Again, the Braves’ Dan Uggla pursues a weird slice of history
It might take more than tape to fix what ails Dan Uggla's bat. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
This not just in: Dan Uggla had a weird 2011 season. His batting average was .173 on the Fourth of July, whereupon he embarked on a 33-game hitting streak, the longest in Atlanta Braves annals and probably the strangest in the history of baseball.
So it shouldn’t come as a total shock that, in 2012, the same Uggla could join a select group of players, one of whom is the sainted Dale Murphy and another of whom is the rather famous George Herman Ruth, in another statistical oddity. At this moment, Uggla is tied for the National League lead in strikeouts (118) and walks (66).
According to Baseball-Reference.com, only nine big-leaguers have ever done that double over a full season: Babe Ruth (four times), Hack Wilson, Dolph Camilli, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, the aforementioned Murphy (in 1985), Jason Giambi, Jim Thome and the immortal Jack Cust. (Though it’s all but a given that Adam Dunn of the White Sox will lead the American League in walks and K’s this season. He’s way ahead in both categories. He also leads the majors in home runs.)
When the Braves traded for Uggla in November 2010 and signed him to a $60 million contract extension through 2015, they believed they’d invested in a proven run-producer. Over his first five big-league seasons he’d driven in at least 88 runs, and even last season, when he hit only .233, he had 82 RBI’s. Through 104 games this season, he has 50. Last season he hit a career-best 36 home runs; to date he has 12.
His batting average is .209, which is lower than it was a calendar year ago. (He was at .212 on Aug. 1, 2011, the day his hitting streak reached 23 games.) But get this: Owing to those walks, his on-base percentage is .346, only one point lower than Michael Bourn (who’s hitting .292) and Jason Heyward (.270).
The league-leading strikeout total might suggest that Uggla will swing at anything, but that doesn’t account for his league lead in walks. He has actually gotten better at not swinging. At least in that regard, the change in hitting coaches from Larry Parrish to Greg Walker/Scott Fletcher appears to have helped Uggla, who has already walked four more times than he did last season.
According to ESPN’s stats, Uggla is third among NL batters in pitches seen per plate appearance — 4.2o, up from 3.89 last season — and, per Baseball-Reference, his BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is a not-wretched .276, up from .253 last season. Trouble is, he isn’t putting many balls in play.
He’s waiting for his pitch, which is supposed to be a good thing, but either he doesn’t do much with it or his pitch never arrives. I say again: Weird.
By Mark Bradley
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167 comments Add your comment
LostCause
August 2nd, 2012
1:29 pm
Interesting.
swhite
August 2nd, 2012
1:35 pm
Maybe he should talk to Freeman and McCann to get a recommendation on a good optometrist. It couldn’t hurt!
Mark Bradley
August 2nd, 2012
1:36 pm
Kudos, LostCause.
JoshTown
August 2nd, 2012
1:39 pm
Any word on if Chipper has worked with him in the cages at all? I know he’s offered advice to Heyward and Freddie and that seemed to help. Or since Uggla is more of a veteran, he’s left to work it out with just the coaches?
Shug
August 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
Basically, he’s not a good hitter. He either doesn’t hit the ball (strike out or walk) or, if he does hit the ball, it’s an out. At the plate, he’s Gil Garrido or Sonny Jackson with just a little bit more power.
Mark Bradley
August 2nd, 2012
1:43 pm
That actually wasn’t I who offered those kudos. But I do now.
dean
August 2nd, 2012
1:44 pm
Swinging at eye-level pitches seems to be the deal right now. If it was me on the mound that’s all I would throw him.
dean
August 2nd, 2012
1:45 pm
Swinging at eye-level pitches seems to be the pitch right now. If it was me on the mound that’s all I would throw him.
dean
August 2nd, 2012
1:46 pm
How did I do that???
DetroitBraves
August 2nd, 2012
1:55 pm
If he were hitting homeruns he would be a classic 3 true outcomes player. In fact, with the OBP he would be a valuable hitter despite the low batting average and strikeouts if he were hitting homeruns. But he’s not hitting homeruns. Without power and carrying a cast iron glove this contract may get really ugly.
Keith
August 2nd, 2012
1:55 pm
Mark, it reminds me of the game by hanson with 7 walks, 7 sbs but getting the win with not allowing many runs. Interesting season.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 2nd, 2012
1:59 pm
I miss Omar Infante.
Old Boy
August 2nd, 2012
1:59 pm
I love it. Now there can be a race to see who can post the first ‘Kudos’ as Mark Bradley.
dean
August 2nd, 2012
2:00 pm
I would say he’s Dave Kingman-ish but I don’t think Kingman ever hit a single. You know what I mean.
Ted M
August 2nd, 2012
2:01 pm
I think Uggla is simply a .220 hitter go for 75 rbi & 20 homers. That’s the way its gonna be for the rest of his career
SC
August 2nd, 2012
2:02 pm
Days off haven’t worked. Move him up in the lineup? See if he gets more to hit?
Ted M
August 2nd, 2012
2:03 pm
his glove is NOT cast iron.
Ostrich Racer
August 2nd, 2012
2:07 pm
Shug got it right — he’s just not a very good hitter. We bought an aging, post-Steroid Era power guy, and paid a premium in the extension because he was coming off a career year (.289!). This was foreseeable.
lanier
August 2nd, 2012
2:11 pm
if he would settle down at the plate it would have to help. ive never seen a guy bounce around so much waiting on the pitch
Gwinnett Fred
August 2nd, 2012
2:12 pm
In reading the headline, the first thing that popped into my mind was the worst batting average at the end of the season for a hitter voted to start the All Star game (which is something he may still do, though not sure who the current “leader” in that distinction is.
Najeh Davenpoop Is A Rascist
August 2nd, 2012
2:15 pm
Aren’t ya hotshot. He dun don’ like Kenneysaw too much do ya BOY.
