Talking Chop - For Atlanta Braves Fans

The View From Your Seat

Throughout the 2010 season, send me a picture of your seat at a Braves game (Major League or Minor League, any ballpark, as long as the Braves are playing). Don't try to get too fancy, just take a picture once the game starts and email me. It can be a view of the field, the scoreboard, the stands, or whatever strikes your fancy while sitting in your seat at a ballgame. Make sure you include the exact time and date the picture was taken and what half of the inning it was taken in. Your photo will then be posted on Talking Chop. By sending your photos, you grant Talking Chop full rights to publish and edit them as we see fit. The email address to send these photos to is martingandy at gmail dot com.

Talking Chop 2010 Community Top Prospects

1      Jason Heyward, OF
2      Freddie Freeman, 1B
3      Julio Teheran, RHSP
4      Arodys Vizcaino, RHSP
5      Edward Salcedo, SS
6      Mike Minor, LHSP
7      Craig Kimbrel, RHRP
8      Christian Bethancourt, C
9      Randall Delgado, RHSP
10    Zeke Spruill, RHSP
11    Cody Johnson, OF
12    J.J. Hoover, RHSP
13    Adam Milligan, OF
14    Brett DeVall, LHSP
15    Dimasther Delgado, LHSP
16    Jose Ortegano, LHSP
17    Cory Gearrin, RHRP
18    Cole Rohrbough, LHSP
19    Brandon Hicks, SS
20    Jacob Thompson, RHSP
21    Brett Oberholtzer, LHSP
22    David Hale, RHRP
23    Robinson Lopez, RHSP
24    Scott Diamond, LHSP
25    Tyler Stovall, LHSP
26    Andy Otero, LHSP
27    Benino Pruneda, RHRP
28    R. Spanjer-Furstenburg, 1B
29    Mycal Jones, SS
30   Caleb Brewer, RHSP

This list was compiled here.

Atlanta Braves Roster

pitchers	#	Pos.
Juan Abreu	56	P
Manny Acosta	46	P
Jesse Chavez	51	P
Kyle Cofield	64	P
Michael Dunn	38	P
Tommy Hanson	48	P
Tim Hudson	15	P
Lee Hyde	63	P
Jair Jurrjens	49	P
Kenshin Kawakami	11	P
Derek Lowe	32	P
Jeff Lyman	65	P
Stephen Marek	62	P
Kris Medlen	54	P
Peter Moylan	58	P
Eric OFlaherty	34	P
Jose Ortegano	67	P
James Parr	59	P
Todd Redmond	61	P
Jo-Jo Reyes	37	P
Takashi Saito	40	P
Luis Valdez	50	P
Jonny Venters	68	P
Billy Wagner	13	P

catchers	#	Pos.
Brian McCann	16	C
David Ross	8	C
Clint Sammons	5	C

infielders	#	Pos.
Brooks Conrad	26	2B
Yunel Escobar	19	SS
Troy Glaus	25	3B
Diory Hernandez	27	2B
Omar Infante	4	SS
Chipper Jones	10	3B
Martin Prado	14	2B

outfielders	#	Pos.
Gregor Blanco	1	CF
Melky Cabrera	53	CF
Matt Diaz	23	RF
Eric Hinske	20	LF
Nate McLouth	13	CF
Jordan Schafer	24	CF

Braves Making the Team Meter 2010: Hitters, Week 3

by gondeee on Mar 11, 2010 8:22 AM EST Comment 0 comments

Making the Team Meter for the Atlanta Braves hitters for week 3 of spring training shows us what the hitters have done the first two weeks of spring games. Go here for week 2 of the hitters MTM. I'll be taking some people off the list this week. I've removed Clint Sammons, Jordan Schafer, Freddie Freeman, and Cody Johnson, as they may still be on the spring roster, but barring injury they're not likely to make the team.

