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Talking Chop 2010 Community Top Prospects

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

This list was compiled here.

Four-A... Get the Book

Talking Chop co-blogger C.B. Wilkins has written his first book, Four-A, available here.

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"In a story as much about life as baseball, Four-A follows relief pitcher Bry "Hummer" James over the course of a season, as he bounces between the highest levels of professional baseball, stuck in between, at an unofficial level called Four-A."

Graphical Player 2010

Talking Chop blogger gondeee contributed the Atlanta Braves analysis to John Burnson's Graphical Player 2010, the perfect companion for any fantasy baseball player, available here.

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For a preview of the book, click here. The book is a run-down of every baseball player who could have a fantasy impact in 2010, with not only analysis from a team expert (like me for the Braves), but a huge sampling of stats presented in graphed format so you can easily see trends.

Atlanta Braves Roster


I was always a big fan of Startup, a lefty reliever who we sent to San Diego for Will Ledezma several years ago.

about 13 hours ago Gondeee_tiny gondeee 19 comments 0 recs

Bill Ballew: Braves Prospect List Q&A 2010, Part 2

Here is part-2 of the two-part Atlanta Braves prospect Q&A with Baseball America's Bill Ballew. For part-1 click here.

Q:  Which young player package will be better in the long run? Which group would you prefer?
(A) Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore and Santos Rodriguez
(B) Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez, and Jeff Locke
(C) Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino

A:  Give me the first group, mainly because of Flowers. Lillibridge is a decent role player, but really a 4A guy. Gilmore is not a prospect in my opinion, and Rodriguez throws hard but has not made much progress along the organizational ladder. Flowers is a big-time bat and a likely first baseman who could fill at catcher. The second group is mainly about Morton, who is a decent starter for a non-championship club. Hernandez will hit his ceiling pretty soon, and Locke has not shown enough consistency to be considered a guy to work around. Cabrera is overrated because he was a Yankee, Dunn is decent but not a long-term answer, and Vizcaino is a potential stud but has a long way to go before he reaches the big leagues.

Q:  Despite a safe above-slot pick of Mike Minor, how would you rank the Braves 2009 draft when compared against Braves' drafts of previous years? Did they focus too much on college and JuCo players while abandoning their usual draft sytle of selecting a lot of high school talent?

A:  I believe they fell in love with the juco approach in 2008, when they did very well, and went a little overboard last year. I don't see a lot of impact potential with the 2009 class, which proved to be Roy Clark's last with the Braves. Clark did an amazing job as scouting director and had several of the best draft classes in Atlanta history. Unfortunately, 2009 does not appear to be one of them. I believe he was limited because of the budget as well as some other things that were taking place behind closed doors that contributed to his departure. Mycal Jones and a few others could prove to be interesting, but I don't see this class as being a big-time contributor to the organization's depth.

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Braves 2010 Caravan - Publix in Suwanee, GA

I decided to swing by the Braves Caravan on Monday 2/8 that was taking place at the Publix right down the street from my house in Suwanee, GA.  I left work at 4 PM thinking I would get there at 4:30 and that would give me enough time to park and be ready for them to arrive at 5 PM.  Well, when I got there I saw a line that went all the way down the strip mall, around the corner and around the back of the building.  Oh well, so much for getting an autograph today.  I later found out from one of the managers of the Publix that fans started lining up there at 10 AM that morning.  That's a full 7 hours before the Braves appearance!  So I grabbed my camera and my Flip Video and headed to the front of the store.  Here's the view from the entrance of the beginning of the line:

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28 comments  |  3 recs

Braves Announce Non-Roster Spring Invitees

The Atlanta Braves announced the final list of their non-roster invitees for spring training today. The list includes top prospect Jason Heyward, expected to seriously compete for the starting right field job this spring. It's been debated over and over here at Talking Chop as to whether or not the Braves should start Heyward in the majors or give him more time in the minors, but we really have to wait and see how he performs in spring training.

Top first base prospect Freddie Freeman also got an invite for the second consecutive year. It will be interesting to see how he performs in his second major league spring training. Shortstop Brandon Hicks will also be in his second major league spring training.

Top draft pick from 2009, Mike Minor, gets an invite to spring training, as well as top draft pick from 2006, outfielder Cody Johnson. Two interesting pitchers to watch include reliever Craig Kimbrel, who some consider a future closer candidate, and Eric Cordier, a talented oft-injured former second-round pitcher who many expect to turn a corner this year. Diminutive and speedy outfielder Matt Young also received an invite.

