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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3,214 comments Add your comment
amicusterrae
July 30th, 2010
2:52 pm
You guys see what Joe Sheehan (formerly baseball prospectus) says today:
The Orioles SHOULD trade OF/1B Luke Scott to the Braves for SS Mycal Jones and RHP Stephen Marek.
Scott isn’t a sexy name, like Dunn or Lilly or Houston’s Lance Berkman, but he’s as likely to help a new team as any of them are. After getting a late start in the majors, Scott has a career line of .267/.350/.504, spending half his six-year career in the brutal AL East. He’s having his best season since 2006, batting .283/.353/.558 while fighting nagging injuries. He’s a left-handed batter with a track record of hitting lefties, and perhaps best of all, he comes with a low price tag and isn’t a free agent until after 2011.
The Braves just demoted Nate McLouth, who’s having a disastrous season, and continue to fake their outfield situation, turning back to Melky Cabrera to man center field while using a rotation in left. Scott would help bolster that group while also providing, with Eric Hinske, alternatives to the sputtering Troy Glaus (four doubles, no homers in July) at first base. Scott’s disciplined approach at the plate fits a lineup loaded with veterans who know how to work the count.
The Orioles have a ton of nearly-ready starting pitching but little else. Jones, a 23-year-old shortstop, is raw (37 errors, 88 strikeouts in 95 games at two levels this season) with demonstrated skills. It’s an upside play for the Orioles, who also get back a reliever, in Marek, with a track record of minor-league success to upgrade the weakest part of their major-league roster.
I like Marek’s AAA performance, but Luke Scott would be a nice pick up.
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
2:52 pm
MiaBchBravesFan.
they also traded Javy to us for Flowers and Lillibridge…. hmmm.
Taken a look at how Flowers is doing lately?
FEAR
July 30th, 2010
2:52 pm
cmon Wren get us The Brainbusters and Haku!!!
BravesFan2010
July 30th, 2010
2:52 pm
I believe that Dye was the last slugger to come up through the Braves minor league.
What about Jason Heyward ?
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
2:53 pm
“They took a flier on Alex Rios, and they made out really well!”
Yeah, they got a guy with a career OPS of .786 and he’s given them a calendar year of .763 and all it cost them was a mere $10 million.
No Way
July 30th, 2010
2:53 pm
Have you seen Torii’s contract? No thanks.
CraZyTraDEMaN
July 30th, 2010
2:53 pm
I’m going to comit suicide if FW doesn’t make a move NOW!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
MY Wish For Today
July 30th, 2010
2:54 pm
“We’re fifth in the NL in runs scored, Johnny Hyperbole.”
Yeah and just like last year, we know how to score runs in droves when we got the other team down!
Tell me Johnny Bravo Kool Aid Drinker…… which team leads the majors in runners left on base? The Braves know how to kick teams when they get them down for example they are 17-10 in blowout games. They are also just one game over .500 against ALL opponents in one run games.
They blew up that runs scored total when Glaus, Prado and Hinske were all unconscious in the first half. Now Glaus has cooled, Prado is still great but not scorching and Hinske has slowed down.
That’s right Viral ole’ boy……. just ride that “we’re good enuff” boat all the way into dry dock the end of September and don’t worry about October baseball!
damn idiot
BravesFan2010
July 30th, 2010
2:54 pm
I really like Luke Scott’s offensive numbers this year and he can play any position in the OF. Lets get him !!!!
RC
July 30th, 2010
2:55 pm
Cody,
I agree that Kemp would be a really good add, but Ross is a much better hitter than Adam Jones. The problem with Kemp is that everyone knows he’s really good, so the price to acquire him would be huge, and the Dodgers are already low enough on outfielders than Garret Anderson is getting regular playing time for them.
As for calling up Freeman, it’s very likely that he’s not quite ready to be thrust into a run producing role on a team playing for the penant. He might be ready, but the chance that he’s not is great enough that it doesn’t make sense to risk it when you have a perfectly adequate 1b in Glaus, who will be gone after this season. Freeman over Glaus also removes your primary right-handed power threat from the lineup, and replaces him with a 20-year old lefty in an already lefty heavy lineup. I just don’t really see the advantage there.
