Future watch: Braves lead locals in young talent (UPDATE: Heyward is No. 1 prospect)
Jason Heyward may win the right field job in spring training.
(UPDATE: Jason Heyward has been named the No. 1 prospect by Scouts Inc. and the Braves have five players listed in the top 85. See below.)
A little clarification this morning.
Last week, I suggested that the Braves needed to sign free agent outfielder Johnny Damon to fill their need for a leadoff batter. There has been a void at the top of their order since Rafael Furcal left town. That void has coincided with the Braves’ failure to make the playoffs. Go figure. For the record, Damon is still available and Frank Wren is still not taking my advice. Maybe I should send a nice email? Flowers?
Anyway, back to the clarification: At no point was it my suggestion that the Braves’ general future is doomed without Damon. In fact, there is some slight confirmation this week that their future is pretty bright.
Led by outfielder Jason Heyward, the Braves’ farm system ranks fifth in baseball in organizational talent, according to Scouts Inc.’s Keith Law (requires ESPN Insider subscription).
Loading ...The top 100 prospects is scheduled to be posted sometime Thursday and I’ll try to update this blog at that time. (UPDATE: See below.)
But in Law’s team rankings, the Braves ranked behind only Texas, Boston, Tampa Bay and Cleveland. Among teams in the National League East, the Braves ranked ahead of Florida (12), New York Mets (15), Washington (23), Philadelphia (24).
Law on the Braves:
Having Jason Heyward helps, but they have a troika of Latin American arms about to march up the system that would make a heck of a 2-3-4 behind Tommy Hanson starting in 2013 or so. They would have been higher except for a brutal draft in 2009.
Here’s a link to that 2009 draft if you’ve got a lot of time on your hand.
The rankings got me thinking. Of Atlanta’s four pro sports teams, who is best set up for the future? Right now, I’d have to say the Braves. The Falcons appear to be headed in that direction, but they’re still in transition and there are too many questions on the offensive line and on the defensive side of the ball. The Hawks are not quite as set up for the future as you might think. The Thrashers? A few nice pieces, but only a few.
I quickly ran down the rosters of the four teams and highlighted some young names. But I’ve linked all four rosters if you want to do some research. However, the rosters do not include everybody in the minor-league systems of the Braves and Thrashers. I’ve also got a poll up, but I want to read your comments.
The key here is to try to focus on players who are five years or less into their careers, and therefore potentially here for the long haul.
♦ BRAVES: Brian McCann has played only four-plus seasons. Heyward could make the team out of spring training. Jordan Schafer may not be far behind. Tommy Hanson will be at or near the top of the rotation a while. Others to feel good about include Yunel Escobar, Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado. (Late add: thanks to “AthensMatt” for pointing out that I left out first baseman-of-the-future, Freddie Freeman.)
♦ FALCONS: They have their quarterback in Matt Ryan. Running back Michael Turner is six years into his career, the danger zone for an NFL running back, but he was a backup for the first four. Probable solid pieces for years: Roddy White, Jonathan Babineaux, Thomas DeCoud, Curtis Lofton, Harry Douglas. Defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore, the team’s first two picks in 2o09, missed most of their rookie seasons with injuries. Tackle Sam Baker hasn’t been healthy in two seasons.
♦ HAWKS: Josh Smith and Al Horford will be staples for a long time. But after that? We don’t know yet about Jeff Teague. Marvin Williams: some good, some bad. Mike Bibby is on the downside of his career. Joe Johnson is nine years in and an unrestricted free agent this summer.
♦ THRASHERS: Kari Lehtonen was supposed to be the franchise goalie. But he has struggled with consistency and healthy. Ondrej Pavelec: still a bit unknown. Zach Bogosian, Tobias Enstrom and Evander Kane are solid young pieces. But Bryan Little seems to have fallen off a cliff and Boris Valabik is still struggling with his confidence (and now health). And yes, Ilya Kovalchuk could be gone before lunch.
So there’s your quick recap. Which team do you think is best positioned for the future?