DetroitBraves
August 2nd, 2012
2:16 pm
Uggla’s defensive runs saved is at 4 right now. But there is a lot of year-to-year variability in defensive metrics. Here are his numbers for his career, and remember he isn’t getting any young: -3, -15(!), 4, -12, -9, -13, 4.
Unless he’s figure out something to make him a better defensive second baseman at an age when even good defensive players see their skills decline I don’t see his glove saving this contract. The Braves signed him for his bat and only his bat. If there’s no bat there’s no value.
Fish Bisch
August 2nd, 2012
2:16 pm
21st!
extremus
August 2nd, 2012
2:27 pm
Well, all we can do is hope that Uggla gets things seriously turned around because with a contract that huge and production that awful, the Braves would have to eat a big portion of his remaining money to even trade him for a bag of bats.
In related news, this is why I think guaranteed contracts in pro sports is stupid. Athletes should be paid based on given production rather than upfront just like anyone else.
beseball been berry berry goood to me
August 2nd, 2012
2:40 pm
Remember Dave Kingman? He swung at everything….either a homerun or a strikeout!
I look maaahvelous!
August 2nd, 2012
2:45 pm
Uggla can always make it as Popeyes double with those forearms!
or He’ll be a heck of a pro softball player when he’s done with the big leagues
Realtycheck
August 2nd, 2012
2:47 pm
Remember the year Ron Gant spent the off season pumping iron and couldn’t hit the inside of a barn the next year? Uggla has muscle-bound himself.
I look maaahvelous!
August 2nd, 2012
2:47 pm
Better to look good, than to feel good…..come sit with me dahling!
Peter
August 2nd, 2012
2:47 pm
Yup another wonderful long term expensive accusation…. wow…
CAN HE SWING AT A STRIKE FOR A CHANGE ?
TN Jeff
August 2nd, 2012
2:49 pm
Good news on Uggla from Batting Practice this afternoon. He seems to be improving as he went 1 for 5 with only 3 strikeouts.
0.00 GPA
August 2nd, 2012
2:49 pm
“accusation”? or aquisition?
fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life
August 2nd, 2012
2:53 pm
muscles don’t work in baseball….fat slobs do….especially as pitchers. Where’s The Tub of Goo?
Chicos Bail Bonds
August 2nd, 2012
2:56 pm
needs Wannamaker to coach him up.
Kelly Leak
August 2nd, 2012
2:59 pm
Wasn’t that Buttermaker?
Tootsi
August 2nd, 2012
3:00 pm
Wren does not take enough heat for the bad contracts he has doled out or taken on via trade. Lowe, Kawakami, McLouth, Uggla, and not to mention the near miss on an awful contract to AJ Burnett.
The smarter course prior to last season would have been to hold onto Infante and use that $15 mil per that you gave Uggla to go after an outfielder and another starter. There was no need to move Prado from second, and that move, while not yet haunting us so much this year, will be hard to shake over the next 3 years.
Uggla is a lost cause at this point and the fact that Fredi continues to say “we’ll just keep running him out there” does not inspire any confidence that a change will be made in the near future.
OTP
August 2nd, 2012
3:00 pm
Need to tape his head and feet. He moves around too much. It has got to be taking away from his concentration and swing.
33 game hit streak in september and october!
August 2nd, 2012
3:02 pm
He can still out hit any critic
jonesing for the Dawgs!
August 2nd, 2012
3:05 pm
Come on Mark Bradley, UGA has started practice! Time for football!
Mr. Hankey
August 2nd, 2012
3:06 pm
Who was the shrink that straightened out Smoltz? Maybe it’s time to give him a call. Who knows. Or maybe he just needs a big hug. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I like the guy enough but maybed we should trade him for somebody who can freakin hit.
foultip
August 2nd, 2012
3:13 pm
Have Uggla bat left handed a few times, it might straighten him out.
Strike3
August 2nd, 2012
3:15 pm
The only sign I would give him is the bunt sign. Maybe he could put the ball in play every once in awhile.
steve brown
August 2nd, 2012
3:29 pm
Kelly Johnson with more muscles. Really don’t enjoy watching the fire and ice journey he seems to be perpetually on.
Bob Davis
August 2nd, 2012
3:31 pm
For starters, Uggla needs to stop with the open-left-side, toe-tapping routine. Set the left leg and foot and stop with the toe-tapping–I don’t care if the left leg is set in a closed, square, or open stance–just stop with the toe-tapping! Also, Uggla has GOT to be more patient with staying with the pitch and not flying open like he usually does before he swings. All this causes his right leg to buckle and for him to hit with weak, uppercut-type stroke. You’d think the new hitting coaches would work with him (even in his sleep) to stop this, yet Uggla’s hitting woes continue….
ActuallyWatchesGames
August 2nd, 2012
3:33 pm
DetroitBraves – maybe you should spend less time looking at unreliable defensive “statistics” and more time actually watching Uggla play defense. Sure, he’s not a gold-glover, but he is at worst an average defensive 2B.
yep
August 2nd, 2012
3:39 pm
“He’s waiting for his pitch, which is supposed to be a good thing, but either he doesn’t do much with it or his pitch never arrives”
maybe he should pick a different pitch to wait for.
Chopping Champion
August 2nd, 2012
3:40 pm
I agree with RealityCheck. At the beginning of the year, we all wondered if all that extra lifting he did this offseason was going to adversely affect him at the plate. Looks like we’ve gotten our answer.
When Pigs Fly
August 2nd, 2012
3:42 pm
The only good thing about this is the man’s character. He seems to be a great guy having a tough time producing. I think he will turn it around at some point but if he can’t become a more consistent
part of the offense, he will need to be replaced. And it’s unlikely that anyone will want to trade for a guy who dissappears for half of every season.
Giving a guy a long term contract when he has yet to prove himself for your club makes no sense.
We’re lucky that Dempster stopped the braves from doing the same for him
PMC
August 2nd, 2012
3:43 pm
Well, it was the right idea anyway. The thought was, Uggla would be a middle of the order power guy who would drive in runs (ostensibly what the Braves needed) and at 60 million he was about 40 million dollars cheaper than a left fielder that could do that same thing or so we thought.
