Lost in all of the talk about trading for a front-of-the-rotation type...lost in all of the talk about last year's infield fly rule call that was truly embarrassing...lost in all of the ridiculous talk about the new Waffle House at Turner Field...
Mike Minor out-pitched Adam Wainwright and shut down the most talked about offense in the game. Let's be honest, how sick were you to keep hearing about the Cardinals' average with runners in scoring position? A lefty that most Braves fans were depressed to get when he was drafted in 2009 showed that he has the skills to face the best pitchers in this game. Against my better judgement, I, too, have parroted the line that the Braves don't have the arm to match up with this game's best in a Game One environment. At least in last night's game, Minor more than proved he had the skills.
In 103 pitches, Minor toyed with the Cardinals lineup. When the Cardinals got runners into scoring position, they couldn't do much to get them around. Outside of a badly located ball that Yadier Molina took out to center field, Minor was almost without error. He allowed four hits, struck out five, and gave up that one solo homerun. It was the seventh start this season that Minor didn't walk a batter.
Overall, he lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.89 while pairing that with a 3.29 FIP, 8.4 K/9, and a ridiculously low 1.8 BB/9. He entered the day 22nd in fWAR. Not sure what yesterday's outing will do to that, but he will likely be in the Top 20.
There are a lot of different ideas as to what an "ace" actually is. However, if the Braves do head into the last two months and hopefully a long playoff run with Minor at the head of their rotation, outings like Friday night will continue to provide confidence for the Braves faithful who desperately want another shot at the World Series. If the Braves win the Series this year, the name of Mike Minor seems likely to be a household one.
Better get that extension offer for the Super 2 arbitration-eligible Minor, Frank Wren.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Twitter Feed: July 27
Happy Saturday all.
-Jim Bowden mentions that Kyle Lohse has been hot of late and should he be a trade target for the Braves? The Brewers right-hander notably struggled to find a deal in the offseason after the Cardinals gave him qualifying offer. He received 3 years, $33M right before the season from Milwaukee and they would need his permission to deal him this soon after signing a contract. Doubt the Braves are interested in that contract, even if Lohse has been his usual decent self.
-In addition to the names of Lohse and Jake Peavy, Royals right-hander Ervin Santana was thrown around as a possible trade target, tweets Mark Bowman. Ken Rosenthal says the Royals are interested in major-league ready talent. Santana would be a rental and the Braves are unlikely to pay a premium for him and the Royals would need talent in return for Santana considering they can simply place a qualifying offer on him after the season. Just don't see a match here. Braves won't offer one of their ready starters for a guy they are unlikely to retain after this season.
-Too many have brought up Bud Norris as a possibility. Yesterday, spoke of how the Braves need a guy to put at the head of the rotation. Norris screams average, okay, meh, not awful. He is in badly need of a third pitch. The slider is solid and something off-speed would do a lot for his 92-93 mph velocity, but his changeup is rarely used and often pulverized when it is. If you are going to make a trade, shouldn't you make one for someone clearly better than Paul Maholm?
-Elsewhere, Jayson Stark's sources make it clear the Braves are unlikely to acquire a starter because Frank Wren is not willing to pay the price. Bowman says he is. Rosenthal says the Braves likely won't. WHO IS RIGHT?
-From DOB, both B.J. Upton and Jordan Schafer did their running before the game Friday. For Upton, it was more of the same. However, for Schafer it was a first.
-Finally, an Hudson update from Rosenthal. The surgery Hudson went under was to repair fractured fibula and deltoid ligament in right ankle. Takes about four months to rehab so he could be ready by December. If he returns, he should have a good portion of the offseason at full health as he tries to secure employment for 2014.
-Jim Bowden mentions that Kyle Lohse has been hot of late and should he be a trade target for the Braves? The Brewers right-hander notably struggled to find a deal in the offseason after the Cardinals gave him qualifying offer. He received 3 years, $33M right before the season from Milwaukee and they would need his permission to deal him this soon after signing a contract. Doubt the Braves are interested in that contract, even if Lohse has been his usual decent self.
-In addition to the names of Lohse and Jake Peavy, Royals right-hander Ervin Santana was thrown around as a possible trade target, tweets Mark Bowman. Ken Rosenthal says the Royals are interested in major-league ready talent. Santana would be a rental and the Braves are unlikely to pay a premium for him and the Royals would need talent in return for Santana considering they can simply place a qualifying offer on him after the season. Just don't see a match here. Braves won't offer one of their ready starters for a guy they are unlikely to retain after this season.
-Too many have brought up Bud Norris as a possibility. Yesterday, spoke of how the Braves need a guy to put at the head of the rotation. Norris screams average, okay, meh, not awful. He is in badly need of a third pitch. The slider is solid and something off-speed would do a lot for his 92-93 mph velocity, but his changeup is rarely used and often pulverized when it is. If you are going to make a trade, shouldn't you make one for someone clearly better than Paul Maholm?
-Elsewhere, Jayson Stark's sources make it clear the Braves are unlikely to acquire a starter because Frank Wren is not willing to pay the price. Bowman says he is. Rosenthal says the Braves likely won't. WHO IS RIGHT?
-From DOB, both B.J. Upton and Jordan Schafer did their running before the game Friday. For Upton, it was more of the same. However, for Schafer it was a first.
