Before Saturday's epic encounter, the Braves announced that they had inked Tyler Greene to a minor league contract. In a non-corresponding move, the Braves jettison'd Blake DeWitt. So, let's give our regards to DeWitt
DeWitt signed before the season to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. DeWitt was once the 82nd prospect in 2006, according to Baseball America. The former first rounder joined the Dodgers in 2008 and OPS'd .728, not all-that-awful from a middle infielder, though he did play a lot of third. In 2010, In 2010, he set many personal highs despite being involved in a deadline deal that sent Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers. Still, he only OPS'd .709.
After a year as a backup, DeWitt only played 18 games with the Cubs last year before being non-tendered. In 2013, he failed to make the roster coming out of spring training. Nevertheless, he didn't stay long in Gwinnett, playing just two games before a Freddie Freeman injury prompted the Braves to purchase his contract. He went 1 for 3 in four games over a week and played an inning at third. But he definitely got a chance to feel like a real Brave. In his debut, he pinch-bunted. Classic. Unfortunately, his season took a turn from there as he also went to the DL with what would eventually be labeled a chronic problem.
Seems like DeWitt's future in the majors is grim...nevertheless, we thank you for your service, your #32 that went to Scott Downs, your bunting skills, and your super white name. See ya, Blake!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Random Prospect of the Day - Carlos Perez
In today’s edition of this series, we will check in with a lefthander who has gone from being a future stud to a guy who just might be - hopefully, maybe - if everything goes right, a useful pitcher someday for Atlanta. Sometimes, prospects fizzle out well before they knock on the door. Maybe Carlos Perez can get back into the future plans for the Braves, though. After all, a team can never have enough nasty left-handers.
Perez was born on November 20th, 1991. On that day, the Braves released future pitching coach Randy St. Claire. Though, they would resign him, I do like matching birthdays with events in the Braves past. At just 16, Perez signed with the Braves for $600,000 and made his professional debut the following season with the Gulf Coast Braves, pitching with future major leaguers James Parr and Zeke Spruill. The results weren't too awfully pretty, but he got his feet wet at 17 years-old.
The following season (2010), Perez arrived on the scene with Danville. In six starts and 32 innings, Perez didn’t allow a homer and sported a 3.20 FIP. Considering he was facing a lot of college guys, that was very impressive. Amazingly, the D-Braves were only 34-34 that year despite having Evan Gattis, Joey Terdoslavich, and Andrelton Simmons. But none of those three and none of the other prospects in the Appalachian League earned the circuit's Baseball America Top Prospect. Perez did, though. He even made it to Rome to finish the year, but a broken rib in early August ended what was otherwise a wonderful campaign.
Expectations were high for Perez entering 2011. He was on the outskirts of the organizational Top 10 Prospects according to more than a few analysts. Back at Rome and with a shot to move quickly, Perez fell on his face. In 125 innings, he walked 66 (4.8 BB/9) and uncorked 20 wild pitches. His mechanics were clearly worrisome and resulted in an astounding six balks. To put that into perspective, the 2011 Rome Braves had 12 balks as a team.
In 2012, Perez was tabbed for a return trip to Rome. After a month of getting hammered by the opposition, Perez was demoted back to Danville. There, he worked with the coaches to fine-tune his delivery in preparation for the upcoming season. The effort quickly paid off as he finished the season out of the D-Braves’ bullpen with 50 K’s in 30.2 ING. Now, the expectations were tempered because Perez had already dominated at the APPY League before. Just the same, it was the first signs of a return-to-form from that former prospect.
Perez continued his success this season, finally graduating from Rome for the first time after 48 games, 29 starts, and 159.1 ING from 2010-13. In three months in the SALLY League to start the season, Perez struck out 37 over 32 innings. He kept the ball in the park (1 homer allowed) and walked just 8, a pretty 4.6 K/BB ratio. The work earned him a promotion to Lynchburg and six games in, it was a success. In 10.2 ING, he struck out 12. However, the wheels fell off in a trio of appearances from August 2-12. He recorded zero outs on the 8th, allowing four walks and a double. A pair of errors compounded the inning and he was charged with seven total runs – two earned – against Wilmington.
He faced one batter on the 12th and was removed after a walk. Two days later, he was officially placed on the DL. I have no updates on the severity of his injury.
There was a time where Perez was the next big thing in the Braves system. His fastball tops off at around 93 mph and with a very tight curveball, he can come at you with two plus pitches with a change-of-pace that is in development. Where he goes from here is a question mark. If he’s not hurt, Perez will be back next year, likely with Lynchburg and the Braves will want to see something from him. Even if Perez maxes out as a LOOGY, the Braves will take that from his electric arm. Always room in the bullpen for a guy who can consistently sit down left-handed hitters.
Perez was born on November 20th, 1991. On that day, the Braves released future pitching coach Randy St. Claire. Though, they would resign him, I do like matching birthdays with events in the Braves past. At just 16, Perez signed with the Braves for $600,000 and made his professional debut the following season with the Gulf Coast Braves, pitching with future major leaguers James Parr and Zeke Spruill. The results weren't too awfully pretty, but he got his feet wet at 17 years-old.
