All-baseball Bradley’s Buzz: Will DeRo be the Braves’ hero?
A triumphant return for the pride of Vinings Estates?
He played quarterback at Penn. He played everywhere for the Braves. He drove in the winning run in Game 2 of the 2003 NLDS against the Cubs. He lived in my subdivision (and, after leaving for Texas, rented his house first to Chris Reitsma and then to Mike Remlinger). And now Mark DeRosa might be coming back to the ol’ neighborhood.
So speculates Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. DeRo, as he’s known, now plays for Cleveland, and the Indians stink. (Apologies to all my pals in that fine American city.) The Tribe, Stark reports, wants pitching, and that’s the one thing the Braves have. But Frank Wren, Stark also writes, won’t part with any of his top-tier arms, meaning a trade partner would have to settle for Kris Medlen, Jo-Jo Reyes or Charlie Morton.
As for Frenchy: Stark believes the Braves are “mostly listening” to proposals for Jeff Francoeur, “in part because they need to add bats, not subtract them, and in part because no one is too sure of Francoeur’s true value anymore, including the Braves themselves.”
OK, you’re asking: Where might DeRo play if he again became a Brave? Pretty much wherever. He has been deployed at six of the eight non-pitching positions over his big-league career. (The exceptions: Catcher and center field.) And he could always serve as the backup quarterback.
(On a totally extraneous note, I should point out that Mrs. DeRosa was voted most attractive baseball spouse by Fantasy Baseball Dugout.)
The prospect prospectus
You’ll recall Gordon Beckham: Played at Westminster, led Georgia to the finals of the 2008 College World Series, was drafted No. 8 overall by the White Sox. Well, he’s tearing up the pea patch in Class AAA and could be summoned to the majors any minute (link requires registration), according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. Goldstein notes the Pale Hose are so high on Beckham they’ve been giving him looks at third base to expedite the process.
More Goldstein: “[Tom] Glavine is ready for a return to the big leagues, but at what cost to the Braves? He’s a surefire Hall of Famer who absolutely deserves respect, but at this point, he’s no more than a No. 4 or 5 starter. Tommy Hanson is much, much more than that, and adding Glavine to the rotation delays Hanson’s arrival that much longer. It’s a tough position for Atlanta, where wins might go head-to-head with public relations.”
And this from Tom Verducci of SI.com: The annual post-Memorial Day promotions have begun. Writes Verducci: “Generally, if a team waits until after Memorial Day to start the major league service clock of a player, he won’t qualify as a ‘Super Two’ and get into the arbitration system a year earlier than he otherwise would — a tactic that saves millions of dollars for the club. Next up: Tommy Hanson. The Atlanta pitching prospect has been dominating Triple-A hitters.”
Loading ...The wait is over for Wieters
You’ll also recall Matt Wieters: Was a catcher (and a closer!) at Georgia Tech, was draft No. 5 overall by Baltimore in 2007 and was generally regarded as the minor leagues’ best prospect entering this season. He made his big-league debut — he’s now a full-time catcher — Friday night, and he got his first hits (a triple and a double off Justin Verlander) on Saturday. And Tim Kurkjian of ESPN.com quoted one unnamed former catcher as saying of Wieters: “He is Joe Mauer.”
FYI: Kurkjian quotes Don Werner, the Orioles’ minor league catching instructor, as saying Wieters learned to call games by watching Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz pitch for the Braves. (Wieters is from Goose Creek, S.C., which is near Charleston.)
Oh, and Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun notes that the first opposing batter — Josh Anderson of the Tigers — tested Wieters with a bunt Friday night. Wieters threw him out.
Josh Anderson. Name rings a bell, doesn’t it?
Another name that rings a bell
Jake Peavy is now seen as the solution to the hole in Philadelphia’s rotation that opened with the loss of Brett Myers. But Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests Peavy mightn’t want to play in Philly, either. Why not? Because Citizens Bank Park is a hitters’ paradise.
If you’re keeping score, Peavy has already vetoed a trade to the White Sox, and apparently he did the same regarding a deal with Atlanta in November. It was then widely believed that the Braves pulled out because San Diego GM Kevin Towers was asking too much, but Frank Wren has since admitted the deal fell through because Peavy said no to Atlanta.
OK, so now you’re asking: Will Peavy ever say yes? Kevin Kaduk of Big League Stew is getting impatient. I’ll note that Jake is 15-16 over the past two seasons and leave it at that.
