The Two-Minute Braves

Braves Radio Net reporter Kevin McAlpin tweeted this Friday night:

Former #Braves legend Mike Aviles leads off the 7th for the Fish and is hit by a pitch.

— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) May 13, 2017

I followed with a tweet of my own:

@KevinMcAlpin Who had a better run as a Brave - Carlos Quentin or Aviles?

— Tommy Poe (@WalkOffWalk1) May 13, 2017

But I was only beginning a cascade of responses

@WalkOffWalk1 @KevinMcAlpin Ryan Howard

— Outliers (@b_outliers) May 13, 2017

@b_outliers @WalkOffWalk1 @KevinMcAlpin Bronson Arroyo.

— Statline Scout (@tpierce625) May 13, 2017

@b_outliers @WalkOffWalk1 Bronson Arroyo

— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) May 13, 2017

@KevinMcAlpin @b_outliers @WalkOffWalk1 Brian Matusz

— Dayton from Nebraska (@BravesAmerica) May 13, 2017

It got me thinking - what would a team of "Two-Minute Braves" look like. The name simply refers to players who were with the organization for all of what seemed like two minutes. And because I clearly have nothing better to do, here I go down this rabbit hole.

Let's set some groundrules. To be eligible, the player must have been the property of the Braves, but never played for them. We'll make an exception for a short, un-noteworthy stint in the minors, but that's it. So with that out of the way, here are the Two-Minute Braves.

Catcher

Though his major league career includes just eight seasons, Dave Nilsson is one of the better success stories in baseball. The Brewers signed him out of Australia back in 1987 and five years later, he was in the majors. Always a good player with nice power, he developed over his final four years to bat .297/.375/.488 while becoming the first Australian to play in the All-Star Game in 1999. But his time in the majors was done. With the Summer Olympics coming to Sydney in 2000, Nilsson wanted to play for his country and no team was willing to give him time off during the summer to do so. He did attempt a comeback in 2004, signing with the Braves and playing 16 games with Richmond, but only had two extra-base hits before retiring from the American game for good. He did continue to play in Australia, though, and helped the Aussies win a Silver Medal in the '04 Olympics.

First Base
The latest addition to this team is Ryan Howard, who @Outliers above nominated. There's not much more to say about The Big Piece of Mediocrity at this point. The former MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Silver Slugger had a tremendous peak but hit .226/.292/.427 over the final five years.

Second Base

Buffa Lutheran (CC-BY-SA 2..0) via Wikipedia Commons

It looked like - and basically was - the end of the line for Wally Backman. A regular fixture of the Mets during the 80's, Backman had moved from the Twins-to-Pittsburgh-to-Philly over the previous four seasons heading into 1993 when the Braves inked him in late-January. He spent the spring with the Braves, but with Mark Lemke, Rafael Belliard, Jeff Blauser, and Bill Pecota in the mix, Backman found playing time sparse and was cut before the season. He signed with the Mariners next and played his final ten games of his career out west. As brief as his time was with the Braves and Mariners, he later had an even shorter run with the Diamondbacks - this time as their manager. Four days after being announced as their top guy after the '04 season was concluded, he was sacked for a string of legal worries, including domestic violence and drunk driving.

Shortstop
Sometimes, you just need a contract to facilitate a deal. Over the last couple of seasons, the Braves have used their financial flexibility to help deals happen and Mike Aviles is a prime example of the Braves doing so. He was picked up last August with Kade Scivicque in the Erick Aybar trade. It was all about the money as five days later, he was officially released. This weekend, he was promoted back to the bigs and in a twist of fate, his first games of 2017 came against his old buddies - the Braves.

Third Base
You take a chance on power and in Mat Gamel, the Braves were hoping for the best. Gamel was one of baseball's top prospects back in 2009. Baseball America named him the #34th best prospect in baseball. He would go on to bash eleven homers over 75 games in Triple-A while adding five more in the majors with a .242/.338/.422. But due to injuries, a hole in his swing, and more injuries, the stout left-handed hitter would not be able to establish himself in the bigs and played just 43 games in the majors over the next three seasons. The Cubs grabbed him after 2013, but he became a free agent shortly after and the Braves came calling. A few days into camp, though, the Braves released Gamel. He made a comeback bid in 2015 first with the Yankees and then with two Atlantic League stops, but failed to impress.

The Outfield

Keith Allison (CC BY SA2.0) via Flickr

I mentioned Carlos Quentin in my tweet so unsurprisingly, he makes my outfield. Quentin had a solid, though injury-shortened, six-year run between 2008 and 2013 in which he slashed .260/.356/.503. Things hit bottom in 2014 and with a season left on his contract, the Padres were anxious to cut bait. Meanwhile, the Braves were trying to get rid of their own salary issues with a closer making too much moolah on a rebuilding team (Craig Kimbrel) and an outfielder who forgot how to hit (Melvin Upton Jr.). The reason for Quentin's inclusion in the deal had everything to do with cash - in that, his contract was just as good as cash. When teams swap significant amounts of cash in deals, the baseball commissioner has to agree to the exchange. Rather than have a hold-up hours before the 2015 opener, the Braves took on Quentin's contract in lieu of sending $8M the Padres way to dump him themselves. A little more than a week later, the Braves cut Quentin. He's since spent a little time in the Mariners' minor league system and tried (and failed) to make the Twins and Red Sox rosters the last two springs.

