The Atlanta Braves (thread 1)

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#5,676
#5,676
I always liked Sutton, but I'm mostly just bummed out that Pete retired. I wish he'd given it one more year. Skip and Pete were the voices of summer before I had hair on my chest, and they were still there after I lost much of the hair on my head. As someone who still gets much of his baseball from radio -- this sucks. I can only hope that Pete does sort of an extended farewell like Ernie did, filling in here and there several times a year so that he's not quite gone all the way for awhile. It's going to be weird not to have Pete's Diamond Notes before the games, isn't it?
 
#5,677
#5,677
Given the way the offseason has gone, I was really afraid that we were going to end up with either Ron Gant or Mark Lemke in the booth. Every time I hear either of them do color commentary it makes me think the Braves have instituted a remedial announcer program or something. Gant has a smooth voice, but he adds absolutely nothing and will bore you to tears. Lemke does a little better, but that accent is rough to listen to.
 
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#5,680
#5,680
Probably a good thing for everyone. The longer this went, the more likely it was that he was going to end up at Spring Training with the Braves. Texas is a perfect place for Andruw Jones to make a comeback. Warm, out of the limelight and out of contention.

I actually give credit to Frank Wren. A nostalgia grab seemed inevitable.
 
#5,681
#5,681
Thank God Andruw's not coming back to the Braves. Frank Wren needs to be hit with a shovel for even considering that. And trying to get Furcal back? Wtf? That's what Escobar is for. The management of this team has about hit rock bottom. And with Skip no longer with us God rest his soul this is gonna be a rough year.
 
#5,682
#5,682
I think the fact that Jones signed a minor league deal with Texas pretty much says that Frank Wren didn't express much interest at all.

As for Furcal vs. Escobar . . . give me Furcal any day of the week.
 
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#5,684
#5,684
GAVol said:
I think the fact that Jones signed a minor league deal with Texas pretty much says that Frank Wren didn't express much interest at all.

As for Furcal vs. Escobar . . . give me Furcal any day of the week.
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Vercingetorix said:
Agreed. They're roughly similar players, stat-wise, but at least Furcal can lead off. Escobar's just a body. Completely average player.
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Don't get me wrong, Rafael Furcal was my favorite player when he was in Atlanta, but Yunel's defense is nothing short of spectacular. A completely average player is a little harsh.
 
#5,685
#5,685
the.one.the.only said:
Don't get me wrong, Rafael Furcal was my favorite player when he was in Atlanta, but Yunel's defense is nothing short of spectacular. A completely average player is a little harsh.
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Disagree. He's got a great arm and good range, but his hands are not great, and he's sloppy. He's better than the minor-league scouts expected him to be, but he's nowhere near being one of these shortstops who's so good that you don't care what they give you with the bat.

I've said this before, but for you older folks who remember him -- Yunel Escobar is Rafael Ramirez. Good but not great fielder; a slap hitter who doesn't hit for any power or draw walks. Some years he'll .300 or higher, and then he helps you. Maybe even makes the all-star team. But some years he'll hit .265 to .275, and then he doesn't help. It just depends on how many extra singles fall in in a given year.
 
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#5,686
#5,686
Vercingetorix said:
I've said this before, but for you older folks who remember him -- Yunel Escobar is Rafael Ramirez. Good but not great fielder; a slap hitter who doesn't hit for any power or draw walks.
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Offensively, I think you are right, but I think Escobar has a much better arm than Ramirez ever thought about. Raffy also booted a ton of balls, although some of that had to do with that god awful infield at old Fulton County Stadium.
 
#5,687
#5,687
No question that Escobar's arm is better, but I remember Ramirez having better range. It averages out into about the same value as a SS, IMO -- a guy who's better than league average, but not one of the two or three best SS in the league. (With the caveat that in Raffy's time, teams were a lot more willing to let guys play SS who couldn't hit ANYTHING, as long as he a had a great glove. That doesn't really happen anymore.)

Anyway, like Ramirez, Escobar is good enough to play SS on a championship team -- but only if he's one of the supporting cast. If he's one of the six best players in your everyday lineup, then you're in trouble.
 
#5,688
#5,688
Vercingetorix said:
If he's one of the six best players in your everyday lineup, then you're in trouble.
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. . . and that's the problem with Escobar and Kelly Johnson. They are very serviceable players, but they really don't have any business leading off and batting 2nd is questionable.