In retrospect, we should have left Prado at 2nd, and just paid doe a true corner outfielder.
PMC
August 2nd, 2012
3:44 pm
If he breaks out though like he did last season, it’s going to be a huge boost to the lineup.
jay
August 2nd, 2012
3:46 pm
@Najeh, me too. I always thought we should have kept him over getting Uggla. Right now we’d have Prado at short and Omar at second on the cheap. Instead we get to watch this roided-up-looking dude swing and miss every night. Kudos that he does walk a lot, but we ain’t paying him for walks alone. Honestly he needs to lose muscle and become more flexible this offseason instead of pumping so much iron.
Hillbilly D
August 2nd, 2012
3:48 pm
In his day, Dave Kingman was known as a strikeout king. The most he ever had in a season was 156. If he’d played last year, that would have tied him for 15th most with, you guessed it, Dan Uggla.
The game has changed and it ain’t for the better.
Wolf
August 2nd, 2012
3:52 pm
It seems to me that Uggla’s bat speed has slowed down somewhat, not unusual for big-muscle/thick- chest players in their 30’s. The good players find a way to adjust to this, to compensate, stop trying to pull EVERYTHING, go up the middle or to the opposite field sometimes. Uggla seems unwilling or unable to do this. He is NOT a natural athlete, is a “one-tool” player (hit for power but NOT hit for average, field, throw, or run). If he sees power as his only tool and is stubborn, he may never adjust. As for the walks, well, this guy has been CALLED out on third strikes a LOT of times, so maybe his walks have an element of luck. He isn’t “seeing” the ball, and if he takes a pitch on ball three, he will be lucky enough for it to be ball four rather frequently.
Old Dog
August 2nd, 2012
3:52 pm
Adam Dunn was averaging about 38-40 home runs and close to 100 RBIs when he went to the White Sox in 2011. There, he hit 11 home runs and 42 RBIs for the year. Walker was the hitting coach. With Walker no longer there, Dunn has hit 31 home runs and 74 RBIs so far in 2012 with much of the year left to go. Interesting.
When Pigs Fly
August 2nd, 2012
3:55 pm
It just seems that we have seen too many players come to the Braves and not produce as expected.
I would be very careful about long term deals until I could tell what I had.
Maybe Dan will be fine and the deal will turn out to be a real bargain but it doesn’t look that way right now.
Michael Bourne on the other hand has been great and I’m afraid we won’t be able to keep him here.
Next year without Chipper or Michael could be really frustating one.
Charlie
August 2nd, 2012
3:55 pm
Uggla has got to be a major head case, and is 100% delusional. Fredi, who appears to be a wack job of a manager, said recently that as long as Uggla has confidence when at the plate, he’ll keep running him out there. Uggla says he has confidence. REALLY? Hitting about .105 in the past month…and he swears he has confidence? The guy is either completely delusional, or brain dead. His plate approach is always the same.
The guy is toast, for a career. His signing will go down as the biggest bust in Braves history. It is no coincidence that Fredi G. was manager, and Fraki Wren was GM.
Sad deal. Nothing will get Worthlewss Dan “going”. He’s done, and the Braves are stuck with him. The worst of it is, they have to continue to play this loser, because of the size of hhis contract. Tyler P., or Martin are much better options at second. But,sadly, Worthless Dan will continue to be an automatic out, time after time. Dan’s career is over. He was paid big money, by the dumbest GM in the history of baseball.
The Marlins dumped Fredi and Dan on the Braves. They knew what they were doing. Now the Braves are stuck with both.
bobbymahlon
August 2nd, 2012
4:03 pm
Pitchers have caught on to Prado who takes the first pitch and a lot of times the second even if they are cripples and gets behind the count 0 and 2 and than swings at pitches that are not strikes because he has to worry about being called out. A little check I ran for 13 games showed him hitting .418 when he was not behind the count and .200 when he was behind in the count. Doesn’t hitting coaches point things like that out to him ? I also saw a short time ago that he was hitting .280 with two strikes and at that time he was hitting .323 overall.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
4:04 pm
Agree with “Charlie”
and any pitcher who walks Uggla should be talked to…I’ts not like he’s fighting off pitches. He puts on his assinine “war face” and swings at anything. Let’s “give him a day”, retire his number & send him home.
Jfreak13713
August 2nd, 2012
4:09 pm
Not worth $60 million. I like him and enjoy how hard he plays but for whatever reason we give to his up and down seasons it just comes down to dollars and he isn’t worth what he is being paid. I hope he gets hot and carries down into playoffs but even if he does it still isn’t worth the money and looking back probably not worth what you gave up to get him when combined with the contract.
Iraq should have WMDs and the $800 billion dollar stimulas plan should have created shovel ready jobs. Good intentions don’t alway produce good results.
Nevada Roy
August 2nd, 2012
4:11 pm
Hitters go through slumps but with the good hitting coaches (plus Chipper) and tools we have he should have corrected his problem. If he gets turned around and someone is interested in him we should trade him otherwise we may be going through this same thing in 2013-2014-2015.
kral
August 2nd, 2012
4:13 pm
defensive metrics …wow..hope you on the blue ray dvd of moneyball
When Pigs Fly
August 2nd, 2012
4:14 pm
Due to the large contract they can’t just send him away. But they should send him to the minors right away to get his attention and let him work on his offence. It’s not like it would hurt the team at this point.
Luscious Lucius
August 2nd, 2012
4:14 pm
He needs to take batting practice until his hands bleed.
BigGTMike
August 2nd, 2012
4:17 pm
Buckhead Dan
Brave Hokie
August 2nd, 2012
4:27 pm
Look like Tarzan, hit like Jane…
what a waste ;(
what of it?
August 2nd, 2012
4:37 pm
I think the difference is the other hitters in this category were cranking home runs. Uggla misses a lot of fat pitches
jerry
August 2nd, 2012
4:42 pm
A little know fact: Uggla has left 1,372 men on base….or maybe it just seems like it.
