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1,315 comments Add your comment
Ronald Millsaps
June 27th, 2011
1:32 pm
“lew”– give it a rest. Honestly, this blog would be better if a few wouldn’t troll it.
Phil– You make a couple of valid points, but an asterisk is deserved since there was indeed cheating, period.
Bobby never should’ve used Leibrandt in that role.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
1:33 pm
Murph, now my turn to ask a question: If Pendleton was a bad hitting coach, why were the Braves 4th in the NL in runs scored over the course of his tenure (behind two teams that played their home games in hitters’ parks)?
Lew
June 27th, 2011
1:35 pm
OK Ronald – But only since it was you who suggested it. Later.
cabravesfan
June 27th, 2011
1:35 pm
Tom-
We actually talked yesterday about going down for just some random game sometime. The park is worth it and we’d get to spend more time with VJ’s family
But next season it would be fun to go to more then on game there for sure
Ronald Millsaps
June 27th, 2011
1:36 pm
Overall, this team is pretty good. I’m not sold on Larry Parrish’s job as hitting coach, though, and I wouldn’t move McCann to first because Freeman has earned the position.
Enough posting for now…
Braint
June 27th, 2011
1:38 pm
Trade McCann? Okay, now I’ve heard it all.
Fish Bisch
June 27th, 2011
1:39 pm
Oh yes I remember watching that game with dear old dad and asking him if that was legal to pull the base runners leg off the bag. But i agree w/ phil. We lost cause we couldn’t score runs. Which is the reoccuring theme in 2011.
phil
June 27th, 2011
1:40 pm
“Cheating” is a part of every sport and every game…period.
Agree on Liebrandt but we could have made up for it and did not.
NO MORE PARRISH
June 27th, 2011
1:43 pm
FIRE PARRISH!!!!!!
Hugo Z Hackenbush
June 27th, 2011
1:44 pm
Hey DOB, since you’re in Seattle, have they made any progress on that Rosie Larsen case?
ace
June 27th, 2011
1:45 pm
“nothing wrong with what I said” – Ronald Millsaps
I was not responding to you, Ronald, just pokiing fun at myself for ranting about ranters
Murph
June 27th, 2011
1:47 pm
Shaun, so what you’re saying is that the team did really well under TP, but you don’t know if he was that good of a hitting coach, although he got results. Ok, works for me.
From what I recall, and I could be wrong, there wasn’t really any connection between Parrish and Fredi other than the fact that they managed against each other. Again, I could be wrong, I didn’t look it up.
Whether TP was good or not is immaterial when looking at this year’s team. I haven’t seen Parrish coach in person, so I have no idea if he’s any good. I don’t see many guys going in the right direction under his watch, but the same could be said of players on other teams playing under much more experienced hitting coaches, so I’m certainly not going to point to Parrish as the problem.
Doesn’t seem to be much of a solution, but I doubt he’s the source of the team’s struggles.
phil
June 27th, 2011
1:51 pm
Cheating….
1. Catchers “framing” pitches.
2. Flops in basketball.
3. steroids/HGH/etc in all sports.
4. Holding in football.
5. corked bats.
6. “warmed” footballs for kickers – credit to Ronald for this one.
7. snowplows clearing the way for FG kickers….also NE back in ‘82 or so.
8. too much pinetar on the ole bat handle.
9. stealing signs.
10. reading lips.
11. trying to injure an opposing player.
12. tightening a particular rim more than the other in basketball.
13. spitballs.
14. nail files.
15. watering down the infield a bit too much.
16. growing the infield grass higher than normal.
17. unapproved golf clubs/balls.
18. knowing a call in your favor is incorrect, yet playing on as though it was.
19. hiding weight in a car illegally in NASCAR, then dumping it.
Help me out with more….it goes on and on and we all know it.
ncscoots
June 27th, 2011
1:55 pm
Flops in basketball.
Nah. I was an incredibly gifted flopper in high school, and everybody knows I’m a righteous guy.
Gotta take that one off your list.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
1:55 pm
The solution to the Braves on-base, lack of hitting problem will begin to unfold when they quite running out a bunch of sub .300 OBP guys. The only one in that group who isn’t normally a sub .300 OBP guy is Uggla and his struggles are well documented. Schafer and Seabass are just not guys who are going to get on base. And they’ve been at the top of the order a lot. The team is piling a bunch of outs right in the first two spots with those guys. I get that Prado is injured so Schafer has to play, but the kid is getting worse and worse as the season continues. The team needs guys who avoid outs, not make them at record levels.
