Wren on his Braves: “It’s obvious we need more offense”
Frank Wren knew he couldn’t fix all that ailed his 90-loss team in one offseason, so he prioritized. He started with the rotation and added three new arms. He stabilized the most egregious source of instability. He made the Braves competitive again.
But say this for Wren: He’s no Pollyanna. He sees the potential in his reconfigured team, and he also sees a ceiling. Just past the quarter pole, the Braves are very much in the NL East mix. To stay there, the general manager believes something has to change.
“I do think we’re going to have to perform better offensively,” Wren said Wednesday. “Our pitching is giving us a chance to win, but to be legitimate contenders we have to improve offensively.”
The hope when the Braves came north from Disney World was that many competent bats would override the lack of a true big bat. “We don’t have a big bopper who’s going to hit 40 home runs,” Wren said in April. “We might have seven guys who’ll hit 20.”
He meant 20 apiece. But if you take away Brian McCann, the other regulars — this counts the two-man platoon in left field — have managed a total of 22 homers. That’s not enough to win over the long haul, not for a team that isn’t built for speed, either. (Last in the majors in stolen bases, you know.) The Braves have scored 20 runs in their past seven games, and seven came in one inning against Toronto.
The best-case scenario was that Garret Anderson would contribute professional at-bats and Jordan Schafer would lend a spark and Jeff Francoeur would remember how to hit. “We thought we had a chance to get some of our offensive production back from guys returning to form,” Wren said, but a team – and a GM – can wait only so long.
Loading ...Obvious question: Is there a deal a-coming? Wren: “The time to address need is just beginning. Teams are just now starting to see where their needs are. I don’t see any trade happening really quickly.”
If you read ajc.com blogs, you’ll find a contingent of protesters who fault Wren for not finding a real hitter over the winter. (Boilerplate criticism: He should have landed Adam Dunn, or Bobby Abreu, or Raul Ibanez, who has been reborn in Philadelphia.) But the real world of baseball, it must be noted, isn’t so convenient.
“The offensive players who were available this winter would have been hard to put into a National League outfield on an everyday basis,” Wren said. “As we were trying to improve our pitching, we had our eye on defense as well. It was a balancing act.”
And that makes sense. Really, most everything Wren has done to date makes sense. He retooled the starting pitching, which is always the hardest part. “You can’t put together a rotation on the fly,” he said, and the 90 losses of 2008 stand as stark evidence. But the modern way of baseball is to fix over the winter and tweak in the summer, and now summer’s here.
“We’re interested in improving our offense,” Wren said. “It’s obvious we need more offense.”
So there’s hope yet, Braves fans. This GM isn’t in denial. He knows what his team lacks. He’s on the case. But he’d better hurry.
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222 comments Add your comment
johnny bravo
May 28th, 2009
8:15 pm
I’d like to just see some accountability, I mean with jordan and francine’s struggles send them down, their grown we think, either they’d work hard and get their jobs back or sit down there, no crying in baseball just business, bring someone up, if they do well use them awhile, but sometimes you just wanna see booby shake things up, with this stale offense. what could it hurt to bring up b.jones and in a year we hope, can see possible heyward,freeman and co. I hope any deal doesn’t include cody johnson though he may not have the best avg but puts up the numbers, could be somewhat like dunn one day. just can’t be buried in the race by the allstar break,
Hoss is Ova-Rated
May 28th, 2009
8:50 pm
Chipper is way the hell over-rated. Even as he won the batting title last year he didn’t hit for much power. I think he was focused most of the year on hitting singles so that he could win the batting title… And now it carries over to this year too… No power, no run production… Always hurt… And Wren just extended Chipper’s contract by 3 years… Wren won’t not be around long enough to regret that signing… 14 years of good baseball… Now the law of averages is catching up…
Bry22
May 28th, 2009
9:05 pm
Hoss is Ova-Rated – You must not not s*** about hitting to think Chipper is over-rated. When he is healthy, he finds away to at least go 1-3 against every pitcher in the game. No matter if it’s Santana, Halladay or a younger Randy Johnson. What an moron!!
