Troy Glaus: The unlikely linchpin of an unlikely Braves team
Troy Glaus hit this two-run double in June, but not many since. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Troy Glaus was awful in April, and so was his team. Troy Glaus was terrific in May, and the Braves were likewise. He was OK in June, and the Braves made do. He has been bad again in July, and that’s a troubling sign.
Glaus in April: Nine RBIs, two home runs and a batting average of .194.
Glaus in May: Twenty-eight RBIs, six home runs and a batting average of .330.
Glaus in June: Nineteen RBIs, six home runs and a batting average of .237.
Glaus in July: Five RBIs, no home runs and a batting average of .200.
He was the reason the Braves sprang from fifth place to first in the space of two May weeks. Bobby Cox redid his batting order to get the four men with the best on-base percentage batting first through fourth, and Glaus brought them home. Just when we’d decided he was the worst acquisition of Frank Wren’s tenure, Glaus went out and became the National League’s player of the month.
But now it’s two months later, and Glaus bears scant resemblance to the colossus of May. He has four extra-base hits (all doubles) in July, with more strikeouts (14) than hits (13). From May 1 through June 19 he had 16 multiple-RBI games; he has had none since.
For this offense to hold up over the final 62 games, Glaus has to hold up his end. It’s unfair in a way: Nobody (except maybe Wren and Cox) expected great things from Glaus, and suddenly he became the linchpin of a surprisingly efficient offense. Generally speaking, your linchpin isn’t a 33-year-old coming off shoulder surgery signed at a bargain-basement rate, but that’s the way this careening season evolved.
Glaus wasn’t supposed to be The Man but, with Chipper Jones and Brian McCann off to slow starts, that’s what he became. To stay ahead of the Phillies, the Braves will need more of the Glaus of May. Otherwise opponents will pitch around Chipper and McCann and, as happened in April, nothing much will happen.
Troy Glaus had, we must all agree, one of the greatest months in Braves’ annals. But for this season to extend into October, he has to show he wasn’t just a one-month wonder. He has to get hot again, and soon.
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317 comments Add your comment
Chip Shot
July 29th, 2010
6:48 pm
i have a bunch of friends that go to the G-Braves games all the time and they ALL say that Freeman is 100% ready for the bigs and will make a huge impact much like Heyward did.
Bobby's Cox
July 29th, 2010
6:54 pm
Can’t fix old (Chipper and Troy’s wheels) and stupid (poor ole’ Bobby Cox)..Oh how Bobby yearns for the days of his hard hits-hush woman and heavy drinkin’ in the 90’s. At least they were winning big time back then..Obviously, winning in the 90’s had nothing to do with Smoltz, Glavine, Avery and Maddux. It had to be Bobby Cox and his magic bottles..I blame this recent string of series losses on the bullpen coach. Time to replace Eddie Perez..
All aboard the Hey-Train
July 29th, 2010
7:32 pm
Bobby’s Cox, you want to fire Perez? The guy who caught Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Avery, etc.? I’m pretty sure Perez picked up a few things on what good pitchers do. Wagner lost the game Friday to the Marlins. Do you think he had/needs any pitching tips at this point in his career. Chavez blew a game. Perez has had 4 months to teach him. That is absolutely no time whatsoever. Hanson gave up all 3 runse(1 earned by the way). Bullpen: nill. Lowe gave up 4 today. We scored 3. Stop trying to pretend to know what you’re talking about because you obviously don’t. Eddie had absolutely nothing to do w/ any of the losses from the previous 2 series. Just don’t talk and we won’t have to openly mock you.
POAD
July 29th, 2010
7:39 pm
damn Braves we need to win the close games.
Delbert D.
July 29th, 2010
7:42 pm
“Clothespin” would have sounded effeminate.
robdawg08
July 29th, 2010
7:52 pm
Phillies get Oswalt, they needed starting pitching. Braves get nobody, they needed a power OF bat. Can you tell which organization is dedicated to winning ?
Buck
July 29th, 2010
7:54 pm
Darnell, Buy a dictionary. Linch is not lynch. Unbelievable…….
joe
July 29th, 2010
8:04 pm
Its funny how I can tell someones race and sex just by the way they are speaking(typing)… “please don’t say linchpin because I think I am owed something because of my race.” Linchpin isn’t a racist word at all, the world doesn’t owe you anything. Get an education. Get a job. Get the respect you deserve. Its up to you. And, Its up to Glaus to earn his paycheck if he expects to play. Same went for McLousy, and the same needs to go for Derek Choke, I mean, Lowe.
meetmeingradeschoolmark
July 29th, 2010
8:54 pm
mark – st. anthony’s has an opening on the elementary school paper – there’s still time to enroll. bring your bad news, your mea culpa and your voo-doo doll, though. there *is* competition, after all.
gcs
July 29th, 2010
9:52 pm
If the Braves can only win 1 of 3 versus lowly Washington, they will lose the next three in Cincinnati.
