Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4,016 comments Add your comment
Bring Me the Head of Deforest Kelley
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
Wow, awesome job of Wren to trade Soriano to go sign Wagner. And who did we get in the Soriano trade? I guess Farnsworth now. Again, a great move.
Grego.fr
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
It always seems like they are giving their best against better teams (SF, Philly…) but can hardly compete against sub 500 teams.
kneecap
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
the problem must be roger mcd
Christian Ponder
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
Braves batting a stellar .152 today against the Astros (5 for 33)
I Hate Troy Glaus (formerly I Hate Liberty Media)
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
“Well I still have faith in the braves…..for those of you who want to give up on them already….don’t watch if you are going to be so negative…..”
Good for you. Doesn’t make you any more of a fan than me, so get over yourself. And I still enjoy watching baseball despite my realistic conclusion that this Braves team is not a World Series team.
McFann :Ô: :Ô:
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
And that other post should have been “Holding my tongue…”
The Doktor
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
This kinda stuff is a buzz-kill and a REAL confidence killer on that bench. Not too long ago, they KNEW going late into games it was lights out. A few short weeks later, that confidence is all but gone. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, Prado is the catalyst for this team – he needs to get healthy real quick…
Matt
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
Billy “#@&*%%”Wagner. God, bring back Wohlers, it can’t be any worse!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mitchell
August 11th, 2010
4:41 pm
Rick, feel free not to swing.
Chop Chop
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
How is this a confidence-killer? The Braves won a confidence-killer game last night, right?
JRW7
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
BOBBY, why do you keep using BILLY WAGNER as a closer? He is killing the BRAVES!
UKUGA
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
“In Glaus’s defense, he’s not much younger than Milo Hamilton.”
Which would’ve been funny if Milo had made the statement.
Jeff
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
Im sorry this is why JOHNNY VENTERS NEEDS TO THE CLOSER. Billy wagner sucks . ive had enough of watching him come into a game where the starting pitcher deserves to win the game and in one inning he blows it…. Hey Frank Wren do your stinkin Job. Put Jones on the DL , get glaus off of first base, and make Johnny Venters the Closer. Wagner has cost this team 7 games and how many in the past 3 weeks what 5 or 6?.. as soon as i heard he was on the mound with a 1 run lead i told my dad i guarantee hes blows this game and within 3 batters what happens..
Allen
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
Billy is 38 or 39 AND coming off major surgery in the off-season AND was used heavily in the first half of the season. And I think he pitched last night. I think just maybe Bobby should try to put these thoughts together and see where they lead
ITP Braves Fan
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
In hindsight, getting nothing out of the Diaz double to lead off the sixth really hurts. I’m still not sure why Conrad didn’t bunt him over to third so we could have a chance to get him in with one out. When you’re not scoring runs, you HAVE to do little things like that.
Instead, Conrad flies out, and Ankiel and Hanson strike out.
But for Tommy’s single, the game would be over. Amazing.
Brave4life-1995 all over again??
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
great AB, Ankiel
ijonathan
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
Ankiel rhymes with “steal”
P-Town Brave
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
16-17 in 1-run games
5-6 in extra inning games
Your typical results with a manager who takes an hour extra to make any decisions
Tommy Hanson
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
Rick Ankiel: 37 AB’s for Braves – 16 K’s. Great trade Frank
ALL IS LOST
August 11th, 2010
4:42 pm
from MLB trade rumors
In a move that has amused those who follow the New York Mets closely, Jeff Francoeur has gone public with his demands to be traded following New York’s decision to platoon him with young outfielder Fernando Martinez.
Despite a season line of .241/.294/.385, Francoeur apparently believes a major league team would play him regularly at a position, right field, that averages production of .271/.344/.447. Indeed, Francoeur’s line is well below the MLB average at second base (.266/.331/.393).
But we have yet to see how Francoeur’s demand for a trade stands up to history. It isn’t easy to find comparable performance among right fielders in recent years, and it’s even harder to find any who were traded after performing as poorly as Francoeur.
Since 2000, just 31 of the 165 right fielders to amass at least 300 plate appearances posted an OPS+ below 100. Of those 31, only four checked in lower than Francoeur’s 2010 OPS+ mark of 82: Richard Hidalgo’s 2005 (81), Jeromy Burnitz’s 2002 (80), Austin Kearns’ 2008 (67) and Jeff Francoeur’s own 2008 (72).
Kearns followed his 2008 with a similarly poor 2009 before the Nationals let him walk after last season. Burnitz followed 2002 with a half-season of a 139 OPS+ for the 2003 Mets, earning a trade to Los Angeles for Kole Strayhorn, Jose Diaz and Victor Diaz. Hidalgo never played in the majors again, and Francoeur followed his 2008 with a half-season of 68 OPS+ hitting in 2009, earning a trade to the Mets for Ryan Church.
In other words Jeff Francoeur is the only one from that group to be traded for anything at all. Incidentally, four of the 31 player seasons in right field below 100 OPS+ are from Francoeur. Only three others are on the list more than once: Juan Encarnacion (three times), Alex Rios (twice), Hidalgo (twice) and Burnitz (twice).
Encarnacion is an instructive comparison. His career OPS+ of 97 is better than, but similar to, Francoeur’s 91. Encarnacion had additional value because he lacked a platoon split (amazingly, his OPS against both lefties and righties was .758) and had the ability to play center field.
In the middle of an 84 OPS+ season in 2004 at age 28, a year after he posted a 97 OPS+, the Marlins acquired Encarnacion as part of a six-player deal from the Dodgers. He went on to start 46 of Florida’s remaining 58 games. His salary ($3.6MM) was roughly equivalent to the $5MM Francoeur earns in 2010.
So there is precedent. It happened one other time.
Among those under 100 OPS+ in right field, Alex Rios had a 96 OPS+ last year when the White Sox took him from the Blue Jays and agreed to pay his entire salary (at $61MM, many times as much as remains on Francoeur’s deal). But Rios had three seasons of 120, 122 and 112 OPS+ in 2006-2008 under his belt, success Francoeur hasn’t seen since his half-season debut in 2005.
Overwhelmingly, the players performing as poorly as Francoeur, or even demonstrably better, are simply let go, often never to surface again. Trot Nixon’s 96 OPS+ in 2006 represented his last season as a regular player. So did Danny Bautista’s 85 in 2004 and Derek Bell’s 98 in 2000. Jose Guillen’s 89 in 2000 got him sent back to the minor leagues by Tampa Bay, then released.
There’s also that pesky question: who would Francoeur replace in another team’s regular lineup? Of the 20 right fielders in MLB who have played more than half their games in right field this year, Francoeur ranks dead last in OPS+ with 82. The four closest to him? Jay Bruce (96), Ben Zobrist (98), Hunter Pence (102) and Ichiro Suzuki (107). It is safe to say Francoeur won’t be replacing any of those players. He’d make a decent platoon partner with Bruce, but… right. Platooning led Francoeur to demand a trade in the first place.
In short, the answer to the title of this piece is: not reasonable at all. Not reasonable in light of his 2010 performance, not reasonable in terms of other right fielders, not reasonable comparatively through recent history.
Mitchell
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Well said I Hate Troy Glaus something something…
jeremy
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
i mean you peoples negativity is crazy……
Katherine
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
I didn’t say you were any less of a fan…just very negative and its annoying. So get over YOUR negative self and cheer on the team loser
robdawg08
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Hanson gets 21 outs and Wagner can’t get 3…
South Georgia Braves
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Fire Marshall Bill walks.
Trey
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
GUY GETS TO SECOND!
Jeff321
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Ankiel says how ya like my base running now?
Chop Chop
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Boy, that was a great play by the ‘Stros. Looks like we’ll get away with it again.
BravesQueen (aka Dee)
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Wow! Something finally goes OUR way!
Brave4life-1995 all over again??
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
YEAH, caught a huge break there
Glaus is an Albatross
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Man Ankiel was dead there…. got lucky
Sophee
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Well, whatever works.
MFin04
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Ankiel is the worst base runner the Braves have ever had…and its pays off!!!!
Freddie : G
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Wagner is the same old pitcher who blows his fair share of leads so I am not surprised, he did blow some while pitching against the Braves. I can remember DeRosa taking him deep and probably more than once. Does anyone remember how many saves Raphael Soriano blew last year while he pitched for the Braves?
UKUGA
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
Hey now! The Astros can’t steal our defense!
Trey
August 11th, 2010
4:43 pm
BEAUTIFUL!
Nova Scotia Steve
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Thank the Lord. Akiel was dead-to-rights if Pedro caught that.
Now we need the elusive hit with RISP.
brian
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
at work, just checked the score again. Only response I have, are you kidding me???
Where did the Wagner from the last 2 days go?
I Hate Troy Glaus (formerly I Hate Liberty Media)
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
“Which would’ve been funny if Milo had made the statement.”
It’s still funny.
JeanE
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Go Rick!! Come on O, you can do it, I know you can, dude!!
ijonathan
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Did Glaus switch to a ’stros uni?
Mitchell
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Omar, you owe us.
You had a chance to put the game away after Tommy got the hit to get the second run.
TM
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Wow! Ankiel was toast right there…should have been another bone-head base running play by Ankiel.
Jeff321
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Isn’t he already hurt?
I think the announcer meant as in steamrolled.. Not playing with gimpy knees and denying it.
Efrim
August 11th, 2010
4:44 pm
Maybe the Braves offense can score enough runs so that Wagner is not continually trying to save a one run game….just saying.