The following season (2010), Perez arrived on the scene with Danville. In six starts and 32 innings, Perez didn’t allow a homer and sported a 3.20 FIP. Considering he was facing a lot of college guys, that was very impressive. Amazingly, the D-Braves were only 34-34 that year despite having Evan Gattis, Joey Terdoslavich, and Andrelton Simmons. But none of those three and none of the other prospects in the Appalachian League earned the circuit's Baseball America Top Prospect. Perez did, though. He even made it to Rome to finish the year, but a broken rib in early August ended what was otherwise a wonderful campaign.
Expectations were high for Perez entering 2011. He was on the outskirts of the organizational Top 10 Prospects according to more than a few analysts. Back at Rome and with a shot to move quickly, Perez fell on his face. In 125 innings, he walked 66 (4.8 BB/9) and uncorked 20 wild pitches. His mechanics were clearly worrisome and resulted in an astounding six balks. To put that into perspective, the 2011 Rome Braves had 12 balks as a team.
In 2012, Perez was tabbed for a return trip to Rome. After a month of getting hammered by the opposition, Perez was demoted back to Danville. There, he worked with the coaches to fine-tune his delivery in preparation for the upcoming season. The effort quickly paid off as he finished the season out of the D-Braves’ bullpen with 50 K’s in 30.2 ING. Now, the expectations were tempered because Perez had already dominated at the APPY League before. Just the same, it was the first signs of a return-to-form from that former prospect.
Perez continued his success this season, finally graduating from Rome for the first time after 48 games, 29 starts, and 159.1 ING from 2010-13. In three months in the SALLY League to start the season, Perez struck out 37 over 32 innings. He kept the ball in the park (1 homer allowed) and walked just 8, a pretty 4.6 K/BB ratio. The work earned him a promotion to Lynchburg and six games in, it was a success. In 10.2 ING, he struck out 12. However, the wheels fell off in a trio of appearances from August 2-12. He recorded zero outs on the 8th, allowing four walks and a double. A pair of errors compounded the inning and he was charged with seven total runs – two earned – against Wilmington.
He faced one batter on the 12th and was removed after a walk. Two days later, he was officially placed on the DL. I have no updates on the severity of his injury.
There was a time where Perez was the next big thing in the Braves system. His fastball tops off at around 93 mph and with a very tight curveball, he can come at you with two plus pitches with a change-of-pace that is in development. Where he goes from here is a question mark. If he’s not hurt, Perez will be back next year, likely with Lynchburg and the Braves will want to see something from him. Even if Perez maxes out as a LOOGY, the Braves will take that from his electric arm. Always room in the bullpen for a guy who can consistently sit down left-handed hitters.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Trade Target - Ryan Roberts
So, back to normal. By the time this blog post is published, Atlanta probably has had six more injuries to their second baseman depth. Mark Lemke has grabbed a glove. Jeff Treadway is sitting by his phone. Keith Lockhart is ready to pop out behind third base in foul territory.
Naturally, the Braves enter the weekend with an eye on anyone who is available and competent enough to play second base. Placido Polanco is around, but has played 83 innings at second base since the beginning of 2010. Brendan Ryan has passed waivers, but are the Braves that desperate over simply starting Paul Janish? Of course, the Braves could simply just stick with Janish/Phil Gosselin until Dan Uggla returns, but how much concern is there that Uggla's pending return in a few weeks is optimistic? Doesn't seem to be any and LASIK is super common nowadays. But just the same, lazers and stuff.
Regardless, Atlanta has to be interested in an acquisition from outside the organization. Probably their best option is Ryan Roberts, who was designated for assignment by the Rays on Thursday. Roberts is owed roughly $725,000 for the rest of the season, his second year of arbitration. Known commonly as TatMan, Roberts became a regular fixture on Baseball Tonight during his 2011 run with the Diamondbacks. He slashed .249/.341/.427 with 19 homers and 18 steals while playing mostly third base. His numbers tapered off the following season and he was traded before the deadline last year to the Rays for a minor leaguer.
With the Rays, Roberts has played mostly second with some starts at third mixed in. However, he only OPS'd .658 in Tampa, failing to recapture his glory of 2011. Roberts clearly is not a tremendous player. He maxed out as a 108 wRC+ with 3.6 WAR. What's his value to the Braves?
Beyond the fact he should be cheap if he passes waivers, Roberts provides plus defense (historically, at least) at both second and third. He also has some recent playing time at first. Both this year and over his career, Roberts has been much better against lefties. He's also shown a solid bat off the bench with a career .269 average as a pinch hitter. Like Evan Gattis, he is probably better when the manager can pick the time to use him.
If the Braves are to make a move before the return of Uggla, acquiring Roberts seems like the best bet of the supposedly available players on the market. Roberts would likely be non-tendered so the Braves couldn't surrender much for him. Still, for the rest of the season, Roberts could be a nice bench piece and give the Braves depth for the playoff roster.
