Your attention, please: Braves have a new second sacker
You know dumb ol’ Bobby Cox? The manager who never changes his mind? The one who wouldn’t give up on Kelly Johnson as his second baseman no matter how little he hit?
Bobby Cox announced Tuesday night he has a new second baseman.
After Martin Prado had four hits (two singles, a double and a homer) and four RBIs (three to tie the game on three separate occasions, the fourth to win it in the 10th), Cox said: “Every time he’s in there, he does something good.”
So an enterprising journalist (blush) asked the manager: Is Prado your starting second baseman?
Loading ...Said Cox: “Right now, yes. He’s too hot to take out, unless his groin flares up.”
Contrary to popular belief, Cox isn’t the world’s biggest idiot. (As we know, this enterprising journalist is the world’s biggest idiot.) He has seen his team not hit for what seems like forever, and he has seen the nudge Prado has provided. Sometimes a nudge is all an idling team needs, especially one that pitches like this.
Kelly Johnson is hitting .216. Martin Prado is hitting .299. There’s no comparison, at least not at the moment. Cox had to make this change, and he has. This doesn’t mean Johnson will never play again. But I wouldn’t expect him to be in the lineup again this week, or maybe even this month.
See, as much as Bobby Cox loves his players, he loves something else, too. He loves to win.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
299 comments Add your comment
Tony
July 1st, 2009
1:26 pm
That is interesting Horner. The only reason he will not be starting in L.A. is because Manny is coming back. He has been outstanding in Manny’s absence and needs to start for us. He will get on base, steal and score in front of Chipper, McClouth and McCann. Get him while Manny distracts the Dodgers attention on him.
Robert
July 1st, 2009
1:26 pm
RY- 2 homers from your first baseman is not good. first base is a power position. it makes it even more glaring when no one is hitting for power. We need to upgrade at the position…
The Colonel
July 1st, 2009
1:26 pm
Hello, Bobby Cox: NOT ALL PLAYERS ARE WORTH WAITING FOR. Kelly Johnson sucks. Always has, always will. He’s probably a nice guy but he is a total choker. I’d rather have my dog playing second base in a critical game. (Note the time of Jonhson’s benching, too, bloggers. You know, against the division leaders and all . . .) Francouer is the same way. At some point the manager has to say okay, this is Chipper and this is McCann and I KNOW he will come around. But sometimes he has to say, bye-bye sucker. Hit the pavement, the road to Kansas City is that way. Cox is a good manager but he relies way way too much on a formula that only works some of the time. It’s like he really doesn’t trust himself any more. And so, you know, I sort of don’t trust him, either. Prado should have been starting long before this.
Wes
July 1st, 2009
1:27 pm
Tampa- You COULD have a singles hitter playing first………if you had team speed and did NOT already have singles hitters playing 3B, LF, RF, 2B, SS and C
Sonny Clusters
July 1st, 2009
1:27 pm
We was going to the game tonight but I got to thinking that maybe Jeff wont be in their since Blanco played so good last night. If Bobby was to do the same thing with right field and left field that he done with second base we might be seeing some new players starting like we use to do when we was playing ball together back in school. Coach always liked to play the hot hand and let the hitters hit and let the easy outs sit. We was state champion.
Mark Bradley
July 1st, 2009
1:27 pm
I agree, Tampa. I was making a little joke about Kotchman, whom I think is substandard.
Submariner
July 1st, 2009
1:27 pm
I know the Brewers aren’t gonna part with Braun, but since we’re all playing GM, it’d be a better deal than going after guys like Damon. What they should have done is passed on Kawakami (although he’s been getting it done) and Anderson and spent that money on Ibanez. The rotation still would have been pretty good with Medlen in that spot.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
1:28 pm
Wes
We we’re under .500 with Tex. It’s not all his fault, but he has yet to prove much as far as winning and playoffs are concerned. He’s a great talent, with great numbers and potential, but he’s got a long way to go before he’s considered an all time 1b. If baseball was invented in 2003, maybe. Anyone, sober or otherwise knows that.
Blair
July 1st, 2009
1:29 pm
Two dingers at first may register as more than substandard. We need another stick.