-Finally, an Hudson update from Rosenthal. The surgery Hudson went under was to repair fractured fibula and deltoid ligament in right ankle. Takes about four months to rehab so he could be ready by December. If he returns, he should have a good portion of the offseason at full health as he tries to secure employment for 2014.
2009 Braves : 2013 Nationals
The Nationals lost in the first game of a double-header against the Mets 11-0 on Friday. The loss dropped them to 49-54. Still, media types are curious when this Nationals ballclub will start making good on the promise that prompted many to slot them as the preseason favorite to win the NL East. Recently, the Nationals tried to jump-start the team by firing their hitting coach, but it hasn't helped.
Very few current Braves can sympathize, but those members of the 2009 Braves seem to know what it's like to increase expectations and fail so spectacularly. While the Nationals increased what everyone thought they were capable of with their 2012 division-winning campaign, in 2009, the Braves raised the expectations of fans and the media with an active winter that included the signings of Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, and the trade of Javier Vazquez to surround the young Jair Jurrjens. They also added veteran Garret Anderson before spring training. The Braves were considered challengers to the Phillies, who sought to defend their first World Series championship since 1993.
But things quickly derailed for the Braves. The team lacked power, relying heavily on base hits and walks to overcome that power outage. Brian McCann led the team with 21 homers, a total that doesn't seem likely to be in the top three on the current Braves. Jeff Francoeur fell on his face and was replaced with the forgetful Ryan Church. Kelly Johnson struggled and was replaced with Martin Prado. Jordan Schafer excelled. For a game before being replaced eventually by Nate McLouth. Tom Glavine was supposed to be the fifth starter, but never got healthy and Tommy Hanson replaced him causing Glavine to be was released without making a start.
Atlanta fell to four games back on July 5th after a loss to the Nationals and just kinda floated between four games back and 8.5 games back, briefly falling to nine games back for one day. They never threatened, never seemed to be awful. After their 103rd game, comparable to the Nationals this season, Atlanta was 52-51, three games better than the Nats. They would actually finish strong, 34-25, behind strong runs from Adam LaRoche and Lowe. However, that helped them gain all of a game on the division-winning Phillies.
The Nationals have been four games back or worse since May 21st and coming into the Friday night game, they trailed Atlanta by 8.5 games. A lot has made on twitter about what the Nationals would have to do to catch the Braves. For instance, if the Braves played their final 60 games with a 30-30 record, to catch the Braves, the Nationals would have to go 38-21. If the Braves go 35-25, the Nationals would have to go 43-16. And so on and so on.
But to me, the Nationals are the 2009 Braves. They're good. That Braves team went on to win 86 games. However, Washington is not a great team and have shown zero signs of turning it around and why should they? It was unlikely Ross Detweiler was going to have another career year. Seemed doubtful that LaRoche would go all super-LaRoche in a walk year again. And why should anyone expect Denard Span to be tremendous when looking at his recent history? And was grabbing Rafael Soriano, also a member of that '09 Braves team, supposed to be the finishing piece?
The Nationals can't hit. They have been comically bad, scoring 379 runs in their first 103 games, an average of 3.68 R/G. Their pitching has been good, but like the team overall, not great. In fact, after the first game Friday, their run differential is -40. The '09 Braves were actually a better team when compared to that. But the '09 Phillies played better than the Braves so that evens out.
Over a full season, the Nationals will be in the running. I imagine they will finish at .500 or better. They might even have a couple of good weeks here and there. But they no longer deserve the scoreboard watching Braves fans give them. They weren't the team the media made them to be.
Very few current Braves can sympathize, but those members of the 2009 Braves seem to know what it's like to increase expectations and fail so spectacularly. While the Nationals increased what everyone thought they were capable of with their 2012 division-winning campaign, in 2009, the Braves raised the expectations of fans and the media with an active winter that included the signings of Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, and the trade of Javier Vazquez to surround the young Jair Jurrjens. They also added veteran Garret Anderson before spring training. The Braves were considered challengers to the Phillies, who sought to defend their first World Series championship since 1993.
But things quickly derailed for the Braves. The team lacked power, relying heavily on base hits and walks to overcome that power outage. Brian McCann led the team with 21 homers, a total that doesn't seem likely to be in the top three on the current Braves. Jeff Francoeur fell on his face and was replaced with the forgetful Ryan Church. Kelly Johnson struggled and was replaced with Martin Prado. Jordan Schafer excelled. For a game before being replaced eventually by Nate McLouth. Tom Glavine was supposed to be the fifth starter, but never got healthy and Tommy Hanson replaced him causing Glavine to be was released without making a start.
Atlanta fell to four games back on July 5th after a loss to the Nationals and just kinda floated between four games back and 8.5 games back, briefly falling to nine games back for one day. They never threatened, never seemed to be awful. After their 103rd game, comparable to the Nationals this season, Atlanta was 52-51, three games better than the Nats. They would actually finish strong, 34-25, behind strong runs from Adam LaRoche and Lowe. However, that helped them gain all of a game on the division-winning Phillies.
