So how do the suits in Lake Buena Vista begin to wash away the ugliness that currently stains our formerly “gold standard” franchise?
I have a couple of thoughts on that. (Big surprise, right?) And I say this with the disclaimer that the investigation is still ongoing and that there could be more negativity coming.
So suits, listen up!
Terry McGuirk, this first part is addressed to you. You obviously have to hire some stable leadership and get this boat back upright again. We’re listing thanks to the current hierarchy, regardless of who knew what and who did what. Those at the top failed. I include all leadership in “baseball operations”. Anyone at GM level or higher has failed. Period. The venerable John Schuerholz can stay. After all, he’s really nothing more than a figurehead in the organization now, and hasn’t been for 3 years. He’s a HOF’er that makes for great PR on the speaking circuit. But his influence over the day-to-day operations of the Braves is long gone. He’s kind of like the Queen of England. Great history; no power.
When the house becomes unstable, you don’t go in and try replacing the framework a 2×4 at a time. You raze the structure and start from the foundation. That’s what we need to do here – clean house and start fresh.
Next, have to make sure you don’t lose the fan base that came out to see the shiny new ballpark this year. STP won’t be nearly as much a novelty in 2018, and this current blight will surely cement the cynicism among the fringe fans. In order to keep the fence sitters interested, you have to create some positive news and positive energy. The best way to do that is by showing them you are committed to winning NOW, and that you aren’t going to use this setback as an excuse to push the target further down the timeline.
They say that money can’t buy happiness, and that’s true. But it can buy you out of some bad press if you spend it correctly. You want some of the bad news to go away? Break out the wallet and go after a couple of key pieces in FA and prove to the fans that you want to step forward in 2018. How badly do you want to put this darkness behind us, and how quickly? Buy some big positive headlines. It’s not that hard… just expensive.
Yes, I know that you can’t buy World Series winner. Then again, CC Sabathia and Aroldys Chapman did play a key role in the Yankees beating the superior Indians in the ALDS. (And I kind of remember a FA laden Marlins team winning the whole shebang not just once, but twice. But I don’t advocate that method – the stock and purge method.) The Yankees example shows us that the best way for a young team to shine is to have some key veterans put them in that position. And there are absolutely a couple of positions on the Braves that glaringly cry out for a veteran to step in.
On the top of my list is 3B and starting pitcher. Is it prudent to roll out the armored car and land a guy like Mike Moustakas? Uh… probably not, especially since you have Austin Riley projected to be about 2 years away. Again, I point to the Yankees, who have gotten key contributions from 3B Todd Frazier down the stretch and into the playoffs. His powerful bat isn’t setting any records in post-season, but his steadiness and vocal leadership is proving to be the rudder that’s keeping the Yankees ship on course. His 27 HR’s over the course of the regular season didn’t hurt anything either. That would have been the 2nd highest total on the Braves this season, just 1 behind Freddie Freeman and way far ahead of the twin Matts’ 19 each. Want a steadier power bat behind Freddie in 2018? Todd Frazier is the guy. Want a guy that you can project into the lineup every day, unlike Matt Kemp? Todd Frazier is the guy. He’ll be just 32 and he played in 147 games in 2017. You can probably sign him for 2 years plus an option, so he fits the timeline nicely.
Now you need a starter, and I mean a real one. Yes, I’m talking about buying one now. This whole Coppoloser mess gives us an excuse now to buy one, and I think we should take advantage of it. I’m not talking about Bartolo Colon or RA Dickey. I’m talking about Jake Arrieta. I’m talking about Yu Darvish. I’m talking about Alex Cobb. I’m sure there will be a couple of teams escalate the bidding on these guys, but if you get in on the right one – Cobb perhaps – you can still land your desired ace and stabilize a quite unstable rotation. And in doing so, you effectively strengthen your bullpen as guys like Max Fried and Lucas Sims can be counted on in a multi-inning role, much like the Yankees have done this year with Chad Green and Aroldys Chapman. Those guys are weapons.
Estimating arb salaries and pre-arb raises, the Braves have somewhere in the neighborhood of $90M committed for 2018 to the current roster. A non-tender here, or a buyout there and that total changes, but it still works as a reasonable baseline from which to work. The 2017 total payroll was somewhere in the neighborhood of $120M. The league average Opening Day payroll in 2017 was exactly $152,327,084. You’ve been telling us that The Battery is bringing in more more revenue that is to be turned around into the team. So use it. Increase the payroll to league average. Give your new GM some walking around money to improve the product on the field. Give him $60M or so to make real progress with the roster. But even if you don’t want to go that high in 2018, an increase of $40M would still spend nicely. Sign Alex Cobb for 5yrs/$125M or maybe 7yrs/$175M($25M yearly), Todd Frazier for 2 yrs/$25M ($12.5 yearly) and you’re in the ballpark, pun fully intended.
Hey, a guy can dream… can’t he?
Excellent, V! Clear and precise. I just hope the right people see it – and follow the advice!
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Great opine Vee… Thanks
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Watched the 2nd half of the ALCS last night, heck of a pitching duel. Problem for Astros using their closer for 2 1/3 innings is what do you do about tonight when you need a closer? I doubt Verlander will pitch 9 but then, who knows….
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Thanks y’all. I appreciate the kind words. But my math is off at the end of that one. I caught it after I posted it but it was too late to do anything about it. What I meant to say was 5yrs/$125M or possibly 7yrs/$175M. And I got them mixed up. I’m beginning to lean toward the latter as top pitchers are getting longer deals.
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Will fix
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Anyone remember me asking about Lindgren? Looks like someone found out…
https://tomahawktake.com/2017/10/14/atlanta-braves-left-handed-relief-pitcher-jacob-lindgren-healthy-ready-2018/
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Lindgren can certainly be a weapon in 2018. I’ve read that the bullpen is a top priority for this offseason, but when I look at the internal candidates, I see alot of potential already. I do agree that a veteran addition could make alot of difference… the kind of guy Jim Johnson was. But I don’t believe we can count on him for 2018. Perhaps the inconsistency of Viz has caused them to look at other possibilities. Wade Davis looks good to me. 🙂
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Actually, Jim Johnson is really good for the first two months of the season, then old age takes over.
Anyone else watch the Astros’ game? Wow, I thought I was watching the reincarnation of John Smoltz in Verander’s performance. And Altuve… amazing…
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I like the Astros – even if they’re now in the junior league. I loved watching the Braves and the ‘stros play against each other. I’d like for them to do well.
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was going to try to think of something to say other than fine opining.but..fine opining V!
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Gil, Jim Johnson is a weird pitcher…3 years straight, he was awesome in Baltimore, at least his era was, and led the league in saves last 2 years…I think he did blow quite a few saves, but can’t seem to find that stat on baseball-reference…weird…anyways..at 30 they traded a guy who lead the league in saves to Oakland for…Jamile Weeks who was a former #1, but after a good rookie year, stunk it up and was in the minors, and a ptbnl…who was….David Freitas! small world. Didn’t know that…
but, they sure didn’t get much for him…and yet Baltimore got rid of a guy that had a 7 + ERA between Oakland and Detroit….JJ still can’t seem to completely control his power sinker, which leaves him throwing a straight 95 MPH which is probably just league average if that these days for relievers…..he’s just 34…Mariano got 44 saves at the age of 43, and pitched 141 innings, in 96 games in the playoffs to boot…I know, he was a freak…just don’t think age is JJ’s problem,
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What I meant to say was 5yrs/$125M or possibly 7yrs/$175M. And I got them mixed up. I’m beginning to lean toward the latter as top pitchers are getting longer deals
V, I know I already said this, but I really, really hope they don’t sign Alex Cobb to either deal(well, I might not have been that dramatic)…last year were career highs in innings (179) and Starts (29)
I just don’t see how he’s a game changer, a stud…do you?
I don’t think he packs ’em in once every 5 days, gets fans excited….not that that would be his job, just thinking what the casual fan is going to think about when they hear some starter that they never heard of is getting 25 Mil for 5 to 7 years. A guy who averaged 6 innings a start in the AL. In the NL, he’s going to be taken out for pinch hitters when the game is tied, or he is behind in the 6th…
as much as we all seem to be tired of Julio Teheran, he has never pitched less than 185 innings as a starter for the braves. 5 straight years in fact. 3.59 ERA for the career (Cobb 3.50) And Julio is only going to be 27 in Jan (Cobb just turned 30 this month)
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from mlbtr…. SUNDAY: Hart may not be innocent in this matter, Bill Shanks of the Macon Telegraph reports in a piece that’s worth reading in full. He “knew everything,” according to two scouts who spoke with Shanks, with one source saying that “(Hart) is just as guilty as Coppy. He helped create this mess by letting Coppy do what he wanted to do.” If true, Hart could be on his way out of Atlanta. His contract is set to expire after the World Series, when the league is likely to announce the results of an investigation that continues to see allegations pour in, per Shanks. MLB investigators have not spoken with Hart, Shanks writes, but they have interviewed Coppolella multiple times, including at his house, and Blakely, among other past and current Braves employees. The league could also talk with some of the Braves’ international scouts, Shanks adds. Even after his resignation, the Braves offered Coppolella a severance package – a move that “amazed” several scouts, Shanks relays – but he rejected it and has hired an attorney, which could suggest that lawsuits are forthcoming.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/10/latest-on-braves-investigation-unprecedented-violations.html
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AFL is going on…now????? Wasn’t it later than this before? I just don’t recall it being this early, during the playoffs….
anyways, some braves player updates…
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/258414244/pipeline-inbox-early-reports-from-the-afl/
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Regarding Bill Shanks’ column, he provides a little more detail than we’ve had thus far, including the first fingers pointing directly at John Hart. Pretty damning stuff. For the first time since this became public knowledge, I’m beginning to worry about how severe the penalties might be. Just how deeply did John & John damage this franchise?
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Something else clarified in Shanks’ column is that Hart’s contract is up at the end of the World Series, not on December 31 as was previously reported. That makes alot more baseball sense. I pray that Liberty chooses to let it lapse and remove that part if the stain also.
I highly recommend reading the full column. I’ll find a link and post it here.
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Here ya go…
http://www.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/bill-shanks/article178936141.html
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Greetings from the edge… watching the Talladega Demo Derby…
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Like I said, I’m waiting for the dust to settle before jumping into the Braves front office melt down…
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I have a feeling that the dust will continue to float until the World Series is over. Then not only will the dust drop, so will the hammer.
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Once again, the ol’ B&S is a step ahead…
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Y’all are rockin’ the future news!
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Just following the ever so evident bread crumbs CL…
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Bread boulders.
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Well Vee, aren’t you Captain Obvious… 🙂
I see that our old friend Marks Marksberry has signed to pitch with the Aces of the Australian baseball League. He has worked hard trying to get back to the Show. He is a good Christian man and I wish him every success.
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I just read through a long line of tweets on Bill Shanks’ twitter feed following his posting of the above referenced column that directly points fingers at John Hart. It amazes me how many people (aka trolls) simply want to spew hate in any direction possible. They want to hate Coppolella, Hart, Terry McGuirk… even John Schuerholz.
So from the numerous exchanges, here is what I learned:
John Schuerholz has been so far removed from the real day to day operations of the baseball team for so long that that he was not even the one that hired Frank Wren to be his successor as GM. That was Terry McGuirk’s decision.
JS (age 77) holds the title of “Team President”, but has been semi-retired for 2 years and “spent the last few years working on the stadium, not signing players”. His current involvement is limited to the new spring training site development, and even that is on a limited basis. He’s more of a “face” than anything. Having a HOF’er show up to advocate for something such as becoming the new Spring Training home has real value. And that’s JS’s current role.
Shanks believes that not only John Hart is as “guilty” in the scandal as the former GM, he also takes it to the level of Terry McGuirk, who is the final check between upper management and the ownership group. He’s the guy given the ultimate authority by Liberty Media to approve or disapprove everything, and is ultimately just as dirty in this as anyone.
Here’s what all this makes me believe…
If this is truly an “unprecedented” scandal, especially as it relates to the international market in whom MLB is trying to gain more control, they league could choose to make an example out of the Braves. I think it’s quite possible. It makes me cringe to think of what they could levy in an effort to ensure that the formerly common practices in this area cease now and forever.
I think we might not want to get too attached to super stud Kevin Maitan. Same for SS Yunior Severino, C Abrahan Gutierrez and SS Livan Soto. Those were the top guy signed in that miraculous (and allegedly dirty) class of 2016. And those could just be the beginning.
Remember, MLB took 5 guys away from Boston in 2016 for cheating in the 2014-2015 international signing period. They were busted for “bundling”, one of the many allegations against the Braves.
And since domestic draftee Drew Waters’ name was included in the investigation, he might be a goner too… although I think that one is alot less likely. It all depends on how big an example MLB wants to make of the Braves.
At any rate, it’s gonna hurt. Bad. Really bad.
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Bottom line… Braves are welcome to the scrubs but best players must go to the northeast or west coast… Baseball law….
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Those guys will be declared Free Agents and free to immediately be signed by any club at any bonus amount by teams that have room in their international bonus pool. That won’t be the Braves.
The double whammy for the Braves is that because they spent so much in that incriminating signing class, they are in the league’s “penalty box” and are not only limited to their pool amount, which is already in the lowest tier, they are also limited to a maximum individual bonus amount of $300K. That won’t even begin to sign a top international prospect. So they’ll probably lose the players they signed that resulted in being put in the “penalty box”, yet still remain in the “penalty box”.
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And to put the potential severity into a little more context, both Kevin Maitan and Abraham Gutierrez are already in the Braves Top 30 prospects at 5 and 30 respectively. The sleeper name of that bunch is Yunior Severino, who was drafted as a SS, but projects more to a 3B as his body fills out as is expected. He’s a bat first player with good defensive skills, but is already showing flashes of major power potential, making consistently hard contact and driving the ball deep to all fields. Many feel he’ll be a big time power prospect in a couple more years.
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Here is a list of the top Braves 2016 int’l signees with their 2016 Baseball America international prospect ranking plus their bonus amounts:
Kevin Maitan, SS, Venezuela (No. 1 prospect), $4.25M
Yunior Severino, SS, Dominican Republic (No. 8 prospect), $1.9M
Abrahan Gutierrez, C, Venezuela (No. 15 prospect), $3.5M
Livan Soto, SS, Venezuela (No. 16 prospect), $1M
Yenci Pena, SS, Dominican Republic (No. 32 prospect), $1M
Juan Contreras, RHP, Dominican Republic (No. 41 prospect), $1.2M
Here are the other signees from that same class:
Guillermo Zuniga, RHP, Colombia
Antonio Sucre, OF, Venezuela
Jefry Ramos, OF, Dominican Republic
Franger Carrillo, OF, Venezuela
Braulio Vasquez, IF, Dominican Republic
Andres Adrianza, C, Venezuela
Victor de Hoyos, C, Colombia
Lisandro Santos, LHP, Dominican Republic
I would think that any of these guys could be subject to loss as a result of the MLB investigation, but those Top 6 are clearly the most valuable while also the most vulnerable. Looking at the way the bonus amounts are so sporadic, “bundling” or some other shady tactics seem a very glaringly obvious possibility.