BraveMan
June 27th, 2011
1:55 pm
phil – Throwing salt in your opponents eyes while the ref’s back is turned
holding your opponent’s trunk while getting a 3 count
putting your foot on the ropes for better leverage on a pinfall
using a steel chair
FEAR
June 27th, 2011
1:56 pm
phil – Throwing salt in your opponents eyes while the ref’s back is turned
holding your opponent’s trunk while getting a 3 count
putting your foot on the ropes for better leverage on a pinfall
using a steel chair
sorry had the wrong screen name in there
what of it?
June 27th, 2011
1:56 pm
Great article OB.
Freeman’s way too good to be on the bench, and no way could either Ross or McCann play outfield. McCann has stepped his game up defensively this year, and he doesn’t block the plate so there’s little concern for injury.
K.C. Frenchy
June 27th, 2011
1:57 pm
VaBravesFan@ 11:30, nice grammar, there is no was? Use your time wisely to get a GED you dumb donkey! Hee Haw lmao
Threadkiller
June 27th, 2011
1:58 pm
Shaun/AtlYnkHtr, What year did TP become hitting coach? Also what ownwerships have owned the team during TP’s tenure? And finally, What were the teams payroll for each year TP was hitting coach?
McFann :Ô: :Ô:
June 27th, 2011
1:58 pm
RM McCann’s market value never has been higher, and if we don’t want him catching
Didn’t you read the Blog?? They DO want him catching!!!
My LORD…
Ron
June 27th, 2011
2:00 pm
Stress from playing a game. LOL. hey david, stress is wondering if you’re gonna have enough to pay the mortgage this month. stress is wishing you had more to pay for a camp your child wants to join. stress is wanting to go to disney but not being able to afford it. so stfu about stress and playing freaking baseball moron. you guys are a joke.
Matt Batterson
June 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Our offense SMELLS out loud, FW please help!!!
Doc Holliday
June 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Ronald Millsaps,
Could work, maybe JH leading off could work as Ricky Henderson. Not that Im comparing the 2, but It could work out. Jason is the guy that sees more pitches per AB I think. That could work very well.
I think Braves would do better if they do this (now that you mention JH batting 1st):
Heyward
Prado
Freddie
Mc
Chipper
Uggla
Gonzalez
Schafer
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Threadkiller, shouldn’t you also ask about the average age and the average service time for position players?
This team has two 21 year olds and a young CF coupled with Seabass.
BravesFAN
June 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
This mariners series is gonna be ugly. We definitely won’t win the series unless we win tonight then will have a slight chance. The last two games I could see us scoring 3 runs TOTAL. The offense has one good game a wk and 6 awful ones. Were inconsistent we stink on offense and will stink when Prado gets back but will be slightly better. We have to trade for a real LEAD OFF HITTER if we want to be good…
Frazier Crane
June 27th, 2011
2:01 pm
Niles and I plan to meet with the Atlanta National League ball club prior to the first tilt tonight. We plan to introduce the thought of striking a thrown ball with a wooden stick. We will then explore the concept of running hard from station to station and attempting to score a point on the opposition.
Welcome to Seattle and enjoy your stay in our fair city.
Fish Bisch
June 27th, 2011
2:03 pm
Phil Re: Cheating
I remember reading sometime back about an Asain pitcher who put cabbage under his hat to help keep him cool. Once the ump found out he was “cabbaging” he got ejected from that game for cheating.
AtlYnkHtr
June 27th, 2011
2:04 pm
10Paul, agreed. Just replacing Schafer and Mclouth’s ABs with guys who make outs at the average level (Prado and ???) would go to helping this team a long way. Would not, I repeat would not “turn around” the offense, whatever that means, but it does not need to if our pitching holds up or even slightly declines.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:05 pm
Since returning from the DL Heyward has hit .268/.348/.366/.714 with a very generous BABiP. Not really what I was hoping for from a 100% healthy Heyward.
Hugo Z Hackenbush
June 27th, 2011
2:06 pm
Mr. Crane, I dunno if you should be giving advice…you can’t even spell your own name!