The obligatory extra catchers also received invites, Jesus Sucre and Braeden Schlehuber, who join veteran invitees Orlando Mercado and the yearly sighting of J.C. Boscan.

Previous players receiving invites include position players Joe Thurston, Brent Clevlen, and Mitch Jones. Thurston has a chance to earn a role as a utility infielder, and Jones could contribute off the bench or in the outfield if Heyward fails to make the team.

The final three invitees are bullpen candidates Mariano Gomez, Chris Resop, and Scott Proctor, who will likely still be rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

44 comments  |  0 recs |

Bill Ballew: Braves Prospect List Q&A 2010, Part 1

The fourth and final installment of our prospect list Q&A's for 2010 ends with Baseball America's Bill Ballew. Bill covers several teams for BA including the Braves, where he does a terrific job of keeping BA readers informed about the team's prospects during the season. Bill penned this year's Atlanta Braves top prospects for Baseball America, which was released back at the beginning of November. We had a great Q&A with Bill last year and the year before, and this year he was kind enough to once again be very detailed with his answers (hence the two-part Q&A).

Q:  Give us your prediction of where Jason Heyward will start the season, and what kind of year he will have. Is Heyward ready to be an everyday major leaguer from opening day 2010?

A:  He could handle the job now, but I believe the Braves will do the prudent thing and send him to Gwinnett for a few months before throwing him to the wolves. After all, Tommy Hanson's experience last year definitely topped the first-year performance of Jordan Schafer. I know there were some injury issues there, but I believe the Braves need to look at the big picture over the long haul and let him see Triple-A pitching for two or three months. Only 20, Heyward is a man-child with an incredible feel for the game. He has everything you want in an outfield prospect. On a lesser team, he would be a sure thing to open the season in the big leagues, but the Braves have the wisdom to do the right thing and bring him as the weather warms this summer.

Q:  Where would you rank Arodys Vizcaino on the Braves prospect list? How does he compare to Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado, who are your 3rd and 4th ranked Braves' prospects?

A:  Vizcaino would rank between Teheran and Delgado on my list at this point. I haven't seen him pitch, but from everything I've been told by some reliable scouts, front-office types and others, he has some impressive all-around ability. I've seen Teheran and Delgado, and I believe both of them have a very bright future. Teheran was pushed initially in 2008 and wasn't physically ready to pitch in the Appalachian League. He lived up to the hype last year and looks ready to start making rapid progress. The light really came on for Delgado during the last half of 2009 at Rome and I wouldn't be surprised to see him split this season between Myrtle Beach and Mississippi. Delgado may be the best of the three. Of course, with pitching, so much depends upon who stays healthy. All three will be fun to watch develop this year.

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Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence Continues to Inch Up

As the season approaches ever so closer each day, the confidence of Atlanta Braves fans seems to be rising. For the third straight two-week period the Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence poll saw a rise in the confidence level. Starting back on January ninth when the poll went from 65% to 70%, then followed with a 71% two weeks ago, and now it is up again to 74%.

Since the Braves have made zero moves in the past two weeks, one can only assume that the approaching call of pitchers and catchers is yielding more optimism. The Braves Caravan could also have something to do with breeding optimism in the hearts of Braves fans. Whatever the reason, it's nice to see that the fans are getting more excited about this team this season, and hopefully that will continue throughout spring training.

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2 comments  |  0 recs |

The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap... Braves Caravan Edition

Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on February 7th:

Tomahawk_exsm_medium  In the Press...

Tomahawk_exsm_medium At Talking Chop...

Tomahawk_exsm_medium Notable FanPosts and FanShots...

Tomahawk_exsm_medium Braves Player Previews...

18 comments  |  0 recs |

Martin Prado: Atlanta Braves 2010 Player Preview

This player preview was written by Andrew Chin who posts here as Andy Braves Fan.

Martin Prado could be the lynchpin for the Braves success in 2010 with the bat and with the glove. On offense Prado will likely be hitting in the second spot in the lineup in front of the venerable Chipper Jones. His ability to "set the table" will be extremely important in a lineup that does not have a lot of power in the middle. On defense Prado will have to play well to shore up a questionable Braves infield. To his left stands Glaus, a new first baseman with a long injury history and little experience at his position. To his right stands Yunel, a lightning rod of a shortstop with potentially great defensive prowess and a potentially disastrous tendency to make mental mistakes.

So what will Martin need to do in order to succeed in this vital role?

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101 comments  |  0 recs |

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