If Uggla doesn’t turn things around, Braves are sunk
It seems like Dan Uggla has been swinging half of a bat all season. (AP photo)
When the Braves signed Dan Uggla to a five-year, $62 million extension in January, I didn’t have a big problem with it. True, it was a significant commitment from a team that has been struggling to create some payroll flexibility in recent years. But if Uggla’s next five seasons were similar to his previous five, the investment was worthy.
The problem: Uggla has face-planted. If he doesn’t turn it around, this contract will turn into one of the worst albatrosses in pro sports.
He is hitting .172 through 60 games. Perspective: He would have to add 66 points to his average just to be as good as Nate McLouth (.238). It’s even worse over the last 16 games: Uggla is 5-for-60 (.083) with an on-base percentage of .152.
But the Braves have no options here. The contract extension means Uggla can’t really be benched for an extended period, and he certainly can’t be traded. Sending him to Triple-A Gwinnett, which he likely would have to sign off on, also seems implausible, although the Braves have done it with other high-priced fizzles.
In short, they have no choice but to wait and hope that Uggla turns it around.
This is a bad position for a general manager to be in, because no matter what Frank Wren eventually decides to do with the roster, he’s going to have to work around the annual salaries that the team has committed to Uggla though 2015: $10 million (including a $1 million signing bonus) this season, $13 million in each of the four that follow.
Of all that has gone wrong so far this season, the lack of production from Uggla and Jason Heyward stands out. The Braves are sunk unless that changes. Manager Fredi Gonzalez continues to hope that the numbers eventually reflect the back of the players’ bubble gum cards.
So, how confident are you? Is this an aberration for Uggla or do you expect him to struggle all season? Also, what were your thoughts on the $62 million contract back in January (be honest)?
By Jeff Schultz
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320 comments Add your comment
phil
June 6th, 2011
1:29 pm
People seem to forget, or never knew, that insurance money covered a fair amount of Hampton’s salary while he was injured and out….Hello.
Uggly is the one robbing us as he is apparently physically healthy….
It’s his pea-sized brain that won’t adapt or try something different at the plate….
K.C. Frenchy
June 6th, 2011
1:30 pm
Scultzie, IF Heyward doesnt come back & give us a little something & we dont get a REAL CF, Ugglys not gonna make a difference, even if he hit 30 bombs in the 2nd half of the season, we cannot win with a CF hitting .200 & Mather playing everyday, we need an outfield of Prado, Heyward producing, & a REAL CF via trade, like Gardner from those damn Yankees!
bigstack19
June 6th, 2011
1:30 pm
Chipper should be hitting 7th. Not 3rd. Prado should hit 3rd. McCann 4th and Freeman 5th. I realize his name is Chipper but his production is McClothian.
Ugly to the rescue
June 6th, 2011
1:32 pm
Time to stop blaming ownership. As much as everyone wants to bash Liberty Media, the Braves always seem to be given the opportunity to pursue high priced players. The problem isn’t Liberty…the problem is Dan Uggla. The man is lost at the plate. Bobby Valentine was killing him last night on his approach at the plate. For those that believe he will turn this around, we have been hearing that since opening week. We are now entering the second week of June and he appears to be regressing further. At some point, regardles of contract, you have to cut ties, and I think that time is quickly approaching (if not already passed).
You really can't fix Uggly???
June 6th, 2011
1:34 pm
Uggla’s swing is incredibly messed up. The people that keep saying he will turn it around based on his past seasons are delusional. No way he will turn anything around until he takes the advise of others and applies it to his swing and plate approach. It was said earlier, he needs to stop swinging for the fences every at bat. I would be ecstatic if he just showed some patience and finished a game with a couple of walks.
phil
June 6th, 2011
1:34 pm
NORRIS
June 6th, 2011
12:21 pm
“The braves as a whole dont score runs. Their hitting is not good as a whole.
Even if Heyward were in the lineup, he hasnt been hitting and he was still unproven.
Once again when Prado is at third we might have the worst outfield in the history of baseball…”
Someone is forgetting Barry Bonnell, Rowland Office and Jeff Burroughs….wait, they were actually better!
You really can't fix Uggly???
June 6th, 2011
1:35 pm
lol at Ugly to the rescue, I was typing while you were posting, well said.
Tucker T
June 6th, 2011
1:36 pm
Ugly to the rescue
So your suggestion is to cut him from the team and issue him a check for $62 million on his way out the door? Pretty stupid.
Dale
June 6th, 2011
1:36 pm
I think its time to give Don Baylor a call. Either that or make chipper’s dad the hitting coach. That is where the problems are arising. Parrish needs to be a goner.
james
June 6th, 2011
1:37 pm
What Uggla needs to do is quit stepping into the bucket, like they used to tell little leagers. He finishes up with his left foot pointing to the 3rd base coach. He should finish up with it pointing toward the pitcher, then he could hit the pitches on the outside.
Atticus
June 6th, 2011
1:38 pm
Jeff, please ask them why Bobby Valentine can see the problem on television and they have done nothing to correct it. If he knows it but can’t correct it then he should go to Gwinnett for a week or two until he does. He has the WORST average in the entire major league!
We should’ve gone after Holliday when he was being shopped and left Prado at 2nd but the problem is the budget (especially with Chipper and Lowe’s salaries) won’t allow us to sign another.
Skillet
June 6th, 2011
1:38 pm
I miss the days when the Braves signed players that would actually be productive.
Players like,
Fred “Big Cat” McGriff
James “Big Bat” Franco
Andres “El Taco Grande” Galarraga
Dale
June 6th, 2011
1:38 pm
why don’t we try to get Upton from the Rays. MCsuck and pitching prospect for Upton.
Dale
June 6th, 2011
1:39 pm
Times like these when I really miss the crime dog!
Ugly to the rescue
June 6th, 2011
1:39 pm
Thanks to You really can’t fix Uggly??? …..I found Valentine’s comments last night to be very enlightening….I loved the comparison of footwork between Uggla and Chipper. Either Parrish is not working with Uggla or Uggla is not listening. Either way, I say bench him or send him to the minors until he at least attempts an adjustment.
Red Wolf
June 6th, 2011
1:40 pm
Even Bobby Valentine picked up on Uggla’s stepping open instead of into the pitch. Nothing new to Marlins fans who’ve seen this act before. The only difference now is that in the past Uggla was made to correct his mistake, not allowed to do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Hate to say it but I wonder if this would keep going on if Bobby was still here. Somehow I doubt it, but then anyone who followed the Marlins knows Fredi isn’t Bobby.
Ryan
June 6th, 2011
1:41 pm
Uggla has to fix his mechanics. He is flying open early and only has one hand on the bat through half his follow through. To all the bat him 4th crowd….are you kidding? It was 45 at bats. Very small sample size and that puts a big hole in your clean-up spot.
GaPeach
June 6th, 2011
1:41 pm
Right on the money – no pun intended! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxg1I1jA29c
Ugly to the rescue
June 6th, 2011
1:42 pm
Tucker T….and leaving a .160 hitter with poor defense in your lineup is a stroke of genious?
Hiesenberg
June 6th, 2011
1:44 pm
According to a great American philosopher you can fix ugly but you cannot fix stupid.
flange1
June 6th, 2011
1:46 pm
Oh the humanity!
A JJS sighting!
The legend returns!
chris
June 6th, 2011
1:48 pm
dont worry uggla haters your boy schafer who so many was saying he is the spark hitting.205,and will be below 200 after fla series.GUARANTEED Yes it was only 45ab,go look at the video when he hit the hr toes were pointed in same direction so try again u so called experts.
