Jurrjens feels ‘not wanted’ by Braves, struggles don’t help
Jair Jurrjens still didn't feel right when he reported to spring training. (Jason Getz/AJC)
When the Braves sent pitcher Kris Medlen to the minors a few days ago, significantly different conversations were going on in the clubhouses involved.
At Turner Field, the talk centered on how quickly Medlen could “stretch out” his arm and transition from reliever to starter, thereby rescuing the team’s rotation. At the minor league confines of Coolray Field in Gwinnett, the questions centered on whether this unofficially signaled the end of Jair Jurrjens’ career as a Brave.
“I understand it’s a business, and they need to do what they need to do,” said Jurrjens, less than a year removed from being an All-Star. “But you have feelings, and it hurts when you feel like you’re not wanted somewhere.”
And that’s what it feels like?
“If I say no, I’m lying. When you’re doing good, everybody loves you. When you’re doing bad, everybody hates you.
“You hear stuff. When the Medlen stuff happened, people around here, my teammates, were like, ‘Wow, they didn’t even think to call you back up?’ People were asking me, ‘Did they say anything to you?’ It just shows me what I mean to them. It doesn’t feel good, but that’s OK. It’s business.”
Few athletes have suffered such a dramatic career U-turn as Jurrjens. At this time a year ago, he was among the better pitchers in baseball. He went 12-3 with a 1.87 ERA in 16 starts in the first half of the season and was selected to the All-Star game. He was the National League’s pitcher of the month for May after posting a 1.65 ERA in six starts. He was the first Braves starter since Greg Maddux (1994) to start the season with 11 consecutive “quality” starts. His ERA through those 11 starts: 1.82.
Only a year ago, general manager Frank Wren was handing Jair Jurrjens the N.L.'s pitcher of month award for May. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Then came the slide. Jurrjens’ right knee began to hurt. He lost strength in his leg. He altered his delivery to try to compensate and messed up his mechanics. He made only seven starts in the second half, going 1-3 with a 5.88 ERA. The problems carried over into this season. Jurrjens made four starts lasting a combined 16 1/3 innings (0-2, 9.37) before being optioned to Gwinnett.
Being sent down wasn’t traumatic for Jurrjens. To the contrary: “It was easier to accept because I knew I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing to help the team out, and I needed to work to get my strength back in my leg. It was probably the best thing that happened to me.”
But what now?
Jurrjens believes he has made progress. Leg strength has come back. Pitching velocity has ticked up. It showed Sunday when he threw eight shutout innings at Rochester.
But he woke up ill Thursday. He spent much of the day passed out on a trainer’s table at the stadium, got up later only for an interview, then went home before the game.
The problem: “Everything,” he said. “Sinus, fever, stomach.”
He was still sick and looked pale Friday but decided to start anyway. Why?
“I felt committed,” he said.
The last thing he needed was for the organization to think he wouldn’t try to pitch sick. But it backfired. He had no velocity or movement on his pitches against Charlotte and was hammered for six earned runs (10 total) and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The fact that manager Dave Brundage left him in seemed like torture.
“I couldn’t even catch my breath,” Jurrjens said.
His strong start last week caught the attention of some scouts, but he doesn’t sense any interest from the Braves. Friday obviously didn’t help. His confidence has taken a shot.
Medlen was designated as the man on deck for the Braves’ rotation. Nor did it help when Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez grew uncomfortable a few weeks ago when reporters kept asking for updates on Jurrjens’ status, and he responded: “Without making it sound cruel, he’s a minor league player right now.”
Brundage said Jurrjens’ assignment never was expected to be “short term.”
The Braves shopped Jurrjens in the winter, but his market value was down coming off the injury and a poor second half. It’s logical to assume he’s still available.
“All I can control is my performance,” he said. “If I’m not in their plans, I’ll move on. But I’m not a Triple-A pitcher.”
His first four-plus seasons in the majors indicated as much. But it has been a rough road since, and it’s clear to him now that he’s off the Braves’ radar.
By Jeff Schultz
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216 comments Add your comment
Zing
June 2nd, 2012
7:00 pm
I agree with the Medlen move, but I get where Jurrjens is coming from, and the Braves should do some damage control.
Wren had better be on the horn with Jurrjens to try to salvage this, otherwise the pitcher the Braves gave up Renteria for is out the door with no compensation. Instead of sending JJ to AAA, if the problem really was a weak knee and some messed up mechanics, they should have sent him to extended spring training, then plugged him into Gwinnett’s rotation for rehab. This guy has shown he is too good to be essentially told that he now sucks and needs to prove he’s major league ready.
Mister Frisky
June 2nd, 2012
7:54 pm
Hey JJ I’m sure there are several teams wanting your services.There is a high demand for 85 mph straight cheese.Maybe a cabana boy back in the Islands is more your speed.
