I’m not sold on Fowler at all. I don’t know that he will hit well enough to be a leadoff and his SB/CS ratio isn’t very good. Hes definitely a work in progress. Another worrisome factor is hes been a starter the last 3 years and hasn’t played more than 135 gms yet.
Speaking of fat asses … it’d help Prince’s image a little if somebody would tape his ti** down before games so one doesn’t flop up when he’s running and give him a concussion.
according to guys I know out there The Rox have had an on-again off-again love/hate relation with Fowler. Guy has good upside but has not lived up to expectations except for the second half of last season which has them up on him again, even though he had a pretty crappy first half.
nolie – Lowrie did have a crappy year but I think he is capable of giving you an OPS around .730 at SS. That is his career average. He also puts the ball in play which is why he drives in alot of runs per AB for a SS. Look at AGON. Now that guy has a career OPS OF .690. UGLY. How many times did he K with a man on third with less than two outs?
Lowrie wont cost much and is a huge upgrade over AGON as a hitter.
nolie, but Fowler is still so dang young. He’ll be 25 in March. There is plenty of time to grow and he could really reach his potential playing for his hometown team. Then again as we saw with Frenchy, the pressure could mount on him.
only two players on the entire team drove in 75 plus runs last year and one of those was just 76. No way he comes over here and drives in anywhere near that many IMO.
His career totals are skewed by that exceptional 200 at bats he had a coupla years ago that he has never approached at any other time.
He would have to come cheap in a trade IMO
No way we get McCutchen. He’s their young Chipper. I know they need to build up their system with good prospects for the future and whatnot, but he sells them tickets right now. I’m not real business smart at all, but trading him away sounds like bad business to me.
I agree Lowrie is not a sure thing to be an above average SS but worse case senario he gives you 10 HRs 60 RBI and hits .260 range with 500 AB. I bet that is better than Pastranicky gives you next year. Also he would make a very good utility guy if you upgraded later. Solid 3B for when Chipper has aches and pains.
Yea I would be really suprised to see them move McCutchen. As many people were upset w/ Mclouth trade, McCutchen ended up being as advertised. Hes there stud and face of the franchise. As long as hes cheap I don’t see them moving him.
well I don’t hate the Lowrie idea as long as he was cheap. there are worse out there. One thing is that they would be tied to him for more years then they say that they want to
If the Pirates trade McCutchen they are idiots. I would give them their choice of two top pitching prospects for the guy right now if they were dumb enough to do it.
Are you getting the sense that the Braves will be very active in the eight days? If your life were to depend on it (thankfully it’s not :] ) would you say we’ll see a significant deal, finally, at the Winter Meetings next week from Wren? Thanks.
It may be more HR and RBI but Pastornicky has good speed. Having that at the bottom of the order wouldn’t be bad. I’m just not sold that Lowrie can stay on the field.
As the season wears on, McCann looks worse and worse behind the plate. I’ve seen him miss balls that were 3 feet off the ground just off the plate, just flat miss them. And his throws to second are on average pitiful. For the guy who said trading someone when they are at maximum value just hurts the team by not having the player performing for the team at that point……………ask the rangers if they would undo the Texeira trade. No, they wouldn’t. And for those who think you can just throw someone out in left field with little or no consequence; you’ve obviously forgotten watching Garrett “hoveround” Anderson trotting around left field for the braves. Archive this: McCann will not finish his career as a catcher and will be a DH in the AL. We can wait until he heads that way as a free agent or trade him now and get what we need at other positions. If signed to a big extension there will be a time when people all over these blogs are calling for a trade when he stops performing but there will be no takers. He is not going to get any better.
Im a huge McCutchen fan. If they traded him anywhere it would probably be Atlanta. The Pirates are in love with young power arms and that the Braves have plenty of at the moment.
Ramon Santiago is off the board…………… What am I going to do now that my fav player of all time is gone to the……………….. wait a minute, it’s Alex Gonzalez who is my favorite player.
PCola Brave – you are right about Lowrie always being hurt. I just think he has solid upside if he is healthy and I think the Sox would move him for a solid prospect. I think he is a good gamble considering whats out there for SS.
I think Pastornicky could be a very good player. I just think a guy like Lowrie could let the Braves not rush him, give some infield flexibily and come pretty cheap. Not much out there for SS.
I’m not against Lowrie and if he got hurt later in the year I’m sure Pastornicky might be ready or Jack Wilson (if signed as the UT infielder) could take over. I think Lowrie probably provides the best bat or at least the highest chance of putting up good numbers. Personally I like Maicer Izturis of the Angels but its a crapshoot at this point.
I love SOA. Its going to be very interesting heading into next week. Seems like they’ve opened up several storylines and we will have to wait until next September for them all to play out. Great show.