The Nationals have been four games back or worse since May 21st and coming into the Friday night game, they trailed Atlanta by 8.5 games. A lot has made on twitter about what the Nationals would have to do to catch the Braves. For instance, if the Braves played their final 60 games with a 30-30 record, to catch the Braves, the Nationals would have to go 38-21. If the Braves go 35-25, the Nationals would have to go 43-16. And so on and so on.
But to me, the Nationals are the 2009 Braves. They're good. That Braves team went on to win 86 games. However, Washington is not a great team and have shown zero signs of turning it around and why should they? It was unlikely Ross Detweiler was going to have another career year. Seemed doubtful that LaRoche would go all super-LaRoche in a walk year again. And why should anyone expect Denard Span to be tremendous when looking at his recent history? And was grabbing Rafael Soriano, also a member of that '09 Braves team, supposed to be the finishing piece?
The Nationals can't hit. They have been comically bad, scoring 379 runs in their first 103 games, an average of 3.68 R/G. Their pitching has been good, but like the team overall, not great. In fact, after the first game Friday, their run differential is -40. The '09 Braves were actually a better team when compared to that. But the '09 Phillies played better than the Braves so that evens out.
Over a full season, the Nationals will be in the running. I imagine they will finish at .500 or better. They might even have a couple of good weeks here and there. But they no longer deserve the scoreboard watching Braves fans give them. They weren't the team the media made them to be.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Trade Target: Jake Peavy
The gruesome injury to Tim Hudson changed the game for the Atlanta Braves. Entering mid-July, the Braves had potentially seven starters that were ready for a role in a major league rotation. Beyond the normal five that had accounted for all but one start coming into July, there was the young lefty Alex Wood, whose stock continued to skyrocket after iffy mechanics and size questions dropped him to the second round last year. Within a year of being a professional, Wood had made his debut for the Braves, coming out of the bullpen and provided a second left-hander to pair with Luis Avilan in the wake of season-ending surgeries for Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters.
Wood was not the only possible in-house addition for the Braves. Last season's early-year ace Brandon Beachy was working his way back from last year's surgery. A setback in June kept him from getting into the fray quicker, but while Hudson's season ended in New York, Beachy was making what seemed like his final rehab start for Gwinnett.
But the injuries started to mount. First, Paul Maholm left his start last week with a sprained wrist. That prompted the Braves to go to Wood, at least for a start. It also all but eliminated any opportunity for Maholm to be in the mix for a rare contender-to-contender exchange at the deadline. A day before Wood's return to the rotation, Hudson's injury forced the Braves to formally end Beachy's rehab stint.
Five starters with Maholm likely a week or so from returning to make it six. On one hand, it seemed like having that depth proved fortunate as the Braves could sustain the injuries and still move forward. However, there were question marks for everyone. Mike Minor, the de facto ace, has proved himself after his first 39 starts in the majors were not exactly awesome. However, is he ready to match up with Adam Wainwright or Clayton Kershaw? Doubtful. Julio Teheran is 19 starts into his first major league campaign and, at this time, has to be the clubhouse leader for a Game Two start in a division series provided Atlanta gets there. Kris Medlen was on his way to the bullpen only a week ago and that knowledge was quite public. I can't remember who pointed this out or I would give credit, but in his last 16 starts, Maholm has a 1.54 WHIP and 5.38 ERA. Wood, for all the hype, is a pup and nobody has much of an idea of what Beachy is capable of producing this soon after surgery.
Some believe Atlanta was interested in the starting pitching market before the injuries and if they were dipping their toes into the market, they are diving in at this point. My friend Bryce mentioned some of the names that have been brought up. Not many people were happy with his idea, but I'll throw my hat into the ring as well. If the Braves are going to make a move, they need a trade for someone better than the average guy who takes the ball every fifth day. They have plenty of those guys. Instead, they need an arm that will answer the call in a Game One assignment. They need someone better than Hudson. They need their first true ace since John Smoltz.
Could Jake Peavy by that guy? As I mentioned earlier today, Peavy has his easy-to-see problems. After an amazing 2007 season that brought him a Cy Young award and a career-best 5.9 WAR, Peavy has struggled to stay healthy. He only missed a few starts the next season, but from 2009-11, he threw between 101.2 and 111.2 innings in all three seasons. The White Sox had to feel snake-bitten after trading for Peavy at the 2009 deadline. Entering a walk-year, Peavy was able to stay healthy and responded with his third season with a 4.0 WAR or better. The White Sox responded by locking up Peavy before he hit free agency with a two-year extension that will pay him $14.5M both this year and next. The White Sox also gave Peavy a player option for 2015 that was conditional on his health. He needed to reach 400 innings during the life of the contract, which is unlikely since he is only on pace for about 130 innings this year.
He has appeared in so few innings because - surprise, surprise - Peavy was hurt earlier this season with a broken rib that kept him out of action for over a month until his return last week against the Braves. Still, could Peavy be the answer for Atanta? At his best, Peavy has an electric right arm, capable of throwing five pitches with confidence, including a slider that has been devastating during his career. However, he's throwing it less this season, though I can't say if that is by design. Instead, he has thrown his cutter more but still has a curve and a nice changeup that offsets his 90 mph fastball.