Cox is a great manager, but he has a knack for putting together lineups with ill suited leadoff men like Marcus Giles, Walt Weiss etc.
 
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#5,689
#5,689
Escobar is no leadoff man, but I've always liked him as a player. I don't care for his whining, but I do like his play. Don't know why, he's nothing spectacular.
 
#5,690
#5,690
I think if you were grading Escobar as a over all player 1-10 ten being the best. He would be a 6 or 7. I would consider him to be above average. Just my opinion.
 
#5,691
#5,691
Escobar's a decent player, as long as you don't go overboard and start talking about how ripped he is in spring training, how he's one of the best young players in the NL, how he's going to be an all-star, etc. (all of which we heard last spring). The Braves seem to have figured that out, considering that his name kept coming up in trade rumors this winter. I would like to have seen him traded while he's maybe overvalued, but I'm fine with the Braves keeping him -- as long as they realize he's a 7 or 8 hitter, not a 2. If he he has to hit 2nd, then your offense sucks.

Speaking of the Escobar attitude, I'm a little worried that it's going to be worse this year -- based on what I read about him last year, I can't imagine that he's going to react well to having been on the block all winter. Let's hope I'm wrong.
 
#5,692
#5,692
Seeing Bobby Abreu go as cheap as he did was a little sickening. He sure would have looked good in LF.
 
#5,693
#5,693
From ESPN:

The Braves have also expressed serious interest in Abreu, but sources said Atlanta's budget is so tight that general manager Frank Wren would have to stretch to give him a $5 million salary.
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What the hell?!? What happened to all that money that the Braves supposedly had coming off the books this year?

Liberty Media sucks.
 
#5,694
#5,694
It's ridiculous. It's not as if they broke the bank on the Japanese dude and Javier Vazquez. With each passing year, the Braves are becoming the Cincinnati Reds.
 
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#5,695
#5,695
. . . and you can bet that the next PR potholes are going to be failing to bring back Tom Glavine and then not offering an extension to Chipper Jones and having their hand forced when they are at .500 in mid July.
 
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#5,696
#5,696
I just don't get it. No Hampton, no Smoltz, no Teixeira. That's what, $30m+ off the books right there? Derek Lowe is the only FA of consequence whom they've signed. Payroll is supposed to stay the same. Something's not adding up.

2009 was going to be a wash anyway, but I have to say that I'm livid to see them claiming that they can't scrape together a lousy $5m for Abreu.
 
#5,697
#5,697
Vercingetorix said:
I just don't get it. No Hampton, no Smoltz, no Teixeira. That's what, $30m+ off the books right there? Derek Lowe is the only FA of consequence whom they've signed. Payroll is supposed to stay the same. Something's not adding up.
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They are paying a little more for Mike Gonzalez, Alfonso Soriano and Brian McCann, but I agree . . . it's becoming pretty clear that Frank Wren's hands are tied.
 
#5,698
#5,698
I think the reason they didn't go after Abreau or Dunn is because they are left handed hitters. That would make the lineup too lefty heavy with Anderson/Blanco, Johnson, McCann, Kotchman and Chipper(against RHP). I think we will trade for Nick Swisher who is a swich hitter.

1.Anderson/Blanco (L)
2.Escobar (R)
3.Chipper (S)
4.Swisher (S)
5.McCann (L)
6.Francoeur (R)
7.Kotchman (L)
8.Johnson (L)

Bench:

C Ross
OF Blanco/Anderson
OF Diaz
Util Norton
Util Infante
Martin Prado and Brandon Jones will be in the mix for one of the bench spots as well.
 
#5,700
#5,700
gobravesvols16 said:
1.Anderson/Blanco (L) SUCKS
2.Escobar (R) NEEDS TO HIT 7TH
3.Chipper (S) OLD, LIKELY TO MISS 40 GAMES
4.Swisher (S) MEDIOCRE, NO WAY HE SHOULD HIT IN FRONT OF MCCANN
5.McCann (L) GOING TO MISS 30-40 GAMES
6.Francoeur (R) SUCKS
7.Kotchman (L) MEDIOCRE
8.Johnson (L) MEDIOCRE
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The Braves will be very lucky to score 700 runs this year.
 
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