The Braves continue to drift along, a game under .500, and without much (get ready, Joe Morgan) consistency. However, when you look at the injuries, poor play, and lack of real definitions in the bullpen, the fact that the Braves aren't four or five games under .500 is a damn accomplishment.
Chipper Jones is having an absolutely amazing start to the season, batting .421/.471/.692. Apparently, all that talk about Teix having such a big impact on him is true. The double play combo of Yuniel "Mr. Dynamic" Escobar and Kelly Johnson has been decent and once KJ starts to hit his stride for more than a few games, it will take off. Teix has been taking off of late, too, and McCann looks a lot more like 2006 Super Mac than 2007 Fairly Decent Mac. Francoeur has been doubling like crazy (11 already) and Kotsay hasn't sucked (so that's a win). Diaz isn't doing that bat, but Gregor Blanco is hitting well enough to snake some at-bats from him.
The offense has all continues to rank in the top five in AVG, OBP, and SLG, yet only eighth in runs scored. Something is amiss here and I believe the runs scored will increase with time.
The team ERA is second in the NL at 3.46, which is pretty amazing and probably not going to last. Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens have been amazing, but John Smoltz is hurt and likely to go to the bullpen rather than stick in the rotation when he returns. Jo-Jo Reyes had five good innings last night, but struggled in the sixth. However, the pen has been surprisingly solid considering its missing Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan, and Mike Gonzalez. Possibly Tom Glavine can find himself with a solid game today.
Truth be told, the stats like this team. The expected record is 18-11, a good four games better than their actual record. If they were 18-11, they would be in the driver's seat in the NL East. Luckily, the Phils and Mets aren't off to stellar starts either because the Braves trail the East by a mere two games.
-Elsewhere, Mike Hampton considered retirement after his latest setback. I think I speak for most Braves fans when I say...please do. I'm sorry, Hambone, but it's annoying to even have you around.
-Brent Lillibridge's struggles at Richmond continued when he got a callup and went 0 for 8 with an RBI before being demoted yesterday.
-Down in Richmond, Barbaro Canizares continues to mash the ball to the tune of .337/.374/.495. He's 28 so don't get too carried away, but does only have three professional years under his belt. Neither Brandon Jones nor Scott Thorman have hit a homer, but at least BJ is starting to hit a little and has raised his AVG to .270.
-Next in line to get a shot? Charlie Morton. The Bobby Cox fav is 1-0 in six starts with a 2.14 ERA and an 0.98 WHIP.
-Picked up in the Tyler Yates deal, Todd Redmond has been a bit of a brightspot for the 9-20 Mississippi Braves. He's 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The thing that jumps out at you...26 K's, 3 BB in 36 innings.
-The team ERA for Myrtle Beach is 2.70. Of course, Thomas Hanson has been the best arm so far with a 0.79 ERA and an even better 0.71 WHIP. Looks like he'll get a callup real soon. Closer Kevin Gunderson should join him. Eight saves, an 0.71 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP.
-While the Pelicans don't hit that well, Gorkys Hernandez is tearing up Carolina League pitching so far, hitting .309/.378/.568 with 5 doubles, 5 triples, 2 HR, and 5 SB. If he can hit for some power, he might surpass Jordan Schafer. The double play combo of Tavis Jones (.099 IsoOBP, 8 steals) and Brandon Hicks (.281/.347/.578) is also coming up big early on.
-Rome is a mixed bag. Overall, the team is struggling, but Jason Heyward and Cody Johnson aren't embarrassing themselves so that's good. The pitching is good enough to compete with Scott Diamond, Eric Barrett, Jose Ortegano, and Steven Evarts all posting good numbers. Right now, they just need to get going.
Showing posts with label Teix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teix. Show all posts
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
A little Teix note...
From about half-way down on this page.
Marked for departure?
When the Braves signed first baseman Mark Teixeira to a one-year, $12.5 million deal, it may have just put off the inevitable loss of him in free agency. Teixeira, a player the Red Sox tried to deal for when he was in Texas, will likely command a salary of $20 million per year. His agent is Scott Boras, who couldn't get the Braves to bite on a long-term deal for Andruw Jones. The Braves should contend in the NL East, but if they don't, there could be a trading-deadline deal involving the slugging first baseman.