GRIMM is in regular rotation, although as far as the fairy tale theme stories go, I may prefer Once Upon A Time- although I do love the sci-fi aspect of GRIMM
Have not been able to get into Boss yet- watched the first 2 episodes…VJ likes it, but he is much more of a political junkie than I am so it’s right in his wheelhouse…
In my humble opinion, it is the best show on TV- from the writing to the acting to the storylines and the character development and the use of great songs in the exact right situation, everything is nearly perfect. Somehow they manage to make the most unlikable of characters sympathetic. I will be sad the day it ends…which I fear is not that far off…
Revenge has developed into one of our favorite shows. It is one of those that gets better every week- even though you already know what happens down the line, it makes no difference (and I keep forgetting that we have seen it- the mark of good writers)- you just hang on every little scheme and plot…
This will never happen and I’ll probably get killed for it but what about prado and Teheran for smith, wheeler and arenado. We lose Julio but gain chippers heir apparent in arenado.
I feel that the series could be coming to an end soon as well. The storyline could wrap up in the next season or two if they don’t kill of everyone before then. I’m usually shocked when they kill off a character because I would have never thought it was his time to go.
If I remember correctly, the prospect Simmons (can’t remember his first name) is penciled in as the future at 3rd base…doesn’t make sense to trade our top pitching prospect for a position we may not need… (someone correct me if I am wrong about Simmons)
I get the feeling the only character that is untouchable is Jax, but that might not even be right. But it’s definitely the type of story that has to have an end, and soon. You just can’t go on forever with the same intensity and passion with different people. I am thinking we have only one or two more years, at the most, and the show goes out still brilliant and still as powerful as it is now
Teheran isn’t going anywhere. Hes as untouchable as they come. It would have to be a significant return for him to be involved and I don’t think we are pursuing any trades like that.
Nolan arenado is on the same level as Teheran as far as prospects are concerned. I could care less if we got smith but it seems that he would be part of the deal. You’ve got to give to get and it seems like we could use some offensive production once these pitching prospects mature.
But the point is, Arenado is the same age as Salcedo, who is projected to be our 3rd baseman of the future. So what would be the point of trading our top pitching prospect for a player that plays the same position as a prospect we already have?
nolie, when Terdoslavich makes it to the bigs we need to go to the park dressed as turds. I’ll even make some giant corn kernels and super glue them on my turd suit. Sound like a plan?
Did y’all hear about the woman who sued her ex because he found out she cheated on him and instead of just breaking up with her, tattooed a giant pile of…turds…on her back, with buzzing flies around the pile? (Obviously he is a tattoo artist and was supposed to do a scene from the Narnia movies…)
I’d say arenado is a more highly regarded prospect than salcedo. Afl MVP over such names as trout and wil Meyers. Projects as a .300 20-25 100 ribs w power to grow.
Like I said it was fodder and I probably wouldn’t do it either but we have so much pitching depth and I doubt the Rockies would take Delgado or vizcaino.
yeah I thought it was awesome as well…who knows maybe the one I saw today saying it was a hoax was the real hoax…its the internet not much you can trust except that everyone on the blog is 100% honest…right??
Hard to project how good a kid will be when he is 19-20 and has not played above A ball…just not a move that has much upside at the moment. Not worth Teheran.
also shows how sketchy rating prospects that young are…Trout hit .338/.414/.958 in the minors and was in the major leagues by age 19. Arenado has yet to play above high A ball.
Arenado will be in the bigs this year from every report I’ve read. That being said you’ve talked me off the ledge. I’m just sick of watching this futile lineup every year. Our pitching is going to be great for years I’m just thinking of ways to get those guys some runs.
Enjoyed the conversation with you guys. Gonna try and make it on more often.
Just going by where Arenado has played, if he makes it to the bigs this season it will be quite a jump. He’s still very young and probably needs a lot more seasoning before he has success in the majors. Even Trout, as good as he is, struggled in his debut- hit .220/.281/.672 in 40 big league games this year with the Angels. So stay off that ledge for now- the Braves will be better with Teheran than they will be with Arenado right now
“And there is much more to catcher’s defense than stolen bases…”cab
Uhh…. throwing out base runners might be his best defensive trait. So if you were trying to make a point backing his defense up, I think you failed.
Mac is the best hitting catcher in baseball. He is NOT however one of the best hitters in baseball. Not while he is expected to catch 120 games. If he were to be a DH? I bet he’d be one of the best hitters in baseball.
Now, in being fair to Mac and to your point cab, I do consider “calling the game” part of defense, and it’s hard to find fault considering the pitchers in Atlanta have been pretty good under his “watch”. So he’s got that going for him.
But there comes a point where you ask yourself the question as a GM. Where on the field would your prefer your offense to come from?
Would you rather have a 800 OPS guy in LF that plays in 150+ games and has marginal defense? Or would you rather have guy that hits is an .800 OPS guy behind the plate and can only start 120 or so games (leaving 40 games to your backup), and leaving a gaping hole in the middle of your order in 1/4 of your games? Especially if you can find a catcher that plays great defense and might hit a little bit along the way?