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229 comments Add your comment
WREN
June 1st, 2009
1:46 pm
jeff jenlins in milwaukee alway hit 25 plus homeruns. and hit 250 to 290 . better than other RF that i don’t want to see him in braves uniform anymore.
DHD
June 1st, 2009
1:50 pm
Realistically, Vaz is the only pitcher of value that the Braves can and will trade and other teams would be interested. We don’t want to trade our young guys and nobody would take KKs salary. We don’t want to trade Lowe. So, Vaz to StL for Ludwick or to MIL for Hart. then, trade Francoeur/Reyes to OAK for Holliday. Make both moves and we have instant offense without killing our rotation.
Leroy Updike
June 1st, 2009
1:51 pm
Yes, but it depends on the cost! Don’t pay with our future. UNLESS, we want another repeat of about the past four years. Let’s keep our primary emphasis on next year!
BT
June 1st, 2009
1:53 pm
Jordan should be sent down but not because he is a lousy player. The fact is that he should not be here yet. He had half a year at double A and didn’t do bad but wasn’t a star. The kid was rushed in my opinion and it seems like a lot of other people in baseball feel similarily. Hopefully the Braves will do something with him before his confidence is completely trashed. Not his fault that Wren had no one else plugged into CF.
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
1:53 pm
Eric Byrnes is hitting .214. (So I guess what I’m saying is, he’d fit right in!)
And going back on the air in Cleveland is indeed my driving aspiration, Matthew. I will not rest until somebody sitting in a studio threatens to beat me up live at 5:30 p.m. again.
Noah
June 1st, 2009
1:55 pm
Future prospects don’t work out all the time. When is this future everyone talks about, by the time your bats are ready and get experience and perform 2 of your top 3 pitchers will be gone or too old so then your hoping that a young staff and young lineup will all come through.
BT
June 1st, 2009
1:56 pm
Wren hoped (wish I knew how to bold)that Frenchy would come back after a year and a half in the dumps. Wren hoped that Jordan would be ready. Wren hoped KK would be ready to win Big in the majors.
Wren did win his bet on the other starting pitchers but really crushed the team with his bets on the outfield.
DunwoodyBrave
June 1st, 2009
1:58 pm
For all those who talk about how Billy Beane would love to dump Holliday’s salary…remember, Beane said one reason he was willing to take on Holliday’s salary was not JUST because his young pitchers needed run support, but because it was just a one-year rental and HE WOULD GET TWO SUPPLEMENTAL FIRST-ROUND PICKS if he let Holliday walk after the season. So anything we offer has to beat two first-round picks.
Noah
June 1st, 2009
1:59 pm
Wren did win his bet on the other starting pitchers but really crushed the team with his bets on the outfield.
Did he have a choice, everyone agreed pitching was their number one need in the offseason. And management wouldn’t allow spending another $5 million to bring in Abreu or Orlando Hudson.
Frank from KS
June 1st, 2009
2:01 pm
Paul Lentz
Mr. Lentz
Tommy will be in the rotation soon.
Bank on it!!!
Nuff said!!!
As N8 has said on DOB’s blogs….he has earned a shot at being in the rotation and the Braves will give that to him.
Hoosier Aaron
June 1st, 2009
2:03 pm
I agree that strikeouts are a very telling stat – especially when a hitter is not productive.
Who wants to be the genius that tells Ryan Howard if he’d cut his strikes out down from 199 to (say) 150 – he’d be more productive – since he’s putting the ball in play more often….you know, more productive than his last three years RBI totals of 149, 136 & 146.
I personally would rather see Frenchy strikeout 132 & 129 times while driving in 103 & 105….than cutting down his strike out totals by 20 and knocking in 71 runs.
Plus – his average with RISP w/2 outs was pretty/very good even though he struck out 130 times.
Frenchy is a player who thrives on confidence (even to the point of seeming arrogant)…by telling him to be something that his is not – we’ve managed to mess up his production and take away his “arrogance” and his smile…he is beaten down right now.
Don’t blame Frenchy (in my opinion) – we jump him from Double A to the Majors because we like what we see – then we try to make him something he is not.
BT
June 1st, 2009
2:06 pm
Noah,in retrospect it seems that Wren over paid for KK (not sure his signing helped get Lowe), slightly overpaid for Lowe (although this may end up to be a bargain) and didn’t need to sign Glavine. Could we have got similar results from Medlen or Morton that we have received to this point from KK? I don’t know.
BT
June 1st, 2009
2:07 pm
Hoosier I think you may be right on Jeff.
