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Our old pal Will Startup lands with the O's
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
19 comments
0 recs
Bill Ballew: Braves Prospect List Q&A 2010, Part 2
by gondeee on Feb 9, 2010 9:26 AM EST
in Prospect Reviews
30 comments
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
by Dave_D on Feb 9, 2010 8:55 AM EST
28 comments
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:
28 comments | 3 recs
Braves Announce Non-Roster Spring Invitees
by gondeee on Feb 8, 2010 7:35 PM EST
44 comments
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
by gondeee on Feb 8, 2010 8:49 AM EST
in Prospect Reviews
47 comments
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.
47 comments | 0 recs |
Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence Continues to Inch Up
by gondeee on Feb 8, 2010 8:37 AM EST
2 comments
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.
2 comments | 0 recs |
The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap... Braves Caravan Edition
by gondeee on Feb 7, 2010 12:55 PM EST
in Weekly Wrap
18 comments
Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on February 7th:
In the Press...
- The 2010 Braves Caravan has its own blog, continue to check it out for all the latest happenings with the Caravan.
- Mark Bowman did a Q&A with Brian McCann.
- David O'Brien talks with Tim Hudson about his upcoming season.
- A Braves Caravan stop in Jason Heyward's hometown brings back memories.
At Talking Chop...
- TC did a Braves prospect Q&A with Bill Shanks, here is part-1 and part-2.
- I did a blog radio/video interview about the Braves off-season happenings with HotStove.com.
- I spent Friday morning at Camp Roger, talking with players and coaches, and taking some pictures.
- Notes and photos from the Braves Caravan stop at the Sun Trust Club at Turner Field.
- royhobbs wraps up the top stories around the NL East for the past week.
Notable FanPosts and FanShots...
- Lizziebeth shared her photos and experience from the Braves Caravan stop in Evans, GA.
- alligatorimpersonator shared his photos and experience from the Braves Caravan stop in Macon, GA.
- MTSU11 shared their photos and experience from the Braves Caravan stop in Franklin, TN.
- pacgnosis takes an in-depth look at what we can expect from Troy Glaus' defense at first base.
Braves Player Previews...
- granman29 kicked off our Braves player previews with Billy Wagner.
- Andy Braves Fan previewed our second baseman, Martin Prado.
18 comments | 0 recs |
Martin Prado: Atlanta Braves 2010 Player Preview
by gondeee on Feb 6, 2010 3:33 PM EST
in Community Projections
101 comments
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?
101 comments | 0 recs |
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