Bry22
May 28th, 2009
9:07 pm
Hoss is Ova-Rated – You probably think D. Wright from the Mets should have one the golden glove the year before last, with twice as many ERRORS than Chipper. Like I said, WHAT A MORON!
Pendleton & Vick Supporter
May 28th, 2009
9:13 pm
Anyone who does not think Terry Pendleton need to be made head coach of the Braves is just a hater and a racist who don’t know nothing about baseball. That is what wrong with this whole city. Only coward and racists hide behind they computers and call for a man to lose his job. Pendleton could be both the batting coach and the head coach. TP!!
AJC
May 28th, 2009
9:29 pm
Pendleton & Vick Supporter, all I can hear you saying is bla bla bla I’m an angry person who can’t think clearly because I’m an angry person.
PD
May 28th, 2009
9:38 pm
Why don’t we trade for a speed guy in the outfield, since the power guys will be hard to get. What about Juan Pierre who will be available when Manny returns (he wants out of the dodgers). Dodger’s may cover some of the cost since that’s a lot of $ for a backup outfielder. He’s been the star of my fantasy team the last few weeks.
puff
May 28th, 2009
11:02 pm
If Frank Wren thought he saw 7 guys on this roster capable of hitting 20 HRs, the organization’s biggest problem is talent evaluation
JD
May 28th, 2009
11:03 pm
I can’t tell if Pendleton and Vick supporter is serious or not. I really hope he’s not.
Great article, Mark. It’s quite obvious that this offense is lacking. It’s starting to become more obvious that coaching is a problem. I hope your article on TP is tough and honest. It seems Atlanta sports writers aren’t keeping the coaches accountable, asking them tough questions, etc. I think because after 14 years, Bobby’s been immortalized.
I hate how everyone’s blaming Frank Wren and calling for his job. Given the circumstances, he’s doing a great job.
JD
May 28th, 2009
11:06 pm
If Frank Wren thought he saw 7 guys on this roster capable of hitting 20 HRs
If everyone was performing close to potential, I say Chipper, McCann, Francoeur, Kelly, Yunel, and Anderson can all hit 20. That’s 6…Kotchman I guess can come close. But the point is a lot of players are underperforming.
puff
May 28th, 2009
11:34 pm
It is fantasy to think that all the guys you name are legit 20 dinger bats. CJ when healthy. McCann. After that, Anderson hasn’t hit 20 since 2003. Francoeur hit 29 once, then fell way off. Kotchman’s all-time high is 14. KJ’s high is 16, which he is unlikely to match as a lefty platooner playing shaky defense. Yunel’s high is 10. It defies logic to think all these guys are suddenly going to blossom into 20 HR threats. Not without roids.
Ted Striker
May 28th, 2009
11:34 pm
Good column, Mark — as usual. Has been a busy week with family obligations, etc. Will check in with you later!
Thunderbull56
May 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
Who’s this Glavine guy in rehab.Can he play CF or RF? If not, who cares when he toes tha’ rubba’.One thing I do know, sun of a gun yusta could lay down a bunt with runners on.Now if he could hit maybe 270, knocks of around 15,along with the gratuitous bunt from time to time, put him in coach.
Chuck Uga
May 28th, 2009
11:47 pm
Maybe if this fool hadn’t traded all the young talen to Texas for a bum in Teixeira we wouldn’t bve having these problems.
Hey Tech fans, you should be real proud of your boy Teixeira for helping set the Braves back six or seven years in their rebuilding.
Mark Bradley
May 29th, 2009
12:28 am
For these keeping score, it’s now 22 runs in nine games — with 10 of those coming against Toronto on Sunday. I know they’ve faced good pitchers lately — Aaron Cook, Roy Hallyday, Tim Linceum, Randy Johnson, Danny Haren tonight — but this is getting serious.
Turkeylegs
May 29th, 2009
12:35 am
I would rather write the season off and keep our major prospects. I would not trade Freeman, Gorkys, Heyward or Hanson unless we get an All Star in return who will be with the team for at least a couple of years. What did we get out of the Tex trade? A few weeks of hope? This lineup has too many holes for an in season fix.