♦
UPDATE: Scouts Inc. listed five Braves in its list of top 100 prospects. Here they are:
♦ 1. JASON HEYWARD, OF: Heyward’s ascent to the top of these rankings was swift and unimpeded, and his path to the majors appears to be much the same, as he’ll have a good chance to win the every-day right-field job this spring. Heyward will be a middle-of-the-order bat with power and patience while playing above-average defense in right with a plus arm. He has an advanced approach at the plate, something that was already in place when he was a 17-year-old high school senior, and strong, quick wrists that let him commit later to pitches while still driving the ball to all fields. He gets good leverage in his swing and has plenty of loft to eventually produce 30-plus homers a year, and so far hasn’t shown any tendency to expand the zone because he’s trying too hard to hit for power. In the field, he has outgrown center but moves extremely well in right with good reads off the bat. And you can see from all of the above that he has a high baseball IQ, with good feel and/or instincts in every area of the game, especially for someone his age. He murdered Double-A pitching at age 19 in a 200-PA sample, and his career stat line reads .318/.391/.508, nearly all of which was compiled before he turned 20 in August. His swing isn’t perfect — he does bar his front arm very briefly — but he’s so strong and has such bat speed that the minor flaw has been irrelevant at every stop of his pro career. Everything else here points to stardom.
♦ 43. ARODYS VIZCAINO, RHP: Vizcaino was the key to the Javier Vazquez trade even though he has yet to appear above short-season ball, which speaks to his potential as a front-line starter. His fastball is already 91-93 mph, flashing a little above that, with good life, and he hides the ball well to help the pitch play up. His best off-speed pitch is a hammer curveball that is plus at times with good depth and a slight two-plane break. His feel for pitching is advanced for someone his age, and while his arm action is short and repeatable he can lose his slot and start to drift downward, something he’ll have to eliminate via instruction. He has a chance to move up the Atlanta system quickly and could catch up to fellow high-upside arms Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado soon.
♦ 63. JULIO TEHERAN, RHP: Teheran was one of my picks to jump on this list last offseason, and now he’s one of my picks to jump up into the top quarter of it. Teheran, the nephew of an Atlanta scout, barely pitched in 2008 after the team took a conservative approach with his sore shoulder. But in ‘09, he showed why teams are increasingly scouting the north coast of Colombia. He’s got a huge arm already despite his rail-thin frame (6-foot-2, 150 pounds), 91-96 mph on the fastball with an above-average changeup, and his curveball also has a chance to be above-average in time. He’s a good athlete, but his arm action isn’t pretty and he has to work to stay on top of the ball if that curveball is going to be a consistent weapon for him. He has good rhythm on the mound and pitches very aggressively — he hit almost as many batters as he walked in 2009, which usually isn’t an accident — but he has to avoid telegraphing his off-speed pitches. He still has a lot of room to fill out and could easily end up a No. 1 starter or, if he doesn’t get stronger or doesn’t develop the breaking ball, an upper-echelon closer.
♦ 67. FREDDIE FREEMAN, 1B: Freeman is yet another former two-way star on this list — if you’re a legitimate prospect as both a position player and a pitcher, you’re probably a pretty good athlete and offer more upside than the typical one-way prospect. At the plate, he sets up with a wide base and doesn’t stride or really transfer his weight through his swing. So while he has good rotation to hit for power, he’s mostly hands at this point and has traded some power for high contact rates. Unlike a lot of young left-handed hitters, he shows no appreciable platoon split, and while he’s not exactly patient, he’s not a hacker. Freeman is an above-average defender at first base, and there’s some reason to expect more growth as a hitter given his youth and frame. But I still see him as a guy who’ll hit for average with doubles power, but not the high OBP or home run totals that would make him a star at first base.
♦ 85. RANDALL DELGAGO, RHP: Delgado pitched in the shadow of Julio Teheran this year, and I’d bet you could find a few scouts who rated him over Teheran even though I have Delgado second. Delgado is 6-foot-3 and has already put on a good 25 pounds since signing, with improvement in his stuff to match. His fastball is just above average and will touch 94-95, with a changeup that has improved to above-average and a chance for the curveball to be the same. He’s still looking for a consistent arm action, which is part of why he’s behind Teheran, but his upside isn’t much lower than his teammate’s. It’s to the Braves’ credit that they found two top-flight pitching prospects from outside the traditional Latin American talent markets, getting Teheran from Colombia and Delgado from Panama.