Of course, you have to consider that Maitan was the No. 1 prospect and the first player signed, yet only received a $4.25 bonus while the No. 2 signee, LHP Adrian Morejon of Cuba by the Padres, signed for $11M. We all sort of knew at the time that looked funny, but just accepted it at face value. I suppose it’s coming home to roost now.
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RAD said he had to discuss it with his family before making a final decision. Even if he’s personally leaning toward hanging up the spikes, his family might emphasize about 8 million good reasons for him to play one more year.
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wow…this sure is the opposite of good news , eh? I was hoping John Hart was somehow kept out of the loop, thought if this was all one rouge Braves management, putting pressure on those below him to shut up (ala Harvey Weinstein) but doesn’t look like it now…
Can’t believe Hart would want to tarnish his legacy like this…but, probably means that Hart did dirty stuff before, and why he hired Sloppy, like attracts like….
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this on the other hand, cheers me up to no end…
https://twitter.com/fistfulofdoom/status/919660847550619648
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Bowman this afternoon:
Tough situation for Perry Minasian and Adam Fisher, but it sounds like they made a good impression during last week’s organization meetings
— Those are the guys Coppoloser hired after demoting the dissenting voices a couple of weeks before getting busted for cutting every corner he could reach.
As MLB’s investigation continues, it’s still uncertain who’ll be calling the shots in Atlanta. Uneasy thought w/ FA mkt opening in 2-3 wks
— Not sure any FA’s are going to be clamoring to move to ATL with this current atmosphere anyway. Then again, I suppose $$ talks, doesn’t it?
Liberty Media officials have remained heavily involved in the investigation. It’s apparent they are seeking full accountability
— Translation: Terry McGuirk isn’t above blame himself. He’s ultimately the man at the top. If Hart deserves some blame for being in charge of Coppoloser (and I believe he does), then McGuirk deserves some blame for being in charge of Hart. The question is how much for either? Regardless, you cant remove the whole stain without going deep into the fabric. If you just clean the surface, the stain will reappear.
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V, I haven’t seen much coverage of the braves situation on tv (I even….shudder, recorded sportscenter and watched baseball tonight right after it happened, and since both shows were pushing their agendas, espn to talk basketball 24-7, baseball tonight, at least was pushing the upcoming games) I only saw like 3 minutes on MLBTV after the story broke. I know it’s been covered in the print media…or internet media, whatever you want to call it.
Perhaps when the hammer does come down, and no w.s. to distract folks, it will get much more coverage so the average fan hears about it…average ballplayer too….
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Perhaps when the hammer does come down, and no w.s. to distract folks, it will get much more coverage so the average fan hears about it
I’m sure the Braves would prefer it continue to stay as low to the ground as possible. I know for me, just a fan, I’m embarrassed by it. I’d like it to just fade on out. No chance of that, though. As you said, the penalties will be shouted from the highest rooftop. That’s what will gain the most attention anyway… the negative stuff. It’s another trait of the millennial generation… they love to see the misery of others. Somehow it elevates their own status in their own minds.
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If ESPN can somehow tie “racism” to it they’ll cover it 24/7. They prioritize their own social agenda over real news coverage these days anyway.
In fact, as a general rule these days, real journalism has left the farm. We’re more like Great Britain now in that our “news” sources are all tabloid in nature. Want an example? I’ll turn to my foil Ken Rosenthal. He and his sources now work for a “news outlet” that sits behind a pay wall. And how do you lure eyes behind the wall? You lure them with sensationalist click bait headlines. Then you have to attempt to substantiate the intrigue by quoting hearsay from 3rd party sources. And in reality some of it will turn out to be true. But some will not. But that which is true will stir up enough fervor and outcry that the untrue will just be swept along in the wave of outrage and emotion. And as long as the clicks keep coming and the subscriptions increase, traditional journalistic ethics be damned.
There was a time when a reporter got a tip on a story, then worked his tail off to verify it with not only one additional source, but with a second to corroborate it. And until then, they sat on it. These days, any intriguing whisper gets published right away so that the one reporting it gets just as much attention as that which is being reported. And if it turns out to be nothing, then there’s really no real penalty to pay. Fake news, right? Heck… fake news sells better than real news anyway. So what incentive is left to be credible?
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And now you know why I read so many different blurbs from so many different writers. The more angles of perception you have on something, the clearer the picture really is.
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So, little we can do about it but sit and wait. Might be a good time for Liberty to sell. I’m pretty sure the Braves would bring as much or more than the Marlins. Just saying….
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I also noticed MLB is considering expansion to 32 teams. No telling what can happen when all this turmoil takes place.
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And there in lies the problem Vee, never letting the truth stand in the way of a good story.
On Maitian turning down more money… Maybe he did not want to go to the west coast, maybe he did not want to play for New York, I don’t know. I turned down jobs that paid more money and others I wish I had turned down the money and stayed where I was but that is youth, making those decisions. I know once I was married and was raising a family my priorities changed pretty radically.
So, nothing to do but wait it out and hope for the best. I just hate for all the good talent acquired to be doled out to the big markets. Just a huge sense of unfairness. I don’t think any of the kids signed by the Braves had a gun to their head. If MLB is serious about International signing parity, then create a draft…. Don’t be the NCAA and screw the players.
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In fact, depending on what happens with the Braves, if I don’t think it was fair, I’m ready to chuck it all. Not like I can’t find some other pursuit to occupy my time. Just saying…
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Gil, in my opinion, whatever punishment is handed down will be “fair”, but I don’t think it will be lenient. Granted, “fair” is in the eye of the beholder. But all initial reports are that the infractions are severe. I would expect the punishment to fit the crime. Maybe when it all comes out, the malfeasance will not be as bad as has been leaked. I pray that’s the case.
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Yes, you have 29 other clubs hoping for a shot at Matian… Question? Would the Braves get a refund?
Oh well, too many people with information to sell, you would think they all work for the FBI. Pretty sure most info is coming from low level staffers.
Could be worse, we could all be Marlins fans…
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I guess what I am saying is, if I have to sit thru 4 or 5 more years of futility, I just don’t have the patience any longer. I am a fan but not a fanatic. There is a limit to my endurance. In other words, I am not a Pirate fan. That said, I still can’t and won’t root for the Yankees… Just won’t… I root for the (gag) gNats first and that looks wrong even as I type it…
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So here’s a random thought on an entirely different topic…
All of the early reports on the new ownership in Miami say that new owners Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman are telling other owners they intend to trim their payroll down to $90M for 2018. As Barry Jackson and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald very accurately assess, keeping Giancarlo Stanton at $25M next season isn’t realistic because that would mean 1/3 of that projected $90M payroll would be committed to 3 players – Stanton, P Edinson Volquez and P Wei Yin Chen, with Volquez likely already out for 2018 and Chen a major health risk making both of them untradeable.
Honestly, it doesn’t take a math genius to figure out that Stanton will have to be moved out of Miami. The question is this: How do you move a guy who just signed a ridiculous deal for 13 yrs/$325M in 2015?
Maybe if Liberty Media really wants some positive press, we could trade Matt Kemp’s deal for Stanton’s deal. Nobody would take on the $43.5M still owed to Kemp unless they could possibly shed a $300M commitment in the process.
Eh… it’s never going to happen, but it’s kind of fun to think about.
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I guess what I am saying is, if I have to sit thru 4 or 5 more years of futility, I just don’t have the patience any longer.
OK then… here’s the good news for you. Any player affected by this dark period would be an international guy from 2016, meaning guys who are currently 17-18 years old. None of them is expected to make an impact at the major league level for the aforementioned 4 or 5 more years, so they aren’t the short term answers anyway. And honestly, out of that entire bunch, you’d be lucky to get 2 to The Show. In fact, you’d really be lucky if the much ballyhooed Kevin Maitan turned out to be what everybody says he is. That’s still a crap shoot itself.
So what I’m saying is this: Whatever punishment is doled out won’t affect Ronald Acuna, Max Fried, Touki Toussaint, Corbin Clouse, Josh Graham, Alex Jackson, Austin Riley, or Anfernee Seymour, all of whom are making big waves in the AFL right now. Max Fried especially is opening alot of eyes.
I know that I am the eternal optimist and the resident rose-colored glasses wearer here at the ol’ B&S. But I truly believe we’ll see another step forward in 2018, maybe even a big step, regardless of the current mess the front office is dealing with.
Ozzie will be a year older and more mature. Dansby will probably settle somewhere in between the 2016 version and the 2017 version. Ender will still be Ender and Freddie will still be Freddie. And Ronald Acuna will make us all say “Wow” from time to time. If the pitching can take a step forward, and with this group of talented youngsters they should, this will be an improved product next year. They almost have to be. That doesn’t even count whatever positive additions are made to the current bunch. And don’t forget, both Miami and the Mutts are starting their own rebuilds. This division should be an easier path to navigate next season.
Keep the faith, Gil. These dark clouds are threatening for sure. But even the rain brings good things sometimes. Perhaps what this team has needed more than anything is fresh leadership at the top. Maybe this will all turn out for the best in the end.
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Speaking of Fried, here are his numbers from yesterday’s AFL start: 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K. After 2 starts: 8 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 11 K. The kid’s doing OK.
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Touki Toussaint: 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 8 K.
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Corbin Clouse: 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K.
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Josh Graham: 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K.
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Alex Jackson has caught 4 games, and is 4-16, with 1 HR and 5 RBI. He’s also drawn 2 BB.
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Austin Riley has made 3 starts at 3B, where he’s gone 3-12 with 1 HR and 4 RBI.
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OF Jared James replaced Anfernee Seymour, who was suspended for “violating team rules” before the season started. In just 8 AB’s, James has 2 H and 1 RBI, plus he’s drawn 2 BB.
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I haven’t heard anything more about Ronald Acuna needing to leave the game after being hit on the forearm by a pitch last Thursday. But he must be OK as he was back in the lineup on Saturday. In 17 AB, he’s stroked 5 H while taking 3 BB. No HR yet, but those will come.
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And there’s your Braves AFL report for Tuesday, October 17.
😀
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Gil, I understand your frustrations…but, like V said, it shouldn’t hurt the team too much, short term.
if Matian turns into Miguel Cabrera Jr…it’s going to hurt quite a bit…hopefully it will be for say , the Pirates, Seattle, or Brewers, not the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox…
like I said before, we are all too P.O.’ed with Sloppy now to even be fair to him, but he did put the Braves on the road to recovery,
Marlins are going to suck , and for quite some time.
I hear from “experts” like the statheads on mlbtr that the Marlins are weak on talent at the ML level. No, they are not. they have the best overall outfield in baseball. They have great player at 2nd (even off the juice) above average hitting catcher, and a 1st baseman just coming into his prime.
Do they need more pitching? Sure….of course it’s amazing how many people forget they had perhaps the best pitcher in baseball , die during the 2016 off season…(or was it just before the season ended?)
So naturally, you have to blow this team up, after spending 1.2 billion on it, cuz…you can’t afford to pay the pittance paid to the 25 players.
You think no one shows up at Marlins games now…just wait til Stanton a GG outfielder that oh by the way, hit 59 Homers last season, (remember arguing over who would be better? JHey or the then Mike Stanton ? 🙄 ) Dee Gordon, and at least one other superstar outfielder get traded away.
Someone(s) just wasted 1.2 billion dollars…Move the team to Vegas or Portland.
anyway, they will lose 100 games for awhile….Mets still act like a small market team, and traded all their tradeable players who were not starters…so they will such.
Phils are probably the closest to competing with the braves for 2nd place next year…they may even try to trade for Stanton (how’d you like to be a Marlins fan, and see Stanton beat up his old team 18 times a year?)
Nats have some issues, but….they are still the team to beat, braves most likely will be hoping for wildcard next year, but at least the team has turned a corner….
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Fred Owens at Tomahawk Take brought up an interesting trade candidate to fill 3B for us next season… current Cardinal Jedd Gyorko.
I know, right? Jedd Gyorko? But have you seen his numbers from last season? He just slashed .272/.341/.472 with 20 HR in 2017. And he slugged 30 HR in 2016! Who knew? Plus the former SS plays a stellar defense at 3B.
All indications are that the Cards see him as tradeable in 2018 because they’re angling for a big fish i.e. Mike Moustakas or Josh Donaldson.
Gyorko’s currently under contract through 2019 (with a 2020 team option) so he fits perfectly in the Austin Riley timeline. He’s owed salaries of $9M and $13M, but SDP is paying $2.5M and $3M respectively on those years so he’s very affordable to a team that looks to have around $30M to spend in 2017. (My math says that would still leave $20M or so for pitching, but I digress…)
STL is desperately looking for relief pitching (who isn’t?). Owens suggests a package of Jason Hursh, Akeel Morris, Ricardo Sanchez and Travis Demeritte would net Gyorko and a PTBNL. I really like Morris, but you have to give quality to get quality. Hursh is certainly expendable. Sanchez is a top prospect but still 2-3 years away. And Demeritte is another IF, a position of surplus for ATL.
So I put the question to you… would that package be a reasonable price for 2 (optionally 3) years of Jedd Gyorko’s RH bat and solid D at 3B?
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Ber, I can easily see Philly as a landing spot for Stanton. I can even see DC, and either of those would suck. alot. I’d love to see him mashing in ATL. It’s been a long time since we had one of the more marketable stars in MLB. Wouldn’t that go a long way toward healing some bad PR wounds?
Can you imagine an OF of Stanton/Inciarte/Acuna? Oh man!! Can you imagine a lineup that starts with Ender, Ozzie, Freddie, Stanton, and Acuna?
Wow. Just wow.
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First, the Marlins: I agree Ber, the only thing the Marlins lacked was pitching, along with 28 other major league teams. Take the gNats as an example, even with their high powered offense, they did not really solidify their team until they picked up a couple of decent relievers.
As for Stanton, Loria had no intentions of keeping him on the Marlins roster long term. That is why his contract is so back loaded. A big deal was made over the size of his contract but all the money was on the back end. Loria had a history of making those types of deals.