.
Reid Adair
July 29th, 2010
10:07 pm
May is starting to show as the exception rather than the proverbial rule with Troy Glaus. You have to look at the entire year, not one month. I fear those of us who said this was another one of Frank Wren’s mistakes will be proven right.
Greg Mendel
July 29th, 2010
10:29 pm
At this rate, the 2010 season will finish exactly like the 2009 season. A little behind, with a collapse at the end.
In my opinion, the problem isn’t management. It’s money.
All aboard the Hey-Train
July 29th, 2010
10:49 pm
If you’re just on here to say the Braves are done and Bobby sucks and Phillies are unstoppable now, shut up. Just shut up. Take your pecimism elsewhere. I’m tired of it. They have hit a snag and the Phillies are clicking. You think this is the way it’ll be for the rest of the year? Don’t be stupid. We had a 9-game losing streak and now look at what happened. We’re still in first. We have Medlen, JJ, and Hanson next. Wren is talking and is going to get a deal done. He’s talked about bringing up Freeman. Glaus will be out of the lineup. If we only manage one next series we’ll still be in first and will be playing 14 home and 3 road for the next 17. We struggle on the road and are all but dominant at home. We are in far less trouble than people make us out to be. Last year we needed so much help just to get a wild card and it was “Believe! Believe! Believe!”. Now we’re in first and basically control our own destiny and your ready to write the season off? That amazes me. I can’t wrap my mind around it. Just go away please.
All aboard the Hey-Train
July 29th, 2010
10:52 pm
Oh by the way, those three road games during the 17 game stretch I mentioned, they’re against Houston.
rJohnson
July 29th, 2010
11:22 pm
General rule: When one hitter struggles then the blame points to that player and it’s on him to figure out what’s wrong. When almost the whole team is having trouble hitting then you’ve got a coaching/scouting (TP) problem. Couple this with the fact that the Braves always struggle with rookie pitchers or pitchers that just got called up that day, it tells me that we need to follow the Phillies lead and make some changes.
Peter
July 29th, 2010
11:22 pm
Folks…..Please understand the Money concept….. Corporations are showing Great Earning currently……why ? They are firing folks at a serious rate…… Great for the bottom line.
The Braves are CORPORATE owned…. this si not about winning….this is about the bottom line……
Thus Mark writes about a guy making 1.75 Million a year.as if he is going to carry the load, and so when he implodes so does the Braves ?
Come on folks……. the Brave want to win……… But really the bottom line is more important.
Peter
July 29th, 2010
11:29 pm
Hey there……..All aboard the Hey-Train…………you are correct we hold destiny in our own hands…..
When is Chipper going to show up and lead ?
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
12:20 am
Is it realistic to believe that our lead wont shrink even further after this weekend?
Reggie
July 30th, 2010
12:27 am
Folks, this team will continue to frustrate braves fans until new ownership comes along.It appears Liberty Media is just like Time Warner when it comes to spending money to get quality players.Wren can only get bargain basement players because that how Liberty has budgeted the braves.Who in there right mind would trade your ace pitcher for a bench player.I hope but doubt they will get a quality hitter down the strecth.Remeber how we got but giving up Wainwright,Andros and Feliz to rent a player with no intention of being able to sign him.I am referring to JD Drew and Mark Texeria.
James
July 30th, 2010
1:10 am
The Braves don’t have the money that these other teams have so they can’t go out and get big name people like the Phiilies, Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs etc. The Braves would have won more championships when they had Maddux, Glavine and Smolz anchoring the pitching staff when they were pitching for the Braves by helping them out by getting some good hitters.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
4:23 am
I’d rather see the Braves just try and make a go of it with their current roster (and keep our top prospects who will be cheap on the payrolls for years to come)……then mortgage the future on the slim chance that we can win the World Series with expensive players who probably wont make a difference.
Frank Wren should just work the youngsters in the next two years…..and wait until after 2012 to go after any high priced free agents or through a trade. That’s when Chipper’s and Lowe’s contracts come off the books. With the raises due Jurrjens and Prado in arbitration………the Braves have to be careful with payroll, considering they have $41.17 mil tied up in Chipper, Lowe, Kawakami and McLouth in 2011 alone. That’s almost half of this year’s payroll for 4 players who arent productive players. I dont see how the Braves can afford to add to the payroll by acquiring a player via trade this year.
scottc
July 30th, 2010
6:47 am
Darnell, that riff on linch/lynch was the funniest thing-snorted my cornflakes out my nose, thanks.
