Braves Making the Team Meter - The Hitters, Week 2

by gondeee on Mar 5, 2008 1:00 PM EST in News Comment 16 comments

Week two of the MTM Hitters Edition with lots of battles going on. For the purposes of the hitters we are going to assume that the following players have made the team, and barring injury, will break camp with the big club: Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Kelly Johnson, Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar, Mark Kotsay, Jeff Francoeur, and Matt Diaz.

As always the below summations reflect an optimistic look at each player's chances of making the team. I have added Diory Hernandez to this list as he battles for that utility infield spot.

Player, Position	Chance	Notes
Josh Anderson, OF		He's hitting well so far this spring, and the general consensus seems to be moving towards an outfield backup who can play center, and Anderson fits the bill. Cox called him an "interesting kid."
Gregor Blanco, OF		He doesn't seem to be getting the same playing time that Anderson and others are getting, but he's still got some fans on the team and on the coaching staff.
Omar Infante, INF		It now seems certain that he will start the year on the disabled list because of his broken left hand, which is still in a cast.
Martin Prado, INF		He's getting the most at-bats of any Braves batter, but until the last couple of games he hadn't done much with them. Things seem to be leaning Lillibridge's way as the backup infielder.
Brandon Jones, LF		He leads the team this spring in walks and strikeouts -- don't tell me he's becoming a three-true-outcomes type player. His defense has been a bit lax as well.
Scott Thorman, 1B		Nothing special here, and no change from the free swinger of old. He's taking up a valuable bench spot, and I've gotta believe the Braves will try and move him at the end of spring.
Clint Sammons, C		He seems to be a little further down on the depth chart than we thought.
Brayan Pena, C/1B		He's been playing catcher really well, having caught two baserunners in three attempts, but could that just be upping his trade value?
Brent Lillibridge, SS		He seems to be the frontrunner to replace the injured Infante to open the season. He's been getting some looks at third base.
Jordan Schafer, OF		He's AWESOME! See you in August, Jordan.
Joe Borchard, OF		He's showing an ability to drive in runs and may be helping his cause as a possible bench bat with power -- something the Braves currently need.
Tyler Flowers, C/1B		It's only four at-bats, but he's been impressive -- he's got mad power. It's a nice audition for the youngster, and it should be reassuring to Braves fans to know that even after trading away Salty last year we still have good depth at catcher.
Javy Lopez, C		He's flexed his power muscle, but his defense is still a bit shakey.
Corky Miller, C		He's getting fewer at-bats than he did last spring.
J.C. Boscan, C		Have glove, will catch.
Javier Guzman, IF		This NRI has flashed some good leather on the field, but he has not been impressive at the plate.
Diory Hernandez, IF		With Infante on the shelf, he could work his way into the backup infield picture -- he's hitting pretty good so far.

Arrow Key:
= Chance of making the team is even.
= Chance of making the team is going down.
= Chance of making the team is going up.

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w/r/t Borchard

He's showing an ability to drive in runs and may be helping his cause as a possible bench bat with power

Don't let this fool you. Please...he's a life time .205/.284/.352. With a OPS+ of 65. He's a prime example of not reading into spring #'s. And why would the Braves carry 5 outfielders? When it seems Josh Anderson has a better shot at making the bench.

Sorry dude, I just don't understand your Borchard love.

Two Teams, Two Coasts - One Obsession

by RainDelay on Mar 5, 2008 1:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

JOE BORCHARD

I love Joe Borchard. He's got pop, it looks like he's finally turned the corner in his career, and he could probably put up better numbers than Thorman if given a shot. You can shit on his numbers all you want, but he was brought up too early by the White Sox, and has bounced around ever since. If you give him a chance, I'm confident that he can be a productive pinch hitter.

And he'll DEFINITELY be better than Craig Wilson.

by bigjoe on Mar 5, 2008 1:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

I'm with bigjoe on this. My fascination with Borchard this spring probably has something do to with Jordan Schafer and his turnaround last year putting me in a "tools first" kind of mode, and Borchard certainly has those. I also echo bigjoe's sentiment that Borchard would be an improvement over Thorman on the "bench." Think about it, how often are we going to need a backup first baseman this year if Tex is healthy? And why couldn't Diaz or Borchard or someone else be able to fill that role. Heck, Bobby had Chris Woodward playing first last year.

