Braves’ spring training: What do you think is No. 1 issue?
Nate McLouth and the situation in center field is one of the Braves' questions this spring.
Spring training officially opened this week, and that always means two things: 1) Hope; 2) Questions.
I’ll be heading down to Orlando in less than two weeks to examine a few issues but I figured this blog would be more appropriate today. Some national media outlets, like FoxSports.com, are locking onto the loss of closer Billy Wagner as the No. 1 issue facing the Braves. It’s a worthy topic. But I figured I would let fans weigh in.
Loading ...Here are a few areas I believe most folks are looking at, along with my view. Let me know what you think and vote in the accompanying poll. That way we can come to some highly scientific conclusion, which I’ll pass along to general manager Frank Wren, who’ll quickly move to resolve the matter. (Slight sarcasm.)
What is the biggest issue in your view?
– 1. Billy Wagner’s retirement: It takes a special mindset to be a closer but I believe Craig Kimbrel and/or Jonny Venters can get it done. Being able to work with Wagner for a season should have helped.
– 2. Chipper Jones’ comeback: I’m not as confident here. Jones was starting to hit the ball well when he was injured last season, and there’s zero reason to question his determination. But asking a player to come back from a torn ACL at the age of 39 (come April 24) is an iffy proposition.
– 3. Black hole in center field: Nate McLouth is back, but it’s not because the Braves are oozing with confidence in him. It’s because they’re obligated to pay him $6.5 million. (McLouth also will receive a $1.25 million buyout after the season, assuming the Braves don’t exercise a $10.65 million team option.) Jordan Schafer still has potential but he’s regarded less of a prospect now than he was two years ago, given injuries and confidence issues. Help is needed.
– 4. Defense: The signing of second baseman Dan Uggla should significantly improve the lineup. But Uggla has his deficiencies in the field — his 18 errors placed second among major league second basemen — and the Braves were tied for third in the majors with 126 errors. Some of the team’s problems, however, can be attributed to injuries and backups (like Brooks Conrad) playing too many innings.
– 5. Freddie Freeman: First base has long been a Braves’ problem area. But Freeman is just keeping the spot warm for Albert Pujols. (Hey, a guy can dream, right?) Seriously, Freeman could be the real deal after crushing Triple-A, but it’s dangerous to just assume he’ll be a smashing success. Jason Heyward seemed a safer bet, in that regard.
OK, now it’s your turn.
By Jeff Schultz
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Earlier:
– Jadeveon Clowney picks South Carolina: Is the SEC East theirs?
– Georgia wins but looks like far from an NCAA tournament team
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231 comments Add your comment
djgator
February 15th, 2011
11:53 am
1B is a huge problem. I saw FF hit last year, and I was not impressed. I’ll be suprised if he hits .230 this season.
james bozo
February 15th, 2011
12:15 pm
69
robert
February 15th, 2011
12:20 pm
I don’t believe the Braves will be able to overtake the Phillies in the east. With their starting pitching strength, and the 1B/CF issues on this team, I can’t see 95 wins which is the minimum needed to take the east.
Dave
February 15th, 2011
12:49 pm
Issue #1. Get rid of McClouth.
Najeh Davenpoop
February 15th, 2011
12:50 pm
Center field by far, with Kimbrel’s ability to replace Wagner and Freeman’s readiness tied for a distant second.
Yea right.............
February 15th, 2011
1:33 pm
Not worried about the pen, but the team? Ouch.
McClouth is simply a utility guy and not a every day player.
Chipper will not be able to play everyday so that leaves hole 2
Prado will play more at 3rd base so our outfield will stink badly.
Gonzalez is not very good anymore, hes slow and it will show.
Heyward, I look forward to seeing him play and grow more.
Freeman, I also look forward to seeing him play.
McCann, one of the few Braves I actually want to see come back.
If you ask me we have holes in
3rd with Chipper
Center field
Left field as Prado will be at 3rd and we have terrible defense up the middle. Lowe is a up the middle type pitcher.
As the Phillies did what brought the Braves to fame, (hired ace pitching) the braves stayed with the old and the rundown and put rookies in the pitching spots. I do like Uggla but come on. Chipper wont be hitting and Freeman is young and will take time adjusting. McClouth will do nothing and Heyward is to far down in the batting order to help out. I watched as the Nationals got silently better and I think they stand in 2nd place.
Where do I see this bunch of losers, well in the basement. We dont have the talent other teams have, we either have unproven rookies or old should be retired players taking up space on the roster. Other then that we have overpaid utility players who will miss and miss and miss.
I wont be attending or buying my season tickets this year either. I think were in for a very bad season.
count_schemula
February 15th, 2011
2:05 pm
Before the Uggla trade, we had an infield with Prado, Infante and Chipper covering 2b and 3b. It just seems easier to fill outfield spots than infield spots, esp if we still had the Uglga money, but now we don’t have the money to fix the OF and are stuck with Uggla’s D for years. The home runs will thrill, but the errors will kill.
S'paw_99
February 15th, 2011
2:09 pm
It looks like everyone is ready for baseball season, I sure am. And the great news is, it’ll be a month or so before MLB really gets going, but College Baseball starts this Fri. Go GA Tech & Southern.
Has anybody else the last coupla yrs wished we could play both B-Mac & Rossy everyday. Ross has been a better hitter than some of the crap we’ve ran out at other positions (McOut I’m talkin about U).
Either way,
Go Braves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
count_schemula
February 15th, 2011
2:12 pm
Ross has catchers butt and legs and heavy feet. I’m not even sure he could play 1b. I hope Fredi continues to give McCann regular rest.
BALCO Investigator
February 15th, 2011
2:58 pm
Barry Bonds should be more respected than he is. Did you know that Bonds donates the largest amount of charity money after Warren Buffett?