Naturally, the Braves enter the weekend with an eye on anyone who is available and competent enough to play second base. Placido Polanco is around, but has played 83 innings at second base since the beginning of 2010. Brendan Ryan has passed waivers, but are the Braves that desperate over simply starting Paul Janish? Of course, the Braves could simply just stick with Janish/Phil Gosselin until Dan Uggla returns, but how much concern is there that Uggla's pending return in a few weeks is optimistic? Doesn't seem to be any and LASIK is super common nowadays. But just the same, lazers and stuff.
Regardless, Atlanta has to be interested in an acquisition from outside the organization. Probably their best option is Ryan Roberts, who was designated for assignment by the Rays on Thursday. Roberts is owed roughly $725,000 for the rest of the season, his second year of arbitration. Known commonly as TatMan, Roberts became a regular fixture on Baseball Tonight during his 2011 run with the Diamondbacks. He slashed .249/.341/.427 with 19 homers and 18 steals while playing mostly third base. His numbers tapered off the following season and he was traded before the deadline last year to the Rays for a minor leaguer.
With the Rays, Roberts has played mostly second with some starts at third mixed in. However, he only OPS'd .658 in Tampa, failing to recapture his glory of 2011. Roberts clearly is not a tremendous player. He maxed out as a 108 wRC+ with 3.6 WAR. What's his value to the Braves?
Beyond the fact he should be cheap if he passes waivers, Roberts provides plus defense (historically, at least) at both second and third. He also has some recent playing time at first. Both this year and over his career, Roberts has been much better against lefties. He's also shown a solid bat off the bench with a career .269 average as a pinch hitter. Like Evan Gattis, he is probably better when the manager can pick the time to use him.
If the Braves are to make a move before the return of Uggla, acquiring Roberts seems like the best bet of the supposedly available players on the market. Roberts would likely be non-tendered so the Braves couldn't surrender much for him. Still, for the rest of the season, Roberts could be a nice bench piece and give the Braves depth for the playoff roster.
So...Braves fans...about Friday night...
In my last post, I bashed the Nationals for their refusal to shut up. It was the right thing to do because even after watching the Braves open over a dozen-game lead and even after failing to get to .500 and stay there, Nationals players and their manager continued to spout off.
In the first game of an anticlimactic three-game series, the Braves won 3-2 in ten innings. Once again, Justin Upton was the guy the Braves were hoping for when they acquired him this offseason. When the count got to 1-2, I IM’d my friend and said “Upton's going to walk-off here.” I really should do that more often.
But the result of the game will probably be glossed over by sports media outlets. Instead, two plate appearances involving Bryce Harper become the story of the game. You might remember a week or so ago when Harper homered off Julio Teheran and there was a lot of discussion over slow homerun trots. Why would a ridiculous subject become a debatable point? Because, according to the theory of a great many bloggers and analysts, Teheran hit Harper later in the game for “admiring” his homerun too much.
Whether it was intentional or not is fully up for debate. Teheran, who often has wonderful control, seemed to have issues hitting his spots during the game. In addition, Teheran throws inside. He attempts to own the inside corner and is not shy about it. He’s hit 12 batters on the year, the most in the National League, and three different times, he’s hit two batters in a single game. That’s not to say that there is no possibility that he was trying to send a message to Harper. For the record, Teheran denies it and I am inclined to believe him.
Regardless, Nationals fans and possibly the worst announcers in baseball (Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo) were convinced that Teheran was aiming for Harper. True or not, don’t really care. Short of Teheran coming out and saying “yeah, I was going after him,” no one who seems so sure of Teheran’s intentions actually knows.
Move forward to this evening. Harper doubled, but was stranded early as Alex Wood pitched into and out of a little trouble. In his next at-bat, a breaking pitch never broke and softly struck Harper. The Braves fans cheered. Loudly. Ridiculously loudly. Now, it’s not like Harper was injured or anything. It was just a knuckle-curve that got away from Wood. And truly, I can forgive the fans cheering this one because it was so softly thrown and even Harper could laugh about it.
In the eighth, with Wood gone, Ryan Zimmerman doubled off Luis Avilan. For so long, Avilan has been a shut down guy coming out of the bullpen, but he was struggling with his location and crossed up his defense, which was playing Zimmerman to go opposite field. There was two outs and the Braves were trying to get a 2-1 lead to Craig Kimbrel. Harper stepped in. It was the matchup the Braves wanted. Avilan handles lefties so well (.148/.216/.173). You don’t want to face Jayson Werth with a chance to tie or put the Nationals ahead.
Instead, Avilan’s pitch comes in and hits Harper in the shoulder/upper back area. Avilan looked very disappointed by the pitch. You cannot convince me that Avilan intentionally hit Harper. As the second-year player said after the game, “Anybody who thinks I was throwing at (Harper) on purpose doesn’t know the game of baseball.” There’s just no way Avilan intentionally tried to put the go-ahead runner on, a runner capable of scoring with any gapper. His job is to strand runners, not put them on base.
