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
Slow Roller
June 1st, 2009
11:35 pm
DeRosa was in a Cubs uniform last year where they knew how to win. It affects your plate attitude. You play better. I am from Cleveland, and I know how he feels being in Cleveland….what a reward! His wife sits in front of her hair dresser everyday hoping and praying for a trade! No more whoopie until you get traded, Mark!
Scott S.
June 2nd, 2009
12:10 am
Does anyone know why Gregor Blanco was not in the line-up for Gwinnett? Is he being called up to lead off and take some pressure of Schafer? Are we sending Schafer down to Gwinnett?
francoeuristheman
June 2nd, 2009
12:15 am
francoeur needs to lead off…and try something new
Tommy D
June 2nd, 2009
12:17 am
Let’s give up a prospect for a player we discarded. Why Not?
Mark's Bradley
June 2nd, 2009
1:04 am
Anyone who thinks that it would take more than Morton to get Derosa is a moron. I’d expect the Indians to eat some salary in that trade as well.
Medlen is not a “phenom”. He’s not a “top of the rotation” guy either. I recall Morton throwing 7 scoreless against Arizona last summer, and look where he is now… Are we all honestly going to go start to start on our projections of young pitchers like a roller coaster? It’s absurd and annoying. Let the kids pitch. It’s the way it shoulda been done if the Braves really wanted to profit off of the talent of their young arms. Instead, they gave Jo Jo (who is arguably the least effective young pitcher to come along in years) more opportunities than any one.. Devine, Davies, Miner, Morton, James..Who knows who else. The way they’ve handled their young arms is ridiculous.
brianstahl
June 2nd, 2009
2:02 am
i have been a braves fan since 1990 and watched tem go from worst to first and had gotten use to them actually competing every year for at least a division title.the last 3 or 4 years have been a hard to swallow including this year.i don’t feel dero is the complete answer to our problems.i do think we need to keep some of our better prospects.but i do believe we need to make some sacrifices to bring in some power back to our lineup.we do need to part ways with frenchy,he’s become more of a liability than anything,and i think a change in scenery would do him good.cf is another position i would address.i like everyone else am tired of rentals and would like to see our gm makea gutsy move and make trade sooner than later while we are still within striking distance before we wait too long and it doesn’t matter any more.a cory hart or j dye would look good in our outfield.
and i think at this point right now,i would rather see us bring up hanson and keep glavine in the minors in case we have an injury or use him for a trade.either way i hope we do something soon.
on a lighter note,my wife is 7 months pregnant and we have decided to name him[if it is a boy]chipper ryan stahl,of course after arguably the greatest switchhitting 3rd baseman of all time.CHIPPER JONES.
Justice for all
June 2nd, 2009
7:44 am
Want to improve the club, well heres what you do.
Say goodby to Glavine and promote Hanson
Say goodby to Pendleton and promote the AAA Hitting coach
Stop batting Kelly Johnson in the leadoff role. Put him at 6-7 300 AVE
Put Escobar as leadoff and Kotchman in the number 2 hole
With the new batting coach both Schafer and Francoeur will get hot and thats all you need to do.
I have said all along that Pendleton is responsible for the young hitters going downhill. Yet we continue to trade them and the problem is not solved. Its time they take note and fix the real problem which is Pendleton wants to clone himself in the young hitters and thats not a hitting coach. Thats someone who can mess you up real fast and keep you there for quite some time. Francoeur hit until Pendletons cloaning and I really think its time that we ditch what doesnt work and thats the coach not the players.
Michael J
June 2nd, 2009
9:06 am
Bring DeRo back! The guy can play anywhere. He seemed to be well liked by his teammates and had such a great attitude when he came up with the Braves. Give up JoJo & Kelly for a guy who can hit, & play 2nd, SS, or 3B . Kelly has had a great attitude, but he will never have the reactions necessary to be a solid 2nd baseman. DeRo can play there without any problem, and his bat will help as much or more than Kelly’s. Foe those that do not remember his time with the Braves, he played 2b, ss, & 3b without issue while here. (I was in the stands when he hurt his knee playing ss) His only problem on offense will be Pendleton as a hitting coach. If he struggles at all, I’m sure Chipper will be available for assistance. Had not seen a pic of his wife – wow – no wonder DeRo smiles all the time!
