Tomahawk Chops: Daily Atlanta Braves News Clippings For Tuesday, July 19th
by gondeee on Jul 19, 2011 8:20 AM EDT
in Tomahawk Chops
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Your one-page daily morning overview of Atlanta Braves news:
Braves quotes after Monday win at Colorado | Atlanta Braves
Derek Lowe, on not letting trade rumors affect him: "I said earlier, it’s something you have no control over. You can actually take it as a compliment, I mean how many 38-year-old pitchers are out there on the market that people want? How many of us are out there? But I’ve always had confidence in myself, especially in the second half. "I don’t think anyone thought I’d be able to pitch like I did last September. In ’04 I had a 5.8 ERA for the season and was able to pitch well in the playoffs. So I’ve always felt like, as the year goes on — especially toward the end — that I’ll figure it out, and this year won’t be any different."
Schafer draws Fredi's praise | braves.com: News
As he and his coaches gathered in the clubhouse long before the start of Monday's series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez asked who had the highest on-base percentage among Jordan Schafer, Nate McLouth and Jason Heyward. When his coaches quickly responded, "Schafer," Gonzalez chuckled because he had held the same belief before he opted to look at the stats on this humid afternoon in Denver. This proved to be a case where the numbers didn't match what these coaches felt they had seen over the past couple months. "Their [numbers are] all about the same," Gonzalez said. "But you feel like Schafer is doing so much more."
Really? REALLY? No idea!
Heyward sits with sore foot | braves.com: News
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez didn't seem too concerned when he was asked Monday afternoon about Jason Heyward's left foot, which was hit with a pitch during Sunday's win over the Nationals. But after Monday's batting practice, the Braves announced Heyward had been scratched from the lineup.
Rehabbing Chipper exceeding expectations | braves.com: News
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones took another step in the right direction on Monday, when he passed some tests with a physical therapist and worked out with Triple-A Gwinnett before its game against Louisville.
Could Jeff Francoeur be returning to the NL East? | ajc.com
The Phillies are reportedly interested in the Lilburn native, now playing for the Kansas City Royals.
Nats employ former Braves team psychologist - DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post
Ever since Stan Kasten got involved with the Nationals and the club began stockpiling young pitching arms, we’ve heard stories about how Washington was getting ready to be the Atlanta Braves of the 2010s. And so of course the team is now working with Dr. Jack Llewellyn, the psychologist who is often credited for his work in helping launch that Braves dynasty.
Braves Infielder Brooks Conrad Looks Back On The Night His Life Almost Fell Apart | ThePostGame
The way Brooks Conrad remembers it, and honestly it was all moving a little fast at the time, the vaguely familiar earrings were in his wife’s hand, which was shaking from anger and fear and whatever else courses through a wife’s nervous system when she's discovered another woman's earrings in her husband's travel bag.
This article is a must read, as it highlights what Brooks was dealing with on and off the field.
G-Braves outfielder a clubhouse favorite
If Stefan Gartrell wasn't already engaged to be married in November, he'd be the kind of guy most fathers would dream for their daughter to bring over for dinner.
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“Their [numbers are] all about the same,” Gonzalez said. “But you feel like Schafer is doing so much more.”
Oh dear. Sounds like Schafer is staying in center when Chipper comes back. Oy.
The article on schafer is just about the most disturbing thing I’ve ever read. Fredi must go.
MASN Announcer: "Ususally they have what they call here 'the privilege,' and that's what bobby cox calls it when he let's the veteran guys swing away on 3-0. This is not such a hitter."
Jason Heyward: Single up the middle, ballgame.
We.have the second.best.record in the league and he should go.... Sheesh
by fckendrick on Jul 19, 2011 9:35 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
We don't judge managers by Wins around here...
but rather by their ability and willingness to robotically construct lineups, optimally match the right relief pitcher to the proper leverage situation, and perfectly spread the workload out amongst the pitchers he’s given to not overuse anyone.
Motivation, preparation, participation…these things have no meaning here!
