Kelly Johnson with 7 RBI for AAA
I know Matt will touch on this with his minor league recap, but the rehabbing Kelly Johnson is stroking the ball lately, and tonight he had 2 homeruns and 7 RBI. If we can get him going at the major league level, then that is another excellent weapon for Bobby Cox to use.
8 months ago
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Unfortunately
this reminds me of when Francoeur got sent down and went 7-13 that weekend. It’s always a concern when a guy goes from hopeless at the big league level to All-World in the minors.
by hoboken_wood on Jul 20, 2009 10:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Really, really bad comparison
I don’t even have the time or energy to get into it, now.
by Bronn on Jul 20, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
kj has always had a significantly higher bb% and lower k%. kj has two seasons of above-average offensive output (for his position); fyf has none. kj is getting better defensively; fyf was/is declining defensively. I’m going off on a tangent, but you get my point. Bottom line, kj has shown that he understands how to hit, whereas fyf has never had a good approach at the plate.
"…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 Jul 20, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow, we really need an “ignore” feature on this site, or some kind of crap filter at least.
Francoeur: "If OBP is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard?"
Chipper: "Wow, you really are a dumbass."
by Rhyno18 on Jul 21, 2009 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's a great idea
And instead of the comment turning green when it has been rec’d 5 times, it could turn brown after 5 “craps.”
Official MCM Hater!
Retire #9!
by gramsey712 on Jul 21, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome analysis--I'm sold!
There’s nothing like willful ignorance.
"…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 Jul 21, 2009 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You are ignorant to the game of baseball, "Dammit Jim."
Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon.
by Jareth Cutestory on Jul 21, 2009 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Explain to me how taking what IS working Prado/Conrad and replace it with was not working KJ is ignorance of baseball. I was watching the Braves and playing baseball before you ever even soiled your first pamper. It does not take a genius to understand baseball, you go with the hot hand. Unfortunately your boy KJ has ice blocks this year and if you want to see this team go forward you would take your rose colored KJ glasses off. Jeez what are you his pool boy or something?
by Dammit JIm on Jul 21, 2009 7:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't appreciate your snide comments
Why do you have to disagree so disagreeably? How old are you? How do you know you were watching Braves baseball and “playing” baseball before I “soiled my first pamper?”
I made no bones about it that I am a KJ fan, so your “pool boy” comment is a moot point, and not funny. It seems that most everyone on this topic disagrees with you, so are you saying that we are all morons? You are the pot calling the kettle black, my friend. You’re not funny, you’re not clever, and just because you may be older than 27 doesn’t mean you know more about baseball.
Read my posts farther down the page and you’ll notice I say it will be difficult for KJ to re-earn his starting spot. I never said drop him right back in the order @ 2nd base. Look for some context, you egomaniac.
Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon.
by Jareth Cutestory on Jul 21, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Easy dude you opened up this can of worms. I not going to get into a battle of wits with you because my parents taught me to never fight an unarmed man. So lets leave it as it is and find something else to disagree about.
by Dammit JIm on Jul 21, 2009 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Your parents taught you wrong.
You kick a man when he’s down.
Do you know what wit is?
Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon.
by Jareth Cutestory on Jul 22, 2009 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, He’s gotta be better off the bench than Greg Norton. I know we have Conrad playing well and Infante returning, so Norton should be gone soon. Fingers crossed.
by ccarr25 on Jul 20, 2009 10:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Prado has earned the starting job, but I still think Kelly is the better player for the long run.
by eaheckman10 on Jul 20, 2009 10:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Why is this, how is he better then Prado.
Baseball is my life
by That a boy on Jul 20, 2009 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good he is ripping the ball so lets trade him already !! Giants maybe ???
No way Norton will be gone, he is our only good pinch hitter off the bench an plus he can play LF & 1B in a pinch if he is really needed not to mention he doesn’t get rattled unlike KJ. Only thing good about KJ finally hitting is that he will be an important trade bait or piece of a bigger deal before the trade deadline I hope !
by Holty_Panthers_Fan on Jul 20, 2009 10:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That's a great Idea
I really hope that was sarcasm. Considering the Phillies are killing the ball, the Giants are much closer right now in terms of the Wild Card than the Phils are…Sure, let’s help out their struggling offense…
by michaelcooksey on Jul 21, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
KJ doesn’t need to replace Norton.