Matthew
May 29th, 2009
1:05 am
Ok the complaints about vasquez are silly he’s pitched well but without run support alot of pitchers tend to be less aggressive when the have no help. As for the outfield. Mark Derosa can play just about anywhere so he fills multiple holes. But my question is why isn’t anyone bringing up Carlos Lee. The Astros are terrible and have no chance in th NL Central. They need young pitching and thats the one thing we have.
Matthew
May 29th, 2009
1:07 am
TurkeyLegs Hanson wouldn’t even be considered in a Trade unless it was for Pujols or Aroid! So don’t worry about that. Morton and Medlen are the expendable young arms in the organization so they’ll go first.
Matthew
May 29th, 2009
1:10 am
Oh and PD I like the Pierre proposal but I don’t think the way he’s playing now that the Dodgers would be willing to let him go.
JD
May 29th, 2009
1:16 am
Aroid, that’s original.
When Manny comes back, the Dodgers will have Manny, Kemp, Pierre, and Ethier. All great OFs, but one too many.
Poorbrave
May 29th, 2009
1:28 am
GTSteve-Where did you get info that CW was on the white stuff? I lived next door to CW . His kids played with my kids and I rode back and to games with him. He has a beautiful family and would go out of his way to be nice to everyone. I don’t believe a word you said.
Does it make you feel big, are a man or something to say something so stupid. If you have facts are etc. produce it. I bet you didn’t even know him except seeing him on the field. Get a life.
Charlie Kerfeld
May 29th, 2009
2:23 am
Here are your facts Poorbrave:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19840224&id=BAAOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iXwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6729,345185
Hopefully he was not high when he was riding with you and your kids.
Main Street Mafia
May 29th, 2009
3:01 am
After hearing how Schafer was a raking machine before the season started and actually earned his spot over Josh Anderson, I have to ask: What the heck happened to him? I can understand him playing somewhat poorly because he’s a rookie and all, but I hear he was great pre-season. So if he bats now how he batted then, we’d be alot better, and if he batted then how he bats now, we’d still have Josh Anderson, and again, be alot better. But then again, I guess Francoeur had a great start too…weird. I hope Schafer isn’t messed up for life because of this season.
yogi2
May 29th, 2009
3:27 am
Chipper is without a doubt, the best switch-hitter in baseball when healthy. even when hurt,he is better than 75% of all hitters.
99% of all outfielders are better than Franquer and Shafer
yogi2
May 29th, 2009
3:33 am
If the braves have a runner on first with less than two outs, the braves should make Frenchy and Shaffer stand there and take pitches till they walk or take third strike. do not let them swing at any pitch
Drixie
May 29th, 2009
4:46 am
This is a team that needs to score 4-5 runs a game to be in most games. The problem has been relying on too many “best case” scenarios for the offense: Francoeur learning to be a consistent major league hitter; Chipper staying healthy, Schaefer living up to (at least 50%) of the hype; Anderson being productive. Kotchman has been good to date, but a “Mark Grace” type first baseman can not carry a team. We have no speed or plus power as a team, so everyone has to contribute on a regular basis. McCann, Escobar, Johnson, Chipper, Kotchman, a Diaz/Anderson platoon (when healthy) could be a solid offensive foundation. Francoeur on a team with plenty of speed and power could be a serviceable player – problem is he is being counted on to carry the team through injuries to key players and the more he presses the more he reverts back to bad habits. Schaefer is just flat out not ready for the majors, and I’m starting to wonder if his confidence won’t suffer if we keep trotting him out there to strike out 2-3 times a game (usually with RISP). What’s frustrating is that we are in a division with no really dominant team and we don’t have the horses to get it done.