Thorman's an offensive liability on the bench. I'd rather have someone who has more experience (and perhaps more upside). I could very well be wrong on Borchard, but I'm not wrong on Thorman -- we already know we're likely going to get bubkiss from him this year.

by gondeee on Mar 5, 2008 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry I got a front row seat..

..watching him in his short stint in Seattle. I'm not going to argue about Thorman because I totally agree with you.

But like my reply below, there are better/more productive options than Borchard. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but I highly doubt it. He had a good spring when he was in Seattle and Florida the last couple years and then come when the games out...zero ,zilch bubkiss..

Two Teams, Two Coasts - One Obsession

by RainDelay on Mar 5, 2008 1:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

*count

Two Teams, Two Coasts - One Obsession

by RainDelay on Mar 5, 2008 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh and another sticking point...

..he's out of options.

Two Teams, Two Coasts - One Obsession

by RainDelay on Mar 5, 2008 1:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He's been given chances..

..and has failed. He's this years TJ Bohn. I'm not "Shitting" on his #'s...he's horrible and his defense isn't all that stellar either. Josh Anderson, Brandon Jones, Jordan Schaefer, Gregor Blanco are all better options that Borchard.

Two Teams, Two Coasts - One Obsession

by RainDelay on Mar 5, 2008 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They're both awful

I think the better question is, who can fill the last bench position besides Thorman or Borchard. However, if we're stuck with the choice between the two, I'd still go with Thorman.

Borchard (age 29) has a career OPS+ of 65 in 800 plate appearances. Thorman (age 26) has a career OPS+ of 70 in 440 plate appearances. If you compare their 2006-2007 seasons they're almost identical (actually frighteningly close if you look it up), with Borchard having a better OBP and Thorman having a better SLG.

Based on that information alone, I'd go with Thorman if that was the only choice. He's younger, only been in the league for two years, and I'd prefer his power potential off the bench. All things being equal, I would almost always take the younger guy with the feeling that he MAY turn into something useful. Or, at the very least, he'd probably be a more attractive trade option (packaged with Pena/Prado) than Borchard because of his age.

Finally, my sense is that if Borchard is on the team, Bobby would be tempted to give him more starts since we've seen that he doesn't mind sitting Diaz, while there is no way Teixeria is coming out of the lineup in place of Thorman.

by KLB on Mar 5, 2008 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Prado

All signs point to Prado being traded. Expect a Tony Pena Jr. type deal (with us maybe getting a bit more in return).

I wouldn't be surprised if Brayan Pena was included in the same deal.

by subwindow on Mar 5, 2008 3:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Indeed

Couldn't agree more...

-sdp-

by sdp on Mar 5, 2008 4:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Borchard

I agree with Two Teams on this one. I know the Braves have caught lightening in a bottle before but this guy sucks. If the Braves were desperate then maybe put him on board but Two Teams has a point that there are younger, better options for the OF. As far as 1B goes, Gondee you are right, hopefully we won't need a back up 1B and if Bobby decides to give Tex a day off then throw Diaz or even Lopez (I'm easing up on my "Lopez shouldn't make the team stance").

by Chester Highwater on Mar 5, 2008 4:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

javy

After that BOMB last week, Javy has stunk at the plate. BRING ON PENA!

by bigjoe on Mar 5, 2008 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He's hitting..

..better than McCann, so does that mean we give up on McCann too?

Two Teams, Two Coasts - One Obsession

by RainDelay on Mar 5, 2008 7:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

well...

McCann still has about 20 million in guaranteed money, so yeah.

by bigjoe on Mar 5, 2008 8:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i have said this before....

javy is valuable ONLY if pena is also kept as a 3rd catcher. javy should be used as a backup catcher/power bat/backup 1st baseman, and pena should be used for speed/on base guy/backup outfielder/backup catcher. that way, we wouldnt be afraid to use either of the players since in a situation because we have an adequate backup. trade thorman and prado for a bag of hammers.

by ryan c on Mar 5, 2008 5:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs