX, Twins, Tigers for DLowe..
Am I missing something?
This looks harder for FW that I figured!!!
ncscoots
November 3rd, 2009
11:43 am
[Freeman] is not showing me anything which indicates they should save a spot for him. He needs to do a heck of lot more in the minors before I’d start warming up a chair for him.
No offense, but, if you’re basing a projection of a 19-year-old on a couple of years’ worth of minor league stats, you’re missing context altogether. He had a month and a half at AA, and struggled (relatively) while hurt. That’s hardly a career-threatening blow or a prospect flame-out.
Maybe you should check out Escobar’s AA numbers (and those are for an entire year). Those stats would probably have warranted the same comment from you.
Daslied
November 3rd, 2009
11:45 am
18 Wheels, it’s strange because I’m not a HUGE Steely Dan fan. I absolutely love the first two albums (Countdown To Ecstasy and Can’t Buy A Thrill), but I never got into the Aja-type stuff. It’s fine, but those first two are a little more in the rock vein, and the guitar work (Elliot Randall/Denny Diaz) is phenomenal. And, of course, Skunk Baxter’s pedal steel on the aforementioned “Pearl Of The Quarter”…
bravofan
November 3rd, 2009
11:55 am
Hey Gibby: copy and paste that baseball america story to the blog the link is no good because you have to be a subscriber to view it. I think it is imperative that the Braves sign Laroche and if the Phils end it winning the World Series there gonna have a lot of momentum going into next season.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
11:55 am
Nick Johnson career wOBA – .371
Adam LaRoche career wOBA – .353
laroche’s career slg% .491
johnson’s career slg% .447
laroche’s average games played since 2005: 146
johnson’s average games played since 2005: 90
and ill point out that the braves ranked 5th in the NL in OBP, but 10th in slg%. improving that slg% needs wrens attention.
bravofan
November 3rd, 2009
11:57 am
DAP: I would choose rochey over johnson any day of the week!!!!!
bravofan
November 3rd, 2009
11:58 am
I do not see wagner in a Braves uni anytime soon. How bout’ this give smoltzie an invite to spring training and see if he can get guys out in the 9th eh??
ozzie
November 3rd, 2009
11:59 am
ncsoots you are making my point for me.
He is not an heir apparent.
I never said he was a flame out I am just saying he is in no way a mortal lock and not good enough to go with 1yr human book marks until he is ready.
Until they see a full season in AA with a better overall performance I don’t think they can make an assessment on his impact (degree or timing).
I for one don’t want a void at 1B that stays there longer than expected b/c they misread FF trajectory. One word. Thorman.
Go with the devil you know in LaRoche for two years with a mutual 3yr option. FF can wait his turn if he in fact is the next long term 1B.
He also turned 20 in Sept.
bravofan
November 3rd, 2009
12:01 pm
ozzie: remember the days of BIG cat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O.J.
November 3rd, 2009
12:05 pm
bravofan, why would Smoltzie do that in the first place?
bravofan
November 3rd, 2009
12:06 pm
because he loves the Braves and has a home in atl and thats where his fam is and hmmm he wants to retire a Brave.
ugaaccountant
November 3rd, 2009
12:09 pm
Ozzie – Freeman is our #2 ranked prospect. As a mid-market club, we will have to rely on prospects filling important roles for us. We can not afford to buy players everywhere with ourd budget. We’re not the Yankees, heck we’re not even the Phillies or Mets. We’re on a budget
O.J.
November 3rd, 2009
12:12 pm
Ummm, you think he still loves the Braves after the way they treated him? Doubtful.
O.J.
November 3rd, 2009
12:12 pm
Oh, and if the front office had any intentions of signing him, why didnt they when the Red Sox released him?
Voice from the past
November 3rd, 2009
12:16 pm
Russell Branyan.
From Jack Moore at FanGraphs:
Although injuries limited Branyan to only 505 PAs, the season was enough for him to silence those who would condemn him to AAA or a platoon. Despite seeing more left-handed pitching than ever, Branyan lowered his K-rate to just above 31% and maintained his well above average slugging ability. Even against left handed pitching, Branyan reached base at a respectable rate of .321 and slugged a fantastic .481. His overall .520 SLG ranked in the top 15 in the American League and his 31 home runs caught the attention of the most traditional analysts.