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173 comments Add your comment
Jeff Schultz
January 28th, 2010
10:55 am
Educated — I just checked and I can’t find the link you’re talking about. Maybe it was changed.
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
10:56 am
Agreed, NC; posting under another’s name is juvenile. I hate Tech naturally (anyone who says they root for both unless they’re playing each other is full of it), but I have much respect for Paul Johnson. I was at Ga. Southern the last year he won a NC there (when the Adrian Peterson who doesn’t fumble was the main weapon); he’s all the coach.
That’s another problem I have with Woodson; he refuses to play rookies. What little I’ve seen from Teague suggests he ought to get some more time. He’s crazy quick and unselfish, yet can drive to the hole hard when nobody’s open. Good guy to sit.
JK3
January 28th, 2010
10:57 am
MLB network also rated Jason Heyward as the overall number 1 prospect in all of the minors last night. I agree with the earlier post that a 3rd baseman will be a void soon to be filled. any thoughts? Frank is doing a great job considering what he has to deal with.
Jeff Schultz
January 28th, 2010
10:58 am
Extremus — I don’t disagree with anything you just wrote. Economic times are hitting everybody. Biggest hit to sports will come when TV revenue drops, because that’s generally the lifeblood of a sports league.
Dr. Warren
January 28th, 2010
10:58 am
Sam Baker will never be a solid piece. Think about it: if he has gotten banged up so easily in his first two years, does he have a better chance of staying healthy as his body ages? No way.
Dr. Warren
January 28th, 2010
10:59 am
And Baker was injured a lot at USC, too. Trust me–I was a season ticket holder.
Jeff Schultz
January 28th, 2010
11:00 am
The Grinch — What is it about Wren that you think I think that you disagree with? (I think that came out right.)
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
11:00 am
Don’t get me wrong; I like Bibby (though he’s less of a distributor and more of a shooting guard IMO), but he’s playing like he’s wearing two knee braces now. Teague should be spelling him as well as watching.
NCbravesFAN
January 28th, 2010
11:03 am
Grinch: Growing up 45mins from athens, both sisters and many, many friends being alums, I have alot of respect for UGA also. The thing that killed me this year is that so many dawg fans seemed to have forgot the phrase “act like you have been there before” but that is for another blog…
In response to the poll: Most young talent 1. Braves 2. Hawks 3. Falcons
Who is closest to a championship in my opinion 1. Hawks 2. Falcons 3. Braves
Daniel
January 28th, 2010
11:04 am
The Grinch- I am from Atlanta, didn’t go to UGA or Tech(Brown if you must know). So I root for both, and when playing each other, I root for whomever the win helps the most. And, I am not full of it.
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
11:06 am
I was under the impression you were on Smoltz’ side (which I am strongly opposed to; I think he’s an egotistical, whiny, high maintenence jerk for nearly a dozen reasons I’ve outlined in the past), and then you seemed to agree with Brandon earlier that Wren was incapable of making good trades or decisions in general. Did I misunderstand? If so, my bad.
Dwayne
January 28th, 2010
11:07 am
Hey Schultz, Hawks just lost another game, so I’m expecting another article from you soon.
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
11:11 am
Daniel, I should amend that. Of course one can root for both teams. What I meant was, anyone who claims to be a die-hard fan of one or the other cannot. You went to neither (a kindly distance away, in fact; my mom went to Brown briefly before NYU), so if you have no dog in the hunt (pardon the pun) it doesn’t apply to you.
Daniel
January 28th, 2010
11:12 am
Grinch- explanation and apology accepted.
NCbravesFAN
January 28th, 2010
11:12 am
Grinch: It hurts to see smoltz described in that manner, but I can only agree now. If he comes to ATL dressed up like a NY Mut, I will drive down and boo him louder than I booed Glavine!