Tony
July 1st, 2009
1:30 pm
The Braves will have to be creative business-wise to deal with any player they acquire. That is what they get paid for. Whether it is Pierre, Rios, Dye, or whoever. They have to get to work. We will be more satisfied with the acquisition of another player in this lineup (outfielder), than just sitting back hoping someone falls in our laps.
jeffrey d
July 1st, 2009
1:31 pm
I don’t see Prado (or Inante) as more than just utility players who are hot (was hot in Infante’s case). Maybe I’m wrong.
I definitely think you should start Prado now given Kelly’s inability to hit, but I don’t think he’s the long-term solution. If KJ could get things figured out, he can be a heck of a player. But batting second certainly isn’t the place to figure things out, Bobby. I’m thinking the minors (don’t know if he has options left though).
Blair
July 1st, 2009
1:32 pm
Can we please stop wasting time playing hindsight. It’s easy to be GM four months after the decision is made. It’s asinine.
jeffrey d
July 1st, 2009
1:32 pm
Oh, and I love how you guys think that other GMs are rushing towards their phones to inquire about Kelly. If you guys don’t want him on the team, what makes you think other teams are so eager to have him?
Sonny Clusters
July 1st, 2009
1:33 pm
I doubt Bobby Cox ever played on a state champion and maybe thats what he needs. When we was playing ball together back in school we was state champion and we had Coach looking out for us and making decisions on who was going to play and who was not. Coach wouldnt wait as long as Bobby when we was playing ball. I think thats what the Braves need and that probably aint all they could use.
Dawg A
July 1st, 2009
1:33 pm
Mark… I asked you in a previous blog about your favorite and least favorite players to be around. I really enjoyed your response. Bringing up Minaya and Phillips reminded of the other part of the question I asked you. Who are your three favorite managers and your three least favorite managers to hang around with? I really enjoy your opinion on these subjects.
leggomyego
July 1st, 2009
1:33 pm
Some folks kill me with their goofy ideas about how to run ball clubs and the preposterous trades they propose on these sites, and when they proceed to get enraged when proposed goofy ideas and preposterous trades aren’t pulled of by management. Do you guys ever hang out in reality? Nobody is going to trade us Babe Ruth for Bob Uecker (or, if you Bull Durham fans prefer, Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for gosh sakes..although that trade was indeed made.. .but i digress…). Catchers don’t all just whimsically become first basement, if they did everyone would do it. Why even write such asinine drivel? That’s right, i just used the phrase ‘Asanine Drivel.’ Wanna know why? Cause you guys are driving me stark raving literate with you insane horsepoop, that’s why. Everyone wanted Kelly benched weeks before now, but there are reasons why things like this are done methodically by good managers like Bobby Cox. Remember Adam LaRoche? First basemen for the Pirates now? He always started slow, and still does. March-June numbers: .240 ave., 51 homers in 1379 ABs. In 550 ABs, that’s around 20 round trippers. Fast forward to his July-Oct numbers: .307 ave., 70hr, 211 rbi’s in 1182 ABs, That’s a HR increase of 33 homers in the season. Does this begin to clarify why you don’t automatically bench a dude just because he’s having an off day? Off week? Off Month? or Off Half? I would hope so. You ride these things out in baseball, you give guys a chance to fix things, otherwise you knee-cap yourself with your own lack of patience. KJ had to prove he couldn’t fix things before Bobby needed to fix things. That’s the difference between a manager and a great manager. That’s buying you something that big contracts and nested bonuses can’t: Respect from your players and faith in the brain trust. You guys may not want that in a ballclub. Chew em up and spit em out if they dont’ perform immediately and always, right? whatever. Teach em to throw a curveball and move em to the bullpen… gotcha.
Bravo
July 1st, 2009
1:35 pm
Berkman would clearly make this team a contender and you can’t tell me that Houston wouldn’t consider a Kotchman, Johnson, Marek and Redmond for Berkman.
Keeper
July 1st, 2009
1:36 pm
You know, at first glance, I read that headline as: “Your attention, please: Braves have a new second sLacker.”
