BRAVES NEWS
Braves cut Vizcaino and Kohn
Yesterday evening, the Braves made a couple of Spring Training roster cuts as they optioned Arodys Vizcaino to AAA Gwinnett and put Michael Kohn in Minor League camp. Both pitchers had some struggles in their most recent appearances in Spring action, so it's not really a shock to see these two in the minors.
Could Braves get Harang-esque effort from Wandy Rodriguez?
Last year, the Braves signed Aaron Harang in a move borne mostly out of desperation. What ended up happening was that Harang ended up being one of the best starters in the rotation last season, to the point where many people (namely, myself) wondered when the "ride" would end, and although there were a few bumps, Harang actually kept his form up for most of the season. Now, the Braves are hopeful that Wandy Rodriguez can take them on the same type of ride this season. Wandy's probably got a spot in the rotation locked up, which is already a pleasant shock after he failed a physical with the Phillies and looked pretty shaky in his first Spring outing. Will he be the next Harang, though? Only time will tell.
Braves have been ahead of the pack in developing shortstops for a long time
Baseball Prospectus has been doing a series this offseason called "Every Team's Moneyball," in which they try to examine how each team tries to gain a specific edge. In the case of the Braves, they've had a knack for developing great shortstops.
How then have the Braves, a team without top draft picks or financial resources, become synonymous with developing quality shortstops? Everyone has a theory.
"They seem to put their money into tools and prioritize defense," a high-ranking official with a National League team told Prospectus in winter 2013. "It seems as if they always have done it that way, even dating back to their teams in the 1990s and 2000s, with the likes of Rafael Belliard, Jeff Blauser, and Rafael Furcal."
Also, there's a quote in that article from some dude named Mark L. Smith. I think he's famous for his work in the pun industry? I don't know. In all seriousness, though, this is an excellent read -- as usual from the folks at Baseball Prospectus.
Half of Florida Georgia Line believes in this year's Braves
You thought I was joking about that whole "Florida Georgia Line" thing in the headline, didn't you? Well, I wasn't. Apparently Brian Kelley is a huge Braves fan, and Rolling Stone gave him the opportunity to share his forecast for Atlanta's chances this season. Let's just say that he's bullish on the Braves.
Hardball Talk previews the Braves
Meanwhile, our friends at Hardball Talk took their turn at previewing the 2015 Braves, and as expected, they have a grim outlook for our boys. In other news, one of the commenters noted that Hardball Talk writer and noted Braves fan Craig Calcaterra "just could not force himself" to preview the Braves. Poor lil Craig, man.
MLB NEWS
MLBPA is not happy with the Cubs putting Kris Bryant in the minors
Chicago Cubs prospect Kris Bryant is probably the Cubs' best option at 3rd base heading into the 2015 season. Naturally, he'll be spending the start of the season in the minors. Why's this happening? It's basically so that the Cubs can get an extra year of team control on Bryant, and the only way that this can happen is if they manipulate the service time rules so that they're able to get that extra year out of Bryant. If this sounds confusing to you, then here's an article from Vice Sports that explains it in detail. If this infuriated you, then you should be happy to know that you and the MLBPA are kindred spirits.
Today is a bad day for baseball. I think we all know that even if Kris Bryant were a combination of the greatest players to play our game, and perhaps he will be before it's all said and done, the Cubs still would have made the decision they made today. This decision, and other similar decisions made by clubs will be addressed in litigation, bargaining or both.
Phillies and Pirates scuffle as benches clear
So, the battle for the Grapefruit League pennant is really heating up, y'all! This is the only thing that we could possibly expect to happen when two in-state rivals meet up in a completely different state; Complete chaos! That's what we got in the 4th inning of this heated clash between the Phillies and Pirates, which is when a quick pitch led to the benches clearing. Boy, I tell you what: You can't try nonsense like that and get away with it when the Grapefruit League Postseason is on the line!