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
11:13 am
NC, some of my fellow Dawgs are an embarrassment; I apologize. It’s much the same on campus; a few ruin it for the rest reputation-wise.
Nick n Nash
January 28th, 2010
11:17 am
Do you think Smoltz will ever come back to the Braves organization after he retires? My guess is only after Frankie is gone.
Sometimes I sit back and wonder if Frankie dislikes the Braves of ‘Ol. He said goodbye in a bad way to Smoltz, cut Glavine in a dis-respectful manner, and now Bobby is on his way out (there’s no hiding they both don’t get along). We all know what’s coming next, say goodbye to Chipper.
Colonial Dawg
January 28th, 2010
11:20 am
I haven’t read all the posts so I may be repeating someone…..if so please accept my apologies…but didn’t Tommy Hanson come out of the 22nd round? You never know who is going to be great or a bust until several years after the draft. To say 2009 was terrible is quite a reach at this point.
Go Dawgs!!
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
11:22 am
My last post got lost in the filter, apparently.
Yeah, I had to boo Tommy too. Hate it, but that’s what they get for abandoning the city and fanbase that made them more money than they could ever spend just to don the uniform of the enemy for a few pennies more. The ripping on the way out (and from what I hear, he’s still doing it) makes Smoltz worse than Glavine though IMO. Glavine at least admitted it’s all about money; Smoltz tries to cover his naked greed with temper tantrums about being disrespected. He got 14 mil the previous year for not pitching, then gets offered 2.5 plus incentives coming off a surgery James Andrews even said probably wouldn’t hold and he’s insulted? Please. Go back and count the 140 mil this team already “insulted” you with.
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
11:23 am
Colonial Dawg, you are correct. Don’t know how he got lost in the shuffle.
Gotta run and get some work done; y’all behave.
Nick n Nash
January 28th, 2010
11:29 am
The Grinch….Not to defend those who make millions of dollars, but….I am anyway. I understand someone being loyal to a fan-base, and respecting an organization that you grew with. However, sometimes that organization wants to go in another route and doesn’t look at you in the same manner anymore. Is it the players fault to go somewhere where he is desired more, and would be financially rewarded for being desired more? No, it is not. In fact, I guarantee if the Joe Smo’s in La La land were to give you $100M over the $2M the Braves would give you, would you not take it? Of course you wouldn’t. It doesn’t mena you dislike or do not respect your old organization (sometimes it may depending on how it is handled), it just means you are looking out for you and your families best interests. I know for a fact that if another company were to give me a bigger/larger salary for the job I am doing now I would take it, not because I hate/dislike my company but because I was looking out for my best interest.
Now if a player were demanding more money, and refused to do anything until they got it (unresonably), then there is where you point the finger at the player.
I dunno, just my thoughts.
ChippersLoveChild
January 28th, 2010
11:32 am
I don’t think I’d drop them below the Hawks. I like Horford, but he will never dominate a game, we haven’t seen much from Teague so you can’t really get a good read on his talent. Smith is a really good player, but he isn’t great. I like what the Thrashers have, but it is really hard for me to ever give a confident vote for the future for any team that is owned by the ASG.. so maybe your view is correct after all.
NCbravesFAN
January 28th, 2010
11:32 am
I think Frank Wren has a “what have you done for me lately” attitude towards ALL Braves players. This does seem to irritate the older vets and Bobby, who is loyal till the death as we all know. I am ok with that attitude, he looked smart on Smoltz, and Glavine as they did not deserve the money they wanted. Chipper said if he under performs again he will retire. Anyone believe that?
jeffrey d
January 28th, 2010
11:47 am
The Braves number one draft choice will be in the bigs on opening day
Greg Norton was a 2nd round draft choice and he’s in the majors. The major feeling about Minor was that he doesn’t have superstar potential, which is what you should be swinging for when you have the 7th overall pick.
jeffrey d
January 28th, 2010
11:50 am
Here’s a link to that 2009 draft if you’ve got a lot of time on your hand.
Glad you’re not discriminating against amputees, Jeff.