First off, Andruw was not in the long-term plans so the fact Boras couldn't get the Braves to "bite" is hardly some big surprise. But the Braves invested five prospects in Teix and two months of Ron Mahay. That would seem to indicate that Teix is in the long-term plans for sure.
On the other hand...Teix is hard to picture as a long-term fixture for the Braves as much as he is easy to picture as a long-term fixture. Consider that after this year, the Braves have $36M already figured in for next year _if_ the options for Smoltz/Chipper was either vested or picked up, which is very likely. So add $20M to that and you are at $56M with room to still get a player.
But I am warming up to the idea of letting Teix go and spend that money on starting pitching. In Matt Diaz, the Braves have a capable replacement to Teix. While Diaz won't match Teix in power, he will be good enough to keep the position from being a weakness. Factor in Kala Kaaihue and if he can ever reach his potential, the position becomes a strength. And if you are concerned that Diaz at first would be a problem because of power, the Braves will be getting plus-power for the position at second.
Though...having Teix long-term would be pretty sweet.
Marked for departure?
When the Braves signed first baseman Mark Teixeira to a one-year, $12.5 million deal, it may have just put off the inevitable loss of him in free agency. Teixeira, a player the Red Sox tried to deal for when he was in Texas, will likely command a salary of $20 million per year. His agent is Scott Boras, who couldn't get the Braves to bite on a long-term deal for Andruw Jones. The Braves should contend in the NL East, but if they don't, there could be a trading-deadline deal involving the slugging first baseman.
First off, Andruw was not in the long-term plans so the fact Boras couldn't get the Braves to "bite" is hardly some big surprise. But the Braves invested five prospects in Teix and two months of Ron Mahay. That would seem to indicate that Teix is in the long-term plans for sure.
On the other hand...Teix is hard to picture as a long-term fixture for the Braves as much as he is easy to picture as a long-term fixture. Consider that after this year, the Braves have $36M already figured in for next year _if_ the options for Smoltz/Chipper was either vested or picked up, which is very likely. So add $20M to that and you are at $56M with room to still get a player.
But I am warming up to the idea of letting Teix go and spend that money on starting pitching. In Matt Diaz, the Braves have a capable replacement to Teix. While Diaz won't match Teix in power, he will be good enough to keep the position from being a weakness. Factor in Kala Kaaihue and if he can ever reach his potential, the position becomes a strength. And if you are concerned that Diaz at first would be a problem because of power, the Braves will be getting plus-power for the position at second.
Though...having Teix long-term would be pretty sweet.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Yikes
-Joey Devine was bad enough. A tough price to pay for a guy like Mark Kotsay, who may not even give you 130 games. But you know, to pay $2M for Kotsay, it wasn't that bad. But to add Jamie Richmond, my tenth ranked prospect, is just a horrible situation. It just makes me sad.
-Elsewhere, the Richmond Braves will be no more. A sad day for Virginia sports, but Richmond's inability to get something done was the main problem here. There was no reason that Richmond couldn't have put together a plan for a new stadium that, while used primarily for the R-Braves, could also host college baseball tournaments and state high school baseball games. In addition, it would have clearly attracted a AAA All-Star game. But no...dumbass Richmond at its finest.
-The Braves have signed all but one of their arbitration-eligible players and only one of those signed got more than I suggested, which kind of surprises me. Teix got $12.5M, Gonzo accepted a slight raise after his injury ($2,362,500), Infante signed for $1.4M, and Yatesy settled for $800K. Not in the article, but Matt Diaz also signed for $1.225M. That leaves Rafael Soriano, who wants $3.4M and the Braves basically lowballed him with a $2.4M offer. Will likely settle in the middle ($2.9M).
-Wren made another curious move, sending Willy Aybar _and_ Chase Fontaine for Jeff Ridgway. I won't miss Aybar. I think he has a lot of potential, but after last season, a new city and new team could be of great use for him. But why now? Why include another guy who I included in my Top 30? And why settle for a non-prospect? Ridgway is a 27 year-old southpaw with three games of major league experience - all last year - in which he recorded one out and was charged with seven runs. For the math impaired, that's a 189.00 ERA. Yay.
This is the guy that cost two players? Ridgway might be a serviceable LOOGY, but wouldn't it have made more sense to, um, wait till spring training, see what Aybar could do, and then trade him? And why the hell did it also take Fontaine, who while a problem in the field with the glove, is a hitter? Seriously, I just don't understand this. Most will tell you...it's not a big deal. Losing these two have a minimal chance to hurt the Braves. But why sell low at any time?
