Best Prospect Today?

by bravesfan1047 on Feb 26, 2009 5:38 PM EST Comment 53 comments

I recorded the game and just got done watching it

so who was the best prospect today?

Tommy Hanson, wow what a guy?! This was my first time seeing him pitch after reading about him for months, very very impressed, the ball just shot out, very impressed.

Jason Heyward wow he his HUGE! and he has speed, did you see that run from 1B to home? wow big guy has some wheels on him, plus the power bat? you know i'm very happy we signed GA to a one year deal, cause Heyward is going to be there next year!

Freeman, how bout that homerun? has some pop in his bat, also very impressed

also our back up catchers, our younger 2B, very very impressed with our young guys

so who were you most excited about?

personally for me I watched this game mostly to see Hanson, as I'm sure 99% of you did also. Tommy came through, and many others came through so who was your favorite to watch?

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Well,

I only saw the first 4 innings (because I took an hour and a half lunch break) but Hanson was looking good. I have to see Freeman play. Sounds like he knows his shit.

So pissed I missed this game. Especially with the score. haha. When I left I think we were down 5-2. They did get to interview Bobby though, and that’s always cool.

And Frenchy hit a single. Awesome.

"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Feb 26, 2009 5:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I saw Frenchy take a strike low and away. I was so proud.

"The only time the Mets win is in the offseason"

by Falconzfan284 on Feb 26, 2009 6:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I thought hell had frozen over…

by Zeus12888 on Feb 26, 2009 6:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I give Chipper an extra vote for GFL MVP for that.

"Fools rush in where fools have been before"

by jeg on Feb 26, 2009 6:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Your mother.

Oh, Bobby.

by sdp on Feb 26, 2009 7:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Don't Lynch Me

but, I wasn’t overly-impressed with Tommy-boy. Yeah, his stuff had pop and he has some amazing speed, but he was lacking in the control dept. I think if we don’t put him in AAA until at LEAST July, it will be a serious mistake.

He has some nasty stuff for sure, but so do many other pitching prospects. He needs to work on the control.

The good thing is that a lot of his stuff, when it missed, missed low. That is a good sign. But, based on today’s performance, there is no way this kid is ready for the big show.

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill -

by justincredubil02 on Feb 26, 2009 7:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

yea i can see what you mean
and i ain’t “lynching” you for this
because i dont want to rush him
he as all the potential and the last thing we need is for him to be rushed

plus we have plenty of pitching depth that will hold us with out Hanson.. for now

i was very impressed with him and hey if he makes it to the bigs i aint complaining!

by bravesfan1047 on Feb 26, 2009 7:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I didn’t think his control was too bad. I’ll give him a break for it being this early, coming on in relief, it being nationally broadcasted, and the amount of hype the appearance garnered.

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by beeniez on Feb 26, 2009 7:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If it was Cubs vs Red Sox (or some such bullshit)...

….they probably would have re-aired the game tonight. I really wanted to see the whole thing. Oh well, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Feb 26, 2009 8:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I am re-watching the game right now

and he just pitched the 3rd inning…at first, i thought maybe i was too critical, but man, he struggled in that inning…I am about to watch the 4th now.

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill -

by justincredubil02 on Feb 26, 2009 8:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you’re right, he’s not ready, but man, that one big curve that just falls out of nowhere into the strike zone…

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Feb 26, 2009 9:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The stuff is there, as we all say. I thought he settled down pretty well in the 4th, which is a positive sign after his previous inning.

Anyone have the number of pitches he threw each inning?

We should have signed Adam Dunn.

by Smoltz's Beard on Feb 27, 2009 10:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He can certainly out-pitch the other Tommy right now, I know that.

The only point I see in having him at AAA to start the year is to offset his free agency for a year, by keeping him down there a month. That and Bobby said the fifth starter is only going to get two starts in the first month; and Tommy needs to be pitching every fifth day.

Considering the thing Oswalt said about the balls not being rubbed down, and it being the first start in spring, I thing Tommy gets a passing grade for that start. No one really hit him hard, and had he not plunked Tejada (which seemed to be intentional, though we’ll never know), he would have only given up the one run. Look at Gonzo’s control coming into the game right after TH. He didn’t have command on much of anything.