Still, while doubters of Branyan’s hitting prowess existed prior to 2009, few in the sabermetric crowd were astonished by his season of solid hitting. The real question for Zduriencik and the Mariners revolved around his defense. In 329 career games at 3B, Branyan never flashed the leather. His UZR/150 of -6.9 left questions as to whether or not he could play the field. Still, these are by no means Adam Dunn type numbers, and there was evidence that Branyan wouldn’t detract from the defensive machine under construction in Seattle. The Mariners committed to him at 1B for 2009 and were not disappointed, as his +1.2 UZR and fantastic hitting numbers led to a 3-win season.
Given his late season back injury (herniated disk), he may not find more than 1 year guaranteed from anyone.
I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’…
Steve from OH
November 3rd, 2009
12:18 pm
I saw Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, George Lynch, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Moses Mo and Neil Schon each from a distance of no more than 25 feet.
Wow. I’m jealous. Lynch is probably my favorite player…
P. W. Hjort
November 3rd, 2009
12:19 pm
Voice from the past -
$10 the Mariners re-sign Branyan.
ozzie
November 3rd, 2009
12:19 pm
Big Cat was a FA and had a track record. Our track record developing 1B is less than stellar.
FF just needs to show more before he is penciled in anywhere in ATL.
He is not on the same trajectory as Heyward but many have him in Heyward’s back pocket. I disagree with that assessment. I like him but I am not sold on FF.
I put no weight in prospect rankings they are meaningless. Sometimes the guy who is ranked 42 in the system wins you a ring sometimes its captain obvious ranked at 1 or 2.
FF is very young and raw – he likely needs 2 yrs of seasoning IMHO before he is ML ready.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
12:20 pm
ugaacountant We can not afford to buy players everywhere with ourd budget.
thats true, but we can afford to buy a few.
Gibby
November 3rd, 2009
12:23 pm
OH well I thought it would work. Here is a link that doesn’t require a subscription
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2010/269097.html
Voice from the past
November 3rd, 2009
12:23 pm
Steve from O:
I walked into Ken Stanton music in Roswell late one afternoon (a long time ago) and ran smack into Lynch in the store. I scrambled to find something he could autograph for me, and the only thing I could come up with was a Colorado Rockies cap I found just laying around. He signed it on the underside of the bill. I still have it. It is the only team cap I’ll wear that doesn’t have an “A” on it…
Steve from OH
November 3rd, 2009
12:27 pm
Voice from the Past–wow, that’s a great story. Though I liked him better when he was using the equipment he liked (and hence got that great tone) before he sold his soul to ESP and whatever that amp company he’s peddling is. Seems like lately he’s just doing a bunch of frontman work for his sponsors. Bummer…
Roman Gal
November 3rd, 2009
12:28 pm
WTH??? nolie
Ok, fine. But Chipper’s guts only come from McDonalds and we all know it.
Steve from OH
November 3rd, 2009
12:32 pm
Actually, he might have been using ESP in his earlier days but it seems like whatever he’s using now gets nowhere near the tone he used to get…
Steve from OH
November 3rd, 2009
12:35 pm
N8–you might like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTcxaYW9FWg&feature=related
unbelievable
November 3rd, 2009
12:37 pm
“Nick Johnson career wOBA – .371
Adam LaRoche career wOBA – .353″
okay, now lets just look at the amount of games they’ll play in each season
drive by blogger
November 3rd, 2009
12:42 pm
wOBA?
Chamberlain?
Steve from OH
November 3rd, 2009
12:42 pm
BTW, did anyone see Cody Johnson’s picture for the BA Braves’ top 10 list? My God, if I were him, I’d ask for a re-take…
chris
November 3rd, 2009
12:46 pm
i’m guessing the braves will look to trade for either derrick lee or paul konerko or maybe even garrett atkins
Jeff R
November 3rd, 2009
12:58 pm
I think it would be ill-advised for Wren to trade Vazquez, as Bowman indicates is possible. If so, he better get a boatload of talent in return.
Without Vazquez, the roatation takes a step down, I believe. Still be a good rotation, no doubt, but not quite as good as with Javy.
Letting LaRoche walk would be a disappointment as well. I’m as high on Freeman as anyone, but he’s still a prospect and, likely, a season away, at best. Who can Wren acquire as a stop-gap who would deliver as well as LaRoche, offensively and defensively?