Hillbilly D
June 2nd, 2012
8:16 pm
Maybe he needs to stop trying to “tough through it”. He hasn’t gotten particularly good results, and neither have some of the other players who’ve tried it.
A lot of truth in that but there’s a lot of pressure on professional athletes to play, no matter what. You’re not 100% but management is wanting you to play and if you don’t some guy is sitting there just waiting to take your job. These guys don’t have it as easy as some think.
scott
June 2nd, 2012
8:48 pm
Remember the Braves refused to trade him for Adam Jones who is having an ALL STAR season with the ORIOLES….completely stupid not making that trade
Fan of the Game
June 2nd, 2012
9:09 pm
JJ, just pitch and if you still have it good things will happen. Stay out of the press and media. Worse thing you can do is fall for their trap. All they want is a story. Just pitch!
Felix
June 2nd, 2012
9:20 pm
Man up JJ!. You stunk-that’s why you are at AAA.
Get to work fixing your pitching problems; we don’t want to hear you crying/complaining.
You’re getting paid mega bucks to play a kids game. You won’t get any sympathy from folks that work for a living.
Braves Blog Troll
June 2nd, 2012
10:18 pm
scott: Actually, the Orioles nipped the Jones trade in the bud. Nice try, though. Come back when you get your facts straight.
Braves Blog Troll
June 2nd, 2012
10:19 pm
Just cause you use all caps in the middle of your sentences doesn’t make your argument correct.
keith
June 2nd, 2012
10:46 pm
Time for this kid to grow up. Everyone hates you because your pitching bad. Stop it. Upset because you weren’t recalled. Stop it. Your throwing beach balls. Every MLB team wants to win, most are committed to winning. Maybe we trade you to a city where style counts more than victories.
Jim
June 2nd, 2012
11:38 pm
JJ might be an A ball pitcher. Sick or not he has pitched one decent game in AAA
GOP Cannon
June 3rd, 2012
12:02 am
JJ is a free agent after this season, and there is pretty much a zero percent chance that he will be a Brave next year. Bottom line, if he can help the team win now, then he will pitch, otherwise he will not… so far he has sucked at triple A.
Thus far JJ, Minor, and to a lesser degree Delgado have been disappointing… lets give Medlen and Teheran a chance to win for us.
D-bo
June 3rd, 2012
12:07 am
This just shows hi messed up management is.
Sticking with d Lowe too long, sticking with minor and Delgado, even though they are struggling just as much as jurrjens, not giving jurrjens a chance and calling him a long term minor leaguer.
How insulting, lack of thankfulness.
Terrible.
What do you think?
Ted Striker
June 3rd, 2012
12:27 am
Page HIT!
Beltrans' ear mole
June 3rd, 2012
12:54 am
I forget, what did the Braves get for Melky when they shipped him off to KC?
Beltrans' ear mole
June 3rd, 2012
12:56 am
Give Teheran the ball.
Beltrans' ear mole
June 3rd, 2012
1:17 am
How hard will it be to bring up, even a pitching well, JJ if he will now likely be a bad apple in the clubhouse? He has a right to be sour, imo.
I am surprised Prado and JJ even showed up to dress out this season – after Wren went out of his way to talk about how he’d happily trade them both. Anyone with half a brain knows that all players are potential trade bait – even ones with no trade clauses. Why did he have to tell the press and anyone who sat near him they were bait? Needlessly stupid, imo. Wren can be:
http://tinyurl.com/3a6k64
arbitrary and inflexible
and he operates in an unreasonable, authoritarian manner</B.
and he traded away Tim Collins for nothing.
Murray for Heisman
June 3rd, 2012
1:25 am
Good points, Carlitos, but Tim Collins?
Beltrans' ear mole
June 3rd, 2012
2:38 am
but Tim Collins?
Most assuredly. Very, very bad trade. We also gave up Blanco who school is still out on but SF seems happy with him. …For a center fielder who hits worse than Alex Gonzales in a slump and a reliever we were too dumb to keep for 2011 or we’d have been playoff bound.
Look up Collins’ stats from the minors. Check out the Ks in the minors. Not due for free agency till 2017 iirc.
He’s not perfect, but he is very, very good at 97mph and a marketers dream at 5′7″ and…for what we got in exchange?
Very bad trade.
Beltrans' ear mole
June 3rd, 2012
3:07 am
Murray –
Collins’ left arm may go kaput tomorrow but he is just loaded with potential ta boot. He’s allowed runs in like 2 of 24 appearances. Top it all off – he is a blast to watch pitch. Almost as fun as watching my fave, Livan, but he has a style no one can top.
Livan is one plus for Wren’s side of the ledger.