If you think his contract is big, just wait until you see the one Boras gets for Bryce Harper.
As for Stanton in Atlanta, would his contract be any more than what Kemp is earning? Now, as much as I like Stanton, I would not mind adding Yelich or Ozuna either.
Second, prospects: We all hope the seeds that we plant in our gardens each year will flourish but to be honest, some just don’t sprout. There is a reason less than one percent of all baseball players make it to the hall of fame. Even Andrew Jones, a good as we all remember, might fall short because he got lazy when he got the big money in LA.
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So there ya go. Now to wait.
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Contradiction.
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Personally, I think Terry McGuirk just wishes it was wrapped up before he gets caught up in the ever growing $#!+ storm. Connecting he dots, one might assume that MLB has gathered its facts together, and will now meet with John Hart to see how much of it he was aware of… or how much he denies. Either way, it doesn’t look any better for the President of Baseball Operations. I think he’s a goner either before his contract expires or when it does. The sudden presence of absentee owner Liberty Media (their lawyers have been present at every interview from MLB since before the regular season ended) proves they’re as ticked off as the fans.
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Astros blow 4 run lead to the Stankees. Cubs never in the game verses Dodgers… SIGH!
NFL caves to BLM… I suspect this is not going to end well for the Pro Football League. Pretty easy for me not to watch.
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NFL? What is that?
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The Yankees have surprised me. They’re tough.. almost a perfect mixture of youth and veterans. Todd Frazier (aka the Toddfather) is becoming Yankee legend.
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Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, a regional sports network owned by the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles) makes this note about the Orioles OF plans for 2018:
The early outfield speculation puts Trey Mancini in left field, Adam Jones in center and Austin Hays (a 2016 draft pick who started 2017 at high-A and finished at AA) in right, with Mark Trumbo getting most of his at-bats as the designated hitter. But the Orioles won’t hand Hays a starting job and there hasn’t been confirmation on the actual alignment if he stays.
He suggests that the O’s could add a short-term veteran RF to bridge the gap to Hays. Hmmm… wonder who might fit that bill in Baltimore… hmmm…
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Yeah, the Yankees surprise me too…still have to say kinda glad Cubs are almost out (though I wouldn’t be surprised if in spite of their goofy manager, they somehow came back) really wanted to see Astros make it…its not over…but, outside of New Yorkers, who wants to see the Yankees in yet another W.S.? Well, I guess Fox would…
Yankees/Dodgers, that would be their dream come true, wouldn’t it?
of course, that’s when I started following baseball, Dodgers vs Yankees in the 70s…
If nothing else, perhaps some football junkies would pay attention to Baseball….shame it’s still not Americas sport…
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Yankees/Dodgers, that would be their dream come true, wouldn’t it?
The networks would eat that up…
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Word on the street – yeah, right – is that the suits have made their decisions on the coaching staff for 2018, but can’t announce because of the playoffs. MLB frowns on anything that takes attention away from the playoff games. Had the Dodgers closed it out yesterday, and there been no game today, there likely would have been an announcement. Anyway, the early word is that one or all of Chuck Hernandez, TP and/or Eddie will be gone. If I had to lay odds on each, I’d set TP at 90%, Hernandez at 50%, and Eddie at 25%.
I think we’ll hear that TP is heading for greener pastures and that former Brave and former Rockies manager Walt Weiss will be Snit’s bench coach in 2018. To be honest, I don’t see Walt’s addition as a bad thing. I think we may miss TP’s old school toughness, though.
As for Chuck Hernandez, he may have been OK at his former role of Minor League pitching coordinator, but I don’t think much of him as a Major League pitching coach. I can’t see him being reassigned in the organization, so he’ll probably hook up with another team somewhere that fired it’s pitching coach. Mets maybe? Eh… don’t know, don’t care. What I do care about is who is coming to direct these young pitchers. We caught lightning in a bottle once with Leo Mazzone, who was perfect at that time and place with those pitchers. Who is the right guy now? Maybe it’s current bullpen coach Marty Reed, who was a itching coach with both the AA and AAA Braves. He has plenty of experience with youngsters as well as knowing our current crop of pitchers from being on the current staff. As for outside candidates? No clue. It could be anyone. If it comes from the outside, look for a recently retired former ML pitcher. Too old to play, but young in the coaching ranks… young enough for these guys to still connect with.
If Eddie is let go, we’ll probably see Bo Porter return to the field as the 1B coach. Then Snit will be surrounded by former managers, and again I think that’s not a bad thing. Personally, I’d prefer they keep Eddie. Perhaps they are assigning Eddie to manage one of the minor league teams as training ground for his future career as manager. I think he’d be great in Gwinnett or Mississippi. Maybe they’ll just flip Eddie to AAA and bring up last year’s AAA manager and former Brave Damon Berryhill to the big league club. Who knows? Anything’s on the table right now I suppose.
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Maybe it’s current bullpen coach Marty Reed, who was a itching coach…
Itching for a promotion, I suppose. 😳
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Ugh…
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Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean (USA Today Network):
R.A. Dickey — at 42, the third-oldest player in Major League Baseball — is considering hanging up his cleats, he told Tennessean Wednesday morning.
“I’m going to the beach, and we’ll sit down as a family and talk about what’s next,” he said after speaking to the annual fundraiser breakfast for Faith Family Medical Center, which provides free or deeply-discounted medical treatment for Nashville’s uninsured and under-insured.
“It’s fun and it’s horrible,” he said of playing in MLB. “There are parts I really love, and there are parts I authentically hate. But the parts I hate are tolerable. And I love to compete. I was born to do it.”
Dickey, who is married and a father of four, said he has until two weeks after the World Series to let the Atlanta Braves know what he’d like to do.
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Yesterday.
Coppoloser is certainly responsible for setting fire to the organization’s reputation, but he did make a few good trades. And the 2 he made with Seattle are among his best… this one to acquire Jackson, and the one to acquire Luiz Gohara. Both players could be stars here.
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I hope Eddie is kept with the Braves. He has proven his worth to the organization. He’s steady and always reliable.
TP I couldn’t care less about.
Reed should be given a chance, maybe? Since he has coached at Minor League level, he likely has experience with the new kids on the team. Just a thought.
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DO’B has the idea that they won’t dump Chuck Hernandez after just one year because it’d make them look bad for making the change from Roger McDowell last year. Personally I think changing pitching coaches is the least of their worries as far as “looking bad” goes… 😐
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It’s funny, but two very highly regarded braves pitching coaches(Leo and Roger) have gone to Baltimore, and have had not much success.. not sure how long Leo was given (just 1 year?).It’s funny, Roger seemed to turn around most any vet starter with the braves, but in Baltimore…no dice…
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Baltimore ain’t Atlanta.
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Sometimes the change of scenery isn’t for the better. With Leo, the O’s would not let Leo implement his pitching program. Weird… Itching coach might just be the appropriate term for all those bush league pitchers… 🙂
Getting close for me to turn off baseball for the season, depends on if the Astros can win two in Houston. Just no real enthusiasm past that for me. Will keep up with the AFL and the rookies.
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Camden Yards is really a beautiful ballpark, too bad it is wasted on Baltimore…
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National’s Park in DC reminds me of a Target department store…
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I’ll stay in it through the World Series. I have enough interest to do so. I’m rooting for the Astros first, but if they don’t get through I’ll just root for the not-Yankees in the WS. 😉
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So, the Braves have two (heavy hitting) catching prospects, I hope one can also catch…
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Gil, LOL!
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Well, the best team in the NL advances to the World Series… the way it should be. And the best team in the AL still has a chance to advance as well, with 2 prime time games tonight and tomorrow at home in Houston. If I had to win 2 games, I like my chances with Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel. In fact, I see no way that the Yankers get past Verlander tonight. It’ll go to Game 7 for sure.
BTW- I think it was someone here on the ol’ B&S that suggested the Braves take on Verlander’s contract at the trade deadline this year. Wouldn’t he be a great veteran leader (and ace) to lead the next wave of great Braves pitchers?
Of course he would.
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No news on the Braves front, but John Hart is supposed to meet with MLB officials in NY today. I wonder if anything will leak out from that..? Wouldn’t be surprised. Nothing is sacred anymore, including duty or oath. Give somebody a few bucks in their pocket and they’ll sell out their own mother. Just another product of the liberal “me first” agenda.
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Vee, it is how the Russians, Chicoms etc are always able to steal American secrets so easily, there is always someone willing to sell for a price.
Much harder to steal the Soviet’s secrets because we must rely upon finding someone willing to change their ideology.
Hint, do we really think we can threaten NOKO with being bombed back to the stone age when they are already there?
Now baseball… Dodgers played like they were embarrassed the night before last, the final outcome was pretty much decided early on in this one. The Dodgers finally got their money’s worth from their line up.
Astros have a tough fight ahead of them but Verlander is just the sort of warrior who can stave off the Yankees. Now, if the pen can just hold up.
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Per DO’B: TP and Eddie are out, Chuckie is still in.
The exact opposite of what should have happened. Who made this decision? John Hart? Terry McGuirk?
Neither should be allowed to make any decisions right now.
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In fact, just in case I haven’t made myself clear about how I personally feel on the matter, John Hart shouldn’t be allowed to even make a decision as to where to eat lunch right now. His hands are just as dirty as anyone’s… maybe even more so because he’s the guy in charge. The buck stops with him. Well… with the possible exception of Terry McGuirk, who is the ultimate authority in the Braves operations. His culpability can’t be short changed either. But Hart is the guy directly in charge of Coppoloser, who was allowed to run unchecked like a bull in a China shop.
If a kid acts like a banshee out in public, it’s not the kid’s fault. It’s the parent who allows the behavior to be accepted. Daddy Hart shares responsibility for Coppoloser.
As they say in the NCAA, institutional control must be maintained by the university. In this case, institutional control should be maintained by executive management. Having a head in the sand is no excuse.
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DO’B says the coaching changes won’t be announced until an off day in the post-season schedule. But he was “told by more than one person familiar with the situation”.
He also notes that the changes don’t necessarily mean either will leave the organization, saying “Pendleton and Perez might be retained in front-office or other organizational roles but will not be back as coaches”.
To me, this leaves open the possibility of Eddie managing in the minor leagues somewhere. I suppose the same could be true for TP, too. And if that’s the case, I don’t see it as a negative development.
Now… retaining Chuck Hernandez as pitching coach is a negative development to me. And using the excuse that they “seemed reluctant to make a pitching-coach change for the second consecutive year after firing longtime pitching coach Roger McDowell last winter” is worse. It’s doubling down on the mistake in an effort to save face.
Newsflash: Saving face by virtue of coaching changes is the least of what this organization has to do. It’s like trying to put out a fire with a water pistol. it doesn’t work. And the decision to retain Chuck Hernandez doesn’t work, either. Exhibit A – Julio Teheran, who clearly took a step backward under Chuckie’s tutelage. Exhibit B – Folty, who showed flashes of brilliance but could not harness it, something the pitching coach should be helping with. But when Folty turned clueless on the mound, Chuckie was equally clueless in the dugout.
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Here’s an interesting nugget to chew on. This is a headline from today’s Atlanta Business Chronicle. Unfortunately, you have to have a subscription to read the article, so I won’t draw too much from it by itself. But it certainly raises my eyebrows:
New York investment firm buying growing stake in Braves
Gamco Investors Inc., which is controlled by billionaire Mario Gabelli, now owns almost 3 million shares of Liberty Braves Group.
Gamco is Gabelli Asset Management Company Investors. Billionaire Mario Gabelli has been buying up shares in the Braves recently almost in an appearance that he wants a controlling interest. Now maybe he really wants The Battery and all of those revenue streams. But one thing is certain, this guy doesn’t pick losers. He’s an investor, investment advisor, and financial analyst that always seems to be on the winning end of deals. Could the Braves be divested off to a single billionaire owner? I know… I’m connecting dots that may not even be there.
But they could be…
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In fact, I see no way that the Yankers get past Verlander tonight. It’ll go to Game 7 for sure.
That’s what I would think too…IF the Astros hit…I don’t quite get their near total lack of offense, after scoring 8 runs…I figured keeping them to 4-5 runs was a win….
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I think it’s a good thing that the Cubbies got knocked out…
The young players know that you don’t always win…and perhaps the hot doggiest of the hot dogs will calm down more, and focus more on playing the right way…
Dodgers are a weird team, IMHO. so many platoon players, but not a ton of superstars…very good pitching, which of course helps. Just funny that people like Chris Taylor, Kiki Hernandez, and others are hitting like crazy…the cheaper, fairly unknown players. Well, Justin Turner too, a late bloomer, but a great hitter…
Funny that Puig doesn’t bother me with his hot dog nature, like the Cubs players does….
but, if it’s the Dodgers/Yankees…they don’t look like W.S. teams, especially the Yankees Rotation….shows you just never know….
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Scuttlebutt is Dusty Baker is out as manager of the gNats. The Learners (owners of the Nationals) don’t have much patience.
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Dusty never should have taken Max Scherzer out of game 3 vs. the Cubs. That was the beginning of the end for him.
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No he shouldn’t …
Read somewhere the Mets are considering Manny Acta, another former gNats manager. Actually, it is pretty easy to understand that because there are a lot of former gNats managers…
It was one thing when the gNats were recovering form the neglect of the farm system by MLB but now the ownership feels like any manager coming in has been given the keys to a Mercedes, don’t wreck it…
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Gabelli isn’t related to the NY Gambinis,, is he??
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Dusty never should have taken Max Scherzer out of game 3 vs. the Cubs. That was the beginning of the end for him.
No he shouldn’t …
Guys, I beg to differ, oh won’t you please let me differ???? 😛
remember Grady Little leaving Pedro Martinez in too long? Cost him his job….
and that was back when you could leave a starter in more than 5 innings…
Mad Max had a serious enough hammy injury that he didn’t start til game 3. He’d given up a hard hit ball to Zobrist (A double off the Wall IIRC)
Bryce Harper was not himself (Yeah, he hit a hanging offspeed pitch for a homer, which ANYONE can hit)
Trea Turner was kept off base…
Not sure what Dusty could do about those two issues…
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3 issues…math used to be a strong….whatyacallit 🙄
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Yes, Ber, I didn’t say it was necessarily the wrong move for Dusty to make to take Scherzer out. That is certainly up for debate. Monday morning quarterbacking is quite easy. I just said it was the glaring move that got him fired.
You all know that Dusty Baker is not my favorite manager. I think he’s overrated. But I do not think he deserved to be fired in Washington.