I’m a little surprised that Wren may let Gonzo walk. I expected he’d let Soriano go, but that he’d try to retain Gonzo because he’s a proven quantity. He’s not a lights-out closer or set up man, but he’s largely dependable. Capps is good, but what’s his price tag going to be?
So, as I see it today, if things transpire as speculated, the Bravos will take a step down in the rotation, need to figure out how to shape up the bullpen, need to find a righty power bat in the outfield and find a solid replacement for LaRoche.
Quite a challenge… Should be an interesting winter.
cabravesfan
November 3rd, 2009
1:00 pm
It’s 10:00 and I am the only one in my office…
tvsportscaster
November 3rd, 2009
1:01 pm
A couple of comments, I want no part of Matt Capps as a closer, and secondly, Billy Wagner has always wanted to play for the Braves, so I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he signs with the Braves, in fact, I would be very suprised if he didn’t. Not re-signing LaRoche would be a huge mistake in my opinion, because quite frankly unles you’re going to trade for Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder or someone like that, that aren’t many better options.
N8
November 3rd, 2009
1:09 pm
Thanks Steve. That was cool. Surprised I haven’t come across that yet. Once I start trolling on youtube, it turns into a 3-4 hour affair for me.
Damn. Lot of egos on that stage, huh? Reminds me of the old lightbulb joke (can insert profession of choice). Always forget how damn tall Paul Gilber is.
How many guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Here’s a cool clip of Kotzen doing “Stand” unplugged on his own. I never liked this tune because I never really liked Poison. But seeing him sing it instead of Bret Michaels and having it stripped down, shows how this song was meant to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKoegBPhSt0&feature=PlayList&p=BF51648FDECD9934&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10
Answer: 100. 1 to change it and 99 to stand around and say they could have done it faster.
chipperchop
November 3rd, 2009
1:11 pm
Yeah the Braves will probably sign Carlos Delgado as a stop gap, and let the Mets sign LaRoche.
chris
November 3rd, 2009
1:15 pm
tvportscaster- i really think the braves will go after derrick lee or paul konerko, they are both better than laroche. they are both free agents after next season. and would satisfy the big rh bat they are looking for. and all the while will look for an outfielder, but only to bat down the order in case heyward is not ready yet.
ncscoots
November 3rd, 2009
1:17 pm
My God, if I were him, I’d ask for a re-take…
I’d go with the picture, and ask for a re-swing, instead.
FF just needs to show more before he is penciled in anywhere in ATL.
What, and Heyward doesn’t? Or Minor, or Teheran, or any other prospect that might have a shot? LOL, brother. Of course he has to show more; I believe that’s why they are called developmental leagues.
But, that has little to do with the judgment call that gets made on every prospect: what is his ceiling, and when might he reach it? If the Braves’ personnel evaluation is that Freeman’s ceiling is high enough and his arrival date soon enough, then, they will make related personnel moves accordingly.
Not everybody who has seen the kid play thinks he’s going to be some superstar (not even everybody on this forum thinks that way), but, he’s certainly shown enough, and to more than a couple of people, to justify projections of a fairly early arrival. ‘Course, those are folks who seen more than just his last stat sheet.
chris
November 3rd, 2009
1:17 pm
and i do agree that the braves will most likely pick up wagner unless gonzo comes back.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
1:23 pm
chrisi really think the braves will go after derrick lee or paul konerko, they are both better than laroche.
derek lee yes, konerko, no way.
jeffrey d
November 3rd, 2009
1:24 pm
Think Trading Norton, Chipper, KJ, Shafer, Blanco, Acosta, Parr, Lowe, Kawakami and prospectswill bring some bullpen help and a righty bat?
Why do I still read the vents? This one looks like all the stupid people from the blog got together and made one super-stupid vent.
P. W. Hjort
November 3rd, 2009
1:24 pm
okay, now lets just look at the amount of games they’ll play in each season
Why don’t you look at the amount of games they’ve played each season. I don’t care. DAP already pointed it out, anyway.
BTW, in no way was I suggesting the Braves should pursue Nick Johnson over Adam LaRoche. Just pointing out that there are plenty of equally competent 1B available through FA or trade and fans shouldn’t be married to the thought of re-signing Adam LaRoche. He’s Adam LaRoche. Not Jimmie Foxx.
jeffrey d
November 3rd, 2009
1:26 pm
Isn’t it a bit early for the prospect rankings? I seem to remember them being released in December and January before.
ncscoots
November 3rd, 2009
1:28 pm
This one looks like all the stupid people from the blog got together and made one super-stupid vent.