All things, including “fan favorite” talk, to the side. I think the team would be better off with that offensive production coming from LF. But that being said, it would have to be one helluva impact player to part ways with Mac.
Obviously in a perfect world, you keep Mac AND add a big bat in LF. But the Braves current state says that isn’t really possible.
Ultimately the be all – end all fix for this problem is simply Heyward becoming the guy the world thought he would become. That would pretty much solve it all.
Still no news on the Braves, not even a whisper. The only thing we continue to hear is that the Rockies are very interested in Prado. So lets trade fan favorite’s away while we have glaring needs. The Braves had one of the biggest, if not the biggest collapses in Sept of all time, and all we hear about is that the Braves could trade Prado and Jurrgens away and get almost nothing in return for them. So far the only thing I am seeing is that the Rockies offered Seth Smith for Prado but won’t include any of their top prospects in the deal.
All I know is that if the Braves don’t make a huge signing to push this team over the hump, next year will be a bust. I for one will not spend a single dollar on this team until they do something big. I am sick and tired of going after second rate players (Linestink, Sherill, Wilson, etc, etc) and hoping like hell it works out, which it hasn’t.
All the while, we are hearing all the other teams in our division being linked to most of the high profile free agents, and all we are hearing is the possible trades of Prado, Jurrgens, and whether or not if the Braves should sign McCann long term even though he is under team control for 2 more seasons. Worry more about what you f’n need instead of what you already control. This team is so f’n backwards its unreal. Then they wonder why they are always looking up at the other teams, and why they have a hard time selling out games. Fans get sick of the same old crap, and that is all these Braves have delivered for the past 5 seasons now. They have a cheap ownership group, get handcuffed by high priced, aging players like Chipper and Lowe, and try to piece together a team and pray like hell they will contend. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am getting tired of this lame arse routine. I am not a fan that just says, oh well, there is always next year, I am expecting great things from my teams year after year. When they don’t produce, I voice my opinion. My opinion is that the Braves are underachievers, and they will be nothing next season.
Was told tonight by someone I trust that the Braves sent scouts to see Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes in the Dominican Republic during the past week, one of many teams that have done so or plan to soon.
Don’t know if the Braves were just doing due diligence or if they have strong interest in the 26-year-old Cespedes, who has at least a half-dozen teams in pursuit. As of now, I’d still be surprised if Braves got heavy into a bidding war. Speculation is that he could get a contract that easily surpasses the six-year, $30.25 million deal that fellow Cuban defector Cuban Aroldis Chapman got from the Reds.
If the guy is truly 26 years old, why not offer him 40 million for 6 years and see if he bites.
But it’s easy for me to spend Liberty Media’s money too!
N8
When you have a hitter who is as good as Mac, even for 130 starting games per year, you keep him. Especially when he wants to be here and it exceptional in hitting.
I personally don’ t think Mac’s defense is half as bad as some of you folks think. There are a few really good catchers in the league (defensively), but most have their warts.
Helluva lot easier to take Mac’s defensive warts when he kills it offensively. Besides, there are no guarantee that the person you replace his offense with (LF?) is going to be as good.
I realize that FW is talking about making some changes after the epic collapse of 2011; but if Prado comes back to his pre-injury form, it’ll be hard to replace his bat.
Talk about bad contract for an over the hill player, take a look at Orlando Hudson. 5.5 million next year with an 8 million dollar option for 2013, with a TWO million dollar buyout.
“When you have a hitter who is as good as Mac, even for 130 starting games per year, you keep him. Especially when he wants to be here and it exceptional in hitting.”
Agree and disagree Wayne. In theory I agree with you. On the surface, I don’t agree that Mac is really THAT good.
He’s simply that good for being a catcher. Now, as I stated, I think the two go hand in hand. If he wasn’t a catcher, and was allowed to focus on hitting, not to mention not being beat to hell from playing catcher…. I think he’s “good enough” to be one of the best hitters in the game.
But his numbers aren’t that great until you compare him to other catchers. Most would say that despite the oblique injury, Mac’s numbers were exceptional, right?
.270/.351/.466/.817 with 24 HR and 71 RBI in 128 games. Certainly nothing to sneeze at.
Let’s break it down. All comparisons and rankings are based on all of MLB and with a minimum of 500 PA.
BA – .270: Ranks 72nd; Career .286 hitter. Career average would have ranked 48th.
OBP – .351: Ranks 52nd; Career .358 OBP. Career average would have ranked 39th.
SLG – .466: Ranks 55th; Career .486 SLG. Career average would have ranked 36th.
OPS – ..817: Ranks 50th; Career ..844 SLG. Career average would have ranked 35th.
His average and OPS have taken slight dips each of the last 4 years. Except for his average which was .269 in 2010 and .270 last year. Most of the “spike” from the career averages is from his 2nd season in 2006 when he batted .333, slugged .572 and had a .961 OPS.