Kevin
May 29th, 2009
5:03 am
Frank wren was fired from baltimore doin same lousy thing to bradley dear….But since he clueless as Bobby cox n his friends TP why should he worry..better idea fire bobby cox n TP and get new coach’s n soon we hear bobby in jail after beatin his wife up….if we had different coach in 90’s we could had 6 world series rings..like we had the fellow who coachin detroit we would!We need a new coach if chipper is cryin oh i hurt me money hand well Trade him if u trade frenchy he go some place and hit near 340 avg. then folks here will say Oh wren u goof again,
AJC
May 29th, 2009
7:53 am
Keven,,,,,,”chipper cryin oh i hurt me money hand”…Now that’s funny! I like your style. The Braves could use you in their broadcast booth. LOL
AJC
May 29th, 2009
8:03 am
Mark, Is Bobby even aware that his offense blows chunks? Why isn’t Bobby even held the slightest bit accountable for his teams total lack of offensive effort? At least 1 coach needs to go, and we all know who that is, to at least show the fans that the Braves might be trying to work on their ridiculous offense.
Chop It Up All-star
May 29th, 2009
8:18 am
I appreciate that Wren understands that this team is in “serious” need of offense, but by looking now as opposed to taking a proactive approach in the off season, coupled with the fact that the team is really struggling, puts the Braves in a position of weakness in terms of negotiating. What we do have however, is too much pitching, which could be parlayed into (1) a speedy lead-off guy that can hit for average, and a power bat in the outfield.
Steve
May 29th, 2009
8:18 am
My only thing is that if and when this trade comes that we do not give away the house for a rental player. I say it is time to get rid of the Steve Avery of the 2000’s decade Reyes. Just add him to any trade just to get him off the roster. A change of scenery could to him some good
Poorbrave
May 29th, 2009
8:45 am
Thanks Charlie Kerfeld. Still can’t believe it, he was always up front with me. (I thought) At least he admitted it and got help. Damn you never know. Thanks again.
Poorboy
May 29th, 2009
9:10 am
The Braves should have recognized by now that Terry Pendleton is the problem. They need a hitting instructor more than they need to make a trade. Look what happened to Andrew, now Jeff and some others have not been as good since Terry has been the hitting instructor.. I say REPLACE TERRY PENDLETON now not latter.
DirtyDawg
May 29th, 2009
10:04 am
BMan, coupla things about your Salty, Tex, et. al. piece. First, as far as his height being a problem behind the plate – by the way, he’s not quite 6′5″, but close and listed at 6-4 – I know that’s the skinny around baseball but tell that to Bill Freehan, Elston Howard, Carlton Fisk, Lance Parrish, Joe Mauer (I know, his back’s bothering him), and plenty more over the years. As for wear and tear on a catcher, it ain’t just the tall ones, Johnny Bench and Yogi Berra both started playing other positions later in their careers, and finally, it wasn’t the knees that got Dale Murphy out from behind the plate and into CF, it was the fact that all his throws to second ended up in CF – which must have given them the idea, along with the fact that the guy could run like a deer. And it wasn’t Wren that made the ‘a bunch of our great young players for a narcissistic, selfish, rent-a-player with the funny name, trade’, it was John whatshislast name, although I doubt if it would have made any difference. I mean anybody that can look at Garrett Anderson and see ‘ballplayer’, you shouldn’t trust with your money and future.
Point being we got had on that that deal and it bothers me that we could have had those guys on the roster now – guarantee you Salty would be catching and McCann playing first. The guy’s a far better ‘catch and throw’ catcher and tough enough and mean enough to block the plate when called for, and doesn’t resort to ‘ole-ing balls in the dirt to his right and on tags.
Mark Bradley
May 29th, 2009
10:08 am
To answer AJC’s question: Yes, Bobby Cox is aware his offense is, shall we say, lacking.
Curious George
May 29th, 2009
10:56 am
Why does Cal Ripken, JR never ask Frank Wren to be a guest on his weekly satellite radio show on XM Channel 175 ?
No More Bobby
May 29th, 2009
11:23 am
So you admit the Braves can’t hit at all this season? So then why don’t you start calling out people like TP instead of being cowards and caring more about your status around Turner Field?
GET SOME BALLS AJC WRITERS!!
phoenix falcon
May 29th, 2009
11:31 am
Ron Mexico could bat lead off and play center field.