Ryan
June 6th, 2011
1:48 pm
You mean the right one? You don’t pit your worst current hitter in the 4 hole. Do your put your 5th starter as your ace? No. Idc if he hits 4th when he actually starts hitting, but he currently isn’t doing that. I do agree he needs to be forced to change his mechanics
flametfan
June 6th, 2011
1:49 pm
Boy, as a Mets fan, it’s amazing to see how you people are all down on the Braves. Even the New York zanies aren’t as bad as you are. Actually, it’s kind of nice to see. But let me tell you folks, after what the Mets are going through this season, I’ll be glad to trade loyalties with you.
chris
June 6th, 2011
1:50 pm
Ryan
June 6th, 2011
1:41 pm
still did not answer the question why was he moved out of 4th when he was doing good.u sure u not related to FG?You both have the same mindset.
Steve
June 6th, 2011
1:54 pm
Fumbling Frank strikes again!
phil
June 6th, 2011
1:54 pm
The idea that the players are tired and need rest is pretty funny. They don’t do anything all day, every day except play a round of golf now and then, take some batting practice, field a few grounders, shag some flies and sit there….then during the game, if they’re lucky, they have to run fast or make quick movements 6 or 7 times….yes, it’s really hot a lot of the time but then we have water breaks every half inning with a lot more sitting around….you’d think these guys were working construction on the side of I-75….
I’m not talking about the pitchers….the fielders and hitters I am talking about….
Just look at Hinske and Sherrill…..huge, fat guts…and we’re supposed to feel badly for these overpaid louts who do nothing to get in or stay in shape?
Rest my foot….too MUCH rest is part of the problem….
Oregon Brave
June 6th, 2011
1:54 pm
Does it really matter who paid Hampton? He was hired to eat innings. Far as I could see, the only eating he did was at Shoney’s.
buckheaddawg
June 6th, 2011
1:55 pm
uggla has the same swing Andruw and Francoeur had in atlanta. got them both jettisoned out of georgia real quick.
chris
June 6th, 2011
1:55 pm
and we all know FG has favorites,leave hudson in last nite,after giving up 3 runs,the whole world could see he had nothing,and pul JJ the other nite after 3 hits.
Best comment of the night…
Orel…Braves are in trouble if the mets score more than 2 runs………PRICELESS
Joe Bob
June 6th, 2011
1:57 pm
Promo Ads: Heyward’s Homers–Result he believes them and swings wildly thus injuring himself. Chipper’s “Pull” ad — Result he is in his downward spiral although still better than most of his teammates. Lowe and Hudson’s “pitching” exhibition–Result both have lost more than they’ve won recently. Uggla–The homer hitting second baseman that was projected to hit 30+ homers has yet to hit 30 pitches period! PLEASE NO MORE HYPE . . . this crew can’t handle it.
Buck Strickland
June 6th, 2011
1:58 pm
Skillet, McGriff was the Crime Dog.
Everyone should have seen this coming. Players that are Braves killers never play well FOR the Braves. Hated Uggla as a Marlin. Hate Uggla as a Brave.
phil
June 6th, 2011
1:59 pm
My favorite sayings so far this season….
Fire FG…
Fire FW…
Bring back TP as hitting coach…
Fire Parrish…
Liberty Media stinks…
McOut…
McFat…which he is…
Release Chipper….
Linebrinkofdisaster…
Freddi Cox…
It’s early…
Uggla will come around…
Heyward is an all star…
Heyward is a future hall of famer…
FF is a future hall of famer…
Gonzo is a terrific hitter…
Go Braves!!
Go Team!
Yay Team!
This is Braves Country!
In reality, we’re all idiots for having bought into the media-induced hype of the offseason and early spring training….Jeff, you’re as much to blame as any of em…and we were dumb enough to buy it!
As for signing Uggly originally, good move but too much money. We didn’t know he would turn out to be worse than Brad Komminsk ever was…he’s actually worse than Darrell Chaney AND Jerry Royster combined…
chris
June 6th, 2011
2:00 pm
phil
June 6th, 2011
1:54 pm
Totally agree,and here is another
Reporter..Heyward what did u do during the off season?