+ A Million
The fact is, the guy is following Bobby Cox. There’s just some fans out there who aren’t willing to give Fredi any leeway. Sure, he hasn’t been perfect, but last I checked we’re one of the top 4 teams in all of baseball with him at the helm despite key injuries/slumps. The man is a good manager and the players like him. He may not be Bobby Cox, but I can’t believe people want him to be fired in the midst of one of our finest seasons so we can bring in…who???
I judge Fredi on what he contributes to the wins. They are winning in spite of the manager, not because of him.
Hell, any one of us could go out there and manage this team and be successful. This is an extremely talented team.
Fredi’s decision-making has been absolutely atrocious. Just terrible. It’s not about being perfect and making right decisions all the time. That’s impossible to do. But, I don’t think it’s too much to ask a manager to know what the OBP of his leadoff hitter is, or that he is batting the worst two hitters in the lineup in the spots where they will get the most PAs.
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
What a great article on Brooks Conrad.
~ "The NL - where our pitchers do more than just play with their balls." ~
+1
Was there on May 20 for Brook’s grand slam and was so happy for him. I felt so sorry for him that postseason game. I remember how nerve-racking it was to field a hard-hit ground ball in the playoffs in high school much less for a guy who was experiencing his first MLB postseason
A lot of room in right center, if he hits one there we can dance in the streets, the 2-1....
Twitter: @taymccracken
Chipper, once again proving not much can keep him down. For long.
Love this guy.
~ "The NL - where our pitchers do more than just play with their balls." ~
Thanks for the article on Brooks
Gotta admit, I’m a sucker for the underdog & Brooks has become one of my favorite Braves players. Glad things worked out for him on the home front. That being said, Brooks, that was bad base running in the 9th in that last game against Washington…don’t test my love.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby
Freeman's maturity exceeds his age.
On being so hot at the plate
"I guess it’s just one of those stretches. I feel good. Everthing’s connected. Just going up the middle. When you go up through the middle, there no defense up there, so you have [margin] for error."
~ "The NL - where our pitchers do more than just play with their balls." ~
6'5, wide frame, good SLG in AAA at 20...
nmope, he’s not gonna have power.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Jul 19, 2011 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Can he please send some of that knowledge to J-Hey
who apparently still thinks you should hit everything to the 1st baseman.
I feel like Freeman and Heyward could model the McCann/Frenchy situation.
Both good friends/roommates but one is much more highly touted than the other yet the “lesser” one does better. In no way am I comparing Heyward to Frenchy or suggesting Heyward won’t be a superstar one day but so far Heyward has not made the necessary adjustments that it takes to be a top-tier player that Freeman has.
A lot of room in right center, if he hits one there we can dance in the streets, the 2-1....
Twitter: @taymccracken
Agreed
But Heyward as 10x more potential than Frenchy had and is only 21. We were all hoping he’d be Pujols part deux and just be a natural hall of famer, but it makes sense that a 21 year old will need to make adjustments when he reaches the bigs. Let’s hope he makes those.
He made the adjustments last year...
And finished with 5 WAR. He’s just struggling right now. Sophomore slump or whatever. It happens all the time and isn’t something I’m terribly worried about.
The WAR positional adjustment is 0.5 WAR between the positions, so Freddie would have to put up 4.5 WAR to match Heyward’s effectiveness from last season’s rookie campaign. That clearly isn’t going to happen.
I love Freddie and I’m frustrated watching Heyward, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
by cthabeerman on Jul 19, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I miss Omar Infante.
He would be a great right handed bat right now who can play all outfield positions. Oh and he can play the infield too. Those types of players should be such a high value!
God typed "iddqd" before creating Jason Heyward.
can you imagine that?
“hey florida. how’s it going? look… i know we just sent you infante etc for uggla, but really, all we wanted to give you was that ‘etc.’ so… you’re kinda terrible right now. can we have him back? we’ll give you more of that good ol’ ‘etc.’ come on, you know you want to.”
uggla for basically nothing. that would be the best baseball hoodwink of the decade, at least.
Which is exactly why it is incredibly unlikely to happen. Loria was the butt of so many jokes when the trade went down that there’s no way he’s going to trade him to the Braves this season. FA it is!!
