A Braves Right Fielder... with Patience
by gondeee on Mar 2, 2010 4:16 PM EST
in Game Recaps
85 comments
A lot of Braves fans may have forgotten what it was like to watch an Atlanta right fielder take a walk or show above average plate discipline. We're used to watching our right fielder go the entire month of May with only one walk... and the entire month of July with only one walk (and that was intentional). Yes Atlanta fans, the era of the all-or-nothing swing from our right fielder may actually be over.
The free-wheeling Jeff Francoeur Era was so bad that we even had to create a stat to track it called SENAPS:
Swings
Exceeding
Normal
Approach to
Plate
Seriousness
Put all that behind you. Get it out of your mind, because our new right fielder -- the Jay-Hey Kid -- just spend the first game of spring training going 1-for-1 with 2 walks. And the scary thing is, that's not an anomaly, that's just the way Jason Heyward approaches every at-bat. He also stole a base, and almost stole another.
Oh, and the Braves lost their first Grapefruit League game to the Mets, but Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen pitched well.
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Meds and Tommy looked great.
Omar Minaya is my hero!
by mvhsbball on Mar 2, 2010 4:18 PM EST via mobile reply actions
All I wanted to see was Hanson, Heyward, and Medlen do well, and they did. Tomorrow I’ll be most interested in watching Glaus and seeing how he looks at 1B and at the plate.
The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a f***in' potato."
by alligatorimpersonator on Mar 2, 2010 4:21 PM EST reply actions
Main thing I didn’t like was Mitch Jones… his swings in his first two at-bats seemed downright ugly..
im still pulling for him
i was dissipointed to, but im pulling for him, I hope that was just nerves
His last AB was a battle. He fouled off and watched a few pitches before popping out. He’s not a hacker, and seems like he’s willing to wait for the right pitch.
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
by FineHamAbounds on Mar 3, 2010 12:10 AM EST up reply actions
I thought the exact same thing..
His swing has major holes in it.
- I miss Spooneybarger :(
by Mighty Healthy on Mar 2, 2010 10:11 PM EST up reply actions
Are y’all really judging a guy this much off of three at bats?
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
by cbwilk on Mar 2, 2010 11:31 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I have the biggest mancrush on Jason Heyward
no homo but he’s going to be my favorite player the second his first at bat appears =)
by JasonHeywardisGod on Mar 2, 2010 5:02 PM EST reply actions
U should show you're love for heyward in ur handle.
MATT DIAZ IS THE F**K*NG MAN.
They made me change my signature...
we might not want to see that…
"Hey Fat Kid...the monster is right behind you! RUNNNN!!" -The Host
by bwellnjonesco on Mar 2, 2010 6:21 PM EST up reply actions
Chavez was a huge disappointment. I’m hoping he fairs much better in future appearances. I think he’s key to our pen, especially if Medlen ends up going to AAA to be a starter.
I don’t think Medlen ends up starting in AAA unless we decide we need to increase his trade value (which I hope we don’t do). He’ll be our long man/6th starter.
I wouldn’t worry about Chavez just yet. If he’s pitching like Chris Reitsma in May, then we can worry.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
well
he def wont if Chavez continues pitching the way he did today.
by drumzalicious on Mar 2, 2010 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
the best part
was that it was 3B that he stole
Next time,
Heyward’s going to steal 5th base.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by pacgnosis on Mar 2, 2010 5:25 PM EST up reply actions 6 recs
rec'd
one of the better heywardisms…
"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??"
by Doghnut on Mar 2, 2010 9:18 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Pure awesomeness.
I tunes in just in time to see it. Brought my excitement level from “hey cool, its Spring Training” to “fuck yeah, the Braves are playing!”
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
by FineHamAbounds on Mar 3, 2010 12:12 AM EST up reply actions
How did Dunn look?
Here are Pujols's stats: 1.000/1.000/4.000/5.000. That's right. He is batting a thousand, with a thousand OBP (naturally), and every hit has been a home run, and thus his OPS is a perfect 5.000.
How did Acosta look?