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:07 pm
Murph, can the same be said of players on other teams playing under more experienced hitting coaches? Maybe that is the case, but I would like to see some examples.
Eye-balling the NL, I don’t see a team unexpectedly underachieving offensively to the degree the Braves have. And last season the Braves led the NL in walks by a 45-walk margin and led in OBP. This year so far they have 8 walks more than the NL average.
Regarding TP, he got results from the time he was hired through last season. That’s really all that matters. When a team has the players, you just don’t want them to underachieve.
This season the Braves should have had an offense better than last season or at least somewhat close to it. So far the offense isn’t close to last season’s performance. Parrish is reportedly a coach that likes an aggressive approach. The Braves aren’t near the league lead in walks or on-base. While it’s not conclusive Parrish is the primary reason the Braves aren’t even close to where they were last year in the key aspect of offense, I don’t think they can wait around much longer to find out whether he’s not a key reason. If nothing else, perhaps a move will motivate the players to become more patient. Unfortunately for Parrish, being a hitting coach is very results-based, especially when you have a team expected to be one of the top offensive clubs in the NL.
Matt Batterson
June 27th, 2011
2:07 pm
Notice to ALL: McCann is a catcher & not changing to any other position, Uggly is here for good were stuck with him, Chipper WILL be back next year, Heyward IS our RF, & yes our offense stinks & will not be enough to compete in the playoffs IF we even get in! Very simple, dont ask any more dumb questions on any of these please
Tom O'Hawke
June 27th, 2011
2:07 pm
Hitting your son’s boxing opponent over the head with your shoe.
Biting a piece of your boxing opponent’s ear off during a clinch.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:07 pm
Actually, McLouth hasn’t been doing too bad since he got back. .278 average, over .400 on base percentage. modest BABiP. Lots of doubles. Replace Schafer with Prado (a healthy productive Prado) and that should improve the offense.
Frasier Crane
June 27th, 2011
2:09 pm
The “z” was added in honor of you, Mr. Hackenbush.
(good catch though)
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:10 pm
Eye-balling the NL, I don’t see a team unexpectedly underachieving
In that eye-balling you did, did you take into account the DL stints of key cogs on each team? Health concerns impact even the best of players. This team has been without its full starting outfield for most of the season.
fred
June 27th, 2011
2:10 pm
I believe the Braves are going to have a big second half. They have second best record in National league, with only one player McCann having good season. The braves have best total pitching staff in baseball and Prado is about to return. The big second half will happen if 2 out of the following 3 (Uggla, Heyward and Chipper) can have normal production over last half of season.
phil
June 27th, 2011
2:11 pm
Ron – If you dare to post your private e-mail address on here, want to ask you something about the camp situation…
Doc Holliday
June 27th, 2011
2:11 pm
If we go by the rules:
Nate (best OBP among good enough speed guys)
Prado (no question here)
Chipper (better OPS than Freeman)
Mc (best SLG by far on the team + leading in RBI)
Freddie (better of the remaining option, good protection for Mc)
Uggla(appears to be waking up, cant put 3 lefties in a row)
Heyward (could trade places with nate)
Alex (Should always stays 8th)
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:12 pm
TennesseePaul, I doubt Heyward is 100 percent healthy.
And I agree with you about running out the guys with poor OBP’s. How about making sure the high OBP guys bat more often? Hit Schafer 9th and move everyone up or something like that.
Shaun/AtlYnkHtr, What year did TP become hitting coach? Also what ownwerships have owned the team during TP’s tenure? And finally, What were the teams payroll for each year TP was hitting coach?
Threadkiller, the Braves probably had a lower payroll than a lot of the teams that finished lower than 4th in the NL in runs scored from 2002-2010.
phil
June 27th, 2011
2:13 pm
lol at matt batterson…sounds like me.
Except that McCann is clearly overrated at catcher and should be pitching long relief…
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:14 pm
the Braves probably had a lower payroll than a lot of …
Payne, that can be looked up. You don’t have to put a “probably” in front of something you could simply go find out.
Threadkiller
June 27th, 2011
2:14 pm
Shaun, or maybe a higher payroll??
Jimmy
June 27th, 2011
2:15 pm
Just trying to lighten it up a little with the “Frasier Crane” post.