Gary Matthews Jr. clearly had talent when the Braves picked him up off waivers following the '03 season. Sure, he was a lifetime .242/.324/.371 hitter at the time who had already bounced around five different organizations, but Matthews had flashed some potential with 14 homers in '01 and a .354 OBP and 15 steals the following year. He just needed somewhere to stick around. That was not the 2004 Braves. Atlanta opened the year with Chipper Jones in left, Andruw Jones in center, and J.D. Drew in right. Eli Marrero and DeWayne Wise helped to provide depth. By that point, Matthews had already been released. Chipper would last just two weeks before his first trip to the DL. Another trip to the trainers for Chipper, and Mark DeRosa's struggles at third, would open up left field, but since Matthews had already moved on, it was Chuck Thomas who took advantage. Meanwhile, Matthews landed in Texas and would excel over a three-year stint in Arlington. But Thomas helped the Braves get Tim Hudson so...winning.

My final outfielder for this group is Zoilo Almonte. One of the first signings of the Holy John Trinity regime, the belief was that Almonte would pair with Jonny Gomes to make a fine platoon. At least, I thought so. Instead, he looked awful in spring training and despite being gifted a major league deal, Almonte couldn't beat out non-roster invitees like Eric Young Jr. and Kelly Johnson. Rather than accept a minor league demotion, the outfielder wanted to be released and the Braves did just that. Almonte missed most of 2015 until winter ball and has settled into a big basher role in the Mexican League.

Designated Hitter
What? We might need one. Enter Russell Branyan, a Paul Bunyon-looking corner infielder from Warner Robbins, GA. Branyan was supposed to be yet another weapon the mid-to-late 90's Indians developed and he did blast 36 HR between 2000-01, but when he wasn't sending majestic moonshots into the atmosphere, he was making a lot of outs. The Indians sent him to the Reds midway through 2002 and after a year-and-a-half, the Reds non-tendered him. In early February of 2004, Atlanta signed him. At the time, the Braves had the rookie Adam LaRoche at first base with Julio Franco. They also had an opening in left field which the aforementioned Gary Matthews Jr. failed to secure. Branyan didn't make the squad and after a forgetful eleven-game run in Richmond, the Braves sent him to back to the Indians. He would play through 2014 and did hit 194 major league homeruns during his 14-year career.

Left-Handed Starter

By Ed Schipul [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

There was a time in the spring of 2015 where Wandy Rodriguez looked like he was beginning to put it back together. After a six-year run through 2013 with almost a thousand innings, over 800 strikeouts, and a decent 3.80 FIP ended with a release in 2014 following six ugly starts, Rodriguez came to Atlanta with a good chance to make the roster and hold down the fifth spot. Unfortunately, the inept Eric Stults was pitching just a bit better and the Braves kept him and cut Rodriguez. Both pitchers would play in 2015 and neither were very good - though Rodriguez's 4.33 FIP was a good run less than Stults.

Right-Handed Starter
While many of the players on this list were guys the Braves took a chance on only to watch them fail, Bronson Arroyo is a bit different. An innings-eater and nothing more, Arroyo had signed a big deal to join the Diamondbacks after eight years in Cincinnati. The typically durable righty made 14 starts before needing Tommy John surgery. By June of 2015, he was a year deep into his rehab and hopeful to pitch later that summer. That's when he found out he was headed to Atlanta. Or, at least the bulk of his remaining $15M due to him was going to Atlanta. The Braves had bought a first-round pick from the previous year's draft in the form of Touki Toussaint. All it cost them was Philip Gosselin and Arroyo's contract. Whether or not Arroyo would have ever thrown a pitch for Atlanta is debatable and also moot as a month later, he was included in the often-criticized Hector Olivera trade. He would never play for the Dodgers either. This spring, he resurfaced for the Reds and the now 40-year-old is in their starting rotation.

Left-Handed Reliever
In late May of last year, the Braves continued to find inventive ways to add draft choices. Packaging minor league arms Brandon Barker and Trevor Belicek together, the Braves acquired Brian Matusz and the #76th overall pick of last June's draft. Matusz, a former big prospect, had found his niche with the Orioles as a left-handed reliever. That was until the wheels came off early in 2016 for the southpaw. After the trade, the Braves quickly cut Matusz and he made one appearance - a start - with the Cubs last year. He gave up a half-dozen runs in three innings. He's now in the Diamondbacks system and still struggling to recapture his old glory. Belicek finished the year with the O's, but was cut at the end of spring training a few months ago. Barker's still around for them and pitching in Double-A. Finally, that draft choice was used on Brett Cumberland, who has one of the most interesting slash lines in baseball so far - .191/.433/.353.

Right-Handed Reliever
Preston Wilson, Warren Morris, and Kris Benson were a few of the top rookies in 1999 in the National League, but the winner of the Rookie of the Year award that season was a reliever. Twenty-two-year-old Scott Williamson, a righty who went to an All-Star Game just two years after being picked out of the ninth round. A starter in the minors, Williamson fulfilled a variety of roles for the '99 Reds. He shared closing duties with Danny Graves, saving 19 to Graves' 27. He was also a setup reliever and even long reliever, logging 93.1 innings over 62 games. He K'd 107 that season. He would pitch parts of four more seasons with the Reds, flashing excellence and briefly appearing as a starter. He also wore down due to injury. In 2003, Williamson was traded to the Red Sox which began an ever-increasing collection of jerseys as Williamson played for many cities - never for very long. After failing to make the Giants bullpen in '08, the Braves took a chance. Considering that year's bullpen relied on Jeff Bennett and Blaine Boyer to each throw 70 games, they needed all the help they could. Williamson, though, struggled over 15 games and was released. He would continue to pitch through 2011 with the last three years of his career in independent ball. He hung 'em up after 2011, four years after his last appearance in the bigs.

Special Hall of Fame Section
I've previously wrote about these three situations and didn't want to include them as members of this squad, but they are worth a mention.

First, for about a month in 1943, Lefty Gomez was a member of the Boston Braves. One of the most beloved Yankees of his time, Gomez was in the twilight of his career when the Braves bought him off the Bronx Bombers. The general manager at the time - Bob Quinn - had an odd connection to Gomez. His son was dating the cousin of Gomez's wife. Gomez spent a month on the bench - never getting into a game - before being replaced by one of the pitchers he had been mentoring.