Speedy Gonzalez
August 2nd, 2012
4:46 pm
12 homers & 50 rbi is a joke for what he should be doing, too bad cause Uggly’s a good dude, he swings like the 2nd coming of Andruw Jones, tries to pull a outside pitch to the left field seats, how about just going with the pitch, now there’s an idea!!!!!!!!
abby normal
August 2nd, 2012
4:52 pm
If Frank (The Genius) Wren thought Uggla was worth $12 million per year, how much is Prado or Freeman or Heyward worth?
When Wren signed Uggla to that insane extention I said we would end up with a underachiever and be stuck with an almost untradable contract. Pretty much where we are now.
Jay
August 2nd, 2012
4:55 pm
Offseason Honey-Do list
1. Trade Uggla now before his value decreases anymore…we don’t want a repeat of Jurrjens. If he isn’t hitting, then all Uggla does is soak up a bunch of money and play terrible defense.
2. Move Prado back to 2nd base
3. Sign or trade for a legit left fielder…no more Matt Diaz/Hinske/Constanza revolving doors.
RyBrave
August 2nd, 2012
4:58 pm
Watch him swing, he fouls everything off his front foot, b/c he lifts his front shoulder, flies his hips open and everything is a upper cut. The only pitch he will do anything with is belt high, middle in….how I have noticed this an his hitting coach hasnt is beside me. Stop trying to hit the ball to buckhead and take some something off and drive the ball between right center gap and right field.
Hephzibah
August 2nd, 2012
5:01 pm
Dan is not seeing the ball all the way . He lifts his eyes right at the point of contact .So if he corrects this he will be the hitter he has worked so hard to be. It is so strange to see a player of his caliber to have only this unsound part of his game
Gone Fishin'
August 2nd, 2012
5:04 pm
Charlie obviously does not recall the wonderful trade for Lem Barker or the signing of Nick Essasky (spelling ??). Those were a couple of doozies for this 40 year old. And lest we forget the talent given up on Mark Texiera (again I don’t feel like spell checking it).
wallypip
August 2nd, 2012
5:10 pm
OK. I am befuddled by Uggs. He’s trying to pull everything and is pulling off pitches. If he’d try to hit the ball back at the pitcher, I think he’d resolve his funk fairly quickly. After all, there’s only one direction to go, up.
Having said that, I don’t think Uggla’s been that bad on defense. I think he’s held is own for the most part and has made some fairly spectacular plays, for him.
Let’s hope he snaps out of it at the plate. If he does, this team may be playing in October.
And let’s not forget that after a very good July…this is a team of inexplicable streaks. They might lose seven in a row again. Hope not, but….
BravesWin
August 2nd, 2012
5:10 pm
For The Love Of All That Is Good, somebody get Uggla to level off his swing on pitches! Argh!
Game Changer
August 2nd, 2012
5:15 pm
uggla sucks, very overrated from day one. Braves are doomed for failure under frank wren.
Mike S.
August 2nd, 2012
5:19 pm
I think Uggla is feeling the pressure more here. In Florida, there was no pressure to win at all. Add to that, he stands out more in this lineup. He was hitting behind Hanley Ramirez in Florida and often had a big bat like Wes Helms behind him. This Braves team just doesnt have that kind of pop around him. If Jones was 30 instead of 40, the 3 spot would be taken care of. Heyward and Freeman hit more for average than power. McCann isnt having the year he did last year which I thought was a bit of an aberration anyway. So Uggla is your basically lone power guy, and I dont think the roll suits him.
Mike S.
August 2nd, 2012
5:22 pm
Uggla is the kind of guy you want to supplement the middle of the order, not BE the middle of your order. Otherwise, he would be in a Yankees or Red Sox uni making twice the money he is now…something the Braves cant afford. They keep grabbing players from these small market teams and putting them in spots no one else will because the Braves are cheap. They wont go out and get a legit clean up hitter that can take the pressure off everyone else. Put Uggla at 5 or 6 behind a true cleanup, and I bet he performs a lot better.
1eyedJack
August 2nd, 2012
5:24 pm
No hit curve ball. Straight ball, hit it very much. Curve ball, bats are afraid. He should ask Jo-Buu to come. Take fear from bats. Gin and cigarettes not enough for Jo-Buu. He still can no hit curve ball for sheet. He hafta make a sacrifice to him.
Uggla needs to sacrifice an unborn chicken.
AlanFalcon
August 2nd, 2012
5:27 pm
I like Dan Uggla, I don’t like the fact that he continues to go out day after day and hurt the team, as I stated before he accounts for at least one inning of outs every game and is doing it on a regular daily basis, this is 1 9th of our opportunities, so how many innings has he been responsible for since this drought came about ( Its unbelievable ) and yet Freddie continues to let him struggle, it is not fair to his team mates.
Say What?
August 2nd, 2012
5:34 pm
Just keep running him out there……
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
5:37 pm
SLUMP??? That’s like saying the Whig Party is in a slump..the Chicago Cubs are in “a slump”. Inability to perform over a lonnnnggg time is NOT a “slump”!
bravos 8
August 2nd, 2012
5:38 pm
Uggla need tripple bi-focals
BartBuzz
August 2nd, 2012
5:40 pm
I was holding out hope for Uggla. But with the passing of each plate appearance that hope has faded. I don’t know who I’m more frustrated with…Uggla or Gonzalez. My question is “why is Uggla still starting?”
Delbert D.
August 2nd, 2012
5:40 pm
His on base percentage is about the same as Heyward and Freeman. Let him be.
Mister Frisky
August 2nd, 2012
6:08 pm
KK,McClouth,Lowe and now Uggla.Braves always seem to have an albatross around its payrolls neck.
Bill
August 2nd, 2012
6:09 pm
Maybe he can get a ash log to hit with…lol
Glenn
August 2nd, 2012
6:10 pm
Watch how often Uggla’s right shoulder drops when he swings. That leads to either a pop up or a K.