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
by cthabeerman on Jul 19, 2011 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions
So...
Even if the Braves offered a nice long term prospect for a player that has little value to Florida, Loria would turn it down out of pride?
2 wrongs don’t make a right.
you kinda have to consider it as a refactoring of the uggla trade rather than a new trade. is dan uggla worth a long term prospect + whatever was the ‘etc’ in the previous deal (i don’t remember, honestly)? remember, florida probably only makes that deal in the first place because omar has ML experience and could contribute to the team right away. sure infante might be worth a long term prospect, but uggla isn’t.
it also doesn't make it untrue
the guy’s past has shown a vindictive, self-indulgent streak.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Jul 19, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
What’s ever been right when speaking about Loria??
-C
It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?
by cthabeerman on Jul 19, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope not. He’s been terrible this year.
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
He doesn’t really have a good career, outside his couple of years in Atlanta – certainly not one worth trading for to add a bat to our team or fill one of our needs.
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Great article on Brooks.
You really feel for the guy, and everything that happened to him right at the end of last year. Makes me feel like a jerk for wanting him cut…
"Wade is no longer the coach." Jason Garrett
That's so depressing
ALL of the coaches thought Schafer had a better OBP than McLouth and Heyward?
He’s not even close…
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 9:58 AM EDT reply actions
I guess OBP is not as important as you think it is. Fredi is right though. Schafer is doing more to help us win than McLouth is. That was the main point. And, I think Fredi realizes that McLouth’s OBP is inflated by being pitched around in the eighth spot.
"I guess OBP is not as important as you think it is"
It absouletly is. Fredi just doesn’t get care.
I’m all in favor of a coach going with what is working, rather than blindly following “the book.” But, come on, he should at least know generally how his players are performing.
I guess the fact that his lead off hitter scored 5 runs in the Nationals series must have blinded Fredi. He must have forgotten that scoring runs cannot compare to drawing walks in the eight spot. If I thought McLouth was capable of scoring 5 runs in a series, then I would agree with y’all. No question that Schafer has a lot of work to do on his game. But, the fact that he has scored 31 runs already with such a low OBP tells me that he is going to score even more runs when he learns to get on base at a higher percentage.
You cannot possibly draw a meaningful conclusion from the fact that he has scored 31 runs after reaching base about 60 times. Runs scored per time on base is subject to so much random fluctuation out of a player’s control that you need a sample size probably 100 times that large before you can even consider attributing it to player skill.
i guess you forgot
that before McLouth was hitting in front of the pitcher and Schafer, when he got on he was AutoRun
Chopmaster: my link is my dad who has watched the braves since I don’t know. he’s 56.
so you’re saying that he will score more when his OBP is higher? Which means that OBP is very important? You would be correct. He’s scoring a lot primarily because of the guys behind him in the order, not because of his own skills. His speed means nothing if he’s sitting in the dugout.
MASN Announcer: "Ususally they have what they call here 'the privilege,' and that's what bobby cox calls it when he let's the veteran guys swing away on 3-0. This is not such a hitter."
Jason Heyward: Single up the middle, ballgame.
Not true...
Jordan Schafer has a .8 WAR compared to Nate McLouth’s .3 (with fewer PAs mind you)
You’re using fangraphs, he’s using baseball reference.
I think that shows that the difference between them has been insignificant.
And you know this how?
what makes you say Fangraphs favors defense more than BR, that doing so is the better way to go about it, or that perhaps they are using different fielding metrics to compute those totals where the metrics disagree on the quality of their fielding?
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Jul 19, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Man...
I’m glad that article about Brooks ended the way it did. Nice story.
As for Schafer, I partly understand how his play may be a bit deceiving to the coaches. When he gets on base (in and of itself a helluva caveat), his speed and aggressiveness really change the game. He is one of our few base-stealing threats. Hell, when he hits the ball in the infield, he has a decent chance at beating out a throw. He’s an exciting player…when he gets on base.
