It's Friday, which means that it's not only time for the weekend -- Memorial Day weekend, at that -- but it's also time for FanPost Friday. It's time for the weekly look at what's happening in our bustling FanPost section, which is where you all are letting your voice be heard on all things Braves-related. We're getting dangerously close to the draft as well, and that's where we'll be starting this week's look at the FanPosts.
FanPost Mock Draft
Loganutk decided to use various resources to try to take a stab at what the top 44 picks in the upcoming draft will look like. The Braves picks 3, 40, and 44 in that span, so if you want to get an idea of who the Braves could potentially take with those picks, then this is the post for you to check out.
Mallex Smith has a "slip-n-slide" problem
Mallex Smith has been a menace on the basepaths, but he also has a bit of a problem: He'll beat throws to the bag, but he'll also slide off the bag and end up being called out either by the umpire on the field or by the replay official. It's frustrating to watch at times, and sethsosebee took a bit of a look at exactly how this is hurting the Braves right now.
Mallex's inability to stay on the bag when sliding isn't only harmful for the team when he's stealing, but any time he attempts to take an extra base.
Fangraphs measures baserunning proficiency through it's BsR stat, which, according to the site "turns stolen bases, caught stealings, and other base running plays (taking extra bases, being thrown out on the bases, etc) into runs above and below average." Mallex Smith's BsR score? It's a -1.6. Mallex is the worst on the team in this category and if he had enough games to qualify (I think that is why doesn't show up in the rankings), he would rank among the worst in the Major Leagues (25th worst of all players).
Who will the Braves go to for their next catcher?
Last week, you guys were already talking about how the Braves need to fix their catcher situation. This week, snuglife has an idea as to how to fix it for next couple of seasons at least, and it's a familiar name.
What if there was a lefty available that averages 20+ Homers and a 2.5 WAR over the last 3 years? I think most Braves fans would jump at that. What if you could get him for less prospects than Lucroy and he's locked up longer, although for more money. What if he was already a Braves fan favorite. I think some know who I'm thinking about by now. Why don't the braves trade for Brian McCann?
Is it time to stop trading the Braves' best players?
Although some people may be excited about trade rumors surrounding the Braves, it's totally understandable for other parts of the fanbase to be suffering from trade rumor fatigue. Yeah, prospect hauls are nice, but sometimes you get tired of seeing your best players get shipped off to other teams while you're left to wait for youngsters to develop. That's the gist of this particular post from braveshoo.
That's where we'll stop this week's spotlight on FanPosts. If you get a chance during the weekend -- or for the rest of this week for that matter -- and you've got the Braves on the mind, make sure to give our FanPost feature a whirl. There's really nothing stopping you from posting anything: from theories, to statistical observations, to just plain-old venting. It's all welcome, and that's the place for you to do it.