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
Jfreak
June 1st, 2009
3:58 pm
DeRosa is a good fit and we should have never let him go. However, he’s not the savior this team would have to have in order to make a real run. Don’t get me wrong I’ll take DeRosa over 90% of our current players but he’s a good player not a great one. Hope it goes down and if we only lose JoJO and or Medlen it’s probably worth it.
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
4:01 pm
Did my eyes deceive me, or did someone just advocate re-acquiring Ryan Langerhans?
charles harris
June 1st, 2009
4:03 pm
How is Heyward and Freeman doing in the minors? If they are dominating,then wouldn’t it be worth it to take a good look at them NOW? As for DeRosa, he would be a valuable addition but of course not giving up medlin or hansen.
Also,let’s make Chipper a player-coach-go Braves!
csg
June 1st, 2009
4:07 pm
eric byrnes? hell no
do the braves think they are a Derosa away from contending? If we get him, there better be another move for a player of his caliber coming also. We need two OF’rs not just one
Ron Roberts
June 1st, 2009
4:08 pm
Langerhans is in AAA for the NATIONALS, for crying out loud. If HE’S no good to ‘em, that’s not a good sign.
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
4:27 pm
DeRosa isn’t a savior. He’s a good ballplayer who can play different positions and hit better than half the Braves’ current lineup.
Richie
June 1st, 2009
4:32 pm
DeRosa was here for 3 years with TP as the batting coach, and his numbers regressed each year. I do believe it is time for the Braves to let Pendleton go, though. I don’t see any players improving under his tutelage as the hitting instructor
Richie
June 1st, 2009
4:34 pm
I would like to see the Braves add DeRosa, I’d also like to see the Braves acquire an actual leadoff hitter. Someone like Bourn or Taveras, maybe even Pierre.
Wayne in Utah
June 1st, 2009
4:36 pm
I have always thought we needed someone who could step in at third with some pop in his bat, for the times when Chipper is out. DeRosa would be the perfect fit for that slot.
He could also play some corner outfield, and give KJ a day off at shortstop.
I have always like Prado, but I don’t think he is the answer as a utility guy or at second base, unless you package KJ with a pitcher for a significant OF upgrade.
I would only go with Prado regularly if we could upgrade significantly in one of the corner OF slots.
As much as I wanted him to succeed in ATL, I think Francoeur is going to be dealt in the next month or so.
BT
June 1st, 2009
4:48 pm
MB did you come out of the radio interview unscathed?
LeTwan Anthony
June 1st, 2009
4:52 pm
If the players know how to bunt, hit behind a runner, steal a base, throw to the cutoff – yet repeatedly fail to do so . . . is this a player problem or a coaching problem?
o-me
June 1st, 2009
4:52 pm
Is it me are why does the Braves always like to try to get players back after they leave ? Most times they’re to old, like Glavine, but his time DeRosa could really help this team. He could take Norton’s place. Even with DeRosa will still need a big bat in RF.and help in CF. my $.02 worth. Keep Medlen.
o-me
June 1st, 2009
4:56 pm
LeTwan. Its the Coaching in my opinion.
Karl Childers
June 1st, 2009
4:56 pm
I’d rather have some of dem french fried potaters playing in right field…
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…….
Baba O'Riley
June 1st, 2009
4:56 pm
if we acquire Lars Anderson, do Ole and Arn come in the deal as well? I agree with Drew. Medlen had 1 non-terrible start and now he’s untouchable?? Remember David Nied?
Baba O'Riley
June 1st, 2009
4:57 pm
o-me…it’s just you.
Ron Roberts
June 1st, 2009
4:59 pm
I remember David Nied; I remember his being plucked by the Rockies in the expansion draft, and pitching in Denver BEFORE they put the baseballs were stored in humidors before the games, too. Apples and oranges.
Baba O'Riley
June 1st, 2009
5:02 pm
Humidors had nothing to do with his ineffectivness. He was overhyped. Apples to apples. You still getting your t-ballers to give themselves up to advance runners?
