His name is Nate McLouth, as in, ‘Get him OUTTA here’
Nate the Great draws a bead on a fly. Note that the ball is in fact behind him. (AP photo)
It’s difficult to hit any worse than .176, but Nate McLouth has done the deed. That skinny number is what he was batting when he went on the disabled list after his noggin clashed with Jason Heyward’s knee. Since returning last week, McLouth is 1-for-15, which represents a Twiggy-like .067.
(And the hit, we should note, was a flare that dropped into right field McLouth’s first game back. That gift should offset the live drive that became a double play Sunday.)
We have seen Braves struggle over the years — Andruw Jones, Jeff Francoeur, Yunel Escobar, the legendary Greg Norton — but we have never seen an everyday Brave perform worse than this. Nate McLouth is hitting .168 on the season. He has three home runs, 14 RBIs, four stolen bases. The highest his average has climbed since April 8 is .208.
He wasn’t very good in his half-season as a Brave in 2009 — a .257 average, 11 homers, 36 RBIs — but today the Braves would take that tepid yield and be ecstatic. McLouth has been so bad for so long, starting in spring training and continuing apace, that there’s no cause to believe he is a big-league starter, or even a big-leaguer, any longer.
There were whispers around baseball that the Pirates had noted a decline in McLouth’s skills and were thrilled to unload him before the rest of the sport caught on. If so, that marks the first time in two decades the Bucs have outsmarted somebody. (Not that losing Charlie Morton was any setback.)
The hope when he returned from the DL was that McLouth might get going enough to satisfy the team’s modest requirements in center field. (The Braves don’t need Willie Mays; they just need a guy who’ll hit a little bit and play D, but McLouth, who astonishingly won a Gold Glove in 2008, isn’t A. Jones with the leather. Or the arm.) Either that, or he’d catch the eye of another team in need of an outfielder. But now the Braves are stuck.
They can’t keep running McLouth out there because he drags down the team, and they can’t trade him because nobody would want him. (Remember when having a former All-Star under contract through 2011 — and with a club option for 2012 — seemed a capital idea?) They can’t promote Jordan Schafer because he just got demoted again, and their most viable trade targets seem to be left fielders.
Unless Frank Wren can swing a trade this week for a real center fielder — B.J. Upton or Matt Kemp — the Braves’ options at the position can be boiled down to two: They can promote Gregor Blanco, who’s back yet again at Gwinnett, or make a deal for a corner outfielder and bump Heyward, who’s a classic right fielder, over to center. Neither is the optimum, but both beat the status quo.
Put simply, Gregor Blanco is a better center fielder right now than Nate McLouth. Heck, Henry Blanco might be a better center fielder than Nate McLouth. And Henry Blanco is a catcher.
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727 comments Add your comment
mwh6767
July 26th, 2010
8:15 am
Im not against trading Medlen for Ross. We have a TON of pitching in the farm system. As long as we keep at Medlen for Ross I’m fine with it. But don’t give away any of our farm system talent.
Herschel Talker
July 26th, 2010
8:15 am
“I like Bobby. But his use of McLouth lately is beyond puzzling.”
It’s not puzzling. This is what Bobby does. This is why we are doomed come October. He sticks with struggling players far longer than he should. Andruw at cleanup, Frenchy, Greg Norton, Jo Jo Reyes, Chuck James, Kyle Davies, Mark Redman, and on and on and on.
Georgia Sam
July 26th, 2010
8:16 am
Bradley, why don’t you get your facts straight before you put out a blog. AJC needs to keep up with the mistakes you make and hopfully we can get rid of you. They could put you on the same bus out of town that Nate is going to be on.
If you would keep up with baseball, you would know that DeJesus is out for the year with a thumb injury.
Nate McBrutal
July 26th, 2010
8:17 am
The only guy that looked worse than Cody Ross this weekend was Nate McBrutal. We should try our options with Infante/Blanco in CF, and find something that works. The encouraging thing – Braves lost 2 extra-innning games on the road giving away ABs from McBrutal and Glaus. Come August, Glaus will be stronger, and hopefully McBrutal will be gone and we’ll get back to winning those close games!
ramblingbuzz
July 26th, 2010
8:18 am
Agree with T-Jack, why does Cox automatically insert McOut in the lineup as soon as comes off the DL? Is it some kind of loyalty thing with Cox or is it like the football coach who says you can’t lose your starting position because of injury no matter how well your replacement plays. Talk about a momentum killer, I think McOut has grounded into at least 3 or 4 double plays since his return.
extremus
July 26th, 2010
8:19 am
Chemistry is a fickle thing; one move can change an entire ballclub’s direction during a season, for better or worse. The Braves are playing .500 baseball since the All-Star break, and one game BELOW .500 if you count the loss at New York right before that. I think two moves in particular contributed to that, though obviously the Braves as a team aren’t firing on all cylinders right now. First, the long stint by Kris Medlen in the bullpen while he waited on his turn to come around again (this while Tommy Hanson appears to be slipping behind him in quality starts), forcing him into unfamiliar territory and yielding some critical runs in the process, contributing to Braves losses. Then the return of Nate McLouth to a lineup that was before finally functioning as a consistent unit from 1 through 8 in the batting order; they’ve pretty much given teams a second pitcher in their lineup, if that.