Glaus has a bad knee and is not talking about it. If Bobby could shut him down for 2 weeks on the DL it would help a lot, i think, but that won’t happen. Sigh. Wait and see.
Don
July 30th, 2010
8:07 am
The only team to lose in the NL east yesterday.
Cincy will sweep this lousy team, philly, a good team, will at least win 2/3 against wash and the lead will be a half game into next week. Some idiot said there was 8 reasons why they wouldn’t lose their lead. What a moron.
reason
July 30th, 2010
8:08 am
One who watches the Braves can tell when the players want to play and when then don’t.
It’s the same old story with this organization, they try to improve the team when it’s to late.
Glaus, is not a realiable run producer, strikes out way to many time, so does Heyward, but Heyward produces, he in must of the big inning and delivers. No matter what the Brave are on their way down, if they keep gloofing around.
Howard Ray
July 30th, 2010
8:25 am
Braves will not spend the money for DUNN. He wants a three year deal so forget it we are to cheap!
ben
July 30th, 2010
8:33 am
The Braves were doing great before the All-Star break…they trade Escobar…and now the team struggles. Coincidence? Not likely. You move one player out, put somebody else in…somehow, it doesn’t work as well anymore.
Howard Ray
July 30th, 2010
8:34 am
The thrill is gone!
Tommy Caesar
July 30th, 2010
8:51 am
we dont really want lebron the so called “king” to play here!
ben
July 30th, 2010
9:22 am
However, I can sense the Braves season slipping away. I just never felt as strongly about a trade as this one (Escobar-Gonzalez). If Chipper Jones hits 40 HR and has 120 RBI, then if he wants Escobar out, then fine. But Chipper is a shell of his former self. In fact, for the money he gets ($14 million in 2010; .251 BA, 7 HR, 41 RBI), we could have got 2-3 good players. And the Braves didn’t want to pay Adam LaRoche $6 million/year. Are you freakin kidding me?
And Bobby Cox will be gone after this year (so no reason to jeopardize our future for his sake).
I also wonder about the anonymous quotes about Escobar: “Bobby hates Escobar” and “Escobar doesn’t have a lot of friends in the clubhouse.”
It makes me think these quotes come from only 1 player (probably Chipper Jones). I’m happy for Escobar; from Sportscenter highlights, I see it is all smiles and he is on an offensive tear in Toronto.
And it’s not because I don’t like Gonzalez (he’s had a fine career; seems to be a good teammate), it’s just I’ve see what Escobar can do. Trading him away reeked of panic from the Braves management.
Bottom line: Escobar is a Chevy Corvette (not 100% reliable, but still a high performance vehicle); and Gonzalez is a Cadillac Cimaaron (looks like a Cadillac, but just really a Chevy Cavalier with leather seats).
droopydawg
July 30th, 2010
9:42 am
TedM: You make a fair point, I was not directing that at you. I think the Braves making a move before the deadline would probably be beneficial. I was making a point about the commenters who seem to think the Braves should just pack it up and go home after one bad week combined with a good week for the Phils
Larry
July 30th, 2010
11:22 am
you suck Bradley
Stanley Crowe
July 30th, 2010
11:34 am
I’m still not ready to panic, but my wife’s getting nervous. If you look at the stats for NL-East teams, you see how tight it is for ALL of them — Marlins and Nats included. I don’t think Philly can count on sweeping the Nats, and the Braves play pretty well against the Central. If we can handle the Reds like the Mets handled the Cards, I think we’ll be fine — then we’ll get the Mets at home. As for Troy, I hope he can pick it up again. Let’s face it — we wouldn’t be where we are without him. I’m happy with his play at first. As I’ve said before, let’s get Gregor Blanco up again. Lowe seems to be struggling — getting out good hitters and giving stuff up to people he should be handling with ease. Yes, I know it was brutally hot yesterday, but Derek seems to have lapses of concentration that you don’t see with Tim Hudson or JJ. I’m intrigued by trhe Medlen-Cueto matchup tonight — I really like Medlen. He’s a little bulldog, and I don’t think he’ll let us down. Over to you, offense!
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
2:05 pm
I’m going to go ahead and call it: Braves are working on a deal for Torii Hunter. He was held out of the game two days ago without reason (and they had an off day yesterday). He’d be an absolute perfect fit, has said in the past that he’d love to play in ATL, and I’m sure the Angels would be interested in the Braves pitching prospects. It makes waaay too much sense for it not to happen.