There are an awful lot of big egos in that clubhouse to manage. Dusty absolutely has experience at that. He managed the largest gargantuan ego on the planet in San Fran. It’ll be interesting to see who they bring in next to try to manage that bunch.
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Alas, he forgot the biggest egos belong to the Learners… typical of the Washington crowd. The think anyone who lives outside the beltway are rubes and fools. Like Roger Goodell… but even more elitist.
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Watching game 7 of the ALCS. El Orso Blanco has given the Astros a one run lead. CC out of the game…
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BMac with a huge two run double in the bottom of the fifth with two outs. Stros lead by 4-0…. Yipee
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Do you feel the Astros should like send a minor league prospect, as a reward for Charlie Morton, Evan Gattis, and Brain McCann helping them get to the World Series? 😛
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They sorta did… Rio Ruiz and Folty…
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Well, the best team in each respective league, IMO, is in the World Series. That’s the way it should be. I’m looking forward to it.
My heart says Houston, but my head says LA. Any team that wants to beat the Dodgers in a 7 game series has to beat Kershaw twice. How are you supposed to beat him once? Advantage LA.
On a side note, MLB once again is shooting itself in the foot by starting every game at 8pm EST. And we wonder why today’s kids lean toward basketball and soccer? They can’t stay up late enough to see baseball on its grandest stage. Even the self-righteous and pompous NFL starts it’s championship game at 6:30pm. They understand it’s a family event. It’s foolish for baseball to continue to cast aside the best interests of its future fanbase for the financial interests of its current TV sponsors. That’s a golden goose that will age and die.
As for me personally, I figure I’ll watch most of the games through about the 6th inning, and then come here to find the final scores the following morning. A working man’s gotta have sleep to do his job and earn a living.
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Agree on the start times. While I understand why the Braves want to start their games at 7:30 PM with their proximity to the Central time zone, it is only because I am retired that I am able to stay awake thru to the end of each home game.
8 PM Eastern is 5PM Pacific so I guess the folks in LA will gripe the game starts to early, no biggie as they usually only come by the third inning and leave in the seventh.
I have to agree on the seemingly tough LA team’s chances to win it all but then, LA has to beat Verlander twice too.
No DH will hurt Houston more than it will bother LA but it should be fun to watch. The ALCS between the Yankees and the Astros will go down as one of the classic play-off series in baseball.
And hasn’t John Smoltz become one of the better baseball announcers? I really enjoy listening to him. Beats the heck out of trying to abide by Tim McCarver’s drivel. I can tolerate Joe Buck if he is tempered by someone like Smoltz.
It’s going to be hot in LA but I don’t think it will be too humid. Still, both teams have to play in it. Look for balls to travel a long way in the warm temperatures.
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OK… so back to the Braves. I’m a little surprised that the team didn’t announce their coaching changes on the off day yesterday, but I suppose there’s still today which is a regular business day. Oh, and if there was any hope being held out that the loss of Eddie and TP as reported were premature, DO’B has tweeted that both were personally notified of the changes last week, so it’s happening. That said, O’B also added that he believed both were offered other positions in the organization. And as I stated earlier, I’m hoping at least Eddie received an offer to manage a minor league team. If he has any real aspirations to manage a major league team (this actually goes for TP also), then he needs some minor league experience. Perhaps the Braves are facilitating that for both in their respective job offers. I hope so anyway. Then it’s a win/win for everyone.
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The ALCS between the Yankees and the Astros will go down as one of the classic play-off series in baseball.
It was great baseball.
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It’s going to be hot in LA but I don’t think it will be too humid. Still, both teams have to play in it.
These are the “Boys of Summer”. I’d much rather see them sweating in 90 degree heat than trying to play in multiple clothing layers in 40 degree chilliness. There’s something wrong with a baseball player playing in a ski mask.
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Back to the Braves…
Did I mention what is reported that the Braves want in their new coaches, most likely in their new 1B coach (since it’s widely rumored that Walt Weiss is coming on board to be the new bench coach)? They reportedly want someone to coach baserunning and OF. Wash has all the IF coaching covered in spades. And I certainly agree that they need someone to coach baserunning. That’s been a need for several seasons.
What’s Marquis Grissom doing these days? 😉
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Does this in essence mean they’re lobbying against John Hart?
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As uncertainty continues to surround the front office, multiple Braves veteran players are among those lobbying for Dayton Moore
Yeah….I’d like to go out with Kate Upton too, but that’s not going to happen either 😛
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I believe that the Braves declining Dickey’s option (even if he’s expected to retire) is a clear signal that they intend to target a veteran starter either via FA or trade. No room for an additional veteran with Julio, Folty, Gohara and Newcomb all expected to be a part of the rotation in 2018.
Of course, IMO the best move they could make for this rotation would be to decline the option on Chuck Hernandez.
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Veteran players? FF, Julio T, Nick M….who else is there???
“they” turned down R.A. Dickey’s option too…though I think that’s because R.A. has retired….
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Since they seem to be in a mood to make announcements, perhaps we’ll get the official word on the coaching changes too.
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Veteran players? FF, Julio T, Nick M….who else is there???
Zuk, Flow and Kemp… and everyone’s favorite Jim Johnson.
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it’s too bad Jeff Francoeur is enjoying his retirement so much. I’d love to see him as a coach on the 2018 team. He’s a no nonsense hardnosed kind of guy. Oh wait… so was TP…
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V, I guess I was taking it literally….guys that had been with the team more than a season, season and a half(Kemp) forgot about TF
it’s too bad Jeff Francoeur is enjoying his retirement so much. I’d love to see him as a coach on the 2018 team. He’s a no nonsense hardnosed kind of guy. Oh wait… so was TP…
TP, yeah you gotta be a manager, prove yourself at 57…
Alex Cora is 42, and now the Manager of the Red Sox…but…ummm, errr…..
as for Frenchy…sure, he can be a coach…any coach except ….hitting 😉
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See ya…
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Lots news eh? Still waiting for the other shoe to drop, or not…. Another week as a bit of a lame duck Hart is..
Mets have hired Indians pitching coach, Mickey Callaway. Signed to a three year deal or until the Mets tank, which ever comes first.
Krol will find a job somewhere, it is okay with me, he always made me feel nervous when he came in from the pen. I suspect there will be several new faces in the Braves bull pen next season.
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Francoeur is looking for where the real money is, broadcasting… Pretty sure he doesn’t want to go back to working the odd hours and the awful schedule that goes along with coaching.
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Krol’s “stuff” was OK, but his location was lousy.
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Francoeur does a weekly radio bit on the station I listen to a good bit. He’s always coming off the golf course, or coming home from some vacation. He’s loving the leisure side of life, and I don’t blame him. I honestly think he’d make a heckuva coach/manager some day, but also don’t think he wants it. And he’s not a bad broadcaster himself.
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I think it was Jackson’s hitting that got him drafted, it was his lack of catching prowess that got him moved to the outfield by Seattle And his lack of progress there which got him traded to Atlanta. Of course, lack of catching skills didn’t seem to bother the Mets and Mike Piazza did it? If you can hit, a lot of sims can be forgiven.
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It might seem trivial now, but our 40-man roster status is going to be hugely important in a couple of weeks when FA opens and even more so in about 4 weeks (November 20) when the deadline to set it prior to the Rule 5 Draft rolls around. [Dates courtesy of Alan Carpenter at Tomahawk Take.]
Things got rolling a couple of days ago when P Armando Rivera and P Ian Krol were outrighted from the 40-man roster. Ian Krol had enough ML service time to refuse the assignment, which he did, and has become a FA. Bye. This leaves the 40-man roster currently at 38, but not for long as the DL is dissolved once the World Series ends. We have 2 currently on the 60-day DL, so the roster is essentially already full at 40. The outrighting of Rivera and Krol simply set us up for that. But there is much more to come afterward…
It becomes more key as the FA market opens when the World Series ends. So if whomever it is actually steering this boat (biggest question of all) wants to go fishing in the FA waters, they have to make some room first. That actually isn’t a huge problem as we have several non-tender and DFA candidates. The non-tender date is December 2, but given that the above mentioned roster set date is earlier, I think we’ll see a handful of non-tenders and/or DFA’s before then… probably right after the World Series. In fact, those decisions were probably already made at last week’s organizational meetings.
Candidates for non-tender or DFA: Adonis Garcia, Danny Santana, Jace Peterson, Rex Brothers, Enrique Burgos, Micah Johnson, and Mauricio Cabrera (had a miserable season last year… just awful). None of these fellas have any minor league options left, so that can’t be outrighted like Rivera or Krol. Funny thing is that Lane Adams’ emergence has probably had a direct effect on 3 of those names… Jace, Danny and Micah. He has rendered them all expendable. I think it’s possible that Jace could be traded for a low level prospect, but not very likely. If they can retain him through the Winter Meetings, he might be a throw in in a larger deal. But if they need his roster spot sooner, he’s a goner.
Back to the Rule 5 thing. We have a handful pf players that will be eligible that are not currently protected. Those are: OF Dustin Peterson, IF Travis Demeritte, P Jacob Webb, P Tyler Pike, P Caleb Dirks, and OF Ray-Patrick Didder. Out of that group, the only ones who might possibly be taken are Peterson and Dirks. I’m fairly certain they’ll protect DPetey. I think they’ll protect Dirks. I can’t see any team willing to keep any of the others on a ML roster for the entirety of a season.
Bottom line is this: The Braves will need a minimum of 2 more spots to open before November 20, but possibly more sooner if they want to sign a FA prior to then. Hopefully they’ll have a clear leader at the top of the ladder to make these decisions and shape the 208
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Ugh… somehow hit the POST button a tad eary. Like 1 sentence early.
To finish my thought…
Hopefully they’ll have a clear leader at the top of the ladder to make these decisions and shape the 2018 roster with a clear vision for the present and the future in mind.
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I think it was Jackson’s hitting that got him drafted, it was his lack of catching prowess that got him moved to the outfield by Seattle And his lack of progress there which got him traded to Atlanta.
Gil, actually Seattle immediately moved AJax to OF after he was drafted. He wanted to remain behind the plate because he had always been a catcher. From what I remember reading after the trade, he never felt comfortable in the OF, and it affected his hitting as well. He was ecstatic that Atlanta wanted to move him back behind the dish. The result is that he has relaxed at the plate and has thrived. His current scouting report says this: “Jackson embraced the move back behind the plate with open arms and made early improvements with his hands and mobility, and he’s always had a strong arm.” He will probably never be Yadier Molina behind the plate, but he could easily be as defensively adequate as BMac.
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That’s not a slam on BMac, by the way. But if we’re honest, we know BMac has always been a hitter first and a receiver second. He played the position well enough to be an All-Star, but will always be regarded for his bat, not his defensive abilities. It’s a rare catcher that can do both at a high level.
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Yes Vee, it is why offensively challenged catchers like Cody Miller found employment in baseball. Also, there has to be at least one position where slow fat guys can play… In the AL, that position is covered by the DH.
I also see some of those relievers on the staff also being DNFed or non tendered. Jason Mott is one. Jim Johnson would be except he has a two year contract. Trading someone like Micah or Danny Santana for someone who would fall below the 40 man roster or Demerit who has regressed somewhat in his development.
Baseball always seems to be looking for the 19 year old phenom who can come in a turn around a team when in truth, most baseball players don’t really develop until they are 25 years old. No one has any patience any more. It’s “I want it all and I want it now”…
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Yep. Young stars like Carlos Correa are rare, but they shine so brightly that everybody wants one.
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Wow… look at that Astros team…
The infield has Correa and Alex Bregman, both 23, Jose Altuve (27), and the OF has Marwin Gonzalez and George Springer, both 28.
I love love love all those players. If they can keep the pitching strong, they are set up to win for a while.
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The Cards were able to make an announcement regarding their coaching changes. The Braves can’t seem to manage that.
I blame a lack of leadership. 😀
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There is some speculation today that perhaps the Braves were not as proactive in declining RAD’s 2018 option as it might appear on the surface. The prevailing thought is that RAD had indeed decided to retire, and that the Braves did him a solid by formally declining his option therefor triggering a $500K buyout as a sort of parting gift for his services.
I could see it.
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Or perhaps the lack of want to… Not sure how announcing anything at this point settles anything other than to satisfy our curiosity. Perhaps they are waiting for MLB to make their announcement as to who knew what when to make their announcement on personnel going forward.
I look at the whole thing like a team having an interim manager. One has to believe that MLB is still weighing the severity of said penalties to be levied.
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http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/comp-comparing-max-fried-james-paxton/?utm_content=buffer54c53&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#SGV70TzxSou1kEj7.97
The above is a write up comparing Max Fried to James Paxton. Pretty encouraging actually. Now, if only Max can learn to control his fastball,,, woohoo…
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My conspiratorial nature says that MLB already knows what they’re going to do, and so do the Braves. The timing of the announcement at he end of the World Series will coincide with the expiration of John Hart’s contract, which all parties will “mutually agree” is what Hart wants, allowing him to gracefully part the scene without tarnishing his legacy any further. It will all be done quietly and without animosity (as will have been prearranged by all parties) allowing for a somewhat smooth transition into a new leadership team, which may also already be known. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if they haven’t come to terms with somebody already, and that somebody isn’t already working hard to familiarize himself with the organization prior to being tossed feet first into the fires of the hot stove.
And yes, Gil, that is probably also the reason the coaching changes haven’t been announced. The only reason we really know anything about them already is because the team notified TP and Eddie out of professional courtesy.
There’s probably so much going on behind the curtains right now that it would blow our minds if we had any inkling…
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do we care? http://atlantabraves.blog.ajc.com/2017/10/24/former-braves-employee-comes-to-coppolellas-defense/
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Well, if nothing else, the Dodgers hit a home run with an outstanding rendition of the Star Spangle Banner to start the game.
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… and the presentation of God Bless America was equally moving.
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What a great game, huh? That’s what a World Series game should look like. If they could all click along at that brisk of a pace, I might actually be able to see most of the games. I’m not expecting that to happen, though. Kershaw and Keuchel are two great, fast working pitchers. Man, I’d love to have one of them on my team.
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Yes Vee, while not happy with the outcome, not disappointed with the game itself. One mistake is all it takes I’m afraid to make a loser. Snappy game much to the the chagrin of the ad department.
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Will not see Kershaw again until game 4 or 5 I suspect.
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I thought it interesting that Dave Roberts pulled Kershaw after 87 pitches. He clearly could have gone another inning at least, if not the complete game. But Smoltz speculated that by pulling him after a relatively easy 87 pitches that he might could come back on short rest if necessary. So as you said, Gil… game 4 or 5. If Houston pulls out a win in LA tonight (and I like Justin Verlander over Rich Hill), then wins at home on Friday (maybe Morton/McCullers vs. Darvish?), I’d absolutely expect to see Kershaw on Saturday.