Yunel Asscobar
August 2nd, 2012
6:15 pm
“The only good thing about this is the man’s character.” – When Pigs Fly 3:42
His wife apparently wasn’t buying the “character” line after the porn star romp. He seems a bit “distracted” this year, don’t you think?
Yunel Asscobar
August 2nd, 2012
6:17 pm
Apparently, Fredi said in the dugout, “Dan, you’re a born star.”
Uggla misunderstood Fredi to say, “Dan, you need a porn star.”
Hence, the troubles began.
Drewby
August 2nd, 2012
6:30 pm
Good perspective, thanks
Sonny Clusters
August 2nd, 2012
6:43 pm
Well, from reading this we learned a lot more about Uggla – worth keeping him out there because of his hustle and character. Where was you people when you typed that? Fredi hustles back and forth from the dugout but that doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing. Uggla hustles on the bases on those rare occasions he makes contact. As for his character, we think he played Long Dan Uggla in the movie. What is everybody thinking? .209 = $60 million.
marty
August 2nd, 2012
6:45 pm
needs too keep both hands on the bat when he swings instead of ending up with one hand ,looks like he wants a homer every time
Caseyatthebat
August 2nd, 2012
6:47 pm
Uggla should be coming to work each day and work with the hitting coaches. Now that we have Johnson, he should be playing left field and Prado should be playing second base. Every 4th or 5th day they should play Uggla to see about his progress. Gonzalez job is to field the most effective team and Uggla’s past two months have been anything but effective. I like Uggla and was happy when we got him but his performance certainly is not worth $12 million a year.
Ralph
August 2nd, 2012
6:47 pm
Just keep running him out there, to hell with a Div Title.
Sonny Clusters
August 2nd, 2012
6:47 pm
Star Wars Night can’t come soon enough for Dan Uggla. We read he’s planning on using a lightsaber at the plate. Now, those things look pretty powerful and if he could just somehow make contact . . .
and speaking about making contact – if he couldn’t make contact when he was making the movie how did he . . .
Hillbilly D
August 2nd, 2012
6:48 pm
These are Uggla’s lifetime BA stats
March/April .242
May .272
June .236
July .243
August .284
Sept/Oct .246
Looks like May and August are his months, for whatever reason.
bfred
August 2nd, 2012
6:50 pm
I agree with the diagnosis of his swing problem. This is like Andruw and Francouer under Bobby – does no one say anything to these guys? I see quotes like “well he’s a professional so when he needs our help he’ll come let us know” and it makes my head want to explode. Any pro who thinks it’s appropriate to try to pull a ball off the outside corner should be benched ASAP. Grab Uggla, say “look, this is what you’re doing and what you’re going to do until further notice to try to fix it, no matter the outcome” and get on with it. Just waiting and hoping for a miracle cure is insane.
Stinger 2
August 2nd, 2012
7:01 pm
Clusters: There you go again. I was hoping you had changed and would say something nice about a Braves player or Fredi. Please note that there are many fans who say nice things instead of mean or negative comments.
Joint us.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
7:10 pm
who in HELL would trade anything for Uggla.
We KNOW he can no longer hit…
and “surprise” look up his fielding pct. compared to MLB.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
7:12 pm
“Stinger”, I know you are young & in pain…but Mr. Clusters is right. It will be OK>
Caseyatthebat
August 2nd, 2012
7:30 pm
Stinger2……..I don’t always agree with Clusters but, in this case, he is right on. By the way Sonny, Chipper just knocked in TWO runs……..please remove the egg on your face. Welcome back, hope you’re feeling well.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
7:31 pm
You know what I LOVED @ Chip Caray’s grandpa? He was a ‘homer’…but he would ‘call out’ bad moves & crap players & not always kiss the company butt.
George Stein
August 2nd, 2012
7:34 pm
If the Braves were paying for his RBI numbers, they deserve this.
Many, including me, liked the trade but not the contract. Players like Uggla don’t age gracefully, and this is your proof.
RunninWithTheDawgs
August 2nd, 2012
7:48 pm
Uggla has not been good for the Braves and he continues to not be good for the Braves. He should be the next one to be traded.
Sonny Clusters
August 2nd, 2012
8:58 pm
Hello everybody, we hope things are going well for you tonight during this rain delay. As for us, we are enjoying some delicious Dairy Queen snacks. There is a little fella on here who wants to be our mama but we already have a mama to correct us and don’t need another one. We was wondering if Stinger2 shouldn’t blog about baseball and leave us alone? Having a little fella stalking us like that makes us a bit uncomfortable but we understand how he could be taken with a Clusters with our athletic skills and intelligence and strikingly good looks. They say that Madonna has a stalker a lot like that and it doesn’t bother her all that much because he has some issues that he can’t help.
Sonny Clusters
August 2nd, 2012
9:05 pm
We was filtered again. Our posts just don’t want to stick. We had just done some hero worshipping on the golly, gee, super! Braves. Now, we like baseball and we like the Braves but baseball players are not our heroes and we don’t feel like we have to approve of somebody just because he’s sporting a tomahawk on his chest. Uggla, for instance has hurt this team with his bat and though he went on an impressive streak last season he didn’t put the team on his back in September because they couldn’t win a single game when they had to. It’s good to see improvement but there is a pretty big hole at the bottom of the order and right now Janish is pulling away from the 60 million dollar man.
kral
August 2nd, 2012
9:11 pm
you’re a hoot sonny
Luscious Lucius
August 2nd, 2012
9:12 pm
“Run em out thar. One of these months Uggla’s gonna get out of that slump.” Fredi Gonzalez
Pay Martin Prado
August 2nd, 2012
9:14 pm
Pay Martin Prado. Make sure it is more than Uggla and for one extra year. Thank you, the fans.
DetroitBraves
August 2nd, 2012
9:48 pm
I think it’s fairly telling that Stinger2 ended his latest sucrose laden Clusters rant with “joint us”. I’ve always suspected he was smoking something.