Yeah, but look on the bright side: it’s just one, LOL. Could have been half-a-dozen.
Venice Jim
November 3rd, 2009
1:28 pm
cabravesfan – maybe you should go home…
ncscoots
November 3rd, 2009
1:30 pm
He’s Adam LaRoche. Not Jimmie Foxx.
True, but, familiarity breeds comfort.
At least, until Adam gets off to his usual April and it turns into contempt, LOL.
jeffrey d
November 3rd, 2009
1:30 pm
Venice Jim…now that’s going to take some getting used to.
chris
November 3rd, 2009
1:32 pm
DAP- Konerko hit .277, 28 home runs and 88 rbi with an ops of over .850
laroche hit .277 as well, with 25 home runs and 83 rbi with an ops of under .850
giving to the account that konerko is a right handed bat, i think the braves would have a better fit with konerko
Venice Jim
November 3rd, 2009
1:33 pm
jeffrey d – I figured two days of referencing Vinings was long enough – and sticking Beach in the middle is too awkward – as long as no one thinks I’m floating down the Grand Canal
jeffrey d
November 3rd, 2009
1:37 pm
I understand. It’s just like seeing someone with a new haircut…it’s gonna take a few days to get used to.
jeffrey d
November 3rd, 2009
1:38 pm
A lot of 18 and 19 year olds in our top prospects. And no Spanjer-Furstybarger.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
1:38 pm
chrisKonerko hit .277, 28 home runs and 88 rbi with an ops of over .850
not in 2009 he didnt.
laroche and konerko had similar years last season, but laroche was in one of his prime year making about $5mil less and playing much better defense. you could get away with saying konerko and adam would perform similarly, but konerko is definitely not better.
P. W. Hjort
November 3rd, 2009
1:45 pm
laroche and konerko had similar years last season, but laroche was in one of his prime year making about $5mil less and playing much better defense.
WRT defense, Konerko’s UZR in 2009 was 2.5, LaRoche’s was -1.2. In +/-, Konerko was +2 and LaRoche was -4.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
1:48 pm
chris sorry, meant to point out in my last post that konerko had an OPS of .842, which is not above .850, and is a point below what laroche did.
konerko being righthanded shouldnt matter. the braves hit lefties better than righties last year anyways, and konerko will be making $9mil more than what the braves paid for 1st base last year. atlanta could sign laroche and get the same (probably better) production for cheaper.
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
1:49 pm
PWH, that surprises me. ive never thought laroche had good range, but a very good glove and arm.
Andrew
November 3rd, 2009
1:52 pm
Laroche is not a new york state of mind guy..mets would have to blow him away.
cabravesfan
November 3rd, 2009
1:53 pm
VJ-
you make it sound like floating down the grand canal is a bad thing…sounds nice to me
(and with iphone and wifi, I could still blog
)
ozzie
November 3rd, 2009
1:56 pm
I have seen both Heyward and FF play in the minors and while no prospect is a sure thing Heyward is a much more mature and polished player than FF.
All that means is barring an injury Heyward projects to be ready sooner so keeping a LaRoche for a few years is a wise move.
Why this statement is drawing such ire makes little sense.
It seems to be more fanboy love for FF and knee jerk reactions to people who questions his upside or ETA.
Venice Jim
November 3rd, 2009
1:57 pm
cabravesfan – not a bad thing at all – I just want to maintain the strict atmosphere of reality that we have all come to expect on the blog
David O'Brien
November 3rd, 2009
1:58 pm
New blog coming up in a few minutes. Couldn’t quite finish before I had to leave hotel for ballpark. Just got done talking to Freeman, Kimbrel and Hyde. Freeman and Hicks are in lineup today, Hicks at 3B (he’s played there some this fall, but it’s only because Braves didn’t “draft” shortstop position for this league — long story, I’ll try to explain later if anyone cares, but teams draft positions here and then their guy gets precedence at that spot)
Efrim
November 3rd, 2009
2:04 pm
konerko being righthanded shouldnt matter. the braves hit lefties better than righties last year anyways
I don’t have it in front of me, but didn’t the Braves hit with a lot less power against lefties?
DAP
November 3rd, 2009
2:06 pm
efrim I don’t have it in front of me, but didn’t the Braves hit with a lot less power against lefties?
actually no. the braves had higher BA and slg%, with an identical OBP vs. lefties. the numbers are very close but they actually hit lefties better.
