Yunel Escobar (.471) like a new player — should Braves care?

super frank wren screw up.

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I hate to bring this up, but do you think he was even trying in Atlanta anymore?

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Esco didn’t fit in on the braves team, no matter how good he played he was just on the wrong team.

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Glad he is gone. He didn’t want to be here so whatever. All that was going to do is hurt the team.

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Way, way too many mistakes or lapses in concentration. Maybe the change will do him good, but he wasn’t, and didn’t look like he ever would be, the player he was before with the Braves. It was time to move on.

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who cares? he plays for Toronto ….. I follow the Braves. On a side note how is Casey Kothcman doing? Oh wait who cares, Kelly Johnson? who cares? Let it go man. I am an Atlanta Braves fan, from Pat Rocket to Biff Pocoroba to Al Hrabosky to Larvell Blanks …. the players come and go but I am a fan of the team and Esocobar ain’t on it…..

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Any of us would probably put up those numbers against the Orioles!

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…and I was a big Escobar defender; now he has no pressure on a non-contender. Totally different circumstances.

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Yuni needed a change of scenery. I agree with PJ that the trade more than likely woke him up. Any production from here on out would simply be a bi-product of his mindset post-trade. I don’t think he goes 8 for 17 the past 4 games (w/ a Slam) if he is playing on this team.

But at the end of the day…GO Gonzalez and GO BRAVOS!

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The Frenchy deal looked pretty bad last year for a while but in the end, players are what they are. Give it time and I’m sure Esco will show his butt to our neighbors in Canada.

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I’m happy for Escobar and hope things work out for him. Escobar had been hitting better before the trade and I did not like it, that said, It’s a little early to call it. I hope Gonzalez works out because I want the Braves to win. Gonzalez is going to need to hit for some power to help overcome what he does best, make outs.

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He’ll be traded to the yanks or red sox in a year and win a series. watch.

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Braves’ fans should care – we’re quite possibly looking at another trade in the near future.

If the next trade is along the lines Esco trade, no thanks.

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“respectable” BA for gonzalez? i guess. but his OBP is atrocious, which pretty much nullifies that.

i just don’t get this trade at all from a baseball perspective. we traded a young player at the lowest point in his value (having an unsustainably poor season) for an old player at the highest point in his value (having an unsustainably good season, power-wise). not only is that going to come back to haunt us long term, but it could easily haunt us this year. i would not be at all surprised if yunel’s offensive numbers were substantially higher than gonzalez’s.

so the only way we “win” with this trade, in my opinion, is if the prospects we got turn out well.

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All this does is prove that he had quit on the Braves and his team-mates in ATL…Good freaking riddence

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Jeff, You of all people should know you cannot determine the value of a trade in 2 weeks. Lets all wait until the end of the year or even next year to throw stones and make judgements regarding this deal.

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I think it is clear that Escobar was an “I” guy and not a team guy. When he started of the year slow he just gave up and tanked it. While reading the blogs and watching other teams brodcast of the Braves games two scouts said Escobar thinks he is better than he is.

Escobar has an attitude problem, but we all saw that. He quit on the Braves. Cox didnt like the way he played and his attitude to Yunel just quit like a child. Yunel didnt care how bad he looked or the vibe he gave off, he just wanted to stick it to the Braves.

Im for one am glad he is gone, I was sick of watching him mope and look at the scorer and smirk everytime he made one of his dumb errors. Yunel is a child and wont ever be a winner at anything.

Im glad the baby is gone.

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Yunel is a great talent and I hope he does well. But remember, he caused the problems, he did not hit, hit pouted, he was not a good teammate.

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I’m still very glad the CRY BABY is gone

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The real problem for the Braves is “Bobby Cox”. He’s too old and has not a clue of how to treat young players… especially Latin and black players. It’s his way or the highway. He tends to embrass some players while letting certain players get away with the same offense. He is not a ‘great’ manager. With all of the talent that has come through Atlanta, the Braves should have a far better post season record. Time for Cox to be gone…. 5 years past due. I do think that Y Escobar is a “great” Shortstop. Time will tell if trade was a good or bad. J Francour will come back to haunt the Braves for a long time. I do love my BRAVES !!!!!!!!

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Not Monday morning quarterbacking here…but…been a Braves fan forever…watched 1000’s of games…live and TV….Esobar was/is a major talent…don’t understand why the Braves could not make it work with him…it will come back to haunt them…if they do make the postseason…it’s one and done…talent like this (5 tool) does not come around very often.

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The change of scenery is going to do him good. There is no doubt that he will be a talented player once he learns to grow up!!!!

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It was a bad move. He had a bad first half. The Braves are a professional baseball team. If the team is unable to win because one immature player is on the team then the term professional should not be used to describe the organization. Does anyone here remember when Yunel was being compared to Edgar Renteria? Does anyone here remember how good Yunel was for his career…before this year? If you are trying to win the World Series this year you keep Yunel or trade him for someone that is a difference maker.

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Because some players turn it around in the second half, I thought the Braves may have done this trade a little too soon. With that said, I was not disappointed to see Escober leave.

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Escobar is a total head case. Wait till he starts to pout in Toronto. He will eventually lose focus up there just like he did with Atlanta. I’m still happy he is gone because he was a bad chemistry mix with the braves.

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Dude needed a change of scenery. Braves lose this deal ultimately, but that’s just the way it played out.

I don’t blame Wren for moving him – I think it made sense from a clubhouse standpoint (if all the rumors about him being a bad teammate have any validity), but beyond what Chipper and crew thinks of Escobrat, this was not a good trade for the Braves organization.

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I don’t understand why the Braves could not motivate him. Did they exhause all avenues to get him to play better? He is an unbelievable talent. He carried the Braves the 2nd half last year. Looks like he is going to carry the Jays this second half. As I said in a previous blog, I think the Braves gave up on this kid too soon! I really do!

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This is a pointless article undoubtly brought on by a lack of something to write about. IT’s BEEN 4 GAMES!!!!!!! No wonder the newspaper business is suffering.

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Yuni’s attitude was not good for the team, Iam happy his gone and Iam sure he is happy where he is at. Good decision from the Front Office.

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Escobar is obviously talented. It is unfortunate the Braves couldn’t find a way to motivate him besides trading him. Over the long haul the Braves have to hope the minor leaguers make this an equitable deal.

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HE PLAYS FOR TORONTO!!!!!!!!!!!!! As a Braves fan, I don’t care at all!!!! We had no other options but to trade him. Let’s PLEASE move on to the business at hand, which is getting to the Playoffs. Since when did we start judging trades after 6 days?

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1.) saying a player is productive in one place means he would be productive in another is never an accurate comparison. Chemistry and atmosphere mean so much to a persons psyche you cant compare to totally different settings. Not everyone has the ability to perform no matter their surroundings and that goes for every level, even us in the business world sometimes personalities just don’t mesh.

2.) He is intensely motivated right now. Do you think Escobar will bat .427 in Toronto in August with nothing on the line. Or maybe he will, perhaps it was the pressure this is the first season the Braves have REALLY been playing for something and it was his worst year yet, maybe he can’t thrive where there are expectations. I’m going to stick with the trade motivating him theory though. Look at Francouer in the second half of last year, now he is on the bench and more than likely on his way out of NYC.

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I know that Escobar had a bad first half, but the man was the MVP of the 2009 season. As others have pointed out, Cox has had patience (too much patience!) with much less talented, less productive players when better players were on the bench (e.g., Kelly Johnson, Greg Norton, Nate McLouth). I think in the long run the trade will definitely be regretted. But what do I know, I’m an Omar Infante fan.

Marcum commented, “But, now that we’ve got Yunel, it’s been fun to watch him the last couple days.” That’s one thing you can say about Yunel – he was always entertaining.

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I still support the trade becuaes Escobar would never have played consistently well in Atlanta. However, I feel sure that Escobar, like so many others, will do much better having “escaped” Atlanta. Maybe the atmosphere in Atlanta isn’t quite as good overall as many seem to believe. While everyone seems to tout the Atlanta Way of playing baseball, the fact is they only won one WS out of all those tries. And, in many of those years, the rotation featured three future HofFers and usually a fourth (Avery, Neagle, Leibrandt, etc) who would have been a one or, at worse, a two starter on most other teams.

Maybe the promised land aint the promised land after all.

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I think the trade and the results afterward is the very evidence of this great swap. Yunel needed a change of scenery and the Braves needed, ahem, a “Company man”.

Regardless of anything extra we get for A-Gon, the trade was a great one with the big arm of Collins coming into the farm system. Don’t look at the first week of results of this trade, look at the long term gain in Collins. And as far as A-Gon, he’s shown he’s a solid SS, not a lot of flash but gets the job done. If we get a long ball streak out of him at some point, that’s gravy as the overall intent (I think) was more about the clubhouse than a power hitting middle infielder — we can get that power stroke from an outfielder trade, which I think we do need.

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Esco would never have played this hard with the Braves. It’s sad that it came to this, period.

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If I had Terry Pendleton as a hitting coach I would hit -.00000 not .0000. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the midget picture (5′6″ 1/2) Wren got as a throw in..