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
2:07 pm
If the Braves pull off a Hunter deal, and add one more bullpen piece, I can honestly say the Phrillies would seriously have reason to worry, even with Oswalt.
krefro dolla
July 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
“THIS ARTICLE MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH TO HAVE TO READ ABOUT LINCHING AND LINCHPINS IN THE SPORTS PAGES OF AJC. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO CALL AND FILE A LAW SUIT ABOUT THIS. THIS WHOLE ENTIRE TOWN IS NOTHING BUT HATERS AND IT IS NO WONDER NO GOOD ATHLETES LIKE LEBRON THE KING WANT TO PLAY HERE. YOU ALL KNOW THAT IS RIGHT TO.”
hahahahahahaha. wow.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
5:20 pm
Tomahawk……….as much as I would love to see Tori Hunter in a Braves uniform (he not only fulfills the need in center, but he’s a right handed power bat as well)…………..I just dont see the Angels trading him. Trading Hunter would create a huge gap in their offense.
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
5:58 pm
“Trading Hunter would create a huge gap in their offense.”
Agreed… but in a year in which they likely wont make the playoffs, two years of Hunter could definitely bring in some young power arms that the team could build around to compete with TX’s young core… It’s just a thought.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
6:54 pm
Tomahawk……………Dont get me wrong. I would love to see the Braves make a serious play at Hunter. He would be someone that would be worth the Braves giving up a top prospect or 2 for.
However the big problem is Hunter’s salary. I just dont see the Braves adding his salary to the payroll.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
7:02 pm
Tomahawk………how are you hanging on the “other blog”? Are they still defending Bobby Cox, staying loyal to Chipper Jones, or better yet……..coming up with the blog favored “Kelly Johnson, JoJo Reyes and Jeff Francoeur for Adam Dunn” type proposals?
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
7:13 pm
Which blog or you referring to?
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
7:13 pm
are*
sorry, i’m multi-tasking
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
7:20 pm
Tomahawk…………the “Dumb Old Bums” blog (a.k.a. D.O.B blog). I surfed through a few pages of the garbage that’s being posted over there. It never ceases to amaze me the number of “lets trade our garbage for another team’s gold”, type proposals that many over there really believe is going to happen. No one ever challenges that stuff over there.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
7:25 pm
Tomahawk……..I remember over the winter how I was one of the few who kept saying that there was NO WAY that the Braves were going to be able to trade Derek Lowe WITHOUT having to eat a SIGNIFICANT part of his contract. DOB actually said that the Yankees would have no problem with absorbing Lowe’s contract. Dude has no clue.
My favorite was when the blog blew up with the Braves trading Lowe (and his contract) to the Angels for Juan Rivera, lol.
Or that the Braves were going to offer Kelly Johnson arbitration, lol.
People have the right to post what they want. However, if you’re man enough to post your opinions, then be man enough to defend them…….instead of getting all hurt when someone has the nerve to question the sanity of your post.
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
7:55 pm
Gotcha. Yea, I know what you mean. There’s a lot of people on several blogs that just want to rant and don’t want to simply have speculative conversation. Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? I’m just glad I don’t have to read much of the Lowe-related lunacy anymore. Ideally it’d be nice to see them eat most (and I mean MOST) of that salary, clear room for Minor, and save a few million to put towards something else, but at this point it’s not even worth discussing.
I find it very hard to believe the Braves haven’t at least inquired on Hunter… although I do realize it’s not as likely as I’d prefer that they would get something done. Still, I’m going to check on the Angels game when it comes on to see if he’s held out of the lineup again. The Braves always conduct business very quietly, and they have a lot of trade chips in the minors…
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
8:16 pm
Tomahawk……….I have a feeling that we’re going to get swept this weekend. The offense just doesnt have what it takes to put a big inning together. Whereas the Reds just finished with some 2 out damage.
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
8:37 pm
I will be one very unhappy Braves fan if that happens. Regardless, your point remains: they definitely need more offense. I’d be worried about how this current lineup would stack up in a best-of-three series in October.
Tomahawk
July 30th, 2010
9:01 pm
best-of-five*
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
9:29 pm
It’s nice to be wrong about my eerie feeling about being in 2nd place come Monday. The Phillies are laying an egg in Washington tonight.
We need to win this game tonight. 8 outs to go.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
9:30 pm
At least the offense battled back in the 6th.
Christopher Chance
July 30th, 2010
9:31 pm
It’s nice to be wrong about my feeling about being in second place come Monday. The Phillies are laying an egg in Washington tonight.
We need to win this game tonight. Eight outs to go.