Braves Claim Joe Mather From Cardinals
by BenDuronio on Nov 3, 2010 3:11 PM EDT
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PrintJoe Mather, a right-handed 28-year-old corner outfielder and infielder, has been claimed by the Braves. Mather has shown decent on base skills in the minors and could be a useful player. MinorLeagueSplits.com is currently down, so researching his numbers against left-handed pitching is near impossible until the site is up.
Regardless, Mather has played a good amount in right field, a bit of center, and also some in the corner infield spots. He could be a right-handed version of what Eric Hinske provided this season, which is something this team needs with left field and first base currently being occupied by left-handed hitters. He played more right field than anything else the past few seasons, but I am sure the Braves would look for him to be more flexible if they want him on the Major League team.
Mather posted a .348 on base percentage in triple-A last season, spanning 376 plate appearances. This could end up as a minor league depth move, or Mather could be a right-handed bench player in the case that Matt Diaz is not tendered a contract.
As Derrick Gold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch states, the Braves tried to trade for him in the past. It was probably Blaine Boyer being discussed, but he also mentions that it could have been Rafael Soriano. Anyways, it is better to have gotten him for free, and let's hope he can produce for the Braves in some way in the future.
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we should trade him to the Cardinals with a crappy reliever and Infante for Rasmus….
there i already did it and now no one else can say it…
"No. Lonely people mixing with one another? Breeding? Creating an even lonelier generation? You're not even allowing natural selection do its work. Pssh. You're like the guy who invented the seat belt."
Dwight Schrute
by Swo12bv on Nov 3, 2010 3:19 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
HPF myspace'd me about it already
so you aren’t the first.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 3:39 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Could this be the BIG BAT we’ve been looking for?
Morgan: Do you think I could come into the clubhouse after the game and display my ass for both those veterans and the younger guys?
Baker: Well, Joe, you are on the payroll of the team, and you're a legend, so I suppose — holy shit!
[Joe has appeared next to Dusty, in the dugout, completely naked]
Morgan: Hey.
i like the move.
1. He’s cheaper than Diaz
2. He’s younger than Diaz and technically entering his prime.
3. He’s more versatile defensively than Diaz or Hinske. Basically another Infante except he can’t play SS.
As much as it may suck to some ppl looks like Diaz is gone and maybe even Hinske as this guy could even back up Freeman at 1B
Good move Wren.
by drumzalicious on Nov 3, 2010 3:36 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Yep
And unlike Diaz he can actually play CF which is a huge plus for Mather.
Do we not have enough mediocre CFs around these parts?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Nov 12, 2010 2:03 AM EST up reply actions
Love it
Although he’s injury prone Mather has loads of potential.
Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand.
i like the move.
1. He’s cheaper than Diaz
2. He’s younger than Diaz and technically entering his prime.
3. He’s more versatile defensively than Diaz or Hinske. Basically another Infante except he can’t play SS.
As much as it may suck to some ppl looks like Diaz is gone and maybe even Hinske as this guy could even back up Freeman at 1B
Good move Wren.
by drumzalicious on Nov 3, 2010 3:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
bears repeating
Bobby Cox, advising Jeff Francoeur about being thrown out of a game: "you’ll probably have to write a $500 check. Or you can do what I do, write a $10,000 one and tell them when it runs out, let me know."
by carpengui on Nov 3, 2010 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
I wonder if he’s gonna keep that #22…
Jason Heyward is so good, he makes David Wright piss in Ryan Howard’s pants
Well he might if Nate does what he should and give Heyward 24.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Why’d Nate switch from 13 anyways? For Wagner? I can’t really see Heyward switching numbers at this point.
Baseball is like church. Many attend but few understand.
Well he wanted 24, but my Heyward jersey is 22 so I guess he should stay.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Does he have an injury issue?
In ‘07, he had 31 HRs between AA/AAA @ 24, and then went over 1.000 OPS the next season in AAA and spent some time in the bigs with moderate success for a rookie. He was seemingly a building block for STL… But since then, he’s fallen off the map. A sub-.600 OPS across 3 levels in ‘09 (in only 60 games) and this year his sub-.800 OPS in AAA signals to me that he’s struggling with something. Anyone have any info?
Lingering wrist injury
From what I heard
by -Primetime21- on Nov 3, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, that’s the first name that came to mind when I read about the wrist…..apparently it’s completely healed now
by -Primetime21- on Nov 3, 2010 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
My take: it's a fine move
really no downside at all. if he doesn’t perform and he’s a jackass in the minor league clubhouse, we just release him.