Anyway, yes, incredibly frustrating.
I Hate Troy Glaus (formerly I Hate Liberty Media)
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
“I didn’t say you were any less of a fan…just very negative and its annoying. So get over YOUR negative self and cheer on the team loser”
Name-calling? Now you’ve lost all credibility.
Crime Dog
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
Let’s go “O”!
brian
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
7IP, 4hits, 0 ER (granted Tommy made the error) and even drove in a run while hitting and still can’t get the win??? Ridiculous.
Now the offense must come to life against Houston’s bullpen. Don’t let the good feeling from yesterday’s comeback go to waste
Christian Ponder
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
Omar GIDP 6-4-3, bank on it
kneecap
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
Allen is right. Why cant Cox use Venters to close some.
F*** the percentages.
Wags will kill us post season.
JRW7
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
BOBBY COX has a history of not choosing the right pitcher to close!
Trey
August 11th, 2010
4:45 pm
BRAVES LEAD!
Chop Chop
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
See? Ballgame.
BravesFanInPhilly
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
infante!!
Brave4life-1995 all over again??
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
INFANTE
coach smith
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Infante was robbed!!!!!!!!!!
McFann :Ô: :Ô:
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
HECK YEAH, Infante!!
South Georgia Braves
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Eric the MAN!!!
Sophee
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Soooo close!
Good job, Omar!
brian
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Infante needs to bunt Hinske into scoring position
BravesQueen (aka Dee)
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
YES, WE SCORE!! Wow, that was CLOSE to a 3 run bomb!!
Christian Ponder
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
just kidding, Omar
.575
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Omar…..our only playa!
JeanE
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
I knew it!!!! I felt that one coming, great job Omar!!!
JRW7
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Omar!!!
Predictable
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Seriously…a win for Wagner? Could it be?
Gwinnett Braves Bible.com
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Wags blows the save, and might get the win, yeah that seems fair
UKUGA
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
One hour ago, Astros announcers were saying Infante was not an all-star.
Doesn’t matter
Chew on that.
ijonathan
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Ankiel w/PEDs>>>>>>>>>Ankiel w/out PEDs
Jeff321
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Big time hit by Infante.
Mitchell
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Rick, just run.
How the hell did that not go out. That f***in’ wall.
Jeff
August 11th, 2010
4:46 pm
Soriano is tied for the lead in the Majors in saves with 32 . wheres wagner on the blown saves list probably # 1 .. again J.J and Tommy Deserves wins and throw in Minor as well.. now win the stinkin game… and add more than 1 pleaseee..
South Georgia Braves
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Omar almost hit it out
Katherine
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Good job! I don’t really care what you think of me even your name (i hate troy glaus) is negative. Lets go braves!
Glaus is an Albatross
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Great job Omar…. now let’s see if Saito can close this one out.
coach smith
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Need a fly ball here
P-Town Brave
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Ok, so who has looked worse today at 1b?
Glaus or Feliz?
robdawg08
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
DO NOT bring Wagner back in !
BoroBall3
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
squeeze here nand get another
Grant
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Fire Marshall Bill SCORES!
Tale of Woe
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Saito in the 10th for the save doesn’t exactly have me that confident
GT Fan
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Omaaaaaaaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!
SHOCK AND AWE
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
WOW…IF WE WIN THIS SERIES..IT WOULD BE SHOCK AND AWE
kneecap
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Dang. good one O!
cmon Melk -er.
Crime Dog
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Nice!!!! Can someone who’s watching on TV tell me who is warming up to pitch the 10th? Saito?
David O'Brien
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Damn Braves are a resilient bunch, aren’t they?
Nova Scotia Steve
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
Get another run – for the love of Christ
Abwright
August 11th, 2010
4:47 pm
What is up with all the Latin players on the team wearing that silly fringe beard?
Jo-Bu
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
Question is, will Bobby pitch Farnsworth? I hope the hell not.
brian
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
dang I need a TV – it is too hard to follow the game on ESPN gametracker while working.
Didn’t realize Ankiel was on base. Way to go Infante!!!
JaxNCBravesFan
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
Anybody have an idea of who’s up in the bullpen?
J-Hey
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
so wagner might get the win? Good for him he deserves that more than Tommy!
Mitchell
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
Omar, not an all star?
How about Michael Bourn? What the hell was he doing in Anaheim?
Brave4life-1995 all over again??
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
I miss chipper right here
TM
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
need another hit here… come on Gonzalez!
UKUGA
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
Time for a Gonzo-slam!
Katherine
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
They sure are David !
UNCBrave
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
FLY BALL PLEASE
Chop Chop
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
DOB,
Until the team is eliminated, I don’t know why anybody really doubts ‘em. The switch has been there almost the entire season.
Glaus is an Albatross
August 11th, 2010
4:48 pm
here comes a dp