A-Z Reviews: B

Kevin Barry
-It's nothing personal, Kev. I just hate you. Maybe it's that big bulbous head. Maybe it's your complete lack of stuff. Barry is the latest Brad Woodall, a decent AAA pitcher who occasionally gets shots. He logged two major league innings with the Braves this year and trust me, that was entirely too much. With Richmond, Barry was 5- with 4.14 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Toward the end of the year, he was desiginated for assignment and as far as I can see, should be a minor league free agent this year.

2008 Outlook: Will be a swingman for a couple of AAA teams, but his time in the Braves organization is probably over and he will likely want to move on anyway.

Jeff Bennett
-The Braves called upon Bennett when in dire need of another Buddy Carlyle and he delievered much like Carlyle did. But unlike the Carlyle Effect, the season ended before the real crap could be shown. So, we are left with some good numbers over three games, two starts. Bennett was 2-1 with 14 K's in 13 innings and a 3.46 ERA. However, with Richmond, Bennett struck out just 45 in 86 innings. Elbow issues cost him 2006 and he signed with the Braves for 2007. All in all, Bennett is a nice story, but likely not a key contributor to anyone's pitching staff.

2008 Outlook: The Braves will likely bring him back and maybe throw him a bone as a fifth starter candidate, but Bennett's best chance at making next year's roster is as a long reliever. However, chances are good he will be in Richmond next year.

Blaine Boyer
-Boyer is two years removed from his solid showing in 2005 when he had some control problems, but also got batters out for what was then a dreadful bullpen. Injuries have sapped him two consecutive full seasons. He spent most of last year with Richmond, getting some starts, and not fairing too well. His ERA wasn't too horrible at 4.30, but his WHIP was extremely high at 1.72.

2008 Outlook: Boyer's chances of making next year's roster are slim right now. His control was off-the-charts terrible last year (50 walks in 73.1 ING). There is no doubt there is some potential in his right arm, but he needs to find the strikezone more frequently to take advantage of it. He seems to be well liked by the organization that drafted him out of Atlanta in the 2000 third round, but at 26, his time with his first professional organization could be coming to close if he doesn't re-establish himself.