His 24 HR tied his career high. His RBI totals have dipped each of the last 3 years.
His “162 game average” according to baseball-reference is 25 HR and 99 RBI. Which is awesome.
Unfortunately, his games played average is 129 in his 6 full seasons. So his “reasonable” season average is 19 HR and 79 RBI when pro-rated.
So while you say you think his defense is not as bad as some say. I say that his hitting (as long as he’s a catcher) is not as good as most think it is. It’s by nature of him being a catcher that makes his offense output so impressive.
In general he’s basically around the 40th to 50th most productive hitter in baseball. Again. Nothing to sneeze at. But just not sure he’s worth locking up for 5-6 years at 15-16 million per year.
3,709 comments Add your comment
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:12 pm
The guy I want at SS is Jed Lowrie. Average at best defender but he could go .280 12 HR and 75 RBI in Atlanta
Lowrie had a TERRIBLE year, and his career OPS+ sukks
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
10:17 pm
I’m not sold on Fowler at all. I don’t know that he will hit well enough to be a leadoff and his SB/CS ratio isn’t very good. Hes definitely a work in progress. Another worrisome factor is hes been a starter the last 3 years and hasn’t played more than 135 gms yet.
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
10:18 pm
Speaking of fat asses … it’d help Prince’s image a little if somebody would tape his ti** down before games so one doesn’t flop up when he’s running and give him a concussion.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:24 pm
according to guys I know out there The Rox have had an on-again off-again love/hate relation with Fowler. Guy has good upside but has not lived up to expectations except for the second half of last season which has them up on him again, even though he had a pretty crappy first half.
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
10:24 pm
Yeah I wouldn’t doubt if Wren is asking for Fowler. Young, athletic, right handed, can play CF if Bourn leaves and he’s a GA boy.
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
10:25 pm
Enter your comments here
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:28 pm
Fowler is a switchie Brian, though there had been talk that he should abandon it , I don’t think that he has
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:28 pm
nolie – Lowrie did have a crappy year but I think he is capable of giving you an OPS around .730 at SS. That is his career average. He also puts the ball in play which is why he drives in alot of runs per AB for a SS. Look at AGON. Now that guy has a career OPS OF .690. UGLY. How many times did he K with a man on third with less than two outs?
Lowrie wont cost much and is a huge upgrade over AGON as a hitter.
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
10:28 pm
nolie, but Fowler is still so dang young. He’ll be 25 in March. There is plenty of time to grow and he could really reach his potential playing for his hometown team. Then again as we saw with Frenchy, the pressure could mount on him.
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
10:31 pm
Oh I didn’t know Dexter goes both ways like that.
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:31 pm
I like Fowler. He is still very young at 25 years old. Career .770 OPS. Great outfielder and power + speed potential.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:32 pm
only two players on the entire team drove in 75 plus runs last year and one of those was just 76. No way he comes over here and drives in anywhere near that many IMO.
His career totals are skewed by that exceptional 200 at bats he had a coupla years ago that he has never approached at any other time.
He would have to come cheap in a trade IMO
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
10:34 pm
glord
Lowrie has only played 256 gms in the majors and really only had one good year out of the 4. Lowrie has to prove he can stay healthy.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:34 pm
too big a ? mark IMO to trade Prado for him, but one never knows for shur
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
10:35 pm
No way we get McCutchen. He’s their young Chipper. I know they need to build up their system with good prospects for the future and whatnot, but he sells them tickets right now. I’m not real business smart at all, but trading him away sounds like bad business to me.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:35 pm
meaning Fowler. obviously we ain’t trading Prado for Lowrie
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:36 pm
I agree Lowrie is not a sure thing to be an above average SS but worse case senario he gives you 10 HRs 60 RBI and hits .260 range with 500 AB. I bet that is better than Pastranicky gives you next year. Also he would make a very good utility guy if you upgraded later. Solid 3B for when Chipper has aches and pains.
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
10:38 pm
TnBrian
Yea I would be really suprised to see them move McCutchen. As many people were upset w/ Mclouth trade, McCutchen ended up being as advertised. Hes there stud and face of the franchise. As long as hes cheap I don’t see them moving him.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:39 pm
well I don’t hate the Lowrie idea as long as he was cheap. there are worse out there. One thing is that they would be tied to him for more years then they say that they want to
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:40 pm
If the Pirates trade McCutchen they are idiots. I would give them their choice of two top pitching prospects for the guy right now if they were dumb enough to do it.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:41 pm
you would think that the would wait till 2014 to start thinking of trading McCutchen
Joey B.
November 30th, 2011
10:41 pm
DOB
Are you getting the sense that the Braves will be very active in the eight days? If your life were to depend on it (thankfully it’s not :] ) would you say we’ll see a significant deal, finally, at the Winter Meetings next week from Wren? Thanks.
