Fredi Gonzalez: The new manager gets a surpassing grade

Yes?

• Link
• Report this comment

I read the article…..1st?

• Link
• Report this comment

and it was very well typed mind you,lol. Spot on MB!

• Link
• Report this comment

I like the grading system…and the grade. Fredi is going to keep the ship afloat.

• Link
• Report this comment

Fredi was a great choice.

• Link
• Report this comment

I am very curious to see how things are handled when Prado comes back. Do we start seeing spot starts at 2B with McLouth in LF if Uggla can’t hit? Maybe a left/right platoon situation with McClouth and Uggla. I know you ideally don’t want to bound Prado all over the place in the field, but that .239 needs to go up. This also assumes that Schaffer continues to be serviceable.

• Link
• Report this comment

Maybe Liberty will sell to Mark Cuban!

• Link
• Report this comment

Gonzalez in the two spot is an abomination, Bystander.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark:

I was excited by the Fredi hire, but have had misgivings since then. I certainly applaud our record and there are many things I will “tip my cap” too; however, there are some things that just stand out and are very concerning.

Unfortunately, the games run together, so I hope you can fill in the gaps and know which situations I am referring to. The first, and most noteworthy, was the non-third called strike that had McCann and the pitcher walking off the field. If I remember, we had a reliever brought in early who had the game of his life going and even got his first hit and doubled in the go-ahead run. Fredi chirped from the dugout while McCann nearly got thrown out of the game. Turns out the next pitch turned into a two-run hit. Bobby would have been thrown out of that game. We would not have received the third strike on that batter, but later on Freeman got called with a third strike that sure looked like a ball with the bases loaded. Maybe we would have gotten that call if Fredi had been a bit more vocal…this is just the worst of a number of examples of Fredi not standing up for his players.

I also recall Eric Hinske at third, one-run down, and Hanson at the plate with 2-strikes. He calls a suicide squeeze that results in a strikeout/tag out double play. We had Prado on deck with only one out. Who does this? It is not just that it was a bad call…it is that it is a call than I could never see any other major league manager make.

Lastly, he left a pitcher in with a four-run lead that he didn’t pull until two walks, three hits, and five-runs later. Who does this. I understand that some calls make you look like a genius or a goat, but there are simply too many calls that never should be made even if they end up working out one specific time.

Other than that, love the heart and guts of this team. Looking forward to a great 2nd half. Go Bravos!

• Link
• Report this comment

Bullpen management, over-utilizing the sac bunt, hitting Schafer leadoff, hitting Alex Gonzalez second, refusing to hit Heyward higher than sixth for 2 1/2 weeks…Are there many worse in-game managers than Fredi?

• Link
• Report this comment

“Though he did insert Jordan Schafer into the leadoff spot upon his promotion, and that has made a spot of difference.”

Jordan Schafer has a .310 on-base this season in the majors. His on-base against minor league pitching in 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively: .263, .268 and .309.

Really? Inserting Schafer into the leadoff spot counts as a good decision?

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark,

I’m glad you brought up the bullpen issue. That is my only gripe, and a good reason to bump him down to A minus. Overall he has been fairly solid.

• Link
• Report this comment

“Expert handler” with pitchers????

we have the best 8th and 9th inning relievers in baseball and they’re both young, yet Fredi seems intent on pitching them until their arms fall off. WHY were they EACH in a 5-1 game this week? Why did Fredi hit Heyward 6th for 3 weeks? why does he continuously over-utilize the sac bunt?

i had high hopes for Fredi, but we are winning in spite of him, not because of him.

• Link
• Report this comment

MB:

I agree with George Stein at 10:41. We are winning despite Fredi’s idiocy. Fredi is just as big an idiot as his foolish predecessor. Fredi tips his hat to opponents to darn much, and he basically has no clue. How about leaving Asencio out there to get pummelled a bunch of weeks back when it was obvious he had nothing that day? Or using Venters every day. He has no clue how to manage the pitchers, just like Bobby the Bozo.

You are speaking way too early. When Fredi’s boneheadedness screws us, you will have to issue yet another apology for jinxing things.

HT

• Link
• Report this comment

HT, yes, I was referring to Acencio in my post…just couldn’t recall his name. By the way, I actually saw a heartfelt post on Brian McCann from you. Nice to see instead of Richt bashing

• Link
• Report this comment

Marteen is a Ballplayer:

Missed your post on Asencio, good call.

I call it like it is. McCann is the man, gotta give the man a lot of props. Richt, on the other hand, may actually be more foolish than Bobby or Fredi. Nice guy, but he has driven UGA into a ditch.

HT

• Link
• Report this comment

Can only go down from a World Series not up.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hankie Aron:

Actually, as noted by another blogger, I gave props to McCann, who is a stud.

The problem is that there are few people to say anything positive about when it comes to Atlanta sports. I bet you can’t name 10. We have pretty much nothing but clowns and losers.

HT

• Link
• Report this comment

No offense but I think the negativity says more about you than anyone in the Atlanta sports arena.

• Link
• Report this comment

Seeing how veteran leaders like Chipper, McCann, Gonzalez, Lowe, Linebrink, etc. respond toward Fredi weighs heavily in my judgment of him as a good manager.