We’ve certainly had enough of those. Or in Bull Durham terms, lollygaggers. Or in real-world terms, just gaggers. Hope last night and/or Prado are the spark that turns it around this year rather than next.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
1:37 pm
leggomyego and jeffrey d, you are a breath of fresh air in a world of “would be gms” and the like.
jeffrey d
July 1st, 2009
1:37 pm
I was making a little joke about Kotchman, whom I think is substandard.
I’m not to big on Kotchman. He seems too decent to get rid of but he won’t exactly wow you. And my goodness have we ever had anybody slower? He needs a tuba player following him while he runs the bases.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
1:37 pm
Still can’t afford Berkman.
Andre "Pulpwood" Smith
July 1st, 2009
1:38 pm
Mark Bradley inspires men and weakens women’s wills. He pleases the eyes of children and the noses of dogs. He is awesome, and you should tip your hat as he passes, even if it means stealing someone’s hat.
Turtsnap
July 1st, 2009
1:39 pm
It should also be pointed out about Prado, as has been reported by Mark and other journalists before, the kid knows how to play the game. Just last night, in addition to his 4 hits, he sacrificed an AB by bunting a runner into scoring position. I don’t think the Braves closed the deal on the sacrifice, but hey, Prado did his part!!
Bravo
July 1st, 2009
1:39 pm
Berkman’s salary is pro rated, why couldn’t they afford it?
Helluva Engineer
July 1st, 2009
1:39 pm
See ya Kelly Johnson. You suck!!!!!!!!
Enjoy the bench where you belong. And keep Jeff Bennet with ya. Losers!!
The Colonel
July 1st, 2009
1:40 pm
Skeezix: Yeah, Jeff was great in that bases loaded situation last night, swinging at the first pitch, a pitch a foot outside the strike zone, rolling it to the second baseman. Great baseball there.
Sure, he is putting it together. That average will be up to what . . . 252 or 253 in no time. Why, he’ll crack double digits in homers before Labor Day for sure. Just awesome.
At the plate, he reminds me at a George Bush press conference . . . a totally overmatched man who just wants to get out of there as fast as possible . . . you know before somebody notices how inept he really is.
You are too used to mediocrity, Skeezix. ‘Member what Lombardi said. (Vince Lombardi, right.) They named a pretty nice trophy after him.
Bravo
July 1st, 2009
1:41 pm
A great move right now would be to trade Lowe and get some prospects back to use to upgrade our lineup and acquire Berkman.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
1:42 pm
I just don’t see the Berkman thing happening. On a smaller scale, it’s like the Brewers giving up Braun. We already traded the farm for Tex. Why do it again?
Bravo
July 1st, 2009
1:43 pm
Where’s the sense in keep Lowe? Take him and his ERA out of the starting rotation and our staters ERA goes down.
Helluva Engineer
July 1st, 2009
1:43 pm
I got up and left my seats last Thursday when Jeff Bennet came in to pitch. That is how much I hate him and knew he would blow it. Went down to the Chop House to drink more. He is the next Dan Kolb. They were good seats too.
Horatio Cornholder
July 1st, 2009
1:44 pm
Congratulations, Smoltzie. Looks like the joke’s on you!!
Suckers.
Helluva Engineer
July 1st, 2009
1:45 pm
It was actually Wed night he pitched.
JMar
July 1st, 2009
1:45 pm
“And Kotchman ought to be nervous cuz he should be on the clock.” That’s a negative, considering that our backup first baseman was just named the starting 2B. Plus the guy is a defensive machine. He may not be an all-star, but he’s the best we’ve got.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
1:45 pm
Lowe is staying. It’s not all numbers, man! He is a playoff-tested, proven, durable pitcher. That is something we have lacked in recent years. He hit a rough patch, but it’s no reason for reactionary trades.
Randy J.
July 1st, 2009
1:46 pm
FINALLY!!!!!!!!
Horner's Corner
July 1st, 2009
1:48 pm
Tony (1:26 post) – Everybody knows that players get hot and then they get cold (Just ask Kelly Johnson), so don’t pretend that Juan Pierre has found the ability to play at a higher level than he did before. He will come back down to earth (probably right after he gets to Atlanta) and the Braves will be stuck with a $10M reserve outfielder. This would be called buying high and it’s one of many reasons why you are not a GM. By the way, watch this guy play defense sometime. His range is average at best and he has one of the worst arms you’ll ever see. You’ll actually feel embarrassed watching him throw.