Peavy's full-season numbers are warped by three bad games. An early start where Peavy was charged with six runs and back-to-back starts before he hit the DL that resulted in a half-dozen runs each. It helps explain why his FIP and xFIP are not close to one another (4.10 to 3.69). His K% of 23.5% is a little higher than last year and matches his career number. Over the last three seasons, his BB% has hovered just over 5%. His 1.14 WHIP is close to his number last year as well. So don't pay much of a mind to his 4.28 ERA. He has pitched better than that. I think Peavy can definitely pitch better down the stretch now that he's healthy.
But how much longer will Peavy be healthy? A month, three months, a year? Bringing him aboard means Atlanta will be paying him in 2014. Unless the White Sox helps out with some money, which seems unlikely, the Braves would be adding Peavy to their current commitments which means $57.858 million for next year would be on the books with arbitration cases for an additional 13 players, including three starting pitchers, two set-up men, Craig Kimbrel, Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson, Jason Heyward, and a few other key players. That's not including Reed Johnson's 2014 option.
The problem seems to be that Atlanta doesn't match up well with the White Sox, especially if other teams with better farm systems come calling. If the Boston Red Sox's interest in Peavy is high and they are willing to use their tremendous high-ceiling prospects, can Atlanta even get into the discussion with a package starting with Medlen? Again, seems unlikely. But let's give a shot.
The Braves are desperately low on on position prospects, but also don't have to replace a starting positional player before 2015 outside of Brian McCann. That helps formulate our package. On the prospect side, I am including Christian Bethancourt. The White Sox have tried to make due with another former Braves farmhand, Tyler Flowers, behind the plate and it's not gone so well. Bethancourt is already major-league ready on defense and is in the midst of a nine game hit streak that has included four homers. In fact, over the last two months, Bethancourt has homered seven times, impressive because he entered June with one homer this season and 15 during his career. He's even been in a walk binge, especially for him. I'm selling high because I'm still low on his bat.
To add to Bethancourt, I'm including Tommy La Stella. He's going to hit, I am comfortable saying that. His defense isn't loved, though some like it more than others. He's also struggled to stay healthy. Adding to the mix, Joey Terdoslavich. I would love to keep him for the bench in 2014, but if it comes down to keeping bench player or getting a starting pitcher capable of leading a staff, I am going with the starter. In addition to those three, the classic player to be named later. The White Sox will have to decide after the season ends for the Braves, hopefully following a World Series victory, who gets added to the trade. A list of about five players will be included. Cody Martin, Todd Cunningham, Tyler Pastornicky, David Carpenter, and Juan Jaime to name a few possibilities.
Now comes where the fun really begins. If there is a market for Peavy, the Braves have to include Medlen to get into the discussion. If there's not a strong market, the Braves might be able to keep Medlen. In the situation that the White Sox balk at giving up Peavy for the package previously discussed, Atlanta could include Medlen with the condition that the White Sox pays $5M toward Peavy's salary in 2014.
There are worries with Peavy, but if the package is right, Atlanta would be hard-pressed to find a better pitcher.
Wood was not the only possible in-house addition for the Braves. Last season's early-year ace Brandon Beachy was working his way back from last year's surgery. A setback in June kept him from getting into the fray quicker, but while Hudson's season ended in New York, Beachy was making what seemed like his final rehab start for Gwinnett.
But the injuries started to mount. First, Paul Maholm left his start last week with a sprained wrist. That prompted the Braves to go to Wood, at least for a start. It also all but eliminated any opportunity for Maholm to be in the mix for a rare contender-to-contender exchange at the deadline. A day before Wood's return to the rotation, Hudson's injury forced the Braves to formally end Beachy's rehab stint.
Five starters with Maholm likely a week or so from returning to make it six. On one hand, it seemed like having that depth proved fortunate as the Braves could sustain the injuries and still move forward. However, there were question marks for everyone. Mike Minor, the de facto ace, has proved himself after his first 39 starts in the majors were not exactly awesome. However, is he ready to match up with Adam Wainwright or Clayton Kershaw? Doubtful. Julio Teheran is 19 starts into his first major league campaign and, at this time, has to be the clubhouse leader for a Game Two start in a division series provided Atlanta gets there. Kris Medlen was on his way to the bullpen only a week ago and that knowledge was quite public. I can't remember who pointed this out or I would give credit, but in his last 16 starts, Maholm has a 1.54 WHIP and 5.38 ERA. Wood, for all the hype, is a pup and nobody has much of an idea of what Beachy is capable of producing this soon after surgery.
Some believe Atlanta was interested in the starting pitching market before the injuries and if they were dipping their toes into the market, they are diving in at this point. My friend Bryce mentioned some of the names that have been brought up. Not many people were happy with his idea, but I'll throw my hat into the ring as well. If the Braves are going to make a move, they need a trade for someone better than the average guy who takes the ball every fifth day. They have plenty of those guys. Instead, they need an arm that will answer the call in a Game One assignment. They need someone better than Hudson. They need their first true ace since John Smoltz.