I too am terribly frustrated. It is very hard to watch a game. You get the feeling that if the Mariners score two runs, it over.
And by the way, Uggla scorched the ball his first two abats yesterday.
ncscoots
June 27th, 2011
2:16 pm
Not really what I was hoping for from a 100% healthy Heyward.
.300/.800 over the last week, though. Which is the same period for those McLouth numbers.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:17 pm
I doubt Heyward is 100 percent healthy
So you’re calling him a liar?
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:18 pm
Which is the same period for those McLouth numbers.
Yeah, McLouth has been an inspiration.
AtlYnkHtr
June 27th, 2011
2:18 pm
10Paul, I have little faith that Mclouth will continue at this level, but he does have a month to prove it. I also hate his defense and any additional OBP we get by replacing him I am assuming it will be a defensive and speed upgrade as well.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:21 pm
TennesseePaul, where can I easily find the Braves payroll rank from 2002-2010?
I’m pretty sure they were in the middle of the pack, maybe a little higher in some seasons. Those numbers aren’t as easy to find as the baseball statistics. I have to search one year, go back, search the next year, go back, search the next year, etc. Frankly, it’s a pain. But I don’t recall any year in which the Braves were in the top 4 between 2002-2010. They were in the top four in runs scored over that stretch of seasons.
Jimmy
June 27th, 2011
2:24 pm
TennesseePaul – Heyward has been known not to be open on the subject on injuries. He didn’t report his wrist problem last year and tried to play though it. I’m not saying that is the case now, but it has happened before.
Hugo Z Hackenbush
June 27th, 2011
2:24 pm
I shouldn’t be nit-picking spelling, Jimmy, I’ve made a few mistakes myself.
Murph
June 27th, 2011
2:24 pm
Regarding TP, he got results from the time he was hired through last season. That’s really all that matters. When a team has the players, you just don’t want them to underachieve.
He was hired in 2001, and the team’s production actually went down during his first 2 seasons as hitting coach. As many have mentioned, the team’s results (or lack of results) are more to do with the caliber of players than the caliber of hitting coach.
However, it does beg the question, which I asked before… If TP was doing such a good job, why was he replaced? I understand the theory of a new manager wanting to bring on his own people, but that isn’t really the case with Fredi. He kept McDowell and a number of other coaches. He didn’t really have a connection to Parrish (as far as I know), yet TP, a guy who you say led the offense to top 4 production in recent years (I don’t care enough to verify), was replaced by someone who had never been a hitting coach in his entire career.
Seems the front office folks thought they needed to make a change, for some reason.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:25 pm
“So you’re calling him a liar?”
TennesseePaul, he’s said he’s 100 percent?
The latest info I can find is him saying, “Am I 100 percent? I’m ready to play a baseball game and I don’t feel like I’m doing any damage to myself. I feel like I’m ready to be productive.” That was from June 15th.
Bat Masterson
June 27th, 2011
2:25 pm
Of I recall correctly Heyward started hitting off a tee on a Friday, played rehab games the following Monday and Tuesday, back in the lineup on Wednesday, after missing what, three weeks or more. One might want to cut him a little slack, let him get his timing back, maybe. He has done much better the past week or so.
Of course I don’t expect that one to be 10Paul.
Threadkiller
June 27th, 2011
2:27 pm
Murph, You are correct..It was a front office decision..But, might be a bad one..
phil
June 27th, 2011
2:28 pm
I don’t think payroll stopped Butler from reaching the title game in basketball the last 2 years….
And before someone comes completely unglued and starts hysterically pointing out the obvious, I say this simply to note that sometimes, and sometimes more than once, the plumber’s kid rises above nearly all of the more well off and kicks them in their teeth.
David O'Brien
June 27th, 2011
2:28 pm
McLouth is 5-for-18 with 3 doubles, 5 walks, 1 K and .458 OBP in 7 games since returning from 4 wks on DL
Gonzalez is 6-for-47 (.128) with 3 doubles, 2 RBI, 4 walks, 13 K, .196 OBP and .191 slugging in his past 13 games
BFChris26
June 27th, 2011
2:29 pm
Good afternoon peeps.
Doc Holliday
June 27th, 2011
2:30 pm
Checking on pitches per PA:
Freddie ranks 1st just ahead of JH.