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 2, 2010 5:52 PM EST reply actions
he was solid
typical ST appearance for him. he seems to do pretty solid in ST
by drumzalicious on Mar 2, 2010 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
Typical iffy control/command, but he didn’t allow any runs.
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
by FineHamAbounds on Mar 3, 2010 12:13 AM EST up reply actions
the sound of the ball off of heyward’s bat was just something else. ive tried to temper my hopes for this kid but after hearing that sound, he’s going to be something special
by McCann's the Man on Mar 2, 2010 7:08 PM EST reply actions
Not only the sound
There is major heat on any thing he hits. I predict at least one first sacker will be tagged by one of his missiles. Wouldn’t want be there in a sacrifice situation. Damn scary.
If there's a sacrifice situation involving Heyward
I will pull out my hair. The man is above bunting, which is stupid for any but pitchers anyway.
Even if he bunted it would go over the fence.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
But why would Heyward bunt when anytime he makes contact it counts for two grand slams?
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
by FineHamAbounds on Mar 3, 2010 12:18 AM EST up reply actions
Wasn’t that a Ken Griffey Jr. commerical or something?
"Hey Fat Kid...the monster is right behind you! RUNNNN!!" -The Host
by bwellnjonesco on Mar 3, 2010 10:13 AM EST up reply actions
RBI Baseball
For the NES. I remember laying down a bunt so perfect it got past the first baseman, and I scored an inside the park homerun.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
Forget the first sackers
I wouldn’t want to be on the mound and have one of those seeds come screaming back through the box. Especially for a pitcher that falls of the mound and doesn’t finish in a solid fielding position.
Loved the way Heyward and Hanson looked…can’t say the same for Yunel. His swing was ugly today. I hope he’s just getting the rust off cause he looked like he was trying to pull and kill every pitch he swung at. I know he’s a pull hitter but he looked ridiculous on the pitch Heyward stole third….he literally swung so hard he landed on his ass.
yea he was pretty ugly looking with that swing
add mitch jones and cody johnson to the list to
by drumzalicious on Mar 2, 2010 8:09 PM EST up reply actions
I thought it was great that Cody and Freddie’s only ABs came against Feliciano, one of the better lefty specialists out there. Welcome to camp rookies!
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
ugh
I was asleep by this point…nothing better than napping in the late innings of a ST game
"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??"
Freeman made a nice play on a grounder up the 1B line, at least.
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
by FineHamAbounds on Mar 3, 2010 12:19 AM EST up reply actions
He did. He made me feel justified for hyping his defense so much.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
And again, I felt justified for telling everyone he’s not as bad in LF as they think.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Please tell us that Glaus won’t be bad at 1st.
"Hey Fat Kid...the monster is right behind you! RUNNNN!!" -The Host
by bwellnjonesco on Mar 3, 2010 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
I cannot figure out why people think that a guy with an above average glove at 3B will be bad or even suspect at 1B.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 3, 2010 12:55 PM EST up reply actions
after 5 innings and 3 at bats?
I dont think so….
However, it is kinda hard to imagine this team with Melky in RF instead of Heyward. It would be kind of a momentum killer.
Omar Minaya is my hero!
Everything you see makes him seem ready...
sure, 6-12 weeks in AAA wouldn’t hurt, but does he really need them? The guy can mash, with solid D, and he’s mentally ready. Let him loose and see what happens. If we can get him on a Longoria type deal, even better. But he’s ready to play, now. And there’s no reason to hold him back outside of salary considerations.
i agree about jhey/tommy/med/yunel
First three (Heyward, Tommy, Medlen) all looked great. Yunel looked straight lost up there, but obviously there is no cause for concern. The hitters are supposed to be behind the pitchers at this point, which is why I was even more impressed about Heyward and concerned about Chavez. Hopefully Bobby was right, because against Mets players that I’ve quite honestly never heard of before (might just be my ignorance of the Mets’ farm system due to the fact that I would never care to learn much about it) Chavez was getting hit hard. I was already thinking that I would be upset if a young guy proves himself this ST but Chavez gets the nod over him after a shaky spring (and then continues to disappoint in the regular season). BUT it’s wayyyyyyyy to early for that sort of negative thinking, isn’t it?:D
I don't think Chavez looked terrible
He got into and out of some trouble. It would have been nice to see a radar gun relaying his fastballs, though. I just keep telliung myself… “he can’t possibly be worse than Manny Acosta.”