He’ll get whacked around sometimes but Livan is one I could watch all day when he is driving them nuts. hahah He can drive them nuts. I just die laughing when he gets the ball back and walks around with his back to the batter, just looking around and chewing his gum. Then he throws a they-don’t-know-what next up there – he can drive them nuts.
ab initio
June 3rd, 2012
6:20 am
The only person who wanted Jair Jurrjens in a Brave uni was Frank Wren. Jurrjens should have been traded a long time ago when the league found out his fastball had absolutely no movement on it, and Jurrjens was injury prone.
gabugman
June 3rd, 2012
8:23 am
It appears to me that there may be issues at pitching coach considering all the mechanics problems that are cropping up.
ugafan13
June 3rd, 2012
8:28 am
This coming from a guy who wouldn’t man up when his team needed him for a playoff run in years past. All in all he has underwhelmed except for the first half of last year. And here we are again at a crossroad where he needs to man up and perform. Not sure it is in his fabric based off of his past!
GTT
June 3rd, 2012
10:28 am
Dude needs to phone up Smoltz’s psychologist. If you can’t get it done right now in AAA, how reasonable is it to think you can do it in the bigs, Jair?
GTT
June 3rd, 2012
10:28 am
And, by the way, I’m on your side. Get your head right and get back up there. The Braves need you.
You
June 3rd, 2012
11:47 am
JJ AND MM CAN BOTH TAKE LONG WALKS OFF SHORT PIERS. SEE YOU IN SPOKANE
NOTSODUMBFAN
June 3rd, 2012
2:48 pm
Braves fans are always critical, they need to have some compassion for the other person. Because players make lots of money doesn’t void them of feelings. If it were your son or daughter maybe the criticism would cease. When JJ was pitching well everyone was happy. when Heyward was hitting well they were also happy. When a little adversity appear they bring out their real feelings. Is it that the fans in Atlanta are just down right rude among other things. Please let these guys concentrate on what’s their jobs and not the constant stupid crap that is just a cover up for how they really feel about players who look different than they do.
Ronald Millsaps
June 3rd, 2012
3:04 pm
While facing a terrific pitcher and amidst offensive struggles and with Chipper and McCann out of the lineup, Michael Bourn reaches twice and is sent neither time, which is simply unwise.
duronimo
June 3rd, 2012
3:16 pm
Pay them obsence millions and they still need to be pampered and wanted. I don’t think these players know what it’s like in the real world.
Ronald Millsaps
June 3rd, 2012
3:21 pm
I haven’t even viewed Jurrjens’ minor-league stats. Honestly, if he’s healthy, I’d call him back up now. You can’t always go by surface numbers. Granted, even regarding my last post, there are occasions where not sending Bourn even in roster situations like this is wise, but in general you need to send the man.
Remember when Jeff Francoeur tore it up in 2005? His recent minor-league numbers paled in comparison. You can’t always go just by surface numbers because life is more complex than that.
Ronald Millsaps
June 3rd, 2012
3:23 pm
“duronimo”–These guys deserve every dime they make, unlike Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, actors/actresses. secular musicians, etc..
jj
June 3rd, 2012
9:44 pm
Get over yourself…go visit a hospital for some perspective !
Cap Tipper Fredi
June 3rd, 2012
9:51 pm
Lowe was given a whole year sucking by Braves.
Cap Tipper Fredi
June 3rd, 2012
9:54 pm
Jair basically said call me up or trade me.
Rafy
June 3rd, 2012
10:03 pm
And JJ! What you want the Braves to do? They have two holes in the rotation right now with Minor and Delgado. Two young pitchers that are being very inconsistent, specially Minor, I think Randall has potential. The Braves can not be a contender without their 4th man and 5th man of the rotation. So exactly! They need to look at their options, so Go Braves! And JJ get well soon!
jed
June 3rd, 2012
10:07 pm
this whole thing with jurrjens is very strange. he’s been a great pitcher for them, got injured, and had a bad second half. (no worse than derek lowe’s.) then he had a slow start this year. yes. but to just give up on one of your better pitchers like this? it makes no sense. jurrjens is too talented to give up on. i cant help but wonder if anything else is going on.
Pete Smith
June 3rd, 2012
10:53 pm
Note to JJ. You’re in AAA for a reason. Shut up and pitch your way back. And by the way, your agent closes more doors than opening them for you. I hope you’ve saved your money. When this opportunity dries up you won’t get another. Who wants to negotiate with that piece of crap Boras for the services of a minor league pitcher.
Coach (2012 Fredi's Beisbol Fandango)
June 3rd, 2012
11:19 pm
Braves management paid Kawakami 7 million to pitch in the minors last season. They are currently paying Derek Lowe 10 million to pitch for the Indians, and now JJ is getting 5.5 million more of our payroll to pitch in triple A.