Bravesfan101
January 28th, 2010
11:59 am
The Braves should have signed Randy Winn he could have been the lead off hitter but they let The Yankees sign him. If Frank Wren don’t find a way to get a proven lead off hitter then the Braves will struggle again at that spot.
Ken Stallings
January 28th, 2010
12:09 pm
Last night, MLB Network ranked the top 50 prospects. They put Jason Heyward number one on the list.
jeffrey d
January 28th, 2010
12:12 pm
The Braves should have signed Randy Winn he could have been the lead off hitter but they let The Yankees sign him
Randy Winn? Seriously? A 36-year old who hit .260 last year? Yeah, let’s bat him leadoff.
Egg Noggin'
January 28th, 2010
12:15 pm
Smitty should have sat Babs. If he had done that I would say Falcons. He had a great opportunity to make an example and didnt so I lost alot of confidence in him as a coach. Bobby should have retired (he single handedly lost at least 5 games for us last year (omg why is Lowe still in there? omg why is Norton up again? omg why did he pull Vasquez). Watching the Braves is self inflicted torture these days, but with the rotation we have right now Woodson is a smooth talker in interviews and has the best Hawks team ever (yes better than Nique’s team) but if we lose Joe Johnson that will change everything. I havent watched hockey in Atlanta since the Flames went to Calgary. I had cats named Boosh, Marsh, Reinhart and Clement. They are all dead now.
JabboRockefeller
January 28th, 2010
12:19 pm
The future of the Braves will largely depend on who the manager happens to be. The prospect of seeing Bobby Valentine in a Braves uni scares me to death! Bobby’s (Cox) final season is gonna be ugly… We’ll be lucky to win 80 with this present hodgepodge of injury-prone position players….
Falcons are a team on the verge of great (Super) things.
Hawks are merely teasing us again, just as they have so many times before. Not enough heart to grind it through to a championship.
Thrashers? Who cares?
LAC
January 28th, 2010
12:37 pm
Thanks to Atlanta STUPID Group, led by the Drunk idiot bruce levenson, the Thrashers will be gone after NEXT season, most likely Kansas City and the New Sprint Center, never to a dump like hamilton Ontario.
But enjoy what you can while you can as this franchise, that SHOULD be a confrence contender after TEN years falls to bits and pieces thanks to ownership clowns and THE WORST GM IN THE HISTORY OF PRO SPORTS, Liar/Stupid don waddell, the man who all by HIMSELF has destroyed hockey in this city… Again ! Thanks “don” YOU $UCK YOU FOOL !
Brett Favre
January 28th, 2010
12:38 pm
which is what you should be swinging for when you have the 7th overall pick.
Unless you don’t think you can sign that player. In which case you’ve wasted the pick altogether. At least the Braves got Minor and were able to sign him
timthebrave
January 28th, 2010
1:05 pm
1. Falcons-Headed in the right direction with a solid qb and a owner that actually cares
2. Braves-Good young talent but ownership is stagnant
3. Hawks-Really good mix of young talent and older leadership. Ownership is reason I put them below Braves
4. Thrashers-Good young talent but not signing your franchise player and having owners that could care less make it tough to turn this team around. Sad to say since I love going to hockey games
1eyedJack
January 28th, 2010
1:16 pm
Jeff, as for Frank Wren ignoring your advice …Perhaps if you apologized to the man and gave him a fruit basket, with a card depicting a misty seascape and inscribed with a sentiment. Or, perhaps, surely, a chocolate assortment has been known to warm the heart of even the most hardened misanthrope, especially if it’s a premium chocolate, imported, say, from Switzerland, or the Netherlands, or some other of the so-called “Low” countries be they Dutch or Flemish or Walloon—
Reid Adair
January 28th, 2010
1:21 pm
It doesn’t matter that Frank Wren hasn’t considered Johnny Damon. The organization has more issues than signing Damon would by itself resolve.
In my mind, the franchise of the four that is in the best situation for the future is, without a doubt, the Falcons.
Delbert D.
January 28th, 2010
1:27 pm
Jeff – Put some dog poo in a Braves’ logo paper bag, got to Wren’s house, set it on the front porch, light it, and ring the bell. Run like heck to get away.