So while I agree that we should maybe hold off on having him on the opening day roster (unless he just dominates, which is entirely possibly), he doesn’t need to be in Gwinnett for much more than a month. Any longer than that and we aren’t being competitive we’re just being nice to Glavine.

Tommy Hanson 4 ROY

by timmy3 on Feb 27, 2009 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

“Control, control—you must learn control!”

—Yoda, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away

"…aren’t worthy enough to hold his (Pujols) ass cheeks apart while Playboy models wipe him with thousand dollar bills after he craps out the cure to whatever previously-incurable disease." by royhobbs 1/7/09

by buzzdeadwax on Feb 27, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He was also shaky in his first gamr in the arizona fall league but then he dominated his performance to win the MVP, so I think it was the jitters. On the other hand AAA isnt such a bad idea.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 1, 2009 11:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

DVR or ESPN?

"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Feb 26, 2009 9:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

DVR

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill -

by justincredubil02 on Feb 26, 2009 9:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

First off...

by the title of this post I thought you were asking who we thought was the best prospect in baseball – I didn’t even think that was in question.

As for the game today, I don’t know. I only saw Hanson’s two innings, and I was impressed. I knew the command wouldn’t be there, but his fastball had excellent horizontal movement and the breaking stuff was snappy as could be. If he learns to put it on the corners, the sky is the limit. With his excellent mechanics, I am confident he’ll learn that aspect of the game soon enough.

by BraveBronco0121 on Feb 26, 2009 9:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

it is kinda in question best prospect in baseball… is it Price or Weiters?

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Mar 5, 2009 11:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Weiters. I’ve seen them both, and Price is insanely good, but 6’6", switch hitting catchers who are amazing defensively and offensively, just don’t happen.

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Mar 6, 2009 1:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tommy looks shaky

It’s probably just me but does anybody else feel like control is gonna be a major issue for Hanson? It looks like his set-up lends itself to erratic control. It just looks like a hard delivery to repeat perfectly every time.

by KC Ryan on Feb 27, 2009 12:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

He apparently always struggles in the first inning from what I read.

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by beeniez on Feb 27, 2009 12:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Tommy was a little over excited, i wouldn’t think much unless he pitches like the “Wild Thing” again his next time out on the 3rd.

You can see he has some mean nasty stuff though. The ball just explodes out of his hand. I predict he’ll be up by late May, when Glavine breaks into four separate and distinct pieces on the mound. Glavine will retire before the All-Star Break. It’s gonna be like Chinese fireworks when he pitches.

by samxrm on Feb 27, 2009 2:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I DVR’ed it and watched last night. All the young guys were impressive. I had no idea that Heyward was so big (and fast!). Hanson looks like the real deal, Freeman too, perhaps.

I think it’s kinda funny we all seem relieved that FYF could actually get a hit (that didn’t look like he was swinging for the fence).

Great come back victory. Wish we could see KK pitch today.

"The crows seemed to be calling his name, thought Caw."

by WienerDog on Feb 27, 2009 8:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Heyward was massive but I expected that. I had no idea Freeman was that big though…he had a nice compact swing on that HR, too.

We should have signed Adam Dunn.

by Smoltz's Beard on Feb 27, 2009 10:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What ticks me off about seeing JayHey and Freddie is knowing that those guys are younger than me (I just turned 20).

Tommy Hanson 4 ROY

by timmy3 on Feb 27, 2009 11:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I got over that several years ago

We should have signed Adam Dunn.

by Smoltz's Beard on Feb 27, 2009 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Postgame quotes from Hanson blame the jitters, and being too amped up. But reports say he hit 99 on one pitch.

As far as the back up catchers, yeah, Dave Ross appears to not be Corky Miller, so thats good. JC Boscan is a career minor league journeyman, nothing to get excited about. They even gave him Corky’s number to add insult.

Your source for blind optimism.

by 10-4 on Feb 27, 2009 9:20 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

He didn't hit 99..

That’s a product of a bad gun reading…

But it seems as though he’s added some velocity, because he was sitting 93-96 on his fastball, and I know last year he was more 92-95 on it. He was throwing pretty hard for this early in the year.

That’s pretty impressive given his shortened offseason.. I’ll have to go watch the AFL Championship again, but I don’t remember him hitting 96 in that one (Or they may not have even had a gun reading, the broadcast was pretty bare-bones).