But that wasn’t the bad thing. Atlanta fans, as Harper grimaced outside the box, cheered loudly. The reception grew in volume as Fredi Gonzalez changed pitchers, bringing in Luis Ayala. A sort-of standing ovation was given to Avilan as he left the field. It was an abysmal showing from the often mute fans. Don’t get me wrong, I take pleasure in Harper’s failures. When he swings-and-misses on a Kimbrel fastball or gets bastardized on a changeup from Wood, I smile and pump my fist. I yell “sit down, bro” at my TV. Fuck Bryce Harper.
To cheer after he gets hit, though? Classless. It’s not a proportional response. He talks shit and you want him to fail to live up to that. You heckle him and throw his words back him. Hey, is this shit over yet, Bryce? Are you still fighting to the every last man? However, you don’t want him to get hit. Especially the second time, which put the go-ahead runner on base and left Gonzalez with the choice between what appeared to be an ineffective Avilan vs. Werth or the low leverage Ayala against Werth. The latter resulted in a game-tying base hit.
Much like the trash that was thrown on the field, it was a bad moment for Braves fans. Even more, fans took to twitter to defend the actions of those at Turner Field. Seriously, we can call our own fans on something and in this case, it was an awful show of sportsmanship…a classless display of fandom…and a dark and indefensible moment for Braves fans.
Still…that Upton homer was pretty sweet.
In the first game of an anticlimactic three-game series, the Braves won 3-2 in ten innings. Once again, Justin Upton was the guy the Braves were hoping for when they acquired him this offseason. When the count got to 1-2, I IM’d my friend and said “Upton's going to walk-off here.” I really should do that more often.
But the result of the game will probably be glossed over by sports media outlets. Instead, two plate appearances involving Bryce Harper become the story of the game. You might remember a week or so ago when Harper homered off Julio Teheran and there was a lot of discussion over slow homerun trots. Why would a ridiculous subject become a debatable point? Because, according to the theory of a great many bloggers and analysts, Teheran hit Harper later in the game for “admiring” his homerun too much.
Whether it was intentional or not is fully up for debate. Teheran, who often has wonderful control, seemed to have issues hitting his spots during the game. In addition, Teheran throws inside. He attempts to own the inside corner and is not shy about it. He’s hit 12 batters on the year, the most in the National League, and three different times, he’s hit two batters in a single game. That’s not to say that there is no possibility that he was trying to send a message to Harper. For the record, Teheran denies it and I am inclined to believe him.
Regardless, Nationals fans and possibly the worst announcers in baseball (Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo) were convinced that Teheran was aiming for Harper. True or not, don’t really care. Short of Teheran coming out and saying “yeah, I was going after him,” no one who seems so sure of Teheran’s intentions actually knows.
Move forward to this evening. Harper doubled, but was stranded early as Alex Wood pitched into and out of a little trouble. In his next at-bat, a breaking pitch never broke and softly struck Harper. The Braves fans cheered. Loudly. Ridiculously loudly. Now, it’s not like Harper was injured or anything. It was just a knuckle-curve that got away from Wood. And truly, I can forgive the fans cheering this one because it was so softly thrown and even Harper could laugh about it.
In the eighth, with Wood gone, Ryan Zimmerman doubled off Luis Avilan. For so long, Avilan has been a shut down guy coming out of the bullpen, but he was struggling with his location and crossed up his defense, which was playing Zimmerman to go opposite field. There was two outs and the Braves were trying to get a 2-1 lead to Craig Kimbrel. Harper stepped in. It was the matchup the Braves wanted. Avilan handles lefties so well (.148/.216/.173). You don’t want to face Jayson Werth with a chance to tie or put the Nationals ahead.
Instead, Avilan’s pitch comes in and hits Harper in the shoulder/upper back area. Avilan looked very disappointed by the pitch. You cannot convince me that Avilan intentionally hit Harper. As the second-year player said after the game, “Anybody who thinks I was throwing at (Harper) on purpose doesn’t know the game of baseball.” There’s just no way Avilan intentionally tried to put the go-ahead runner on, a runner capable of scoring with any gapper. His job is to strand runners, not put them on base.
But that wasn’t the bad thing. Atlanta fans, as Harper grimaced outside the box, cheered loudly. The reception grew in volume as Fredi Gonzalez changed pitchers, bringing in Luis Ayala. A sort-of standing ovation was given to Avilan as he left the field. It was an abysmal showing from the often mute fans. Don’t get me wrong, I take pleasure in Harper’s failures. When he swings-and-misses on a Kimbrel fastball or gets bastardized on a changeup from Wood, I smile and pump my fist. I yell “sit down, bro” at my TV. Fuck Bryce Harper.
To cheer after he gets hit, though? Classless. It’s not a proportional response. He talks shit and you want him to fail to live up to that. You heckle him and throw his words back him. Hey, is this shit over yet, Bryce? Are you still fighting to the every last man? However, you don’t want him to get hit. Especially the second time, which put the go-ahead runner on base and left Gonzalez with the choice between what appeared to be an ineffective Avilan vs. Werth or the low leverage Ayala against Werth. The latter resulted in a game-tying base hit.