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror." ~George Carlin
by FineHamAbounds on Mar 3, 2010 12:22 AM EST up reply actions
just got mlb 10 the show...
…and no Heyward! WTF! How can the consensus #1 prospect in baseball not be in this game. Absurd.
well then
guess im not gonna be playing that much
by BravesRaleigh on Mar 2, 2010 10:56 PM EST up reply actions
They only add guys who have at least one game in the bigs...it's part of their agreement with the MLBPA
They’ll be an official update after opening day, and there should be a few user made ones popping up in the next few days that have the majority of teams minor leaguers fixed. It usually takes about a week.
Pinella: Where th f*ck was that pitch at?
Ump: Lou, don't you know that you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition?
Pinella: Where the f*ck was that pitch at, a$$h*le?
yea chavez looked bad
but what are we really expecting from this guy, he had a 4+ era last year in a good sample size, and his was a ‘oh shit we have to do something’ trade.
j-hey has come out the gate running, tommy & meds were both solid. i got everything out of this game that i wanted.
I like how you put 4+ ERA instead of just putting 4.01. And his WHIP was 1.35, which was just about the same as Peter Moylan’s (1.37), who we’d all agree was one of our best pitchers last year. Could it be possible that his ERA was inflated by playing for an awful team, particularly late in the season when the were the Indianapolis Pirates?
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
This is why WHIP is not very indicative of pitcher’s performance. Moylan only allowed a bunch of singles and walks. His tERA was 3.17. Chavez allowed 11 HR and a lot more fly balls, so his tERA ended up at 5.04. The Pirates were ranked 7th in UZR but 22nd in TotalZone, so I’d guess he had an average defense behind him. With a low BABIP allowed and a high LOB%, I’d guess that he probably will do worse this year.
by LeeTro on Mar 3, 2010 12:14 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
How are walks plus hits per inning not very indicative of a pitcher’s performance? And tERA? I feel like you stat geeks are just making stuff up to mess with me at this point.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
I described each pitcher in layman’s terms before I threw in the tERA’s. A bunch of singles and walks are not that devastating, until you substitute some of those with home runs. I expect Moylan to give up at least a couple HR this year, but not at the rate of Chavez. You have to realize what type of hits a pitcher is allowing before you use WHIP as a comparison tool.
who are you and why are you making sense?
The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a f***in' potato."
by alligatorimpersonator on Mar 3, 2010 10:19 AM EST up reply actions
No, I get it, and I’m not saying you’re wrong, in fact you’re very right, I just don’t understand making the blanket statement that WHIP isn’t indicative of performance. Of course it is. It’s just not entirely indicative, like all stats aren’t.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
This. If people are looking at WHIP alone, or ERA alone, or FIP alone, or tERA alone, then they are flawed in their conclusions. That’s why I like including HR/9, K:BB, etc.
"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."
by justincredubil02 on Mar 3, 2010 12:16 PM EST up reply actions
I meant to say WHIP can be very deceptive. Obviously, less baserunners is better, but you were comparing completely contrasting styles of pitchers, meaning you need to use a lot more than WHIP.
Because they value everything exactly the same
Is an intentional walk really the same as a homerun? Whip treats it that way.
Pinella: Where th f*ck was that pitch at?
Ump: Lou, don't you know that you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition?
Pinella: Where the f*ck was that pitch at, a$$h*le?
please comment more often
I mix your Melk with my cocoa puffs, Melky Melky cocoa puffs.
by VivaLosBravos on Mar 3, 2010 3:04 AM EST up reply actions
Man grea that the season is back
Had to watch a recording of the game after I got off work. So refreshing to see Heyward work the count.
Welcome back everyone
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