Could Jake Peavy by that guy? As I mentioned earlier today, Peavy has his easy-to-see problems. After an amazing 2007 season that brought him a Cy Young award and a career-best 5.9 WAR, Peavy has struggled to stay healthy. He only missed a few starts the next season, but from 2009-11, he threw between 101.2 and 111.2 innings in all three seasons. The White Sox had to feel snake-bitten after trading for Peavy at the 2009 deadline. Entering a walk-year, Peavy was able to stay healthy and responded with his third season with a 4.0 WAR or better. The White Sox responded by locking up Peavy before he hit free agency with a two-year extension that will pay him $14.5M both this year and next. The White Sox also gave Peavy a player option for 2015 that was conditional on his health. He needed to reach 400 innings during the life of the contract, which is unlikely since he is only on pace for about 130 innings this year.
He has appeared in so few innings because - surprise, surprise - Peavy was hurt earlier this season with a broken rib that kept him out of action for over a month until his return last week against the Braves. Still, could Peavy be the answer for Atanta? At his best, Peavy has an electric right arm, capable of throwing five pitches with confidence, including a slider that has been devastating during his career. However, he's throwing it less this season, though I can't say if that is by design. Instead, he has thrown his cutter more but still has a curve and a nice changeup that offsets his 90 mph fastball.
Peavy's full-season numbers are warped by three bad games. An early start where Peavy was charged with six runs and back-to-back starts before he hit the DL that resulted in a half-dozen runs each. It helps explain why his FIP and xFIP are not close to one another (4.10 to 3.69). His K% of 23.5% is a little higher than last year and matches his career number. Over the last three seasons, his BB% has hovered just over 5%. His 1.14 WHIP is close to his number last year as well. So don't pay much of a mind to his 4.28 ERA. He has pitched better than that. I think Peavy can definitely pitch better down the stretch now that he's healthy.
But how much longer will Peavy be healthy? A month, three months, a year? Bringing him aboard means Atlanta will be paying him in 2014. Unless the White Sox helps out with some money, which seems unlikely, the Braves would be adding Peavy to their current commitments which means $57.858 million for next year would be on the books with arbitration cases for an additional 13 players, including three starting pitchers, two set-up men, Craig Kimbrel, Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson, Jason Heyward, and a few other key players. That's not including Reed Johnson's 2014 option.
The problem seems to be that Atlanta doesn't match up well with the White Sox, especially if other teams with better farm systems come calling. If the Boston Red Sox's interest in Peavy is high and they are willing to use their tremendous high-ceiling prospects, can Atlanta even get into the discussion with a package starting with Medlen? Again, seems unlikely. But let's give a shot.
The Braves are desperately low on on position prospects, but also don't have to replace a starting positional player before 2015 outside of Brian McCann. That helps formulate our package. On the prospect side, I am including Christian Bethancourt. The White Sox have tried to make due with another former Braves farmhand, Tyler Flowers, behind the plate and it's not gone so well. Bethancourt is already major-league ready on defense and is in the midst of a nine game hit streak that has included four homers. In fact, over the last two months, Bethancourt has homered seven times, impressive because he entered June with one homer this season and 15 during his career. He's even been in a walk binge, especially for him. I'm selling high because I'm still low on his bat.
To add to Bethancourt, I'm including Tommy La Stella. He's going to hit, I am comfortable saying that. His defense isn't loved, though some like it more than others. He's also struggled to stay healthy. Adding to the mix, Joey Terdoslavich. I would love to keep him for the bench in 2014, but if it comes down to keeping bench player or getting a starting pitcher capable of leading a staff, I am going with the starter. In addition to those three, the classic player to be named later. The White Sox will have to decide after the season ends for the Braves, hopefully following a World Series victory, who gets added to the trade. A list of about five players will be included. Cody Martin, Todd Cunningham, Tyler Pastornicky, David Carpenter, and Juan Jaime to name a few possibilities.
Now comes where the fun really begins. If there is a market for Peavy, the Braves have to include Medlen to get into the discussion. If there's not a strong market, the Braves might be able to keep Medlen. In the situation that the White Sox balk at giving up Peavy for the package previously discussed, Atlanta could include Medlen with the condition that the White Sox pays $5M toward Peavy's salary in 2014.
There are worries with Peavy, but if the package is right, Atlanta would be hard-pressed to find a better pitcher.
Twitter Feed: July 26
Ouchie...the guys from the Atlanta Braves forum at mlb.com ripped Bryce and me a new one yesterday. Damn you, Bryce!
-Braves had a scout at the White Sox game yesterday, started by Jake Peavy. This is according to Jayson Stark. Whether or not the Braves' interest was in Peavy or one of the White Sox relievers or both is unknown. Kameron Loe didn't help his chances of sticking around in the bullpen after his awful Thursday outing and the Braves' interest in the starting pitching market is higher since the injury to Tim Hudson. For his part, Peavy was charged with four hits and four runs in seven innings. Detroit's damage came in large part from three homers off Peavy in Whatever-They-Call-Comiskey-Park-II. He walked a pair and struck out seven. It was his second start since returning from the DL, his first coming against our Braves. Of course, Peavy has suffered greatly from injuries during his career. Since 2007's 5.9 WAR season that led him to an Cy Young award, Peavy has failed to reach 200 innings or 30 starts in all but one season. I'm going to do to a Trade Targets on Peavy for later today because there is much that can be written.
-Ken Rosenthal tweeted about a new column that begins with the Braves, but the most interesting tidbit was not about a possible trade for Atlanta, but this: "They struck out once every 3.99 plate appearances in April, followed by once every 4.30 PAs in May, once every 4.62 in June and now once every 5.14 in July." So, Atlanta has that going for them. To read Rosenthal's complete column, click here.