But stats don’t lie. How in the hell do our coaches ignore the indisputable data?! As a scientist, this drives me insane.
by aaaaandTheBravesWin on Jul 19, 2011 10:15 AM EDT reply actions
Switch hitting power bat off the bench. That’s definitely an asset despite defensive ineptitude and his propensity to strikeout.
are you talking about conrad?
because i’m pretty sure aaaaaand… is talking about schafer with regards to the “indisputable data”
lol
Methinks I need to read a bit closer. I just read Brooks at the top and skimmed a bit. Yeah, I was referring to Brooksies value to the team.
Fredi probably thinks he’s a switch hitter.
by aaaaandTheBravesWin on Jul 19, 2011 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I think it has something to do with understanding talent and skills. Sometimes you see a player for what they are capable of doing…and it distorts the measurables
True. I agree with you. But stats are there to limit the distortion. They should be a voice of reason. Fredi et al need to incorporate a little more stats into their preparation.
by aaaaandTheBravesWin on Jul 19, 2011 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Their [numbers are] all about the same," Gonzalez said
In today’s news, a tremor measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale was felt in the city of Statsville. Residents were warned to flee their mom’s basement & seek safety outside.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby
I hate to be critical of TC...
because of all of the awesome work you guys do. But I can’t say that I love the clippings format. That article on Brooks is fascinating, and it’s buried where few readers are actually going to look. Could you imagine to have the whole world think you are a bum, and that same night have your wife mistakenly think you cheated on her? That’s nuts.
The article was a fanshot yesterday….
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
OBPs of .295 (Shafer), .319 (Heyward), and .347 (McLouth): all about the same. Also about the same: their SLG of .311 (Shafer), .397 (Heyward), and .341 (McLouth). Well good thing Freddi told me this otherwise I would have been concerned that Shafer sucked at hitting about as bad or worse than Melky, Garret, and Jeff.
I don’t understand how an OBP that is .052 points lower is “about the same”
My dad taught me how to make meat for sloppy joes and my mom let me turn over hot dogs on the grill.
by ChopMaster on Jun 25, 2011 7:25 PM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 19, 2011 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
The Brooks story brough a tear to my eye
I really love to see a guy who has the heart that makes up for some of the skill he may not have. I really felt awful for him in the playoffs, but I never was a brooks-basher, I kept on having faith on him. The Gartrell article was great as well. I have been a fan of him since I saw him play for Birmingham. I love to see players that can fight off the temptations and all of the bad decisions that come with being a professional athlete. I have met Stefan a few times and have always been impressed with his attitude. He just seems like a great guy, and that is what baseball needs more of. On the subject of talking actual baseball, Gartrell is knocking the cover off the ball this year and can’t believe he is not even on the radar for Atlanta. I know he has high strikeouts, but so do Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs. I just wish the guy would get a chance somewhere if not Atlanta.
Another reason why Jordan is scoring so many more runs is because he has McCan and Freeman behind him
who are both hot right now and have been for a month. They are the reason why we are winning. Also it doesnt help McLouth that he has the pitcher spot and Schafer behind him after he gets on base. If McLouth were batting leadoff we’d be scoring even more runs. I like Schafer, but he’s not hitting OR walking. At least McLouth walks when he’s not hitting. I understand that maybe some of that is due to the fact he has crap behind him so they can avoid him, but still. Schafer struck out three times last night. He isn’t making contact. I really want Schafer to do well, but consistently putting him out there when he’s not getting it done is moronic and is similar to the Proctor situation.
In other news...
If the Braves win their next two games, they go over .600 in winning %.
"Some people give their bodies to science. I gave mine to baseball." -- Ron Hunt
by Cornutt on Jul 19, 2011 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Saves
Here’s an interesting tidbit: If Kimbrel notches another 14 saves, it will move him into the Braves all-time top 10 in saves. He’ll be tied for 9th with Kerry Lightenburg and Greg McMichael. Now, I realize that the save isn’t a terribly meaningful stat, and it hasn’t been an official stat all that long, but I just thought it was neat that Kimbrel might make the all-time top 10 in his rookie year.
"Some people give their bodies to science. I gave mine to baseball." -- Ron Hunt
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