His stuff looked just as good yesterday as I’d remembered it. He’s already probably got the best slider on the team (definitely amongst righties, a case could be made for Gonzo’s though). And it’s between him and Vaz as far as the fastball goes. His curveball probably isn’t as good as Kawakami’s but it’s right there.

Tommy Hanson 4 ROY

by timmy3 on Feb 27, 2009 11:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought they gave JC a low number as a reward for playing so long and never even sniffing the majors. That guy has been in about 10 big league camps and probably never had a number below 70.

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Feb 27, 2009 12:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hanson

Just to back up what others were saying, no way did Hanson hit 99. But,he was still very impressive nonetheless.

by Braves Examiner on Feb 28, 2009 3:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

What % of ML pitchers can hurl it 95-96 mph?

Just asking about velocity, not command or other pitches in the arsenal.

I’m thinking probably less than 10% on a reasonably consistent basis, but that is just a total guess.

by fandave on Feb 28, 2009 5:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Only 6 starters averaged 94 mph last year on their fastball.

SWAGGA LIKE BJONES, SWAGGA LIKE BJONES

by bigjoe on Mar 2, 2009 4:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Just Saying.....

I cannot ever remember seeing two Major league hitters( Lee and Tejada) make facial expressions the way they did in their first at bat against Hanson. His stuff looked very good on TV, but must be electric at the plate.

by mikie baseball on Feb 28, 2009 1:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I talked to Hanson today (got his autograph) and he said he was happy about his first start but then he said this “it could of gone a little better, but hey it was the first start right?”

Hanson is HUGE and actually a really good guy, talked with me for a good bit, and signed for about 30, 40 mins

by bravesfan1047 on Mar 1, 2009 10:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Glad you got to meet him! Tommy is a great guy; that’s one thing the Braves have always done well, acquire high quality people.

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Mar 2, 2009 12:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Very true...

That is one reason I love this organization. We don’t have to worry about having head-cases on our team. The closest we have had is Sheff, and he was pretty well-behaved here.

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill -

by justincredubil02 on Mar 2, 2009 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Kenny Lofton was a real shithead

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism,
but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism,
until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism." --Nikita Khrushchev

And thus the New Rome will fall

by jeg on Mar 4, 2009 6:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

we got screwed big time in that trade. Lofton went back to Cleveland and played with Justice and we ended up with Paul Byrd who was hurt and Alan Enbree who also spent time on the DL. Worst Braves trade ever.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 5, 2009 9:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Braves unlike most other teams have class at any cost. Can we say the same for someone like the Mets and Jose Reyes.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 2, 2009 4:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

What’s wrong with Reyes?

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Mar 2, 2009 4:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jose Reyes acts like he cured cancer when he hits a home run.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 3, 2009 10:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

60% of the time, it works every time

by ATLandUNC on Mar 4, 2009 6:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That picture is great and it seems to fit bothj players+100

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 5, 2009 9:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Reyes has been known to be unsportsman like on a regular basis.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 3, 2009 10:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

So has Yunel Escobar.

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Mar 4, 2009 10:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If Ryan Church took out your knee two diffirent times on a slide in consecutive innings you would be the same way Yunel was last year. I would have kicked hiss ass unsprtsman like or not. It was stupid on Church because he was never right again.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 5, 2009 9:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Why is it stupid to try to take out the shortstop on a double play? That’s good baseball.

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Mar 5, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You right it is good baseball but two innings in a row and both times he went away from the bag, I wish I could find the link to show you.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 5, 2009 5:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

we all say it, the one was a little over the top but the other was a normal break up the double play scenario

i see nothign wrong with what Church did, as i didnt see anythign wrong with Victorino running over Heap… its tough hardnosed baseball… it sucks that Heap got hurt and Yunel was slightly injured but its baseball.

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Mar 5, 2009 11:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

we all saw it *

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Mar 5, 2009 11:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This.

www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Mar 6, 2009 1:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I will say I thought one slide was questionable and the other was intentional.

I see nothing wrong with hard nose baseball but dont try to take out someones lower body like the knee. One slide I would have never thought twice but twice towards the samr knee? Come on.

Proof that when posting while high or intoxicated can lead to some really funny posts

by bravesrbaseball on Mar 6, 2009 2:32 AM EST reply actions 0 recs