Four years later, the Braves lost Hoyt Wilhelm in the minor league draft. Didn't know Wilhelm had been a Brave? That's okay - he barely was. When he was 25, his contract was purchased by the Boston Braves. They quickly lost him a month later in the minor league draft. I still don't understand how, but I'm betting it was an oversight.

Finally, let's move to 1966. With the draft split up to allow for both a summer and winter draft, the Braves selected Tom Seaver in the January section of the draft. A rising junior at USC, Seaver had been a tenth rounder the previous June, but chose not to sign with the Dodgers. The Braves took their chances and a few weeks later, they were in agreement on a $40,000 bonus to sign the righty. But there was a rule. You couldn't sign a player who played for a school that had already begun their season. USC's regular season hadn't begun, but their exhibition season had. The Braves were slapped with a fine and their contract with the righty was voided. Seaver had signed a contract, though, and was not ineligible to return to USC. So, a solution to the mess was reached. His $40K contract would be given to whatever team was willing to pay in and won a lottery. Three teams stepped up and it was the Mets whose name was picked out of a literal hat.

And that's my team. Do you think I missed a player who was a better fit? Let me know in the comments.

Best 5 Braves Drafts Since 2000 - #5

A little while back, I began the Top 5 and Worst 5 drafts for the Braves since 2000 with the fifth worst. However, I don't want to focus entirely on the bad because that would be both sad and really sad. With that in mind, today we go with the fifth best. Of course, the fourth worst draft is sitting waiting to be written after this one. I'll get to you eventually, Year to Be Announced.

Best/Worst Drafts since 2000
Worst: #5, 2009 | #4, 2004 | #3, 2013 | #2, 2011 | #1, 2001
Best: #5, 2010 | #4, 2015 | #3, 2007 | #2, 2002 | #1, 2000

Honorable Mentions go to the 2003 and 2005 drafts

5th Best Draft Since 2000...The 2010 Draft

Credit: Keith Allison via Flickr (Original)
Creative Commons License

A year after selecting a plethora of college-aged selections (20 of the first 22), the Braves attempted to strike a balance between an over-abundance of college and prep athletes. However, it was actually the college players they selected that made this draft what it was.

Unlike the previous season, the Braves didn't have a top pick in the first round. In fact, they had surrendered their first round selection in order to sign Billy Wagner from the Red Sox. However, they got back into the first round when the Orioles lost their mind and signed Mike Gonzalez to a big deal. Gonzo would pitch just 78 times for the Orioles over two years, but they still surrendered their second round pick (their first was protected) to sign a player who saved just two games for them and served up eight homeruns.

The compensation for Gonzalez meant they would select four times in the first 101 picks with #35, #53, #70, and #101. In 2009, they only drafted twice in the first 101 picks so Atlanta was looking forward to getting more talent even if they didn't have a marquee selection like they did the previous year. In another sign that the Braves were trying to straddle the edge between what they had done so often over the years with the safe & conservative new approach, Atlanta selected Matt Lipka with the #35 overall pick. An infielder out of McKinney High School in Texas, Lipka was an all-state wide receiver with gamebreaker speed. On the baseball diamond, he was a big athlete with a lot of toolsy potential. He was a callback to the days of drafting George Lombard and Andre King over more polished hitters.

With Lipka in the fold, the Braves went back to their college ways over the next seven picks. Highlights included Todd Cunningham, drafted 18 picks after Lipka, along with UVA's Phil Gosselin and Long Beach State Dirtbag Joey Terdoslavich. While they developed into AAAA/bench fodder, the Braves third pick and #70th overall became the class of the draft for Atlanta - shortstop Andrelton Simmons out of Western Oklahoma State College. The first round of 2010 included Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Matt Harvey, and Chris Sale in the first 13 picks, but there is a good argument that Simmons is the top non-first round pick from the draft. While a superb shortstop, it was his high heat on the mound that intrigued teams. However, Simmons wanted to stay in the field, which dropped him on many team's boards as his signability was a concern. Not for Atlanta, though. They told the young man to go play shortstop and prosper.

The Braves had big hopes for David Filak, a righty out of SUNY Oneonta. Keith Law gave Filak a second-round grade, but injury concerns chased off some teams from taking him higher. Atlanta spent their fourth rounder on him, hoping for gold. Other notable selections were 11th rounder Chasen Shreve along with Grants Pass, Oregon shortstop Brandon Drury, selected in the 13th round with the 404th pick. Ten rounds later, when the #704th pick was on the clock, Atlanta selected Texas-Permian Basin catcher and former Dallas-area janitor Evan Gattis.

It would be Gattis and Simmons who would play a big role in the Braves' chase for the 2013 NL East Title. Terdoslavich also received nearly a hundred plate appearances for that squad, but it was Gattis and Simmons who were prime players for the squad. Atlanta even moved Gattis to left field to try to get his bat in the lineup more. Meanwhile, Simmons was in the midst of maybe the most impressive defensive year in the history of baseball.

Where this draft falls short is in depth. While Simmons developed into a superstar (with his glove at least) and Gattis has popped 74 homeruns, the draft lacks an impact player beyond the duo. Gosselin is a fine bench player while Shreve is a competent left-hand reliever, but the only hope this draft has of producing another 2-to-4 win player comes in the form of Drury. Dealt in the Justin Upton trade, Drury made his major league debut last year and has been excellent this year for the Snakes in Arizona. It is very early, but if this draft is to look better than it already does, it rests on his shoulders.

