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Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
186 comments Add your comment
Andy
June 5th, 2012
9:36 am
@gt4ever Will do. Thanks
Nattering Nabob
June 5th, 2012
10:00 am
Andy:
Ignorance and stupidity never stopped anyone from posting on this blog. You sound entirely too reasonable.
Nattering Nabob
June 5th, 2012
10:01 am
Andy:
I don’t mean to imply that you are ignorant or stupid. That’s just a general observation about this blog.
Andy
June 5th, 2012
10:12 am
@ Nattering Nabob Last nite I gave my opinion on some of the future stars I liked. I did misspell some names. Because of that I was branded stupid. So I will sit back and read the comments from the [EXPERTS!!}
Glenn
June 5th, 2012
10:32 am
Kevin is 100% correct; great pitching prospects are a ton harder to come by than the position players, and they are a premium on the trade market at a later date for sure things rather than those position prospects you people are complaining the Braves ignored about.
We’ve also seen what great pitching staffs can do for a team – just look at the Braves during the decade of the 90’s. Get the young staff in place and sign a few everyday players a free agents and who knows, we might be right back where we belong…
SavannahFan
June 5th, 2012
10:37 am
Braves should have taken Victor Roache. I guess that would have just been too simple and made too much sense.
ed
June 5th, 2012
10:39 am
what time does round 2 start today?
Lindsey
June 5th, 2012
10:39 am
Love hearing about my fellow Broncos!! Good look Lucas!!
Ralph
June 5th, 2012
10:39 am
At first I was very disapointed they didn’t grab another Brice Harper for the 21st pick but being real about it those ane once in a lifetime picks. The more I read about Sims and looking at him on video I now believe they did about as good as they could do.
jim
June 5th, 2012
10:44 am
Gamee Changer,
It’s a good thing the Braves picked that college kid Mike Minor 4 years ago instead of the High school kid Mike Trout. We’d really regret that pick right now if we took Trout.
unhappy fan
June 5th, 2012
10:46 am
I have nothing against Lucas (hope he is another Smoltz)but he was not the best pick on the board at the time. Therefore the people saying Braves picked best player available is bull.The point is Braves picked who they wanted and thats what they were suppose to do. I didn’t like it because they neglect there main need (Power hitter, OF,3b) and will not spend money on free agents to improve this team. They will make stupid moves like Tex trade and pick up old players for cheap. When Wren did spend the Money “Lowe and KK” he wasted it and should have been fired. But thats the good ole boy system with Braves. I have loved the Braves since they been in Atlanta–but why do they keep shooting themselves in the foot.
I still love and pull for the Team but Management sucks.
jim
June 5th, 2012
10:53 am
I would add Steve Avery and Bob Horner to notable Braves first round picks. Avery didn’t have a long career, but if you get a NLCS MVP and All-Star game appearance from this pick we ill be happy. Horner too was injury prone and weight gain prone, but had some big years that helped us get to the NLCS in 1981.
Frank Wren
June 5th, 2012
10:56 am
Yeah, I know we should have drafted a position player, preferably one that could hit.
But drafting another local kid will stir fan interest and give them someone to root for.
unhappy fan
June 5th, 2012
10:59 am
What if Bobby had took the Pitcher instead of Chipper Jones?
Reality Check
June 5th, 2012
11:02 am
All the ones here complaining about not picking up a hitter does not know what they are talking about at all, Period. Most Hitters are developed in Triple-A where they see more refined pitching than Fastball-Change Up guys at High school and the Lower A’s. Just because a guy is hitting in high school does not mean he has any chance in the batter’s box in the Bigs. Pitching is a lifetime of practice and refinement, that is why when you see talent, you grab it. Sims looks to be the real thing and can be be ready in 3-4 years for Atlanta. Be glad that we have good scouting to look to our future, and not for the one year contract for some over-priced has-been pitcher.
jim
June 5th, 2012
11:02 am
The Clemson 3B was rated as a weak defender and had a high swing and miss percentage. Roache had a very bad break and was risky — Davis and Naquin were gone when the Braves picked. By the time the Braves took Sims he may or may not have been the best player left on the board, but there was little difference between the next crop left and he would have been taken before the end of the round in the next 10 picks. Maybe the Braves can spend a little money and get a high level hitting prospect in the international draft.
unhappy fan
June 5th, 2012
11:03 am
JNick–show me the link that has Sims ranked 2,3rd are even in top 30…I’d just like to see for myself.
cowdogit
June 5th, 2012
11:04 am
I hope Sim’s has a rubber arm , the braves have become known as the graveyard for pitchers arms .