• Link
• Report this comment

Fredi’s Grade thus far is a B minus.

• Link
• Report this comment

I feel that Fredi is finding his way with this team.
In the beginning, i thought FG was using the same lineup and people in the same situations to establish “consistency” and loyalty with his players. no matter the results.
of late, i see FG making adjustments in the batting order, moving players up and down, even using Venters as a closer (like he said in spring training).

I don’t agree w/ every move he makes or doesn’t make, but i do see Fredi adjusting. And that is more than i can say about Bobby Cox, and he infuriated me.

So i say to those ripping Fredi, no manager will please everyone ALL the time. But if he establishes a consistency and loyalty, but is willing to adjust based on trends… that’s really all you can ask for and hope the players respond.

Keep up the good work Fredi! and i hope the return of Martin Prado and eventually Peter Moylan propel this team to the post season.

• Link
• Report this comment

If I had read the articles author, I would not have bothered to read it. Bradley writes such childish jibberish.

• Link
• Report this comment

1) Brian McCann- Stud C, even MB admits is at worst the 2nd best catcher in baseball
2) Chipper Jones- sure fire HOF 3rd baseman
3) Johnny Venters- best ERA in the bigs, a wicked 95mph sinker, not a fastball
4) Matt Ryan- Young stud QB already top 10 QB in the league
5) Arthur Blank- great owner who has helped turn the Falcons into winners instead of Anthony Wieners
6) Mike Smith- Great coach who has 3 winning seasons in a row and has the Falcons on the cusp of something great
7) Thomas Dimitroff- Shrewd, Savvy GM of the Scott Pioli (Patriots) ilk
Tim Hudson- Solid veteran SP who does just as much good off the field in the community as he does on the field
9) Roddy White- Top 5 WR in the NFL, i believe led the NFL in receptions last year
10) Jair Jurrgens and Tommy Hanson- Solid young SP who at times dominate games. Jurrgens has lowest ERA of any starting pitcher. Hanson strikes out 14 with soreness in his shoulder and both will command a huge contract when arbitration is over
11) Julio Teheran, Arodys Viscaino, Randall Delgado- No better tandem of young arms for any team out there. Theyr’e future is bright son

• Link
• Report this comment

Those 10 enough for you HT?

• Link
• Report this comment

complain

• Link
• Report this comment

Sorry MB- don’t mean to come off so Herschel Talker today.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hankie:

Not a bad list. But let’s just say that when you have to throw on an owner, a GM, prospects, and players past their primes, you know that there’s a problem. But solid effort.

As for you other comments, puhleeze. You act as if there’s nothing to criticize with Richt considering he drove the 2008 #1 into a ditch, lost 5 games in 2009 (some of which were laughable opponents), and then went 6-7 last year. You realize that Donnan never had a year as bad as Richt’s last year and that you have to go back to early Goff years to find a year that bad. And don’t blame talent, there’s plenty of it, Richt literally has no clue what he’s doing. There’s no chance of him winning 10 games this year. None.

HT

• Link
• Report this comment

R U kidding?

How much did this loosing managar paid U 2 wright this about him?

What a joke.

• Link
• Report this comment

His lineup construction and bullpen overuse lower him to a B- at best. Throw in his clear misuse of sacrafice bunts and intential walks and I give him a C-. He was given a very talented team, and they have played about as you’d expect, but what worries me is what will happen when Venters is worn down come August (seriously, why was he pitching in a 4 run game on Weds), or when Kimbrel needs TJS.

I think he is well liked and a good counselor to the players, and that is very important, but I get the feeling he doesn’t understand the basics of optimizing a baseball team.

• Link
• Report this comment

fredi has been catching a lot of heat for his bullpen usage by the community of braves’ more “intelligent” fan base. the truth is, if fredi weren’t to use the big three in a 3-4 run game and a combination of proctor, linenbrink and sherril happen to blow it, he’d still get crapped on. i guess it’s a situation that you just can’t win if the offense isn’t producing.

• Link
• Report this comment

Tom, check out Constanza at Gwinnett. Plays CF, about .350 ave, .390 OBP, 18 stolen bases, etc.

• Link
• Report this comment

Tom:

I could be way off on this, but oftentimes it has to do with a contract. For many players, they can only be “called up” so many times before they receive a certain salary and/or are automatically placed on the waiver list if we can not keep them at the major league level. In other words, if we bring him up, send him down too many times, we may forfeit him as a player.

HT:

I can see both sides of the Richt argument. No one is going to argue his merits as a human being, but as a coach in the SEC it is a different story and a hard seat to sit in. I am hoping, falsely or otherwise, that this season is fantastic and surprises everyone. I either want to see a 10 + win season and winning the SEC East or I want to have a train-wreck season and get it over with. What I don’t want to happen is a bordlerline season that buys Richt one more year of the same. Sink or swim. I am hoping swim.

