166: CL Asks, “Why 3rd? Why Now?”

CL, basically because there is a small , unique window to try this.

Adonis Garcia

Adonis Garcia is hurt and is not a long term solution at 3rd

Rio Ruiz

base. Rio Ruiz started hot then cooled off quite a bit. He doesn’t look to be, as of June 2017, the long term guy there. So there is little risk of blocking someone in the system at 3rd right now.

 

 

Matt Adams

As much as I was a cheerleader for Matt Adams over James Loney, I had no clue he would do this well!  No one did.  I was hoping for 4 or 5 HRs, 10-15 RBIs, and a .260 BA in his first month here.  Instead, in 30 games as a brave, he has 11HRs and 29 RBIs with a .294 BA.  To put that in perspective, in 37 games, FF had 14 HRs (which lead the league when he was injured, and still lead the league for about a week after he was on the DL), 25 RBIs and a .342 BA.  Matt Kemp, in 60 games, has 12 HRs, 35 RBIs, and a .320 BA.

 

I don’t know if hitting coach Kevin Seitzer saw a flaw in his swing or if Matt Adams, having a chance to relax and know he was going to play everyday for two months unless he was flat out terrible, helped his timing and/or confidence, or what…but something has clicked…for a month at least.

 

Matt Kemp

Nick Markakis

Braves could trade Nick M and move Kemp to right, and Adams in left, but that would more than likely give us 2 subpar outfielders and a very tired CF’er.

 

 

 

Freddie Freeman

So, with basically nothing to lose, it sounds like F.F. talked the braves into giving him a shot at 3rd.  If he makes an error a night, well, Matt Adams has to be traded. If he can be a league average guy or better (and guys like F.F. try harder and work harder than regular guys, which is why he’s a superstar) and if Matt can settle into being a .270 hitter who could hit 25-30 HR’s a year, drive in 90…then the braves have a much more dangerous lineup from here on out.
Also, that would be one less hole to plug as there are few 3rd basemen out there and, though there are several teams that can/will get the guy you want, if you don’t get someone who’s better than Garcia or Ruiz…then you have to play Garcia and Ruiz.

Jonathan Lucroy

Plus there would be more moola to spend on a catcher like the Rangers Jonathan Lucroy (who, by the by, is going to be 32 next year and only has 4 HRs and 19 RBIs) or the braves will have more prospects to use to get a catching prospect or an ace (or a #2 like Archer that Coppy has a man-crush on) and to perhaps upgrade right field production from Nick M.  (I really like the guy, think he’s very good, but he doesn’t have much pop, and you need some pop from your right fielder if you want to compete with the Nats… and unlike other players, isn’t getting any younger 🙄 )

So much can go wrong, either guy can get hurt and make it a moot point, but a comment I saw about the move made a good point I hadn’t thought of:  if FF is ok at 3rd and Matt hits ok from here to the trading deadline, then the braves will look less like a team that has to trade Matt Adams.  They would still have that option but he won’t be sitting on the bench rotting once F.F. is back.

~ BER ~

#165: So, It Begins Again…

by Gil ‘N Mechanicsville

With 1/3 of the 2017 season now solidly in the rear-view mirror, it is probably an appropriate time to look at the Braves season, where it is, where its been and where it is likely to end up. For the first two months, a supposed strength of the Brave failed to materialize, that being pitching.  I know, no one thought a staff made up of a pair of AARP prospects and a rookie was going the lead the league in ERA but neither did anyone realistically think they would be this bad.

Richard Allen Dickey   age 42

To be fair, R.A. Dicky is about what was expected, some good games, some bad games and some that were rained out.  Bartolo Colon and Julio Teheran however have been horrible. Unless you have a team that can routinely put a couple of touchdowns on the board, there is little hope for a W to be put up, they just have not pitched anywhere near expectations.

Bartolo Colon  age 44

Bartolo may have an excuse that he simply is feeling his age; Julio, for whatever reason, has just not had it. He has developed a habit of giving up gopher balls at an alarming rate. It is as if he has caught what ever contagion afflicting the since-demoted Arron Blair and Matt Wisler and served up baseballs like they were on a Tee. Opposing hitters have fattened up their batting averages to an alarming degree when facing Braves’ pitchers.

Jaime Garcia age 30

We’ve gotten some decent pitching from Jaime Garcia, a new and unexpected addition to the lineup.  With a new addition to the DL, some of the new Minor League pitchers will be making their appearances in the Big Show.

The first will be Sean Newcomb who was acquired from the Angels as part of the deal which sent Andrelton Simmons to the left coast. Sean is a big left-hander who, like most young fire-balling hurlers, has had his troubles maintaining consistency with the strike zone. Perhaps he will get lucky and have an ump with a wide zone behind the dish when he is pitching.

         Kris Medlin                 age 31

If he can stay healthy, old favorite Kris Medlen looks to be on a path which should return him to the big leagues by July. Kris continues to build arm and shoulder strength after two Tommy John surgeries and a shoulder repair. He has altered his mechanics so as to lessen the stress on his shoulder. The rest of the young phenoms toiling away in high A and double A will likely not show up in an Atlanta uniform until the 2018 and 2019 seasons and beyond.

Freddie Freeman
age 27

Matt Adams
age 28

As far as offense, the injury to Freddie Freeman’s wrist was an awful set back to the hopes and dreams of the 2017 Braves. While the Braves front office pulled off quite a coup in dealing for Matt Adams, he is still not Freddie Freeman. Upon Freeman’s return in August, the Braves will determine how best to use Adams’ considerable talent.

Dansby Swanson
age 23

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments could be the shaky play of rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson. Oh well, he will get past it. He perhaps is simply the victim of too high expectations after a fast start last September. It is a lot of pressure to put on a rookie to be the face of the franchise, just ask Jeff Francoeur. The current offense has shown glimpses of solid play and impressive offense but for now, we best just watch as this team goes thru its growing pains.