Much like the trash that was thrown on the field, it was a bad moment for Braves fans. Even more, fans took to twitter to defend the actions of those at Turner Field. Seriously, we can call our own fans on something and in this case, it was an awful show of sportsmanship…a classless display of fandom…and a dark and indefensible moment for Braves fans.
Still…that Upton homer was pretty sweet.
Friday, August 16, 2013
The Talkative 'Nats
This is the Nationals.
A team of high expectations and an even higher belief in who they are. This is a team that despite over 120 games of sample size still can not accept their fate and their failure. From the manager down to their ever-changing roster dynamic, this a team that has struggled with the target they relished having so brightly colored on their backs.
Before the season, Jayson Werth - a man who definitely thinks highly of himself - made it clear to anyone who would listen that it was the Phillies, not the Braves, who were the biggest threats to the Nationals once-again claiming a division title.
Earlier this season, the Braves swept the Nationals in Washington. After the series, Jason Heyward said, "This is week 2, man. The first series against them. A sweep is a sweep. That’s that. But it’s a long season....We’ll see where we finish up in September, but if it’s like this then obviously we’ll feel like we have a lot of good chances." That's how professional athletes who have done this for awhile do things. They don't go out of their way to put down their opposition. They respect them. Paul Maholm refereed to the Nats as a "great team." B.J. Upton made it clear how important it was to get off to a good start. After all, the older Upton reasoned, the Nationals are a "very good ballclub." Fredi Gonzalez echo'd that thought with the exact same phrase. The Braves manager stressed that we'll have to see how the summer unfolds.
But Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa went the opposite way. After the second of three consecutive April loses in DC, the second baseman just had to add his two cents about the Braves.
Stephen Strasburg lost 3-1 during the game that prompted Espinosa's brilliant retort about how the Braves simply aren't better than the Nationals. His lineup managed four hits during the game including a homer by Espinosa for his team's only run. After the game, Strasburg graciously commented about how he got out-pitched and tipped his cap to Evan Gattis, who tomahawked a fastball into the Potomac. Wait, no, he said this:
In late July, ahead of a three-game series in which the Braves tore up the Nationals for another sweep in DC, Bryce Harper, ever the nice Mormon, had this nugget of information about the Nationals' chances of getting back into the race.
And right before the series with the Braves in DC this weekend, the sickly-looking Davey Johnson, who should know better, couldn't keep away from the microphone.
I get pumping up your team. I understand that you simply can't go out and talk about how every team is better than you are. At a certain point, though, aren't you just hurting your cause? It's embarrassing to keep with this narrative at this point.
Just shut your mouth, Nationals.
A team of high expectations and an even higher belief in who they are. This is a team that despite over 120 games of sample size still can not accept their fate and their failure. From the manager down to their ever-changing roster dynamic, this a team that has struggled with the target they relished having so brightly colored on their backs.
Before the season, Jayson Werth - a man who definitely thinks highly of himself - made it clear to anyone who would listen that it was the Phillies, not the Braves, who were the biggest threats to the Nationals once-again claiming a division title.
"Phillies," he said. "I think everybody is writing them off. They played good in September, when they were healthy. They're not going to roll over, that's for sure."
And about the Braves? "Yeah, the Braves got the Upton brothers," Werth said. "But they lost [Martin] Prado and Chipper."Apparently, the Phillies were going to return to prominence despite coming off an 81-81 season and counting the acquisitions of the ancient Michael Young and Jeff Francoeur's Blacker Half as "key pickups." Werth was truthful about one thing. The Phillies look like a bigger threat to the Nationals in the sense that they are much closer to Washington in the standings than the Nats are to the Braves.
Earlier this season, the Braves swept the Nationals in Washington. After the series, Jason Heyward said, "This is week 2, man. The first series against them. A sweep is a sweep. That’s that. But it’s a long season....We’ll see where we finish up in September, but if it’s like this then obviously we’ll feel like we have a lot of good chances." That's how professional athletes who have done this for awhile do things. They don't go out of their way to put down their opposition. They respect them. Paul Maholm refereed to the Nats as a "great team." B.J. Upton made it clear how important it was to get off to a good start. After all, the older Upton reasoned, the Nationals are a "very good ballclub." Fredi Gonzalez echo'd that thought with the exact same phrase. The Braves manager stressed that we'll have to see how the summer unfolds.
But Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa went the opposite way. After the second of three consecutive April loses in DC, the second baseman just had to add his two cents about the Braves.
“They’re good, I don’t think they’re better than us.”Thanks Danny. But here's the thing that you should keep in mind. When your rival comes in and whips you, don't add fuel to the fire. Just take your whipping and talk about how you are going to have to take one game at a time. In fact, all you needed to say is "They're good." Because the Braves were and are good. The next day, in the finale of the sweep, Maholm hit Espinosa with a fastball on the wrist. It is unlikely it was by design, but after playing over a month with a fracture wrist, the second baseman went to the minors with a slash line of .158/.193/.272. He's been in Syracuse since mid-June, OPSing .570 while being replace by Anthony Rendon, a third baseman doing his best impression of a middle infielder. Back to the April sweep, after being hit in a 9-0 thrashing by the Braves, Espinosa expressed his confidence over the remaining 16 games against the Braves. He's missed a good deal of the games between the inter-divisional rivals since, but still went 2-for-18 with nine K's. Oh, well, maybe be has more confidence against the Gwinnett Braves.