• Link
• Report this comment

Bobby Bobby and others:

I do not understand the vitrol regarding Chipper. He is the elder statesman of the team and the face of the franchise. I love his quotes. He understands the game, speaks intelligently about it, and doesn’t pull punches. I understand if you hear him in person, he does the “uh” thing a lot, but he is a country boy ballplayer. He knows the game, he knows the players, and he bleeds for Atlanta.

People focus so much on the Hooter’s thing that happened a decade ago, but he has not been in the news except for his squabble with Smoltz and ESPN blowing the Heyward thing out of proprotion. Teammates are going to argue and sometimes it gets out.

The guy is 39, been through two knee surgeries, has been playing on a torn meniscus, and is a lifelong Brave. I remember Chipper taking a lesser salary, deferring wages, moving to left field, etc. If he pulls himself out of a game, good for him. He knows his body and he knows that if he plays 120 games this year, we will be better off for it. Outside of McCann, there is no one I would rather see at the plate in a clutch situation besides Chipper or Prado. He is a future Hall of Fame first ballot. He deserved the contract he received and we should be thankful for his entire career being spent as an Atlanta Brave.

• Link
• Report this comment

FreGo is a wuss.

-No fire
-No experience as a ML player
-Trying to be Bobby 2.0
-Cant put together a lineup (injuries are no excuse b/c he cant even put together a scrub lineup right)
-His post game interviews
-His management of his bullpen
-His management of him starters
-Oh yeah, No FIRE!

• Link
• Report this comment

JOEY – I looked at Gwinett’s AAA website for stats, you are right that is pretty impressive about Constanza! I was a little off on Gartell’s stats though, he has .280BA, 23 doubles, 16HRS,54RBI’s, 581SLG, seems like he deserves a look while he is hot? Perhaps Gonzales does not want to disturb the major league chemistry he has on the Braves, no matter how well or not they are playing.It is a business, the best player should be playing the position, not the one you like the best!

• Link
• Report this comment

I have to say average at this point, because it often appears that the Braves win in spite of Fredi’s bone-headed decisions not because of them. However, you are right about him staying optimistic and upbeat, and working with the players. My chief problem thus far is his continuing to throw guys out on the field who are no where near MLB quality. He called up Proctor after the washed out vet had a 6+ ERA at AAA last season, and he continues to call on him after he has repeatedly blown leads this year. I also agree with the other posters in that he seems not to understand the importance of OBP, and he sticks guys with the lowest OBP on the team in the 2-hole!!! Ok, it has helped Uggla see more fastballs but it can’t continue like this. He also seems to keep people in Atlanta, while sending down those who perform better, simply because the former have “no more options” (like how he keeps sending Gearrin down despite his excellent performance, while he keeps Linebrink and Proctor up. It took him too long to realize that Mather wasn’t doing anything; meanwhile Constanza is currently hitting .350+ all season at AAA, with 10+ stolen bases).

My last problem with Fredi is his lack of fire in defending his players. When he comes out of the dugout to argue calls, he looks like he doesn’t really care to argue and usually turns around aftern one sentence and heads back to the dugout. He has gotten tossed from 1 game this season despite the numerous horrendous calls against us that have decided games. I really want to see a little more fire from him in defending his players on the field.

Thus my vote is average to poor. He is not the worst manager in the league but because of his bone headed decisions and lack of fire for defending his players, he is certainly not the best.

• Link
• Report this comment

How totally clueless of some of you blame-Fredi fans??? The Constanza call-up has been dealt with at least twice in similar forums (it’s ok if you can’t understand some of baseball’s Byzantine rules, but don’t keep showing your ignorance by bringing it up again). There’s absolutely nothing that anyone has proposed here that would have improved the Braves record at this point. Maybe some of Fredi’s managing will cause problems i the second half of the season, but by any measure he’s done a piece of good work so far. Fortunately, he knows something about managing a major league team. Few of us do.

• Link
• Report this comment

Runner on second with no outs.

Inning over, runner still on second. Zero runs scored.

Runners on first and second with no outs.

Inning over, runners still on, zero runs scored.

It’s the same story game after game. The Braves refuse to take the opportunity to score runs when being given the chance. They refuse to play small ball and takes the odds to score runs.

That falls squarely on Fredi G, i.e. Booby Cox 2.0

I give him a B- at best.

• Link
• Report this comment

Good article; here is my biggest criticism. Given how over-worked Venters and Kimbrel have been, there have been a few instances where they were either brought into a game down a couple of runs or where the team was leading by four runs. Those are the kind of games where you have to take a shot that Linebrink/Sherrill or someone else can get three outs. Venters and Kimbrel won’t help the team in August if they’re on the DL. Freddi has to resist his impulse and think longer term; he has taken a short-term approach in a few of these games. With a one-run lead — which has been more typical than not, I get it. But with a four-run lead, you have to take a risk. Believe me, letting these guys pitch this much is a greater risk over the long haul.

• Link
• Report this comment

How about focus on getting a new HITTING COACH!

the problem with this organization is they never seem to want to admit when they’re wrong. If they hire the wrong guy for the job, they just ride it out until the contract it up. FOCUS ON WINNING AND NOT REPUTATION AND WE MIGHT HAVE MORE THAN ONE RING!