-Finally, the trade of Aybar and the news that Omar Infante was hit by a pitch and might miss most, if not all of spring training, may open a spot on the bench for Brent Lillibridge. The way it's looking, if the Braves keep Thorman, something is really messed up since they couldn't have been bothered to find a spot for Aybar.
-Oh wells. Time to start a meet and greet with Ridgway.
-Elsewhere, the Richmond Braves will be no more. A sad day for Virginia sports, but Richmond's inability to get something done was the main problem here. There was no reason that Richmond couldn't have put together a plan for a new stadium that, while used primarily for the R-Braves, could also host college baseball tournaments and state high school baseball games. In addition, it would have clearly attracted a AAA All-Star game. But no...dumbass Richmond at its finest.
-The Braves have signed all but one of their arbitration-eligible players and only one of those signed got more than I suggested, which kind of surprises me. Teix got $12.5M, Gonzo accepted a slight raise after his injury ($2,362,500), Infante signed for $1.4M, and Yatesy settled for $800K. Not in the article, but Matt Diaz also signed for $1.225M. That leaves Rafael Soriano, who wants $3.4M and the Braves basically lowballed him with a $2.4M offer. Will likely settle in the middle ($2.9M).
-Wren made another curious move, sending Willy Aybar _and_ Chase Fontaine for Jeff Ridgway. I won't miss Aybar. I think he has a lot of potential, but after last season, a new city and new team could be of great use for him. But why now? Why include another guy who I included in my Top 30? And why settle for a non-prospect? Ridgway is a 27 year-old southpaw with three games of major league experience - all last year - in which he recorded one out and was charged with seven runs. For the math impaired, that's a 189.00 ERA. Yay.
This is the guy that cost two players? Ridgway might be a serviceable LOOGY, but wouldn't it have made more sense to, um, wait till spring training, see what Aybar could do, and then trade him? And why the hell did it also take Fontaine, who while a problem in the field with the glove, is a hitter? Seriously, I just don't understand this. Most will tell you...it's not a big deal. Losing these two have a minimal chance to hurt the Braves. But why sell low at any time?
-Finally, the trade of Aybar and the news that Omar Infante was hit by a pitch and might miss most, if not all of spring training, may open a spot on the bench for Brent Lillibridge. The way it's looking, if the Braves keep Thorman, something is really messed up since they couldn't have been bothered to find a spot for Aybar.
-Oh wells. Time to start a meet and greet with Ridgway.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Another week in...
-The Mitchell Report still garners some attention. The House is planning more hearings and reporters are stealing my shtick. Gene Sapakoff of the The Post and Courier had this to say about the Braves.
Base On Balls: The Atlanta Braves. They received a free pass, with no current organization members named. But think of the Mitchell Report as a highway patrolman. Not every speeder on I-26 gets stopped, just the ones who zoom by active radar guns. Braves fans should be glad baseball's radar gun was pointed at the New York Mets clubhouse and not the one at 755 Hank Aaron Drive.
-As I said in my previous post, the lack of proof on the current Braves may have more to do with their location than anything.
-On the other side, a player not mentioned in the Mitchell Report suddenly got a deal after it. Javy Lopez, who we all suspected, signed a minor league deal with the Braves with an invitation to camp. And man, Marky Bowman skates around the suspected steroid usage, too.
The initial glance at the current Lopez could cause some to feel like they've ventured into the past. Gone is that bulky, muscular frame that he carried during his final years in Atlanta.
It has been replaced by that slender, athletic build that he possessed when he first introduced himself to Braves fans nearly 15 years ago.
-Gee Marky, I wonder why. You mean now that he isn't doing steroids, he suddenly looks more like a man and not like he was chisled out of granite? Wowzors, that's a new one there. How come writers have to do this? "Oh, he looks more slender and athletic than he did." That happens when you depend on more natural ways of playing a game that used to have a 35 years-of-age ceiling.
-A couple of former Braves caught on with new teams. Ron Mahay picked up $8 million over the next two seasons from the Royals. This one did not make a whole lot of sense, I gotta say. A one year deal for a reliever when you benefit more with trading him is sensible, but the Royals aren't going to be a frontrunner this year. Grabbing Mahay at that salary and committment is a bit much, Dayton. Elsewhere, The Supreme Nacho Burrito signed with Houston. Paronto never got a second chance in Atlanta after his demotion, which probably says something about his attitude.