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
10:42 pm
glord1
It may be more HR and RBI but Pastornicky has good speed. Having that at the bottom of the order wouldn’t be bad. I’m just not sold that Lowrie can stay on the field.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:42 pm
I would trade Minor and Delgado for him in a NY minute….
Larry30
November 30th, 2011
10:42 pm
As the season wears on, McCann looks worse and worse behind the plate. I’ve seen him miss balls that were 3 feet off the ground just off the plate, just flat miss them. And his throws to second are on average pitiful. For the guy who said trading someone when they are at maximum value just hurts the team by not having the player performing for the team at that point……………ask the rangers if they would undo the Texeira trade. No, they wouldn’t. And for those who think you can just throw someone out in left field with little or no consequence; you’ve obviously forgotten watching Garrett “hoveround” Anderson trotting around left field for the braves. Archive this: McCann will not finish his career as a catcher and will be a DH in the AL. We can wait until he heads that way as a free agent or trade him now and get what we need at other positions. If signed to a big extension there will be a time when people all over these blogs are calling for a trade when he stops performing but there will be no takers. He is not going to get any better.
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:43 pm
Im a huge McCutchen fan. If they traded him anywhere it would probably be Atlanta. The Pirates are in love with young power arms and that the Braves have plenty of at the moment.
DS1
November 30th, 2011
10:46 pm
Ramon Santiago is off the board…………… What am I going to do now that my fav player of all time is gone to the……………….. wait a minute, it’s Alex Gonzalez who is my favorite player.
Never mind.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:47 pm
I thought it was Frenchy who was your favorite player……
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:48 pm
PCola Brave – you are right about Lowrie always being hurt. I just think he has solid upside if he is healthy and I think the Sox would move him for a solid prospect. I think he is a good gamble considering whats out there for SS.
I think Pastornicky could be a very good player. I just think a guy like Lowrie could let the Braves not rush him, give some infield flexibily and come pretty cheap. Not much out there for SS.
nolie
November 30th, 2011
10:49 pm
Not much out there for SS.
got that right
glord1
November 30th, 2011
10:50 pm
Funny to see Frenchy is the same post as AGON. Two guys that never saw a slider in the dirt they didnt like.
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
10:56 pm
glord
I’m not against Lowrie and if he got hurt later in the year I’m sure Pastornicky might be ready or Jack Wilson (if signed as the UT infielder) could take over. I think Lowrie probably provides the best bat or at least the highest chance of putting up good numbers. Personally I like Maicer Izturis of the Angels but its a crapshoot at this point.
Dave O'Brien
November 30th, 2011
10:58 pm
@Joey B What are these Winter Meetings you speak of? I’m sleepy.
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:03 pm
Fake DOB…nice
nolie
November 30th, 2011
11:04 pm
I thought maybe the gray just faded out cab…………
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:04 pm
In-N-Out is soooo tasty
(also? SOA was fantastic. I am sad next week is the season finale)
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:05 pm
nolie-
it’s just your old eyes- can’t see it anymore
nolie
November 30th, 2011
11:06 pm
watched GRIMM yet?
BOSS is pretty good. good, and different- role for Kelsey Grammer
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
11:07 pm
cab
I love SOA. Its going to be very interesting heading into next week. Seems like they’ve opened up several storylines and we will have to wait until next September for them all to play out. Great show.
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:08 pm
nolie-
GRIMM is in regular rotation, although as far as the fairy tale theme stories go, I may prefer Once Upon A Time- although I do love the sci-fi aspect of GRIMM
Have not been able to get into Boss yet- watched the first 2 episodes…VJ likes it, but he is much more of a political junkie than I am so it’s right in his wheelhouse…
DS1
November 30th, 2011
11:09 pm
I too love “Share of Account”
when you folks do that SOA thingy, it reminds me of a program for my customers………..
nolie
November 30th, 2011
11:09 pm
I kinda like REVENGE ok too
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:11 pm
P’cola Brave-
In my humble opinion, it is the best show on TV- from the writing to the acting to the storylines and the character development and the use of great songs in the exact right situation, everything is nearly perfect. Somehow they manage to make the most unlikable of characters sympathetic. I will be sad the day it ends…which I fear is not that far off…
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:13 pm
nolie-
Revenge has developed into one of our favorite shows. It is one of those that gets better every week- even though you already know what happens down the line, it makes no difference (and I keep forgetting that we have seen it- the mark of good writers)- you just hang on every little scheme and plot…
OklahomaBrave
November 30th, 2011
11:15 pm
This will never happen and I’ll probably get killed for it but what about prado and Teheran for smith, wheeler and arenado. We lose Julio but gain chippers heir apparent in arenado.
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
11:17 pm
cab
I feel that the series could be coming to an end soon as well. The storyline could wrap up in the next season or two if they don’t kill of everyone before then. I’m usually shocked when they kill off a character because I would have never thought it was his time to go.