Bravo Uno
June 5th, 2012
11:05 am
In addition to wasting money on Lowe, Kawakami & McLouth ($30 million a season for
three loafers), Wren saddled the payroll with Dan Uggla and his illusory “right-handed power”. Omar Infante should be playing second for the Braves, not Uggly.
Look for Wren to sign McCann to a big extension, 5 years @ 15 million per season.
The McCann & Uggla contracts will doom the Braves to mediocrity for the rest of this decade.
Frank Wren should be fired !
Larvell Blanks
June 5th, 2012
11:08 am
The Braves’ much ballyhooed scouting system is not what it once was back in the 1980s & 1990s, when it rivaled the Dodgers & Blue Jays.
It was gutted years ago when Time Warner took over, and continued under Liberty.
unhappy fan
June 5th, 2012
11:10 am
Agree 110% with Bravo-Uno. Well said and true.
Frank Wrem
June 5th, 2012
11:18 am
Omar Infante hits over .300 and hustles.
We prefer our hitters to hit below .250 if possible.
Billy
June 5th, 2012
11:22 am
Sign Bourn and trade Mac to AL for 2-3 future stars.
Brave New World
June 5th, 2012
11:23 am
Best of luck Lucas Sims! GO BRAVES!
The Atom Bomb
June 5th, 2012
11:37 am
How long will it take for them to ruin his arm???
Tom
June 5th, 2012
11:43 am
Best of luck to the kid. However, I am not a fan of signing children to MLB contracts. He needs to get an education and polish in college first. Not only will his skills be better, but he will be much better equipped to handle all the pressures(financial, social, etc..) that come with being in a super high paying career in MLB. A business just chocked full of charlatans & swindlers. In the long run, this far outweighs any risks about “what if he gets hurt?”, which are minimal at best if he takes care of himself.
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
11:47 am
Bravo Uno
June 5th, 2012
11:05 am
In addition to wasting money on Lowe, Kawakami & McLouth ($30 million a season for
three loafers), Wren saddled the payroll with Dan Uggla and his illusory “right-handed power”. Omar Infante should be playing second for the Braves, not Uggly
____________________________________________________________________
Uggla should be playing second base for the Braves….and is. Uggla IS a power bat at 2nd base, that’s why we got him. His numbers at the end of the year will resemble his career numbers. Infante is off to an outstanding start, but history says he will not keep up this pace for long. Uggla is OURS now. Support him or be a Miami fan.
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
11:51 am
Uggla has more HR, more RBI, and a higher OBP than Omar.
jim
June 5th, 2012
11:54 am
How many GMs would give McCann 5 years at $15 million/per? If Wren does that, he is bidding against himself and would deserve to be fired. McCann’s value as a catcher is declining and he has less value at any other position including DH. (An AL DH needs to do better than 280, 20, 80, and McCann is having trouble producing at that level for almost 1 year now.) Eyesight is a concern, if not a problem. Most catchers get old fast after 30 and especially after 32. A smart contract for McCann would be 3 years at 10 million per year with a team option for a fourth year. If McCann can do better elsewhere, he should take it and the Braves should not try to match it.
Phillip
June 5th, 2012
11:55 am
Congratulations to this young man and his family, friends, and coaches.
As a life-long Braves fan, I’m excited we drafted another quality arm.