• Link
• Report this comment

we need a new hitting coach. I think thats pretty obvious. But apparently not the FreGo or Wren.

• Link
• Report this comment

Ill give him an A+ if A stands for Absolute moron.

• Link
• Report this comment

Braves NEVER shold of had hired a managar with a loosing record. They guy proofed himself as a looser B 4.

• Link
• Report this comment

Agreed, Shaun. Schafer has a lit of value, but it’s found in his glove, not his bat.

Chipper should be the leadoff hitter now as he has little power but still gets on base at a pretty good clip.

• Link
• Report this comment

George, I got drunk and raced Derek Lowe a few months back and now they’re wanting to put me in jail. Can you help?

• Link
• Report this comment

Don’t take the breathalyzer, Dennis.

Did you win the race?

• Link
• Report this comment

Good article Mark. I think you got it right. Only a minor criticism about overworking the 3 main guys at back of the bullpen on occasion.

• Link
• Report this comment

I want to see a little more fight. He rarely if ever argues for his players when there are horrible calls. If he starts getting out there and fighting for his team then sure, he can have an A-minus. As for now he has a solid B in my book.

• Link
• Report this comment

Explain why you think Shafer should be the leadoff hitter, reckingball. I suggest you come with something better than he’s fast (because who cares if you’re never on base) and he bunts. Being skinny and fast doesn’t make you a leadoff hitter.

Chipper gets on base better than anyone other than McCann, and that’s the job of a leadoff guy.

• Link
• Report this comment

Don’t be surprised if LM moves the Braves elsewhere.

• Link
• Report this comment

HA HA! Nice try 2 inslut me. Its OK I have thick skin.

• Link
• Report this comment

There are some degrees of job performance that are between fair and excellent. Like good and very good.
I would say that Gonzalez has been between good and very good.

I still don’t understand why he makes some of the strategic moves that he makes.
But, I know he has more baseball smarts, than anyone on the any of the AJC blogs possess.

• Link
• Report this comment

How do you know that, reckingball?

• Link
• Report this comment

I’m with G.Stein, Shaun and some others on here. This article is too results oriented. I’m sure I’ll get flogged for saying that in our results oriented world, but when you’re winning by over-extending your young relievers and in spite of abysmal lineup construction – well, I wouldn’t bet on living in the right tail of the distribution forever. That isn’t to say there aren’t some things he does well (there is a lot of value in having the players like you and want to play hard for you), and the starting pitching may carry the day, but an A- is very, very, very generous.

• Link
• Report this comment

Not sure they’re better than Boston, Philadelphia, or the Yankees, goldenglove. But your point is well taken and it’s the point I think Detroit is getting at. Namely, the record is good but if FG wasn’t such a bonehead, it may be a win or two better.

• Link
• Report this comment

Agree with Marteen’s earlier post about not standing up for the players as much as Bobby did. I miss no.6 waddle out onto the field and then firing into the umpire for something that always centered around defending his players. You just don’t see that from Fredi. That and seeming to use Venters and Kimbrel a bit too much I have no complaints. When you’ve got the 4th best record in the bigs, there’s just not much you can complain about. GO BRAVES!!

• Link
• Report this comment

George @2:24…….Your point seems to be, that OBP is the sole requirement in choosing a leadoff hitter, then why not have McCann in the leadoff slot, he has a higher OBP than Chipper.
I am not a baseball managerical expert, but it is general knowledge that speed is an important attribute in a leadoff hitter, you should know that, it’s basic.
Chipper and McCann have the bats to drive the runs in, that’s why they bat in the order that they are batting in now, again, basic knowledge.
Yes I do think that Chipper would have a greater risk of injury batting first, as it requires a greater amount of risk, due to it calling for a more aggressive running style, again basic knowledge.

The Braves record with Schafer batting the leadoff spot?- – - – it’s called winning, as in a winning record.

• Link
• Report this comment

I guess great starting pitching and abusing Venters and Kimbrel now counts as being a good manager.

By all accounts, the lineup is underperforming. Only McCann is performing to his ability. Maybe AGonzalez. Fredi continues to put Uggla in position to kill rallies. He bats Gonzalez – whose only offensive attribute is power – in the #2 hole. How can a manager who fundamentally doesn’t understand OBP be doing A- work?

I’m fundamentally unimpressed with Fredi. Terry Collins is doing a great job with the Mets, because he has a fundamentally broken team (no Santana, no Wright, no Davis, no money) playing well. Fredi has a fundamentally sound team (recent injuries notwithstanding) underperforming, especially on offense.

• Link
• Report this comment

You’re not very bright, reckingball.

• Link
• Report this comment

Schafer is a head of Jose Reyes in runs scored per plate appearance. That’s pretty good for a leadoff man

• Link
• Report this comment

thats even more impressive when you consider the Mets team batting average is way higher then the Braves.

The leadoff man is supposed to score runs and Schafer is doing that.

• Link
• Report this comment

If Schafer stops scoring runs taking out.

• Link
• Report this comment

You don’t understand the question. You are stating what has happened over a small sample size. Why do you believe Schafer has scored more runs? What is it about him that makes him capable of scoring more runs than a vastly superior player? You give me a good reason why this is anything more than luck, any reason to legtimately project a similar outcome moving forward, and I will back off the ill-advised Schafer experiment.

