You be the manager: Pick the new Braves’ third baseman
This would be the left side of my infield: Prado and Sea Bass. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Audience participation time. (Not that this audience is ever disinclined to participate, for which I thank you.) The Braves would seem to have three options at third base, and Bobby Cox articulated them yesterday: “We’ve got [Brooks] Conrad and [Omar] Infante and we should get [Martin] Prado back at the start of next week.”
OK, you be the manager. Pick one.
Being pushy, I’ll go first. I like the Prado option. I think Infante is better at second base than at third, and I think Prado can play either spot just fine. I’m not crazy about the idea of uprooting an All-Star second baseman, but it has to be said: Infante was an All-Star, too.
I’m less high on Conrad. He’s great at the end of games, less great when he starts them. He’s hitting .238, with more strikeouts than hits. (Both Prado and Infante have twice as many hits as K’s.) Besides, having Conrad in the lineup would diminish the full Conrad Effect: He’s the guy you need to pinch-hit with the game to be won. Indeed, he has more RBI’s as a sub than as a starter.
Oh, and since you asked: The notion of Troy Glaus as a starting third baseman was all but quashed by Frank Wren on Thursday. Said the general manager: “Based on the health of his legs, [I don't think] that makes a lot of sense to put him over there.”
There’s also the chance the Braves could try to swing a trade — Ty Wigginton and Chone Figgins are two post-deadline possibilities — but Wren also noted that the combination of Infante and Prado in the everyday lineup was powerful in itself. Quoth Wren: “I’m not sure we’ll find anything better than that out on the market place.”
Loading ...Reality check: Wigginton is hitting .260 for Baltimore, Figgins .253 for Seattle. Infante is hitting .330.
My batting order would be this: Infante, 2B; Heyward, RF; Prado, 3B; McCann, C; Glaus, 1B; Gonzalez, SS; Diaz/Hinske, LF; Ankiel/Cabrera, CF. Brooks Conrad would be my DH in Games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series. (Just seeing if you’re still reading.)
But I’ve never been known for my lineup-making dexterity (or for anything else, come to think of it), so I invite your input. Pick the new third sacker. It will make you feel better about the absence of Chipper Jones. It will enable you to get in touch with that feeling that rests within all of us — to manage, if only in this space, a big-league team. And I can assure you Bobby Cox will take the results of this poll to heart.
OK, I lied about the last part.
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418 comments Add your comment
larry lawson
August 13th, 2010
6:01 pm
Admit it its over.
gtjacket81
August 13th, 2010
6:07 pm
By the way, unless he’s totally unable to hit, why doesn’t Chipper forego the surgery, go on the DL for now, come back on Sept 1 when the rosters expand. Then provide a Kurt Gibson or Shilling bloody sock moment in the final stretch drive or playoffs. And then retire a hero. I do see him helping the team in 2011. He will be a $14 M hit on the team next year
bozz
August 13th, 2010
6:08 pm
do you people even FOLLOW braves baseball?
1. glaus can barely even play 1st, much less 3rd. IT WON’T HAPPEN.
2. jason won’t bat 3rd, we need to break up the left-right combo at the top of the order, he’ll bat 2nd.
3. prado is best suited to play 3rd.
4. figgins sucks, we don’t need him.
5. dunn won’t happen, the nationals want too much.
6. chipper rules. always has, always will.
martin
August 13th, 2010
6:11 pm
i have been frustrated a bit with the braves this year and also very excited about them at times also and i believe that they should still get someone else in the outfield and let hinske play 3rd alittle also and bring up freddie freeman. because if hinkse is playing alittle more it helps melky in the line up and i think he has been underestimated this year alittle and he is also a switch hitter that has postseason success and the braves need that going down the stretch and i think infante is better when not playing every single day at one placeand more being a spot player
Tyler NJ Brave
August 13th, 2010
6:16 pm
1. Infante
2. Heyward
3. Prado
4. McCann
5. Glaus
6. Hinske
7. Gonzo
8. Ankiel
9. Pitcher
No more mentioning Glaus at 3rd btw…..this is how the line up will look once Prado’s back. It really would be nice to acquire a guy like Kemp or Uggla, but the asking price is way to high. Let’s be realistic here. We’re not going to get a top notch player, if any at all. This will be our team for the long haul. This is still a gritty team with a nice OBP, good pitching, and obviously heart.