Simply put, players are not the problem, payroll management is and that’s on Frank Wren.
Jay Dubu
June 4th, 2012
12:17 am
ast two years JJ has missed the end of the season with injuries, and this season started out very badly. The Braves had no other choice but to send him down and let him work out the kinks, and strengthen the knee.
They could not afford to continue to let him start to only pitch 3 – 4 innings, killing the bullpen, and getting the team in such a hole that the game was over by the 5th inning.
Pitch well consistantly JJ, and you’ll be back on the Major League roster asap.
Minor…you are officially on the AAA clock!
Steve
June 4th, 2012
2:11 am
Point blank, JJ has done more in his past for the Braves than any other pitcher on their roster except Hudson and he has been overlooked for the last 10-12 months.
I am SO sick and tired of hearing about these ‘prospects’ who have yet to do anything at all in the pros. Sure, JJ is having a roguh time right now, but fans and coaches should have his back a little better than they currently do. Instead, they are gushing over prospects. Last time I looked Minor, Delgado, Vizcaino, and Teheran have not been impressive at all for the Braves in their breif Major League stints. Yeah, a few oohs and ahhs, but nothing consistent.
I realize the young arms will be more affordable the next few years and we might need to move JJ, but that’s all themore reason for management to get behind him rather than give up on him. If other teams know you have no faith in the guy they won’t offer anything at all.
Pinball
June 4th, 2012
4:30 am
The real truth is: Jurrjens hasn’t been the same since he hooked up with Miss Georgia last year.. Kaylin would probably fry my brain too…
nick p.
June 4th, 2012
8:15 am
its all in JJ’s head, we all know how good of a pitcher he can be, he has to put this all behind him with a few more good outings and he will be back, ord knows our starters are very jeckyl and hyde this year, delgado, hanson, even hudson are all cold and hot from start to start which is why we might make the playoffs, but we are not going to win it all, at best we have two number two pitchers (hudson and Beachy) and the rest are four and five pitchers, hudson has never been a one, i really thought JJ could have been that one, but now he has a lot of work to do to be an all star again!
Double Zero Eight
June 4th, 2012
8:18 am
Welcome to the real world, where the motto is:
“What have you done for me lately?”
Hugo
June 4th, 2012
9:00 am
I concur with UGAFurman. Minor, watch out, u could be next.
steve7.62
June 4th, 2012
9:42 am
sounds like an immature head case. Trade him.
Call It Like It Is
June 4th, 2012
10:27 am
Lets see your playing a kids game, getting millions to do so, and now you want sympathy from the team and the fans because you can’t perform to standards. I know maybe we should put a hold on the season, till you feel better about yourself. Because you know out here in the real world that’s how it works. If Schultz needs to have his article in by Friday and it doesn’t happen, well they just want publish the paper. If cops don’t feel good, well the criminals stop doing crime till they do. I know how about you return your salary for your substandard performances of late, then we will talk about sympathy. You had your 15 minutes sport, your now choking, See ya!
PMC
June 4th, 2012
10:45 am
….IT’S PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL!!! This is why I don’t understand why players are even interviewed.
Jurrjens is getting 5 million dollars to not provide anything to the Braves this year….and he’s freaking CRYING ABOUT IT.
Seriously? Nobody hates you JJ, they want you to win games for them. Right now, you are not a major league caliber pitcher though you are being paid like it and you’re talking about love and respect??? Look at your PAYCHECK geez.
David
June 4th, 2012
11:54 am
Please disrespect me and hurt my feelings with 5 mill. I can take that kind of abuse.
Bobo
June 4th, 2012
12:24 pm
Confidence is EVERYTHING in sports and the Braves seem to be doing the exact opposite of what Jurrjens needs. It’s not like the guy wasn’t all All-Star last year or the first half of last year didn’t happened. Even Roy Halladay has had a half season where he got destroyed until he found his stuff again. The Braves really haven’t handled this right and Gonzalez threw gas on the fire by calling him a minor league pitcher. If you’re not loyal to your players, then don’t expect them to have your back next time you somehow manage to make one horrible decision after another and blow a 9 game lead going into September. They should either trade him and put him out of his misery like they did with Francoeur or stand behind him and give him a chance to get his stuff back.
falconfan58
June 4th, 2012
12:57 pm
Do you think it may have something TO DO WITH HIS PITCHING PERFORMANCE??????
Disbott3000
June 4th, 2012
1:21 pm
When he can consistently perform at the level expected, he will start in the bigs again, either with the Braves or with some other team that trades for him. Until then, the Braves need guys who can win and no one else will be interested. However, here’s hoping he is able to bounce back soon and have a long, major league, career.