Player, Position	This Week's Trend	Last Week	Notes and Comments
Brooks Conrad, 2B			He is still swinging a hot bat and helping his cause by playing second and third. His main competition, Thurston, is also having a good spring. This battle could go down to the wire.
Gregor Blanco, OF			He has been largely unimpressive this spring. He's still way down there on the depth chart.
Brandon Hicks, SS			He doesn't have many hits, but he's impressed a lot of people in camp. He's probably nowhere near making the team, but he can certainly help his future prospects for making the Majors with a good showing this spring.
Joe Thurston, 2B			In the same boat with Conrad, and there's only room for one. Thurston is at a bit of a disadvantage because he's not on the 40-man, but he does have more experience as a pinch hitter and utility player than Conrad, and that could give him an edge.
Brent Clevlen, OF			He's getting a lot of playing time, but he's not doing much with it. We'll change him to going back down this week.
Jason Heyward, OF			Poser.
Mitch Jones, OF			He had a big homerun the other day, but that's his only hit this spring. He needs to show everyone that he's not a one-dimensional player.
Matt Young, OF			He's got as many hits as M. Jones and Blanco combined in far fewer at-bats. I'm still rooting for him, and we'll keep him here to see what happens.

Arrow Key:
= Chance of making the team is waffling or 50-50.
= Chance of making the team is trending down.
= Chance of making the team is trending up.

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Jesus Wins Game for Braves

by gondeee on Mar 10, 2010 4:49 PM EST in Game Recaps Comment 40 comments

That's right Jesus Sucre gets the walk-off hit for the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon, as they beat the Mets in the bottom of the 10th. That Jesus is of course pronounced "Hey Zeus," and not "Geez Us," like the resurrected son of God. Other than that the game was a mishmash of typical spring training veteran blowups, with Derek Lowe and Takashi Saito having rough outings. That headline, though, had to be posted.

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The View From Your Seat

by gondeee on Mar 10, 2010 3:28 PM EST in The View From Your Seat Comment 3 comments

Champion Stadium, Mets vs. Braves, 3/10/10, 2:30pm, bottom of the fourth

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Braves Quote For The Day

by gondeee on Mar 10, 2010 2:29 PM EST in Quote For The Day Comment 12 comments

From a DOB Tweet:

Blister under r. big toe led to Lowe's troubles. It's messy, cropped up after 3rd pitch. Said he taped it whole career until this spring.

And here I thought his blister problems were on his hand...

I vote that we nickname Derek Lowe, "Mister Blister."

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The View From Your Seat

by gondeee on Mar 10, 2010 12:50 PM EST in The View From Your Seat Comment 10 comments

Champion Stadium, Phillies vs. Braves, 3/9/10, 7:15pm, bottom of the first

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Spring Training Open Thread: Mets at Braves

by gondeee on Mar 10, 2010 12:30 PM EST in Open Threads Comment 406 comments

More photos » Rob Carr - AP

Derek Lowe takes the mound for the Braves.

Browse more photos »

The Braves take on the Mets for the third time this spring. Jason Heyward apparently has a sore back from running into the outfield wall in last night's game, and he is sitting this one out. Jeff Francoeur also didn't make the trip with the Mets, as New York brought what looks to be their C-team (which begs the question, "why didn't Francoeur come along). Here is the Braves lineup:

Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Eric Hinske, 1B
Melky Cabrera, RF
Matt Diaz, LF
Omar Infante, SS
David Ross, C
Derek Lowe, RH

Following Lowe on the mound should be Takashi Saito, Kris Medlen, Kyle Cofield, Mariano Gomez, and Jonny Venters.

I'm excited to see if Lowe can continue his success, and to see if Cofield can come out and show us something.

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Braves Making the Team Meter 2010: Pitchers, Week 3

by gondeee on Mar 10, 2010 11:06 AM EST Comment 27 comments

Making the Team Meter for the Atlanta Braves pitchers for week 3 of spring training follows what the pitchers have done the first two weeks of games. Go here for week 2 of the pitchers edition MTM. I went ahead and removed Juan Abreu from this list, and a few more will come off next week.