Our moves should be:
Barbaro for Norton
Burke for Diory
KJ for Conrad (if he keeps hitting)
by graf on Jul 20, 2009 11:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Don’t send Conrad down. He’s done nothing but prove that he deserves a place on the team.
by Gage23 on Jul 20, 2009 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awesome, another thread thats going to turn into an uneducated Kelly Johnson bashfest. Grab the popcorn folks!
by bigjoe on Jul 20, 2009 11:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Just because people are not fans of KJ like you are does not mean that we are uneducated about this. I have seen enough of Prado last year and this year to like him more than KJ, i have all the confidence in Prado i have none in KJ. Its just my opinion as well as others. I dont think nobody is just flat out bashin him to no absurd way, mainly people just say they like Prado more, i see nothin wrong with that.
braves#1
by rockybull on Jul 20, 2009 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well you are bashing him
if you say you have no confidence in KJ. Also, considering that he has proven in the past to be a pretty good major leaguer, the fact that you have zero confidence in him would lead most people to believe that you’re uneducated about this.
by was385 on Jul 20, 2009 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
“Also, considering that he has proven in the past to be a pretty good major leaguer,”
Dontrelle, Mags, Zito, Frenchy were also proven major leaguers!!!! I know plenty of teams who have zero confidence in them. When does the time come that you can’t wait for a guy to turn things around just because of what he did in the past?
Baseball is my life
by That a boy on Jul 20, 2009 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We gave FYF a season and a half of being the worst everyday player in the game. So, I’d say 18 months is about the time frame for the Braves.
Francoeur: "If OBP is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard?"
Chipper: "Wow, you really are a dumbass."
by Rhyno18 on Jul 20, 2009 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But hopefully you’re not agreeing with that…
by Gage23 on Jul 21, 2009 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
With Dontrelle, Zito, and Frenchy (how was he ever a “proven” major leaguer? He was below average every year after his rookie year) there’s a clear, well-understood reason (or several in Dontrelle’s case) about why they stopped being successful. And Mags shouldn’t be included with that group.
I bet you can’t tell me one thing that’s causing Kelly Johnson to go from being a good major league hitter into a bad one. There’s a bit of injury trouble, but he seems to be over that, so there’s simply no root cause for you to claim he’s a declining major leaguer.
by Bronn on Jul 21, 2009 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree, Kelly Johnson numbers are all very similar his slug is 100 points down from 07 and 08. He has always hit for good power before and the only thing I see is a drop off in power besides that. Kelly is the same player he was when he first came up. But my post earlier is just saying a player can fall off the face of the baseball planet. Kelly is to young to write off.
Baseball is my life
by That a boy on Jul 21, 2009 12:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You say he's too young, but he's 3 or so years older than Frenchy.
But I am the biggest KJ fan, so bring him up somehow. He needs to be on the club. Get rid of Norton, at the very least, to get him on the roster. After being @ the Maddux luncheon Friday and talking about KJ with some of the team, they all love him and are 100% confident that he is too naturally talented and works too hard to NOT snap out of the funk. His stint in AAA is showing that.
He’ll get some PT in Atlanta, if for no other reason that it’s Bobby’s M.O. to get guys in the game. I’m not saying he can earn the starting job back from Prado this year (I’m also not saying he cannot), but each game you can count on one of a number of things to occur, including: a need for a guy to rest, a pinch-hitting opportunity or a defensive upgrade situation late in the game.
KJ will help this team, mark it down. Plus, I told Frankie Wren, personally, not to trade him. He said that he wants to keep KJ.
Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon.
by Jareth Cutestory on Jul 21, 2009 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You should look at his ISO instead of SLG, since the SLG will drop when the BA is low (because of…a low BABIP!! Imagine that). The ISO is comparable to last year.
by bigjoe on Jul 21, 2009 7:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
was385
how was i bashing him? Just because i said i have zero confidence in the guy doesn’t mean that i am bashin him. This is when i bash somebody: Kelly Johnson is a piece of shit and worthless and should be shot to the damn moon that worthless piece of crap. See that is me bashin somebody, so i guess we have 2 different meanings of the word “bashing”. But anyway like That a boy said look at Willis and Zito i mean they used to be great pitchers they suck now, so what do you expect the fans of teams that they play for to have in them? No confidence in them at all. Im not sayin KJ is gonna be that bad as those pitchers are now(which KJ has never been a great player, good but not great) im not sayin that but really though everytime KJ came to the plate i had ZERO confidence in him. And thats the truth how many people on here actually had confidence in him when he came to the plate this season? I would say more people didn’t than did. And really if you or others dont think im educated about this then fine whatever i can careless because you know it all anyway. I guess for some people they call you “uneducated” about somethin just because they dont agree with you. Thats soooo great i love it.