FUWren
July 30th, 2010
2:55 pm
I don’t like any of the OF names mentioned in the trade possibilities. None of them are good enough to make much of a difference. I’d like Adam Dunn if we can get him without giving away too much. Otherwise let’s call up Freeman, platoon Chipper/Glaus, play Diaz/Hinske, Melky/Blanco, and hope like heck that Heyward can start slugging down the stretch. In my opinion it’s a miracle that we’re in first because I think this lineup is rather awful – mean reversion will not work in our favor in the last two months. By September we could be 5+ games back and then we’ll get to see the kids play.
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
2:55 pm
Glen: the ChiSox unloaded Javy beacuse he was their version of Lowe in Chicago. So, unloading salary became their prime objective.
Mission accomplished.
CB
July 30th, 2010
2:55 pm
Crazy,will you please leave me your season tickets?
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
2:56 pm
I really like Luke Scott’s offensive numbers this year and he can play any position in the OF. Lets get him !!!!
I could play any position in the OF too…. I mean technically speaking.
RC
July 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
Tell me Johnny Bravo Kool Aid Drinker…… which team leads the majors in runners left on base?
That’s kind of a loaded stat…I mean, you can’t lead the league in runners left on base unless you get a lot of runners on base, right?
It might be more informative to go with left on base percentage, because at least that would tell you how each team is doing relative to the opportunities they’ve had.
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
Mission accomplished.
Wrong…. unless you really believed that Flowers would never become an every day catcher. I guess you could believe that, but then you would be wrong.
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
“They are also just one game over .500 against ALL opponents in one run games.”
Just so we’re clear, the only logic you offered in your entire windbag reply is that we’re winning more than we’re losing in one run games? How…awful?
Bartholomew (Bat) Masterson
July 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
If you are a glass half full person, Storen is the Nats’ Papelbon. If you are a glass half empty person, he’s their Joey Devine.
Against the Phillies I hope he is Papelbon then. Against the Braves Devine works.
keylargo
July 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
Watch Medlen tonight…90% of his pitches will be fastball/changeup..His curve is a little more than a show me pitch… RobfromSC
Rob – Here’s an article about Medlen’s three quality pitches. It’s from Baseball Intellect which explains why you haven’t read it.
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/scouting-kris-medlen/
Venice Jim
July 30th, 2010
2:58 pm
Gosh, less than a 45 minute store run, and come home to find a severely bruised forehead – at least she avoided major blood loss…she’d have been better off to keep on working…
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
2:58 pm
“cmon Wren get us The Brainbusters and Haku!!!”
We’ll be a mortal lock at the Royal Rumble!
CraZyTraDEMaN
July 30th, 2010
2:58 pm
CB, Already cashed them in so I could afford to buy a cyanide tablet.
MY Wish For Today
July 30th, 2010
2:59 pm
RC…..4th in the NL in runs scored is a loaded stat as well. Fight a “loaded” stat with a “loaded” stat.
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
2:59 pm
Alex Rios: .306 BA, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 21 2B, 23 SB.
You guys love OBP too much. Balance, folks, balance.
DAP
July 30th, 2010
3:00 pm
p-town Only issue with Willingham, 11 of his 15 HR are with nobody on base…
what other imaginary issues can we come up with?
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:00 pm
I believe that Dye was the last slugger to come up through the Braves minor league.
What about Jason Heyward ?
Or Andruw Jones, or Brian McCann, or Adam LaRoche (if you’re counting Dye, I’m counting Adam). Heck, even Francoeur hit 29 in his first full season.
FEAR
July 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
Um aren’t we in first by 2.5 games?
DAP
July 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
rob from sc, medlen’s curve is a little bit better than just a show me pitch. im sure he is working to improve it, but it isnt that bad.
Bobby Hill
July 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
There’s so many rumor flying around right now that if Wren was really up to something, there’s no way he could keep a lid on it. He’s gonna sit tight, maybe add a 7th inning RP, and hope Glaus starts hitting.
Bartholomew (Bat) Masterson
July 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
Tell me Johnny Bravo Kool Aid Drinker…… which team leads the majors in runners left on base?
