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2011 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves

Posted by on 21 March 2011, 4:51 am

Not much attention has been paid to the Atlanta Braves this Spring, which is not shocking considering the Braves play in the same division with two drama queens, the Phillies and the Mets.

Please note that this lack of headlines is not covertly saying the Braves are not contenders in 2011. Fact is nothing could be farther from the truth.

Last season, Atlanta won 91 games in the regular season and did not finish the way they had hoped, losing to the Giants in the NLDS. The disappointment stemming from the departure of their beloved skipper Bobby Cox and wanted nothing more then to have him go out on top.

A baseball legend, Cox retired after 28 years as a MLB skipper, with the last 24 serving as the Braves manager. Cox’s presence in the dugout will be sorely missed in Atlanta, and throughout baseball, but he has signed a one-year deal to be a special advisor in 2011, so Cox is not totally done yet.

Let’s take a look at the Atlanta Braves heading in to the 2011 season, in the team’s first year of the post-Cox era:

The Positive:

The Braves claim if any pitching rotation can compete with the Phillies ‘fab-four’ they can. Led by Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, this statement is not far from the truth.

Atlanta’s 1-4 in their starting rotation is impressive, with all easily winning 15+ games and should post an ERA of less then 3.00.

The fifth spot has not been named yet, but it looks to be top prospect Mike Minor. Minor is a 23-year-old lefty who had an ERA just shy of 6.00, going 3-2 over his eight starts in 2010. Minor will either struggle in his first full season or become a hero; he has the potential to go either direction.

The bats will be better than last season, with the acquisition of Dan Uggla from the Marlins. Uggla will be sandwiched in between rookie sensation Jason Heyward and his mini-me, rookie 1B Freddie Freeman who is said to be better than Heyward was last season. That is a nice group of power in the heart of a line-up, as the addition of two-time All-Star and recent Silver Slugger winner in Uggla will be the difference maker.

New Skipper Fredi Gonzalez will take over for Cox, his mentor and the Braves front office only interviewed manager by choice. Gonzalez was the Braves third-base coach for four seasons under Cox, till he became the Marlins manager following 2007. Gonzalez got canned last season for benching Marlins star shortstop Hanley Ramirez for being lazy, which was more then fair. Ramirez threw a fit and Gonzalez took the fall. Gonzalez is glad to be out of that situation and has a bright future ahead of him.

Regardless, Gonzalez believes in hard work ethic, with a smile. Gonzalez is perfect for this job and even though Cox’s shoes will never be filled, this is pretty darn close.

The Negative:

Defensively the Braves have to improve to back-up the pitchers on the mound. There is not one infielder that excels with their glove. The 126 errors in 2010 cannot happen again, as they only had one less then the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is just unacceptable and sloppy form by a playoff team.

The concerns start with 3B Chipper Jones is about to be 39-years-old and almost retired last season after he had to have knee surgery. After Jones, Freddie Freeman is a rookie covering first and Uggla playing at second is not comforting. Uggla brings a lot of talent but catching the ball is not one of them.

Behind the plate is catcher Brian McCann, who has been with the Braves for four seasons. McCann continues to improve his stats each season and is a threat with a bat. He has to stay healthy, as he was clearly worn down last season. Atlanta is counting on McCann’s bat being more productive to add to one of the club’s clear strengths. Continue reading ‘2011 MLB Team Preview: Atlanta Braves’ »

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New York Yankees: Without Risk There Is No Reward, So Get To Know Andruw Jones

Posted by on 21 January 2011, 10:56 am
Andruw Jones
Image via Wikipedia

It is official: Ex-Atlanta Braves superstar Andruw Jones has officially signed with the New York Yankees.

MLB Trade Rumors is reporting a one-year deal at $2MM bucks with performance incentives worth another $1.2MM for 2011.

Jones has a career batting average of .256 with 407 home-runs and 1,222 RBIs.

This is agent Scott Boras’ second signing in the Bronx this week, as closer Rafael Soriano signed for three years worth $35MM, but he can opt out of the contract at the end of 2011 or 2012 and it doesn’t include a no trade clause.

Soriano was the best closer in the American League last season posting a 1.73 ERA and had 45 saves in 2010.

Soriano will set-up for Mariano Rivera, a job he feels is an absolute privilege.

This was a solid pick-up by Hal Steinbrenner and President Randy Levine, who took the reigns from GM Brian Cashman to get the deal done.

Getting back to Jones, who indisputably was one of the best players in baseball for almost a decade.