AJC
June 2nd, 2009
9:22 am
The Braves front office are in quite a predicament with Terry Pendleton…Looks like they’ve chosen TP, who allegedly (I hope I’m wrong) has been ordained Bobby’s manager in-waiting over the waning Braves fan base, who deservedly want a new batting coach who can maybe bring some consistency to the Braves mostly long time anemic offense…It’s almost as if the Braves front office does not even acknowledge the pulse of the fan base.
As for the blog poster named Keeping It Real. You keeping digging yourself into a deeper hole every time you type & post your mindless drivel.
Mark Bradley
June 2nd, 2009
9:30 am
Francoeur needs to lead off?
Well, there’s one I wouldn’t have thought of.
K with a K
June 2nd, 2009
10:15 am
Has anyone heard any rumors of the Braves scouting the Twins. Maybe looking at Delmon Young or Michael Cuddyer?
JustOneHitter
June 2nd, 2009
10:20 am
I hope the Braves aren’t as itchy to make a senseless deal as some on this blog are. Ideally, the Braves could send Schafer to Gwinnett and let him get his head back on straight and find a taker for Frenchy and Garrett Anderson. Whoever they put in the outfield couldn’t fair any worse than those three. I am not for, on the other hand, going out and trading prospects for a player that makes Atlanta only marginally better. Mark DeRosa would not fix the ills of the Braves. He’s another utility player. The Braves have more utility players than they have pitchers. If Atlanta deals for an outfielder, many want a power hitting phenom who will immediately thrust the Braves into the euphoria of the ’90s. I would love to have three outfielders who can play their positions, steal some bases and hit the ball without striking out 50% of the time. I have watched for the duration of the Braves exile from the playoffs and seen a team that relies on the five run homer. Problem is,there is no five run homer and there is no one on this team capable of carrying the team with the long ball. Build the team otherwise…utilize speed, hustle, defense, pitching and consistent hitting.
K with a K
June 2nd, 2009
10:28 am
JustOneHitter, I am all for the point. The bad thing is Bobby Cox does not seem to know how to build or manage such a team. He seems unwilling to adapt to a small ball team. This is just a questio…is it above a manager to ask a player what pitch he is looking for or what is is plan going to the plate and the player strays from that pitch or plan pull him?
fieldofdreams
June 2nd, 2009
10:58 am
Medlin looks like a keeper to me. If I’m trading pitchers right now, Vasquez, Campillo, Reyes, Morton, KK, are all available. And why, oh why, is Glavine still wearing our uniform? He beat us out of $8 million last year, and we owe him nothing.
timthebrave
June 2nd, 2009
12:31 pm
When does Infante come back? I don’t think the Braves need to trade anything more than Reyes for Derosa. I don’t think he will have a big impact on winning or losing the division. We need a BIG bat and Derosa is really not going to put us over the top from what we have; even though I do like him as a player
timthebrave
June 2nd, 2009
12:34 pm
I would rather see infante in the lineup and put kelly johnson in the outfield
timthebrave
June 2nd, 2009
12:45 pm
G Anderson is starting to heat up. The injury in spring training may have affected his slow start. I think he is starting to really hit the ball and hit with power. No need to trade him now.
Keeping It Real
June 2nd, 2009
1:06 pm
AJC,
In the words of the great Russ Lindbaugh, you are a racists and a threat to white men everywhere. LOL!!!
AJC
June 2nd, 2009
1:27 pm
I’d like to see G Anderson prove a lot of us including myself wrong about him being over the hill or not wanting to play here…But more importantly the Braves as a team can’t have a nice sweep of the Blue Jays, and then follow that sweep by losing 5 of the next 7 games..Way too inconsistent..And am I the only person that’s sick & tired of hearing about how Glavine is doing? I’ll tell you what he’s not doing, and that’s helping the Braves win games, ever since he limped back home from the Mets…It’s time for Cox to get his team in solid contention to make a serious run at the playoffs, and Glavine needs to pitch & win for the Braves no. If not, they both need to go sit and watch Oprah while waiting for the Hall of Fame call.