BAM EDUCATED!
DawgDad
February 15th, 2011
3:01 pm
They need at least one more outfielder (hopefully not two), a backup middle infielder who can field, and a right-handed alternative at first base. They need to pray the pitching pans out (who doesn’t?) and in general they need more speed, more power, and better defense. The whole clubhouse dynamic will be different, and who knows where that leads?
Freeman could be a future star and still take a year or two to settle in. Can’t get over-anxious here. Most important contribution from him will be ranging to his right to cover the hole Uggla leaves.
Young pitching may be a bit too young, and eventually age will catch up to Lowe and Hudson. They could have a rough year and still be the envy of most MLB GMs.
I’d say the Braves are a likely wild card contender but a very long shot to win the division, and yet there is the very real potential for this team to come apart at the seams, in the short-term anyway. They are not very deep in postion player talent.
cooper
February 15th, 2011
3:04 pm
Our biggest problem is , what to do with Chipper Jones. The problem with someone 40 years old is them admitting there is no comparison to how good they were when they were 25 years old. I’m all for giving Chipper a shot at 3rd base but if he is slow at rehab or can’t hit 300 or better with home runs every few days then the Braves needs to make him a coach or just sit him because it’s all about finding his replacement , now. I wish this time would never come for players that helped build a team and was so loyal over the years but the reality of living in the real world is when a player get’s 38 plus years old they can’t play better than a 25 year old and I would rather look to the future and have someone out there that can get playing time and someone that will be there when the bell ring’s not someone that you have to wonder IF they will have something else wrong every year.
I hope if Chipper can’t play at 100% he will show the dignity and class to make the decision easy for the fans and management.
coach13
February 15th, 2011
3:18 pm
Cooper I can assure you 2 things. 1) Chipper will produce nowhere near what he used to and 2) He will not take himself out of the lineup. His old frail body will do that for him and then leave a HUGE gaping hole somewhere in the lineup and in the field.
count_schemula
February 15th, 2011
3:19 pm
I think the Chipper thing goes both ways. We owe him this comeback. He also owes it to us to step away if it does not happen this year. I think we’ll be ok. He won’t be happy hitting .220 with 4HRs at the all-star break, and Prado just comes in from LF. That said I’m still rooting for him, although, if he has an ok year (.280 20HRs 80RBIs) does he come back next year? A 40yo NL 3b? I don’t see it.
BALCO Investigator
February 15th, 2011
3:27 pm
Sorry everyone, I have personal issues I’m trying to work out in public.
JB
February 15th, 2011
4:01 pm
an owner trying to win on the cheap. 100 mil payroll in the MBA gets you 3rd place.
JSS
February 15th, 2011
4:37 pm
BALCO Investigator (Blog impersonator)
February 15th, 2011
3:27 pm
“Sorry everyone, I have personal issues I’m trying to work out in public.”
Don’t you mean: “I’m a snarky and smarmy blog impersonator who has “personal issues” like stealing user names and trying to be witty. However I do not have the guts to post under my own user name because I’m scared?”
mm
February 15th, 2011
6:54 pm
come on Phillies, beat the braves butt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bubba the Brave Fan
February 15th, 2011
8:02 pm
The two major issues facing the Braves right now are a backup cf and a backup ss. Once these problems are satisfied, we all all ready to go. Good luck to the Braves in 2011.
idot
February 15th, 2011
8:30 pm
Balco……Got a bridge in NYC on 59th St., that you might want to buy.
It crosses the East River and connects Manhatten to Queens.
Put a toll booth on it and you can make a fortune.
I’ll sell it cheap.
BALCO Investigator
February 15th, 2011
9:09 pm
That would constitute a hedge fund, so no.
On strike
February 15th, 2011
9:41 pm
I refuse to watch the Braves on tv or buy any tickets this year if McClouth is in the lineup.
BALCO Investigator
February 15th, 2011
9:49 pm
@Matt
More UNSOURCED claims?
That’s not what EIGHT years of a federal investigation said.
Festus
February 15th, 2011
9:55 pm
Dugout flatulence.
Freddie G
February 15th, 2011
11:04 pm
The voters have it all right. Centerfield and McLouth is the greatest concern followed by the teams reliance on a fragile Chipper Jones.
P. Bull Terrier
February 15th, 2011
11:43 pm
I remember the days when I really looked forward to the AJC coverage of the start of spring training. From the big, multi-page, special pull-out Braves Season Preview section on Sunday, to the 3 or 4 in-depth articles each day covering the various players and events, the arrival of each issue of the AJC was something for a Braves fan to anticipate.
Now, courtesy of the internet and the instant news cycle, the big news of the day from spring training is a bunch of ignorant fans posting comments on a poll about what a bunch of ignorant fans think.
Ain’t progress amazing?
S'paw_99
February 16th, 2011
12:32 am
I know Rossy can’t do anything but catch. But Offensively he’s better than any of our CF’s. He can hit 250, McOut can only do one thing … get Out.
count_schemula
February 16th, 2011
1:52 am
I agree though. I like Ross. Great signing by the Braves. I wonder if Fredi will use him as a pinch hitter late in games, something Cox was definitely against doing. In fact, who is our emergency 3rd catcher? Conrad? I think it was Diaz before.
mike
February 16th, 2011
7:49 am
None of the above……biggest issue is keeping Cox out of Fredi’s way. Why did he show up on day 1 of spring training? He needs to go on an extended vacation and let Fredi run the team.
Dumbo
February 16th, 2011
7:52 am
They need hitters and at least 1 power hitter, Chumper is done, so please don’t expect much from him.
LawDawg
February 16th, 2011
4:04 pm
My concerns basically begin and end with CF and our lack of speed/ability to play small ball.