Of the 51 players drafted in 2010, only two remain and both play outfield for Mississippi. Lipka, the first player selected, and 9th rounder David Rohm are still trying to realize their dream of being a major league player. Well, there is a third, but who knows if the Braves will ever give Richie Tate a second second chance after testing positive for PED for the second consecutive season?

Reviewing Hart's Trades: Gosselin for Touki

The Braves have been active in John Hart's first season at the helm to the tune of SIXTEEN TRADES! Sixteen deals involving major league talent going one direction or in both. Sixteen deals that include over 50 different players, a few draft picks, lots of cash, and two Uptons. It's been friggin unreal to see what the Braves have done.

With the season in our rear view, it's time to start reviewing each one of these trades. This series is going take a little while to get through, but hey, it gives me something to write about.

Trades Already Reviewed
La Stella for Vizcaino
Heyward/Walden for Miller/Jenkins
Varvaro for Kurcz
J. Upton for Jace Peterson and prospects
Carp/Shreve for Banulos
Kubitza/Hyatt for Sanchez
Gattis for Foltynewicz and Ruiz
Hale for Briceno
Elander for Cahill and Lots of Cash
The Craig Kimbrel Trade
Callaspo for Uribe

The Trade
Philip Gosselin to the Diamondbacks for Touki Toussaint and Bronson Arroyo

The Rationale
This one is easy to explain from Atlanta's point-of-view. They turned a backup infielder who had a .665 major league OPS to go with a minor league OPS of about .735 into a Top 100 prospect. The trouble is rationalizing this from the Diamondbacks' perspective.

Kevin C. Cox | Getty Images

On one end, the Diamondbacks shed about $10M in salary with this move from the roughly $5.5M Arroyo was owed for the remainder of 2015, plus a $4.5M buyout for 2016. So, there was some payroll flexibility here. And maybe Arizona had second thoughts on Toussaint a year after drafting him with the #16th overall pick of the 2014 draft. At the time of the draft, you could argue that Toussaint had as high of a ceiling as any other pitcher in that draft. The question was how far was he from reaching it because he was so raw.

But even with those potential concerns, the Diamondbacks essentially sold a great prospect to the Braves and in an environment where there are caps on draft slots and international bonus money, acquiring a guy a year removed from being a first round pick without having to pay from any of the pools of money that go to draft picks and signings was a coup for the Braves.

Losing Gosselin only hurt because Goose was a likeable high-effort guy who made the most out of not having a lot of talent. He had hit .266 the previous year while spelling Tommy La Stella against lefties and had got off to a good start in 2015 before fracturing his thumb about a month before this trade was completed.

Short-Term Results
Gosselin did make it back for a 24-game run to finish the year and hit the cover off the ball (.303/.382/.545). Chances are not good that 17% of his flyballs continue to leave the park, though Gosselin did do a better job at elevating the ball when he returned to live action.

Arroyo never played for the Braves and was later traded to the Dodgers in a mega deal that will be discussed soon enough. That one's going to take a lot of words.

Only 18, Toussaint continued to pitch A-ball after the trade. In ten games with Rome, he struggled with his control (6.1 BB/9) and gave up too many homers. There were times where he showed his A-game, though. On July 20, Toussaint faced Lakewood and shut them down over six hitless innings where he walked four and struck out eight. However, his next start was a nine-run stinker where he pitched just 3.1 ING. He was shut down for precautionary reasons in late August, which only cost him a start or two. His last game was a six-inning quality start where he gave up just one run and struck out five.

Long-Term Outlook
I suppose Goose could surprise us all and continue to hit, but I imagine he'll see his numbers travel toward a .700 OPS. He's got value as a super utility guy who can play short in a pinch and has moved out to left field. He even played some center during spring training. He's a guy who it's easy to root for even if he plays for the Diamondbacks now.

Arroyo has some post-2015 effect on the Braves depending on how their accounting works. As part of the Dodgers covering all of Hector Olivera's contract, the Braves chipped in to pay all but $500K of the remaining $3.4M on his 2015 salary. The Braves are also responsible for the $4.5M buyout for 2016.

But this trade comes down to Touki. Dave Stewart, when he defended this deal, balked at someone saying Touki could get it up to 96 mph. Maybe he was mad that someone short-changed Touki, who reached 98 with Rome. While he remains incredibly raw and won't have his training wheels taking off any time soon, the Braves have a lot of reason to love Toussaint and what he brings. He has ace potential in his right arm, but control will determine how close he comes to reaching it. One promising thing is that his pitches show flashes of greatness. The hard velocity with his fastball will get outs if he can control it. His changeup has a mature deception to it where he maintains his arm speed, but it too often misses high (translation: ball go far when that happens). His third pitch, a curve, has great biting action when he controls it and might become his best strikeout pitch

Regardless if Touki becomes a middle reliever or a starter at the major league level, this deal was a win by just taking a chance on him. He's got a chance to be tremendous and the Diamondbacks just gave him away. If the Craig Kimbrel trade wasn't the best deal the Braves completed since Frank Wren's firing, buying Touki off the D'Backs was.

As an aside, if you piggy-back this onto the Travor Cahill and Victor Reyes trades (the latter I didn't profile), the Braves effectively turned Josh Elander, Reyes, Gosselin, and about $15M in cash into Cahill, Arroyo, Touki, and the 75th overall pick of the 2015 draft - A.J. Minter, who missed his first season coming back from Tommy John. To put that into another streamlined way, they turned depth players into a pair of high-end prospects. You do that every day of the week if you can.

See ya, Todd Cunningham!

It was a bit of an odd development on Friday to learn that Todd Cunningham had been waived by the Atlanta Braves - let alone lost on waivers to the Angels. After all, it was kind of those moves that the Braves didn't have to make, chose to make, and it makes zero sense from the outside. It's like deciding to throw away the milk a week before its expiration date. Sure, you bought new milk to replace it and yeah, you opened the new milk when you were half-asleep and making cereal, but you could have found some use for the old milk, no? The Braves certainly have replacements for Cunningham. He was unlikely to be in the mix for 2015, would have been out of options, and if the Braves wish to have a fourth outfielder around, I'm sure Dian Toscano will eventually work out (totally not kidding). But to lose Cunningham now? A confusing move.