This trade was good for Yunel and the Jays, not Atlanta.

I predict Yunel will help improve the Jays tremendously.

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It doesn’t surprise me that Yunel is on fire right now, but this trade can’t be judged until next year really. Let’s see how both guys do for the rest of this season and next year. Everyone over-analyzed Francoeur’s hot start in New York and he’s basically come back to his 2008-2009 Atlanta numbers now. I wasn’t thrilled with this trade for the long-term, but the fact is that guys with a bit of a hot dog reputation don’t last on the Braves. They probably have the dullest clubhouse in the majors, but they win (in regular season) so it’s hard to dispute what they’re doing to build the team. I just hope that Gonzalez doesn’t disappear in the post-season assuming we make it. That’s what this trade was really about, getting a guy that can help immediately for one that didn’t really fit the clubhouse.

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I think that Bobby Cox had a lot to do with the yunel attitud, Yunel was NEVER Cox favorite therfore he didn’t want to be a Brave, I don’t think that with Cox at the helm he was ever going to develop. the Braves got a good player, specially a respected player which Yunel wasn’t, it’s too early to judge Yunel in his new team, for now I think that the Braves got what they needed and for the future I don’t think that this trade will haunt them since Yunel didn’t want to be here.

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I’m not nor will I ever be mad at Wren for these moves as long as we have a tight-wad owvership group. Look, I’m not thrilled about giving away players like Wainwright, Texeria, Sorriano, Francouer, Escobar for basically nothing, but what do you guys expect? Ted Turner is the real culprit. He cared so much about the team and the city that he gave away the Braves to a group that doesn’t give a sh!t about baseball. Certainly not about winning. Management isn’t allowed to spend to get the top players, so Wren’s done a pretty good job considering. What the hell’s he sposed to do ya morons (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Look, I’m excited about the team, but we most likely won’t win. We can’t add the Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Corey Hart, Adam Dunn player we need to shore things up cause we got no cash! the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox can simply outspend us.

So every once in a while, we’ll get a magical season like this, but until we spend more, we’ll be a 3rd place team more often than not.

And another thing, thanks Ted for screwing up TBS. Bad enough you gave away my team, but you gave away the network that used to show them. So now, I never get to see them play since I rarely get stationed in GA. You suck you communist jerk!

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Are you serious? Five games? Five?

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Actually FOUR games! FOUR!

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What isn’t as obvious and takes more digging than just reading a box score is his sometimes numb skull base running …. lack of bunting skill or daydream fielding. For every great defensive play or big base hit there was an opposing Escrewup. Be glad he’s gone, the Braves are a better team without him.

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My concern with the Braves is their inconsistency and favortism in how they seem to be short on patience with some players and too long with others. Specifically , I saw Cox stick with pinch hitter G Norton last year when it was clear to all of baseball that he didn’t have it anymore to the dertiment of the team. This year, its C Jones who has clearly lost his edge and is continually hurt and what does Cox do as soon as he says he ready to play, he starts him no matter how well the other guys are doing which i believe hurts the team. This is just two examples but i could name others. The good old boys network is alive and well in the Braves organization and this to me is why they have only won one championship despite the success in the 90’s. Just my humble opinion.

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Yunel’s, like using Viagra, bat will eventually go limp at the plate. You can’t really think this guy will hit .450 for the season.

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JEFF ~ He’s in Toronto, no pressure, and playing Baltimore. But I wish him luck…He has the potental to be an all-star tho. It’s all between his ears.

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“Non-comformity”? So the baserunning blunders, lazy defensive episodes, effortless at-bats, and me-first attitude were him not “conforming”? If that’s the case, then every baseball player in the league better start “conforming”.

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And if you don’t like my comment,YOU CAN KISS MY ASHCAN!!!!

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this has to be a joke… 4 games against the worst team in the AL

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It’s almost like he flipped on a switch, isn’t it? It only makes me wonder why he couldn’t use that “ON” switch while he was still with us. Toronto certainly hasn’t re-coached him in 4 short days. It’s sad that it took a surprise trade to snap his focus into full strength. No way he’d be doing this if he was still with us. He’d still be coasting. It’s too bad. I want him to do well no matter where he is, but I’m disappointed in him for not doing his job here.

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As a whole, during his tenure, hitters have hit slightly better under TP than in their careers under other hitting coaches. I calculated it all out a few months ago.

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So what. I’m glad Yunel heard the wake-up call and hope he can revive his career in Toronto. But, he was so done as a Brave after losing trust and respect of teammates with dropped popups, bad throws, no hustle on the bases and hacking off umpires with his shrugs and rolling of eyes at pitch calls.

Maybe, Yunel will learn to be a team player in Canada instead of a self-centered one-man show he’s been in Atlanta.

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Escobar can go to hell. He is not a true professional. If he was, he would have performed for the Braves this year. He is the typical MLB player that can only thrive on a mediocre to bad team, ala Nate McClouth. Put Escobar on any decent team, and he will under peform. He cannot handle the pressure. Go to hell Escobar.

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Didn’t understand the deal to begin with but then again Frank Wren has made some great moves and hasn’t called me once for approval–Gonzalez will come around just like Glaus did.

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YES!!!! See what it took to wake him up. It will be a good trade for both sides.

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The Braves shouldn’t care. It’s obvious the team wanted him gone by the reception Gonzalez received upon his arrival. The impact of Gonzalez should be across the entire team, not just at the shortstop position.

Personally, I wasn’t a fan of the trade, but I didn’t have to deal with Yunel on a daily basis like the team did. Additionally, as fans aren’t privy to all of the issues, our judgment is impaired.

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How’s that decision to send Andrus to Texas working out for us John Shurholtz?

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Yunel reminds me of a guy who would excel at individual sports like Boxing or Tennis but when it comes to a team game he doesn’t understand the whole teammate concept.

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Escobar was the MVP of the Braves last year, and it looks like he is going to have a monster second half. If the Braves go to the playoffs the trade looks ok for the short term in the long term there is no way that the Braves come out on top with this one. I can only hope that Escobars early sucess with the Jays stops Wren from making another awful trade. We don’t need Ross or Hart or Willingham. The only outfielders I would want would be either Adam Jones or Chris Young and it would depend on what we had to give to get them.
By the way you think that Escobars production could some how be related to him batting 2nd where he should have been batting for the Braves.

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sometimes a trade is not just about what you get,but what you get rid of! Escobar had become a back cloud to the team,and Bobby Cox does not put up with these kind of players,his actions and attitude dictated this trade,i hope he does well in toronto,i also hope he likes being on a second division team also! You cant let one player become bigger than the TEAM!!!!! i dont care what he does from here on out,i will nopt 2nd guess the deal,Wren & the braves did waht was best for there team!!! point blacnk.

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How’s that decision to send Andrus to Texas working out for us John Shurholtz?

Not well but we got Texi for awhile in the deal and if we would have made the playoffs no one would have cared. I hear this 18 year old kid Salciedo (sp?) is coming along and based on his raw talent it wouldn’t have mattered if Andrus or Yunel were here. They would both have to get out of the way,

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By the way you think that Escobars production could some how be related to him batting 2nd where he should have been batting for the Braves.

No. If you think a .238 hitter should be batting second your dumb. I think it has more to do with a fresh start and facing the Orioles.

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Give him a couple of weeks to settle in. The first time he loses it with an umpire or screws up and Cito gets in his back side, watch the lip droop and the scowl grow and the prima dona will surface. Good luck Toronto, Atlanta really got the best of this deal.

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LOL. Who from the Braves organization exactly said Escobar had a bad attitute here in Atlanta? Give me a link? They only place I hear about this is from FAT FACES like Steak Shapiro on talk radio and FAT HEADS eating chips at their desks at lunch posting on this blog. Give me some facts – not speculation.

The Braves don’t air their dirty laundry in public so you wont find any links. But everyone knew what was going on.

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He had already given up here, so good riddance to bad rubbish.

When he stopped running all the way to first base on ground outs, he was history.

It is only a matter of time before he wears out his welcome there in Toronto; you what they say about putting lipstick on a pig.

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Everything else aside, I think that 4 games is plenty of time to evaluate a trade GIVE ME a BREAK!

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maybe he will grow up north of the border..i really thought he would become a fine shortstop for the braves….sure had the arm and range..too many lapses of indifference over the past few months..thought glaus was going to get his arm torn off on one of his throws last week..gonzo has looked great in the field wonder if the braves will be able to resign him for a year or two more

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Jeff, understand this, NO-NEVER-NYET, Yunel requires a baby sitter and the Braves did not need anymore of that attitude, he’ll prosper for awhile and then return to his normal self.

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American League pitching hasn’t seen Escobar that much. Give them a while, they’ll learn him. And you have to think that Gonzalez has just a bit more pressure to perform coming to a division leading team than Escobar does going to a team with no shot of going anywhere this year. I mean heck, when you’re new team gives you a standing ovation when you walk into the clubhouse, don’t you think he felt like there was something big expected of him? He needs to relax a bit and he will do fine. This is still a good trade, if nothing else, for a tighter, more harmonious clubhouse.