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The one thing we have seen with all the play-off games is every pitcher is a little less effective in each succeeding outing. I think it is a combination of fatigue and familiarity. Either way, pretty impressive outing for both teams. Again, walks are killers…
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Whew… My stomach hurts… Talk about riding a roller coaster of emotion. I thought it was over when Verlander gave up a two run homer. O ye of little faith. Should know better to give up on either one of these clubs. A record number of home runs (8) in a World Series, Just the sort of game that can boost a team from down and out to up and soaring….
Go Stros….
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Holy Moley, what a W.S. game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was thinking, wow…some statheads tell teams, have the closer go 2 innings, it worked with Mariano Rivera, it will work with other closers…umm, no, might work, once in awhile, but there was only Mariano….
burned both teams, but the Dodgers didn’t have to do it..(didn’t have to pull Rich Hill after 4 innings, either). .Astros did.
but whatever, so many comebacks from the Astros, only to see the lead evaporate…I was soooo sure the Dodgers were going to win, I almost gave up on the game. So glad I didn’t…
My Dad, who isn’t really a fan of Baseball, really enjoyed Cubs last year, (so much tension in game 7, what with the Cubs manager trying to lose the game and all) but said he thought this was the best game he ever saw!
Hard to argue….doesn’t it feel like a 7 game series?
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I thought it was over when Verlander gave up a two run homer. O ye of little faith.
Yep. I went to bed right after that, thinking that the vaunted LA bullpen had it sewed up. And I was falling asleep on the sofa anyway because it was already late. I guess I just have to read about it…
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have the closer go 2 innings, it worked with Mariano Rivera, it will work with other closers…umm, no, might work, once in awhile, but there was only Mariano
That’s the new trend though. To have guys that can lock it up over multiple innings, and maybe not even the 9th. Examples: Aroldys Chapman, Andrew Miller, Wade Davis. Today’s managers are realizing that your lock down guy doesn’t always get a chance to lock it down in the 9th inning if the lead gets lost in the 7th or 8th. The middle inning holds are often just as important as the 9th inning save.
By the way, to bring this home somewhat, the Braves are grooming their own multi-inning “holder”. His name is Thomas Burrows, and he was a 4th round draft pick by the Mariners in 2016. He came to the Atlanta Braves along with Luiz Gohara in the trade that sent Mallex Smith and Shae Simmons to Seattle. And while we’re already seeing what we got in Gohara, we could be just as wowed with Burrows in another year or so.
He a college guy that was drafted out of the University of Alabama where he picked up 30 saves over 3 seasons as their closer. He dominated the SEC during his final (junior) season, posting a 0.95 ERA in 21 relief appearances.
He pitched this season at low-A Rome where he posted a 2.14 ERA to go along with an eye-popping 12.4 K/9 in 66.2 IP. Let that sink in a minute. And as impressive as that is, this is what we need to take note of: 21 of his 38 appearances this year lasted 2 innings or longer.
Being a college guy, he’s already 23 years old and has plenty of pitching experience even if not professional experience. Because of this, he’s expected to move up quickly through the organization, possibly bypassing high-A and going straight to AA Mississippi to start 2018 with a possible ML debut late in the year.
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I guess I just have to read about it
Holy cow!
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And so the ‘Stros take a game in LA and come home having seized home field advantage. It looks like the Colt 45’s (old reference) will start Lance McCullers vs. Yu Darvish on Friday, and Charlie Morton on Saturday vs. TBD. If you ask me, the TBD will be D after Friday’s game. If HOU takes the 2-1 lead in the series on Friday, TBD will become Kershaw on Saturday. Otherwise it could be ex-Brave and ex-UGA Bulldog Alex Wood.
That said, they have to overcome Yu Darvish on Friday to get there, and that will not be an easy task.
This series looks like it could be an all timer…
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Vee, momentum swung 180 degrees last night. Here is the thing, as good as the Dodger’s bullpen has been, they may just be wearing down at the worse possible time…
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*they may just be wearing down at the worse possible time
And even if they’re not physically wearing down, they’ve now been roughed up. Their previous air of invincibility has been clubbed into submission. Confidence often fuels performance in the highest leverage moments. Theirs has now been damaged.
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Brian Cashman: “The Nationals let Dusty Baker go? Hold my beer…”
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Why would the Yanks not beg Girardi to come back? Stupid. The Nats letting Dusty go was not the brightest move I’ve ever seen, but this tops it.
Maybe the Mets and Bosox were too quick to make their hires. Philly might want to pump their brakes a little, too. Girardi to Washington? Hmmm…
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Good luck with that. Maybe they can hire Dusty. it would ruin Aaron Judge.
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Well said.
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I would not mind Giraridi stayed in the American League…
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Wow, cannot believe the Yankees would fire Girardi!!!!
I’m sure the Nats would love him to manage, but they usually don’t want to pay managers , anywheres near their worth….wasn’t it Bud Black they tried to give a lowball offer?
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Baseball America’s new prospect rankings are out. Here is how they list their new Braves Top 10:
OF Ronald Acuna
SP Luiz Gohara
SP Mike Soroka
SP Kyle Wright
SP Ian Anderson
3B Austin Riley
SP Kolby Allard
SP Max Fried
SS Kevin Maitan
OF Cristian Pache
Notice how much Gohara jumped? How about Mike Soroka? He swapped spots with Kyle Wright, last year’s 1st rounder out of Vandy. Gohara should make the rotation out of spring training, and Soroka could be in it before the season is over. Honestly, the same could be said for Wright, who has been a fast riser coming out of college, although 2019 is a better projection for him.
What does this mean, seeing as how we already have a handful of youngsters vying for a limited number of open rotation spots: Folty, Gohara, Fried, Sean Newcomb, and Lucas Sims? It means don’t get attached to them all. Some of this “capital” will be moved to fill other positions of need.
Also, note that Austin Riley has climbed to #6. That’s should excite us fans. He’s a good example of a prospect that we all had hopes for that actually seems to be living up to his hype thus far. He’s a good reason why we won’t go out and sign a long term 3B in FA. Instead, look for the Braves to sign or trade for a 2 year bridge.
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More from Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper…
[Austin] Riley might be the Braves’ best hope for internal power – and solving the revolving door at third base since Chipper Jones retired. If Riley continues his trajectory, a September call-up is on the table.
Really? A September callup in 2018? I’d love to see it. And if a September callup is “not out of the question”, is competing for a starting spot in 2019 a possibility as well? I think the answer might be yes.
One of his favorite non-Top 10 prospects is catcher William Contreras [19 years old; spent 2017 at low-A Rome]. Braves officials love Contreras, the brother of Cubs catcher Willson. He could experience a swift rise into the rankings by midseason 2018.
It’s good to have some solid prospects behind the dish after experiencing a drought in that area in recent years.
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Micah Johnson claimed off waivers by the Reds from the Braves, 40 man down to 36 now.
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Decent player. Better artist. Chase d’Arnaud v2.
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He should have been hired here. @#$%^&*!
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40-man is now at 37, with 2 to add when the DL is dissolved upon completion of the World Series. So effectively it’s at 39. Need a few more spots open. Adonis, DanTana are next.
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Interesting. Adonis actually has 1 minor league option left. Maybe they try to pass him through waivers then outright him.
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There is actually lots of movement throughout major league baseball as teams try to get under the 40 man limit, To be honest about it, very few rule five players make it to the Show but enough do to make it interesting. What will really hurt is if and when the leagues expand and players are drafted from each club. That is how the Braves lost Vinny Castia to the Rockies so many years ago.
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Not just Vinnie Castilla, but also pitcher David Nied, who was the #1 player taken in that expansion draft. Here is a list of “firsts” for Nied with the Rockies:
He started the Rockies’ first official game.
He tossed the Rockies’ first complete game.
He pitched the Rockies’ first complete-game shutout.
Nied was their “ace” for that infancy period. But then again, that was 1993. The Braves sported a pitching rotation that had Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery, and Pete Smith. They also had Kent Mercker. That’s not too shabby.
I say all that to say we similarly have a loaded pitching stream right now. We could lose someone like Lucas Sims who could turn out to be somebody else’s David Nied. That seemed to work out pretty good for both Nied, blocked in ATL, and the Rockies.
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Yesterday for the Braves in the AFL:
Austin Riley, CYCLE, 5 RBI.
Ronald Acuna, 3-4, 2B, BB, RBI.
Not a bad day.
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Yes, and a 19-4 drubbing of the Solar Sox. The thing about the AFL is everyone is being evaluated every game by every other team. It was where the Braves first coveted Jackson and Gohara I believe. It is where sharp eyed evaluators look for potential in one easy location.
DOB picked a good day to stop off in Arizona…
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Here are the highlights from Jon Heyman’s new update on Braves-gate:
MLB is expected to announce the results of its inquiry not long after the Dodgers and Astros are done playing in the World Series.
The league has interviewed team president John Hart multiple times
There had been suggestions Hart was about to start interviewing new GM candidates, but that’s on hold until the investigation concludes. Hart’s own contract was up, and he has said he intended to be back – but that was before this investigation ramped up.
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That last note is the one to pay attention to. I’m convinced that Hart is a goner. And I say, “Bye”. The sooner the better. It’s time to take a fresh step forward and get out of the bog these buys have mired us in.
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The Braves flagship station, 680theFan in Atlanta, is reporting that the Braves have been officially denied permission to speak to Dayton Moore regarding their open GM position.
Two things to draw from this:
First, we can now say with certainty that Dayton Moore is NOT coming to Atlanta. Period. Whether Moore simply wants to stay in KC and this is his way of not having to publicly say “no” or whether the KC ownership is playing hardball with all parties, the ship has now sailed. No need to waste any more energy wishing for it.
Second and more importantly, if permission has been denied, it must have been requested. And if permission was requested, then the organization had a genuine interest. And if that’s the case, then they wanted Moore for John Hart’s job, not Coppoloser’s. Dayton Moore would not leave a job in KC where he is the top dog for a job in Atlanta where he would work under John Hart. And the organization would never approach him with such. We can now reasonably assume that John Hart will be the next one out the door.
The question I have to ask is this – who is making the inquiries now? Terry McGuirk? John Schuerholz? Does Liberty have some other unnamed advisor helping in the transition?
Gotta say, i still don’t like the way this feels. Especially so close to firing up this year’s hot stove.
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One more down. Good for him… he may get a shot there.
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Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: The Atlanta Braves asked for permission to interview Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore about running their baseball operation, but their request was denied earlier this week by Royals owner David Glass, baseball sources told ESPN.com.
Telling.
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OK… I’m compelled to comment a little further…
I honestly don’t think it’s a stretch now to believe that the Braves are looking for an experienced guy to take over their top baseball ops job. It’s evidenced by their foray down the Dayton Moore trail, which has just gone from speculation to reality. It happened.
We can connect all of the dots now and see that the Braves are not only looking for a guy to take over the top spot, they’re apparently not trying to do it on the cheap, seeing as Moore just recently received a healthy compensation extension from KC. And they obviously want someone with experience. High profile names are not off the board.
I think it’s also safe to assume they’re not afraid to seek top execs already at work in other organizations.
This clearly a case of their trying to get all their ducks in a row ahead of what will begin with MLB’s investigation findings followed by the rest of the personnel ramifications. I’m glad they’re being proactive during this most important time of the offseason. And I’m glad their aiming high.
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And I’m glad their aiming high.
THEY’RE
That’s such a pet peeve of mine, and I blew that one badly. ;-|
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???
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OK… I’m staying tuned.
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https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=686aa98991&view=fimg&th=15f5f4c5eb136c58&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_j9aaft9d0_15f5f4c482ecb258&attbid=ANGjdJ-4jBvVfqe_S61hOt6XG97ndzpZGKj7l5zBzgu41BMIBinNuRniOMEqLeh0f9MmZT0m8ZrwO5ysZIMhyIezXIjfgildgZtatz-4gT1rJ2_DRsZdAhq-cJIj1dM&sz=w530-h400&ats=1509132364813&rm=15f5f4c5eb136c58&zw&atsh=1
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AAAAGGGHHHH
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WordPress is messin’ with me this afternoon…
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I give up. WordPress wins…
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ANFSCD…
Michael McCarthy, Sporting News:
More bad news could be on the horizon for ESPN. Staffers at the Worldwide Leader in Sports are bracing for another possible round of layoffs late this year, multiple sources tell Sporting News.
The next round of cutbacks could come down in late November or early December, with 40-60 positions potentially being impacted, according to sources. The layoffs could hit both on-air TV/radio talent and behind-the-scenes production staffers.
Karma. Does anybody still tune in? I haven’t watched anything other than a live sporting event on ESPN in years. And if they force that horrid Beth Mowins on me as the play-by-play announcer for the football game I want to watch, I turn off the audio. She’s awful… just awful.
When ESPN became more worried about political correctness than actual correctness – otherwise known as “truth” – I left the farm.
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I was gonna post about Moore, but…V beat me to the punch…quite awhile ago 😉
I told ya the Nats are cheap. Wouldn’t think twice to pay a backup catcher or infielder that much, but a manager that might get them to the promised land? Nah…we’re good. Stoopid….
It is “not likely” that the Nationals have interest in former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). One of the reasons is that the Nats traditionally don’t pay large salaries to managers, and Girardi would certainly command a notable commitment — his just-completed contract with the Yankees was a four-year deal worth $16MM.
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V, as I have mentioned before, it was only baseball tonight I watched…which has been completely off the air, since like May, but I never deleted it from the DVR thingy so it’s been recording during the playoffs…very odd to see it. Tex and David Ross are the ONLY people talking about games, (No Tim K, yet he was there for the playoffs- can you imagine them going with 2 people for the Superbowl coverage?) and they are…great. 1st year for both of them too. But it’s pointless really. I’m sure they will be gone in the next round of cuts….
I still can’t completely warm up to the MLB.TV crew(s) Always liked Harold Reynolds (formerly of ESPN) Brian Kenny and all his STAT crap gets old…some of the folks are good. Heidi Watney’s Quick Pitch I DVR during the season, and there are highlights from all the games, which is nice. And she actually knows baseball…but it’s just highlights, with the occational baseball analyst stopping by once a week maybe to talk for a few minutes…
and I know all the on air folks are told be “loose” but it feels forced at times….which is nothing compared to the LOOSENESS FOX sports and TBS enforce….granted, sometimes it’s funny, but not all the time…
Can’t get over how good AROD is, you never would think superstars like he and Ortiz would be good, but they are…..funny how Ortiz is bigger than AROD, never would have guessed that…
but , long story longer, after the W.S. espn won’t be on again….til perhaps spring training if they bother with Baseball tonight ever again….