• Link
• Report this comment

He’s never on base, Ted. You make no sense.

• Link
• Report this comment

Tell me why batting Chipper first is asinine, Tomahawk.

• Link
• Report this comment

George @3:30………….I might not be very bright, but I am smart enough to know, that you do not bat one of your best RBI men, that happens to have bad knees and a pulled crotch muscle, in the leadoff position of your batting order.

But enough of this debate, let’s play nice.

• Link
• Report this comment

I just calculated his and Reyes runs scored per plate appearance…Schafers IS better. Schafer is scoring runs. Sure the sample size is fairly small so if stops take him out.

• Link
• Report this comment

Runs scored is absolutely positively the most important stat.

• Link
• Report this comment

Runs scored is the product of other things. I can’t understand how you don’t understand that.

• Link
• Report this comment

Runs scored by an individual is a totally irrelevant stat.

• Link
• Report this comment

I think that Schafer is only going to get better.

• Link
• Report this comment

Anyone who really believes that Fredi wants to be using Venters and Kimbrell this much at this point of the season is crazy. HE HAS TO. If (I used to say when, but now I am not so sure) the bats ever wake up on this team so that they consistently have 5 run leads going into the 8th inning, believe me, you won’t be seeing them quite so much. Fredi can’t hit for them, and neither can the batting coach. But with Prado out, Chipper nicked, Heyward having been out and now seemingly destined to hit below .250 this season, “Jekyl and Hyde” Freeman, and then, the disaster that is Uggla right now, you are left with 1-2 run games and praise your lucky stars they are that close. I guarantee you that part of the reason that the young arms on the farm keep getting pulled up and then sent down is probably because FG knows that if he HAS TO keep trotting Venters/Kimbrell out there, they probably are going to end up on the DL in August and September and he will most probably need those arms to even try and keep pace.
It all comes down to the hitting right now. To have the 2 best record in the National League and having a team BA and OBP that the Braves have right now is insane. Ya gotta stick with what is working. And, as to Shaefer — somehow he still manages to get on base with a .230 average adn score runs. Walks, forcing infield and throwing errors because of his speed — something is helping him be a run scorer. And, HE IS THE ONLY SPEED THIS TEAM HAS. Remember when JeyHey led the team in steals for weeks — EVEN WHEN HE WAS ON THE DISABLED LIST?

• Link
• Report this comment

Runs scored by an individual added to his teammate’s runs scored and totaled up, is relevent.
The most relevent stat in a game, if they have more than their opponents.
How can it not be so?

• Link
• Report this comment

not on base

• Link
• Report this comment

Also, Schafer scores many of his runs because of his speed.
Speed that allows him to score in situations that in many instances, most of his teammates would not be capable of taking advantage of. In some instances, situation that none of them could score in.

• Link
• Report this comment

My only beef with Fredi is that he doesn’t go after the umps more when they clearly hose us on calls. I think he’s handled the pitching staff far better than Bobby ever did. He appears to have a better feel for when to remove his starters. He’s juggled the lineup far more than Bobby would ever have done.

Speaking of the lineup……..here’s a good question for the blog ‘geniuses’ who think Schafer would be better suited not hitting leadoff. Just exactly who else should hit leadoff? Chipper? Not hardly. You can’t have his decided lack of speed clogging up the bases.

Schafer has already stolen almost half of the team’s SBs in just a month. Even if you’re not happy with his BA and OBP, batting him anywhere else in the lineup totally wastes his speed. He’s shown a willingness to work the count and do what it takes to set the table. There isn’t anyone else in this lineup who can do that.(including Prado) Uggla, Gonzo, McClouth, Freeman sometimes, are first pitch hackers who seem to be looking at an 0-2 count everytime they bat unless they pop out before it gets 0-2.

IMO he needs to stay in the lineup and continue to bat leadoff unless he plays his way out of it and he’s shown no indication so far of doing so.

• Link
• Report this comment

haha

• Link
• Report this comment

George Stein

He’s a complete idiot. This team is winning in spite of him, not because of him.

Hey, that’s my line!

elroy

The AJC gets a Big Fat F. AJC columnists suck!

That’s not my line but I laughed heartily when I read it. Actually, it was more of a giggle but certainly worthy of a more hearty laugh.

So much fun to make fun of the AJC.

Anyway, the most appropriate grade for Fredi Gonzalez would be a capitol I, Incomplete.

Seems pretty obvious. I mean, we’re not even at the halfway point of the season.

But considering the way Arizona and Cleveland have to this point far exceeded expectations, not to mention the Cardinals without their ace Wainwright and Carpenter not winning a lot of games and Seattle, Pittsburg and maybe even the Mets and Nationals playing a little above their capabilities, the Braves by contrast have been less than inspiring.

The fact that they have the forth best record in baseball and are second in the NL says a little more about the talent level in the majors as a whole than their perceived accomplishments.

It’s kind of shocking really. They’ve pissed away so many games and been complete push-overs on their home turf on far too many occasions.