Tyler NJ Brave
August 13th, 2010
6:17 pm
agree with bozz
bozz
August 13th, 2010
6:22 pm
thanks tyler. we’ll be fine, just gotta get martin back and things will work out okay.
bill-1956
August 13th, 2010
6:27 pm
Mark, I thought your question was, who should replace chipper at third. It seems that half of the responses thought the question was, ” What should the new lineup be with chipper out”
I think the Braves need to go out and get someone that has played third, With that said, I see where Wiggingtyon has been put on waivers. If he clears, he is the best choice He has a 273avg and 18 hrs for 2010. That would make him the leader for the braves. Second choice would be to check out Hank Blalock. He has been released by Tampa without getting much of a chance to play regular. In 2008 he had a 277 avg with 25 hrs and is only 30 years old (if his health is O.K.) Both of these players have a higher fielding percentage than Chipper. Third choice would be Garrett Atkins. In 2008 his avg was 286, with 21 Hrs and I understand he will take a minor league contract. I will let Bobby Cox fill out the lineup.
kirkinga
August 13th, 2010
6:50 pm
Prado because it appears to be his best position defensively.
That said, the Braves’ offense, and to a lesser extent their defense, needs some shoring up. Wren needs to be as aggressive as he is allowed to be to address the team’s needs. The less burdens the better when it comes to making it to and thriving in the playoffs.
Still@theBAR
August 13th, 2010
7:11 pm
Bob Horner still has a sweet swing. Maybe he can give us a game for a Hamburger on Tuesday.
Chipper Jones' career over after ACL injury? - MajorWager Forums
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AudiATL
August 14th, 2010
12:06 am
I agree with Mike S above. Prado should be in the 2-hole. We’ve missed countless RBI opportunities moving him to lead-off, IMO. And there’s no denying Infante has a valuable bat and is performing admirably in the lead-off role.
Prado’s defense is a bit better, and it’s a toss-up as to which base he should be on. Covering the ground balls up the middle might be the best place for him, still.
RusCole
August 14th, 2010
8:40 am
While it’s often more fun and interesting to disagree, I have to go with Mark on this one. In fact, I think it’s fairly obvious that we have no better option than having both Infante and Prado in the lineup every day. Even before Chipper’s injury, I’ve argued that playing Infante in the outfield every day made lots of sense as a means of having these two bats in the lineup.
To reiterate, I love what Brooks Conrad has done for the team. How could anyone argue with his late game productivity? However, a .240 batting average is hardly a better every day option than Omar Infante, who has been a model of consistency throughout the season.
And the idea of Glaus at third was a horrible idea. I’m glad Frank Wren realizes that shouldn’t be an option.
DWinDec
August 14th, 2010
9:28 am
Although I’d love to see Chipper back in 2011, I have no problem seeing him go out this way. He’s been batting like the days of yore, and that throw was a spectacular play. It was a blaze of glory. He’d be going out near the top of his game, and no one would argue that he’d worn out his welcome, although that was clearly a concern of his a few months ago.
Godspeed, Chipper. Hope to see you in April.
Braves Doc
August 14th, 2010
10:32 am
Chipper is having a new type of ACL surgery today thats never been tried before but Chipper requested it after they told him the tendon they were going to use was from some dead homeless person that they found under a bridge last night. They are going to implant a tendon from a deers leg that one of the Buck Commanders shot last hunting season. Chipper said that if you ever watched a deer running and jumping while it was dodging bullets then you would know those tendons are the best. He will be bouncing all over the field next season just wait and see.
jayess
August 14th, 2010
5:49 pm
Ya know, for all the whining that “fans” do about this team, we are approaching 20 games over .500 and appear to be a pretty damn good team. Do we have a 40 home run hitter? no. are we always exciting? no. but dammit we’re winning, and I for one, am enjoying the hell out of this season.
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كازينو
September 5th, 2010
5:04 am
Nevermind, works now!