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:17 pm
OklahomaBrave-
If I remember correctly, the prospect Simmons (can’t remember his first name) is penciled in as the future at 3rd base…doesn’t make sense to trade our top pitching prospect for a position we may not need… (someone correct me if I am wrong about Simmons)
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
11:18 pm
OklahomaBrave
Teheran and Seth Smith shouldn’t be mentioned in the same trade ever.
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:18 pm
wait I missed an opportunity for in and out discussion with cab…dammit
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
11:19 pm
cab
Simmons is the top rated defensive SS in the system. They have moved Salcedo and Terdoslavich over to 3rd.
glord1
November 30th, 2011
11:19 pm
Simmons is projected to be a stud defensive SS. It is Salcedo that is now being projected at 3B.
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:19 pm
cab – is it andrelton or something like that?
nolie
November 30th, 2011
11:20 pm
I think DEATH IN PARADISE is promising too
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:20 pm
P’cola Brave-
I get the feeling the only character that is untouchable is Jax, but that might not even be right. But it’s definitely the type of story that has to have an end, and soon. You just can’t go on forever with the same intensity and passion with different people. I am thinking we have only one or two more years, at the most, and the show goes out still brilliant and still as powerful as it is now
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:21 pm
glord1-
Damn- you’re right. Forgot about him. Thanks. Point remains the same
tiger-
Something like that- too lazy to look it up
brian
November 30th, 2011
11:21 pm
agreed P’cola. Maybe Redmond and Seth Smith or Chuck James and Seth Smith…..
Teheran will not be traded this offseason.
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:22 pm
Also thanks P’cola Brave
tiger-
always ready for an In-N-Out discussion
brian
November 30th, 2011
11:23 pm
let me rephrase – Teheran will not be traded this offseason unless someone with a name like Mike Trout is mentioned in the same trade
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:24 pm
Teheran will not be traded this offseason unless someone with a name like Mike Trout is mentioned in the same trade
And the Angels feel about Trout pretty much the same way the Braves feel about Teheran. So chances of that happening are about -100%
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:26 pm
my airplane is in for its annual inspection so no flying for me for a bit…commercial is faster & cheaper neway
brian
November 30th, 2011
11:26 pm
exactly cabravesfan. My point exactly
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:26 pm
tiger-
You show up, I will have a Double Double waiting for you
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:27 pm
having never eaten there I’m not sure if that is a promise or a threat..but either way I’ll bet I can handle it
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
11:27 pm
Teheran isn’t going anywhere. Hes as untouchable as they come. It would have to be a significant return for him to be involved and I don’t think we are pursuing any trades like that.
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:27 pm
tiger-
trust me, it’s a promise
OklahomaBrave
November 30th, 2011
11:29 pm
Nolan arenado is on the same level as Teheran as far as prospects are concerned. I could care less if we got smith but it seems that he would be part of the deal. You’ve got to give to get and it seems like we could use some offensive production once these pitching prospects mature.
P'cola Brave
November 30th, 2011
11:31 pm
Arenado is a top 3 prospect for the Rockies but has yet to accomplish what Teheran has and until hes done that than they aren’t on the same level.
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:33 pm
i just looked it up the closest one to me is 1121 miles… I also need to see the famous hot dog and donut places
OklahomaBrave
November 30th, 2011
11:34 pm
Trust me I know Teheran isn’t headed anywhere. Just throwing out fodder.
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:34 pm
OklahomaBrave-
But the point is, Arenado is the same age as Salcedo, who is projected to be our 3rd baseman of the future. So what would be the point of trading our top pitching prospect for a player that plays the same position as a prospect we already have?
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
11:35 pm
nolie, when Terdoslavich makes it to the bigs we need to go to the park dressed as turds. I’ll even make some giant corn kernels and super glue them on my turd suit. Sound like a plan?
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:37 pm
tiger-
the famous hot dog and donut places? Should I know what you mean?
(by the way, the closest In-N-Out to us is 1.68 miles
there is also one 2.18, 2.33, and 4.36 miles away…there are 8 within 9 miles of our place)
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:39 pm
… we need to go to the park dressed as turds
Did y’all hear about the woman who sued her ex because he found out she cheated on him and instead of just breaking up with her, tattooed a giant pile of…turds…on her back, with buzzing flies around the pile? (Obviously he is a tattoo artist and was supposed to do a scene from the Narnia movies…)
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
11:40 pm
cab will go with me dressed as a turd. I kow she will. She has that wild side
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:44 pm
cab – did you see the news today that the photo was originally posted on the internet 18 months ago and someone just made the story up a few days ago?
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:45 pm
tiger-
no- someone had posted the link to the story on facebook. Too bad- it was kinda awesome
TnBrian
November 30th, 2011
11:46 pm
Wow cab, I’d say he shi* on back when she wasn’t looking.
Ok, that was dumb. Funny story though. Good idea actually.
OklahomaBrave
November 30th, 2011
11:48 pm
I’d say arenado is a more highly regarded prospect than salcedo. Afl MVP over such names as trout and wil Meyers. Projects as a .300 20-25 100 ribs w power to grow.