The team that leaves the most men on base wins 58% of the time.
Braves .574 …………….. Hum, pretty close
williamva
July 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
Dave has MLB ever completely rescinded a suspension? How do you go from 4 games to none. Didn’t former Brave Bob Watson issue the suspension?
Randy
July 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
Braves are getting Ellsbury
NORRIS
July 30th, 2010
3:02 pm
everyone keeps saying there isnt much out there.
i think people forget that we have one outfielder!!
Diaz is an off the bench guy. anytime he has played daily he is exposed for what he is and he is horrible defensively.
Melky is marginal and wouldnt start on any other team. he is a bench guy too.
hinske is a bench guy who is a backup at best.
So come on guys. Almost anything is better than what we got.
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
3:02 pm
The Whitesox are going to love paying Jake Peavy $16M and $17M dollars over the next two seasons. And don’t forget the $4M buyout on the $22M option for that last year.
Yeah, FW is lame and KW makes all of the right moves.
Arkansas Transplant
July 30th, 2010
3:02 pm
Watch Medlen tonight…90% of his pitches will be fastball/changeup..His curve is a little more than a show me pitch… RobfromSC
Did you not see that stats from Garza’s no-hitter? over 80% of his pitches that game were fastballs. Only fastballs! No-hitter!
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
I love how people are talking like they know exactly what Wren’s plans are.
CB
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
The issue with Willingham is his back – not a trifling issue by any means.
Rob From SC...Chipper's new BFF, Please call up Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, and Mike Minor...Lowe to the bullpen
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
Medlen does not have a quality curveball yet
RC
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
RC…..4th in the NL in runs scored is a loaded stat as well. Fight a “loaded” stat with a “loaded” stat.
No, that’s not a loaded stat. That’s saying that they have scored more runs than all but 3 teams in the NL. The reason that runners left on base is a loaded stat is because it takes a positive action to create opportunity for the “negative” stat to occur. So a team that never got a runner on base would be first in the majors in fewest runners left on, but they would still be the worst offense in the league. Since runs scored is the primary objective of an offense, then leading the league in runs scored would be a positive trait….nothing “loaded” about it.
Rob From SC...Chipper's new BFF, Please call up Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, and Mike Minor...Lowe to the bullpen
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
Keylargo
That site said Medlen has a solid changeup…That right there says a lot…
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
“RC…..4th in the NL in runs scored is a loaded stat as well.”
First of all, it was 5th, Sammy Jankis. Second of all, that’s a measurable. Your attempt to counter was to say that the team leading the league in on base percentage is also leading the league in runners stranded. That’s causality. Your problem is that you want to vent about our offense but the statistical support isn’t there.
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:04 pm
Glen: we agree to disagree.
Shaun
July 30th, 2010
3:04 pm
Tell me Johnny Bravo Kool Aid Drinker…… which team leads the majors in runners left on base? The Braves know how to kick teams when they get them down for example they are 17-10 in blowout games. They are also just one game over .500 against ALL opponents in one run games.
Does how many runners a team leaves on base tell us anything at all? Doesn’t it follow that if a team gets a lot of runners on base they may leave a lot of runners on base but they also may score a lot of runs? Anyone who uses runners left on base as a measure of how good a team is offensively is definitely misusing statistics.
Also, how could anyone have a problem with a team having a winning record in both blow-outs and one-run games?
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
3:04 pm
So come on guys. Almost anything is better than what we got.
Yep and if that guy bats RH and can play CF, and if he comes pretty cheap, all the better. Ross makes so much sense for this team. And unless you are convinced that we could get Upton for KK and Schafer, you realize that this is why FW is playing it this way.
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
3:05 pm
Glen: we agree to disagree.
Fair enough.
RC
July 30th, 2010
3:05 pm
Braves are getting Ellsbury
That would be awesome, and not outside of the realm of possibility, but it would have to occur in the offseason….very little chance Ellsbury comes over this year.
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
3:05 pm
Alex Rios: .229 on base percentage, .301 slugging percentage, .530 OPS last year with the White Sox.
How is that for balance?
rammerjammer
July 30th, 2010
3:06 pm
Doesn’t somebody need Kenshin?