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One last thing..think about all those times of seeing Escobar in the dugout looking unhappy, now think about all those times with him looking that way knowing that no one wants him there. Problem is for fans they dont know when the team started disliking him and when Yunel knew he wasnt liked so fans are on the outside specualting it would be nice for someone with a chance to interview Bobby to ask one question. “Bobby when did things start falling apart for Yunel?” Thats it Bobby can answer everyones question as to why Yunel was giving him such a hard time. Unfortunately all fans hear now is yeah this guy Gonzalez is professional, real professional. Uh ok, in this day and age when fans want the inside dirt no reporter wants to dig for it?

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Mitchell is the Village idiot of this blog.

A few months ago he was saying Chipper wasnt a HOFer and as part of his argument he said Andruw Jones was a far superior post season batter.

Well I pulled the stats and not only was Andruw not “far superior” but Chipper was better in almost every single category. He talks out his backside and just makes up stuff.

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Jeff Back in the 70s, the Braves acquired a Latino pitcher whom they thought might help them out. Of course in those days, most any pitcher who was breathing would be a help, but I digress… Anyway, they assigned this guy to the Triple A Richmond team to get into shape. The guy absolutely stunk up the place, had an ERA of around 18.00. The guy pitched like he really did not want to be there. Well, the Braves accommodated him and gave him his outright release . Shortly thereafter, said pitcher signed a deal with the Boston Red Sox and went on to have a pretty good career with them. You might remember him, a guy by the name of Luis Tiant.
The wife has said for months that Yunel has played like he wanted to be somewhere else. I think about what I remember about Tiant and think she just might have been on to something.

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Anyone who says this trade was a mistake didn’t listen to comments fromt he Braves organization and individuals who had access to the Braves lockeroom. Clearly Escobar had some issues here and he still would not be producing if they had not traded him. Either his attitude, lack of trying/caring, whatever it was, he had issues that would have prevented him from producing in Atlanta. If I speculate, I would say it was lack of focus and effort, along with a bad attitude. Glad he is doing well, but also glad he was removed from the Braves.

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Honestly, that just shows you that HE WAS NOT TRYING here in Atlanta

Exactly right. If he were still here he would still be pouting and still not hitting.

He quit on the Braves not the other way around. The gave him every opportunity to turn it around. Bobby Cox was extremely patient. But almost getting Glaus hurt, who does care and plays hard every game, was the last straw.

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BTW, I wonder if Wren even inquired about Lee for Escobar. If the goal is to win it this year that would have made more sense.
Also Shane about Escobar htting second, my point is that if he had been hitting second his average would have beed higher. Funny how chipper hits 250 and is locked in to the third slot.

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This could be a win win for the Braves and the Jays. Atlanta has a shot at the World Series while the Jays are in total rebuild mode. Bobby Cox can’t afford to wait on a young guy. The Jays can. Atlanta fans will love Alex G. He makes it fun to watch defense and he holds his own as a hitter. I was disappointed to see him go but I understand the move.
The Braves are a class organization and seeing them win a World Series for Cox and the town would be nice.would be nice

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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by jane , Jeff Schultz. Jeff Schultz said: Yunel Escobar since the trade: .471. Oops. #Braves http://bit.ly/dbdriy [...]

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Glad the headcase is gone! Don’t care what he does now!!!

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I personally feel that the Braves got the short end of this deal. We traded a young, talented player with a long future, for a temp not-so-good player who will be gone soon due to free agency. Granted Yunel was in a slump for about 4 months, and he was unmotivated. They should have just benched him for a couple of games, and that would made him wake up and work harder. Maybe they should have had a heart to heart with him. In any case, I think he will be missed in the playoffs…

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Brian

July 20th, 2010
12:35 pm

Who from the Braves organization exactly said Escobar had a bad attitute here in Atlanta?

Bobby Cox said it loud and clear with every puzzled look from the dugout and post-game interview answer. The rest of the team said it loud and clear when they gave Gonzalez a standing ovation as he entered the clubhouse.

Most importantly, Frank Wren said it loud and clear when he traded Escobar for an older and inferior player.

Uh, Brian. I think you’re using the word “said” incorrectly. No, you are using it incorrectly, not to mention “loud and clear.”

But then again I have bad hearing.

You might have been better off with “Bobby Cox insinuated it,” or “hinted at,” or “conveyed,” “implied,” “the rest of the team expressed it…”

That’s it.

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My feeling is that he wouldn’t have been capable of that in Atlanta. Clearly it isn’t just his location, but his attitude, that changed. He will be the good player Atlanta had in the past, but it wasn’t possible for that to happen here. Perhaps it’s a failure of the Atlanta organization not to be able to encourage him, perhaps it’s a detractor for Yunel’s character going forward that he’ll eventually get bored and stop trying until his hand is forced by an outraged management to actually make adjustments to his mechanics and attitude at the plate. Clearly all it took was for him to think, “okay, I actually have to reassess things with the bat, because this could be make it or break it time for me.”

Those two home runs wouldn’t have happened if Yunel had been playing The Brewers at The Ted.

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I’m happy for Yunel, I hope he does well for the Blue Jays. The Braves got a good man in the trade but more than that they got a great potential arm. A kid that I think will help the team out down the road more than Yunel ever did. As far as a team is concerned a player is only as good as he performs and Yunel just wasn’t doing it here.

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Let’s be honest here….everyone remember how well Francour did after he was traded, then continued to go back to his old ways. Until the book is out on Esco, he will do well. It is too early to judge this trade just like all others. I still think it had to be done and am glad we have Gonzo here.

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The deal HAD to be made….period….because of Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones. Neither liked Escobar. A change of scenery is a good thing for Escobar and he now has motivation to play hard….which he did not have in Atlanta. I do think Escobar was misunderstood and unappreciated by the Braves orgranization and he could not just be himself and thrive. He was NOT a Bobby Cox type of player. If Hanley Rameriez was in Atlanta…Bobby Cox would want to trade him too. Give Bobby “vanilla” personality ballplayers and he is a happy man. NO Sheffs, Justices, Loftons, etc….no matter how good they are or could become. It is that simple. I am sure the next Braves manager will regret the Escobar trade more than the current manager does….as will the fans. Texas has another good ex-Braves organization SS (Andrus) that is thriving as well…as the phenom-relief pitcher (forgot his name) they just gave away in the Tex deal. Soon, Atlanta will be best known for the all-star team that no longer plays for the Braves but used to play for them.

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It’s NOT about what he was hitting OR what he is hitting. It is about him being a cancer in the clubhouse. It is funny that he is all of a sudden hitting. He could have been all along. he was just showing his rear end and not hustling. he was given MANY chances,

I guess we’ll have to see 1,000 Escobar articles now that he is a former ATL player. See Francoeur, Vick, etc.

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The law of averages finally took over. So for the season he is hitting what? and 1 homer. Anyone can have a hot streak. Francouer was hitting .400 also (in the beginning).

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What an insanely idiotic statement. Yeah, that’s why all the other 24 players on the roster love and revere playing for him, and all say its the best environment they’ve ever played in. Also, virtually every former player has said the same with only 2 or 3 exceptions. Bottom line, if you can’t get along with Cox and function in this club house, it’s a you issue, not a Cox or Braves issue.

Please stop spinning your tires.. It reeks of burnt rubber in here.

What does the “other 24″ have to do with the treatment Escobar received from Cox? Those other guys always side with the manager or they’ll find themselves in the doghouse or traded/released.

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Frank and Bobby gave him all of the time and chances here that Yunel deserved. I like this kid, but a change of scenery may be just what he needed. Add to that Cito Gaston ( who speaks Spanish) and Yunel is obviously comfortable. Good for him, and good for us as A-Gon is doing just fine…

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Even I could bat nearly .500 with a grand slam against Baltimore!!!

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I watched the game Yunel hit the grand slam. It was the first time I’ve seen him smile this year. He was actually talking with his teammates in the dugout. I agree he may become a great player but he didn’t appear to enjoy playing for the Braves.

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Whatever Yunel does from here really doesn’t matter…the bottom line is that he wasn’t getting it done in Atlanta and gave no indication it was going to change. If this trade gets his attention and serves as the springboard for a solid major league career, then so be it. But that doesn’t change the fact that this kid was asleep at the wheel in the heat of a pennant race here in Atlanta. This trade wasn’t about what Yunel may or may not do in Toronto…it’s about what he was doing in Atlanta. And in that regard, good riddance.

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Kind of like people writing some teams off after the first week of the season or declaring someone world champs after the first 4 games of the season. Baseball is a marathon, and four games prove nothing, good or bad. If Escobar’s results were similar after 2 or 3 weeks, instead of 4 games, this wouldn’t be such a waste of an article.

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Bottom line is…who wouldn’t be batting .471 after playing against the Orioles for three games? Let’s see how he does against the Yankees and Red Sox.

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Drawing a conclusion on a trade, after 4 games, is pointless.