Like I said it was fodder and I probably wouldn’t do it either but we have so much pitching depth and I doubt the Rockies would take Delgado or vizcaino.
DS1
November 30th, 2011
11:49 pm
cab
Now THAT would be funny. Unless you were the lady.
Never been a big fan of In N Out myself. More of a Smash Burger guy myself. Or just the local burger joints.
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:49 pm
yeah I thought it was awesome as well…who knows maybe the one I saw today saying it was a hoax was the real hoax…its the internet not much you can trust except that everyone on the blog is 100% honest…right??
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:50 pm
ds1 – ok now that u r here I can start talking about my crown burger craving…
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:50 pm
Hard to project how good a kid will be when he is 19-20 and has not played above A ball…just not a move that has much upside at the moment. Not worth Teheran.
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:53 pm
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/poop-tattoo-story-is-crap-8764319
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:53 pm
OklahomaBrave-
also shows how sketchy rating prospects that young are…Trout hit .338/.414/.958 in the minors and was in the major leagues by age 19. Arenado has yet to play above high A ball.
tiger297
November 30th, 2011
11:53 pm
when its sleepy time down south…
cabravesfan
November 30th, 2011
11:55 pm
Night tiger!
OklahomaBrave
December 1st, 2011
12:03 am
Arenado will be in the bigs this year from every report I’ve read. That being said you’ve talked me off the ledge. I’m just sick of watching this futile lineup every year. Our pitching is going to be great for years I’m just thinking of ways to get those guys some runs.
Enjoyed the conversation with you guys. Gonna try and make it on more often.
DS1
December 1st, 2011
12:04 am
tiger
Need lots of “fry sauce” for that Crown Burger. That sucker is a diet killer though……
later……….
cabravesfan
December 1st, 2011
12:06 am
OklahomaBrave-
Just going by where Arenado has played, if he makes it to the bigs this season it will be quite a jump. He’s still very young and probably needs a lot more seasoning before he has success in the majors. Even Trout, as good as he is, struggled in his debut- hit .220/.281/.672 in 40 big league games this year with the Angels. So stay off that ledge for now- the Braves will be better with Teheran than they will be with Arenado right now
N8
December 1st, 2011
12:31 am
“And there is much more to catcher’s defense than stolen bases…” cab
Uhh…. throwing out base runners might be his best defensive trait. So if you were trying to make a point backing his defense up, I think you failed.
Mac is the best hitting catcher in baseball. He is NOT however one of the best hitters in baseball. Not while he is expected to catch 120 games. If he were to be a DH? I bet he’d be one of the best hitters in baseball.
Now, in being fair to Mac and to your point cab, I do consider “calling the game” part of defense, and it’s hard to find fault considering the pitchers in Atlanta have been pretty good under his “watch”. So he’s got that going for him.
But there comes a point where you ask yourself the question as a GM. Where on the field would your prefer your offense to come from?
Would you rather have a 800 OPS guy in LF that plays in 150+ games and has marginal defense? Or would you rather have guy that hits is an .800 OPS guy behind the plate and can only start 120 or so games (leaving 40 games to your backup), and leaving a gaping hole in the middle of your order in 1/4 of your games? Especially if you can find a catcher that plays great defense and might hit a little bit along the way?
All things, including “fan favorite” talk, to the side. I think the team would be better off with that offensive production coming from LF. But that being said, it would have to be one helluva impact player to part ways with Mac.
Obviously in a perfect world, you keep Mac AND add a big bat in LF. But the Braves current state says that isn’t really possible.
Ultimately the be all – end all fix for this problem is simply Heyward becoming the guy the world thought he would become. That would pretty much solve it all.
BravesfaninWis
December 1st, 2011
12:47 am
Still no news on the Braves, not even a whisper. The only thing we continue to hear is that the Rockies are very interested in Prado. So lets trade fan favorite’s away while we have glaring needs. The Braves had one of the biggest, if not the biggest collapses in Sept of all time, and all we hear about is that the Braves could trade Prado and Jurrgens away and get almost nothing in return for them. So far the only thing I am seeing is that the Rockies offered Seth Smith for Prado but won’t include any of their top prospects in the deal.
All I know is that if the Braves don’t make a huge signing to push this team over the hump, next year will be a bust. I for one will not spend a single dollar on this team until they do something big. I am sick and tired of going after second rate players (Linestink, Sherill, Wilson, etc, etc) and hoping like hell it works out, which it hasn’t.