Anyone?
C’mon. He’s not THAT bad.
RC
July 30th, 2010
3:06 pm
Gone Viral and Shaun, thanks for the support. Glad to see that someone understands the point I was trying to make.
buttermaker
July 30th, 2010
3:06 pm
Um aren’t we in first by 2.5 games?
No, from what I’ve read we’re chasing the Phillies who already have the division sewn up and we’ll soon be in the cellar if we don’t trade Kawakami and McClouth for Albert Pujols.
monty
July 30th, 2010
3:07 pm
Don’t know if reported yet or not but the Phillie fan who threw-up on the man and his 11 yr. old daughter got 1-3 months in jail, and 2 yr. probation. article said his relatives broke out in sobs when judge gave his decision. Cry me a river. Not like he got death sentence. Dude got off easy if you ask me.
FEAR
July 30th, 2010
3:07 pm
jeff D- I know what Wren is doing he is gonna score the Brainbusters and Haku. Then flip Tully Blanchard for Stan Hansen. We put Haku and Hansen together and Arn Anderson is their enforcer. Done! WS baby!
Nick
July 30th, 2010
3:08 pm
Uh oh. Mike Minor pulled from his start tonight.
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
3:08 pm
“The issue with Willingham is his back – not a trifling issue by any means.”
Yeah, this is a very real concern. If we’re making a move to win now and he’s going to struggle with this until he has off-season back surgery, acquiring him is a non-starter. I trust the Braves to make the correct determination there. If one of our beat writers says after the fact that we were worried about a sketchy back, that’s a valid reason to pass.
TnBrian
July 30th, 2010
3:08 pm
Reading about Cody Ross and Braves in the same sentence is a huge let down for me. The guy is EXACTLY what’s already here. If Nate were to get somewhat decent again, he could put the exact same numbers up as Ross, maybe better. The guy is NOT what’s missing in this lineup. He’s the definition of ‘average’.
FEAR
July 30th, 2010
3:08 pm
buttermaker – crap. Oh well….time to sell.
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
3:09 pm
“Glad to see that someone understands the point I was trying to make.”
Oh, both of yours posts on the subject were dead on. You had the logic down pat.
FEAR
July 30th, 2010
3:09 pm
monty – that punk should of got the death penatly. If it was my daughter. I would have saved the state a lot of time and money.
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:10 pm
Ellsburry has been on the DL almost all year anyway
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:10 pm
Gone Viral: uh, it’s 2010, buddy.
TnBrian
July 30th, 2010
3:10 pm
Nick, than my guess is Minor has been traded.
IDK, he could be sick or injured. It does happen. Just fishy to me.
It had better not be for Ross of Fla. Mercy, that would be bad … for us, not the Marlins.
DAP
July 30th, 2010
3:10 pm
keylargo, that article you posted called medlen’s curveball “plus” and then a couple of paragraph’s later called it “average”. which is it? hurt its credibility a bit, but im going with average curveball.
Randy
July 30th, 2010
3:10 pm
Nick they are calling him up
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:10 pm
Minor for Ellsbury???
Get the torches and pitchforks NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:11 pm
Frank Wren is going to trade McCann for a sack DVDs, and the Phillies will make a move for Holliday, Pujols, and Wainwright. Phillies win the division and the World Series in 3.
RC
July 30th, 2010
3:11 pm
Reading about Cody Ross and Braves in the same sentence is a huge let down for me. The guy is EXACTLY what’s already here. If Nate were to get somewhat decent again, he could put the exact same numbers up as Ross, maybe better. The guy is NOT what’s missing in this lineup. He’s the definition of ‘average’.
If Nate were to be decent, we wouldn’t need Ross. And let’s be honest, the “definition of ‘average’” is a huge improvement at CF for this team. He’s not a perfect player, but he is an improvement.
DAP
July 30th, 2010
3:11 pm
keylargo, misread it, it says his curve is plus, and his changeup is average, which i also think is false.
ALinRIC
July 30th, 2010
3:12 pm
Nick – a source for your info. on Minor?
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:12 pm
Minor for Ellsbury???