As a Clemson graduate and die-hard Tiger faithful, I was somewhat disappointed to see him drafted by Atlanta knowing he probably would never step foot on campus. Clemson has great baseball history, tradition, and prestige and it would have been to see him don our uniform with Coach Leggett and company.
Very excited for this young man. I hope he develops a change up to go with his plus fastball and plus curve.
Draft Dodger
June 5th, 2012
12:02 pm
The Brave’s seem to always pick a kid from Georgia even if he is not the best player available……………..U KNOW WHY?……………Because the likelyhood of them signing a kid from instate is much higher especially when they are OFFERING PEANUTS for a signing bonus……..the By-Product of the tight purse-strings of Liberty Media!
jim
June 5th, 2012
12:05 pm
Tom,
How many NFL and NBA players get an education in college? Most players drafted yesterday will never play in the majors or put in a cameo appearance, just like most Division 1 football and basketball players will never be in the NFL or NBA. The difference, these kids at least are getting paid for playing at the pre-major league level, while college athletes get a scholarship, but little else — and often that does not equate to an education. Sims slot is worth about 1.8 million and the next two picks can get 580,000 and 408,000 respectively. If baseball doesn’t work out (or even if it does), that’s enough to buy an Ivy League education and have some spending money on the side.
Andy
June 5th, 2012
12:13 pm
@jim I really do not know how you became so knowledgeable. It is really interesting to listen to you. You can educate me on baseball anytime. I enjoy listening to you. I tried to learn about OBP last nite but still do not understand it.
Vampire Bill
June 5th, 2012
12:17 pm
Not sure why I’m still amazed at the poor sports reporting by the AJC sports staff? Not one mention of who else got picked in the first round and no mention of Byron Buxton who lives in GA and has a scholorship to UGA.
Billy
June 5th, 2012
12:29 pm
Vampire it is on ajc sports.com page and was posted before Sims.His picture was up for 12 hours. Damn great kid and player.
Time
June 5th, 2012
12:30 pm
As a former Brookwood Bronco myself, much congrats to Lucas. Should have handled Parkview in the championship, but all will be forgiven when you win 20 for the Bravos!!
SouthGaBrave
June 5th, 2012
12:30 pm
Baseball Noob,
Here is a link to ESPN’s page of the UGA signees. To find other schools, just pick one out of the drop down menu. ESPN’s player rankings are also available at the top of the page.
http://espn.go.com/high-school/baseball/recruiting/school/_/id/61/georgia-bulldogs
Andy
June 5th, 2012
12:34 pm
@SouthGa Brave Hello buddy, How are you? You must trust ESPN. I dont. Want nothing to do with ESPN.
Warren Spahn
June 5th, 2012
12:43 pm
picking a pitcher is smart and who are the Thrashers anyway?
Warren Spahn
June 5th, 2012
12:43 pm
picking a pitcher is smart and who are the Thrashers anyway?
Warren Spahn
June 5th, 2012
12:43 pm
picking a pitcher is smart and who are the Thrashers anyway?
Warren Spahn
June 5th, 2012
12:43 pm
picking a pitcher is smart and who are the Thrashers anyway?
SouthGaBrave
June 5th, 2012
12:45 pm
Andy,
Doing well. Just trying to hold it down here in the better half of the state.
Hope out Bravos can get healthy and give us a fun show until football arrives in the fall.
Not that I put a ton of stock into ESPN, Noob was just asking for a place to see a list of signees earlier (at least I thought). You can at least see who signed where on their site, and it’s not a paysite or anything.
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
12:45 pm
Excellent draft coverage on baseballamerica.com if anyone’s interested.
Frank Wren
June 5th, 2012
12:46 pm
Molina with the Cardinals just signed a big deal for $15 million a season.
Brian McCann is a perennial All Star & local hero. I’m preparing a bigger offer
to Mac. He deserves it & will assume Chipper’s role in 2013 and beyond ..
Duh
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
12:47 pm
Braves take Alex Wood LHP from UGA in 2nd round
Powder Blue
June 5th, 2012
12:51 pm
Definitely time for Wren to go.