Meanwhile, the Phillies have gained something like two or three games within a week, narrowing the gap to five, while the Marlins took advantage of horribly timed mistakes and that extra automatic out in the Braves’ order to steal the first series the Braves have lost to an NL team in months. The sky isn’t falling yet, but preventative measure simply must be taken, and as soon as humanly possible, to keep the Braves from suffering a heartbreaking collapse. Nate McLouth and every other player not able to pull their weight on this team (Kawakami, Chavez) must go.
Jesse Stone
July 26th, 2010
8:20 am
Herschel- I think I agree with Mr. Webster here. Late in games, you make subs for speed (Hinske still bothered by foot) and defense. Obviously, we were at a point that BC thought we were going to take the lead. Bases juiced, 1 out, Glaus up. Also, it’s the 7th inning. Not like it’s early in the game. Hinske is not normally our #3 hitter. He’s usually #6
james g
July 26th, 2010
8:20 am
long time Braves fan. However, if I see Mc”out” at bat again, i will turn that game off. I never thought I would see someone worse than Norton so soon. Please Bobby, LET HIM GO!!!
robdawg08
July 26th, 2010
8:21 am
Maybe Adam Jones from the O’s ?
Marc in FL
July 26th, 2010
8:21 am
You guys look too far into this stuff. McLouth had one good year, which is only “good” not “great”.
He’s just a 4th outfielder that hit well enough once to be a starter. He just sucks. Period.
the truth...
July 26th, 2010
8:22 am
Blanco in center…McLouth released…if someone picks him up so be it, if not he can go down to Gwinnett or opt for retirement.
We were content to trade a young potential stud shortstop with a “huge upside” because he was dragging the team down now…despite what he might do in the future.
Why would we not make this move and make it fast? I feel for McLouth too…but playing here he is under the spotlight and the pressure is immense where playing down on the farm it wuld be totally different.
Blanco is at least as good a centerfielder as McLouth…and can bunt for hits and fly on the basepaths…plus his arm HAS to be better than Nate’s…
Come on Wren…take this out of Bobby’s hands IMMEDIATELY….show me a fan that doesn’t agree on this and I’ll show you one that is already dead…or brain dead…
minnie medoza
July 26th, 2010
8:22 am
Finally someone to replace my fame as the “medoza line”…. a .200 batting average. The McLouth line….. .170 is the new medoza line….thanks Nate….your friend Minnie
ATL-Dolfan
July 26th, 2010
8:22 am
I agree with ATLfan15 they need to bring back Blanco. He did well out there and showed he could hit a little bit. I don’t think Cody Ross is the answer either, especially for Medlin. Maybe for Dunn and a prospect?
Bring Back Blanco!
Jesse Stone
July 26th, 2010
8:23 am
It’s Mario Mendoza
Jeremy
July 26th, 2010
8:23 am
Can we also bring in to question why they are still putting jesse chavez into games that we are interested in winning. This guy is a disaster. If we have such a collection of young pitching we should not be forced to watch chavez walk the bases loaded.
Mark- Any hope that Chavez may be sent down after his performance Sunday?
Mr. Webster
July 26th, 2010
8:23 am
Who the F is MEDLIN?
Tweets that mention His name is Nate McLouth, as in, 'Get him OUTTA here' | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
July 26th, 2010
8:24 am
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Gen Neyland
July 26th, 2010
8:24 am
If the Braves are in fact shopping McLouth, playing him seems counter-productive. Sadly, to send Nate packing may mean having to send a contributor or future contributor packing, too…Aside from Nate’s woes, why does the name Mike ‘The Paycheck’ Hampton still give me the heebie-jeebies..? At least Nate can pinch-run…
Phoneguy
July 26th, 2010
8:24 am
The dude must go! Its sad when you see him come up (as in last night) with bases loaded and one out. You knew he would ground into double play and the Marlins would win it in the next inning.
PLEASE BOBBY: HE MUST GO !!!!!!!
gregkc42
July 26th, 2010
8:25 am
What about Chavez? Everytime I see him warming up, I get sick to my stomach!!!! He is the one that should not be here!!!!