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I’m forced to tune them in for a handful of Bulldawg games each season, but that’s about it. I do watch some of the College World Series coverage, but as I said earlier, those are live events. They have nothing else I care to see.
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Bowman, in separate tweets:
Confirmed Jerry Crasnick’s report that the Royals denied the Braves permission to talk to Dayton Moore.
This is a fluid situation, so Plan A is not definitively dead. But this is obviously not an encouraging development for the Braves
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More on Moore (yes, that was intentional), courtesy of DO’B:
Yes, the Royals have denied the Braves permission to interview Dayton Moore about their general manager job, but that doesn’t mean the door is closed on any chance of Moore returning to run baseball operations in the city where he began his front-office career.
But there is a belief among some observers that the Royals might be positioning themselves for possible concessions from the Braves to allow Moore to interview and/or leave. And it’s possible that Moore might also be waiting for some assurances about the Braves situation and his potential role if he were to join them.
Ah yes… the ol’ compensation tactic. They’ll want a mid-tier or higher prospect in return.
Maybe we can send them Kevin Maitan before he’s taken from us anyway? 😉
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One more interesting note from DO’B’s piece:
It’s expected that lawsuits will be filed by Coppolella or Blakeley or possibly both, presumably because of how the Braves handled the investigation. I didn’t say “how the Braves threw them under the bus” or sacrificed Coppolella and Blakeley in an effort to lessen the punishment that’s coming to the organization, but I’ve heard others categorize it as such and, well, I’ll leave it at that.
Yes, that is the appearance that this whole thing has taken on as the stink has ripened…
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ESPU only for some college games, I tuned out on everything else when they became political. Too many other choices to tune into now a days. Of course, I would watch Australian Rules Football but I sure wish someone would give me some of the rules to go by.
Perhaps ESPN will revert back to showing such thrilling events like curling or bocca.. They try to make me believe women’s basketball is a serious thing… HA! Much like softball, love to play it, not interested in watching it unless a grand kid is playing. Then it is just a support thing, like high school wrestling.
So, like I said, I shall not fret over the new management at the Braves but don’t be surprised if Liberty brings in an analytics oriented guy. That appears to be the direction of the game. SAD!
As for Brian Kenny at MLB, he is there for the fantasy league crowd. Besides, they can’t have everyone agree all the time, there has to be some conflict just to keep folks like me awake.
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Maybe Coppy can claim sexual harassment… Okay, that was a joke… However, that appears to be the new golden goose…. Appears that the modern American women has not qualms about being a slut…
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Methinks DOB has a budding mancrush on “The Answer to Everything” 🙂
http://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/braves-top-prospect-acuna-homers-twice-afl-game/j8AGnkopGhLS9kWbbegbLP/
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This cracked me up:
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DRAT…
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… and I couldn’t stay awake past 7-7. 😐
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Well, we’re getting down to the proverbial brass tacks now. We’ll either crown a World Series champion on Tuesday (Halloween) or Wednesday. And that means we’ll get news of the MLB investigation findings on Thursday or Friday.
I’m ready to take the punishment and move forward. As the late great Tom Petty so eloquently said, the waiting is the hardest part.
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Braves AFL, better known as the Acuna, Fried, ri>b>Ley (and Jackson), update:
3 of top 4 OPS [On Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage] belong to Braves prospects: 1. Austin Riley (1.217), 3. Alex Jackson (1.139), 4. Ronald Acuna (1.121)
Also, Jackson leads AFL in homers (5) and Fried leads in strikeouts (23), wins (3) and ERA among starters (0.47).
Numbers courtesy of DO’B.
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Ugh. I messed up my formatting. Lemme get another gulp of coffee and try that again…
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Braves AFL, better known as the Acuna, Fried, riLey (and Jackson), update:
3 of top 4 OPS [On Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage] belong to Braves prospects: 1. Austin Riley (1.217), 3. Alex Jackson (1.139), 4. Ronald Acuna (1.121)
Also, Jackson leads AFL in homers (5) and Fried leads in strikeouts (23), wins (3) and ERA among starters (0.47).
Numbers courtesy of DO’B.
🙄
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V, you weren’t the only one that crashed early last night…
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I was not having my words show up as I typed them, so kept the post short ant sweet…now, after closing my stoopid mozilla browser, I can see what I am typing….in real time! What a concept!
Anyways…my sleep has been messed up for awhile (Nothing like working from home, and being a nite owl, but of late, sleeping 3-4 hours, then unable to fall back to sleep til much later , really messing me up) so last night, I watched til Astros down 3-0, 2 errors causing that, thought series was all but over there…so Dad and I watched an old 5-0, then a very rare thing, a decent 60 minutes (Dad’s Idea, I’d just like to forget it exists) dvr’d that…but as it ended, we were still on fox…I thought I saw 7-1, and was wondering what all the commotion was about, and Dad and his 86 Y0 eyes, saw that it was 7-7!!! ran it back 2 minutes to see the homer that tied the game up….so…naturally kept watching til I got more tired than I can recall being in quite some time…so….off to bed…if I fell asleep , it was briefly…came back out to see Pa at the computer, and the game was still on, the score was much higher…but still went back to bed….
then, after the first night of 7+ hours of only slightly interrupted sleep, put on mlbtv to see the highlights…oh boy, what a game!!! If use guys and gals can, watch them(the highlights)…mlb tonight is going to re-run til 2 pm, then it looks like the game in much edited form will run from 2-4….
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I was bad… I just did not feel like watching the game last night, it apparently was my loss for making that decision. Especially since I missed seeing one of Miss Josie’s all time favorite players hit a solo homer in McCann.
Now, an off night tonight to allow for World Series travel.
With that, I have an observation… Starting pitchers have been pulled way too early. Now all of the relievers have been exposed. This is especially true when you are facing a really good offensive team. And both the Dodgers and the Astros are really really good offensive teams.
Now, watch game six be a 1-0 pitching duel…. Naw.. That isn’t going to happen, not this year. Still anyone’s series.
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Starting pitchers have been pulled way too early. Now all of the relievers have been exposed.
They’ve also been overused… and it’s showing.
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ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has a “progress report” on the Braves investigation. He seems to be the one guy assigned to give it exhausting coverage.
Anyway, per “sources”, a/k/a low level employees that don’t mind pocketing a Franklin here and there, John Hart, the Atlanta Braves’ president of baseball operations, did not play a role in numerous rules violations that forced two club officials to resign in early October.
MLB’s investigation examined the Braves’ internal communications and determined that Coppolella acted without knowledge or approval from Hart or John Schuerholz, the team’s vice chairman, the source said.
The source described Hart’s management style as “disengaged.”
And as I’ve said repeatedly, that last statement is the damning part to me. Had Hart actually been performing his job as President of Baseball Operations, and been paying attention, these indiscretions might not have gone on for so long and been so numerous.
How is the guy who is in charge of it all, the top dog, “disengaged” from the actual baseball operations? @#$%^&, how is any manager “disengaged”? Isn’t the description of managing to actually be engaged?
If the Braves actually extend his contract and let this disengaged doddering old golfer remain at the helm… well, let’s just pray that they all recognize and agree that retirement is the best option. I’m pissed. And I’m getting really tired of the Mickey Mouse upper management. I’m about ready for a clean sweep, HOF’ers and all.
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Aha… A there in lies the difference of our perceptions about management styles. For me, if you are the guy who is making all the decisions, then you don’t need the guy below you taking up office space. To me, being the GM means you are the guy who is making the day to day baseball decisions. The President is the guy who gives the direction as to what needs to be done, a guy who sets the agenda and expects that agenda to be carried out with progress reports from underlings.
All that said, I am sure the Braves ownership will want to distance themselves from all this so they will allow Hart to stay on for a while and then after a new guy is in place and he is allowed to assemble (his) team, Hart will be allowed to ride off into the sunset because after all, when the crap hits the old Westinghouse, the splatter will hit the innocent as well as the guilty.
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I other words, I’ve been there and done that and have the dirty tee shirt to prove it… 🙂
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Better wash that stuff out. It’ll stain. And stink. 😉
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This must be the twilight zone. DO’B is reporting the following:
Braves prospects Touki Toussaint (RH), Austin Riley (3B) and Ronald Acuna (OF) selected to play in Ariz Fall League All-Stars game.
AJackson (.348 avg, league-high 5 HR) and Fried (0.47 ERA, league-high 23 K) not in AFL All-Star game, seems silly
But every team gets to have at least 1 player in AFL All-Star game, no team has more than 3, Braves might’ve suggested those 3 that made it
Wow…
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I gotta remember, it’s about the development… it’s about the development… it’s about the development…
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Yes Vee, one of the main reasons the AFL was developed was so teams could have more control over their prospects. Making sure they are not over used or forgotten on the bench because some minor league (winter league) manager was trying to gain a feather for his cap.
If I were more mobile, I would schedule a trip to Phoenix to see a week of AFL games. Since Josie abhors flying and I really don’t know if I feel up to that long of a drive (after all, it’s just as far coming home). Anywho, I suspect we will be seeing several of these Braves prospects on TV playing for Atlanta in the not so distant future.
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Watching the 2 hour version of last night’s WS game on MLB, somehow it loses just a bit…
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Just barely a week after Cincy claimed Micah Johnson off waivers from the Braves, the Giants have claimed him from the Reds. Hope he didn’t hire a real estate agent yet. Perhaps he should hold off until spring.
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Perhaps he should talk to nomad Tyrell Jenkins.
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The AJC’s Mark Bradley has a timely opine this morning regarding the Braves’ disengaged President of Baseball Operations John Hart. I won’t post his whole piece here, but he closes with this thought:
If [Hart] isn’t included in any sanctions, that should mean that the Braves won’t have to let [John] Schuerholz or Terry McGuirk do the hiring. But having your president branded as “disengaged” isn’t a compliment. I’d be surprised if Hart remains president much beyond this year. I would not be surprised if the Braves end up with [Dayton] Moore.
I pray that his conclusion is correct. The more I think about our highly paid executive being “disengaged”, the more it rankles my rump.Yes, Gil… upper management should hand the keys to the guys put in place to do their job. But if they’re going to be so disengaged to the point of having “unprecedented” violations occurring by his charges, then he’s completely unnecessary. He’s useless. He serves no purposeful function. He might as well be the ficus tree in the corner.
Actually, the ficus is in the office more often.
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On a different note, here is a link to a Jason Stark post on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/jayson-stark/game-5-another-epic-for-the-ages/10155110089752759/
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Of course Hart could use Ollie Nort’s line… “I am not a potted plant” 🙂
Like I said, Liberty will allow Hart to bow out after the fact and after a new GM/President of Operations is hired. Of course, the Braves could always revert to just having a GM and delete a layer of upper management. The position of “President of Baseball Operations” was used by someone, (the Diamondbacks?) to promote Tony LaRussa over the then incumbent GM I believe.
Baseball got along pretty well before adding another management position to the payroll. It is a position for aging upper management much like the DH is/was for aging sluggers.
So, it will all work out in the end, what it will do however, will lesson the overall penalties assessed by MLB upon the Braves. Not to be interpreted as no penalties, there will be blood, just not a much methinks.
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there will be blood, just not a much methinks
I’ve already pretty much resigned myself to losing Kevin Maitan. I feel certain that will happen. I just hope they don’t take 5 from us the same as they did from Philly a couple of years back… but they could. They could take 6, the top 6 who could reasonably be found to have been “bundled”…
Kevin Maitan, SS, Venezuela (No. 1 prospect), $4.25M
Yunior Severino, SS, Dominican Republic (No. 8 prospect), $1.9M
Abrahan Gutierrez, C, Venezuela (No. 15 prospect), $3.5M
Livan Soto, SS, Venezuela (No. 16 prospect), $1M
Yenci Pena, SS, Dominican Republic (No. 32 prospect), $1M
Juan Contreras, RHP, Dominican Republic (No. 41 prospect), $1.2M
Maitan is the one everyone talks about, but Severino is equally impressive right now.
Given that the grievances were “unprecedented”, and given that MLB has all but said they’re going to make the Braves an example in an effort to stop the rampant widespread cheating, this could be ugly.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they made all 6 free agents, imposed future international signing restrictions for the next 2-3 years, and levied a substantial fine.
John “Disengaged” Hart might skate, but the organization he leaves behind is gonna get spanked hard.
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The position of “President of Baseball Operations” was used by someone, (the Diamondbacks?) to promote Tony LaRussa over the then incumbent GM I believe.
Actually, the additional layer of management was first used in MLB back in 2010 by the Cleveland Indians, who promoted 9 year GM Mark Shapiro to President so that they could keep his longtime right hand man Asst. GM Chris Antonetti who was the hot GM candidate at the time. They wanted to keep him in Cleveland, but they didn’t want to prevent him from reaching his career goal. So they made a way.
The Cubs followed suit in 2011 as a way to lure then Boston GM Theo Epstein to town. They offered the promotion to President as enticement. Epstein took it and brought his own longtime right hand man and Asst. GM from Boston Jed Hoyer over with him as his new GM.
This was followed by the ChiSox in 2013 with Kenny Williams, who promoted his own longtime right hand man and Asst. GM Rick Hahn.
Seeing the pattern?
The D’backs came into play in 2014, but they had to do it their own unique way by breaking the pattern. The promoted Tony LaRussa to “Chief Baseball Officer”, and then hired their new GM in Dave Stewart.
I’m not sure exactly how many out of 30 organizations currently have this management model PBO over GM, but I do know that more have it than do not.
The other thing that I see from this management model is that you have a President working alongside his longtime right hand man. In Atlanta, we had a “disengaged” President teeing off at Lake Orlando Golf Club while his nefarious subordinate was out doing whatever he wanted to do reportedly completely unchecked.
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What? Are they definitely looking for a PBO? Does Bow know something we don’t?
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I rest my case… sort of…
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So, I guess what we need to ask ourselves, are the Braves better off today than they were 4 years ago? I guess the future is brighter… maybe… depending on who is salivating over Maitan… and other just as crooked GMs thing they can steal away from the Braves.
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What is the worst fate a franchise can have happen to it? Have MLB run your minor league operation. Ask the Nationals…. took them quite a while to recover from that.
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FYI… Ben Cherington was GM of the Bosox when they were penalized for cheating in the int’l market and lost 5 signees. Do we really want to go down that road?
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So, I guess what we need to ask ourselves, are the Braves better off today than they were 4 years ago?