To AlwaysWatchesGames, no doubt there are criticisms that can be made of advanced metrics but there are few weaker arguments than those based solely on the authority of “I know what I see”.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
9:52 pm
Y’know…I’m thinking Chip Caray is trying for more “HATE” twitters than McCarver…which will be hard.
Granted, you are on Liberty Media play list…but you (& Joe) PRETENDING Dan Uggla is doing just “swell” is a f..ing insult to me & all the fans who KNOW whatt a drag Uggla haS BEEN ON THIS TEAM! To start the game with…who has highest avg. on team? (Ug) in the month of August..?..this being the 2nd is INSULTING!! Morons!!!
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
9:53 pm
Pay Prado 20 mill/year & give him Muscles Dan as a gardner.
DetroitBraves
August 2nd, 2012
9:57 pm
Heh heh. I stopped watching the Braves broadcast some time ago – choosing the other team’s broadcast on the Extra Innings package instead. I miss Chip’s insights. Well, not really but I did feel a wave of sickly nostalgia at nobobfan’s retelling of tonight’s analysis. I see some things have not changed.
DetroitBraves
August 2nd, 2012
10:00 pm
@nobobfan, isn’t there some story about Harry Caray after a dropped pop-up by a player born in a Central American country asking Steve Stone how a player that grew up in a place where the sun shines 364 days a year can lose a ball in the sun? I don’t miss listening to Chip but I do miss his dad and his grandfather.
Felix
August 2nd, 2012
10:01 pm
Sometimes I have to wonder if we are seeing the post-steroid version of Uggla. I often wondered the same about McOut. Uggla’s acquisition by the Braves has been a flop.
Mike
August 2nd, 2012
10:02 pm
Pastornicky stepped right up and put the ball in the seats a couple of nights ago and he works a lot cheaper.
Just sayin.
Joe Simpson
August 2nd, 2012
10:14 pm
May 31, 2012 Just watch, Dan Uggla will start killing the ball in June.
June 30, 2012 I know that in July Dan will go on a tear.
July 31, 2012 Very soon Uggla will start punishing opposing pitchers.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
10:32 pm
yep “Detroit”..true story @ Harry…
He & son Skip are shaking heads over Chip.
I was psyched when Cip started calling Braves games (family voice, I guess)…But his BLIND loyalty to Liberty, Wren & the “mgr./fredi g” is disgusting to people who have followed the game a long time. In my case 62 yrs…when I could turn on radio by myself.
nobobfan
August 2nd, 2012
10:34 pm
Thank you “Joe Simpson”..Uggla is the ONE who will kill this team. Most of these guys don’t need a Fredi G moron to boss them. Just a guy with cahones to say..”Danny sit you lardbutt down…forever”
Sonny Clusters
August 2nd, 2012
11:04 pm
Well, those little flags in the outfield are for “championships” and Uggla is playing All-Star baseball. In fact, Joe said it was good to see Uggla is still hot after hit number two in two days. We was never one to brag but we could hit more than .209 without a bat. We was also noticing how pretty the bats are that Uggla uses and we was wondering if he is missing the ball so he won’t mess up the bat? One last observation tonight from a Clusters and that is the Braves need to shoot for the NLCS and not set their sights on a wild card. Last time they did that they went into an EPIC Collapse and we have not forgotten. We will say all this winning lately is pretty nice and when they face a good team we hope they can keep it up.
Sonny Clusters
August 2nd, 2012
11:13 pm
We was filtered again! Filtering a Clusters is like asking Picasso to work without paint. We may ask the ajc for our own blog so we can filter that little stalker fella. We hope there’s no pictures of us in his basement. We like baseball and we like the Braves but we don’t take what the front office says seriously when they tell us how lucky we was to have all that “championship” baseball in town for so long. Champions do more than lose in the first round to the wild card team Some real fans (read: stalker) probably wear Braves pajamas. Not us. Clusters sleep standing up. One more thing . . . Fredi needs to read Uggla’s latest baseball card and catch up on what’s happening. Right now, though, Fredi is tipping his hat. We figure he may be tipping it in Kansas City someday.
bulldogbubba
August 2nd, 2012
11:54 pm
cLUSTERS does need his own blog.You know most people can’t handle the truth anymore.Some people look at me and think I am fat.Well its the truth. You don’t see me crying.Now when a Braves player is playing poorly and Clusters says that statue could take their place thaat means they are allout SORRY! We have gone through it with Heyward , Chipper,and now Uggla this year.They need to sit Uggla down and let Prado play second for about a week and let the new guy Johnson play outfield.Seems he got on base a couple of times tonight and it takes Uggla all week to do that. Alright “nuf” said , will somebody pass the Chick Fil A.
Len Barker
August 2nd, 2012
11:58 pm
To those idiots who keep bashing Wren for signing Derek Lowe look at how many games the man won in three years here. Last year the Braves were shut out in most of his starts. They didn’t pay him to hit. What a bunch of morons.
john
August 2nd, 2012
11:59 pm
One of the worst trades EVER….this guy is not worth $60 million. I would wager there are lots of guys in the farm system who can hit and field better…GET RID OF UGGLA !
observor
August 3rd, 2012
3:15 am
You guys are stressing out way too much….
You need to enjoy a little bit of Michelle Jenneke…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMgmYutL9W0
NorCal Brave
August 3rd, 2012
3:17 am
I don’t see the Uggla situation quite as dire now that we’ve picked up Johnson. If Uggla doesn’t get it going, move Prado back to 2nd and play Johnson in left. Then, when Simmons returns we’ve got a solid lineup all the way up and down the order. Dan did make a couple of fly ball outs to right field tonight, which I take as a good sign.
Derrick
August 3rd, 2012
3:17 am
Dan Uggla is the Braves’ version of Rob Deer.
Derrick
August 3rd, 2012
3:37 am
I don’t know if Dan Uggla will eventually fall below the Mendoza Line (doubtful) for the season, but at this current stature, his current numbers as of right now are looking eerily similar to Rob Deer’s statistics from the 1991 season, when Deer was playing with Detroit at the time, at the age of 31 (one year younger than Uggla’s age at the moment).