Noah
June 1st, 2009
2:09 pm
Could we have got similar results from Medlen or Morton that we have received to this point from KK? I don’t know.
I think its too early to tell how good KK will be. And at this point I am very glad we overpaid for Lowe. Its easy to say what if but after last season the saying you can never have too much pitching was never more true.
steve
June 1st, 2009
2:09 pm
Hoosier Aaron – Nice post. I agree with much of what you said. I want Frenchy to regain his aggressiveness to a point. However, he has to learn to lay off the outside pitch. Still, I would hate to see us get rid of him at this point. There is too much potential there to completey write off when we are still talking about a 25 year old.
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
2:11 pm
I remember asking over the winter, “How does Orlando Hudson not have a job?” (Not saying the Braves were in need of an infielder necessarily.) You just knew that guy was going to be a smash wherever he finally wound up.
CJDawg
June 1st, 2009
2:12 pm
I can understand the disappointment with the lack of power in the outfield…it’s obvious. Schafer, however, may be one of the top 3 defensice CF’s in the game. His bat will come around. In my humble opinion, I think Frenchy would blossom, but never in Atlanta. I think the pressure might be too much on him, but he also saves runs. Those runs saved are as good as RBI’s to me.
I would love to see Diaz get consistent playing time as well as Ross. I think McCann could be moved to first and Kotchman could be packaged with a young pitcher to bring in a big bat for Frenchy, who then could be traded for prospects at worst. Just my thoughts.
As bad as I hate to say anything against the man, it says a LOT when your own players go to other teams hitting coaches for tips. Pendleton was a great player, but he is not a batting coach. I would try to lure Mark Grace out of the booth….
Shoeless Joe
June 1st, 2009
2:13 pm
The KK signing is the one that will haunt this team for awhile. He’s obviously not the stud some Brave’s scouts had observed in Japan, plus his $23MM price tag makes him virtually impossible to move in the short to intermediate term. There was little or no offensive balance (speed or power) on this team at the end of last year, and nothing has changed this year. The Bravo’s continue to be half pregant…neither rebuilding or realistically competing this year.
BT
June 1st, 2009
2:16 pm
Hooseier,my concern is that we are doing to Jordan what we did to Frenchy.
Dan DC
June 1st, 2009
2:16 pm
Ken Rosenthal on the Braves and DeRosa:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=969bbed5-b112-4e8d-a107-4118cf2dcdee
Johnny DangerDawg
June 1st, 2009
2:24 pm
Mark Bradley,
Could this happen? Francoeur to Boston for a mediocre young pitcher. Then, the Braves give that mediocre arm and one of their own (Reyes, for example) to Cleveland for DeRosa.
Noah
June 1st, 2009
2:26 pm
The KK signing is the one that will haunt this team for awhile
Lets compare our #4 guy, KK, to the Phillies. KK has an ERA of 4.73, the Phillies #3
and #4 guy, Moyer and Blanton have ERA’s both above 6.00. BTW, there best starter ERA is 4.66 about the same as KK.
Shoeless Joe
June 1st, 2009
2:31 pm
Noah:
The Phillies can afford to have substandard pitching (and still win by the way) because they absolutely rake…top to bottom. The Brave’s need five cy young candidates to pitch for them with the offense they have (assuming they want to compete for a Division title). If the Phillie’s successfully upgrade their pitching, they’ll start to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the field.
Noah
June 1st, 2009
2:34 pm
The Phillies can afford to have substandard pitching (and still win by the way) because they absolutely rake
Agree. But find me a team without good pitching that wins comes postseason. Also, there are nota lot of good #4 starters out there anymore. Heck, most teams don’t have a good #3.
Baba O'Riley
June 1st, 2009
2:40 pm
No chance on Moyer. He’s a compiler. He belong in the Hall of Better than Average
James
June 1st, 2009
2:42 pm
I would trade Reyes for DeRosa in a heartbeat.
Seems to me DeRosa didn’t play well at 3rd in 2004, but Chipper was wanting to return to 3b the whole time–added pressure.
Also seems I’ve read bringing Steve Avery up at 20 was great–at the time–but the stress on his young arm (much) prematurely ended his career.
Above all, though: Terry Pendleton needs to be fired, now. And, when Bobby decides to retire I hope they bring in Ned Yost, and get rid of the entire current coaching staff.