Andy
June 5th, 2012
12:52 pm
@SouthGa Brave A little cool and windy here ,but OK. Ready for Braves baseball and hope for a sweep. We are capable if we will. Go Braves!!!
Billy
June 5th, 2012
12:54 pm
They will take Wren’s son before its over.
cornjolio
June 5th, 2012
12:54 pm
Omar Infante is hitting 50 points higher than Uggla and makes fewer errors.
Imagine Bourn, Prado & Infante hitting 1-2-3 for the Braves.
Thank you, Frank Wren !
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:01 pm
Dan Uggla’s OBP is 36 points higher than Infante’s. Infante has SEVEN walks on the year. Infante is not a #3 hitter.
BravesAC
June 5th, 2012
1:02 pm
Braves draft another GA guy – Alex Wood a LHP. The Braves must save a bundle on not having to reimburse the scouts’ gas mileage!
O-well
June 5th, 2012
1:05 pm
The Braves draft=LOL!
Matt
June 5th, 2012
1:07 pm
And their number 2 pick…yet ANOTHER pitcher. Get an effing hitter next!!!!!!!!!!
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:08 pm
Thinking you know enough about these players to grade a draft right now = LOL!
BrandonLee49
June 5th, 2012
1:09 pm
Gutsy Move by the Braves, i offer my Congrats to young Sims and the Braves for at Least Looking in the Right Direction.. Now Bring him up right, give him some Time in A or AA, to develop his talents, he’s only 18… Let’s go for the Managed Pitch-Count theory that has WORKED for Darvish, Strasberg, etc.
BrandonLee49
June 5th, 2012
1:12 pm
Nice Review, DOB.. again we’re cautiously optimistic that Braves MGMT Don’t Screw this guy up, before he’s 20 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joe 12-Pack
June 5th, 2012
1:22 pm
HOORAY, another pitcher in round 2. Just what the Braves need. They sure don’t need any hitters.
Do the Braves have any scouts who look outside the state of Georgia for prospects or are they limited to where MARTA will take them?
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:48 pm
Braves take a catcher in round 3. negative Nancies may rejoice now.
Tony C.
June 5th, 2012
1:49 pm
Looks good, there were exactly NO bats that can be expected to be productive MLB regulars in the short-term out there (yes, Schaffer looks good in college, but lots of hitters look good using aluminum), and a kid in HS who lives @ 90-93mph and can reach back for 95+mph that uses his 3rd best pitch regularly, and has a legit hammer for an out pitch don’t come along too often…solid pick, it’s a crapshoot, so why whine about it? Guys like Chipper only happen about 1 in 65498736, and the last two kids they got out of Gwinnett county aren’t exactly sucky (yeah Franceour has yet to regain the “phenom” form, but he is an everyday major leaguer)….
David the Shepherd
June 5th, 2012
1:50 pm
Andy, you don’t know a “girl” named Samantha, do you?
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:50 pm
You whine because the Falcons don’t draft many players from that school over in Athens, then whine because the Braves do. Your husbands must get sick of all your whining.
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:51 pm
David, Good call. I was thinking the same> “She” never gives up.
David the Shepherd
June 5th, 2012
1:52 pm
(yes, Schaffer looks good in college, but lots of hitters look good using aluminum)
They don’t use aluminum anymore, hence HRs are down by a lot all over.
David the Shepherd
June 5th, 2012
1:53 pm
Thanks, Buddy. Good to see someone else picks up on that nonsense.
O-well
June 5th, 2012
1:56 pm
What the he!! do u know Buddy boy / no-one has called for a catcher unless he hits for power buddy boy. So button your nancies negative mouth.
Border Collie
June 5th, 2012
1:59 pm
Need a catcher to catch all the pitchers we draft. Is he from Ga?
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:59 pm
O-well. You need to visit that city in Germany. I think it’s called Kwitcherbitchin
Tony C.