Stephen Strasburg lost 3-1 during the game that prompted Espinosa's brilliant retort about how the Braves simply aren't better than the Nationals. His lineup managed four hits during the game including a homer by Espinosa for his team's only run. After the game, Strasburg graciously commented about how he got out-pitched and tipped his cap to Evan Gattis, who tomahawked a fastball into the Potomac. Wait, no, he said this:
“Honestly, I think our lineup’s better,” he said. “They’re hot right now. It’s early and it’s not about how many wins you necessarily finish up with in April, it’s how many you have at the end of the year.”You're right, Stephen. Nationals winning percentage after April - .481. Current winning percentage as of Friday evening - .492. That's kind of better, I guess. Course, there's that whole lineup nonsense. The Nationals are averaging 3.8 R/G. Atlanta comes in at 4.5 R/G. Only two NL teams were worse than the Nats. Only the Cardinals are better than the Braves. Don't worry about giving me any predictions about the upcoming football season, Stephen.
In late July, ahead of a three-game series in which the Braves tore up the Nationals for another sweep in DC, Bryce Harper, ever the nice Mormon, had this nugget of information about the Nationals' chances of getting back into the race.
"We play the Braves nine more times. This shit ain't over."Amazingly, he didn't comment after the series that there were still six games. Harper, of course, would go on to act like a punk during the series after taking a pitch from the arm of Julio Teheran. To his credit, Harper took his base. Probably because Teheran took a few steps toward him and asked what he was going to do.
And right before the series with the Braves in DC this weekend, the sickly-looking Davey Johnson, who should know better, couldn't keep away from the microphone.
"We need to show them they're not better than us. Stand up and return the favor."The previous thirteen games in which the Braves took ten showed that Atlanta was better than you. The previous 120 games in which Atlanta won fifteen more games showed that the Braves were better than the Nationals. Yet, as if it is impossible to accept your failures, the Nationals from the top-down still hold onto this pathetic idea that they - YES, THEY - are better than every team they face no matter what the results say.
I get pumping up your team. I understand that you simply can't go out and talk about how every team is better than you are. At a certain point, though, aren't you just hurting your cause? It's embarrassing to keep with this narrative at this point.
Just shut your mouth, Nationals.
Wait, Gosselin over La Stella?
In 2010, the Braves took University of Virginia 2B Philip Gosselin in the fifth round. A year later, in the 8th round, the Braves selected Tommy La Stella from Coastal Carolina. On August 15, 2013, the Braves selected Gosselin over La Stella to replaced Tyler Pastornicky, who has a torn ACL and was only in the majors because of Dan Uggla's LASIK surgery.
And the fans wentwild what? Who? Why?
It's not that I don't like Gosselin. He was a Lynchburg Hillcat in 2011 when I went to a lot of games. His double-play partner was Andrelton Simmons. He's a decent defender by all accounts and has some sense of flexibility with experience at short, third, and the corner outfield spots. Not a lot of experience, but some. And he has been relatively hot recently, slashing .357/.400/.393 in August.
He's not La Stella, though. After a short trip to Lynchburg, La Stella has slashed .342/.413/.889 in 65 games at Mississippi. Two days ago, when I wrote about Pastornicky over any of the minor leaguers, I believed it was a valid choice for a few reasons. Most notably, the Braves already had Pastornicky on the 40-man and he had experience in the majors. Sure, he wouldn't be a world beater, but he could hold down the job in Uggla's absence without being completely embarrassed.
However, Pastornicky found out something Nate McLouth knows all too well. When Jason Heyward is in the vicinity, RUN THE OTHER WAY!
The Braves and Pastornicky had hoped the injury wouldn't be serious and a MRI was scheduled. Unfortunately, Pastornicky was diagnosed with a torn ACL, ending his season and putting his chances of playing any significant time with the Braves in the future at slim. The Braves chose Gosselin over La Stella. Let's guess why
1) The Braves have real concerns of La Stella having the ability to play a MLB-quality second base. I have read several different reports on his defense. From my experience, defense in the minors is often overstated and the greatest defenders are often just good and the good ones are merely average. La Stella has most often been referred to as "passable" or "average." Maybe the Braves consider his defense such a issue that they aren't even willing to promote him yet. Unlike Gosselin, who has played elsewhere from time-to-time, La Stella has been stuck at second. One might say that Gosselin has less of a chance to be a starter at second in the majors and he ultimately projects to be a bench piece so why not move him around to see if he shows much potential? It's a worthwhile argument.
2) Fredi Gonzalez is more comfortable with Gosselin. He's been in the system a year longer and almost certainly got a bigger look in camp. He also has more chemistry with Simmons after rising through the minors with the shortstop.