Heyward… man i was tired i needed the rest.
Reporter..really?at 20 yo u need rest?
Heyward..No comment
Now Fast Forward..
Heyward on tweeter…Man,the heat are looking good against dallas,game 1,I love the heat,this is the life…….
ENOUGH SAID
Ken Stallings
June 6th, 2011
2:01 pm
The Braves sorry fate in trading or signing for offensive players has reached its lowest point in franchise history. Dan Uggla is already the biggest free agent bust in baseball this season. He is poised to become the biggest free agent bust not involving injury in baseball history!
$64 million to hit .170 (or perhaps worse the way he’s going)!
That is such an atrocious thing to write, except it is the pure truth of the matter!
The Braves have a tough choice — to hope Uggla remembers how to swing a bat for contact again, or fold in the season, or bench him and eat the largest contract the franchise has ever had to do. No easy choice — Uggla’s worse than merely anemic bat robbed the team of any easy choices!
Freddy has done the only immediately sensible thing — moved him down in the lineup. He’s a better hitter than most of our pitchers — so batting ninth is unwise. Other than that, any place where there are no runners in scoring position is best!
I’m sure as humans go, Uggla is as good a person as there is in baseball. There is no personal malice here. But, there is a professional obligation. While baseball is a fickle sport and cyclical, over the course of one third a season, hitters prove what they have. Uggla has proven he’s lost his stroke! This one cannot be blamed on Terry Pendleton like last year’s fate with Nate McClouth was blamed on, and the previous mini-bust of Jeff Francouer.
What is undeniable is that the Braves have no chance to win with a power hitter chipping in at a .175 or worse clip and leaving runners stranded like it is the new goal in baseball. Uggla is a place where opposition pitchers go to find outs! And with his clunky bat and below average speed, multiple outs are a rather decent prospect! It has reached a point where you almost hopes he strikes out and can at least give the next man in the lineup a chance to tally an RBI!
I can think of no worse an insult for a professional hitter, but that is the blunt truth of the matter!
jon
June 6th, 2011
2:03 pm
put him on the DL and get some extented spring training.. it will help and your left with no choice anyway!
Buck Strickland
June 6th, 2011
2:04 pm
Skillet, Galarraga was el gato grande – the big cat.
Ted M
June 6th, 2011
2:06 pm
Uggla had a quote that really bugged me “I’m not gonna get out this slump with walks, I’m trying to be aggressive”
Why not his OBP is .152?
If Uggla hits his career ave from now until the break his ave will still be below.200. Based on 100 AB’s.
Hillbilly
June 6th, 2011
2:11 pm
In my best Jack Buck voice: I don’t belieeeeeve what I just saw @ 1:06.
Esteemed. Ugandan. Journalist. Good to see all those lower case letters again.
harleyman
June 6th, 2011
2:14 pm
Can you say Nick Esasky?
chris
June 6th, 2011
2:15 pm
Here are some things about braves mgmt.in which i do not understand
1-Dan battind .359 in 4th moved away ,not hitting since
2-Constanza hitting.317 in AAA,yet no call up
3-Schafer 164 ab .259 in AAA gets call up
4-Wilkins gets called up has more sb never started and is sent down
5-Hudson gives up runs galore ,stays in game,mgmt.says after 5 runs he must not have it tonite.
6-Diory batting.353 since callup sits on bench while gonzo swings at anything pitcher throws
7-Schafer .205 yet so many think he is providing a spark.
Yes im a big fan of uggla but i say bat him 4th again for at least 2 weeks,if that does not improve,go to aaa,hopefully heyward,nate will come back by then.At this point i don’t see how it could hurt.,sure can not be any worse.As for me personally,i would have given him a one year contract,if u did good,then sign him to a 5 year deal.