Atlanta Journal Constitution » Blog Archive » All-baseball Bradley’s Buzz: Will DeRo be the Braves’ hero?
June 1st, 2009
5:03 pm
[...] Mark Bradley | ajc.com – [...]
Joe Stanislau
June 1st, 2009
5:04 pm
Well I say lets trade away Charlie Morton for Mark DeRosa and a OF prospect along with Brandon Hicks (our middle infielder) to even out the trade 2-2.
o-me
June 1st, 2009
5:19 pm
LeTwan, my opinion its the coaching. Sometimes you may have a Frenchy that may not take advice.
o-me
June 1st, 2009
5:23 pm
Baba, that’s what I thought. Thanks friend.
kirkinga
June 1st, 2009
5:24 pm
I wouldn’t trade JoJo, Morton, or Medlen for DeRo. The same people pushing for a deal like that will be back here next year talking about how “the Braves always trade their good young pitching, Adam Wainwright, blah, blah, blah”.
You don’t trade a young arm for a 34 year old journeyman who are overpaid for a couple of seasons. What if something happens to Hanson? What if we have an injury to a couple of starters …remember last season?
No, you only trade those good young arms for impact players. In the Braves case, an impact player is a bat that can hit with runners on and/or another reliable arm in the pen that can get you to Soriano and Gonzo.
AJC
June 1st, 2009
5:38 pm
Mark, I don’t hate Terry Pendleton as a person or as a former player, but I think the Braves batting has suffered under his leadership and it’s time for someone else to take over that job…Again I ask, is TP the Braves manager in-waiting? Mark, please respond if you know the answer to this question.
Ron Roberts
June 1st, 2009
5:47 pm
Baba (whoever YOU really are)I won’t lower myself and dignify your ignorance with more of a reply than what you got. But nice ‘depth’ to your retort about David Nied. Yeah, Denver being a home run meccas had NOTHING to do with his ineffectiveness…nor for Mike Hampton, Darryl Kyle or Denny Neagle, who all came into Denver with good-to-great numbers, and all tanked in Rockies’ uniforms.
Oh, and next time ya wanna take a personal pot-shot, try to find the grown-up within you and be the better person. I know it’ll be difficult for some, but maybe I have more faith in you than you do. You are an adult, right?
Larry
June 1st, 2009
5:56 pm
The Braves are still a couple seasons away from having another great crop of home grown stars, this time around with some home grown pitching (lest we forget Smoltz and Maddux were not Brave farm system products).
Morton, Reyes, Hanson and Medlen will make a decent rotation if given the chance. There is some power in the farm system. We had 14 straight years of division championship baseball, sometimes you just have to sit tight and wait for the next group of players to come around… As much as that is not fun, we should not trade the future to improve a team that will be mediocre at best.
Horner's Corner
June 1st, 2009
5:56 pm
6 good innings against Arizona on get away day = Medlen for NL Cy Young Award.
Gary
June 1st, 2009
6:10 pm
I would trade Jo-Jo for a steak and a six pack of beer. When will the Braves realize that he isn’t major league caliber?
Ron Roberts
June 1st, 2009
6:14 pm
Horner, nobody said Medlen was “Cy Young material” this year. But in general, why would you trade young pitching phenom(s) for a guy (Mark DeRosa) who’s a career .278 hitter, who’s maxed out at 21/85 in the HRs/RsBI dept. (half the games that year, in the ‘friendly confines’ by the way).
You have to trade good talent to get good talent, more often than not, but I don’t at all get why anyody’d be down on Kris Medlen, given what he’s shown us, thus far.
JEB
June 1st, 2009
6:28 pm
If I’m trading pitching – it is Jo Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, or James Parr. Maybe a combination of the three – for DeRo.
NO WAY I let Medlen go. He will be a top teir starter – once he gets his head calmed down. His advice from D-Lowe was grabbed up in a hurry and he proffited from it. We would regret it tremendously if we let Medlen go for DeRo!