3) ...and this is most likely. The Braves were not anxious to begin the service clock and option years of a guy they look at as a real possibility to replace Uggla. You might say that such reasons aren't valid to pick one guy over the other, but it seemed likely the reason La Stella was passed over to begin with. The Braves might see La Stella as the future at second. If Uggla was to miss the rest of the season, maybe they go with him. For two weeks, the Braves may have not been willing to begin his time in the bigs. And remember, the Braves are likely going to scour the trade market, looking for a better fit. Why call up La Stella only to potentially demote him soon after in light of a trade/waiver claim.
Whatever the reason, the initial feeling is WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS? Once you take a step back, it wouldn't have been the worst decision to go with La Stella. Would have been a reasonably understandable to go with the better prospect. However, the Braves went with the guy who was the better option for the next two weeks, not for the rest of the year or foreseeable future. And if the reasoning was based on service time and option years, that seems ridiculous to some fans. To people like me, it seems like the smart big picture move.
And the fans went
It's not that I don't like Gosselin. He was a Lynchburg Hillcat in 2011 when I went to a lot of games. His double-play partner was Andrelton Simmons. He's a decent defender by all accounts and has some sense of flexibility with experience at short, third, and the corner outfield spots. Not a lot of experience, but some. And he has been relatively hot recently, slashing .357/.400/.393 in August.
He's not La Stella, though. After a short trip to Lynchburg, La Stella has slashed .342/.413/.889 in 65 games at Mississippi. Two days ago, when I wrote about Pastornicky over any of the minor leaguers, I believed it was a valid choice for a few reasons. Most notably, the Braves already had Pastornicky on the 40-man and he had experience in the majors. Sure, he wouldn't be a world beater, but he could hold down the job in Uggla's absence without being completely embarrassed.
However, Pastornicky found out something Nate McLouth knows all too well. When Jason Heyward is in the vicinity, RUN THE OTHER WAY!
The Braves and Pastornicky had hoped the injury wouldn't be serious and a MRI was scheduled. Unfortunately, Pastornicky was diagnosed with a torn ACL, ending his season and putting his chances of playing any significant time with the Braves in the future at slim. The Braves chose Gosselin over La Stella. Let's guess why
1) The Braves have real concerns of La Stella having the ability to play a MLB-quality second base. I have read several different reports on his defense. From my experience, defense in the minors is often overstated and the greatest defenders are often just good and the good ones are merely average. La Stella has most often been referred to as "passable" or "average." Maybe the Braves consider his defense such a issue that they aren't even willing to promote him yet. Unlike Gosselin, who has played elsewhere from time-to-time, La Stella has been stuck at second. One might say that Gosselin has less of a chance to be a starter at second in the majors and he ultimately projects to be a bench piece so why not move him around to see if he shows much potential? It's a worthwhile argument.
2) Fredi Gonzalez is more comfortable with Gosselin. He's been in the system a year longer and almost certainly got a bigger look in camp. He also has more chemistry with Simmons after rising through the minors with the shortstop.
3) ...and this is most likely. The Braves were not anxious to begin the service clock and option years of a guy they look at as a real possibility to replace Uggla. You might say that such reasons aren't valid to pick one guy over the other, but it seemed likely the reason La Stella was passed over to begin with. The Braves might see La Stella as the future at second. If Uggla was to miss the rest of the season, maybe they go with him. For two weeks, the Braves may have not been willing to begin his time in the bigs. And remember, the Braves are likely going to scour the trade market, looking for a better fit. Why call up La Stella only to potentially demote him soon after in light of a trade/waiver claim.
Whatever the reason, the initial feeling is WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS? Once you take a step back, it wouldn't have been the worst decision to go with La Stella. Would have been a reasonably understandable to go with the better prospect. However, the Braves went with the guy who was the better option for the next two weeks, not for the rest of the year or foreseeable future. And if the reasoning was based on service time and option years, that seems ridiculous to some fans. To people like me, it seems like the smart big picture move.
Remembering Fat Juan
As Juan Francisco hit two homers off Matt Garza Wednesday, a few Braves fans asked both what the hell the Braves got for the power hitter and why did they give up on a guy with such strength? Surely, the Braves could find a way to utilize Fat Juan in some way, right?
Well, the Braves did give up on him. That much is without a doubt. In need of a bullpen arm, the Braves designated Francisco for assignment on May 30th to allow them to call up Alex Wood. There was little chance Francisco would go unclaimed and less of a chance of him accepting a demotion to the minors so the Braves found a taker in the Milwaukee Brewers, getting 25 year-old lefty Thomas Keeling in return.
Keeling has been pitching at Mississippi since the trade and in 21.1 innings, he has walked 22. Ugly. He's never been this bad control-wise and has shown a strikeout arm from time-to-time, though not since the trade. It's a little odd how bad he's pitched since the trade. He was never a great arm, but he's been just awful now.
But Atlanta wasn't likely to get much for Francisco. In 128 games with the Braves, Francisco had struck out 113 times in 320 PA while slashing .237/.281/.420. Clearly, the dude could hit the ball a long way. Most of his highlights with Atlanta occurred in 2012. Like many young players, Francisco showed more ability as a starter than as a backup. In 42 starts last season, Francisco slashed .262/.293/.497 with 8 of his 9 homeruns. As is typical with most left-handed sluggers from the minors that can't settle into a regular spot, Francisco was worthless against lefties. Last year, he OPS'd .468, exactly 300 points less than his OPS against righties.