Paul Lentz
July 1st, 2009
1:48 pm
owl hunter…………..MORONS like you are still “complaining” about the Texeria trade from July 2007. It’s been 2 years since that trade and in all reality…..what did the Braves give up?
1. Matt Harrison……11 starts, 6.11 ERA, 63 innings pitched, 81 hits, 23 walks, 34 strikeouts, 4-5 record, 1.64 WHIP, hitters are batting ..316, and has been on the disabled list twice so far this year.
Harrison’s career stats are: 26 starts, 5.76 ERA, 147 innings pitched, 181 hits, 54 walks, 78 strikeouts, 13-6 record, 1.60 WHIP, hitters are batting .30, and was also on the disabled list last season as well.
Dude pitches about 5.7 innings per start. He’s basically a younger version of Horatio Ramirez or Chuck James. A “promising” left hander who cant stay healthy, uses a lot of pitches to get through 5 innings, and ends up taxing a bullpen.
Harrison couldnt even make our pitching staff.
2. Elvis Andrus…………(.269), 3 homers, 14 RBIs. 4 doubles, 5 triples, 15 stolen bases 16 walks, 27 strikeouts, and 12 errors. Dude has some speed, however he doesnt draw a lot of walks nor does he have a lot of power. Triples usually come from running out hits hit down the right field line. Notice he only has 4 doubles and 3 homers.
Andrus is a decent player, however nothing to get worked up over giving up. And besides, where would he play if he was on the Braves?
3. Jarrod Saltalamacchia……….batting .250, 9 doubles, 6 homers, 27 RBI, 14 walks, 77 strikeouts, .296 OBP, .380 Slugging, .676 OPS.
Dude is only a year younger than Francoeur, yet they are virtually the same player. At least Francoeur hasnt struck out as much. Again, where would he play if he was on the Braves roster?
4. Neftali Feliz………..2 years later and dude is still in the Minors. Putting up, at best, average numbers at the Rangers Triple A affiliate. Dude reminds me of the Merkin Valdez kid the Braves gave up to the Giants in the Russ Ortiz trade about 7years ago. The Giants are still trying to develop this kid, lol. Didnt Ortiz win 20 games for us twice before busting out as a free agent with the Diamondbacks? What did the Giants get from those 3 “prospects” that we gave up? Anyone remember Damien Moss, lol?
5. Beau Jones……….in Double A getting rocked as a reliever. 23 games, 33 innings pitched, 42 hits, 24 walks, 38 strikeouts, 2-4 record, with an ERA of 5.88.
While the Braves only got a total of one season out of Tex, we still have Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher to show from the deal.
I would consider the deal to be a “wash”. When all is said and down, this trade wont go down much more than a rental for the Braves and a bunch of flameouts for the Rangers. History wont be a harsh on Braves management 5 years down the line when this trade is brought up.
And besides, it wasnt Texeria’s fault that the Braves didnt make a push to the play-offs. Chipper and Smoltz getting hurt in the second half were among the chief reasons we crumbled in the later part of 2007.
So go ahead and join the other MORONS who keep saying “man, we gave up the farm for Tex”.
NC Braves Fan
July 1st, 2009
1:49 pm
BraveDawg @ 12:20pm: My point wasn’t to hate on Garrett at all – it was merely to suggest that in terms of return, he would likely be a more valuable trade asset than Jeff. GA is signed for one year – unless Jeff turns it around dramatically with the bat, he is likely to be non-tendered this offseason – so I doubt Jeff would command much in a trade.
Also, even though Garrett is hitting better, the left-side defense has been horrible this year – and he’s part of that issue. By acquiring a bat in LF who play serviceable defense, the Braves could solve two problems at the same time.
If you trade Jeff you lose the bad bat, but you also have to replace his defense in RF.
Finally – I like Garrett, I just don’t think he’s the right fit for this team (and the NL, quite frankly).