Roja
June 1st, 2009
2:42 pm
Why would Dero want to come back? Look at his stats. He’s a .278 lifetime hitter. Not fantastic but given his utility status, pretty respectable. As a Texas Ranger he hit .284. As a Cubbie, he hit .289. As a Brave he hit .266. His average actually went down in Atlanta the longer he played here from .308 in 2000 down to .239 in 2004. I call that the “Pendleton Effect”. He would probably be batting somewhere south of Francoeur Country once TP had him for 6 weeks!!
Shoeless Joe
June 1st, 2009
2:43 pm
Noah:
Brave’s pitching for postseason is really good (#1-#3), unfortunately they’re not gonna get there with this offense, and even if they did, they wouldn’t get through the first round since our hitters would be facing the oppositions best pitchers. In case you haven’t noticed, when our offense does come to life it’s usually against an inexperienced pitcher and/or one who is struggling. What other team makes so so pitcher’s look like cy young candidates with such regularity?
Noah
June 1st, 2009
2:47 pm
In case you haven’t noticed, when our offense does come to life it’s usually against an inexperienced pitcher and/or one who is struggling.
I agree offense needs help but I for one am glad they made pitching the priority in the offseason. I still say pitching wins more then hitting (See the Texas Rangers and even some powerhouse Seattle Mariners teams offensively) Now lets get some offense. That said they have beat Santana and Holladay this year, both times without Chipper I believe.
Baba O'Riley
June 1st, 2009
2:49 pm
Why not take a chance on Jonny Gomes of Cincy? He’s never gotten a shot at an everyday job, has power, and would be cheap. He would lead our OF in HR in a month’s time.
Shoeless Joe
June 1st, 2009
2:55 pm
Noah:
All good…but unfortunately to get the offense we need we’ll have to give up some good young pitching, which takes me back to my original comment about KK. Wouldn’t it have been better to spend the money on a known need (right handed power bat) and cycle through some of our young guys in the #4 and/or #5 spots to see who rises to the occassion? Heck even Campillo did a credible job starting last year and he’s totally absent in any discussions about starting pitching this year. I just think the powers that be went overboard in the offseason on s.p. to the exclusion of offense.
Shamus Thacker
June 1st, 2009
2:57 pm
Peter Schmuck?
Must be a friend of yours Mark. Just TOO easy… lol
AJC
June 1st, 2009
3:01 pm
I think Glavine will do the right thing and retire if his pitching is subpar. Hang on to Medlin unless someone is desperate & is willing to over-trade for him. Reyes for DeRosa would be awesome. Holliday would be great to have too along with DeRosa, but only if he’s not a rental.
fan man
June 1st, 2009
3:07 pm
if we dont make some kind of deal for a bat in the outfield we may not be in it by the end of june much less the trade dead line. but i would break the bank for dero he may help us stay in it long enough to get to july 31 and mak a real deal.
bravessince85
June 1st, 2009
3:16 pm
Ahem… after watching the Dodgers play the Cubs last night on ESPN.. something caught my eye… the Dodgers was not 2B, 3B, or HR’ing… however, they were getting singles after singles after singles… its quite fun to watch. However, as a diehard fan, it stings every time to see the Braves get the bases loaded with no one out and fold. To me, with the Braves.. it’s never actually been about the physical aspect of the game.. it’s more mental. The Braves are a completely different team when they score a couple of runs first in the ballgame.. when they get behind.. they all of a sudden go in panic mode and try to do too much. I just think if they mentally adjust and realize it’s a 162 game marathon, they will start going on a few winning streaks. They have the tools to win with the everyday lineup (Esco, Kotch, Chipper, BMac, Garrett, Francoeur, KJ, [insert centerfielder], Pitcher) they’ve shown they are just as good as anyone… i agree totally that a big bopper would help a lot.. I think the pitching aspect was helped out a lot this past offseason.. and I think they can still win this year if they mentally get right..
as far as next season, with Garret Anderson and Tom Glavine gone… why not make a very strong push for Jason Bay? He to me is the best available outfielder this offseason.. your thoughts..
Karl Childers
June 1st, 2009
3:18 pm
They should trade Francouer for some biscuits and mustard…..
That would be a steal at this point…
mmmmmmmmmmmmm…………..
Karl Childers
June 1st, 2009
3:19 pm
I’d also take some potted meat for Francouer….