Just to get some perspective on how good, in 2005 Jones hit 51 home-runs and 128 RBIs. In the following season Jones’ bat posted 41 bombs and 129 RBIs. Jones also earned a Silver Slugger and Hank Aaron Award in 2005 and two of his 10 Gold Gloves for prevailing defense as an outfielder.

Jones was an absolute monster, as those numbers are so nasty it is to the point of almost unbelievable.

Please realize that this is not the Jones the Yankees just signed. Super Agent Boras had to do cartwheels to get over $2MM and possibly more, for a player who has fallen like Jones.

Just looking at his seasonal stats, it is easy to see that when the Braves ousted Jones is when his real struggles began.

Here is a little history on Mr. Jones:

Jones signed with the Atlanta Braves when he was just 16. He spent his first 12-seasons in Atlanta. In 2007, the Braves did not renew Jones’ contract.

Jones had no home pre-2008 season, until signing a two-year, $34MM contract to go play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That love affair ended after one season, as Jones showed up overweight, out-of-shape and posted a .158 batting average. Clearly, Jones was not interested in being a Dodger and the feeling was mutual.

This left Jones homeless once again. His best offer was a minor league deal to play for the Texas Rangers in 2009. Jones had no other options, but after showing up fat and not fit, Texas decided not to keep him either.

As a Ranger, Jones played in 82 games, posting a batting average of .222 and slamming 17 home-runs.

Still, this was a 10-time gold glove winner, who was still productive as recently as two years prior making teams wonder what was going on, because Jones was just 31 years old.

Next up was the Chicago White Sox, who felt that $500,000 was little to lose if they could get Jones close to his old self. Jones signed another one-year deal in 2010, making Chicago his third home in three seasons.

Jones came to White Sox spring training 30 pounds lighter and in shape, which is a positive change. Under the leadership of skipper Ozzie Guillen, Jones hit 19 home runs, 48 RBIs, in 278 at bats and played in 107 games, the most games Jones had played in since 2007.

Jones also had career milestone while in Chicago, hitting home-run #400 on July 11th. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Without Risk There Is No Reward, So Get To Know Andruw Jones’ »

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Baseball Bloggers Alliance 2010 MLB Awards Press Release

Posted by on 12 October 2010, 2:36 am

My apologies for not having posted this sooner….please let me know what players you think deserve my vote.

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Two MLB Teams Not To Give Up On

Posted by on 19 July 2010, 10:31 am

MLB’s second-half of the season is officially in full swing.

Thus far, in 2010 is proving to be one for the books. With so many tight division races, fans will have plenty of excitement to keep them occupied.

Still, fans tend to throw in the towel and write-off their teams chances of playing in October. A few teams stand out that might not be division leaders now, but still have the potential not to be counted out yet.

Remember, that pennants are not won in July and baseball can look decidedly different from week to week.

Here, are two teams, one from the AL and the other from the NL that should not be counted out:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels lost their best player for the season, 1B Kenny Morales, which has finally impacted the team. Still, this is a group who has won the AL West six of the last seven years and it would be foolish to consider them out this soon.

Even with the first-place Rangers acquiring SP Cliff Lee, the back of rotation is not significant. The Angels have an ace in Jered Weaver. Weaver beat out Seattle’s King Felix for the third time this season, but the Angels have to give Weaver some run support. The vets need to step it up now specifically Abreau, Hunter and Matsui to stay in the mix.

Truthfully, they are not the same Angels from 2009. They lost a lot of speed on the bases, which played a enormous role in their past successes. The Halos should pick-up a solid bat before the end of July. Rumors that Red Sox Mike Lowell or Orioles Miguel Tejada are possibilities, but are a tad too old to get that excited or could be the difference makers.

The Angels remain just four and a half games out, and the next two weeks are the time to make a move on Texas. Angels are a second-half team, with a proven history and now’s time to prove it.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies, even worse than the Angels, have been hit with injuries. So far 12 players have seen the DL, including three All-Star hitters, the closer, a setup man, two starters and both their starting and backup catchers. Things have been far from sunny in Philadelphia. Continue reading ‘Two MLB Teams Not To Give Up On’ »

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MLB’s Half-Time Who’s Hot And Who’s Not Part Two

Posted by on 13 July 2010, 8:00 am

Let’s continue with summing up the wild first-half of the MLB season, by looking at the National League.

One thing is for sure, the NL is no longer “the other” league in baseball. The NL is providing plenty of drama and talent to compete with their AL counterparts.