Regardless, we all know they’re capable of winning the division and are at worst the third or forth best team in the NL. They should be in second place.

If Fredi was really doing a job worthy of an A grade we would be in first. They’ve won 43 games? They could easily have 50 W’s.

70 plus games in, I’d say Kirk Gibson is the front runner for Manager of the Year. If the Braves can get it going in the second half and finally dethrone the Phillies then and only then would you have to give it to Fredi.

Incomplete. They can do better.

• Link
• Report this comment

Schafer has 20 runs scored in 26 games. Over a full season that projects to 120+ runs. I’ll take 100+ runs scored anytime. It shows that the guy is doing what he’s supposed to do, put pressure on the opposing pitcher when he does get on base. Nobody else on this team is capable of doing that.

• Link
• Report this comment

DaveinNEPA………Yeah.

• Link
• Report this comment

Imagine if his OBP didn’t suck, Dave.

The part of the equation you miss is what you would potentially get with a competent hitter in his spot.

• Link
• Report this comment

You have no idea, reckingball.

• Link
• Report this comment

Yes, I do.

• Link
• Report this comment

I wonder who Mark is referring to when he talks about Wren’s “impulse buys.” It’s hard to call Uggla one; he was the best hitting second baseman in the National League last year, and we needed right-handed power. It looked like a wise move at the time, although signing him to a five-year deal was questionable.

Wren deserves a lot of credit for the Braves being able to overcome all these injuries. We have more pitching depth than any team I’ve ever seen. If one of our starters goes down, we can pick between the No. 1 pitching prospect in all of baseball (Teheran) or the No. 7 overall pick in the draft two years ago (Minor) to take his spot. That’s not even mentioning Delgado and Vizcaino, who are two great prospects in their own right. It’s ludicrous how much depth we have.

I’m going off on a tangent here, but my point is that it’s about time that Wren gets the respect he deserves. I didn’t like his handling of Smoltz and Glavine, but even those moves, while cold and calculating, appear to have been right in hindsight. The man is quite simply a great GM.

And, yeah, Fredi has done a nice job, too.

• Link
• Report this comment

BS.

• Link
• Report this comment

Thank you reckingball. You are both playing nice and advancing the conversation. I’m nobody from nowhere to you so a healthy dose of skeptism isn’t necessarily unwarranted if these concepts are new to you. However, I encourage you to take a look at some of the modeling data which is easily acceptable. That you are still here implies that you are interesting in the topic, though to this point you have disagreed.

• Link
• Report this comment

For Innocent Bystander: You must be speaking about another team, not the one I am watching or the manager I am seeing. He is slotting his bullpen, everyone knows their role, and he has instilled confidence in guys who were struggling like Linebrink. He has empowered people to over achieve but the ultimate results are in their hands whether to hit or not. If you read the article in SI about the cut fastball, you would realize that the reason Uggla isn’t hitting is his uppercut swing when the only way you can hit that pitch (witness Jordan’s hit over shortstop on Wednesday) is a level swing because the pitch usually breaks parallel. His struggles have been in his own head and until he changes the way he thinks he will continue to try to earn his $62 mil by trying to hit a home run every time he bats. You can’t fault a guy for giving effort, you try to move him around, and if you check his stats he looks like he hits better in the 2 hole. Freddi isn’t perfect, I like Mark’s grade, but he is the right guy for this team. He will help us catch the Phillies because he knows this team can and he is managing for the long run, that’s a good CEO.

• Link
• Report this comment

@ Glenn……..IMO the only thing that’s going to fix Dan Uggla is Dan Uggla!

It all depends on how stubborn and arrogant he is about it because I’m sure by now he knows what the cause of his problems are.

• Link
• Report this comment

You can’t fault a guy for giving effort, you try to move him around, and if you check his stats he looks like he hits better in the 2 hole.

There’s no reason to believe that him being in the 2 hole is what is fixing his problems. Correlation does not imply causation… My guess is that he’s finally regressing toward his mean and will start to improve bit by bit. I don’t want any extra PAs going his way in the mean time, particularly because they’re being taken away from guys like Freddie and JHey.

• Link
• Report this comment

OBP, talk about riding a horse into the ground.
Watch some games and see what Schafer does for this team.

• Link
• Report this comment

fredi gonzalez grade a minus i agree, room for improvement yes. fourth best record good, room for improvement yes, first place in east. best bullpen in either league might be overused. but pitching is 90% of the game. good pitching stops good hitting. managers can’t play the game, but their leadership and standards determine the direction of the team and they are a team on the rise with a couple of good breaks they could win the east

• Link
• Report this comment

Yes watching a handful of games is much more informative than years of minor league at-bats specifically in reference to Schafer, and more importantly thousands upon thousands of at-bat in assessing the value of obp. Well played. You would be a lot of fun in a statistics class.

For Dave, who actually does have a point about Chipper’s baserunning ineptitude, I’m not really arguing that he is the best option. What I’m arguing is that when Chipper steps in the batter’s box with no one out the probability of scoring a run is greater than when Schafer does the same, all other things held equal, because regardless of the hitter’s speed the ability to safely reach first is the greatest predictor of scoring.