G Fiume | Getty Images

Cunningham wasn't the only guy the Braves outrighted after the year was over. Joining him were Ryan Kelly, Ryan Lavarnway, and Sugar Ray Marimon. It didn't seem like the Braves needed the 40-man room.

But in the end, Cunningham is gone. He was a second round choice in 2010 out of Jacksonville State. The 2010 draft will always have good value because it includes Andrelton Simmons, but of the first five players selected by the Braves, only Simmons and Cunningham have made it to the majors. Cunningham represented the old Braves way of high-floor guys with limited upside. For what it's worth, Gondeee made the contention recently that the Braves selected players like Cunningham so high because the draft was supposed to yield depth talent to help the major league club. In that way, they were successful, but they failed to produce a lot of impact talent. Cunningham was on the list of decent enough talent, but a limited ceiling. At his best, he would have been an okayish outfielder with decent enough on-base skills, little pop, and good enough base-stealing ability to threaten 20 steals in a season. That player has value, but typically won't be good enough to be a starter on a team with much hope of competing.

Cunningham skipped rookie ball after his 2010 selection and went to Rome. He was a mature and smart player so that made sense. He OPS'd .679, the first of three seasons (out of six) that he would fail to OPS .700. After the season, he would head to Lynchburg and though Cunningham missed time, he was part of Hillcats roster that started several future Braves (Joey Terdoslavich at first, Philip Gosselin at second, Simmons at short, Christian Bethancourt eventually at catcher). Cunningham played in 87 games and had a .701 OPS with 4 HR and 14 steals. After the year, the Braves sent him to the Arizona Fall League with Bethancourt, Terdo, and other Braves to play on the Surprise Saguaros with Wil Myers and Mike Olt. The latter hit 13 homers in 27 games. That's crazy.

After a pretty unspectacular AFL, Cunningham played in Mississippi during 2012 and had his best season. He hit .309 with a .364 OBP while adding 23 doubles, 6 triples, and three homers to go with his personal-best of 24 steals. With Michael Bourn heading to free agency, Cunningham had a little buzz as a possible replacement in center field, but that was shattered by the free agent signing of B.J. Melvin Upton Jr. Cunningham went to Gwinnett to open 2013 and struggled. His OBP of .342 was fine, but it's hard to get excited about any player whose SLG is lower than his OBP, especially when Cunningham didn't have enough speed to make up for it. He did get his first trip to the majors and went 2-for-8.

2014 would be a trying season for Cunningham. He had the second-best year of his career and hit a solid .287 with a career-best eight homeruns, but couldn't get a look in the big leagues. Upton Jr. started 135 games in center while Emilio Bonifacio and Jordan Schafer started the rest of the games. Hardly the best collection of talent, yet Cunningham received no look. Not even a callup. Even when the season went to hell in the second half, the Braves didn't think Cunningham was deserving of a callup despite rosters expanding and being on the 40-man roster. It was a curious decision.

This season, Cunningham had a pretty ugly season with Gwinnett. His .663 OPS ranks as his worst minor league OPS and his full season mark is made worse by his major league numbers, but there was a time this year when Cunningham looked like he was deserving of an extended look. After Kelly Johnson hit the DL in mid-May, Cunningham was called up and his first four games went like this:

3-for-4, 2 RS, 2B, RBI, SB
3-for-4, 1 RS
2-for-4, 1 RS
1-for-3, 1 RS, 2B

It was a great, unsustainable, surprising start for Cunningham. Over his next 22 games, including 12 starts, Cunningham slashed .143/.226/.179 before being banished back to the minors. He was called up briefly in August for a game before returning to the Braves in September, but received just two starts the rest of the way, including a single to lead off the seventh in the season's final game. He scored on a Bourn hit and it was the final at-bat of his Braves career.

Overall, Cunningham hit .221 in 86 at-bats this year and has a major league slash of .223/.277/.266 in 101 PA. Losing him seems weird because it didn't seem like the Braves had to lose him right this second, but it doesn't look like much of a loss. That's not to say Cunningham can't occasionally have a season like Darren Bragg had in 2002 for the Braves when the failed prospect hit .269/.347/.401 with 3 HR in 240 PA. Cunningham seems like a well-liked guy so I kind of hope that he does, but the Braves were probably going to have to shuffle him off the 40-man roster at some point anyway.

You can keep up with Cunningham by following his Twitter.

Once a Brave, Always a Brave - NL West

This week's return to Once a Brave focuses on a division with a lot of ex-Braves. The Braves have completed two deals with the D'Backs since March, two with the Dodgers since May, one with the Rockies, and a pair of pretty big deals with the Padres. Therefore, we have a lot of NL West guys to check in on. As usual, this list is not exhaustive and if you catch a player I missed, feel free to let me know.

Arizona Diamondbacks
P Randall Delgado - No longer even a consideration to start, Delgado just recently went to the DL with a sprained ankle. Before that, he had a 2.76 ERA, though other metrics aren't as impressed (3.71 SIERA).

C Gerald Laird - He played in one game this before hitting the DL because of his back. Five months later, he's still there.

C Jarrod Saltalamacchia - This is Salty's second stop this year after the Marlins showed him the door. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with the Mendoza Line since coming to Arizona which, amazingly, is an improvement. He's just 30 years old.

2B Philip Gosselin - He remains on the shelf, though I imagine a rehab stint is coming soonish.