Maybe Wren will finally get the message.
1eyedJack
January 28th, 2010
1:37 pm
Ahhh Delbert, you take me away to yesteryear and the misguided ways of my youth.
Tami
January 28th, 2010
1:48 pm
To Just Wait & Dr. Ken: Like I said…I don’t really keep up with the Hawks or Thrashers. I do know they’re doing better than the Thrashers, though. I’m aware of them doing better this season than most. I think it’s just me and my unwillingness to follow basketball. If the Hawks continue to do well, I might be convinced to be more open about the NBA though. We’ll have to see….
bvillebaron
January 28th, 2010
1:54 pm
1eyedJack:
I for one am glad that Wren chooses to ignore the “advice” of Schultz and the other gloom and doomers. If Schultz and you all are so hot to trot about Damon, I have a suggestion: instead of sending Wren a fruit basket and more unasked for and lousy “advice”, why don’t you send him like say $6M so that he can then go out and sign this overrated (especially in the NL where he would actually have to play in the field and try to throw the ball at least back to the infield) and aging player.
1eyedJack
January 28th, 2010
2:17 pm
bvillebaron, I don’t beleive I mentioned anywhere in my post anything about Johnny Damon. I was trying to suggest to Jeff how he might get back into the good graces of Mr. Wren.
Big John
January 28th, 2010
2:23 pm
Enter your comments hereHow can any of you rate the Braves first with their current owner. Any of the “prospects” can be traded at anytime and certainly wont be here long if they are succesful at the big league lvl. Unless we get new owner I’d put the Braves at 3rd. Even though I am still not sold on Ryan I’d put the Falcons first. Awesome owner and management even thought some of the draft picks have been questionable they seem to know how to run a team. Hawks are my second choice barely above the Braves.I don’t know if it’s Woodson or Joe Johnson but Joe has got to share the ball more in close games. JJ isolation does not work and they have too much talent now to run that play. Even if Joe leaves after this year Crawford is just as capable to do what he does. Teague is the key here,Woodson has to get him more playing time and let him develope. Keeping J-smoove,Horford and Teague becoming a top PG are important thought I still believe they need a true center. Thrashers are a joke and the spirit will dump them first chance they get. It’s obvious to us all their heart is in the NBA and not hockey. My honest opion is this entire blog will be mute unless ATL and all of Georgia start to embrase their teams. Without fan turnout none of the major ATL teams are going to make it.
Tremaine
January 28th, 2010
2:43 pm
I can’t believe people are still sold on the Braves. The Hawks and Falcons have a chance to win a championship. If you are considering not winning a championship a bright future then maybe the Braves. As long as the Yankees spend more money then everybody else and the Braves continue to act cheap by signing lemons and hoping they can perform then I don’t see them doing anything.
Brendan
January 28th, 2010
3:15 pm
Jeff Schultz, if you mean “best positioned” by possible changes, I’d say the Thrashers, if accountability came into play. If this team misses the playoffs, Kovy walks, along with Kubina, Afinogenov, Colby Armstrong, Moose Hedberg, Slava Kozlov, Christophe Schubert, Mark Popovic, Jim Slater, and Eric Boulton, then WHOEVER steps in as General Manager to run this club would have (1) tons of cap space, (2) the ability to hire a NEW Head Coach, (3) the ability to hire NEW scouts, (4) the ability to hire NEW medical personnel to be in charge of GROINS, (5) the chance to CONCEPTUALIZE an IDENTITY and DEVELOP IT, and (6) above all, the chance to change the minor league “Habitus” that permeates the hallways of the franchise.
Imagine it. I do. These owners know NOTHING about hockey, and defer to the judgement of Donald Waddell on matters of personnel. They couldn’t identify Alexei Zhitnik, nor Devin Setoguchi, in a police lineup. Meaning? Hire a competent GM who makes GOOD DECISIONS, and watch the fortunes of the franchise change. That’s all that’s needed. The discerning fans WILL RETURN, once “accountability” sets in, for results. This can ALL get TURNED AROUND pretty quickly, by a GM who knows what he’s doing.