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And to those asking “who in the organization ever said he had a bad attitude” – are you familiar at all with the Braves? They NEVER talk trash about former players or publicly humiliate those who are underperforming. Being a professional includes treating your people with respect. And if it isn’t working out, you go your separate ways. There’s nothing to be gained from trying to trash their reputations as well.

And Bernard – yours wins for most ignorant post of the day. “Cut” Kawakami, Lowe or McClouth? You do realize baseball contracts are for guaranteed money and these guys are each owed millions, right? Which also preempts trades other than situations where the Braves eat tens of millions of contract dollars? Loser indeed.

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Too late to second guess about Yunel now. I wish him luck, but think Gonzalez will be just fine.

How is Jo Jo doing, I wonder? It really would be shocking if he budded into a consistent starter.

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damn! good for yunel, he needed the change of scenary. the braves all the way

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don’t you have anything better to write about it.

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When the players in the club house gave Gonzo a standing ovation. That speaks volumes about the trade. The players know better than anyone.

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How Yunel plays in Toronto is irrelevant. It does not affect the Braves. What is important is how Gonzalez plays in Atlanta.

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Good talent…bad attitude…good bye…and…good luck.

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Everyone on this blog knows about the potential living inside of Yunel Escobar. When he is motivated, the guy is a superstar. Apparently, Atlanta wasn’t a motivating environment for him.

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Doesn’t matter what Escobar does for Toronto unless he does it against the Braves. It should be noted the Jays have been playing Baltimore and that is close to playing a AAA team. Lets see what he does when the competition improves.Also the SS cupboard is not exactly empty for the Braves. They have severla canidates that should be ready in 2-3 seasons including Salcedo. In the meantime they fill the position with Gonzales.

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Don’t care. Write about the Braves, not the former players. Of course….you can’t help yourself. All of the AJC writers have man crushes on former ATL players like Vick. How many Vick articles have you written since he left? Get over the crush and write about OUR guys.

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I’m going out on a limb here, but had he hit close to ..471 with a GS even for a couple games prior to the trade, he’d likely still be here. They felt he needed to go and maybe he’s happy to be gone.

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SportsFan, Francoeur was never a great hitter (at least against righties). Escobar was actually a good player before this season. So it’s not a fair comparison.

Also, Escobar is just as likely to revert to his career norms as he is to continue to play as poorly as he did with the Braves.

I suspect the Braves didn’t make this move because they thought Gonzalez was clearly an upgrade. I suspect they made the move to stock up on valuable minor leaguers so that they can trade minor league depth for major league wins. I suspect they are smart enough to know that it’s quite possible they downgraded at short. But overall, they got the players that are desirable to contender looking to unload major league talent at the deadline.

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Jeff, you are getting like Mark Bradley with these predictions. Escobar was going nowhere fast in Atlanta. A change of scenery woke him up and he’s had a few good days of production. Let’s see what happens for the rest of the season.

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They should have waited after Bobby Cox retirement. The braves future manager could have gotten more out of the young man like the Blue Jays manager.

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Just a guess here, but we are talking about 4 games. Didn’t Frenchy tear it up with the Mets for a while too?

Give it some time.

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Yunel and Kenny Lofton, peas in a pod.

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Esco never would have hit 471 in 4 games in atlanta, I beleive he wanted to get out of atlanta and the way he played wha his way of doing it. Good ridance.

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This trade could very well come back and haunt the ………. Blue Jays…….. If Collins and Pastor Nicky are as good in the bigs, as those 2 young 20 year olds included in the trade, as they are in AA

The Braves fleeced the Jays

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Jeff Francoeur went on a tear when he joined the Mets…how’d that turn out?

Yunel is excited to have a change of scenery because he was tired of being surrounded by people who were tired of him. Now he’s got a clean slate. So by default he’s happier and that makes him play better. But as soon as something doesn’t go his way, or he gets an error on a play he disagrees with…he’ll return to his pouting self.

And even if he hits the way he used to…the point is he didn’t fit the clubhouse. And that means something to have one bad apple spoiling the whole experience.

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Basically, I’m just plain IRRITATED at Yunel. The Braves’ organization & their fandom have always wanted Yunel to succeed, and we all were more than patient with this kid. I KNEW this would happen once he was traded. I’m now wondering whether he baited the organization on purpose so that he could be traded. I can’t imagine any other reason why he would succeed after being traded otherwise.

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Shane

A few months ago he was saying Chipper wasnt a HOFer and as part of his argument he said Andruw Jones was a far superior post season batter

Liar! Never in my life did I say Chipper wasn’t a Hall of Famer. What the hell are you talking about?

You’re just one of those people who think I hate the guy because I made fun of him for hitting into a double play like twice.

Get over it. He’s old, he hurts himself swinging, he misses ground balls hit right at him. I’m not the only one who rips him for those things. That doesn’t make me or anybody else think any less of him for his overall career which is most definitely Hall of Fame worthy. The fact that you would even think that is pathetic and shows what a douche you are.

What is worth pointing out as I did earlier is that the two people happiest to see Yunel go, Bobby and Chipper, are both retiring at the end of the year which ultimately makes the trade inherently flawed.

There’s no guarantee that Gonzalez gives us a better chance to win the World Series. Sure, it’s a team game and he’s considered more of a team player so in the short term there’s cause for making the move but it’s funny, I always thought the Braves were about patience. You’d think for a guy who was Mr. Clutch last year he’d get just half the amount of patience the likes of KJ and Francoeur, not to mention Greg Norton, were able to enjoy.

And if I remember correctly, I never said Andruw Jones was a great post-season performer and Chipper Jones wasn’t or Chipper didn’t come through for us ever and was terrible!

All I did was make the case based on what I remembered (without looking up the numbers) was that Andruw was just as much if not slightly more valuable to us as Chipper.

I mean, conventional wisdom would tell you that Chipper was the leader of the team and was the “straw that stirs the drink” for lack of a better way of saying it… the MVP, Mr. October… whatever. What you can’t argue is that he certainly was no Derek Jeter. But then again, who is? I mean, I hate saying that, I hate Derek Jeter and he can burn in hell in his Yankee pinstripes but it is what it is.

Of course, now you’re going to say I think Chipper Jones is half the player Derek Jeter is and isn’t fit to carry his you-know-what and I wish Derek Jeter could have been a Brave and if he had been we would have been better off.

Because that’s how you think. Because you’re a tool.

If the stats say I’m wrong about Andruw and Chipper in the playoffs, then fine. It doesn’t really surpise me to be honest. Of course he (Chipper) did have more playing time as Andruw was not on the team in ‘95.

But I wasn’t looking at stats. I was going by memory and feel. What I remember is Chipper making the last out in the ‘97 NLCS and what I feel is that he was not exactly a Met killer in the ‘99 NLCS.

Also, Andruw’s two World Series homeruns where a tad bit more memorable than Chipper’s lone long ball in ‘99.

No, you’re right. Chipper sucks. I hate Chipper. We should trade him. He’ll never set foot in the Hall of Fame.

I have to ask though, why did it take you months to get back to me with those post-season numbers? It should have taken you five minutes. This little misunderstanding could have been resolved long ago.

But it’s okay I guess. I forgive you Shane.

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Yunel Escobar can become a hall of famer in Toronto, and that doesn’t change the fact he was a space cadet in Atlanta and probably would never reach his full potential in a Braves uniform. Furthermore, I don’t think one weekend of beating up on Baltimore Orioles pitching constitutes a turnaround of any sort.

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I’m sure I’m not the first, but my production spiked when I was traded to NY. Baseball players are like stocks. You have to look at the value when it was part of your portfolio, not what it does after you sold. Escobar was a speculative stock and he was replaced by blue chip (albeit with less long-term upside). But, to quote the late George Allen, the future is now.

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Whatever Escobar does it is clear a change of scenery was warranted. Evidence is the standing ovation Gonzalez received from the players.

Dumping an enigmatic talent is always a calculated risk.Unfortunately for the Braves, they will probably get the lesser half-seasons of each player. Gonzalez can’t allow himself to get caught up in comparisons, and being a seasoned vet I don’t think he will. So far he’s been very good defensively and not much at the plate, but less of an issue in the clubhouse. If he plays solid D and the Braves get into the postseason nobody’s going to care much what Gonzalez hits.

The bigger concerns are Glaus’ consistency, outfield production, and Chipper’s health. Glaus needs to have another June in August. McLouth needs to come back strong. Heyward needs to return to form. Hinske/Diaz/Infante need to produce collectively like a starting left fielder (and there are signs they might). Chipper needs to stay healthy and produce like he had been recently. Two or there minuses in these areas and the Braves might come up short.

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To me the real question is did Atlanta improve by making this trade. How Yunel Escobar does in Toronto is not a good barometer for what he could have done in Atlanta. The best barometer is what DID he do in Atlanta. That question is easy to answer; he deteriorated. As to judging the trade, we need to observe what Alex Gonzalez does the rest of the year. If it is better than what Yunel did during this year, then the Braves did great for everyone concerned…including Toronto and Yunel.