JEB
June 1st, 2009
6:29 pm
I would give a combination of 2 of those 3 pitchers I named above – not all 3 for DeRo.
Paul Lentz
June 1st, 2009
6:41 pm
Jo Jo has good stuff. I would not get rid of him, just for the sake of it, like I would Franceour. Franceour’s play the past 2 seasons helped me make up my mind about him. I was looking at the career stats of a number of really good major leaguers. I did not see one whose career paralleled Franceour. Simply put, I did not see any good players who, at Franceour’s age, had 29 homers in their second season of playing, only to drop down to 19 and 11 in their next two seasons. Really good players do not drop off like Franceour does, unless they have an injury and miss time.
Jo Jo Reyes has good stuff. He just needs to learn to pitch with confidence and go after hitters. He needs to do this in the minors. While I would love to see the Braves keep him, I would have no problem with the Braves including him in a package that helps the team right now. He isnt what I would consider an untouchable.
I just do not agree with the Braves adding Tom Glavine to the roster. Having someone who will be lucky to go 5 innings (after all, his pitch count will go up because he nibbles and nibbles.). Potentially paying him $3.5 mil when the Braves can pay 400k to Medlen and Hanson is not the move to make.
However, I fully expect the Braves to add Glavine to the roster due to reasons that run against what is best for the team right now. It isnt enough to make me not want to be a Braves fan. However I will continue to voice how wrong a move it is.
Texan
June 1st, 2009
6:53 pm
Reyes is to pitching what Frenchy is to hitting. There’s no way the Indians are going to trade Derosa for Reyes as some have suggested. Reyes with Morton – maybe. And we don’t need either of them, so I hope we do it.
Pickin' Daisies
June 1st, 2009
6:54 pm
Will there be any takers for Jo Jo, since he’s on the DL?
No More Bobby
June 1st, 2009
7:03 pm
Just Me – Diaz will never be a star but could put up decent numbers if playing everyday. He is a bit boring to be a star though.
kjb
June 1st, 2009
7:23 pm
Watch out for Gorkys Hernandez, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Tommy Hanson & possibly Cody Johnson in the next year or so!!! These guys will bring the fans back to Atlanta. Do not trade these guys, coming from a true Braves fan. Tell me what you think about our future with these players!!
francoeuristheman
June 1st, 2009
7:25 pm
f you guys who think francoeur sucks, he’s sick and he will bounce back
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
7:30 pm
No, you can’t really trade a guy who’s hurt.
DeRo to Atlanta? - FanHome
June 1st, 2009
7:37 pm
[...] out that Mrs. DeRosa was voted most attractive baseball spouse by Fantasy Baseball Dugout.) more __________________ "We’ll be back next year. We always are, aren’t we?" -P Greg [...]
Keeping It Real
June 1st, 2009
7:44 pm
For all you idiots who want to blame TP for the Braves poor hitting, you need to stop smoking those funny cigaretts. You cannot coach a team to hit in the majors when the lack of physical ability and talent are so obvious. I think that someone said that Matt Diaz could be a super star if given the playing time and that the Braves can win the wild card with the present lineup. WOW!!! There is nothing like blind faith.
Baba O'Riley
June 1st, 2009
7:45 pm
Phenom???bwahahahaha
AJC
June 1st, 2009
8:31 pm
Keeping It Real, I’m pretty sure that you’re the idiot here. What players on the Braves team lack the physical ability & talent to learn to hit better at this level? Make sure you answer that Rain Man err err I mean Einstein….TP’s gotta go, and most everyone realizes this. Unless of course, the team starts scoring runs consistently. Oh I forgot, the Braves haven’t done that in over 3 years. I do agree with you about Diaz though. He’s a decent hitting 4th outfielder, and nothing more…I don’t guess Mark is going to answer my question about TP being the next in line.