-The Braves also picked up OF Joe Borchard on a minor league deal with an invite. I like this despite Borchard hitting .205/.284/.352 over 301 major league games. Always give a former major prospect under the age of 30 a chance if you are investing so little.
-Mark Teixeira had knee surgery. Nothing to see here.
-Finally, SI.com's Jon Weisman went over the best staffs in the NL and placed the Braves fourth behind the D'Backs, Dodgers, and Brewers.
• Above-average (6 points): John Smoltz, Tim Hudson
• Average to above-average (4): Tom Glavine, Chuck James
• Mystery (1): Mike Hampton
• Up-and-coming (2): Jair Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes
• Below-average (0): Dan Smith, Jeff Bennett
Comment: Two keys to Atlanta's rotation, Smoltz and prodigal son Glavine, are each more than 40 years old, and Hampton hasn't pitched in a regular season game in more than two seasons. Jurrjens and Reyes are up-and-coming but unproven. And yet, as you'll see, this group qualifies as the best group of starters in the NL East.
-I'd say it's a fairly good study. I give him a lot of credit for not overranking Glavine and really lumping him with James, which makes sense. I still think we need a pitcher, but there is some depth here and that is a plus. Weisman ranks the rest of the NL East as such: Mets (8th), Phillies (10th), Marlins (15th), Nats (16th), I think the Mets and Phillies could both be pushed up 2-3 spots.
Base On Balls: The Atlanta Braves. They received a free pass, with no current organization members named. But think of the Mitchell Report as a highway patrolman. Not every speeder on I-26 gets stopped, just the ones who zoom by active radar guns. Braves fans should be glad baseball's radar gun was pointed at the New York Mets clubhouse and not the one at 755 Hank Aaron Drive.
-As I said in my previous post, the lack of proof on the current Braves may have more to do with their location than anything.
-On the other side, a player not mentioned in the Mitchell Report suddenly got a deal after it. Javy Lopez, who we all suspected, signed a minor league deal with the Braves with an invitation to camp. And man, Marky Bowman skates around the suspected steroid usage, too.
The initial glance at the current Lopez could cause some to feel like they've ventured into the past. Gone is that bulky, muscular frame that he carried during his final years in Atlanta.
It has been replaced by that slender, athletic build that he possessed when he first introduced himself to Braves fans nearly 15 years ago.
-Gee Marky, I wonder why. You mean now that he isn't doing steroids, he suddenly looks more like a man and not like he was chisled out of granite? Wowzors, that's a new one there. How come writers have to do this? "Oh, he looks more slender and athletic than he did." That happens when you depend on more natural ways of playing a game that used to have a 35 years-of-age ceiling.
-A couple of former Braves caught on with new teams. Ron Mahay picked up $8 million over the next two seasons from the Royals. This one did not make a whole lot of sense, I gotta say. A one year deal for a reliever when you benefit more with trading him is sensible, but the Royals aren't going to be a frontrunner this year. Grabbing Mahay at that salary and committment is a bit much, Dayton. Elsewhere, The Supreme Nacho Burrito signed with Houston. Paronto never got a second chance in Atlanta after his demotion, which probably says something about his attitude.
-The Braves also picked up OF Joe Borchard on a minor league deal with an invite. I like this despite Borchard hitting .205/.284/.352 over 301 major league games. Always give a former major prospect under the age of 30 a chance if you are investing so little.
-Mark Teixeira had knee surgery. Nothing to see here.
-Finally, SI.com's Jon Weisman went over the best staffs in the NL and placed the Braves fourth behind the D'Backs, Dodgers, and Brewers.
• Above-average (6 points): John Smoltz, Tim Hudson
• Average to above-average (4): Tom Glavine, Chuck James
• Mystery (1): Mike Hampton
• Up-and-coming (2): Jair Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes
• Below-average (0): Dan Smith, Jeff Bennett
Comment: Two keys to Atlanta's rotation, Smoltz and prodigal son Glavine, are each more than 40 years old, and Hampton hasn't pitched in a regular season game in more than two seasons. Jurrjens and Reyes are up-and-coming but unproven. And yet, as you'll see, this group qualifies as the best group of starters in the NL East.