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm………
slow roller
June 1st, 2009
3:21 pm
Fire Terry Pendleton and hire a real hitting guru.
the real Old Gold
June 1st, 2009
3:25 pm
Just think, in a couple of years we can try to trade for Frenchy… way to develop your talent Atlanta.. Draft them, trade them, pay millions + players and prospects for them a few years later.
slow roller
June 1st, 2009
3:28 pm
Is there any correlation between what has happened to the Brewers since they fired Ned Yost? Everyone agrees that Ned Yost was a great guy. A coaching change is incredibly easy to do and doesn’t cost you any money. Just to be clear, I am not talking about Bobby. I am talking about Batting Coach TP. Or, is there a universal conscensus that hitting coaches have no impact whatsoever. Otherwish, FIRE Terry Pendleton and see if a different approach works.
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
3:35 pm
Gee, I can remember when everyone in Atlanta loved TP.
Billball
June 1st, 2009
3:36 pm
Here’s the answer: we get Mark Bradley to be our mole and get hold of some old Charlie Lau videos, then secretly stick them in all of our players’ lockers.
Drew
June 1st, 2009
3:43 pm
you people have lost your mind if you think Medlen is not expendable. He gave up 3 runs in how many innings to a pretty bad dbacks lineup. has he done anything else?
Ron Roberts
June 1st, 2009
3:43 pm
I actually think (just my opinion, here) that Kawakim is going to end up being one of the better 3/4 guys in the majors this season; save for one start, he’s been pretty good in that spot. I’m MORE concerned that the Braves might try and move Javier Vasques (known commodity, doing well, eats innings, is affordable and under contract thru next season) when, frankly, I think he’s exceeded expectations. It’s just a shame that our offense hasn’t supported him better.
THAT BEING SAID, I think there are signs of hope, Braves fans… Garrett Anderson’s quietly riding a 9-game hitting streak, and dude, that bomb he stroked to RF yesterday looked effortless. THAT’S what we’ve been missing out of the OF spots in the lineup. And for what it’s worth, Jeff Francoeur HAS hit in seven of his last 10 games; problem is, his strikeout numbers are maddeningly high. Even WORSE – I see Jordan Schafer seeming to EMULATE Frenchy’s approach at the plate. Scary.
Still, though, the Braves are at .500 and within reach of the top of the division. So the ‘lack of panic’ from Cox is good for us; seeing him put Diaz in CF or RF to give one or the other starters the day off is a Godsend; I’d like to see thi smore often so we don’t have TWO black holes in the lineup in the same game. THAT, with better results out of Garrett Anderson will go a long way for the Braves.
That, and seeing Chipper go yard; I’ll take more power from him even if it means a lower batting average. It’s what the team needs. Heal that toe, Chip, and start goin’ yard more.
Drew
June 1st, 2009
3:45 pm
ok, my bad it was only one run in 6 innings, but come one don’t hock the braves future on 1 outing against a bad team!
K with a K
June 1st, 2009
3:46 pm
Trade Frenchy to Boston for Lars Anderson
Trade Vazquez,Morton,A-AA prospect to Brewers for Cory Hart and Mat Gamel. You get Frenchy in a new town and I like the way Hart plays. You get in Gamel a third baseman for after Chipper and he can play a little LF.
Another trade I think might work is the same Vazquez package as above for Brandon Wood and Gary Matherw Jr. form the Angels
yogi2
June 1st, 2009
3:47 pm
Release Franquer and Norton. trade jo-jo , Shafer, Glavine, and Carlyle
for Mark DeRosa. Trade CAMPINO for Langerhans
DHD
June 1st, 2009
3:48 pm
Pet peeve: when people write “the Brave’s.” You don’t put an apostrophe there. There, I feel better.
mesejs
June 1st, 2009
3:50 pm
Thanks Mark for the scouting report on Cody Johnson. Wouldn’t Adam Dunn look pretty good in our outfield today – power hitters do strike out. And, doesn’t Johnson hit in the clean-up spot for Myrtle Beach. Just a thought.
Ron Roberts
June 1st, 2009
3:57 pm
Slow Roller….hold up on the post-Ned Yost bashing, for now. The Brewers started off well, last year, too, as memory serves. And DREW, I’m with “you people” on Medlen; no way we ship him off after yesterday. The Diamondbacks are, last I checked, a major league squad, and he made ‘em look silly for 6 strong. He gave up FOUR hits…FOUR. Heck, he really wasn’t all that awful in San Fran, either; Pedestrian effort, sure, but for a kid in his SECOND MLB start, he showed composure. I’d keep him, knowing that a kid with his skill, along with Hanson and Jurrjens makes for an awesome top-three rotation grouping.