June 5th, 2012
1:59 pm
@David-thanks didn’t know that…but that does make sense (re:power numbers). I still feel that if you can get an 18 year old with plus power and (allegedly) smooth solid mechanics in his delivery, go after him rather than “the best bat in an average draft”…
Buddy Landel
June 5th, 2012
1:59 pm
Catcher is from down here in Delray, FL
O-well
June 5th, 2012
2:10 pm
Not smart Buddy to let everyone know where you from esp Germany.
When did bitching come from “LOL”– my opinion and its as good as yours. I’ll leave– carry on.
PMC
June 5th, 2012
2:20 pm
hitters are developed in A ball and AA Triple A is a storehouse of guys who aren’t quite good enough or need refinement.
Most great players come strait from AA.
Andy
June 5th, 2012
2:29 pm
@David the Sheppard and Buddy Landel. Yes I have heard of her because of her little escapade with NM LEE. Never met her personnally. Dont need to. I am happily married. Why pick onme when I have not done anything. Since you control the blog , and dont like me. I will go. I dont want to talk about me anyway. Just baseball. Since you are convinced who I am, and I am not. Then F…you. Bye everyone.
MiaBchBravesFan
June 5th, 2012
2:47 pm
WE NEED FREAKIN’ BATS & OF’ERS AND WE SIGN A FREAKIN’ PITCHER???
FRANK WREN IS A BLITHERING IDIOT!!!
Coach
June 5th, 2012
2:52 pm
Kudo’s to his Coaches from middle school years. I know you are proud and I’m happy for you guys!
jim
June 5th, 2012
3:25 pm
WE NEED BATS & OF’ERS AND WE SIGN A FREAKIN’ PITCHER?????
We seem to need pitchers as much as bats. We are 3rd in the league in scoring, but 15th in ERA. By the time we drafted, the pitcher was judged to be better value than the available bats.
Andy
June 5th, 2012
3:37 pm
@jim Came back on to thank you personnally for all the info you gave me. I learned a lot. Cannot stay because certain people would like to talk other things about me that are not true. Thank you again for the info.
Jennie
June 5th, 2012
4:09 pm
You can never have too many pitchers. They’re a valuable commodity when the trade deadline rolls around. With Jurrjens likely on his way out of town and if Medlen works out as a starter, the Braves could use a guy like Sims out of the bullpen. hell, he could even serve as an alternate closer to give Killa Craig a rest every now and then. I touch on this in my column: http://98ontheblack.com/2012/06/05/frediocy-works-in-kimbrels-favor/.
Ralph
June 5th, 2012
5:44 pm
jim
June 5th, 2012
11:02 am
Maybe the Braves can spend a little money and get a high level hitting prospect in the international draft
I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY ARE GOING TO GET ANYBODY FROM THE INTERNATIONAL DRAFT SINCE THERE IS NO SUCH THING, YET
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/06/no-international-draft-for-2013.html
Tommy
June 5th, 2012
6:03 pm
Hi Ralph, Idiots ran my wife off. So I will ask you. Why allof pitchers in draft and no offense?
Ralph
June 5th, 2012
6:03 pm
PMC
June 5th, 2012
2:20 pm
hitters are developed in A ball and AA Triple A is a storehouse of guys who aren’t quite good enough or need refinement.
Most great players come strait from AA.
Interesting Point, I don’t know if it’s true or not but interesting.
Ralph
June 5th, 2012
6:09 pm
Tommy
I’m not sure how to answer that but if you look at the Little League usually the best athlete on the team is the pitcher, he is usually the biggest kid and also the best hitter so they seem to have a head start over other kids.
Tommy
June 5th, 2012
6:12 pm
I feel that piching is OK ,but if you do not score. You lose. I agree you can not have enough pitching but some offense would not hurt.
GT Lee
June 5th, 2012
7:27 pm
looks like we’re trying to stock the farm system with catchers in this draft…..
GT Lee
June 5th, 2012
7:28 pm
if anyone wants to follow the draft:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2012/draftcaster.jsp
GT Lee
June 5th, 2012
7:35 pm
Buck Farmer to Milwaukee 15th round….I hope he comes back for his Sr year