SS Nick Ahmed - It's astounding that the Diamondbacks, who have a good chance of competing for a playoff spot, are sticking with Ahmed at short. But hey, he did go 4-for-4 yesterday to increase his OBP from .280 to .289. In Arizona's defense, Ahmed is a pretty stout defender at shortstop.

3B Brandon Drury (AAA) - Of all the guys the Braves traded to the Diamondbacks two years ago, Drury was the guy I immediately wished could have stayed with Atlanta. Yes, I was more okay with getting rid of Martin Prado than Drury. On the year, Drury is hitting around .300 with just four homeruns while moving from AA to AAA more than a month ago. He's coming off a .299 season with 23 HR.

Colorado Rockies
P Yohan Flande - The Dominican lefty pitched for three years in the Braves system and logged 95 games with the organization - all but one with Gwinnett - and during the 2012 spring training, Flande looked like he might be first in line to fill the void created by Jonny Venters' injuries. However, the Braves sent him back to Gwinnett. That's about as close as he ever came to pitching for the Braves. He's appeared in 25 games over the last two seasons, including a dozen starts, for the Rockies and hasn't been all that bad (3.90 FIP).

P David Hale - I never liked Hale much as a Brave, but I still wouldn't wish a groin strain on him, but that's why he hit the DL after his last outing. That outing was a win in relief. Against the Braves. Yeah, whatever. Hale recently stunk in a rehab start and has a 5.69 ERA this season for the Rox.

P Jair Jurrjens (AAA) - Yep, he's still around and he has been putrid this season for Albuquerque (6.68 ERA in 14 games, 13 starts). He turns 30 next January, but the the 2011 All-Star has only thrown 65 innings in the majors since the end of 2011. He's got a 7.20 ERA when he has been used.

P Gus Schlosser (AA) - Schlosser has had such an interesting career. He was so good in 2013 and parleyed that into a good run the following spring to earn a spot in the pen. The results weren't all that pretty...in fact, they were pretty bad, but Schlosser did accomplish something kinda cool. He got a hit in his only plate appearance. He was non-tendered after the year for "reasons," but the Braves snatched him back up before trading him with Hale to the Rockies. Love ya, Gus!

Los Angeles Dodgers
P Bronson Arroyo - Is there some kind of record for number of teams whose DL's a player has been on in one year?

P Luis Avilan  - He's still waiting to make his first appearance. His last outing with the Braves was against the Orioles when he surrendered an extra-innings walk-off homer.

P Brandon Beachy (AAA) - It was a cool story that Beachy made it back, but after two starts, he was DFA'd as a result of the moves the Dodgers made. He decided to stick around the Dodgers' system.

P Trevor Cahill (AAA) - Did the Dodgers sign every ex-Brave? Cahill stunk and is still getting a decent amount from the Braves to be awful in AAA. Aces!

P Caleb Dirks (AA) - Don't look now, but the Juan Uribe trade may ultimately hurt a little. Dirks, who was picked up in the 15th round last year, started this year in Rome and has added time with Carolina, Rancho Cucamonga, and most recently - Tulsa. His ERA is under 1.00 for the year with well over a K an inning.

P Juan Jaime (AA) - Not news: Jaime can't stop walking people.

P Jim Johnson - In his first game, Johnson did exactly what he did in his final game with the Braves. He gave up a run. A home run to be exact which led to the Angels tying the game up in the 8th. Starting the game for the Angels was Cory Rasmus. Former Braves everywhere!

P Eric Stults (AA) - On the bright side, Stults, who joined the Dodgers as a AA pitcher, had made it back to AAA. I don't think I used "bright side" correctly. Unfortunately, because Beachy came back to AAA, Stults got pushed back to AA. Whole world is unfair.

P Ian Thomas (AAA) - The former independent league pitcher got his first major league start with the Dodgers earlier this year. He's been up a couple of times for the Dodgers, but mostly has been pretty bad in Oklahoma City.

P Alex Wood - On the night Jimmy Rollins returns to Philly, there won't be much of a spotlight on Wood, but he'll make his Dodgers debut against the Phils tonight. Former Brave Jeff Francoeur has had some luck against Wood in his career.

2B Jose Peraza - The former Braves top prospect has already added a homerun during his Dodgers organization run, his fourth overall of the year. He had five coming into this year. It's going to be interesting to see if Peraza sticks with the Dodgers long-term. With Howie Kendrick and Rollins free agents, the Dodgers could consider a Peraza/Corey Seager combo up the middle.

3B Alberto Callaspo - How does this guy stick around? He's OPS'd .609 since the trade.

San Francisco Giants
P Tommy Hanson (AAA) - Yep, he's around. In fact, there might be a game this year where Jurrjens and Hanson face one another. It's like the "What If" Bowl. Or maybe the "remember when these guys were our future?" Of course, that's under the belief Hanson doesn't get cut beforehand because he has been lit up in his first five starts with Sacramento.

P Tim Hudson - His back or his shoulder or his toe hurts so he's on the DL because it's fun to blatantly use the disabled list as a place to stick veterans when you don't have room for them. He wasn't that good before the "injury" and will retire at the end of the year.

IF Brandon Hicks (AAA) - A former 3rd rounder by the Braves out of Texas A&M, Hicks made it to the majors in 2010-11 with the Braves, but was extra-strength bad in a small amount of at-bats. After a stint in Oakland, he had a small run last year before reality set in. He's missed most of this year, but recently made it back to the active roster.

OF Gregor Blanco - He just keeps plugging along and has kept his OPS close to .800 this year. Pretty good year for a guy who was one traded for Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth.

San Diego Padres
P Craig Kimbrel - His strikeout numbers are a little down (3.5% from last year) and a .289 BABIP has made him a little more hittable than usual. Still, while this could easily go down as his worst season, he's posted a 2.22 SIERA and 2.49 xFIP. I'd say that's still pretty good.