In 1991, Rob Deer batted a horrendous .179. He hit 25 Homeruns and drove in 64 Runs. Deer struck out 179 times that year, and had an On-Base % of .314; a .386 Slugging %, and an OPS of .700.
Compared with Uggla’s current numbers, he is batting a miserable .210, is sitting on 12 Homeruns with 50 RBI’s, and has an On-Base % of .346; a .364 Slugging %, and an OPS of .710. Dan has also struck-out 118 times, thus far, which is right on-pace with Deer’s 179 times.
Uggla’s similarities may not be exactly the same with Deer’s, of course, but the way things are going right now, he has that deer-in-the-headlights look…
Ted Striker
August 3rd, 2012
3:45 am
Diagnosis:
1) He has a good eye
2) Slow batspeed
3) Jobu no hit the curveball? (Not sure about this one — haven’t looked at how he does)
Cure:
1) Dance when you go to the plate — distract the pitcher
2) HIt for the gaps if it’s in the zone
3) Swing for the fences — you’ve proven u have power
Ted Striker
August 3rd, 2012
3:47 am
btw, Derrick I liked the “deer-in-the-headlights look” phrase.
Careful…Mark Bradley will steal that from you because it’s a good one. Ha!
J-MAN
August 3rd, 2012
4:54 am
Right
Walker, Texas Ranger
August 3rd, 2012
8:02 am
where is Nick Green
Art
August 3rd, 2012
8:46 am
I think Dan Uggla needs to quit tapping his foot and close up the stance. He is to wide open and when he swings it seems he is stepping his foot in the bucket. The other thing he needs to do is to drive the ball to right center. Go a couple of games and just swing to the right only. It seems he is trying also to drive the ball out of the stadium right down the left field line.
Pippa's hiney
August 3rd, 2012
8:53 am
Art: 75% of hitters use open stance.
Nativebird
August 3rd, 2012
8:59 am
Funny…strike outs and walks weren’t what we paid this bust to do.
Marvin Mangrum
August 3rd, 2012
10:01 am
Sorriest 2nd baseman I ever saw. I would trade him for an opened can of partially used spam, and would not even say tata! It amazes me that this whatever he calls himself is still on this team.
Keith
August 3rd, 2012
10:06 am
I think he’ll break out. As a matter of fact, he usually has a big slump in most of his seasons.
I think we may be seeing signs of him breaking out. Break us out right into the playoffs, UGG!
Pangloss
August 3rd, 2012
10:34 am
Mike S – The Yankees have a guy playing 2B named Robinson Cano and the Red Sox have Dustin Pedroia. Maybe you’ve heard of them. I don’t care how much Uggla improves as a hitter, he’s never cracking the starting lineup for either of those two teams.
Gene
August 3rd, 2012
11:16 am
Uggla has shown that there is an inverse relationship between bicep size and ability to hit a baseball. Maybe Uggla should put away the curl bar and hit the swimming pool. A little flexibility might help.
DetroitBraves
August 3rd, 2012
11:37 am
I know looking at statistics precludes me from watching games and all, but according to Fangraphs Uggla is swinging at pitches outside the strikezone less than ever and swinging at pitches in the strikezone about the same as ever. Interestingly, his contact % outside the zone is about the same as it’s been the last few years. But within the zone he’s swinging and missing more than ever before. I’m not sure how to reconcile those things but to MB’s point that his BABIP isn’t too crazy, he’s just not putting enough balls in play, I think he’s right.
What We’re Reading (8/3) | Smokies Radio Network
August 3rd, 2012
12:01 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Braves’ Uggla a Statistical Oddity Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPrintStumbleUponRedditTumblrPinterestMoreLike this:LikeBe the first [...]
Ken Stallings
August 3rd, 2012
2:16 pm
Not really weird, nor particularly difficult to observe. Uggla is being more patient at the plate and swinging at less balls. The problem is when he ID’s a strike, he swings recklessly. He swings so hard that he wheels around on his heels more than any other batter on the Braves roster, which is why Buck Baleu apparently called him a “weathervane with ears!”
It was a stark but quite accurate description. Uggla is strong enough to hit the ball out of the park without swinging so hard. A 400 foot homer counts as much as a 425 foot homer! Hitting the ball to opposite field counts as much as a hit pulled to left. When Uggla does more than reflect that understanding in batting practice sessions with Greg Walker (meaning applies it in the game like Walker wants him to), then Uggla will start hitting at the .250 clip (with a .380 OBA and a .420 slugging percentage) he is capable of putting up.
Then, he’ll be the kind of hitter the Braves are paying for, vice one who merits a contract about $11 million a year below what he’s earning!
Bill Donohoo
August 3rd, 2012
3:15 pm
Uggla, cut down on the swing
Uggla Troubles
August 3rd, 2012
4:16 pm
The trouble with Uggla is the price and expectations BUT….there are really only 3 or 4 better options at 2B in the majors. The real problem is that the Braves banked on MVP numbers from a position where that almost never happens. Outside of Sandberg, Morgan, and Utley, how many true 100 RBI guys were there ever at 2B? Move Uggla to LF and let him concentrate 100% on hitting and bring Prado to 2B. It’s at least worth a try. By the way…..I project Uggla for .227 with 25 HR and 80 RBI.
