BRAVES NEWS
Phillips pushes Braves to victory as Folty has solid spring debut
Rob Manfred must have been smiling down on what he saw at Champion Stadium, since the Braves and Cardinals only needed two hours and eleven minutes to finish up their spring training game yesterday. With that being said, the Braves had to have been pleased with what they saw at the plate from Brandon Phillips — he delivered a two-out, two-run double to basically win the game for the Braves. Meanwhile, Mike Foltynewicz delivered on the mound as he only faced the minimum over his two innings of work and somehow managed to record all three outs in the first inning via pickoff.
#Braves Folty erases 3 Cards baserunners in 1st. Sierra picked off first. Wong picked off second, then Piscotty out scurrying back to first
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) February 28, 2017
Will Cabrera live up to his potential?
The crew over at Beyond the Box Score has decided to take a look at Mauricio Cabrera and his big arm. His velocity is undeniable, but Henry Druschel thinks that Cabrera may have to add something more to his repertoire if he’s going to live up to the potential that he’s shown so far in his professional career.
He’s a 23-year-old righthanded giant — 6’3”, 245lbs — who, on the surface, had a fairly impressive debut in 2016, throwing 38 1⁄3 innings with a 2.82 ERA. But there are a lot of reasons to be skeptical about his potential to follow that up in 2017 and beyond. His peripherals weren’t great; a 7.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 are pedestrian at best, and his success was mostly the result of the zero home runs he gave up. (Even in his 33 2⁄3 innings at AA!)
The problem is that, while Cabrera has legitimate triple-digit heat, he doesn’t have too much else. At FanGraphs, Eric Longenhagen gave his fastball an 80 (the highest possible ranking), but gave him a 40 (below average) for command and potential 50s (average) for his slider and changeup, and described him as “lack[ing] a true out pitch.”
SunTrust Park will have grass on its field this week
So, one of the things that you need the most in order to play baseball in a ballpark is a grassy playing surface. It’s kinda imperative, wouldn’t you say? Anyways, with Opening Day looming — and a dress rehearsal coming at the end of the month, no less — the AJC is reporting that SunTrust Park will finally have its sod placed down at some point this week.
Braves ownership: “The Braves are worth more than the Marlins”
The rumors of a Miami Marlins sale are starting to die down a bit. However, the Braves ownership wanted to bring it back into the news just to let us know that even though they believe the Marlins’ rumored valuation of $1.6 billion to be accurate, they want you to know that the Braves are probably worth more. President and CEO of Liberty Media Greg Maffei boasted as much in a conference call that the Atlanta Business Chronicle covered.
“I would posit as a proud owner that the Atlanta Braves, one of the most storied and longest franchises in baseball, frankly in professional sports in the U.S., would be far more valuable than the Marlins given our fan base, given our opportunity, given the new stadium, given the potential TV revenue ahead, given the breadth of the radio coverage, many, many factors, that we would be more valuable than the Marlins at whatever price is eventually printed if it is.”
MLB NEWS
Nationals sign Blanton to a one-year-deal
“Jelly” Joe Blanton has found himself another home for another season, and this time he’s landed with the Washington Nationals. The Nats signed him to a one-year-deal worth $4 million. The 36-year-old served as a pretty reliable reliever for the Dodgers last season, and surely the Nationals will be hoping that he’ll be able to do a similar job in the nation’s capital in 2017.
Angels have their eyes on Moustakas for 2018
The 2017 season hasn’t evens tarted yet, but the Los Angeles Angels already have their eyes on free agents for 2018. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Angels could potentially pursue Mike Moustakas once he becomes a free agent. Here’s what our friends over at Halos Heaven think of this potential development:
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement will not force the Angels to forfeit a 1st Round pick to sign him (which is also significant for a team trying to rebuild a farm system). Above all, they’ll have a clear need at a position that’s been a question mark since Chone Figgins in 2009. What better than a slick-fielding, high-contact, left-handed hitting, 28-year old local product to finally fill the void?
“Moose” is still currently rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered last year, but he’ll have plenty of time this season to prove he’s healthy and ready to earn a fat contract. While he is a Scott Boras client, the Royals will have a hard time keeping Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, and Moustakas in the fold, and the SoCal weather/playing in front of his family just might be too enticing to pass up.