Early Christmas
May 29th, 2009
11:45 am
Worst OF in Baseball in terms of offensive production and whose fault is that? Who placed all his bets on a Right Fielder whose skills have clearly been in decline since the latter half of the 2007 season? Who rushed a clearly overmatched punk into the starting CF job, when he is clearly not ready? Who thinks a journeyman outfielder (Diaz) who even though he sometimes hits for average is a legitimate everyday starting outfielder? Yes, he deserves some credit for trying to patch together a viable starting staff but two things can be equally true as they are in this case- Wren deserves all the scorn he can get for the pathetic group that forms this team’s outfield. It is the worst in baseball, it is embarassing and the blame should be placed squarely on his shoulders for trying to get by with this sub-par group. Anyone possessing a hint of knowledge and objectivity who saw this collection of players prior to the beginning of the season could see that they would have problems. He built this team on a foundation of wishing and hoping and it is now crashing down upon him as the house of cards it is and always was.
ChillyMutt
May 29th, 2009
11:48 am
We are more than one big bat away from staying competitive. The Braves need at least two bats. And even though chipper just signed that 3 years extension (Damn Frank Wren), we need to start thinking about an heir for 3rd base. Can’t have someone that can only play 100 games holding down that position.
If we can get two bats without mortgaging too much of future (read Tex trade) then great but if not, I would rather see them just throw the towel in for this years and come out next year swinging.
Paul Lentz
May 29th, 2009
11:49 am
Personally, I have no fault with the way Frank Wren has rebuilt the Braves. Rightfully so, he gave Franceour a chance to prove that he can be the kind of player we all hope he can be. However, reality has set in. I’ve watched pretty much every Braves game the last 4 years (I get the MLB Ticket here in San Francisco). Franceour kills rallies. Too many to not take notice. Plus he is no longer a power hitter.
Also, I’m glad the Braves didnt spend money in the off season on those left handed free agent hitters. The Braves need right handed power. It would have been preferrable if Franceour could have been a source of that. However he isnt. Last year, other than Manny Ramariz (which I advocated signing as a free agent), there werent any other viable right handed boppers on the market. Signing Ibanez and Dunn at the time did not seem like good moves. Ibanez is off to a great start, however I would like to see if he can maintain this pace for the whole year. At his age, he is susceptible to injury as well.
The Braves pitching will be fine. Right now there is added pressure on the pitching because of our inability to score runs right now. I’m ok with Wren being patient to make the right deal for a power right handed bat. With the way the economy is, teams are going to be more willing to dump payroll than in times past.
Again, if the Braves dont bring up Glaviine and decide dump Franceour soon, then that is $5.5 mil in potential savings that could go towards acquiring a right handed power bat. Give Medlen a chance to be that 5th starter. And in another month or so (when the season has passed the a point where this year will not count towards Tommy Hanson being eligible for arbitration), then I would be ok with bringing him up if Medlen isnt able to earn the 5th starter’s position.
This is an important time for the Braves to make smart decisions. I understand keeping the door open for Glavine because of the uncertainty of the starting rotation at the beginning of the season of being able to produce and stay healthy. We are passed that point now. Medlen made adjustments not only between the 1st and 2nd start, but also during his second start as well. After that rocky 2nd inning, he retired the last 12 batters he faced. That shows potential and ability there. Give the kid a chance to show what he can do over the next few starts. Tell Glavine that he needs a few more starts in Triple A to show that he can go more than 5 innings. That will give Medlen a few starts to convince some of you skeptics. If Medlen proves himself, then I would suggest either releasing Glavine, or trading him if he was willing to play for another team. If Medlen were to regress and falter, then perhaps give Glavine a chance. I still stand by my feeling that the way to go would be to give Hanson a chance if Medlen falters. However, I do understand why Wren would feel differently. Regardless, the move is to give Medlen a few more starts.
I feel that Wren went about the right course on rebuilding the pitching staff first. It is much easier to find a big bat than to find a stud pitcher. Let’s see how Wren handles fixing the power outage that is our offense. Getting that big right handed bat will have a domino effect.