Uggla is better than Prado and Chipper in that department.
Alex is the worst.FAR AWAY FROM THE REST OF THE PACK.
Highest swinging strike %=Uggla, lowest = Prado
T for Texas
June 27th, 2011
2:30 pm
Seems the front office folks thought they needed to make a change, for some reason.
It smacks of change for the sake of change, and not much more.
Jimmy
June 27th, 2011
2:31 pm
Wonder what the lineup will look like tonight?
Erik Bedard is pretty tough on LHB.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:31 pm
Payne: where can I easily find the Braves payroll rank from 2002-2010?
Cot’s baseball contracts gives team payroll figures for every year back to 2000 I believe. Perhaps further back than that. It’s a good source to use Payne. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t go seek out the information before commenting on it.
And Heyward said “100 percent”… Punctuation be damned.
Bat, He made it up to the major leagues which basically means he has no excuses. He’s either good or not good. Ha!
Doc Holliday
June 27th, 2011
2:32 pm
Once we put Nate leading off, he will deflate, but I would give it a try.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:33 pm
Murph, where are you getting that the Braves’ production went down during Pendleton’s first tenure. They were 13th in runs in 2001. Pendleton was hired in November. In 2002 they were 10th. In 2003 they were 1st.
And I don’t know for sure the reasoning behind the change. It clearly wasn’t because of a lack of results unless the Braves’ front office has some strange definition of results.
brian
June 27th, 2011
2:33 pm
are we going to deal for a SS two summers in a row?
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:35 pm
TennesseePaul, I quoted Heyward exactly as Carroll Rogers quoted him on the 15th: “Am I 100 percent? I’m ready to play a baseball game and I don’t feel like I’m doing any damage to myself. I feel like I’m ready to be productive.” Looks to me that he basically went out of his way to avoid saying he’s 100 percent.
Jimmy
June 27th, 2011
2:36 pm
Hugo – No problem. You made your remark humorous.
ncscoots
June 27th, 2011
2:36 pm
Wonder what the lineup will look like tonight? Erik Bedard is pretty tough on LHB.
Maybe Fredo will give us some of that Gonzalez-at-2 action. I think he does that every once in a while, just to deflect attention from Uggla’s struggles, LOL.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:36 pm
are we going to deal for a SS two summers in a row?
Why not. We keep doing so for CF.
TennesseePaul
June 27th, 2011
2:39 pm
Payne, punctuation be damned, I say.
ncscoots
June 27th, 2011
2:39 pm
Checking on pitches per PA: Freddie ranks 1st just ahead of JH.
Cripes, no wonder Freeman’s Ks are skyrocketing, LOL. Letting too many hittable pitches go by.
cricket
June 27th, 2011
2:42 pm
Heyward is getting his legs under him. Why they were over him, I dunno..
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:43 pm
Okay. Here we go: http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team/2002
Braves were 7th in 2002.
3rd in 2003.
8th in 2004.
10th in 2005.
9th in 2006.
15th in 2007.
10th in 2008.
11th in 2009.
15th in 2010.
So the only year they were higher than 4th in total payroll was the year they were 1st in runs scored.
Threadkiller
June 27th, 2011
2:44 pm
Shaun, What were the teams payrolls in 2002, 2003, 2004? I’m sure it might come into play. The change was made by the front office..It seams that TP, while a great hitter, had a hard time communication and developing the younger guys..So a change was brought in to improve that area..But again, I’m not sure this was the right move..
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:46 pm
“Payne, punctuation be damned, I say.”
TennesseePaul, what are you talking about? Please explain. Not trying to be a jerk. I just don’t get your point.
He said: “Am I 100 percent? I’m ready to play a baseball game and I don’t feel like I’m doing any damage to myself. I feel like I’m ready to be productive.”
Snotboogie
June 27th, 2011
2:50 pm
Maybe Fredo will give us some of that Gonzalez-at-2 action.
You can bet on it. Rest Chipper – move Heyward to 3 and voila you have A.Gonz in his now familiar 2 hole. After DOB’s 2:28 post, it has to.
phil
June 27th, 2011
2:51 pm
I agree with Shaun…the meaning is obvious….he’s not 100% but who is at this point? none of em…
Murph
June 27th, 2011
2:51 pm
Shaun, the team’s actual runs-scored production in 2000 was 810. In 2001 it was 729. In 2002 it was 710. Then it jumped way up the next year as guys like Javy went from 10 something HR’s to 40 something HR’s (not that I’m assuming they were up to no good or anything).