Bravo
July 1st, 2009
1:51 pm
What exactly has Lowe done over the last few years? Near a front man! We’re told durable just to justify the millions the Braves spent on him. Play-off tested? well you must make the playoffs first. I don’t think the rotation would skip a beat without him. We’ve got Hudson coming back, lets get something while we can. But if I had to pick between Berkman and Lowe.. give me Berkman any day.
Tony
July 1st, 2009
1:52 pm
Right again Owl Hunter. Lowe, with the exception of only a few games had earned runs hovering around 3 per game. The problem is again, is that he has not had sufficient run support. We seem to keep forgetting the need.
macdwolfpack
July 1st, 2009
1:54 pm
My only question is what in the hell took Bobby so long to recognize the obvious? That is what scares me about Bobby right now as a manager. He has become to complacent in his loyalty and therefore he sets the tone for complacency on this Braves team.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
2:02 pm
Bravo
Lowe wone the final game of the world series with the Red Sox. He also was a big part of the playoff Dodgers lasyt year. Hudson will not make any major contributions til next year. Tommy John is no joke.
Paul
I’m not one of these guys who thinks the Tex trade ruined us forever, I was just making the point that we can’t keep trading multiple prospects for a quick fix. I’m teribly sorry that you don’t have enough confidence in your words that you need to resort to personal attacks. I agreed with the Tex trade as a bold, agressive step. It just didn’t work out as planned. These kinds of trades cripple teams when they become habitual. The Yankees would be perrenial cellar dwellers if it were not for their unlimited funds. While I hang with my fellow “morons” you should seek anger management. Try meditation. You may be able to preven becoming the Milton Bradley of this blog.
Mark Bradley
July 1st, 2009
2:02 pm
Here’s the thing about the Teixeira trade: If the Braves had Elvis Andrus, Yunel Escobar might be a bit more receptive to instruction. As it is, the Braves have no other options.
braves70
July 1st, 2009
2:02 pm
On August 31, 2008, Kelly Johnson was hitting .263. He had a great September against weaker pitchers and minor league call ups to finish at .287. He really was not that great in 2008 when it counted the most. I feel Bobby Cox is a year too late in switching to Prado and has already cost us many games due to this failure.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
2:03 pm
Ps. I’m not a moron, I’m just bad at typing.
AlabamaBrave
July 1st, 2009
2:04 pm
Statement on MLB Rumors is that the Braves are willing to trade Yunel for a proven bat. If that is the case who would play SS? Elvis Andrus? No wait, he was traded away in that fleecing by the Rangers.
Seriously, why trade Escobar with no viable replacement in place?
Shoeless Joe
July 1st, 2009
2:04 pm
Seems like a lot of Bobby’s ‘player loyalty’ can be attributed to the Brave’s trying to receive some value for their underperformers. As long as they play, there’s the possibility that they’ll play better and thus increase their trade value. Who’s gonna give us anything of value for KJ, Frenchy and Kochman. They’re not valuable everyday players and they’re making a fair amount of money now with the prospect of making even more next year if they’re on somebodies major league roster. Given the economy, it’s easy to see why teams would give their prospects a shot a the bigs, rather than taking on the baggage and expense of our ‘established’ big leaguers.
Robbie T
July 1st, 2009
2:07 pm
It was a good game last night and Prado was great also.But let the team lose a couple in a row and Prado have a couple of 0 for 4’s and then see what all the sofa managers say.They will all be for running him out of town on a rail after a tar and feathering.Maybe B-Mac can move to second base then and Ross can catch everyday.You idiots are all pathetic,you all have all the answers.I honestly don’t know why i read this garbage.
AFnPC
July 1st, 2009
2:08 pm
I wish we could get another hitting coach. I like Terry Pendleton for the person he is, and player he was, but he is a terrible hitting coach. We need someone else.
owl hunter
July 1st, 2009
2:09 pm
Lowe will give us 200 mostly quality innings. We did overpay, but everyone does these days. If you want to compete with NY and such, you have to overpay sometimes. Enough of this “let’s trade him because he had a few bad games” mess. What trade do you propose, Bravo? I’m certain it won’t work.