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He had a bad attitude and needed to be traded and his numbers will get better because he is happier at the moment , when Alex settles in no one will be talking about this trade anymore, now lets get a good hitting right handed center fielder and win another World Series.

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His success so far in Toronto, shows what he is capable of.
His half-a$$ effort in Atlanta, shows that he didn’t give a damn there.

Good luck to him. I hope nothing makes him mad and disgruntled in Canada, but I would not be suprised if it didn’t happen more sooner
than later.
Atlanta got the better end of this trade, no matter what EXcobar does from here on out.

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I didn’t like the trade because of Escobar’s potential… there’s no doubt that Toronto got the best player in this deal. No, he didn’t have any homers for us, but he was coming out of his slump.

I mean, I guess you can’t ignore that he wasn’t producing at the level the team expected him to, and he arguably wouldn’t have gone on this surge if he wasn’t traded in the first place (the trade giving him the extra motivation). As a Braves fan, I hate seeing him (and several other players now….Andrus, Wainwright, etc.) playing so well outside of Atlanta. But, I guess you can’t officially judge the trade until you see what happens in hindsight down the line, and not just in a few games. If Yuni goes on to win the MVP or contend for it or something like that, then the Braves are no doubt the losers. But if he starts pouting and slumping again later, then the Braves are the winners.

Yuni and Toronto are still the honeymoon period, so things are going great. Let’s wait and see what happens when they get settled in at home…

One thing I noticed though, Toronto put Yuni back up in the 2 hole in the lineup where he flourished for the Braves last year… I think ATL should have put him back up there once he came off the DL, and put Heyward down lower in the lineup, in the 6 or 7 spot, where he was so productive at the beginning of the season.

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If it took a trade to motivate him, then I wonder about his character that has been questioned. For the money these guys make and demand he should have performed better in Atlatnta. Maybe he realizes now that all the pouting will do nothing but hurt his career. I wish him the best because he is some kind of talent.

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Yes I like the trade. I was a defender of Escobar for a long time, feel that talent-wise, he is right behind Ramirez and who else? But I feel that the Braves did everything they could with the guy and have yet to figure the disconnect on him. I liken him to a guy that was real similar to Jose Reyes thirty years ago, Garry Templeton. I know Gonzalez is not Ozzie, but most folks thought the Cards were crazy for doing that deal, but they got into 3 World Series without Templeton and we’ve never made the playoffs with Escobar, so I understand the deal.

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Obviously Escobar has been playing better since he was traded but 4 games is an extremely small sample size.

Right now he is still dealing with the fact he was traded and probably wants to show the Braves AND Cox that they were wrong. In addition, I don’t think he wanted to be here anyway.

Give it some time. It seems to me that Francouer went on a tear last year after he was traded. Now he’s back to his old hack at anything self. I think the same thing happens to Escobar once the newness wears off.

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I like the deal, but I don’t like Jeff Schultz.

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@ Shaun comment around 1:25pm……If Escobar plays like he did last season, Gonzalez plays like he has for most of his career, the Braves don’t use their minor league depth to improve and they miss the playoffs, this trade will not look so great.

Giving up minor league depth??? What are you talking about??? They were finally able to get rid of Jo-Jo Reyes… I would have taken a couple of bats and a bag of balls for Jo-Jo. That was the best part of this trade!

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Furthermore, from my earlier comments i forgot something.

HIS BUTT IS LUCKY HE ISNT PLAYING FOR CASTRO ANYMORE. How can he not try and be happy he plays a game in the UNITED STATES for a living.

Yunel has issues and I hope he is out of baseball SOON!!

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Only going by what I read in the papers and what I personally see on the field it’s still a good trade. Frankly it was obvious that Bobby had grown tired of him and Yunel probably knowing this had quit trying. Whether he succeeds or not in Toronto really doesn’t matter as he’d already come to the point where he wasn’t going to in Atlanta anymore.

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Its easy to play great for a team in the basement. No pressure. Plus, if Yunel does go on to have a great career, the Braves picked a great spot to send him. No way the Jays will ever get past the Yanks, Sox, or Rays. So……who cares?

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J-Smoove, you missed my point and/or didn’t read my post carefully. Where did I say the Braves gave up minor league depth? They got minor league depth. In my view, this was the key part of the trade because now they have more value to trade for an outfield bat or something else they need.

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Yunel, are you related to Marcel Ledbetter?

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Didn’t both Francouer and Kelly Johnson get off to hot starts after they were traded/released and then cool of considerably? The same thing is happening. Yunel got his pride hurt by the trade and is now trying to show the Braves what they lost. Do you really think he would have had the same numbers over the last four games with the Braves if he had stayed? Not a chance. He will cool off. The pitchers will learn how to pitch him and everything will even out. I’m still glad he is gone.

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I am happy for Escobar. His success on the field was a fore gone conclusion. The guy flat out carried us last year. Had 3 good years here. As I recall, he only had one off field incident…but the same could be said for Bobby Cox.

On the field he gave his all, if the guy got upset at himself for making an error or not getting a timely hit so what. I’d rather have that than him smile all the way back to the bench…remember Andruw Jones demeanor in same situation.

By the way, getting historical at results on the field, Bobby Cox leads the majors as a manager who get ejected for the same behavior, yet he has lasted a long time in the same judgemental dugout. Keeping in mind, that getting thrown out of a game has never changed a call.

Point, the Braves should not single this guy out for stone throwing, when they too can have stones thrown their way also. Earlier in the season, Wren could have been stoned, he get’s his redemption, but could not wait for Escobar to get his; 4 games later he finds it in Toronto.

The trade, Gonzalez was Escobar as far as temperment, at the same age, but we gave up youth for an aged veteran. The guy is having a career year, so I hope he works out…is’nt it funny how people who have power to make change looks at that glass of water…Mr Wren!!

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In my opinion, Escobar intentionally played his way out of Atlanta…he wanted out because he knew his antics weren’t going to be tolerated.

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Trust Bobby, a players manager everyone loves let him go. I am ok, maybe he will do well I hope so, but not with a tomahawk on his chest if even Bobby wanted him gone.

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I think it was the right move- and I hope the change of scenary DOESNT do him well… I would if he was just slumping- but pulling for someone who hotdogged it and had a horrible attitude to ‘turn it around’ is crazy. Turn what around – a problem that was based on his actions? We’re not talking someone who was honestly giving it their all- we’re talking a player who obviously didn’t give a damn about the home team.

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Alex will take a little time to adjust to NL pitching but will be fine. Escobar is full of potential while Gonzo has proven consistent. I think the deal will work for both sides.

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If you don’t care about former Braves and Jeff’s points don’t comment! Comment on things you want to talk about, but don’t get on Jeff for doing his job. Just sayin!

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…devastated. Hope the best for Esco!

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Jeff – very glad that he’s gone and if he takes off in Toronto, good for him. The chemistry piece is so important and it’s readily apparent that he had neither the trust nor respect of his team. When the team leader has to ask Escobar to play hard as a birthday gift to the team leader, there are problems. This kid, though immensely talented, has to either mature or suffer the stigma of being viewed as another underachiever. Ryan Leaf comes to mind. Though a different sport and recognizing that Escobar has already accomplished far more than Leaf ever did, the underachieving, unrelentless focus on self above the team is strikingly similar.

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He was never going to do well here, I mean if our entire clubhouse gives his replacement a standing ovation the first time he walks in, I say whoever he replaced definitely needed to go. Sounds like everyone, not just management, was sick of Escobar and that alone could be the boost we need. I wish him well and hope he continues to do well, but I still think it was a good move and one that needed to be done.

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You said it yourself, it is ridiculous to even bring this up after only a week. Of course his numbers look great right now, but even with this “tear” he is on, it is still only his first home run and his numbers overall are pedestrian in comparison to Gonzalez. It is sad the ajc has to reach for this non-story to fill it’s pages.

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What’s the old saying, again — “Four games doth not a season make, nor doth Shultz an interesting read provide…”

Sage advice, I’d say.

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Can anyone provide any quotes or solid evidence that the Braves made this trade because Escobar’s attitude.

Other than his replacement receiving a standing ovation upon entering the clubhouse no.

Ive said this before the Braves are too classy to air their dirty laundry in public. You wont hear them say it but if you look closely its obvious.

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Amen brother.. Pendleton to the Phillies or the NYM. Milwakee will work too.

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Hope Escobar does well, however it was just very apparent that it wasn’t going to happen here in Atlanta with the Braves. But don’t start any comparisons just yet : Gonzalez gets tossed into the middle pressurized situation that’s evolving into a possible playoff run, so going 3 for 16 while holding down the forte in the field, with a professional attitude, to this point is far from an immediate disaster. As it’s been pointed out, Escobar goes into a non-pressure situation and starts to rake against an Orioles staff that barely rates as professional – from everything I saw they were basically throwing BP. Let’s give it all time and see how this shakes out – remembering Eunel is Eunel, and a leopard never changes it’s spots…

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Yunel batted .289 in June with a 407 OBP while still in Atlanta? If you check his monthly stats he was trending upward. All you people see is the small things you want to see. Him batting 294 so far in July is inline with what he was progressing towards doing while he was in Atlanta. He sucked in April and May but was turning things around. Yunels monthly OPS.. Apr .561, May .555, June .741, July 796. I think people think he was dogging it because of his reputation, but his numbers show he was trending back to normal all along.