As an organization they definitely are. The moves made by Coppoloser (while the disengaged Prez was out being disengaged) shed the team of some horrible contracts and acquired prospects that propelled the Braves minor league system from near worst to the best in just a couple of years. Gotta give credit where credit is due. Those moves were made by the AGM / eventual GM without input or influence from JH. (And JS was already just a figurehead at that point, too.)
Unfortunately, the same guy got impatient and greedy and marched through the international market like Sherman through Georgia, leaving destruction in his wake and pissing off alot of his fellow GM’s, who also enjoyed a tad bit of freedom from the legalism of the rules, by taking the small accepted wiggle room and making it the Grand Canyon.
But as we’ve agreed on, the organization is at a better place than it was right now. The problem I see depends on the severity of the penalties handed down. If we lose Maitan, it hurts but we can overcome. If we lose Maitan and Severino, it really hurts, and there might be a tiny crack in the foundation. If we lose any more of that signing class, and are penalized in future years, we’ll feel it for sure. It might not be in the near future, but it could be. What if we needed one of those premium prospects as a part of a deal for a targeted player in a year or 2?
What it absolutely does in the present is puts pressure on the remaining scouts to be near perfect in the next few years. When you lose so many from one class, you can’t afford to misjudge any around them. Strength comes in numbers since most won’t make it to The Show anyway. And when your overall numbers are reduced, so are your chances of producing a real bona fide major leaguer.
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Ha. DO’B also answered your question. Nice for him to cooperate. 😀
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Yes, I can attest that there have been many “can’t miss” prospects that fell short. Other than Wainwright, most of the prospects the Braves have traded away have not misses. Okay, Jermaine Dye ended up being pretty good too. But then, there are the Donny Elliotts and the Chuckie Tee’s..
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Naturally, a Game 7. It was almost destined to be that way. We’ll crown a new champion tonight… or tomorrow morning as the case may be.
Is anyone else bothered by the fact that the October Classic will wrap up in November?
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Aw. Too bad… 😉
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A few Rays of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy Wednesday… waiting for the “axe” to drop…
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A few Rays of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy Wednesday… waiting for the “axe” to drop
Tomorrow. Maybe Friday. I’m actually looking forward to it because I’m looking forward to taking positive healing steps, which are not possible until the axe makes its gash.
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Tried so hard to stay awake until the end… nodded a few times but managed to catch myself. Then dozed with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th. Woke up during the celebration. Seriously. 😡
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Charlie Morton was stellar, seriously… Great game, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop on Houston but it never did. Great win for a great team, I am really happy that BMac got his ring.
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I was surprised that Morton wasn’t the first one out of the pen, but when I saw how Hinch used him I got it. That’s how a manager affects the outcome of a game. It was a good game and a great series. I imagine that MLB will let this one bask on its own in the news cycle for today, and then get on with other business tomorrow. So don’t look for any revelations on the Braves punishment today.
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I, however, am ready to move on…
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At my doctor’s office so I’m using my phone yes I do is expecting another shoe to drop on the Astros I just felt like the Dodgers were going to win it if it went to Game 7 that’s the beauty of the game you just never know what’s truly going to happen well most of the time LOL
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Only thing we truly know in baseball if the Braves have the bases loaded and nobody out they probably won’t score a run especially if we are in the playoffs
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OK.. I don’t usually wade around in the “I told ya so” waters, but I can’t help it in this instance…
Vox O’Reason
November 3, 2016 at 1:04 pm
The Phillies have declined their 2017 option on P Charlie Morton. That’s a name to remember. He could be a fit here.
Vox O’Reason
November 8, 2016 at 1:38 pm
For the record, I still think Charlie Morton is a prime candidate for ATL. I think they can get him on a 1-year deal with an option.
The Astros signed him on November 16 for 2 years at $7M per season.
The Braves signed Bartolo Colon on November 17 for 1 year at $12.5M.
Charlie Morton in HOU–
2017 regular season: 25 games started,146.2 IP, 3.62 ERA, 1.193 WHIP
2017 postseason, 23.1 IP, 4.24 ERA, 1.11 WHIP (3 of the 11 ER against him came after a reliever gave up a Grand Slam)
Bartolo Colon in ATL–
2017 regular season:13 games started, 63 IP, 8.14 ERA, 1.778 WHIP
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How about that? Real and active ownership. And all it took to draw them out was “unprecedented” rules breaking.
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The Hot Stove is warming up…
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Courtesy of DO’B, here are the 8 braves who are arb eligible this offseason:
Matt Adams
Jace Peterson
Danny Santana
Rex Brothers
Mike Foltynewicz
Sam Freeman
Arodys Vizcaino
Dan Winkler
IMO, the 3 position players are all gone. Matt will likely be traded, and Jace and DanTana are likely non-tenders if not traded. The 5 pitchers are all likely in the plans for 2018, although Brothers is on the bubble.
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My gut tells me that the Braves look to make a splash this offseason in an effort to remove the bad taste from the collective mouth of the fanbase.
Looking in my crystal ball, I see them in on a big name starting pitcher, and I see them bringing in a power bat to 3B.
That’s what my gut tells me. Of course, I’ve had 2 surgeries on my abdomen in the last year, so there’s that…
But seriously, I believe they are in a position with cash available and prospects available to act in both the FA market and trade market.
Imagine the rotation as Ace, Julio, Gohara, Folty, Fried. (Yes Fried, with Newcomb and Sims cooling their jets in AAA unless traded.)
Imagine the lineup 1-8 as: Ender, Ozzie, Freddie, 3B, Kakes, Acuna, Flow/Zuk, Dans/Camargo.
Honeslty, if the Braves can bring in a bona fide top starter and a real bopping 3B, they can contend for a Wild Card in 2018. I really believe that.
One more thing I believe, consulting my crystal ball of course…
Both Gohara and Fried are going to open some eyes in a major way in 2018. Gohara especially. He’s ready. He could be ROY candidate.
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Doesn’t look like we’ll have a resolution as quick as we thought. Word is that Gordon Blakely has been called back to NY for another interview. Stay tuned…
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This affair is still much more sordid and with more layers than we really know.
Reportedly just hours after Gordon Blakely tendered his resignation along with Coppoloser, he attempted to rescind it at the behest of his attorney. The Braves, of course, didn’t acknowledge that, and Blakely has not been paid since that time. If I have read correctly, part of his action against the Braves is a labor lawsuit for non-payment of his salary.
And that is the same Blakely that is back in NY today for another round of questioning.
So all reports that this thing was wrapped up were premature…. that is unless something new came to light while MLB was waiting for the World Series to end.
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And I would venture to say that Blakely is no longer interested in having a job in baseball. Who would hire him now? He appears to be seeking a payout that will make having a job unnecessary. His attorney probably advised him that the corporate ownership would prefer to settle rather than go to court.
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Here is a series of tweets by Bill Shanks from last night:
Regarding Gordon Blakely–
He obviously has more to say. Hopefully, they have more to ask.
I would think we won’t hear anything until the week of the 13th now. Second interviews are usually very important in an investigation.
MLB isn’t finished so any report that says anyone is off the hook is either premature or was planted.
Regarding John Hart–
Why is Hart there today? Where is the accountability? He should be gone. Where was the leadership? He was supposedly mentoring Coppy.
Hart’s contract supposedly expired last night. It should not be renewed.
Hart is with other Braves executives at a retreat. So he’s not gone yet.
I don’t know how he can remain. Where would the trust be? The Braves staff has lost all trust in its upper management.
It is BAD. Liberty must clean this up. How can the Braves gain respect with this scandal?
How will agents want to deal with these same people? Why would players want to come here? Why would scouts want to work for these people?
As you well know by now, I share the same sentiment as Shanks. He’s been fairly close to the Braves over the years so I trust his reporting. Still, nobody knows exactly what’s going on, so I won’t take everything he says as 100% accurate.
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I believe Shanks made the key point when he said “Where would the trust be?”.
It is a matter of trust, from scouts to field management to staff to agents. If an executive’s trust has been called into question, it makes it awfully hard for him to do his job effectively.
Even as a fan I’ve lost trust in the guys calling the shots. And that’s a really hard thing to stomach on the verge of emerging from a rebuild. How can we take positive steps forward with so much negativity hanging over the front office? Why would any agent advise his client to sign here knowing the whole front office could blow up at any moment? And for that matter, whomever might step in to pick up the pieces might just decide he wants to sweep the field management clean too. But who knows? No one knows…
Too much uncertainty looms to be able to effectively put a new roster together for 2018. It just makes my head hurt.
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Go morning, and what would a good baseball scandal be without a curve ball or two?
We are at the Bay to close up for the season, well, Josie is doing most of the work, I am cheer leading but it is getting done… Anyway, it’s not like we are without news, just don’t care all that much. 🙂
I expect the Braves/Liberty will make things move along at a pretty rapid pace after MLB makes its determination of penalties. Baseball is pretty much a year round job now. I just fear the real pain will be felt 3 or 4 years from now. You just don’t want people snooping in your records because you will be “fly specked” to death.
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Courtesy of MLBTR, here are the key dates for this offseason:
Nov. 2: Commencement of a five-day, exclusive negotiation window that teams have with their own free agents.
Nov. 4: Deadline for players with opt-out clauses to exercise those provisions.
Nov. 6: The deadline for MLB clubs to formally issue one-year qualifying offers ($17.4M) to free agents is 5:00pm ET. Those players will have 10 days to weigh the offers and can negotiate with other clubs during that 10-day window. After that 5pm deadline, all free agents are eligible to begin negotiating with other teams.
Nov. 13-16: General Managers’ meetings take place in Orlando, Fla.
Nov. 20: Deadline for teams to set their 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.
Dec. 1: Deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players.
Dec. 10-14: MLB’s annual Winter Meetings take place in Orlando, Fla.
Dec. 14: The Rule 5 Draft is held on the final day of the Winter Meetings.
Jan. 13: Arbitration exchange day — the date on which teams and players must exchange filing numbers for arbitration. Hearings, if necessary, typically begin in early February.
Mar. 29: Opening Day! Baseball is back.
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I expect the Braves/Liberty will make things move along at a pretty rapid pace after MLB makes its determination of penalties.
They must. According to the above dates, we’re already into the rolled-up sleeves work time. Fortunately for the Braves, the only remaining FA we have left is Jason Motte, whom will not receive a QO and whom will likely be allowed to head elsewhere. No opt-outs to worry about either.
So the first date to worry about is the Nov. 13 GM meetings. And in all likelihood, we won’t have a GM by that point and will be relying upon the stained and disengaged John Hart. In other words, we might as well not even attend. And given that alot of first contact on potential deals is made at this confab, we’ll be lagging behind the rest of the pack all offseason.
Peachy.
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Of all the punishment that will surely be handed down to the Braves, being stuck in this holding pattern while the rest of the league carries on with their offseason plans is among the worst. It’s akin to being put in timeout while the rest of our siblings are playing on the playground.
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It’s akin to being put in timeout while the rest of our siblings are playing on the playground.<b/i>
Worse, like time out with your nose in a circle on the blackboard and the other kids are getting ice cream too….
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Still a conflict of information regarding John Hart’s contract. Bill Shanks reports that it was up when the World Series ended, or end of the “baseball year”. DO’B says it runs through the end of the “calendar year”.
I suppose it’s of little matter since he’s continuing on in his capacity of “acting GM” until a new one is named, or until he’s forced out following the dropping of the proverbial hammer.
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Still varying reports of the exact ending date of Hart’s contract. It all depends on whom is doing the reporting. Most say it ran through the end of the 2017 season. But DO’B, who seems as close to the team as anyone, maintains it runs through the end of the calendar year. And he is continuing on in his job amid all the hubbub. I would think he doesn’t get paid without a contract, but what do I know? And again, it matters little to us in the grand scheme of things.
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So, say goodbye to the 2016 draft class? MLB must hate the Braves….
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I think any speculation as to what the punishment might be, up to and including what players could be taken, is grossly premature… especially in light of the fact that the investigation is still ongoing. Fake news.
Now if you want to speculate as to the degree of punishment..? I think that’s fair game. The hammer will almost surely fall hard. But stabbing at specifics is nothing more than conjecture and supposition.
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I will take a bit of a stab, though, and guess that the question regarding the amateur draft probably is in reference to the Yahoo Sports report that Drew Waters was “offered a car” to bridge the gap between his $1.5M signing bonus and his slot value, which was $1.675M. In Jeff Passan’s report, he went on to say that both Coppoloser and Waters’ agent denied that a car was actually offered and that the remark was made in jest. (IMO, it was nothing more than a joke. I mean… a car that would equate to $125K?) But the media ran with it like a dog that found a scrap of steak in a trash pile.
I guess in the future that all sides will need to have a lawyer present and run all spoken words through counsel for approval before utterance. 🙄
I’ve been keeping up with updates pretty closely since the bomb dropped, and I’ve neither heard nor read anything else that mentioned anyone in the amateur draft. And if you go back and look at the players drafted and look at their bonuses – something we covered in detail here on the ol’ B&S – you’ll find that the Braves have a consistent strategy of taking quality with the higher picks, then college seniors with little or no leverage below that so as to be able to offer lowball bonuses to them and fit the higher overslot bonuses under the bonus pool threshold. We actually covered that very thing in great detail here. That strategy is an indication of working within the rules, not outside them.
But I suppose if Drew Waters rolled into rookie league in a Bentley or Lamborghini, there’s something to raise an eyebrow over.
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Ok.. I just checked out the “column by Kris Willis” that was referred to above. Here is exactly what Willis said:
As far as penalties go, [the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David] O’Brien reports that they could include a heavy fine and possibly the loss of international free agents whom they broke rules to sign and possibly even players taken in the domestic draft.
So the reference the guy is mentioning to DO’B is a “possibility even” item mentioned at the end of a listed statement by the same DO’B. Circular vetting. Asking DO’B to confirm something he himself conjectured. Not exactly Woodward and Bernstein level conviction.
My advice… pump the brakes. There’s so much wild speculation going on at the moment that the anticipation of death may be what actually kills the patient, not the sickness.
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All is quite on the Braves News Front
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The Free Agent signing period is officially open…
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… meanwhile, our boat still has no rudder.
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Kind of reminds me of another pattern:
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I fear the latter will be the results of MLB flushing the Braves strong minor league prospects. It is going to hurt….
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My guess is the axe will fall on Friday after all of the feel good awards are announced.