• Link
• Report this comment

Detroit……..you seem much more stats based than what I am. I’m 62 and have been playing/coaching/watching this game for over 50 yrs. I primarily base my theories on setting up lineups etc. on what I see with my own 2 eyes not so much on numbers. By my count, I’ve seen 65 of the 76 games the Braves have played this season.

Since Schafer has been called up, he’s provided something of a badly needed spark at the top of the lineup in that he works the count, makes the pitcher work harder, distracts the pitcher with his speed when he’s on base and generally makes things happen when he does get on base. H’s also had quite a few solidly hit balls go right at defenders too.

As this team is currently constructed, there isn’t another player on this team that can provide that. Until he was brought up, speed was a sadly lacking ingredient in this lineup. I believe he has enough natural talent to get better once he gets his feet more firmly grounded.

If I were making out the Braves daily lineup this is what i would do……….

1. Schafer L- all the reasons I mentioned above

2. Prado R- prototypical #2 hitter

3. Heyward L-probably the best overall hitter on team although his stats don’t show it……Yet!

4. Chipper S- Ideally should hit 6th but needed to break up all the LH hitters. Not the slugger he once was, nuff said.

5. McCann L- exceptionally good run producer who provides protection for the “old man”.

6. Freeman L- Will eventually develop into a big run producer. I’ve seen good things from this kid.

7. Uggla R- rather have him in #4 spot but not until he gets his act together. Not hitting lefties at all yet.

8. Gonzo R- free swinger who is what he is.

9. Pitcher

Anyway, that’s how I’d do it.

• Link
• Report this comment

Ok, fair enough. I don’t particularly like intangibles, sparks or otherwise, because I can’t quantify them. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I guess you’re trying to ride the hot hand. That’s all well and good but what the Braves have to understand is that there is a lot of data to suggest that long-term this is a losing strategy. Regression is a tough opponent to beat.

I don’t have a big problem with the rest of your lineup. Nice to see Heyward batting third. Agree he has the most upside on the team, though on these blogs it seems that some people are already giving up on him. For the same reason I doubt Schafer I think giving up on Heyward is way premature.

• Link
• Report this comment

Dave I like your list.

The thing that I have liked the most about Fredi G so far, has been he has been using what he has. The Bravos have had lots of starters out because of injuries, and he has still managed to keep everyones confidence afloat.

To people who think it was dumb to use Venters and Kimbrell in the two 5-1 wins vs the Blue Jays. We had just come off of a hard-fought 6 Winning streak to start a homestand, when we dropped 3-4 games (Not looking at the schedule in front of me). He knew there was a rest day comming up, Tuesday, in between the series, and this was a good chance to get two more solid wins to keep the everyones confidence and moral high. What would have happened if he used Proctor and Linebrink in those two situations, and then blew it? It would have really cost the club some momentum that is sorely needed right now. He is also keeping Venters and Kimbrell’s confidence up as well.

I think he is also trying to get both of these guys in the All-Star game if he can. That really makes your players want to work that much extra for you, when your coach is trying to help you succeed.

I think he deserves, thus far, a B+. As other’s have stated, I don’t know if I was spoiled by Bobby, but I want Fredi to get thrown out of more games. I love that in a coach, and I know the city of Atlanta does too. I also think he should try and be a little more hands on with the batting coach, especially with Uggla. Even the announcers were showing everyone how Dan is putting his head down, and taking one hand off the bat, to try and pull the ball to the left, and out of the stadium.

• Link
• Report this comment

I have to give Fredi G. a B+ or maybe even A- simply because due to injuries,we’ve been stuck seeing entirely too much of the Joe Mathers, Brandon Hicks and Matt Youngs of the world. Guys who IMO are nothing more than organizational filler.

Fredi has managed to keep this team in the hunt and barring further serious injuries this team should be able to stay in the running for a playoff spot.

I’ve noticed many differences with the way he manages the game compared with the way Bobby did it.

Fredi doesn’t seem to be as patient with non-productive players as Bobby was with the exception of Uggla and quite possibly he may be getting pressure from the front office on that. He’s already juggled the lineup quite a few times. (i.e. Uggla 2nd, Chipper 4th) Under Bobby Chipper hit 3rd, period. I didn’t like it much when he used Gonzo in that 2nd spot but sometimes you do what you have to do to shake things up.

When he rests guys, he doesn’t rest everybody at the same time he way Bobby did. He breaks it up as much as possible. When Bobby was managing, if I were a Sunday season ticket holder, I would have been screaming bloody murder about the JV lineup every Sunday.

IMO he’s a far better in-game tactical manager than the “exalted one”. We’ve also seen much more of the hit-and-run and squeeze play than we ever did under Bobby. Prior to this season, that was as extinct in ATL as the dinosaurs. Granted, execution hasn’t always been the greatest but at least the guy is trying to get something going.

I’ve yet to see us run out of position players or relief pitchers before extra innings. Under Bobby, that seemed to be the rule rather than the exception.

He seems to have a better feel for when to take out his starting pitchers. Overall i thinks he’s handled the pen very well too. Some of us complained when Kimbrel as struggling a ouple of weeks go but really, you have to give the kid a chance to fail once in a while too. In the end he’ll be a better pitcher because of it.