-Deadspin reports on the admission by former Brave Robert Fick that he used steroids twice as he returned from shoulder injuries. Fick, an All-Star with the Tigers in 2002 (mainly cause someone had to be), joined the Braves for 2003 and started 111 games at first. You might remember when he swiped at Eric Karros' glove during the '03 NLDS against the Cubs. Overall, Fick played parts of ten seasons with the Tigers, Braves, Rays, Padres, and Nationals and is now an agent. Hat tip to Keith Olbermann.
-Today is the two-year anniversary of the 19-inning game that is often credited to killing the Pirates season in 2011. To Braves fans, it's known as the Jerry Meals Game. To me, I always think of Scott Proctor falling out of the box after making contact. I believe I worked that night so I only tuned in during the eighth inning or so. Little did I know how much more baseball was to be played. Julio Lugo's only claim to fame for the Braves was being called "safe." Thanks Jerry! Hat-tip to Rob Biertempfel.
-Braves had a scout at the White Sox game yesterday, started by Jake Peavy. This is according to Jayson Stark. Whether or not the Braves' interest was in Peavy or one of the White Sox relievers or both is unknown. Kameron Loe didn't help his chances of sticking around in the bullpen after his awful Thursday outing and the Braves' interest in the starting pitching market is higher since the injury to Tim Hudson. For his part, Peavy was charged with four hits and four runs in seven innings. Detroit's damage came in large part from three homers off Peavy in Whatever-They-Call-Comiskey-Park-II. He walked a pair and struck out seven. It was his second start since returning from the DL, his first coming against our Braves. Of course, Peavy has suffered greatly from injuries during his career. Since 2007's 5.9 WAR season that led him to an Cy Young award, Peavy has failed to reach 200 innings or 30 starts in all but one season. I'm going to do to a Trade Targets on Peavy for later today because there is much that can be written.
-Ken Rosenthal tweeted about a new column that begins with the Braves, but the most interesting tidbit was not about a possible trade for Atlanta, but this: "They struck out once every 3.99 plate appearances in April, followed by once every 4.30 PAs in May, once every 4.62 in June and now once every 5.14 in July." So, Atlanta has that going for them. To read Rosenthal's complete column, click here.
-Deadspin reports on the admission by former Brave Robert Fick that he used steroids twice as he returned from shoulder injuries. Fick, an All-Star with the Tigers in 2002 (mainly cause someone had to be), joined the Braves for 2003 and started 111 games at first. You might remember when he swiped at Eric Karros' glove during the '03 NLDS against the Cubs. Overall, Fick played parts of ten seasons with the Tigers, Braves, Rays, Padres, and Nationals and is now an agent. Hat tip to Keith Olbermann.
-Today is the two-year anniversary of the 19-inning game that is often credited to killing the Pirates season in 2011. To Braves fans, it's known as the Jerry Meals Game. To me, I always think of Scott Proctor falling out of the box after making contact. I believe I worked that night so I only tuned in during the eighth inning or so. Little did I know how much more baseball was to be played. Julio Lugo's only claim to fame for the Braves was being called "safe." Thanks Jerry! Hat-tip to Rob Biertempfel.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Twitter Feed: July 25
I don't like the way the first two editions of this column have looked so let's try a different way. As always, follow me @WalkOffWalk1.
-Courtesy of Bill Shaikin, Harris Poll recently conducted their yearly poll on Most Popular MLB franchises. Atlanta held their customary third spot for the fourth consecutive season, finishing behind the Yankees and Red Sox (who have also been consistently #1 and #2). The Mets and Phillies are also in the top ten among division rivals. I have actually been a bit surprised with the road support the Braves have received this year, though according to this poll, I shouldn't have been. I wonder, however, if the lack of Braves on TBS will eventually put the Braves into a slide down the poll. For the complete poll, here's a link.
-Brandon Beachy made, what might be, his last rehab start according to DOB. He went six innings for Gwinnett, giving up two hits and walking four compared to three strikeouts. 86 pitches, 51 strikes. Not a wonderful outing, but good enough. As I said yesterday, I am getting more interested in seeing Beachy this season if only to see what the Braves have with him.
-DOB also says that Fredi Gonzalez isn't considering moving Paul Maholm to the bullpen. For what it's worth, lefties are hitting .203/.254/.271, an OPS that is .371 points lower than his split vs. right-handed hitters. This isn't new. Lefties have an OPS against Maholm of .603 throughout his career, .195 points lower the OPS righties have against Maholm. Of course, due to the injury to Tim Hudson, that might be a moot point.
-Elsewhere, the Tigers signed Jair Jurrjens. Yeah, that happened. On the plus side, I can use my Jair tag!
-Jon Heyman points followers to a column by CBS's Danny Knobler. In the article, Knobler contends that Atlanta was already keeping their toes warm in the starting pitching pool, but now might up their search. There doesn't seem to be more than guessing here, which is astonishing because that's the work of a blogger. He mentions Jake Peavy, which a lot of people have also mentioned. I don't see Peavy as much of a fit, but I have been surprised before.