Andy
July 26th, 2010
8:25 am
Mark, pay attention. David DeJesus is out for the year with a thumb injury. I’ll take McLouth over trading for a guy to sit in the dugout. He can at least run.
cdog
July 26th, 2010
8:26 am
troy glaus is the one they should trade or let go.he’s a loser.any other time with the bases loaded he drives the ball but when the game is on the line, he wraps into a double play with the bases loaded. you just don’t do that, then on top of that, he doesn’t hustle running to first base.he’s truly a loser.the braves should be killing the marlins, nationals, phillies and mets when they go head to head.you have to let losers like glaus and mclouth go.
Smitty
July 26th, 2010
8:26 am
What else can Blanco do? Look at his performance and the team’s record this last time he was up.I also think Cox might consider platooning Hinske with Glaus until Glaus gets back in the groove again.
Typical Vick Supporter
July 26th, 2010
8:26 am
Everybody makes mistakes.
DoninToccoa
July 26th, 2010
8:28 am
It’s okay! Bobby has indeed given him his chance. He hasn’t come through so he wins the “pinch runner” until the end….he can still run can’t he? Let’s see, maybe blind fold him next time
he “hit’s” and I use the term loosely. I just hate it when someone can’t make it but enough is enough! Oh, and our big Glaus is on the verge of “never” hitting with runners on again.
robdawg08
July 26th, 2010
8:28 am
I think it was Mario Mendoza ?
Somebody ask Bobby why he still plays McLouth. I’d like to hear that answer. “I’m an old man and McLouth scratches my back on off days and picks up the grand kids sometimes for me. That is enough to start in CF for me. The .168 BA isn’t that bad. The kid plays defense real well. I told Gregor that not doing favors for me would get him sent back to Gwinett. Kid was hitting like .300 but favors count a lot. How a player performs is secondary. Heck, just look at Glaus. He hasn’t hit in a month but I like the kid a lot. So he stays at 1B…”
Justin
July 26th, 2010
8:29 am
trading Medlen for Ross… wouldn’t that mean Kantwin Kamikaze would have a rotation spot again? Based on that fact alone, I would have to say NO to that trade.
Phoneguy
July 26th, 2010
8:30 am
Good god its “Norton” all over again.
Please get him outta here!!!
robdawg08
July 26th, 2010
8:31 am
Bobby “Come on Natey,come on Chip,come on Hey,come on Glaussy.”
Writing out a linep daily sweet. Yelling encouragement using nicknames great. Playing underachievers just because you are the manager is nice.
Getting paid $2 million to do all this is priceless…
RWebb
July 26th, 2010
8:32 am
For some unknown reason, Bobby Cox likes Nate McLouth. Bobby, from similar satiations, will give Nate many chances to help the team. Bobby is an excellence manager but in some cases he will not get
rid of non productive players. He will keep them to long.
jfreak13713
July 26th, 2010
8:32 am
I’ve never understood why Cox won’t call for a bunt with the bases loaded when the game is in the balance? I could understand if it were Heyward or even Glaus but Mclouth should have been bunting to give us the go ahead run.
Joey
July 26th, 2010
8:32 am
Me, um, I’ve got the answer for your question – Bobby Cox.
And what does Chavez have on Bobby? I yelled NOOOOO!! at the TV yesterday when Bobby trotted Chavez in. I watch all the games, and I can think of only two appearances this whole season that Chavez didn’t: 1) let at least one inherited runner score or 2) let at least one batter he faced get on and score. He didn’t even record an out yesterday before losing the game.
The Braves only hope is if Bobby somehow gets suspended for the remainder of the season. They could get somebody out of the stands every game to fill out the lineup card.
Bobby’s abuse of his bullpen is legendary, and continues this year, but this McLouth and Chavez mess of his is gonna ruin the season. I’m not gonna look it up but even though we are what, 15 games over .500, I bet when McLouth is starting, we’ve got a losing record. Hell yes, Mark, we would take his “tepid yield” from the half-season of ‘09. His 11 homers are a lot better than we got from our #3 hitter so far . . .
RGP
July 26th, 2010
8:32 am
Why would Cox let McOut bat with the bases loaded when he is hitting .167 ? Wasnt anybody on the bench available to hit instead of McOut? Bad coaching from Cox.
Remember when...
July 26th, 2010
8:33 am
those “priceless” sayings were clever?
wardo
July 26th, 2010
8:34 am
McClouth & Glaus…Built in outs scattered into the lineup. We gotta do something. You are either improving or getting worse. Right now we are not improving. I want to see more Hinske/ Prado/Infanta at 1st base and more Ross at catcher. Can’t McCann take a few grounders at 1st? Save him some wear and tear behind the plate and keep his bat in the lineup. But Infante should be playing 4 out of 5 days until he proves he can’t hit. Rotate him around the diamond and give others much needed rest for what hopes to be the stretch drive. And maybe Bobby should leave the dugout after the 6th inning for his nap every game. We would have a better chance to succeed.