So, yes, overall I thinks he’s doing a great job considering that this team isn’t hitting nearly as well as it could or should be.

• Link
• Report this comment

llso you think he is doing a better job knowing when “to take out his starting pitchers”?….really?

…and if Uggs is still starting at 2nd after the All Star break then what’re you going to say???

• Link
• Report this comment

Fredi doing a great job but still need a competent hitting coach.

• Link
• Report this comment

I think Fredi has done a good job. He don’t leave a pitcher in too long like Bobby cox did. Every manager has some calls to back fire every manager does…so keep up the good work Fredi….

• Link
• Report this comment

I like Fredi’s move of putting Schafer in leadoff spot. He adds excitement with his running game which the Braves have lacked in past years. Braves have done pretty well despite lots of injuries to Chipper, McLouth, Prado, Hanson,Beachy, etc.. The team batting average is low at .239 so the bats need to get going. Uggla needs to be platooned or benched since he continues to try to pull every pitch or go for homers all the time. Fredi needs to play whoever is getting it done not who has the biggest salary.

• Link
• Report this comment

One problem with your logic. You may have noticed, the NL East lead is double the next largest division margin. It’s 5 games, already. At this rate, the Braves will lose to the Phils by approximately 10.5 games. He sure is a smashing success in my book.

• Link
• Report this comment

MB: Great post. Thank you.

I agree that Gonzalez has done a great job so far this season, especially given the injuries he’s had to deal with, both to pitchers and the every-day players, and with Uggla and Heyward each hitting almost 100 points lower than all had hoped. (Yes, I did think that Heyward had a shot at hitting in the .310-.320 range– when he was healthy last year, he absolutely flat-out tore it up).

So, kudos to the headman.

I would have given him an unblemished “A,” though, management philosophy be damned.

• Link
• Report this comment

McCann don’t whiff much.

• Link
• Report this comment

A very weak case made by Bradley. Tell us what Freddi did that was DIFFERENT from what any sensible manager would have done. Oh well, he gets paid to write something.

• Link
• Report this comment

Johnny Venters is currently in the game with a 6-1 lead. Because he needs the extra work……..

• Link
• Report this comment

I have no problem giving him a high grade for what hae HAS done, but my problem is that is overuse of the bullpen is likely going to hurt the Braves down the road.

He needs to forget about a win now and then and rest some of these guys. Venters pithes in games ahead by 3-4 runs sometimes and so does Kimrbrel. It’s ridiculous. I won’t count yesterday as Venters was warming up when it was still 3-1, but there have been too many other games just like it. Just because a guy has had one day doesn’t mean he should be used that day.

So, if I am looking forward to what will likely happen, then I give him a B. As Mark noted, the injury bug has been bad. Beachy, Hanson and Jurrgens have all missed starts with Medlen not there at all. Lowe and Hudson are barely getting the job done, which means our pitching staff has beena mess despite it’s numbers. Prado, Heyward, McLouth and Chipper have all missed significant numbers of games as well. The you factor in over half of our offense is under-performing versus expectation and you realize the job Freddi has done is next to a miracle.

• Link
• Report this comment

Freddie has been superb. He is trying to get more players involved with basestealing which Cox largely ignored. Freddie shows complete trust in his young relievers which they need in order to grow. He stuck with Freddie Freeman which Freddie didn’t seem to know which end is up in the early seaon. He continues to experiment to get someone established in center field. He allows Chip and McCann their required down time. The team gives the appearance of being loose yet very focused.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark…my only question about Fredi Gonzalez is why Venters isn’t his closer. Kimbrel has at least 4 blown saves. Theoretically speaking, the Braves could be tied for the Division lead.

• Link
• Report this comment

church league softball is more entertaining plus you can byob

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark – It’s just not the same without Bobby being there – if for nothing better than the thrill we’d get when he stormed out of the dugout – on his way to getting tossed.

I really miss Bobby getting run as I’m sure for most of the rest of us.

Can’t we get him to be the visiting bench coach 1 or 2 times a week (like Smoltz and Glavine in the box)? Then he could run out during controversy, get tossed, have a few cold ones in the clubhouse, and give the rest of us what we’ve been missing?

Please Mark, for all that’s good and sacred about the game, make it happen.

• Link
• Report this comment

joke

• Link
• Report this comment

Let bobby cox be on beanch as a Joke u mean..Never u want jinx freddie now…what u been drinkin NoGaGator…and oh by the way SC Gamecocks won College worldseries too…U like i hope u just farted on that.Also the grade is A+ what was Bobby cox Grade for chokin more Titles then a Turkey i give cox a D+ for all his years here!@

• Link
• Report this comment

To words for freddie n ajc writers where was U Grade system when Bobby cox was here how odd/U start it now if i grade Cox years from 1990 to 2010…A wonderful D+ is his grade look at his record n playoffs record is why…feddie gets a A+ for this case he not under cox i hope..U all be pootin wind when Braves hold up that thing n say we 2011 World series champs!

• Link
• Report this comment