Efrim
November 3rd, 2009
2:13 pm
but of their hitters, Escobar, McCann, McLouth, LaRoche have historically hit righties better.
I get what your saying, but I think they should go after a right handed bat for either LF or 1B. Whatever power bat they get should be switch hitting, or right handed. Just my two cents on that.
P. W. Hjort
November 3rd, 2009
2:18 pm
that surprises me. ive never thought laroche had good range, but a very good glove and arm.
Well, it’s important to remember that a 1-year sample of fielding stats isn’t enough to draw any definitive conclusions about a player’s fundamental skills. Perhaps Konerko got a bit lucky and LaRoche got a bit unlucky, but LaRoche is a fundamentally better fielder than Konerko (something I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn). The only question the fielding stats answer is “what happened?”, not “who is better?”.
Mitchie-san
November 3rd, 2009
2:18 pm
Who is this Venice Jim guy and what happened to Vinings Jim????
ccrider
November 3rd, 2009
2:19 pm
chippershop: I think you could be right! Carlo Delgado could be a perfect fit here if he is healthy from surgery. Power, OBP average defense and coming off an injury shouldn’t cost more than $6 million. Trade D. Lowe and sign Carlos Delgado and put him in the batting order with a Jason Bay and suddenly it looks at lot more dangerous. McLouth, Prado, Chipper, Bay, Delgado, McCann, Escobar, Diaz(Till Heyward) That WORKS!
Venice Jim
November 3rd, 2009
2:22 pm
Mitchie-san – moved across the country from GA to CA – fortunately right near Venice Beach, so I can keep the VJ initials
chris
November 3rd, 2009
2:23 pm
lol your right guys. ops was .842 but again, but i still think konerko is a tad better than laroche. even with more money, and i think the braves would either look at derrick lee or konerko for the fact that they both are free agents after next season.
bill
November 3rd, 2009
2:29 pm
When are you allowed to sign free agents?
nolie
November 3rd, 2009
2:48 pm
zzie – Freeman is our #2 ranked prospect (Uga Acc)
that kinda worries me a bit since I’m not sold on him. Not saying he won’t make it, just that there are more questions there than I would prefer for the #2 prospect of the entire system. What does that say about guys who are rated lower? maybe worries is a bit too strong a word
David O'Brien
November 3rd, 2009
2:51 pm
at long last, NEW BLOGGAGE
nolie
November 3rd, 2009
2:54 pm
I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’…(VOP)
I think they are making a lot of assumptions based on one decent year at his age. he could do well again, or revert to near worthlessness. Do they wanna take the chance after already dumping him once B4? I think he’d have to be pretty cheap.
TnBrian
November 3rd, 2009
2:54 pm
Should any Braves fan really be judging Konerko anyways? We don’t watch White Sox games regularly. Watching a guy play day in & out is how I would make my judgment, not just with stats,etc. I have no idea what kind of player Konerko really is.
nolie
November 3rd, 2009
3:04 pm
I figured two days of referencing Vinings was long enough – and sticking Beach in the middle is too awkward – as long as no one thinks I’m floating down the Grand Canal 9VJ)
lose a VJ, gain a VJ
BossLady
November 3rd, 2009
4:22 pm
Could be over very soon, heh? BACK TO THE BONX with Utley and company.
Go National League East !!!!!!
Vacation
November 15th, 2009
3:27 am
Sound great.
I am planning on taking a trip this december, but im not sure where yet.
Anny suggestions?
Vacation All Inclusive Resorts
Wren The Bird Brain
December 10th, 2009
4:01 pm
Wren…..why don’t you trade your brain….that way you can plead ignorance the next time you trade a good player away for nothing!
Wren A Player
December 22nd, 2009
9:39 am
We must trade Jurrjens before he costs to much!!!!!!!!!!!next………….Tommy Hanson !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aslan
March 21st, 2012
2:21 am
I remember it too. I was eixttng one of my friends when he came up and he was watching the game too. He is a Phillies fan so you can imagine the jealousy going into the season. As soon as Heyward makes contact you KNOW its gone. He calls me immediately to tell me he hates me because we have Heyward and he doesn’t. I love the ESPN call of this over the Chip Carey call cause Chip is suppose to cheer for the Braves. When Heyward made contact the ESPN guy sounded like he wanted it gone