AJC
June 2nd, 2009
1:40 pm
Keeping It Real,,,,you are quite the unfunny jokester.
But seriously, how long have you been incoherent? Wait wait nevermind, just ignore the question. I don’t feel like trying to decipher your answer.
brianstahl
June 2nd, 2009
1:55 pm
seeing how tbs lost faith in the bravos and decided to drop them off the air,that really hurt me seeing how i live in florida,does anyone know of a site i can go to to watch them online for free?i’ve tried a few sites and none of them work.please help i miss watching them struggle.lol!!
Mark Bradley
June 2nd, 2009
2:36 pm
I’ve heard the Twins’ rumor, especially pertaining to Delmon Young. Thanks for asking, K.
Keeping It Real
June 2nd, 2009
2:43 pm
AJC
Your onipotence personifies your Lindbaugh/Hannity attitude and explains your lack of baseball knowledge and common sense. LMAO!!!!!
AJC
June 2nd, 2009
8:06 pm
Keeping It Real…..onipotence!!! What???? ROTFLMAO!!!
But just to be serious for a moment Lennie Small err I mean K-Real. I like you, but there’s no way that I’m going to let you hold my pet hampster.
brianstahl
June 3rd, 2009
12:53 am
i actually got to watch our bravos play tonight vs. the cubs.it started off as usual with us getting not great but decent pitching and no offense.we didn’t even have a hit til chipper reached on a base hit to left in the 6th inning i think off a rookie.then we scored one in the 7th off of andersons solo shot to make it 5-1.nd then with a little help from some cubs pithching[MARMOL],we walked a few times and did a little damage to make it 5-3.and then in the ninth they[cubs]brought in GREGG and and it came down to one man on with 2 outs and guess who was up but the one guy who has let us down for most of the year,frenchy.i’ll be honest with you,i literally told my wife that the game was pretty much over when wouldn’t you know it he hits a game tying homer to left center field.and noone was probably any happier about it than he was.way to go frenchy,that a boy.and what a great job by our bullpen namely gonzo and soriano.it was good to see the guys get one to go our way and see some excitement after chipper knocked in the gamewinner in the 12th.and who was one of the first if not the first to be there conradulate chipper but frenchy.mabye this will get our guys motivated and awake some of that potential i know our bats possess.remaining optimistic,yours trually.way to go BRAVOS!!!!!!!!!
francoeuristheman
June 3rd, 2009
2:17 am
for all the francoeur haters….how bout tonights clutch homerun for you, in the ninth with 2 outs….thats what i thought. he is incredibly gifted and WILL turn it around….the turn around has begun hey mark how bout you write an article talking about something positive francoeur has done for once and maybe he will turn it around and give himself some confidence….kinda like how the media keeps talking about how were in this huge recession and freakin out the public….as long as they continue to talk about it the longer were gonna stay in it…kinda reflects francoeur
Terence More
June 3rd, 2009
5:36 am
Mark,
You’re getting more like me every day.
TM
brianstahl
June 3rd, 2009
11:39 pm
i’m glad to see us pull the trigger on a major deal and get someone who’ll be here longer than half a year and be able to make an impact immediately.now the question is where does mcclouth bat in the order and does this mean frenchy will still be a bravo after the trade deadline?and kudos to our gm on releasing glavine and bringing up hanson to start on saturday.all of this together could be good enough to get er’ done!
While We’re Waiting…DeRosa’s Trade Value, Orlando’s Bandwagon, and Dan Gilbert Speaks | WaitingForNextYear
June 4th, 2009
9:01 am
[...] I wonder if this has changed, now that the Braves have acquired McLouth…”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.” Mark Bradley/Atlanta Journal-Constitution [...]