NL EAST:

The hottest team in the NL is the first place Atlanta Braves. Braves fans finally have something to cheer about. After a sluggish start to 2010, the Braves have been on fire once everything started to click. Rookie sensation, Jason Heyward who was voted an All-Star but due to a deep bruised thumb will not participate. Thus far, the 20-year old Heyward has 13 doubles, three triples, 11 home-runs, 45 RBIs, 42 walks and five stolen bases. The Braves strong pitching staff lead by Time Hudson has made this team a real force.

Coming in second are the New York Mets, who are four games. Right on the Mets heels are the 2008 and 2009 NLCS champion Philadelphia Phillies who are just a half-game. Mets David Wright is back on his game again, but Mets fans are starting to believe again. Jose Reyes and the nifty Angel Pagan make-up a solid line-up. It’s the pitching that will dictate their future.

Hopefully, the Mets won’t give-up and pout if the Phillies squeak past them down the stretch. It would not be the first time, so the Mets have to mentally stay strong.

The Phillies, like the Red Sox are injured all-around. The Phillies are getting their stride back as of late, so don’t be dumb and count them out. The 2009 Yankees were exactly where the Phillies are now, not in first but getting momentum from all the walk-off wins.

The Marlins (10 back) and Nationals (13.5 back) have fallen to the back of the pack. Still both ball-clubs have bright futures, the Marlins have young ace Josh Johnson and hard-hitting and headed Hanley Ramirez. The Nats have prodigy pitcher Steven Strasburg. Strasburg is on a 110 innings limit for good reason and already has the hottest selling jersey in all of MLB.

NL CENTRAL:

The Cincinnati Reds are the real deal. Featuring a deep line-up with the newly awakened Scott Rolen, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Drew Stubs and Jay Bruce. They have a arsenal of talent arms, as Travis Wood almost threw a perfect game against the Phillies just last week. Continue reading ‘MLB’s Half-Time Who’s Hot And Who’s Not Part Two’ »

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Baseball’s One-Third Season Report Card

Posted by on 8 June 2010, 8:44 am

Officially, the 2010 baseball season is one-third complete.

What does it mean?

Nothing close to forecasting the post-season, but teams should identify themselves by now.

A few teams can already call it a season, but the majority of teams can still dream of a World Series.

Even if, your team’s chances might look bleak, fans should keep the faith. If anything is still possible, it can happen.

Just ask any NY Giants fan about the 2007 season if you need an example to why you should never give up.

Now here are my five (non-Yankee) situations that first came to my mind when reflecting on one-third of it all:

THE BIGGEST LOSER:

First, let’s remove the obvious team who’s season could not be saved even by a miracle. The Baltimore Orioles are one group I can assure you will not be playing in October. Poor O’s fans because the team is worse than ever. Should I dare suggest that Oriole fans start dreaming big for 2011?

THE MOST IMPROVED:

The National League is not a joke in 2010. The AL bullies have definitely been notified.

The Phillies, Cardinals and Dodgers no longer own the National League. Welcome to the contender’s lounge, the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres. Not only have each respected division gotten better, but as a whole, the National League is no longer living in the shadow of the American League.

The Padres, Braves and Reds do whatever they have to do to win, by utilizing on their strengths.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TOO:

 

Congratulations to the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets for faking out their fans with false hopes. These two teams will fail because how can anyone be sold that either has the guts to continue for the rest of the season?

The Blue Jays can hit home runs in their sleep, but slumps are inevitable. Toronto does not play small ball, which will affect them down the stretch. Pitching has been lucky so far, but the consensus is the Rogers Centre is an easy place to pitch, so the road games will be the truest test. Continue reading ‘Baseball’s One-Third Season Report Card’ »

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Memorial Day Weekend Equals Crazy Baseball

Posted by on 1 June 2010, 1:05 am

So far 2010 has been filled with drama.

Teams go from boiling hot to freezing cold in an instant. Stars have been struggling more than ever.

Who would have thought Memorial Day Weekend would leave so many marks this season?

Here are three 2010 Memorial Day weekend shockers:

  • The Philadelphia Phillies are a mess. The Phillies were swept badly by the Mets, who did not allow the Phillies to score a run in all three games. Who knew that was going to happen? Jimmy Rollins or not.

Now the Atlanta Braves lead the NL East, a position the Phillies have owned for two seasons. Jason Werth and Ryan Howard have got to hit or else this could get worse for the Phillies.

Who would have guessed the season after ace Roy Halladay gets traded to the Phillies Toronto would be more of a threat. Add that to an ice cold Aaron Hill at the plate, but the team has the most home runs in all of baseball with 89. Wait until Hill starts going, which is inevitable.

Nothing short of crazy stuff! Continue reading ‘Memorial Day Weekend Equals Crazy Baseball’ »

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