Keeping It Real
June 1st, 2009
9:18 pm
AJC,
TP does not swing the bat or think for these guys when they are in the box. However, he did swing the bat and think when he played for the Cards and the Braves. None of the players on this team outside of Chipper and Escobar and Kotchman have the talent and physical ability that TP displayed when he played.I am talking major league talent. They are Triple A talent at best. No speed, no power and no defense = no physical ability.
Lee
June 1st, 2009
10:00 pm
The Braves have to do something, but the relief pitching is what makes my stomach turn. As soon as I see Buddy Carlyle or Jeff Bennett headed in, I know that the game is done. And Moylan is no better – walking 15 batters in 17 innnings. I dont care who they call up from the minors. Not much chance they could be any worse than these three.
braves phanatic
June 1st, 2009
10:10 pm
braves are worried about public relations with glavine????
i wonder if glavine worried about public relations with the braves when he decided to sign with the mets a few years back? obviously not. i know i am in the extreme minority but i cant stand glavine. a lot of it has do with him going to mets and trying to stick it to the braves. we all know the braves are loyal to a fault but why pay glavine to come back and not smoltzy? i mean smoltz never left us for anybody, let alone our biggest rival.
hatred aside, the smartest move here is obvious….its hanson.
raindawg722
June 1st, 2009
10:14 pm
I’m not so sure that calling someone up after memorial day saves them from achieving super-two status and become arbitration eligible a year earlier.
The MLB Players Association site says:
Q: When does a player become eligible for salary arbitration?
A: A player with three or more years of service, but less than six years, may file for salary arbitration. In addition, a player can be classified as a “Super Two” and be eligible for arbitration with less than three years of service. A player with at least two but less than three years of Major League service shall be eligible for salary arbitration if he has accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and he ranks in the top 17 percent in total service in the class of Players who have at least two but less than three years of Major League service, however accumulated, but with at least 86 days of service accumulated during the immediately preceding season.
The 86 days of service in the immediately preceding season (whatever that season is) requirement would seem to be fairly easily met.
It’s harder to tell with the top 17% requirement since that is relative to other players with less than three but more than years of service. However, if all the major league teams start using memorial day as the benchmark to say “it’s okay to start calling up our players now” then it’s going to be a lot less likely that a player is “safe” just because they waited until memorial day. Teams who want to ensure that their players are not going to be arbitration eligible one year early are going to start bringing up their prospects later and later.
Mark Bradley
June 1st, 2009
11:00 pm
RainDawg, I commend you for doing such detailed research. But I must also tell you that it sets a nasty precedent on the ol’ blog.
Slow Roller
June 1st, 2009
11:19 pm
The Braves are worried about public relations when it comes to firing TP. Maybe they should fire Bobby and go ahead and make TP the head coach as everyone says is inevitable. Then, and only then will we hope to get a decent batting coach!!! Anyone is better than TP. Then maybe McDowell will come into his own. Guess what, batting coaches do make a difference. On another subject, does anyone know why Leo can’t get a job? In the right organization, his methodology will work. Or, do the Orioles have to approve wherever he goes? And for those that didn’t notice, the Brewers regrouped and made the playoffs after firing Ned Yost last year. How does anyone explain that? Is Ozzie Guillen a better coach than Bobby? Which one will win his second World Series first?
Paul Lentz
June 1st, 2009
11:26 pm
raindawg722…..you said “86 days of major league service the previous year AND the top 17% of players eligible”. When one uses AND in a sentence…it means that one has to fulfill BOTH requirements. It doesnt matter if he has played 86 days in the Majors. If others were called up before him, then chances are he wont fall into the 17% category. Calling someone up in mid to late June is the safe thing to do to avoid kicking in salary arbitration early.
Raymond
June 1st, 2009
11:29 pm
I have seen De Rosa with the Indians this year and he doesn’t look as good as he did with the Cubs last season. he really doesn’t address the power shortage and is getting old. I wouldn’t give up more than Reyes and a mid level minor leaguer. If Glavine can pitch,with him and Hanson, we can let Vazquez go for a better hitter such as Hart.