-The injury to Hudson was horrific. Huddy has always been an easy guy to love. You hate to see a guy potentially not have the opportunity to go out on his own terms. Hopefully, he is able to get back out there and get a chance to get back on the mound. It might not be with Atlanta, but if he pitches again, I don't care who he faces (Braves included)...I hope he has the best game of his career. If he's not able to get back...superb career from one of baseball's true class acts.
-Courtesy of Bill Shaikin, Harris Poll recently conducted their yearly poll on Most Popular MLB franchises. Atlanta held their customary third spot for the fourth consecutive season, finishing behind the Yankees and Red Sox (who have also been consistently #1 and #2). The Mets and Phillies are also in the top ten among division rivals. I have actually been a bit surprised with the road support the Braves have received this year, though according to this poll, I shouldn't have been. I wonder, however, if the lack of Braves on TBS will eventually put the Braves into a slide down the poll. For the complete poll, here's a link.
-Brandon Beachy made, what might be, his last rehab start according to DOB. He went six innings for Gwinnett, giving up two hits and walking four compared to three strikeouts. 86 pitches, 51 strikes. Not a wonderful outing, but good enough. As I said yesterday, I am getting more interested in seeing Beachy this season if only to see what the Braves have with him.
-DOB also says that Fredi Gonzalez isn't considering moving Paul Maholm to the bullpen. For what it's worth, lefties are hitting .203/.254/.271, an OPS that is .371 points lower than his split vs. right-handed hitters. This isn't new. Lefties have an OPS against Maholm of .603 throughout his career, .195 points lower the OPS righties have against Maholm. Of course, due to the injury to Tim Hudson, that might be a moot point.
-Elsewhere, the Tigers signed Jair Jurrjens. Yeah, that happened. On the plus side, I can use my Jair tag!
-Jon Heyman points followers to a column by CBS's Danny Knobler. In the article, Knobler contends that Atlanta was already keeping their toes warm in the starting pitching pool, but now might up their search. There doesn't seem to be more than guessing here, which is astonishing because that's the work of a blogger. He mentions Jake Peavy, which a lot of people have also mentioned. I don't see Peavy as much of a fit, but I have been surprised before.
-The injury to Hudson was horrific. Huddy has always been an easy guy to love. You hate to see a guy potentially not have the opportunity to go out on his own terms. Hopefully, he is able to get back out there and get a chance to get back on the mound. It might not be with Atlanta, but if he pitches again, I don't care who he faces (Braves included)...I hope he has the best game of his career. If he's not able to get back...superb career from one of baseball's true class acts.
Post-Hudson Deadline Plans: Guest
My friend Bryce is back with a column on what the Braves could do after the injury to Tim Hudson. He contends that Atlanta should go all-in. However, I worry because the last time he talked about trading a Brave, that guy got hurt.
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The Braves will likely claim they are comfortable with their current starting pitching options. They will have Brandon Beachy returning to take Hudson’s slot in the rotation and will likely hope to have Paul Maholm return after a stint on the DL for a sprained wrist. While they still boast impressive starting pitching depth, it leaves me worried about who will fill out the postseason rotation.
My buddy, Thomas, covered how Kris Medlen had pitched his way into a position to lose his starting role upon Beachy’s return prior to the Hudson injury. Despite the sudden strangle hold Kris has gained to his starting role since yesterday, it doesn’t change the fact that he has been an average pitcher in 2013—which in my eyes should not change his status of being in jeopardy of losing his starting role. Combine that with the general distrust Maholm gives me as a not bad, but definitely not good pitcher, the uncertainty surrounding Beachy’s health and production ceiling coming back from Tommy John, and Alex Wood’s obvious lack of experience and it’s easy to understand why I feel the Atlanta Braves will be playing with fire if/when they say they are comfortable with their current starters.
That said, what should the Braves do about it? Pay up for an injury-prone Jake Peavy? Go after an unimpressive Bud Norris? Roll the dice on a flat out awful Josh Johnson? Ugh. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit thinking about those options. Luckily for you, I have a better idea. One that I’m fairly certain would be unpopular on face value, but I feel would increase the chances of a championship and create interesting possibilities for the winter. Are you ready? Wait for it. Very good. I commend your patience.
James Shields. Seriously.
The Royals have made Ervin Santana available recently and are practically guaranteeing themselves a sub-.500 finish to the season. I don’t see why they would not move Shields for the right offer considering that Dayton Moore might lose his job this winter after the flop the Royals were this season. Moore could look to save his job by picking up some buy-low opportunities and prospects from liquidating Shields now while he has a season and a half worth of retention.
So that brings us to the price tag. In prospects, I doubt the Braves would have enough to tempt the Royals. However, that is not what I feel the Royals should be looking at. Moore, in order to gain some job security, needs to get some players who can impact his major league roster immediately or within the next year and luckily for the Braves that is where the majority of their young talent is.
Start things off with Medlen to replace James Shields in the Royals' rotation. While he is certainly no ace, Medlen will give them a cheap and retainable young starting pitcher who will help them stabilize the rotation in 2014. Next, include Jason Heyward. He can slot into right field for the Royals and see if he can gain consistency in another city where he may not be expected to be the face of the organization like he was tabbed to be in Atlanta. Finally, top off the package with the exciting Alex Wood. While some may be tempted to keep Wood with all the comparisons to Chris Sale that he’s garnered with his unorthodox mechanics, his future may very well be in the bullpen. What better time to capitalize on his trade value than now when he has yet to prove if he can stick in the rotation?