The one thing that can't be said is that Francisco didn't have a shot in 2013. Chris Johnson had been acquired, but it seemed like he was going to be a platoon partner for Francisco, not the guy who would start over Francisco. However, Francisco failed to distance himself from Johnson during the spring. He had a decent April, but anyone would have a decent April when your BABIP is .417. He continued to get fairly regular playing time in May, likely to showcase him, and Fat Juan failed miserably, OPSing .479. Needing bullpen help and with a glut of capable infielders available, Atlanta had to send Francisco packing.
Now, fans look at his 12 homeruns since the trade (and 17 overall), plus an .865 OPS and wonder why the Braves gave up or didn't get enough in a trade. He's still the same guy. Sometimes, his power numbers explode, as they have over the last 20 or so games, and other times, he looks fairly miserable, especially when given at-bats against lefties. Thursday night, he went 0-for-3 against Tony Cingrani and Manny Parra. He struck out each time.
He continues to be a horrendous defender, something Braves fans saw a lot of last year. Brewers fans get to endure Francisco learning-on-the-job at first. -8.0 UZR with a -3 DRS. Awful.
But really, that's all numbers. Francisco might hit a good deal of homers and be a platoon option for a team, but that team wasn't going to be in Atlanta. He also showed, to this point, an inability to come off the bench and produce. That in itself is not worrisome because young players often struggle as bench help and that's why guys like Reed Johnson and Ramiro Pena are so valuable. If Francisco wasn't going to start and also not produce high numbers to improve his trade value, how in the world were the Braves going to get much in a trade for him?
Francisco's future in Atlanta had a wall that he couldn't throw his fat ass over. Once Johnson started his amazing run this season, Francisco had to go. If he continues to produce in Milwaukee, all the better for him. Regardless, the Braves were still winners if only because it brought Wood to the majors.
Well, the Braves did give up on him. That much is without a doubt. In need of a bullpen arm, the Braves designated Francisco for assignment on May 30th to allow them to call up Alex Wood. There was little chance Francisco would go unclaimed and less of a chance of him accepting a demotion to the minors so the Braves found a taker in the Milwaukee Brewers, getting 25 year-old lefty Thomas Keeling in return.
Keeling has been pitching at Mississippi since the trade and in 21.1 innings, he has walked 22. Ugly. He's never been this bad control-wise and has shown a strikeout arm from time-to-time, though not since the trade. It's a little odd how bad he's pitched since the trade. He was never a great arm, but he's been just awful now.
But Atlanta wasn't likely to get much for Francisco. In 128 games with the Braves, Francisco had struck out 113 times in 320 PA while slashing .237/.281/.420. Clearly, the dude could hit the ball a long way. Most of his highlights with Atlanta occurred in 2012. Like many young players, Francisco showed more ability as a starter than as a backup. In 42 starts last season, Francisco slashed .262/.293/.497 with 8 of his 9 homeruns. As is typical with most left-handed sluggers from the minors that can't settle into a regular spot, Francisco was worthless against lefties. Last year, he OPS'd .468, exactly 300 points less than his OPS against righties.
The one thing that can't be said is that Francisco didn't have a shot in 2013. Chris Johnson had been acquired, but it seemed like he was going to be a platoon partner for Francisco, not the guy who would start over Francisco. However, Francisco failed to distance himself from Johnson during the spring. He had a decent April, but anyone would have a decent April when your BABIP is .417. He continued to get fairly regular playing time in May, likely to showcase him, and Fat Juan failed miserably, OPSing .479. Needing bullpen help and with a glut of capable infielders available, Atlanta had to send Francisco packing.
Now, fans look at his 12 homeruns since the trade (and 17 overall), plus an .865 OPS and wonder why the Braves gave up or didn't get enough in a trade. He's still the same guy. Sometimes, his power numbers explode, as they have over the last 20 or so games, and other times, he looks fairly miserable, especially when given at-bats against lefties. Thursday night, he went 0-for-3 against Tony Cingrani and Manny Parra. He struck out each time.
He continues to be a horrendous defender, something Braves fans saw a lot of last year. Brewers fans get to endure Francisco learning-on-the-job at first. -8.0 UZR with a -3 DRS. Awful.
But really, that's all numbers. Francisco might hit a good deal of homers and be a platoon option for a team, but that team wasn't going to be in Atlanta. He also showed, to this point, an inability to come off the bench and produce. That in itself is not worrisome because young players often struggle as bench help and that's why guys like Reed Johnson and Ramiro Pena are so valuable. If Francisco wasn't going to start and also not produce high numbers to improve his trade value, how in the world were the Braves going to get much in a trade for him?
Francisco's future in Atlanta had a wall that he couldn't throw his fat ass over. Once Johnson started his amazing run this season, Francisco had to go. If he continues to produce in Milwaukee, all the better for him. Regardless, the Braves were still winners if only because it brought Wood to the majors.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)