All the while, we are hearing all the other teams in our division being linked to most of the high profile free agents, and all we are hearing is the possible trades of Prado, Jurrgens, and whether or not if the Braves should sign McCann long term even though he is under team control for 2 more seasons. Worry more about what you f’n need instead of what you already control. This team is so f’n backwards its unreal. Then they wonder why they are always looking up at the other teams, and why they have a hard time selling out games. Fans get sick of the same old crap, and that is all these Braves have delivered for the past 5 seasons now. They have a cheap ownership group, get handcuffed by high priced, aging players like Chipper and Lowe, and try to piece together a team and pray like hell they will contend. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am getting tired of this lame arse routine. I am not a fan that just says, oh well, there is always next year, I am expecting great things from my teams year after year. When they don’t produce, I voice my opinion. My opinion is that the Braves are underachievers, and they will be nothing next season.
David O'Brien
December 1st, 2011
1:45 am
Was told tonight by someone I trust that the Braves sent scouts to see Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes in the Dominican Republic during the past week, one of many teams that have done so or plan to soon.
Don’t know if the Braves were just doing due diligence or if they have strong interest in the 26-year-old Cespedes, who has at least a half-dozen teams in pursuit. As of now, I’d still be surprised if Braves got heavy into a bidding war. Speculation is that he could get a contract that easily surpasses the six-year, $30.25 million deal that fellow Cuban defector Cuban Aroldis Chapman got from the Reds.
DS1
December 1st, 2011
2:22 am
If the guy is truly 26 years old, why not offer him 40 million for 6 years and see if he bites.
But it’s easy for me to spend Liberty Media’s money too!
N8
When you have a hitter who is as good as Mac, even for 130 starting games per year, you keep him. Especially when he wants to be here and it exceptional in hitting.
I personally don’ t think Mac’s defense is half as bad as some of you folks think. There are a few really good catchers in the league (defensively), but most have their warts.
Helluva lot easier to take Mac’s defensive warts when he kills it offensively. Besides, there are no guarantee that the person you replace his offense with (LF?) is going to be as good.
DS1
December 1st, 2011
2:24 am
I realize that FW is talking about making some changes after the epic collapse of 2011; but if Prado comes back to his pre-injury form, it’ll be hard to replace his bat.
We truly need players who can get on base.
Next week is going to be interesting four shore.
DS1
December 1st, 2011
2:31 am
Talk about bad contract for an over the hill player, take a look at Orlando Hudson. 5.5 million next year with an 8 million dollar option for 2013, with a TWO million dollar buyout.
Ouch.
DS1
December 1st, 2011
2:32 am
Ok, Ok, I’m talking to myself again.
But the older I get, I really can’t remember why anyway……………
Ward
December 1st, 2011
2:44 am
Hello everyone! All I see is Rockies,and Tigers too interested in Prado. Everything else is quiet,as a mouse……….
Ward
December 1st, 2011
2:47 am
I’m seeing a Seth Smith deal,or Delmon Young deal,as of now.
Ward
December 1st, 2011
2:50 am
Paying 30 million for a Cuban player. He should stay in Cuba. After what happened with K.K., no on foreign players……..
N8
December 1st, 2011
3:00 am
“When you have a hitter who is as good as Mac, even for 130 starting games per year, you keep him. Especially when he wants to be here and it exceptional in hitting.”
Agree and disagree Wayne. In theory I agree with you. On the surface, I don’t agree that Mac is really THAT good.
He’s simply that good for being a catcher. Now, as I stated, I think the two go hand in hand. If he wasn’t a catcher, and was allowed to focus on hitting, not to mention not being beat to hell from playing catcher…. I think he’s “good enough” to be one of the best hitters in the game.
But his numbers aren’t that great until you compare him to other catchers. Most would say that despite the oblique injury, Mac’s numbers were exceptional, right?
.270/.351/.466/.817 with 24 HR and 71 RBI in 128 games. Certainly nothing to sneeze at.
Let’s break it down. All comparisons and rankings are based on all of MLB and with a minimum of 500 PA.
BA – .270: Ranks 72nd; Career .286 hitter. Career average would have ranked 48th.
OBP – .351: Ranks 52nd; Career .358 OBP. Career average would have ranked 39th.
SLG – .466: Ranks 55th; Career .486 SLG. Career average would have ranked 36th.
OPS – ..817: Ranks 50th; Career ..844 SLG. Career average would have ranked 35th.
His average and OPS have taken slight dips each of the last 4 years. Except for his average which was .269 in 2010 and .270 last year. Most of the “spike” from the career averages is from his 2nd season in 2006 when he batted .333, slugged .572 and had a .961 OPS.
His 24 HR tied his career high. His RBI totals have dipped each of the last 3 years.
His “162 game average” according to baseball-reference is 25 HR and 99 RBI. Which is awesome.
Unfortunately, his games played average is 129 in his 6 full seasons. So his “reasonable” season average is 19 HR and 79 RBI when pro-rated.
So while you say you think his defense is not as bad as some say. I say that his hitting (as long as he’s a catcher) is not as good as most think it is. It’s by nature of him being a catcher that makes his offense output so impressive.
In general he’s basically around the 40th to 50th most productive hitter in baseball. Again. Nothing to sneeze at. But just not sure he’s worth locking up for 5-6 years at 15-16 million per year.