braves#1
by rockybull on Jul 21, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You are the idiot. What has KJ done lately other than suck. The only way I would bring him back up is if the bat boy blows out his knee. And only then if Quilvio Veras is busy.
by Dammit JIm on Jul 20, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re essentially validating his point. Keep going though.
by was385 on Jul 20, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t mind if I do. KJ needs a change of scenery just like FYF. What do you think it is bad luck, bad coaching, or is it both? He is raking in AAA because there is no pressure and he needs that situation at the MLB level, unfortunately the team needs him to produce consistently.
by Dammit JIm on Jul 20, 2009 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
HE HAD A WRIST INJURY
I don’t think it’s a scenery issue with KJ like it have appeared to have been with Jeff (although that still remains to be seen). Jeff just looked like a deer in headlights at the plate for the past year, while Kelly always looked like he belonged at the plate. Sure, he hasn’t gotten it done this year, but that could easily be attributed to the ailing wrist.
Look, Prado is great. And he’ll probably start every day at some position for the rest of the season. But Bobby will get KJ in if he deserves to be in, and most signs point to the fact that KJ may be returning to form.
And not to belabor the point, but being at the Maddux luncheon Friday, I spoke with a lot of players/other personnel about Kelly. They all agree that it’s been his wrist and bad luck that has brought his numbers down this season and that he’ll rebound because he’s too talented and too hard of a worker not to. The trainer, McCann, and Chipper, among others reiterated that point to me.
That’s some first-rate reporting by yours truly!
Francoeur was/is not as naturally acclimated to baseball as Kelly is. He was more naturally a football player. So to compare Kelly Johnson to Jeff Francoeur in a ballplayer’s sense is senseless.
Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon.
by Jareth Cutestory on Jul 21, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what else did ya’ll discuss at the luncheon?
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'F*ck the lemons,' and bail."
by Bravely going forward on Jul 21, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maddux’s mind-blowing stats and the good ol’ days, mostly. It was pretty easy to live in the past with all the Braves legends surrounding us.
Tigers love pepper; they hate cinnamon.
by Jareth Cutestory on Jul 21, 2009 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow, that’s pretty awesome
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'F*ck the lemons,' and bail."
by Bravely going forward on Jul 21, 2009 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Christ, another “OMG Prado is 6 pound 8 ounce baby Jesus, and Kelly is teh sux” thread. Now I remember why I haven’t been posting much over the last month.
Francoeur: "If OBP is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard?"
Chipper: "Wow, you really are a dumbass."
by Rhyno18 on Jul 20, 2009 11:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
When has people been talkin about Prado as the second coming? I mean thats ridiculous. Sure you have your occasional fan that speaks about Prado bein a great player but i mean you have the same fans that say the same about KJ and other players. Prado has helped spark our team and RIGHT now IS most definately a better option at 2B than KJ so i see nothin wrong with this. And for you to say you now remember why you haven’t been postin much over the last month good for you, seems like your one of the people that if your not right about a player that your upset and would rather the team keep losin with a strugglin player playin than a player that is on fire. I see that alot on here.
braves#1
by rockybull on Jul 21, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry, but the knee-jerk reactions to a player on a week long hot streak from the average fan who gets all his info from the local screamer on an AM talk radio station just wears thin on me, and it seems like that’s about all that post here anymore. It barely takes a second hand for me to count the number of posters whose posts and opinions I actually bother to read and pay attention to.
I want the Braves to win, no matter what. And I couldn’t care less about the epeen contests that seem to spring up constantly over the last 2 months. You want to call me out, its your right. Here are 10 personal opinions, in easy to read numbered text, for you to disagree with.
1.McCann-Best catcher in the NL
2. Kotchman-Doesn’t hit enough for 1B, but is great defensively. I wouldn’t care if the Braves traded him though and then let Prado play 1B everyday.
3.Prado- I like him, and hope he could be our 3B when Chipper retires, but I’m worried about how he will hit as an everyday player. Questionable defense at 2B. I’m hopeful that he can learn to make hitting adjustments as an everyday player.