Get the torches and pitchforks NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Wren traded Minor for Ellsbury, I’m throwing out my pitchfork and giving him a medal.
Nova Scotia Steve
July 30th, 2010
3:12 pm
Are the Minor reports true? Has he been scratched?
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
Minor for Ross??????????????????????????
Get the torches, pitchforks, and grenades – NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NORRIS
July 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
ok where did this info come from on mike minor not starting tonight?
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
No way Minor is going to the Marlins for Ross… FW would get fired on the spot.
Sopheeee
July 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
Frank Wren is going to trade McCann for a sack DVDs
Would they happen to be Mister Ed? I would hope so for McFann’s sake.
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
ok where did this info come from on mike minor not starting tonight?
……Nick
RC
July 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
It’s Ellsbury still on the DL?
Gone Viral
July 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
“Gone Viral: uh, it’s 2010, buddy.”
And to talk up Alex Rios as an acquisition, you have to ignore 2009, when he was a train wreck. As I said, in the calendar year since they grabbed him off of waivers, he has a lower than OF average OPS as well as one that looks up at his career OPS. And he costs $9.7 million. You’re painting that as a positive move for the White Sox, which is…surprising.
Crime Dog
July 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
This info on Minor came from Nick. I say again: This info in Minor came from NICK. Think about it.
Bartholomew (Bat) Masterson
July 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
ok where did this info come from on mike minor not starting tonight?
Nick’s butt
rrosson3
July 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
i sure hope Minor has not been dealt unless someone named Kemp is coming to Atl
.574
July 30th, 2010
3:15 pm
Is it time to panic yet?
FEAR
July 30th, 2010
3:15 pm
rangers just got guzman from the nats…..they wanna win too!
shmoe
July 30th, 2010
3:15 pm
maybe Minor for Dunn? heard nationals are asking for a LH starter for dunn, per ESPN
.574
July 30th, 2010
3:15 pm
Dumbfound
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
I believe the logic choice for the braves is Lance Berkman. He wouldn’t be expensive. Houston is having a fire sale. And Bobby Cox has always raved about him.
Glen W
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
Rangers have an injured 2B. And I am sure the Nats put up a bunch of the $$$.
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
Minor for Ellsbury will be Wainwright for Drew all over again!
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
Is it time to panic yet?
People would panic on here if we just won the World Series
TennesseePaul
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
I believe that Dye was the last slugger to come up through the Braves minor league.
Dye’s debut: 5/17/1996
Andruw Jones: 8/15/1996
And there’s nothing like looking back and seeing a 37 year old Andreas Galarraga belting 44 HR in a season… what gives Chipper?
Leeeeeee
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
VJ, I hope you weren’t talking about CAB in your last post!!!!
Nova Scotia Steve
July 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
Braves wouldn’t trade Minor for Dunn.
Dunn is the definition of a rental player.
shmoe
July 30th, 2010
3:17 pm
“I believe the logic choice for the braves is Lance Berkman”
we could do the back to back switch hitters again…..lol
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:17 pm
OH! It was Nick…
Whew! Dodged a close one.
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:17 pm
Minor for Ellsbury will be Wainwright for Drew all over again!
Minor ain’t no Wainwright, and Ellsbury will be around a lot longer than JD. But we won’t have to worry about it since it’s all crazy blogger talk anyway
David O'Brien
July 30th, 2010
3:17 pm
NEW BLOGGAGE
shmoe
July 30th, 2010
3:17 pm
it would also give us the slowest 4-5-6-7(hinske) players in history
Dick Doss
July 30th, 2010
3:18 pm
nats sent guzman to the rangers
jeffrey d
July 30th, 2010
3:18 pm
we could do the back to back switch hitters again…..lol
Hello? We don’t have to dream…we can already have Melky and Chipper back-to-back if Cox wasn’t a moron
Venice Jim
July 30th, 2010
3:19 pm
Leeeeeeee – it’s just a flesh wound (interestingly, since I posted that, she has actually been working and has not noticed what I had said)…
MiaBchBravesFan
July 30th, 2010
3:19 pm
TNPaul: The Big Cat did have little PED-helpers at 37. Chipper does not have that help now.