Not a Clue
August 3rd, 2012
4:45 pm
I also hate the way he’s always tapping his foot while batting. But I bet he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. It’s a reflex, something he has been doing forever. Not saying it’s right or wrong. What I am saying, is it his toe tapping, his big arms or his vision? Whatever it is, he best do what he’s paid the big bucks to do.
flagger
August 3rd, 2012
4:50 pm
when u swing like u r killing a grizzly bear every time, plus swing up rather than square, i would guess u r gonna strike out a lot. if u can’t hit a ball to ure off field then u r not much of a hitter, but like the infamous andrew jones he’s a pull hitter and thats just the way it is…
danno
August 3rd, 2012
5:40 pm
I’m warming up- rbis & a hit in 4 of last 5 games by next weekend I will be ablaze
Felix
August 3rd, 2012
6:11 pm
Maybe Joe Simpson was such a bad hitter that to him Uggla looks like a Ted Williams.
captguitarman
August 3rd, 2012
7:16 pm
Sorry, but walking is not hitting. When you walk, the on base runner in front of you also walks, to the next base. The on base percentage is nice too, but walking is not hitting, and it is happenstance that you get walked if you are trying to hit the ball, even if you get walked a lot.. When you hit, that runner in front of you takes all he can get. Uggla does a great job at second base and with him out there, the Braves turn a lot of double plays. That’s reason enough to play him every game and get some production for that big pay check. He’s a streak hitter and he may hit a streak before this season ends, or maybe not. Let’s hope he does.
Luscious Lucius
August 3rd, 2012
7:34 pm
Joe Simpson was a turrible hitter. He and Mario Mendoza are brothers…
Luscious Lucius
August 3rd, 2012
7:36 pm
Uggla for President! Then he wont be at 2b…
Fats
August 3rd, 2012
11:42 pm
If FG is going to be forced to play Uggla everyday, make him go for a homerun on every AB. It could not hurt. Like the post earlier, Dave Kingman did it . Why not Uggs?
:)
Tree rollins
August 4th, 2012
12:12 am
This guy has the exact problem Franceour had – he wants to be a big muscle-bound Popeye. When Jeff came to spring training with big muscles and added pounds one year he couldn’t hit anything. And now Uggla has come to spring with even bigger Popeye style biceps 2 years in a row and can’t hit either year. What changed for both? All this redneck bodybuilding stuff. When I read about it in April I thought hear we go again – this macho redneck’s going to have a bad year again – only worse (and sadly I was right).
Tree rollins
August 4th, 2012
12:15 am
You watch – next year he’s going to lose 20 lbs and drop the bulk weightlifting routine and bring the average back to .280 again – mark my words! Goofball!
Tree rollins
August 4th, 2012
12:17 am
It’s the same reason tennis players don’t look like bodybuilders – it ruins your swing and timing. Uggla is a dumb redneck.
Busch Leaguer
August 4th, 2012
1:18 am
Give me a batting tee a bucket of baseballs and one hour and I can tell whether or not Uggla can fix his uggly swing mechanics.Repeated streaks of this type are the sign of major flaws in the swing path, so called getting the barrel of the bat to the ball.Everyone on the Braves staff says Dan is working hard and making progress on fixing his mechanics. It is August 3rd ,at this rate he may come around in November. First back him off the plate about 6 inches or maybe a little more,this will help him from pulling off the ball .Dan is missing balls right down the middle because he is pulling the barrel of the bat out of the strike zone.If anything Uggla is generating too much bat speed. He has to let the ball travel more in the zone and stay on the pitch and then let his hands fly. The only hits Uggla has been getting have been down the left field line. But most of the balls he hits hard are pulled foul.If I remember his good streak last year his used the entire field from power alley to power alley. It may be better for the Braves to sit Uggla as a way to force his hand into making some changes in his approach at the plate . If his main positive stat is on base % ,mainly by drawing walks then move him to 2nd in the order and let the hot hitters drive him in,but the Braves re not paying him 13M a year to draw walks and strike out 200 times a year.
Brandon Lee
August 4th, 2012
2:43 pm
Of Course Very Few pick up on the True Cynicism of your column, where you not only Deride Dan Uggla for his Strikeouts/Walks Ratio being on the high-end…. Then you attempt in your henious sarcastic manner to Criticize Dale Murphy all in the Same article.
ale Murphy was The Most Feared Hitter in the NL…. So Stick it in your Ear, Bradley.
Aren’t you just so Clever, in your Sarcastic comment about “the saintly Dale Murphy”. Of course you don’t Dare go into any Specifics in your Chastizing of Murphys Accomplishemnts while he spent Many years Clobbering Homeruns all Over Fulton County Stadium,, all the While gaining REspect from Well-Accomplished Mgrs such as Tommy Lasorda: saying
Derwood
August 4th, 2012
4:01 pm
Hey Wren, Derek Lowe and Johnny Damon have been cut. Why not pick them up as you are trying to win a divison, series with washed out players.
Radney
August 4th, 2012
5:21 pm
Trade tha bum if you can.
Busch Leaguer
August 4th, 2012
6:52 pm
Heard that the Red Sox are looking at Lowe if he clears waivers.
Fats
August 4th, 2012
10:03 pm
“POPEYE” UGGLA……………I like the sound of that one
All he can do now is crush spinach cans
braveswatcher
August 5th, 2012
10:26 am
A thought about “half season” Uggla. Even if Dan has a great finish like last year, the Braves are in effect paying him $24 million for one total season of power production, not two. Not bad work if you can get it.
Stumps OReilly
August 6th, 2012
1:34 am
Popeye Uggla needs to lay off the spinach……………..He is muscled up too much. Maybe he can go into wrestiling in the off season
Heat Check: The Braves are hot, and so is Dan Uggla (sort of) | Mark Bradley
August 6th, 2012
10:42 am
[...] he had eight RBI’s on the 10-game homestand. The less-good news is that he only had six hits (against 10 strikeouts). Heat Index: Hey, at least he’s making ‘em count. And if you’re hitting .209, [...]
Joe Brave
August 6th, 2012
2:40 pm
When Simmons comes back, put Simmons at SS and Janish at 2nd base. Send Uggla to the minor leagues where he clearly belongs.
Dawg Fan
August 7th, 2012
4:00 pm
I wish he’d pursue “a weird slice of history” on another team.
Atlanta Braves: Jason Heyward’s Bounce Back Continues as Playoffs Approach | :: Sparxxrx LLC ::
August 8th, 2012
6:38 am
[...] is one of the most patient hitters in the game. Dan Uggla, despite his struggles, is still making sure he sees plenty of pitches in every plate [...]