4.KJ-I’m baffled as to his hitting problems this year, but his defense has improved greatly. Will be an average to slightly above average 2B for his career for somebody, I just hope its the Braves.
5.Escobar-Despite his low salary, defense and hitting, I really would love to see him gone because of his attitude. I readily admit that it would leave a huge hole at SS though, so Wren would have to do something there if he was to move him.
6.Chipper-Awesome, even if his career is winding down.
7. FUGA-In 1999 he won a fantasy league for me. In 2009 I wanted no part of him, and still would have rather the Braves not signed him, but at least he’s started hitting lately.
8. McLouth-Gamer, great pickup for the Braves.
9. Church- anything is better than what FYF had become.
10. KK- Wish we had spent that money on Adam Dunn instead, but its nothing personal against KK.
Francoeur: "If OBP is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard?"
Chipper: "Wow, you really are a dumbass."
by Rhyno18 on Jul 21, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fair enough, some fans on here are on the Prado bandwagan and as soon as he even struggles some they will want him replaced, im not one of them but im sure their will be some that do post like that soon enough.
1. Cant dissagree.
2. I really like his great defense, great eye, clutch hittin, i still think he is more valuable than we realize but not really wantin to get into a Kotchman argument.
3. Prado isn’t great but i really like him, i really think he can thrive as our 2B.
4. its not just this year man his streakiness was last year as well. 3 months last year he was bad, the other 3 very good. I dont remember the stat but for 3 months last year he had like a .203-.230 AVG and like 17 RBI’s or somethin to that degree. I cant remember and dont care to look it up because i already know this so you can believe it or not. Some of this year might be because he is injured, i dont know but i do know he is a streaky hitter as well so it could be a little of both.
5. I wouldn’t deal him i mean his attitude may not be the best but i like a fiery attitude, and plus the dude cant speak much if any english so i doubt he is a problem in the clubhouse. And never trade a player just because he rubs the other team the wrong way. If they dont like it too damn bad.
6. agreed.
7. I liked the signing from the start, which i knew he wouldn’t be great and didn’t think he would be a MVP candidate or nothin like that so i didn’t have high standards for him and he has done exactly like i figured he would when we signed him. Would have been great to sign Dunn instead but oh well, nothin we can do about it now, we didn’t have the money and who knows if Wren even liked him, heard reports he didn’t like his defense.
8. Oh yeah good pickup, he isn’t a great player but you cant have great players at every position, he fits very well with this team.
9. Agreed.
10. KK has been solid for us, wish we could have had enough money for Dunn and KK ;)
Im not sayin your wrong on all of this because its your opinion, i was just givin mine as well. Nice Analysis.
braves#1
by rockybull on Jul 21, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blind support of one player with douchey attitude to anyone who disagrees =
how bigjoe supports Kelly Johnson.
In 5 of the past 7 months Kelly Johnson has hit .250 or lower. In 4 of those months he had an OBP below .307. 3 of those OBPs were below .300.
Kelly had 2 good months out of his past 7. Prado has shown a full seasons worth of hitting .320 with a .380 OBP and .850 OPS. How is this even a debate anymore?
60% of the time, it works every time
by ATLandUNC on Jul 21, 2009 8:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Because KJ has been a starter and everyday player, and Prado has never been anything but a utility guy.
I’m glad Prado is tearing it up right now, but I don’t expect it to last. By the second week of August every team in the league will have the book on him, and if he doesn’t learn to make adjustments at the plate(which as a utility guy he has never had to do in his big league career) he’ll end up looking like FYF did. Your “full season” numbers? 2008, 78 games played, 228 at bats. That’s only a full season in the Cape Cod league.
Francoeur: "If OBP is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard?"
Chipper: "Wow, you really are a dumbass."
by Rhyno18 on Jul 21, 2009 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To be fair, a combination of last season and this season he’s put up remarkably similar numbers, which has come out to be right around a full seasons worth of work. But yes, he’s starting to show signs of regression now.
However, I think that Prado is a major league every day player, albeit one with little to mediocre power (.143 ISO). His contact rate is fantastic, inside or outside the strike zone (and always has been), and is an above average walk taker (1.05 BB/K this year, .81 career). His BABIP this year, while elevated, isn’t so out of whack as to bring all of his numbers into question. I haven’t been able to see him much in person or read many scouting reports on his defense, but quoting UZR to say he’s a bad 2B is flat out wrong due to small sample size (418 innings total, 151 of those being this year, which, according to UZR, he’s been dead on average).