P Aaron Northcraft (AAA) - Also known as half of what the Padres got for Jace Peterson, Mallex Smith, Dustin Peterson, and Max Fried. Northcraft once threw a seven-inning no-hitter for the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2012, but never seemed to be a guy the Braves consider a real player in their system. He started this year in El Paso and stunk. A trip back to AA was successful, but he's been hit hard in his return to El Paso. He won't give up a lot of homers even in the Pacific Coast League due to his downward movement, but that won't stop hitters from reaching.

IF Ramiro Pena (AAA) - He's been an everyday player in El Paso where he has hit .312 this season while logging time at three infield positions. Because San Diego is who they are, Pena can't find a spot on the roster that has graciously given 264 PA to Alexi Amarista and his magical .576 OPS.

OF Justin Upton - He got off to a good start, but his overall numbers are pretty sad - even though he has been great at swiping bases. Upton turns 28 this month and has a good chance to enter free agency with his second sub-.800 OPS in the last four years. His free agency case will be interesting to watch in case someone overspends for potential over results. Amazingly, he's been great at Petco (.911 OPS) and awful on the road.

OF Melvin Upton Jr. - He's hitting better with the Padres than he ever did with the Braves. He's hitting .218. That said, getting his walk rate back to his days with the Rays has upped his OBP over .300 for the first time since 2011. He's been worth 0.6 fWAR this year. His fWAR with the Braves - 0.3. Slacker.

Welcome to the Bigs, Adonis!

It was a depressing development to see that Phil Gosselin, or Goose, was headed to the disabled list with a fractured thumb. Gosselin had gotten off to a pretty good start, hitting .325, with a pair of steals. With the injury to Chris Johnson, Gosselin looked like a good bet to receive a decent amount of playing time. Of course, this being the Braves, when he hit the DL, a lot of us wondered if the Braves would start the Jose Peraza era, but that's not happening right now. Instead, the Braves purchased the contract of Adonis Garcia, which leaves us with one simple question. Who the hell is Adonis Garcia?

Garcia played in the Cuban National Series for seven years until leaving the country in 2011 and playing ball in the Venezuelan Winter League. While there were rumors of a big payday in his future, he simply lacked the profile of a player who might be the kind of game changer teams spent eight figures on. He ultimately received a one year, $400K offer from the Yankees and he joined their minor league system. The then-27 year-old played in both Tampa and Trenton two months later. He both underwhelmed in Tampa and looked intriguing in Trenton after being promoted (.817 OPS).

In 2013, he missed some action early before joining the Gulf Coast League for a six game rehab assignment before joining Scranton over the last couple of months. He slashed .256/.312/.357, taking away any kind of star he had at that point. He did hit well as a 29 year-old the following year, slashing .319/.353/.474 with 20 2B, 3 3B, and 9 HR. He also swiped eleven bases, but wasn't in position to earn a promotion to the majors.

Garcia's chances of sticking with the Yankees became less likely this offseason when the Yankees added Chris Young and Garrett Jones. With other players in the mix at AAA, Garcia was without a job completely and was released at the end of spring training. He didn't remain unemployed long though. Four days later, he joined the Braves and was assigned to Gwinnett. He's gotten off to a great start in the International League and has hit .351 with 11 2B, a homer, and a pair of steals.

While most tweets involving Garcia yesterday called him an infielder, he's actually a utility guy. Over the last two seasons, he's played all three outfield positions plus 37 games at third base. He also has experience at second base. He has enough gap power that if he is able to utilize it, he could be a promising guy off the bench for a few years. Essentially, he's a worthwhile replacement for Gosselin on that front and deserves a look considering how well he's hit in the International League the last two years. It'll be up to him how long he sticks. After all, the fun thing about being a poor team is that everyone has a chance to stick.

Random Prospect Sunday: Rundown

Once again this season, each Sunday (probably), I will look at a random prospect from the Braves system. A few will be stars, some will be journeymen, others will be organizational filler. The basics of the series is simple. Using Baseball-Reference's list of minor league players and Random.org's number generator, I alternate position players and pitchers to find a player to write about. Sometimes, especially if there's little available information, I'll skip the player, but mostly, I go with what I'm given. It's a fun series that gives a little attention to guys who probably are rarely written about outside of game recaps. Let's see who I've written about before and if I know, where are they now?

2012

Catcher Braeden Schlehuber - Profile
...an organizational guy, Schlehuber can't seem to leave Mississippi. He's spent the greater part of the last three years there and he might be headed back for all I know (though recent transactions may get him to Gwinnett finally). Appeared in eleven games with the big league club this spring.

Pitcher Luis Avilan - Profile
...no one received a bigger Walk Off Walk bump than Avilan, who made his debut in the majors less than a month after I profiled him as the second player in the Random Prospect series. Avilan has spent most of the last two-and-a-half years in the majors, but struggled last year. He was good enough this spring (and the others sucked enough) so Avilan is back in the majors. He's still never thanked me.

Catcher Matt Kennelly - Profile
...a fairly common addition to this series is organizational catchers. Kennelly, like Schlehuber, has seen a lot of Mississippi, but unlike Schlehuber, the Aussie has played in Gwinnett and even spent some time in the Reds organization. He returned in 2014 and saw some action this spring with the Braves.

Pitcher Matt Talley - Profile
...Talley was a 28th rounder out of The Citadel in 2011, but his time with the Braves ended about a week after I profiled him. I guess he got the complete opposite of the bump I gave Avilan. After finishing 2012 with the White Sox, his career was over. He's not a "transmission engineer."

Third Baseman Joe Leonard - Profile
...I've never seen such a big guy show so little power. Leonard was a bust out of Pitt who was all-glove and could never really hit. In five years, the 6'5", 220 pound imposing monster hit 23 homers. He was cut in January.