Steve
July 26th, 2010
8:34 am
Mark, while your at it lets get rid of Chavez too. The guy has blown way too many games to be taking up a valuable roster spot.
joe
July 26th, 2010
8:35 am
I disagree, somewhat. Send him down to AAA to work out the kinks. He’s shown too much ability to just send him somewhere for nothing in return. We have enough horsepower to win the division with Melky, Diaz, Henke, Infante splitting time in left and center. But long term, nate’s the best option.
Mr. Webster
July 26th, 2010
8:35 am
Who was left in the pen when Chavez came in? We were facing several righties in a row.
robdawg08
July 26th, 2010
8:35 am
Nah. Just true.
Bobby : “Chavez, kid has a good arm. I know he will have that 1,2,3 inning sometime. So I can live with the 2 or 3 runs per inning until I prove to everybody this kid can pitch.”
Nudist 4 Nate
July 26th, 2010
8:35 am
It could be argued Nate McLouth is the “Jeff Schultz” of the 2010 Braves, but I bet most people would prefer to see McLouth naked instead of Schultzie if given the choice.
Mr. Webster
July 26th, 2010
8:36 am
Henke? Who is that?
Craig
July 26th, 2010
8:37 am
Getting rid od McClouth would be best for him and the team. I am sure he would like a change of venue to see if it would help him. That being said, as many of you have said here this morning, why does Blanco continue to sit? I want Bobby to go out in style but, you can’t keep your best players on the bench and allow the Phillies to keep making up ground. And I am ok with trading Medlen if we get a quality player in return. I do not know if Ross is that player and I would rather have Hart. Wren needs to do something to make up for Kawakami & McClouth.
Common Sense...really common?
July 26th, 2010
8:37 am
If you gentlemen were pulling the strings, we’d no doubt have a championship in October.
Joey
July 26th, 2010
8:38 am
Didn’t KJ have Tommy John surgery a few yers back, which ended his outfield career? I know I read that somewhere, robdawg08.
The Real Brave
July 26th, 2010
8:39 am
Bottom line:Bases loaded and pitcher goes 2-0 on McLouth.
TAKE A PITCH UNTIL THE PITCHER PROVES HE CAN THROW A STRIKE!
No McLouth decides to help a team out, the Florida team.
Mitchell
July 26th, 2010
8:39 am
Now we just need one of our local snarky sports columnists to sack up and call out BC for the way he continues to kill the team by being loyal to players who can’t hit their weight.
This s*** is not supposed to go without comment.
Bobby Cox would be getting killed on radio and in the press if he pulled that crap in New York or Philly not to mention pretty much every other city in the country.
But this is Atlanta. The only people who get held accountable are the basketball coaches. It’s ironic that the head coach of the local NBA team was recently let go from his post when he’s been the one guy to actually get his team to the playoffs in this town.
Three straight playoff appearances as opposed to one for Mr. Smith and ZERO for good old #6.
But the Hawks didn’t get past the second round you say. Uh, hello? It’s a crapshoot, remember?
You can’t possibly be expected to have any control of whether you win or lose. It’s a crapshoot.
You could quite possibly make the playoffs fourteen times in a row and still only win one championship. It’s not like the coach or manager has any say in what happens. It’s just the way it is man.
Crapshoot.
curtis jones
July 26th, 2010
8:39 am
Mark, thanks for hopping aboard the “Release McLouth” train…even if you are a few weeks behind everyone else.
McLouth, Kawakami and Chavez are taking up valuable roster spots. Why?
Playoffs!?!?
July 26th, 2010
8:39 am
Mark Bradley—David DeJesus tore a ligament in his thumb running into an outfield wall. Anyone who follows basball knows this. Do you follow baseball?
Herschel Talker
July 26th, 2010
8:39 am
Jesse Stone -
You can’t put McLouth in the 3 hole. If you want a faster guy who isn’t dead weight and can play the outfield, then use Infante there. But gaining a small amount of speed in that moment but being stuck with McLouth in the 3 hole is inexcusable.
HT
robdawg08
July 26th, 2010
8:40 am
I’ve alway6s wondered why a pitcher has to go to minors for rehab assignments ? Why can’t they just rehab pitching a regular game. For instance, Jurrgens pitched 6 innings at Gwinett gave up 2 ER. Heck, he could have done that for the Braves. Pitching in the minors or majors has no bearing on how his arm feels. He’s going to throw the same pitches at the same speeds regardless.