Plate Appearance
May 29th, 2009
11:53 am
WREN’S BLUNDERS
I inwardly wince when I read Wren’s comments. For behind the Braves hitting woes are Frank’s blunders!
Face it, Wren blundered in trading away Josh Anderson and opting for Schafer in CF.
In 86 AB’s Josh has a .302 average, a .348 OBP, 10 stolen bases, and a low strike out total. He could have been the lead off hitter the Braves want and need — to have allowed KJ to move to a more comfortable and productive place lower in the batting order.
Moreover, Wren blundered in not giving Andruw a chance this Spring, as his current stats projected out over 550 AB’s yield close to a .300 average, 30 home runs, and 100 runs batted in.
One further blunder: A yet productive Gary Sheffield was also on the market for pennies on the dollar, after being released by Detroit. Sheffield’s current stats in 88 part time AB’s have yielded 5 home runs, 19 runs batted in, a .295 average, a .441 on base percentage, a .545 slugging percentage, and a .987 OPS!
I can’t say that I have much confidence in Frank’s judgement!
Yes, Frank has done much to “fix” the Braves hitting already!
Rather than trading Jeff — who I believe deserves more of a chance — I’d much rather see JS trade Frank for Dayton Moore!
AJC
May 29th, 2009
1:03 pm
Mark, glad to hear you say Bobby is cognizant of what’s going on, but I still have a hard time believing it…..The cool thing about this years team despite the fact that the pitching has been decent, is that the Braves lack of power is more than compensated by their lack of speed, lack of a winning attitude & lack of coaching…Home game ticket sales should be brisk.
kool$kat
May 29th, 2009
1:07 pm
Juan Pierre…yeah he’s led many teams to titles…right! This ain’t fantasy baseball!!!
Never expected hitting to be this weak. Nobody did, not Wren, not any of you impatient, spoiled bloggers who should be happy just to have a contender. I get tired of saying this, but ya’ll shoulda been here from ‘66 thru ‘90, when we had two playoff appearances with zero wins.
But I hoped we’d get Adam Dunn, too. Thought we had enough money to get whatever we needed. But, we have solid pitching, and some to spare if TommyG and Huddy make it back. Enough to deal for a hitter. We’re only 3 games out, no time to panic!
Mr. Dell
May 29th, 2009
1:14 pm
Line up
Lofton
Kotchman
C Jones
McCann
Escobar
Infante
Schafer
Pitcher
Matthew
May 29th, 2009
1:38 pm
Mark I have a question what happened to ” We Guarantee to get Bobby bat”. Does that mean they bought him a pet fruit bat. Or they got him an autographed Hank Aaron bat? Because as far as I see the only bat on this team is McCann. And Chipper every other week when he’s not hurt.
J williams
May 29th, 2009
2:00 pm
Mr. Bradley,
Wren made some good moves to solidify the starting rotation, but suspect moves with rest of the line up. Here are several points that I need your insight on:
With all the Front Office experience that the Braves have, how’s it possible that they should have left Spring Training with Schafer as the only option for the CF spot? He played in AA all of last season, of which, he missed 50 games. Even though he performed well in Spring Training, they had to know that the regular season is a completely different animal.
Can we get the names of those seven players on the Braves’ roster that can hit 20 homeruns? (Batting practice does not count). If they’re capable of hitting 20 this season, then they should have had at least 20 last season, regardless of where they played.
Besides Chipper and Mac, no such player exist on the Braves roster!
The Braves had a better record last season after 47 games, and look at how that ended. How is it that you expect better results this season? The starting pitching will only carry you so far, and then reality of a poorly conceived roster will set in.
nique
May 29th, 2009
2:05 pm
DOB, Wren can’t be suggesting that Garret Anderson is a balance of offense and defense, can he?! The guy has got to be the worst outfielder on the team.
nique
May 29th, 2009
2:06 pm
Sorry, meant to say “Mark”.
Jabarbanol
May 29th, 2009
2:19 pm
Lash, you’re one of the people “Coach” is talking about.What has Bobby Cox done to be fired? He is on his way to the Hall of Fame for a reason.