Jimmy Crack
June 6th, 2011
2:16 pm
Jeff, the problem is, we keep having this same conversation about hitting, or the lack of, every year. Even back during our 14 year stretch we had great pitching…and ok hitting, until the playoffs and then we had great pitching…and NO hitting.
If someone could go over our team stats, we must have had the absolute worst batting average in playoff games over the past 20 some years. Heck we may have the worst batting average as a team during the regular season over the past 20 years. All of it disguised by wonderful pitching performances.
My apologies to Terry Pendleton. I thought it was his fault we couldn’t hit all those years and now I find all along it was the curse of Chief Noc-A-Homa! Braves management should never have spurned him from being a part of our 1991 pennant run. Curses!
phil
June 6th, 2011
2:17 pm
If Hurtward actually said that crap on Twitter, or whatever the heck you call it, I would want to pound him if i was FG or FW….I’m not surprised he would….the guy is laying out all night getting drunk and just coasting….The guy was never allowed to have a childhood with all that ridiculous traveling around to the various games and so forth….this is what happens….take off the leash, they generally go hog wild….no discipline, no nothing other than screwing up…
His buddy FF is already big and fat….at least he’s been playing well and earning his check the last month….
So let’s see…..FF is out of shape…McCann is out of shape…Gonzo looks a bit pudgy too so out of shape…Chipper can’t help but be somewhat out of shape…Hinske grossly obese….Sherrill not exactly lean and mean on the mound…I suspect our vaunted closer is out til all hours every night too…hard to throw strikes hung over…we know what Lowe has been doing….DUI or no DUI, the guy just looks pathetic on the mound, not to mention hung over….
chris
June 6th, 2011
2:20 pm
oh im sorry left out 1
8-JJ gives up 3 hits mgmt.takes him out of game,brings in proctor,even though nothing wrong with EOF who is our ground ball specialists with moylan on dl.
9-Heyward tweeting all the time about the heat,nothing about baseball,his shoulder,etc.
10-Moylan wearing dresses,nice to know your dark side but hey at least u can pitch when healthy.
But wait,we all know that wren and FG all have a plan………..
joe
June 6th, 2011
2:21 pm
What is most puzzling is he is not making any adjustments…same ole stance, same ole swing. Who is the braves hitting coach? has he tried doing anything different with Ugs? Maybe sending him to Gwinnett for a week, feasting on average pitching, is the tonic he needs to get going. Can’t hurt to try it, right?
phil
June 6th, 2011
2:23 pm
EOF has a back issue too, I read somewhere….
If we had even an ounce of fitness on this team, we might be able to avoid some of these injuries….some, not all….
Chipper hit that monster homerun the other night, proving yet again that he can still kill a baseball….why he doesn’t do it anymore regularly may well be a function of his legs and age, but I tell ya, when he squares up on one, it flies….
journalist jimmy smith
June 6th, 2011
2:25 pm
chipper being out of the lienup in new york makes this journalist think there may be some toe issues with the venerable third baseman. toes are not to be trifled with. this team could turn on a toe. could need a toe truck if they keep playing poorly. time to toe the line. a toe by any other name. jimmy smith is wary of toe injuries and jimmy smith thinks the braves have some toe issues that are not being revealed. have to tip your toe.
dick waters
June 6th, 2011
2:27 pm
dan uggla is looking a lot like rob deer.
Reg
June 6th, 2011
2:28 pm
The Braves need to learn that long term contracts for players in their 30s (most of the time) is not a good move. There are a few exceptions, however, very few. Wren needed to make a move and was sucessful in trading for Uggla. His mistake was signing the long extension before Uggla played an inning. What was the big rush? You had him for a year.
Reg
June 6th, 2011
2:28 pm
A long solo homerun is still one run. Let’s not get too excited over the length of the HR. Consistent production is what matters. Its like a big dunk in basketball, its still 2 points. Chippper hits a long HR gets alot of press, now he is sitting. How many RBIs does he have, and is he able to play…thats determines value to club.