Player, Position	This Week's Trend	Notes and Comments
Manny Acosta, RHP		Okay, seriously, really, Manny has been pretty darn good this spring. 4 innings, 6 strikeouts, and only 1 hit and 1 walk. I hate to say it, but with Chavez and Dunn struggling, Manny's looking good to make the team.
Jesse Chavez, RHP		His stats look horrible so far this spring. He did have a decent outing last night, but it was by no means dominant. Nor did he look that confident on the mound. He has an option left, and I say his odds of making the team are slipping.
Kyle Cofield, RHP		He's only gotten into one game, but he's been compared to John Smoltz, so we'll keep him on here and see if he gets a more serious shot at one of the bullpen spots.
Erik Cordier, RHP		Two decent outings. He's helping his cause to make the team, but he's still a non-roster guy, so unless he just blows away the Braves coaches he's still bound for the minors.
Michael Dunn, LHP		Lots of walks and hits. He's pitched around them for the most part, but his control is a point of concern.
Mariano Gomez, LHP		He got shellacked in his second outing of the spring. He really hasn't shown he can get anyone out this spring.
Lee Hyde, LHP		Like Gomez, Hyde got shelled in his second spring appearance. I still like his chances, but he's got to have better control.
Craig Kimbrel, RHP		I still think that with his stuff there's always the possibility of him making the team. He needs to get into some game, though.
Jeff Lyman, RHP		He has done well this spring, and is flying way under the radar. Could be a dark horse bullpen candidate.
Stephen Marek, RHP	OFF	He doesn't seem to be ready for the show, as his disappointing 2009 is following into this season. We'll take him off this list, as he's too far down the depth chart at this point.
Kris Medlen, RHP		He has looked great so far this spring.
Mike Minor, LHP		He's looked really good, and he seems to be throwing with a lot of confidence. I still believe that he is in the Braves long term plans more than their short term plans for this year. He may be one of the first players cut so he can go prepare for the rotation in the minors.
Jose Ortegano, LHP	OFF	After having a great Winter League, he got creamed by the Phillies last night.
James Parr, RHP		He's done okay this spring, with good strikeout numbers. It will be interesting to see how the Braves use him this year. He could be a long shot for the bullpen.
Scott Proctor, RHP		The team still seems optimistic that he could be ready to start the season with the big club.
Todd Redmond, RHP		He had a good first outing, and he is another pitcher who is intriguing. Still, I bet the team wants him to start in triple-A as emergency depth.
Chris Resop, RHP		Not having a good spring. It doesn't look good for Resop. Seeing as how he didn't get into many games last year in Japan, he could probably stand to spend some time in the minors.
Jo-Jo Reyes, LHP		He might be squeezing his way into a bullpen role, and Cox hinted at just that.
Luis Valdez, RHP		Still having visa problems getting into the states.
Jonny Venters, LHP		He's having an okay spring. He needs to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack if he is to move up this list.

Arrow Key:
= Chance of making the team is waffling or 50-50.
= Chance of making the team is trending down.
= Chance of making the team is trending up.

UPDATE: 4PM 3/10:

We may have to add Cory Gearrin to this list. He's not on the 40-man roster and he's not listed as a non-roster invitee, but he's made it into two games now and he's pitched very well, allowing only one hit while striking out two.

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Spring Training Open Thread: Phillies at Braves

by gondeee on Mar 9, 2010 5:00 PM EST in Open Threads Comment 755 comments

It's a 7:05pm night game on CSS (Comcast), and on MLB Network for non-Atlanta markets (Atlanta market will likely be blacked out). It should be a nice matchup, phacing the Phils for the phirst time this spring. Here is the lineup

Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Troy Glaus, 1B
Brian McCann, C
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jason Heyward, RF
Melky Cabrera, LF
Kenshin Kawakami, P

From a DOB tweet:

Cox about tonight being opening-day lineup: "Pretty close. I don't know if Heyward will be hitting seventh, if he keeps going like this."

This is the lineup I've had in mind for the past two months. I think even if Heyward keeps raking they'll keep him protected lower in the lineup early in the season. At some point the league is going to adjust to him, so we'll see how his learning curve is then.

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