And this doesn’t mean Matt Diaz is gone. Just FYI…
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
Yeah, I don’t understand why people are instantly thinking Diaz is done because of this. Mather can play like a utilty player and possiblty start in center if he wrist is healthy (he has the tools to) or if he is still hurting he’ll be AAA filler. Diaz still fills the right handed pinch hitter/spot starter that he is still very good at.
Lets say we still bring in a LF or CF to start and play McLouth in the other spot our bench would be:
Infante – RH – 2B/SS/3B/OF
Ross – RH – C
Conrad – LH/RH – PH/ “2B/3B”
Diaz – RH – PH/LF/RF
Mather – RH – 1B/2B/3B/OF
So we have a super utilty player, backup catcher, lefty and righty pinch hitters and another super utilty player who can back up our left handed rookie at 1B if needed. To me that looks like a very, very good bench that accents our lefty heavy lineup, is flexible, and can hit.
And please stop with the “non-tender Diaz so we can go after a big bat for the outfield” Who here honestly thinks shaving ~2-3M really increases our chances of landing Werth or Crawford on a long term mega deal they are going to get? We won with depth and home grown players last year and its what we are very likely going to do in 2011.
Jason Heyward wins at baseball.
by bbxxj on Nov 3, 2010 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
This.
and as you said, Diaz won’t affect anything at all. And how could you not want a guy on your team who publicly said he’d take much less money to stay in your organization. Guys like Matty Diaz are the reason baseball is so great.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I give my "this" to your "this"
There’s no reason to give Diaz the boot. I may be a grown man, but I’ll probably cry if we lose Matty. He’s not a superstar, but godDAM it’s fun to watch him play.
He’s also one of the better hitters in all of baseball against left-handed pitchers and he’s a tremendous asset off the bench. And unless we do bring in Werth or Crawford (which ain’t happening), he’ll be with us in 2011.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't know how good I'd feel about Mather as our only 1B backup option.
We can hope and assume Freddie will be fine, but what if he’s not?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Nov 12, 2010 2:06 AM EST up reply actions
hey LaRussa
If you like him then you shoulda put a ring on it
I thought hurricane season was over........
CURSE YOU
now that’s stuck in my head.
Wha-oh-oh, wha oh oh oh oh oh wha oh oh (repeat 53 times)
"Tony Gwynn made sacrifices. Cal Ripken made sacrifices. I'm not sure Derek Jeter made sacrifices given the ungodly deep pockets the Yankees have." - Chipper Jones
by MBL1 on Nov 3, 2010 4:16 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I know, I hate that song. No idea why everyone thought it was the greatest song of all time.
by king of games on Nov 3, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I just need somebody to LOOOOOVVVVVEEEE!
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
You know you have Bieber Fever.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
what dude like Bieber?
plus, he stole copied my hair style.
Mathew 19:26 "With God, all things are possible"
That hair is awful, you should have given it to him willingly.
by king of games on Nov 4, 2010 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I hope this was sarcasm
How can you make fun of liking him and then say you have his hair style?
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
my hair is black
and is combed down, I bet he uses gel while mine is naturally that way. Unlike him however I get good cuts
Mathew 19:26 "With God, all things are possible"
Nope, doesn’t need to be mentioned. Just put some sappy pop lyrics over a 50’s tune, add in some bad hair and some young girls who have horrible taste in boys and you get the Biebs.
by king of games on Nov 4, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Awww damnit mvhs
That was out of my head until I read this…FML!!!
Eddie V
by DolphinNation on Nov 3, 2010 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Could be worse
Good pickup Wren hopefully no more Diaz in ATL.
by Holty_Panthers_Fan on Nov 3, 2010 4:55 PM EDT reply actions
Quote off the STL board
[…]and the team has struggles with the clubhouse personality? bombs was the perfect guy to loosen things up.
Obviously, “bombs” or “Mr. Bombs” was the nickname they used for Mathers…
As a frequenter or VEB
typically Joey Bombs, Bombs, or the Bombsquad is usually substituted for Joe Mather. Hopefully you guys end up with this or something just as endearing.
He’s not a bad AAA piece, and he’s a crowd favorite in Memphis. Don’t know if he’s ever going to be able to translate what he’s done there into MLB success though.