What could be better, Jeff? There’s hardly anybody left under contract for next season. Who are they? On defense, there’s Toby Enstrom, Ron Hainsey, Zach Bogosian and Boris Valabik. That’s two vacancies, right there, before you consider a potential trade of Valabik or Hainsey out of town. In goal, technically, no one is signed. Pavelec and Lehtonen are RFA’s. Moose is a UFA. In terms of forwards, Evander Kane, Nik Antropov, Marty Reasoner and Todd White are under contract. Bryan Little is an RFA. Am I leaving anyone off?
Well Jeff, couldn’t a fresh, new GM perspective give this NHL club a whole new image??? I’m just asking a question.
Pitching?
January 28th, 2010
3:53 pm
‘The braves haven’t won a championship since they had a power hitting 1B’
Should read: ’since they had three HOF pitchers in their starting rotation’ (age 28, 29, and 29)
could also replace ‘need a leadoff hitter to get to the playoffs’
For example:
Maddux – 1.63 ERA
Glavine – 3.08 ERA
Smoltz – 3.18 ERA
Avery ~ 3.8
Mercker ~ 4.8
Jurrjens – 2.60
Hanson – 2.89
Hudson ~ 3.5 lifetime, 3.2 in 2008
Lowe ~ 3.7 lifetime?
Kawakami ~ 3.8 ?
Teheran, Vizcaino, Delgado, etc… Much to look forward to…..
IMO, Heyward, Schafer, Freeman, leadoff hitters, etc. are sprinkles
Will
January 28th, 2010
4:00 pm
It is no longer a question of whether or not the Thrashers can sign Kolvy but only a question of which of four NHL teams vying for him will sign him. Looks LA is the leadning contender.
With the loss of Kolvy, the coffin is nailed shut on this franchise. Attendance will further decline and the Thrashers will move further away from being a playoff team.
Among the many variables that will lead the Thrashers out of Atlanta (e.g., the lawsuit among owners that froze any spending because of worries of big payoffs if the suit was ost), Don Waddell will be near the top in running the franchise in the ground.
Hopefully we will get one more season of NHL hockey before the Thrashers are gone. At least this time, oppopsed to the loss of Flames, there will be NHL teams somewhat close by that a trip or two a year to see NHL hockey will be easily “doable”.
Brendan
January 28th, 2010
4:10 pm
Will, the Thrashers will not leave. They might get sold. But they aren’t leaving this market before 2019. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
ugaaccountant
January 28th, 2010
4:25 pm
The Braves do have a ton of minor league talent. However until they get new ownership that is not simply paying just enough to meet their contract with MLB, I have little faith in their ability to consistently be a contender.
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
4:28 pm
Nic N Nash, once you get past a certain level of tens of millions, the “looking out for the family’s interests” argument becomes doo-doo, IMO. His family couldn’t have lived off 140 mil, they had to have 145? C’mon, man; we’d all change jobs to go from 30 grand to 50, or 80 to 120 where there actually is a lifestyle change and greater security involved. But that’s comparing apples to oranges. All I’m askin’ is, how many gold plated…no, solid gold golf carts does this butt-munch need before he feels respected? And when you set yourself up in the public eye to be a holier-than-thou Christian missionary, is the message you want to send to a 12 year old fan that worships you and wears your Braves jersey that what he ought to do is act like THAT? He’s an @$$, IMO; plain and simple.
ugaaccountant
January 28th, 2010
4:29 pm
For anyone who doesn’t like signing Damon because of their feelings about him personally, the same thinking goes for any other free agent you like. We just aren’t going to spend enough to keep up with the Phillies and Mets on a year by year basis. We couldn’t make the playoffs last year and the Mets had injuries to almost all of their major players. I imagine they will be much tougher competitors in 2010 with all those stars back.
The Grinch
January 28th, 2010
4:30 pm
NCbravesFan, Wren HAS to have a “what have you done for me lately” approach to everyone if he wants to field a competitive team with the budget he has. If he was doling out sentimental salaries to players who are far past their prime and we were winning 50 games, everyone would be calling for his head for THAT. I’d rather have a shrewd GM than a weak one.