I think most of us agree that KJ should be in the majors. He’s gotta be a better option than Norton off the bench (I’d say Diory, but he’s our only back up SS right now). But I also do agree with most KJ proponents here that he should get some more opportunities to start IF his injuries are completely healed. So I wouldn’t be opposed to having some system of where Kotchman, Prado, and Johnson switching out against favorable matchups, with Prado getting the nod over the other two until he cools off. As it stands, Prado’s contact rates lends itself to him being a great pinch hitter, but with his current streak, he should be in the lineup in some capacity.
Also, after looking up some splits, I was shocked to find how atrocious Johnson is against righties (.175/.259/.271), but then I saw that his BABIP against righties is .194. Yikes. Something doesn’t add up there, and you would have to expect him to improve.
by soup du jour on Jul 21, 2009 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You lost credibility once you started talking about batting average. Did you know that in Prado’s last 7 months (lol. arbitrary endpoint), he’s OPSed under .700…3 times? And that he hasn’t gotten 100 plate appearances in a month…ever? Talk about jumping the gun on small sample sizes.
by bigjoe on Jul 21, 2009 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And in the past 7 months
Johnson has had an OPS below 700 FOUR times in that stretch. So…that doesnt count because he is Kelly and you like him?
When will you keep blindly showering with KJ and realize that 493 PA is not a small sample size?
You are just grasping at straws now.
60% of the time, it works every time
by ATLandUNC on Jul 21, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Here's what I think we should do
Leave Prado at 2nd. The lineup has proved to be much better and Escobar is killing the ball hitting lower in the lineup with people on base. We should DFA Norton an let somebody pick him up on waivers. Bring KJ back up to be a spot player, 2nd and the Outfield. When Infante is ready to come back we should send Diory back down to AAA. This would leave us with a bench of Conrad, Infante, KJ, and Church. I like this much better than what it is now. If KJ proves that he can hit for the rest of the season in a part-time role then he will be good trade bait for an outfield bat in the offseason. I highly doubt with the way Heyward is hitting that we will bring Anderson back next year. And, we have to remember that Schafer might have a chance to make the team to play LF or RF next year. If KJ can come up and hit, let him start at 2nd or in the outfield 1-2 games a week, maybe more depending on Lefty starting and having Prado start at 1st, but we need Prado in the lineup on a everyday basis right now hitting 2nd in the lineup.
by michaelcooksey on Jul 21, 2009 10:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’ll just repeat what I said in the minor league recap thread. Leave Kelly in AAA until expanded rosters. Don’t be fooled by one week of minor league games into thinking he’s fixed all his problems. Try to trade him if you can find a good deal. If you don’t find a trade you like, call him back him up in September and use him against LHP at 2B which he has hit well this year. Prado would still play 2B vs RHP and should also play 1B vs LHP since Casey doesn’t hit them for squat.
by redwards95 on Jul 21, 2009 11:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Just like AJ and Frenchy
KJ will continue to get worse under Pendeltons coaching.
Trade him and watch him start hitting just like everyone else that leaves the Braves.
by RedCloud on Jul 21, 2009 1:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Like who, Jermaine Dye?
TP didn’t factor in on him, and he’s the only former Brave that tore it up post Atlanta in recent memory. Not being an ass, but I can’t think of too many hitters recently who have left the Braves and started mashing. (Andruw Jones does not count).
by Cracker! on Jul 21, 2009 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t want to enter the disagreement but does Andruw not count just because he doesn’t help prove your point?
by Gage23 on Jul 21, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No
because his small sample size this year is too small and the fact he sucked last year. Anyways, 14 hrs aside, he isn’t exactly a reformed hitter in Texas. You just disagreed with me, so why are you not wanting to enter into a disagreement? I think it’s a perfectly fine question to ask, but I thought the Andruw Jones question was rhetorical. Nice try though.
by Cracker! on Jul 22, 2009 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's simple
Ride out the Prado hot streak, and if/when he begins to struggle give Kelly a chance to win the starting job back. Go with the hot hand.
by Cracker! on Jul 21, 2009 2:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think Prado deserves a cold stretch before he gets replaced. Every player in MLB goes through a cold stretch at some point in a season, Prado will as well, i think he has earned playin time through that. Im not sayin 2 or 3 months or nothin like that, but a few weeks of course.
braves#1
by rockybull on Jul 21, 2009 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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