Could this be a prelude to a trade involving Prado or Infante for Rasmus?
just wondering
by stuckindasticks on Nov 3, 2010 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t see why it would be. Mather doesn’t play middle IF, so if we lose one of them we’re just creating one hole while filling another, and that’s just silly. He might be just be AAA depth; if they’re looking at him as an MLB bench piece it probably means the ends of either Diaz’s or Hinske’s tenure here, and most likely it’s Diaz going out if that’s the case.
Agreed. Plus, I highly doubt we’d include Prado in any sort of a trade. He’s young, cheap, good, and has become a fan favorite. Also I don’t know why we’d trade Mather right back to the Cards. That’s like trading a third round draft for a guy and waiving him four weeks later. Things like that never happen.
by thenightstallion on Nov 3, 2010 9:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
How is picking up a 4th outfielder/utility player a precurser to a trade for Rasmus?
by drumzalicious on Nov 3, 2010 9:19 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
GTFO with your logic!
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, it makes perfect sense. You have to take a girl out on a date before you get some. This is Wren’s first date with the Cardinals. He’s just hoping that he can get some on the second one.
/terrible analogy
I hate the Phillies so much...
/terrible /false analogy.
'Terrible preview...pretty weak, didn't learn anything new. pretty sad." - mastermike
by Scott Coleman on Nov 3, 2010 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions
You could be like the Yankees and just pay for it...
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
How is picking up a 4th outfielder/utility player a precurser to a trade for Rasmus?
my thinking was that with getting mather as a versatile bench player and potential bat off the bench, infante could be used as a trade piece to fill an obvious need for the braves like rasmus.
by stuckindasticks on Nov 3, 2010 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions
oh ok
Infante I can understand. Not Prado.
by drumzalicious on Nov 3, 2010 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
fail
Infante did great last season, stop asking to trade him
Mathew 19:26 "With God, all things are possible"
Even if we get a better player back?
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
almost every trade we have made has backfired
why take that chance
Mathew 19:26 "With God, all things are possible"
Most trades fail for one of the sides, if not both, in baseball. You still have to try, you never know when you’ll strike oil. Infante is easily replaced, you can find a light hitting singles machine with no speed or pop anywhere.
by king of games on Nov 4, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions
there's a problem
what if Chipper goes down again, who will take his place and perform like Infante did?
Mathew 19:26 "With God, all things are possible"
Bill Hall? Willie Bloomquist, Felipe Lopez? Any major leaguer worth his salt should be able to hit a single at any given time against most MLB pitching.
by king of games on Nov 4, 2010 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions
That statement is odd considering that even the best hitters fail to reach base 60 percent or more of the time.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it:
http://www.amazon.com/Four-C-B-Wilkins/dp/1449578454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257720610&sr=1-1
www.dropoutproductions.com
I bet if you asked Chipper Jones to try and hit only singles for an entire season he could hit get on base that frequently.
by king of games on Nov 5, 2010 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Ok, great, so a Hall Of Famer could get hits. Still don’t see how that equates to “any Major Leaguer worth his salt” being “able to hit a single at any given time”. That’s just not true, and there are over 100 years worth of mathematics to back that up.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it:
http://www.amazon.com/Four-C-B-Wilkins/dp/1449578454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257720610&sr=1-1
www.dropoutproductions.com
Im not even sure what to say about this.
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
Prado or Conrad.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Nov 12, 2010 2:10 AM EST up reply actions
Really?
You do know Infante CAME here in a trade, right?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Nov 12, 2010 2:09 AM EST up reply actions
One season does not a career make.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Nov 12, 2010 2:09 AM EST up reply actions
Infante for Rasmus?
St. Louis couldn’t hang up the phone fast enough. I want the dude too, but they’re gonna have be blown away with a Deal They Can’t Refuse.
Bobby Cox, advising Jeff Francoeur about being thrown out of a game: "you’ll probably have to write a $500 check. Or you can do what I do, write a $10,000 one and tell them when it runs out, let me know."
Rasmus trade
Delgado, Infante and Marek/Proctor. I’d throw Cash in there, but Cash is too valuable.
Eddie V
by DolphinNation on Nov 4, 2010 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Proctor, really?
Why would anybody want him?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '010: Save the Richardson family coffers! We'll take the winning if we stumble into it.
by MichaelProcton on Nov 12, 2010 2:10 AM EST up reply actions
Infante for Rasmus?
nobody said infante for rasmus….. duh… a reasonable offer for rasmus would be infante , delgado, marek or infante, beachy, pastornicky for example but thanks for playing.
child please
by stuckindasticks on Nov 4, 2010 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
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