Pitcher Ian Marshall - Profile
...the success rate of a guy drafted out of the 40th round is pretty low and Marshall hasn't been able to help it go higher. In three years, including one robbed by injury, Marshall struggled with homers and missing enough bats. After the Braves cut him, he's spent the last two years with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, though he's not on their roster right now.

2013

Second Baseman Ross Heffley - Profile
...there was a time where Heffley was getting some Marcus Giles-like love. An 18th rounder out of Western Carolina, Heffley made a successful jump from college to Rome in 2012, but as if someone flipped a switch, he forgot how to hit. He was cut after 2013 and hasn't played since.

Pitcher Ryan Buchter - Profile
...my second major league lefty who got to the majors after I profiled him, Buchter's success in the majors has been pretty short so far. He appeared in one game on June 20th, pitching a quiet 12th inning against the Nats. After Atlanta scored twice, Buchter got the win and soon was returned to the minors. Atlanta outrighted him after the season and he has since signed with the Dodgers, but didn't make their opening day roster.

Shortstop Jose Peraza - Profile
...yes, it is possible for this series to profile real prospects and Peraza was really the first one I had. Of course, we all know the story at this point. He was optioned to Gwinnett a couple of weeks ago after an underwhelming camp, but he will be back and maybe even this summer.

Pitcher J.R. Graham - Profile
...it was a little surprising who was kept on the 40-man roster this offseason over protecting Graham, who naturally was picked by the Twins. He's a former Top 100 prospect, but at the same time, he has hit a wall in both terms of a dropping velocity and staying healthy. He has made the Twins roster, though he was hardly impressive this spring.

First Baseman William Beckwith - Profile
...here's a lesson for you. Don't get into legal trouble if you are a non-prospect. That's what happened with Beckwith, who was solid with Rome in 2012, but was arrested for a DUI with Lynchburg the following year. A suspension followed and the organization released Beckwith soon after. He caught on with Washington, but not the Nationals. The Washington Wild Things, whose pitching coach last year was Kevin Gryboski. I only know that because Grysboski was a member of my other random series. Beckwith's not on their roster next year.

Pitcher Alex Wilson - Profile
...quick question: who led Braves minor leaguers in saves last season? Juan Jaime. Who was second? My boy, Wilson. A 15th rounder in 2012, Wilson has steadily moved up the ladder with impeccable control and enough K's to get consideration as a borderline prospect. He's a guy to keep an eye on with Mississippi.

First Baseman Casey Kalenkosky - Profile
...Ory had some promise, but his lack of power was killing his chances to stick at first. Atlanta saw that and tried Ory at catcher during 2013, but apparently was not impressed enough to bring him back last year. He has also worked at the Bowie Baseball Academy with former Brave, Micah Bowie.

Pitcher Carlos Perez - Profile
...I really wanted Perez to develop into the pitcher he seemed capable of becoming, but injuries are difficult enough to deal with when you can locate your pitches, which Perez too often could not. He was recently cut by the Braves.

Shortstop Elmer Reyes - Profile
...it kind of amazes me that a middle infielder without any power can have a BB/K output like 12/93 as Reyes had last year. A thoroughly unexciting prospect, I wonder if Reyes will be desiginated for assignment today as the Braves look for room on their 40-man. He's got a decent stick, but no power and no discipline combined with little speed makes for a guy who needs a perfect set of circumstances to get to the bigs.

Pitcher Omar Poveda - Profile
...for a day, I really wanted to see Poveda in the majors. But it didn't happen and he moved on to the Nationals organization (via a trade with the White Sox), where he would struggle. Not sure where he landed this offseason.

2014

Utility Player Philip Gosselin - Profile
...Goose became my first player to have already played in the majors to make this series. He also would soon get back to the majors after I profiled him and received a decent amount of playing time for the Braves. He followed that up by making the roster this spring. You're welcome, Phil.

Pitcher Andry Ubiera - Profile
...a late international signing in 2010, Ubiera struggled in his efforts with Rome last year and received a demotion to Danville to finish the year. Still a raw pitcher, Ubiera's time is now if he's going to make any kind of difference.

Outfielder Kyle Wren - Profile
...a speedy 4th outfielder type, Wren was doomed by the firing of his father. He didn't receive much of a look with the Brewers this spring, but could get to the majors at some point even if it's just a cup of coffee.

Pitcher Jarrett Miller - Profile
...with almost 300 innings in the book in the Carolina League, Miller has shown that there is little that sets him apart from being durable. The Braves concurred and recently released Miller.

Outfielder David Nick - Profile
...picked up for depth last season, Nick gave Lynchburg a boost with his .294 average, but as the Diamondbacks had done before, Nick was released last December among a bunch of cuts.

Pitcher Nate Hyatt - Profile
...I rather liked Hyatt's potential, especially with tempting K/9's above 10, but that tends to also attract attention. He was part of the January trade to acquire Ricardo Sanchez, but most focused on Kyle Kubitza.

First Baseman/Outfielder Joey Terdoslavich - Profile
...armed with a tremendous nickname, we have seen both the good and bat out of Terdo. He came onto the scene with a wonderful 2012 in the Carolina League, fell to pieces with an ill-advised attempted move to third in 2013, and started poorly before a strong finish in 2014. He looked like he was a shoe-in for the opening day roster this year, but a wrist injury torpedo'd his chances.

Pitcher Andy Otero - Profile
...our final Random Prospect is an iffy reliever who was a bit too hittable last year with Rome. Still, he is on Carolina's roster right now so it looks like the Braves still have some hope in him. And since the majority of the 2014 Random Prospect class has moved on, I'll take solace in at least Otero remaining to help the 2015 class get acclimated. Yeah, I don't know what that meant, either.