With the inclusion of so much talent, we can likely kill two birds with one stone (as Thomas pointed out that Wren likes to do) and get Moore to throw in Luke Hochevar.
The Braves can still prioritize adding a left-handed reliever with Joey Terdoslavich as the main piece of bait in those negotiations and they could go as far as to search for a left-handed bench bat that can handle the infield. For funsies, let’s say we grab Oliver Perez for Terdoslavich and Luis Valbuena from the Cubs for Todd Cunningham.
Rotation - James Shields, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Brandon Beachy, Paul Maholm
Bullpen - LR David Carpenter, Anthony Varvaro, Oliver Perez, Luke Hochevar, Luis Avilan, Jordan Walden, Craig Kimbrel
Starters - CA Brian McCann, 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Dan Uggla, 3B Chris Johnson, SS Andrelton Simmons, LF Evan Gattis, CF BJ Upton, RF Justin Upon
Bench - CA Gerald Laird, OF Reed Johnson, OF Jordan Schafer, IF Luis Valbuena, UT Paul Janish/Tyler Pastornicky
I smell a World Series contender. You’re welcome.
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The Braves will likely claim they are comfortable with their current starting pitching options. They will have Brandon Beachy returning to take Hudson’s slot in the rotation and will likely hope to have Paul Maholm return after a stint on the DL for a sprained wrist. While they still boast impressive starting pitching depth, it leaves me worried about who will fill out the postseason rotation.
My buddy, Thomas, covered how Kris Medlen had pitched his way into a position to lose his starting role upon Beachy’s return prior to the Hudson injury. Despite the sudden strangle hold Kris has gained to his starting role since yesterday, it doesn’t change the fact that he has been an average pitcher in 2013—which in my eyes should not change his status of being in jeopardy of losing his starting role. Combine that with the general distrust Maholm gives me as a not bad, but definitely not good pitcher, the uncertainty surrounding Beachy’s health and production ceiling coming back from Tommy John, and Alex Wood’s obvious lack of experience and it’s easy to understand why I feel the Atlanta Braves will be playing with fire if/when they say they are comfortable with their current starters.
That said, what should the Braves do about it? Pay up for an injury-prone Jake Peavy? Go after an unimpressive Bud Norris? Roll the dice on a flat out awful Josh Johnson? Ugh. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit thinking about those options. Luckily for you, I have a better idea. One that I’m fairly certain would be unpopular on face value, but I feel would increase the chances of a championship and create interesting possibilities for the winter. Are you ready? Wait for it. Very good. I commend your patience.
James Shields. Seriously.
The Royals have made Ervin Santana available recently and are practically guaranteeing themselves a sub-.500 finish to the season. I don’t see why they would not move Shields for the right offer considering that Dayton Moore might lose his job this winter after the flop the Royals were this season. Moore could look to save his job by picking up some buy-low opportunities and prospects from liquidating Shields now while he has a season and a half worth of retention.
So that brings us to the price tag. In prospects, I doubt the Braves would have enough to tempt the Royals. However, that is not what I feel the Royals should be looking at. Moore, in order to gain some job security, needs to get some players who can impact his major league roster immediately or within the next year and luckily for the Braves that is where the majority of their young talent is.
Start things off with Medlen to replace James Shields in the Royals' rotation. While he is certainly no ace, Medlen will give them a cheap and retainable young starting pitcher who will help them stabilize the rotation in 2014. Next, include Jason Heyward. He can slot into right field for the Royals and see if he can gain consistency in another city where he may not be expected to be the face of the organization like he was tabbed to be in Atlanta. Finally, top off the package with the exciting Alex Wood. While some may be tempted to keep Wood with all the comparisons to Chris Sale that he’s garnered with his unorthodox mechanics, his future may very well be in the bullpen. What better time to capitalize on his trade value than now when he has yet to prove if he can stick in the rotation?
With the inclusion of so much talent, we can likely kill two birds with one stone (as Thomas pointed out that Wren likes to do) and get Moore to throw in Luke Hochevar.
The Braves can still prioritize adding a left-handed reliever with Joey Terdoslavich as the main piece of bait in those negotiations and they could go as far as to search for a left-handed bench bat that can handle the infield. For funsies, let’s say we grab Oliver Perez for Terdoslavich and Luis Valbuena from the Cubs for Todd Cunningham.
Rotation - James Shields, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Brandon Beachy, Paul Maholm
Bullpen - LR David Carpenter, Anthony Varvaro, Oliver Perez, Luke Hochevar, Luis Avilan, Jordan Walden, Craig Kimbrel
Starters - CA Brian McCann, 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Dan Uggla, 3B Chris Johnson, SS Andrelton Simmons, LF Evan Gattis, CF BJ Upton, RF Justin Upon
Bench - CA Gerald Laird, OF Reed Johnson, OF Jordan Schafer, IF Luis Valbuena, UT Paul Janish/Tyler Pastornicky
I smell a World Series contender. You’re welcome.
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