-I'd say it's a fairly good study. I give him a lot of credit for not overranking Glavine and really lumping him with James, which makes sense. I still think we need a pitcher, but there is some depth here and that is a plus. Weisman ranks the rest of the NL East as such: Mets (8th), Phillies (10th), Marlins (15th), Nats (16th), I think the Mets and Phillies could both be pushed up 2-3 spots.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
A-Z Reviews: T
No pictures...just trying to get through the reviews. Also wanna write about the Villy/Anderson deal. Anywho...
Mark Teixeira
-Teix was acquired at the deadline in a six-player trade that included three of the top five prospects in the system. It was a shrewd trade by a possibly desperate John Schuerholz. I felt the deal would give the Braves 3-4 extra wins than they would have had otherwise. Instead, the Braves finished a game over .500 for the final two months after being five over .500 the first four months. Nevertheless, the deal turned the Braves offense into a force and had the pitching been addressed at all, the Braves would have won more games because despite 160 runs in August, a monthly high, they allowed 148, also a monthly high. In general, Teix was everything we expected.
2008 Outlook: Teix's contract situation aside, he is a tremendous hitter. Over the past four years, his EQA has not drifted under .285 and he is good for 6-8 wins above a replacement player. Put that in perspective. Because Teix is a 1B, a traditional power hitting position with some of the best hitters in the game, Teix has to be that much better to be worth so many more wins. I felt his 1B play was an improvement, but he's not an incredible defender or anything - just pretty good. It will be unfortunate if the Braves get a year and a half out of Teix, but that will be an awesome year and a half provided he stays healthy.
Scott Thorman
-Teix replaced Thorman in a sense, but Thor had been replaced slightly before the trading deadline by Julio Franco. Odd because he was having some of his best success in July. However, he struggled down the stretch and would have been cut if he wasn't out of options. As the year came to a close, he was looking at a .216 year with just 14 walks. He showed explosive power (11 HR, 18 2B, .178 ISO), but never looked comfortable this year.
2008 Outlook: Not quite sure what to think about with Thor. His minor league career is hardly some shining example of prospect city. .276/.342/.452. He has looked pretty horrible with Atlanta since his callup in 2006. It might be time to cut bait if a trade can benefit the Braves. Otherwise, hold on to him for some power off the bench and a LH bat for 1B/LF. Still, he was probably at best a stopgap. Now...he's a man searching for a chance. He apparently is having a nice winter in Mexico so maybe he can increase his trade value.
Mark Teixeira
-Teix was acquired at the deadline in a six-player trade that included three of the top five prospects in the system. It was a shrewd trade by a possibly desperate John Schuerholz. I felt the deal would give the Braves 3-4 extra wins than they would have had otherwise. Instead, the Braves finished a game over .500 for the final two months after being five over .500 the first four months. Nevertheless, the deal turned the Braves offense into a force and had the pitching been addressed at all, the Braves would have won more games because despite 160 runs in August, a monthly high, they allowed 148, also a monthly high. In general, Teix was everything we expected.
2008 Outlook: Teix's contract situation aside, he is a tremendous hitter. Over the past four years, his EQA has not drifted under .285 and he is good for 6-8 wins above a replacement player. Put that in perspective. Because Teix is a 1B, a traditional power hitting position with some of the best hitters in the game, Teix has to be that much better to be worth so many more wins. I felt his 1B play was an improvement, but he's not an incredible defender or anything - just pretty good. It will be unfortunate if the Braves get a year and a half out of Teix, but that will be an awesome year and a half provided he stays healthy.
Scott Thorman
-Teix replaced Thorman in a sense, but Thor had been replaced slightly before the trading deadline by Julio Franco. Odd because he was having some of his best success in July. However, he struggled down the stretch and would have been cut if he wasn't out of options. As the year came to a close, he was looking at a .216 year with just 14 walks. He showed explosive power (11 HR, 18 2B, .178 ISO), but never looked comfortable this year.
2008 Outlook: Not quite sure what to think about with Thor. His minor league career is hardly some shining example of prospect city. .276/.342/.452. He has looked pretty horrible with Atlanta since his callup in 2006. It might be time to cut bait if a trade can benefit the Braves. Otherwise, hold on to him for some power off the bench and a LH bat for 1B/LF. Still, he was probably at best a stopgap. Now...he's a man searching for a chance. He apparently is having a nice winter in Mexico so maybe he can increase his trade value.
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