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Oh Mitchell if your reading this im going back to find your quote about Chipper.

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Bad Trade.

It was a Bobby Cox deal. BC has his favorites and BC did not like YE and put YE in the doghouse.

BC put YE in the 7th hole. He is a number 2 hitter and hit from that spot last year and ripped the cover off the ball. This is where Toronto has him hitting and he is comfortable in the spot and again hitting the cover off the ball.

BC has Jay Hey in the second hole and that is not his spot. He is a number 3 or number 5 hitter.

In addition, trade gives up too much youth. Now 3rd base is 38 years old, short is 33 years old, and 1st base is 34 years old.

Now Braves are looking for some more pop in the outfield and will give up more youth to rent a player for this season and next. Wren better save some of the young arms as Lowe and KK are already over the hill and Wags says he is not returning.

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Hey, as long as the clubhouse is a happier place — who really cares if the team better or not? Most of the time, I enjoyed watching Escobar play; but then, I think a team needs an edgy component to keep from getting complacent.

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I was upset as soon as the deal was done, if you accept that for whatever reason that Yunel had to be traded, it was still a bad deal. We traded a very talented player who was at his low point for a mediocre player who was at his high point, that is not how you win in baseball trading. Furthermore if Yunel HAD to be moved, then he should of been used as one of our bargaining chips to get a good young OF bat, because we have Omar Infante who should of convinced the Braves by now that he is an everyday player and can play SS well enough.

I have a very bad feeling that we are going to have a hard time getting that young OF bat now that one of our best chips is gone, Yunel had the contract situation and talent to be a key part of a much more substantial trade for the Braves.

If the Braves end the year in the WS and Gonzalez does not hurt them, or the prospects we acquired pan out either as players or trading chips then this will be viewed as a good deal for the Braves. If those things do not happen then Frank Wren got hustled by the Jays.

My biggest concern is that this deal was made because 2 guys who are on their way out (Bobby and Chipper) couldn’t coexist with Yunel. If that was indeed the reason then we have much larger organizational issues than this deal to worry about.

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Still a good trade in my mind. In my opinion, Yunel needed to go somewhere different where he would be one of the top 3 players on the team at some point. He was probably 7th or 8th best on the Braves and probably knew it would be that way for the next 5 or so years. Yunel probably grew up being one of the best on every team he played and never adjusted to being a role player for the Braves this year.

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Jeff, I have nothing against Escobar. Hopefully the trade scared him into focusing on his play. But we better give it more than 4 or 5 days. It is after he had a little success that Escobar will ease off the throttle. Also let a few things go wrong and see how he reacts. That will be the true test of whether he learned anything from this experience. But whatever he does from now on really doesn’t concern the Braves because (like Francouer) it was not going to happen here.

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N – Agon is not a leader by any account. He is, by all accounts, a journeyman “professional” who was having a career year on a team where the mantra was “CLOSE YOUR EYES AND SWING FOR THE FENCES.”

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Agon was reported to be a leader by many when the trade occured, beat writers etc. He is solid and a winner. Ask the Red Sox how much they liked him down the stretch going into the playoffs. Like Melky, Hinske etc he has playoff experience and is a veteran.

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I love all the people who keep saying “It just was not going to happen for Yunel here in Atlanta.”

He was the team MVP last year. He had three great seasons before this season. He was seen as a rising star in the league. As recently as two weeks ago I listend to Ozzie Smith give an interview and mention Yunel as one of the best young shortstops in the league.

Oh, and the little fact you are ignoring. Atlanta will be a whole different place in 3 months. Bobby is leaving. Chipper is probably leaving. Next year this team might be EXACTLY the kind of place where Yunel would thrive.

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Am I the only one that remembers all his bonehead plays. The Braves don’t keep guys who have mental lapses around – its not their history anyways. The baserunning errors, the lazy throw to first that almost hurt Glaus etc.

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Don’t forget the benching last year, I believe in Baltimore, because of his mental errors.

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The question you ask yourself, Would he have hit 400+ and nailed a GS playing in Atlanta…we don’t know but we had reasons to think not.

I am happy that he’s playing well as we all know sometimes a change of scenery is huge in players bouncing back.

Again, the Toronto fans have yet to see his performances characterized by….

“Great play. Great play! Dumb play. Great play. Bonehead play – what was he thinking moment.”

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so Yunel got hot all of a sudden. what happens when the same ‘ol sulkiness returns? he needed a change… but no one can deny that arm of his. im still a fan but the trade was good for the Braves. good luck YE.

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Absolute TERRIBLE trade. We just traded away aN Alex Rodriguez type talent for an old man. Braves always do dumb trades like this and never win the WORLD SERIES…oh I forgot we did win 1 out of 13 straight tries. This guy is absolutely going to be one of the most saught after SS in the league in 3 years…..DUMB MOVE as usual!!!

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I really think that Escobar would have been fine offensively if placed in a different spot in the lineup. I think he is a 2 or 6 hitter, not a 7 or 8. I know this sounds trivial, but batting position can really make a difference regarding pitches seen, especially when guys are on base. Now, regarding the way he acted when he didn’t agree with the official scorer on an error; he was usually very childish, so if having Gonzo helps the atmosphere on the team, I think this will outweigh the fact that Escobar has more offensive upside than Alex.

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. Yunels monthly OPS.. Apr .561, May .555, June .741, July 796. I think people think he was dogging it because of his reputation, but his numbers show he was trending back to normal all along.

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Yunel’s monthly OPS was trending upward so he didnt get hot all of a sudden. In May he had a .555, June .741 now July its .796. Where is this all of a sudden coming from. He batted .289 in June for Atlanta yeah he sucked in April and May so his numbers today dont look good but he was heading in the right direction and back to his norms.

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I think it’s interesting that we all can’t be happy for Yunel. He’s gone and not a factor in the Braves quest for the playoffs so why keep throwing him under the bus?

Yunel Escobar represents failure. He clearly didn’t endear himself to those that matter the most. He also represents failure on the part of the Braves organization. They wasted money signing him, they wasted money developing him, then they failed to reach him once it became apparent that extra effort was required.

Putting the team’s most clutch performer last season at the bottom 1/3 of the order was not a good baseball move especially after it became clear that the top of the order wasn’t getting done. I believe Escobar might have taken it for what it was, a slight. I see it didn’t take Cito Gaston long to figure it out and move him back up. I find it curious that Bobby Cox couldn’t figure it out since he supposedly puts players in the best position to succeed. (Heyward has better numbers hitting 6th than 2nd)That wasn’t done with Yunel and it the fault of both parties.

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This tiny sample size means nothing. But all of the quantifiable data we had prior to this trade suggested that the Braves were selling very low on a highly talented and cost-controlled middle infielder. And the underlying stats also suggested that Escobar would contribute more offensively down the stretch than Gonzalez will. So I’m not surprised by this start for either player, and I do expect to see more of the same down the stretch. It was a very poor trade for the Braves.

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you, I never liked that guy… say hello to my little friend… at least we don’t have to hear that silly music (when he bats) anymore. hey, when a guy gets shipped to Canada, isn’t that “outsourcing”?

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I see where some folks are blaming Bobby Cox and Chipper for the Escobar trade. While I have no inside information as to who wanted him gone, I must say that I heard Chipper speak very highly of Yunel last season on 790. Therefore it seems unlikely that Chipper would want to have him moved unless something transpired between them recently.
This imposter who ask if I ever actually watch a Braves game must have his head elsewhere. We surely were not watching the same games.
It will be great day for Braves Baseball when the incompetent Cox leaves.

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Why be patient when you have a chance to go deep in the playoffs and make it a special year. Guys, things are falling into place and you have to take advantage of these opportunities. Yunel was not that young.

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Baseball is not just about stats. It is about how a team fits together and how the player makes his team better. I am glad for Escobar, but this deal is a win-win for both sides. I would still have AG in Atlanta and, unless he goes .220 for the rest of the year, he will make our team better. Plus he has power and is a good glove. You can’t judge trades on the day of the trade or even a week in to it. Let’s talk in September and see how this goes. Or, better yet, in October.

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We also heard that Yunel found a deer foot in his locker one day. Nobody knows where it came from.

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Good for Yunel. I can’t stand when everyone piles on like a bunch of pack animals.

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Bottom line is for the Atlanta press to quit writing articles on ex braves ! The kid was a great talent but would not perform here. He’s like T.O., Milton Bradley and any number of athletes that behave for a while but can’t grow up. Yuney might be great for a while but his demeanor will show up again, but in the mean time right or wrong , move forward and stop writing on every at bat. For the most part Atlanta has done well with getting rid of malcontents. Yuney had more chances to move forward with the Braves, than any of us will ever get at our jobs

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Sonny,

Regardless of whether the story is true, the fact about Yunel having to play both positions absolutely is. Chipper’s defense sucks. The only time he makes a play is when it’s hit within 3 feet of him.