Rankings are relative to the performance of other teams, thus when you’re evaluating the worth of a hitting coach they aren’t really relevant. Comparing Braves 2000 to Braves 2001 to Braves 2002 is more relevant, although the change in player personnel also makes it difficult to say whether a coach is having an impact or not.
Snotboogie
June 27th, 2011
2:52 pm
It seams that TP, while a great hitter, had a hard time communication and developing the younger guys.
Are you basing this on some quotes/rumors? I am wondering because I am not sure I have read this anywhere. I remember an identical thing being said about Leo after he left though.
AtlYnkHtr
June 27th, 2011
2:55 pm
Shaun, I think it is called humor or as they say “messing with you”. Not sure why I posted this when we can just converse inside our own head, but I guess we do need to keep the allusion going for those that cannot imagine even the simplest of concepts.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:56 pm
Murph, I agree, it may not be as simple as rankings. It also may not be as simple as looking at total runs scored because what if offense is down league-wide because of something that has little or nothing to do with coaching or the hitters? Rankings are a little better than runs scored for the purposes of taking into account the possibility of offense being up or down league-wide or baseball-wide.
Threadkiller
June 27th, 2011
2:56 pm
Snotboogie, Just comments froma couple of major league contacts I still have..
Snotboogie
June 27th, 2011
2:56 pm
He said: “Am I 100 percent? I’m ready to play a baseball game and I don’t feel like I’m doing any damage to myself. I feel like I’m ready to be productive.”
Have you considered that his wording it that way might have some relevance to what Chipper said earlier about him being important etc. It seems like a fairly connection to me when you look at Chipper’s words to him and this quote.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:58 pm
Murph, in other words, offense is down this year. Yes, that needs to be considered. Just because the Braves have scored fewer runs per game this year than last, isn’t really telling us much because most teams have scored fewer runs per game this year. But looking at rankings is a little better.
Threadkiller
June 27th, 2011
2:59 pm
Shaun, Taking all the information together, will help you make a better decision..Personel, Payroll ect..Look at the Yankees this year..They are near the top in most offensive catagories..Is that because the have a great hitting coach?? Who is there hitting coach anyway??
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
2:59 pm
Have you considered that his wording it that way might have some relevance to what Chipper said earlier about him being important etc. It seems like a fairly connection to me when you look at Chipper’s words to him and this quote.
Snotboogie, right. Which is even more of an indication that he’s not 100 percent.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
3:04 pm
Threadkiller, right. But are the Yankees under- or over-performing this season based on their expectations? Are they much better or much worse at getting on base and taking walks?
I don’t think it’s as simple as Larry Parrish deserving the blame for the Braves not scoring runs. My point is that Parrish looks like he could be a factor in the Braves not performing as well as last season offensively. Is he the only factor? No. Would getting rid of him solve every single offensive issue? Probably not. But he preaches aggressiveness and the Braves aren’t walking and aren’t on-basing like they were last season. He’s probably not the only factor and he’s probably not the primary factor. But, if he really is preaching an aggressive approach, he’s not helping.
phil
June 27th, 2011
3:07 pm
Whether he’s 100% or not, I couldn’t care less these days. Wayward has had a few good games but overall, the guy has been less than a positive factor, just like Uggly…
I’m sure you noticed how he stopped on that pop fly to right yesterday as it then bounced at his feet about a second later. That is not the markings of an excellent ballplayer right there. When was his last home run? April? Possibly early May?
AtlYnkHtr
June 27th, 2011
3:12 pm
MLB average team ERA is 3.83. MLB teams average 4.18 runs per game. We average 3.9 if we could just score 1 run more per series it would put us closer to the top 10 (we are at #20) in terms of runs scored in MLB and top 5 or 6 in the NL. Seems reasonable that a healthier Heyward, return to below average Uggla, Prado return and sustained performance from Agon, FF, Chipper and McCann along with a small upgrade in CF would more than do the trick and at the same time if all goes well make us an elite offense in this era. If some of that does not happen then there may be enough margin built in so that we still get that improvement.
