Braves rumored to be in lead for Kenshin

Also the link suggests that Andruw is Braves bound if released by L.A.

about 3 years ago Charmin519 9 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Jones

If Jones is signed cheap then why would it not be a good signing, if he doesn’ t pan out the dodgers are basically paying for him to play elsewhere. If he rededicates himself then he could be a nice addition. I say 30 hrs, 80 rbis and solid d in Left wouldn’t be bad.

by mauck98 on Jan 7, 2009 1:07 PM EST reply actions

I’m afraid Bobby will play him in CF though, out of loyalty. The smart move, if we do indeed sign him, would be stick him in left and let Anderson play CF and bat leadoff, because its highly unlikely Schaffer will be ready until next year at the earliest. I really doubt Jones has 30 HR in him, but 20 wouldn’t be unreasonable if he doesn’t completely flop in the first few months of the season and get released by us. Problem is we would still need a cleanup hitter, since Jones is probably best suited to the 6 hole now.

-1000 for being a dick.

by Rhyno18 on Jan 7, 2009 1:12 PM EST up reply actions

What makes you say Schafer won’t be ready until 2010? He probably would have been called up mid-season last year if it weren’t for his suspension. I just don’t see Bobby playing Andruw in CF over a young, rising guy in Schafer.

by coldriver10 on Jan 7, 2009 1:30 PM EST up reply actions

Reasons he won’t be ready:

1. He’s never played above Double A.
2. He didn’t exactly impress last year when he came back from the suspension.
3. Braves rushed projects along from Double A to the bigs and where did it get them? McCann has been great, all the other “Baby Braves” have flopped to date.

Need me to go on?

-1000 for being a dick.

by Rhyno18 on Jan 7, 2009 3:15 PM EST up reply actions

While it’s true he’s never played above AA and that he started off really slowly after his suspension, he came alive the last month or two of the season. I don’t know exactly what his stats were, but they showed his potential is still really high.

The way I see it, their CF options are Blanco, Anderson, and Schafer…Blanco and Anderson just aren’t that good. They could get equivalent production out of Schafer with better defense, which is why they probably would have called him up by August or September if it weren’t for his suspension. I could see the argument that he’ll start in AAA next season and then move up, but I truly believe he’ll be up next year at the latest.

Also, I wouldn’t say all the Baby Braves “flopped” at all. First, Frenchy had a horrible season last year, but he hit almost 30 HRs in his first full season and then 2 years ago got his average up to almost .300 (albeit with somewhat less power with 19 HRs). We’ll see next year what kind of player Frenchy really is. And Kelly Johnson is a really solid player overall, though his defense leaves some to be desired.

by coldriver10 on Jan 7, 2009 3:26 PM EST up reply actions

My take

which amounts to a whoppin’ hill o’beans, I think Schafer is destined for AA to start the year. I think the Braves leave him there for part of the year and then promote him to AAA once they feel he’s shown enough improvement. He will most likely get the call this year but i’m guessing it won’t be before September.

I agree he showed flashes of brilliance last year, but he desperately needs to improve against lefty pitching and show some consistency. I also agree he could provide at least as much production as Blanco or Anderson with better D, but what does it hurt to leave him in the minors until he’s ready to perform at expected levels?

"Debated ya right not one person agreed with me" by ATLsportsfrk on Dec 27, 2008 6:31 PM EST

by scstrato on Jan 7, 2009 6:55 PM EST up reply actions

Francoeur was sent down, albeit only for a few days. But I think the Braves and Bobby learned their lesson after that. Loyalty to guys hitting .200 won’t get you very far. If Andruw is signed for league minimum, I think he’ll end up getting cut if he doesn’t produce.

by Bobby Cocks on Jan 7, 2009 1:30 PM EST up reply actions

Andruw’s in a really good position, I think. The Dodgers will owe him the better part of close to $20mil regardless of what they do, and if he’s free to leave, it puts him in a low-expectation situation, where the only pressure is really in his head. There will no doubt be a team out there that would offer the minimum and bring him in for a Spring Training tryout, or whatever, because for $400,000 and the chance that he might return to a modicum of the talent that made him worth $18mil/year is too low-risk/high-reward to pass up.

I’ve voiced it before, but I hope it’s not Atlanta. I wish Andruw the best, and hope he finds his swing again, but I’d rather the Braves not be the brave ones taking that risk.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Jan 7, 2009 1:48 PM EST reply actions