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Chipper’s defense sucks and McCann, and I actually like the guy is probably the worse defensive catcher in the league. Glaus is learning, Prado has greatly improved defensively, no comment on left and center and Heyward is pretty good in right, just hope he doesn’t injure himself trying to impress Mr. Cox. So the SS defensively on the Atlanta Braves needs to be excellent. Is Gonzo? From the games so far, NOPE.

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I was and always will like this Esco kid. It was apparent for awhile he was not enjoying his time here. But its now time to look at our coaching here. It’s their job to get the talent and mold a team. Hell we can field an allstar team with the players we have given away. It just might be time to take a real hard look at this coaching staff and quit blaming the players

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I agree with Mr. Hobbs. The whole Yunel situation reaks of pettiness.

Wonder if Chipper got reprimanded by Bobby for his tree stand comment? Probably not. The rules are different for different people.

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No mystery here. If you had been expelled from a great University, for whatever reason, and then another school let you in their door, do you think you’d show the same behavior at the new place that got you kicked out of the old?

When your butt stings and you’re embarrassed you tend to walk a straighter line.

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DOES ANYONE FIND IT WEIRD THAT THE BRAVES WOULD RATHER PUT UP WITH .176 AND CAREER .250 NATE MCLOUGHT THAN .240 AND CAREER .300 YUNEL ESCOBAR HORRIBLE TRADE THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS CHIPPER DIDNT LIKE YUNEL AND THIS IS CHIPPERS TEAM OH YEAH AND YUNEL BEING LACKADASIAL ON THE FIELD WELL AT LEAST HES ON THE FIELD CHIPPER!!! ONLY PLAYER TO EVER HAVE ENOUGH BALLS TO CALL U OUT THANK GOD JOHN SMOLTZ

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I feel like Escobar has the potential to be a superstar, I always have! He is still young and just coming into the prime of his career.. The same goes for Josh Smith, and we see that the Hawks wont trade him because of his upside. So, we should not have traded Escobar because he had an extremely high ceiling!!! Do u agree with me JS

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We heard Cecil Fielder found a deer foot in his locker the day he got hit. Nobody knows where it came from either.

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the furture to me is now,so he is fired up now but that is whaat cart it was going to take.I hope he has a great career .

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He was batting against Baltimore.

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GEEZ!!!
He was hitting against Baltimore’s pitching!
Wait till he plays a few more games – facing good pitching before we start talking about some kind of revival. Must be a REALLLLL SLLOOWW day in sports writing for Schutz!

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JEB..We saw what he did last year and the year before. Give me a break.

It was a bad trade, I cannot wait until Glassman Chipper and Old Bobby finally leave.

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IT MAKES LITTLE SENSE

Many called Yunel the Braves best player last season.

To trade last season’s best player after 3 and 1/2 months of diminished statistics this year just doesn’t make sense.

Instead of shipping players out of Atlanta, I really think it’s time to change some members of the coaching staff — and I’m not referring to Bobby in this, who I still believe is one of the best managers in baseball.

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FOUR GAMES WOW BAD TRADE

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Typical reaction from a loser athlete. Let him get comfortable with his surroundings and start feeling job security again. Then the real Escobar will surface: Loafing, pouting; victim’s mentality. Mark it down: One month of hustling and working hard, then back to the old Yunel.

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I’m Glad he is gone. He didn’t want to be here so whatever.

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Suspect what Voice of Reason says is closer to reality.

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Good start for the Jays, but his numbers will fade. He’s a headcase, which means he will always have peaks and valleys, but never deliver on a consistent basis. He’ll bounce around the league for a few years until everyone realizes what they’re getting from him…

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Jf McNamara

It was a failure to begin with. Why trade a 28 year old with a higher career average and OBP for a 33 year having a career year? Its just another player Bobby couldn’t handle, and its the reason they only have on World Series. The Yankees would never trade Escobar. They would rather get rid of the manager than trade a top tier player because player production wins ball games not a “good” clubhouse.

Could not agree more.

Plate Appearance

Instead of shipping players out of Atlanta, I really think it’s time to change some members of the coaching staff — and I’m not referring to Bobby in this, who I still believe is one of the best managers in baseball.

Could not agree more also. Couldn’t agree less with the last line however.

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First of all, Escobar hasn’t had a bad “first half” he as had a bad year. Go back to his last 162 games with the Braves and you will see what I mean.

Secondly, he has a great upside, and I hope he gets his head straightened out and has great success in Toronto, or where ever he goes next.

Thirdly, if the team couldn’t get him straightened out in the head in the last three years, then it wasn’t going to happen in this system and he had become a hazard to the other players, ask Glaus.

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Players with “personality” don’t fit the inbred Braves culture. Hopefully, the next Manager will have some life in him.

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Ben…. I agree and I am hopeful that management knew more than we do….they get paid to do it….. but we never seem to pull the right buttons on players on the fringe…. David Justice, jermaine Dye, Kelesko,Vinny castillia, Mark derosa…. we tend to favor the Langerhans, kelly johnsons. The braves would have been better served investing in Rafeal Furcal vs Chipper but raffy did get that speeding ticket…. we would rather have a patchwork team and blame the best athlete if he is tempermental……. I love the braves but somedays they make you crazy

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HE HADS HIS CHANCES……………COX AND COMPANY GAVE HIM PLENTY OF CHANCES.

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Doesn’t matter what Escobar does in Toronto, he was a petulant child who underperformed here and it didn’t look to me like anything was going to change. I wish him well but the only way to judge the trade is how our new guy performs and so far he’s looking good at short.

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Hey Ben

Escobar pissed off more umpires in a couple of years than Bobby in 25. Why else would the braves trade a slick fielding .295 lifetime hitting shortstop other than his brain locked, half-azz running to first base, no power hitting, arrogant, sneering, petulant bad attitude?

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Does anyone know who the Braves SS of the future is? They must have a great one since they traded Elvis Andrus and Escobar. Moving Escobar was a great move for him, now we see what he is capable of when he’s focused. He lost his focus in Atlanta…I just don’t think he was happy here. It would have been nice if Wren would have moved him in the Texas deal and kept Andrus.

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Glad Yunel is doing better even though he was a thorn in the braves side. The trade was legit. Yunel wasn’t doing jack at bat. If Gonzales doesn’t either, he is getting it done in the field. I don’t think it is going to make us any worse. We had to do something.

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In my book this was a good trade regardless of Escobar’s performance in Toronto. The Braves invested a lot in Escobar and he’s a very talented player but he was never a good fit. His attitude was always the problem and I have little doubt that it will show up again in Toronto. When he’s playing well the attitude isn’t much of a factor but when he makes an error or slumps, he’s a drain on the whole team. Stats are one thing but team chemistry is important as well.

I wish Escobar the best in Toronto. Maybe a change was just what he needed but I don’t believe he would ever have been a good fit in Atlanta.

As for Gonzalez, no, he hasn’t done much in Atlanta so far but at worst we’re even in the offense department. He’s provided solid defense and he’s a much better fit in the clubhouse. I have little doubt that he’ll come around at the plate considering what he’s done already this year.

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Yunel can play hence the reason Bobby was so high on his POTENTIAL. The problem is when you have potential you must also have DESIRE and the drive to continually improve. He will do good for a while and fizzle when he wakes up and realizes he will not be on a good team for a long, long, long, long, long time. He could hit .900 and it would not help the Blue Jays………………………………..

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It is way too premature to make any performance judgements at this point. In any case, I trust in Cox with his judgement of clubhouse relationships.

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I fully support frank wrens decision to trade escobar. Its to early to make any assumptions that Gonzalez won’t be as good as escobar. Remember Francoeur after he left was racking it up at the beginning in New York. Now he is out of the lineup in NY

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I wish Yunel all the success in the world. I hope he wins the AL batting championship. The change of scenery was obviously good for him,and his departure was good for the Braves – no matter how well he plays in Toronto or how Gonzalez plays in Atlanta. For whatever reason, he wasn’t hitting with Atlanta this year. Discord in the clubhouse is not good. Everyone seems happier now that a change has been made.

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I was surprised by the trade, not shocked. I think he can be a very good SS for years. He needs to stay focused on the game. Hitting wasn’t his only problem with the Braves. It included base running and fielding. He has all the tools, but didn’t seem interested on maximing his talents. There are less talented plays on rosters who play hard all the time. Mental lapses can’t be costing you games. Everyone notices those. No one accepts it.

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Notice that all Wren actions are seen as stupid or lucky. No respect shown for his ability.

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Screw him and the burro he rode in on.

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Yunel gets to play preseason games for the rest of his career.

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Well we do need what Yunel is putting out I want to win it all and it will take the WHOLE Braves team to win it not just one player The front office do what they do and that is it let the Players play their game me personally we need us 2 more good pitchers for down the road and those ERRORS must stop. At the end of the day I do not want it to come down to one player the team must stay hot colegtively. I wish Yunel Well he is a player who is paid to play the game hats off now Alex hear as well as see Yunel work let Alex produce what he can.