Oh also, can we now please lower the bar for the stupid quality start so that it does not include 6IP and 3 ER?
phil
June 27th, 2011
3:14 pm
statistics are waaay too overanalyzed in baseball….
the “quality start” has to be in the top 2 of most ridiculous….absolutely agree on that!
AtlYnkHtr
June 27th, 2011
3:19 pm
Enter your comments here
ncscoots
June 27th, 2011
3:19 pm
Oh also, can we now please lower the bar for the stupid quality start so that it does not include 6IP and 3 ER?
I’m just the opposite; I want more than 6 innings and 3 ER or fewer, or
six innings and 2 ER or fewer. If indeed offense is on a downward trend, the bar has to be higher, not lower. Heck, if teams can’t hit a lick, any old scrubini can toss 6 and 3.
MFin04
June 27th, 2011
3:21 pm
“quality start has to be in the top 2 of most ridiculous”
Nah. There are far worse.
Wins/Losses by pitchers.
ERA and Saves for relievers.
HRs/RBIs for hitters that hit in different parks and have different lineups.
phil
June 27th, 2011
3:26 pm
I just don’t like the term “quality start”….3 runs in 6 innings isn’t quality anyway….even if we raise the bar to 2 runs in 7 innings, which is more like it, what if the sorearmed hack on the hill walked 10 and somehow kept getting out of it? Stats are useful but can be relied upon way too heavily….
Let’s say Uggly and McCann are on the bench same game…need a pinch hitter.
Uggly has gone 9-10 against the sorearmed hack hurler on the hill in past seasons but is hitting only .170 this year with a messed up head and messed up swing. McCann is batting .300 and has never faced the pathetic hurler….looks much, much better at the plate, period. Forget the right-lefty thing.
Who do you send up there? My response wouldn’t be reflexive and trotting Uggly up there….
Snotboogie
June 27th, 2011
3:28 pm
Looking at the inning by inning scoring of the 2010 Braves and the 2011 Braves, I found this piece of information.
The scoring average was highest for the 2010 Braves in the 6 and 7th innings.
The scoring average is highest for the 2011 Braves in the 9th inning – a good bit higher than the 3rd inning.
Looks like we went after the tiring SP and a middle reliever last year (we used really work the opposition SP into high pitch counts last year). This year we let the SP go deeper into games and hope that their top 2 pitchers from the bullpen falter instead. I am pretty sure that if we compared bullpen ranks and Braves records against them, we will find a correlation.
ncscoots
June 27th, 2011
3:29 pm
what if the sorearmed hack on the hill walked 10 and somehow kept getting out of it?
You mean, you got to have style points, too???
You’re a tough room, phil, LOL.
AtlYnkHtr
June 27th, 2011
3:30 pm
scoots, duh, I meant lower the bar in terms of number of ERs. Wow that was clear as mud.
I agree a start that results in an ERA of 4.50 cannot in this day and age or really in most years be called a quality start. Hell, 7 IP and 3 runs maybe that is quality in terms of # of innings but the ERA results in just an average 3.86.
Mariners have made 78 starts and have 50 QS and a portion of those that were not were Bedard’s first starts of the year where he was on a very tight pitch count. Phillies with 53 QS out of 79 starts.
Shaun
June 27th, 2011
3:30 pm
AtlYnkHtr and phil, 6 IP and 3 ER are the minimum requirements.
The average ERA in all quality starts is much lower than 4.50 (the ERA from 6 IP and 3 ER).
David Smith of Diamond Mind Baseball found that the average ERA in all quality starts from 1984-1991 was 1.91.
Rob Neyer pointed out in a 2006 article, the ERA in quality starts in 1985, the year the stat was invented, was 1.88.
The ERA in quality starts in 2005 was 2.04.
The line has to be drawn somewhere and 6 IP and 3 ER seems reasonable as the minimum requirement.
Quality starts are a lot less ridiculous than judging a pitcher on win-loss record.
The Lemmer
June 27th, 2011
3:32 pm
McCann will retire here, another waste of space to bring it up, we need to add a difference maker at either SS, LF, or CF period. No middle of the road guy either, I mean a BIG RH impact guy, not the standard FW economy cheapo dude please!