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It’s all about race with me.
early in the season when the braves were in their slump…..people were on these ajc blogs calling for terry pendelton’s head.
now that they are winning…there is no justified reason to want pendelton fired….except for his race.
escobar’s hitting sucked as a brave right before he was traded….now he’s “tearing it up”!!!
was it pendelton’s fault that escobar sucked as a brave???
as whitney houston would say…HELL TO THE NO!!!

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sam – race has nothing to do with it. If the team sucks, changes need to be made – unless you are patient. I am not TP supporter, but if the team is winning, there is not need to make big changes. You lose, you lose. Sam, your friendly neighborhood racist – not as good as a fascist, but almost a Nazi.

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bottom line you redneck didn’t want him here. he’s in a better place now. the MVP of the team last year now he gone all because he has no HR’S hell look at Chipper what the hell is he doing he making all the money,plus running everybody else away trying to keep his sorry A–s happy,as long is he here braves aren’t going to win nothing, didn’t do it in his prime what make you think it going to happen now . HALL OF SHAMED

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…He is gone , I hope he does good , but I am very glad he is long gone … I just wanted him to do good when he played for the Braves , he was not going to do that .

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dub – 17 years of futility is a better place? Toronto will continue to stink, and never get in the playoffs with NY & the Sox ahead of them. So how is that a better place? Go watch a Jay’s game – the place is less filled than Miami.

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I watch the blue jays and from what I see, while escobar has had an offensive bump in the short term, gonzalez is a better defender and has more power in the bat. Gonzalez had an excellent first half of the season on offense and defense. Gonzalez is a PRO, and I will miss him.

For the rest of this season, braves win this trade. The 6 year age difference makes up for that for toronto. In the longer term, who knows?

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HE’S NOT STABLE! NO ONE LIKED HIM IN THE CLUBHOUSE AND IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT HE QUIT ON THE TEAM. NOW THAT HE ISN’T HERE, HE HAS SWITCHED GEARS AND DECIDED TO PLAY…LET HIM GO PLAY FOR THE LOSER BLUE JAYS….WHAT A MORON. IF HE HAD PLAYED HARD FOR THIS TEAM HE WOULD BE PLAYING IN GAMES THAT MEAN SOMETHING. THAT SHOWS WHAT AN IMMATURE BABY HE IS…..IF YOU CAN’T PLAY FOR BOBBY COX THEN YOU CAN’T PLAY.

PERIOD END OF STORY

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bottom line: once Bobby Cox sours on a player, he never bothers trying to work with them to get them back out of the dog house and producing for the team again…Cox is one of the most petty, vindictive men ever to manage in the majors, and I won’t be sorry to see the door hit him in the butt on the way out at the end of this season. Yeah, “players love to play for him”…the ones who don’t tick him off and get on his bad side. And on a related Escobar-related note, I *still* have no idea why Terry Pendleton (one of my favorite Braves ever as a player) is still employed anywhere as a hitting coach.

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You want to judge this trade based on FOUR games? Really? Ever hear the expression “small sample size”? If Escobar hits .471 for the rest of the season, I promise to eat the printed version of this column in front of a camera and post it on YouTube. In fact, I will do the same if he hits .371 for the rest of the season.

This trade is roughly the same as the John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander trade (though the chances of Escobar’s career being anything like Smoltz’s are slim and none). The Braves are going all in for 2010 (at least partly because of Bobby Cox), and made their decision based on the remainder of the 2010 season. In that context (and having seen Gonzalez play shortstop far better than Escobar), it makes perfect sense.

If the Braves win the 2010 World Series, nobody will give a damn about Escobar or what he does in the future.

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This trade happened because of Bobby’s loyalty to Chipper. Ever since Yunel has been moved down in the lineup he has pouted. I would have moved Chipper to 5th or 6th and had Yunel in the 2 and JHey in the 3. Sorry but that’s the reality of the situation.

Unless the Braves believe one of the youngsters is ready next year to fill in at SS then this is a stupid move. You sit Yunel for a few games and then if that didn’t get his attention you trade him. I think Gonzo is a better defender and has more power he’s not the SS of the future. He might not even be the SS next year. One of the reasons we made the Tex trade was because of Yunel. I hated that trade too. Give me Elvis, M Harrison, and N Perez and you tell me how good we are now!!

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Should the Braves care? BE REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No way!!!!!!!!

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You guys are retarded… Yunel Escobar was the best player on the team last year. Now we get to watch Gimper Jones screw up running the bases and blowing plays at 3rd. As long as Bobby keeps his “boys” happy all is well. From a baseball standpoint this trade was pathetic and the minor leaguers are throw in’s at best. Can’t wait until Gonzalez blows his leg out again and the Braves are left with Brandon Hicks at short. Hicks should be able to put up Gonzalez’s numbers though, heck Lowe can pull off a sub .300 obp! Looking forward to the Braves choking in the first round again!!!

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Jeff, your assessment of Escobar situation puzzles me. I think the Braves would like nothing more than to see him excel in Toronto. For whatever reason they didn’t see it coming here and felt he needed a wake up call. Gonzalez is a better fit for the Braves. Personally, I see Escobar as a bright young prospect who needed a change to reach his potential. If he hits his potential it will not haunt the Braves, it will tell them they did the right thing and it will be a feel good for those guys. You have to give the Braves organization more credit than that … Anyway, enjoy reading your commentary.

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Good luck to Yunel, but judging by the players reaction, it was the right move.

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Wait until he starts showing his butt and not hitting in front of the home crowd and all eight or ten of the fans that go to their games start booing him.

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It looks as though Yunel Escobar is going to hit .500 this year. This is the worst trade in the history of major league baseball. Unell is 7 years younger than Gonzalez, has a greater upside potential than Gonzo and will probably win the MVP of the league this year. this is the second worst trade since the Len Barker deal that stripped the Braves of their core players.

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Good luck to Esco. Yodel Esco will continue to play magnificently because he has great talent and should still be playing the Braves. Gonzo is much older and will retire soon so I think the Braves got burned badly on the trade. But hopefull the braves will learn their lesson and they should, because as the old saying goes, “ONCE BURNED IS A LESSON LEARNED”.

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Sometimes they need a fresh start. I hope he does well, not against us, but he didn’t fit with the Braves, bottom line.

GO BRAVES!!

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Jeff – to me it is obvious that Yunel was not mentally committed to playing his best for this team, this manager. I fully expected him to rise back up to his ability level for some other manager. I think he seethed with resentment toward Bobby Cox. It is, I think, generally accepted that when you fall out of Bobby’s grace – you are simply done. Bobby Cox has immense patience with ball players generally, but when he concludes you are not a gamer, you’re finished. Instinctively, Yunel sensed this and was not motivated to play his best….I do not feel that he consciously laid down or anything like that, but simply that his resentment seemed to have affected his abilities. I don’t think he was popular as a player, and this is a guy with a “machismo” personality. He no longer “fit” in the “team page” – I truly wish him well, and expect a brilliant career for the man. His fall into a state of malaise was partly Bobby’s fault – his heart hardened against this immature player. (For god’s sakes, he was told to stop whistling – well, take a man’s mojo and his soul will soon be buying a ticket “outta here”.) I don’t want to “blame” BC, just sayin’ this manager and this player were not “simpatico” in style, temperment, and a host of other intangibles.
Bobby should not have had to babysit or be this guy’s therapist. Yunel should have had the maturity to see Bobby’s bigger vision for success and sucked it up. Sorry for all my psychobabble, but this is my view. Do you agree with any of it?

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Escobar is like a hot looking gal with herpes, you’d like to do her, but you shouldn’t.

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Wagner’s lost it. Get him out of here.

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If the Braves trade players who are not producing; why is MCCLOUTH still on the team?

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I was in the minority on this one. I thought Yunel was worth keeping and that he would eventually return to form. I figured Bobby would eventually work things out with him—him being traded tells me that Bobby had tried everything he knew and finally decided it was best to unload him for someone more reliable at SS.
SS is such a critical position that you can’t win a pennant with a SS who keeps making mental mistakes like Yunel did.

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He needed a change of scenery. Just like Frenchy. So what if Escobar is doing better (props though) his team isn’t going to make the playoffs, our team is. Gonzalez is a great addition to the team. he has great leadership and good talent. hopefully his bat start to heat up more

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HE IS 8 for 17. Wow what a WEEK. Let’s put him in Cooperstown. You will see Gonzalez is twice the player Yunel is. Plus our new shortstop actually makes the plays in the field which will save you more games in the long run. Great trade in my book.

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I think this trade will come down to one of the all time worst trades in Braves history. Trading away a future all-star, gold glove type shortstop for an older journeyman is just nuts. If they had of at the very least gotten a couple of the Jays top ten prospects then it could have possibly been justified. However, even the prospects they got were so-so.

Do you all know how many shortstops the Jays have had since 2005? The answer is 18….they have used EIGHTEEN shortstops in 5 years. I am guessing the Braves will have a similar answer to that question five years from now. Stupid, stupid trade by the Braves.

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