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It is going to hurt…
More than likely. However, it can only hurt to the degree that MLB can prove a prospect was given benefits outside the scope of what was allowed. The key word there is PROVE. What can they prove? The actions may be reprehensible, but if the proof isn’t there, the punishment can’t be overreaching. We know Coppoloser was a cheater. The question is… how good a cheater was he?
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Headed to the polls to vote in the Virginia Gubernatorial. Will be driving my pick up truck with an NRA decal on it. Can you guess who I will be voting for?
Aha! Proof you say…. since when did the commissioner need proof?
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Will be driving my pick up truck with an NRA decal on it.
Gun rack in the back window?
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Minor news, but when there’s nuthin’, minor is better than nuthin’.
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FA starting pitcher Alex Cobb received a QO from TAM, so he’s less likely to be pursued by the Braves now IMO. I think they’d be willing to go in on a pitcher with a QO if he was a bona fide ace, such as Jake Arrieta, but that’s about it. There are some prognosticators out there that believe ATL will make a hard run at Arrieta. I suppose we won’t have a clue as to what the Braves might do until they have somebody in place to actually do the doing.
I think the Braves might make a harder run at one or more of the bullpen arms that are available. They’ve been linked to several, including Brandon Morrow, Addison Reed, Tommy Hunter, and old pal Mike Minor. I could see them going that route by signing 2 relievers and banking on their young starters. In fact, given the steady stream of potential starters that will start producing in 2018, it might be more prudent to bolster the ‘pen and let the rotation work itself out.
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Also, pitchers RAD and Jason Motte have been formally granted FA. Since RAD never really announced he’d retire, he can now field offers and weigh that against simply hanging up the spikes. Good for him… he’s one of the good guys in the game.
As for Motte, he’s also one of the good guys. Not a great pitcher, but a good guy. His bullpen spot can be easily filled, perhaps by one of the aforementioned potential newcomers. Hope he lands somewhere and has success against everyone but the Braves.
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Gun rack in the back window?
Hardly anyone uses visible gun racks anymore, to much of an invitation for someone to steal your gun. Window glass is pretty fragile, that said, I do have a CC permit… 🙂
Old guys can’t fight anymore, we have to have an equalizer.
Now baseball… possible plane crash involving Roy Halladay. BAD BAD BAD…
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Bad bad bad indeed. RIP Doc.
Now some good:
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Confirmed about Halladay, very sad to be gone at 40 y/o… Hardly lived half his life at that age.
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Congratulations to our little ray of sunshine, Gold Glove winner Ender Inciarte
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It is my understanding that Gordon Blakely is not meeting with MLB until tomorrow. So if, and I emphasize IF, his is the last interview, we still won’t know anything until Friday at the very earliest.
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File this one under random ramblings, since there isn’t much specific to talk about right now…
Taking into account reasonable arbitration estimates for those Braves who are arb eligible, and there are currently 8 by my count, the Braves should have somewhere in the neighborhood of $92-$93M committed for 2018 as the roster presently exists. If the Braves were to say goodbye to perhaps Jace Peterson, subtract another million off that Trade Matt Adams, and take another $4.5M off it.
In other words, if the Braves take some expected actions, they should have a total commitment easily at or below $90M before adding more back in through trades or FA.
Terry McGuirk has hinted that the team could have a payroll in the neighborhood of around $125M in 2018. And that’s a pretty nice neighborhood. My math says that figure opens the Braves up to spending a good $35M via trade of FA to improve the team this offseason. And you can do an awful lot of improving for $35M.
Now if we could just get a deal closer in the game…
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You all know I am not a fan of the new boutique statistics. I prefer the old school “eye test” and I believe that a player brings alot more to the table than is simply measurable by numbers and equations.
That said, sometimes there are things that are just undeniable. Alan Carpenter at Tomahawk Take gives the following example:
Wanna make the playoffs? You need 40 total fWAR (Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement) to get there. That’s as plain as I can state it… and the numbers back me up:
2017 PLAYOFF TEAMS: Nationals, Indians, Red Sox, Astros, Cubs, DBacks, Dodgers, Yankees, Twins, Rockies.
2017 TEAMS OVER 40 WAR: Nationals, Indians, Red Sox, Astros, Cubs, DBacks, Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals
The Twins were an exception on the positive side: 34.1. So were the Rockies (31.9). Both were ousted immediately as nature corrected itself.
On the flip side, the Cardinals were a reverse exception… they were the last team over 40 WAR this season.
I’ll add to that… The top 6 teams in fWar for 2017 were, in order: Astros, Dodgers, Yankees, Indians, Cubs, Nationals. The top 2 were in the World Series, 3 & 5 were in their respective LCS, and 4 & 6 were in their respective LDS.
Folks, those are some hard correlations to dispute.
He also slaps us in the face with the harsh reality of how that relates to the Braves in 2017: The Braves? 18th in the majors at 26.4 fWAR.
I invite you to read his entire piece. He makes a case for the Braves going forward. It’s very informative IMO, even for someone who doesn’t typically bathe in the acronym pool.
https://tomahawktake.com/2017/11/08/atlanta-braves-and-the-pursuit-of-40-war/
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Aha, a number the analytic geeks can sink their teeth into, only question that remains is how do you figure a player’s WAR?
It would be pretty simple to add to the Braves WAR numbers by replacing one outfielder and a third baseman. Add a front line starter and voila…
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It would be pretty simple to add to the Braves WAR numbers by replacing one outfielder and a third baseman. Add a front line starter and voila
You must have read his article! 😀
Yes, that’s the simple answer, right? Well, it’s not unreachable.
Let’s look at what you just mentioned…
Matt Kemp generated a -0.5 fWAR. Wins Above Replacement literally references how many wins that player “produces” more than a very basic average player replacing him. So by those graphics, Kemp was less than average while eating up (pun fully intended) more salary space than anyone else on the team. That’s a problem.
Our best starting pitcher? Our best starting pitcher? Folty with 1.8. The next 2, RAD (1.6) and Jaime Garcia (1.5) are both gone. Those numbers aside, a starting pitcher should generate wins for his team. That’s his job. Examles are Chris Sale (7.7) and Corey Kluber (7.3). 8 out of the top 9 pitchers in fWAR all pitched for playoff teams. Our best, Folty, ranked 48th in starting pitchers. That’s a problem.
Who played 3B for the Braves in 2017? Let’s list them and their fWAR:
Adonis Garcia, -0.4
Jace Peterson, -0.4
Sean Rodriguez, -0.1
Rio Ruiz, -0.1
Johan Camargo, 1.2
We had one guy at that position who played average or better for the season. That’s a problem.
So how do you fix that?
The Giants reportedly have Jeff Samardzija on the trading block. His fWAR for 2017 was 3.8, 15th best in MLB. That’s a start. What about 3B? Todd Frazier had a 3.0 fWAR. Jedd Gyorko had a 2.5 fWAR. Heck, if you projected Camargo’s fWAR out offer a whole season it would run close to 3.0 itself. I’d just prefer to spread his versatility around the field. And in LF, I will step out on a limb and say that Ronald Acuna will bring a positive fWAR even as a rookie.
Just those additions, and the subtraction of Adonis, Kemp, Jace, et al., and you are improving your overall numbers by 10+ fWAR, not even counting the hopeful improvement of the young starters… Gohara, Newcomb, etc.
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We might as well get used to hearing about these “advanced metrics”, folks. They’re here to stay. In fact, front offices all over MLB are hiring guys who do nothing else but evaluate players based on their “advanced metrics”.
And if you’ve never seen the movie Moneyball, you ought to catch it. It’s a pretty good flick just on its own merit, but it also shows you the origin of SABRE and its use in assembling rosters.
I do agree that analytics as a tool can be useful, but alongside traditional scouting via the eyes… and sometimes even the gut. Analytics isn’t the only tool in the box. Life is about balance, and this is no different. Finding the right balance between analytics and personal eyewitness evaluation is a formula for success.
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cranky ol’ man alert, CRANKY OL’ MAN ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WAR still makes my skin crawl. phantom non-existant player that replaces said real player? Did the creator of WAR then go on to create bitcoin???
seems like the most important part of WAR for a hitter is walks…you walk a ton? You are swell…I’ve seen the eggheads at MLBTR act like someone had quite the nice season who hit….243…sorry guys…unless that guy walked 140 + times, and bats leadoff, and steals a ton of bases, he’s a load…..I see a lot of guys with high obp’s who still only score 70 runs…
Astros had a lot of High WAR guys? while it’s true no one drove in more than 90 RBI’s (bet you can’t guess who, I never would have) 7 guys drove in at least 71 RBIs . Niether McCann nor Gattis played in more than 97 games, but in a combined 649 AB’s they hit 30 HR’s and 117 RBI’s
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pt 2, as I knew I’d be away from the computer for a few, and didn’t want to lose that “awesome”
post 😉
The Giants reportedly have Jeff Samardzija on the trading block. His fWAR for 2017 was 3.8, 15th best in MLB. That’s a start. What about 3B? Todd Frazier had a 3.0 fWAR. Jedd Gyorko had a 2.5 fWAR. Heck, if you projected Camargo’s fWAR out offer a whole season it would run close to 3.0 itself. I’d just prefer to spread his versatility around the field. And in LF, I will step out on a limb and say that Ronald Acuna will bring a positive fWAR even as a rookie.
I’m gonna pull out some ol’s skool stats that don’t matter anymore… Jeff S, 9 15 4.42 ERA age 32. Pitched half his games in probably the hardest park to homer in. Julio T 11 13 4.49 ERA age 26. Pitched half of his in one of the easier parks to homer in. Jamie Garcia, 4 7 4.30 ERA
RA Dickey, 10 10 .500 4.26 , Sean Newcomb 4 9 4.32
again, I am a dumb old fan….but, how is Jeff S any BETTER than those guys? Of course, 2 are gone…that’s true….Jeff S is a 200 inning guy, that’s true, strikes out 200 + only walked 30 + guys…that’s why fantasy baseball guys love him so much….but, he…sucked.
for his career… 68 87 4.10
We just have to have this guy? who do we trade to get him? Newcomb? Fried?
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I’m not against Todd Frasier, I agree he looked great in the playoffs…but…have you looked at his regular season numbers?
74 Runs, 27 HR’s 76 RBI’s 83 walks (which I am sure why with homers is why he’s a 3 WAR guy) 125 strikeouts, .213 BA .344 OBP.
Now, perhaps back in the NL, he would hit a bit more, but can a guy that his .225 in 2016, and .213 last year, protect FF?????
I mean, Phat Matt can do more than that, IF he can somehow stay healthy….
and V, yep, you are right, Acuna , even if he struggles some from time to time, will do better than Kemp or even Nick M….
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Now, for pitchers, why not try to get Lance Lynn? ( Or did the Cards make a Qualifying offer to him?) 11 8 3.43 ERA 33 33 186 innings, 151 hits, 78 walks (not great, but first year back from TJ) 153 strikeouts…. has 2 200 plus inning seasons in his past . his career numbers? 72 47 with a 3.38 ERA
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The reason I specifically mentioned Shark and Frazier is simply that their traditional stats will prevent them from costing too much in return via trade or FA $$. Frazier is projected to command a 3 yrs/$33M deal as opposed to Mike Moustakas, who will command 5 yrs/$85M easily.
As for Shark, well… given the numbers you posted, he won’t require a Newcomb or Fried in return. I’d be willing to bet that if you took on all of the remainder of Shark’s 5 yrs/$90M deal ($19.8M in each of ’18. ’19 & ’20), you could get him for Nick Markakis and Lucas Sims. And while shark won’t be a true “ace” on this staff, he will be as good as Julio and give you 200+ IP and help spare the load that the bullpen will be under with a bunch of kids that can’t ever seem to go more than in 6 a game.
Now… all that said…
Those were merely examples of how you could boost your fWAR with 1 trade, 1 FA signing, and 1 promotion. It’s not necessarily what I advocate for the Braves.
I don’t believe that the Braves will be bringing in a starting pitcher. They talk about it, but the cost in $$ and/or prospects for a true top shelf starter is just too steep. And since they have a boatload of young pitchers ready to emerge, it just doesn’t make sense to commit too much of their payroll for 3 more years to another starter when they have more pressing needs elsewhere.
I do believe they’ll sign bullpen arms. Notice that I said “arms“… plural. Any 2 of Addison Reed, Mike Minor, Brandon Morrow, Anthony Swarzak or Tommy Hunter is absolutely a possibility, and maybe even a probability.
As for Frazier, I think he’d be a great bridge to Austin Riley. The $$ are about right, and if Riley is ready mid-2019, Frazier can be dealt to a contender much as he was to NYY this season. I agree with you that numbers don’t tell the whole story, so don’t put too much stock in those of The Toddfather either. Ask the NYY players how much he meant to that young team during their playoff push. His value was immeasurable. I’d love to have that leadership in our young clubhouse as these kids learn how to go about their business. I think the benefit to Dansby Swanson alone might be worth the price of admission.
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Now, for pitchers, why not try to get Lance Lynn? ( Or did the Cards make a Qualifying offer to him?)
Yes they did. And see my above opine regarding adding a starter.
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With the current stain on John Hart and the Braves front office right now, and given no immediate remedy because of the drawn out MLB investigation, this is how I picture the Braves “GM” working at next week’s GM meetings…
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V, MLBTV just posted this info, which I didn’t know…seems like much less of a risk , losing a pick after the 2nd round….
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/examining-draft-pick-compensation-for-the-6-teams-that-could-lose-qualified-free-agents.html
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“The Royals made qualifying offers to center fielder Lorenzo Cain, first baseman Eric Hosmer, and third baseman Mike Moustakas. The Royals were a revenue sharing recipient. If any of their three free agents sign for a guarantee of $50MM or more, the Royals get draft pick compensation after the first round. For any of the three that signs for less than $50MM, the Royals get draft pick compensation after Comp Round B. MLBTR projects all three players to sign for well over $50MM, so the Royals should have a very favorable draft pool in 2018, potentially adding three picks in the top 35 or so if all three sign elsewhere.”
Which could explain further the reluctance of the prodigal son, Dayton Moore, to rush back to Atlanta. One thing figuring into all of this is the fear some new hire of a GM might find an organization hamstrung by inter office politics as well as the loss of prospects and draft picks and a reduction in cash available. Job security in a field where security and job are two words not often uttered in the same sentence.
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One thing figuring into all of this is the fear some new hire of a GM might find an organization hamstrung by inter office politics as well as the loss of prospects and draft picks and a reduction in cash available.
Yet still the best farm system in MLB, loaded with upper level talent, and a brand new stadium with brand new revenue streams. Regardless of the immediate mess, it’s still an attractive job.
And IMO, the “inter office politics” will leave the building when John Hart does.
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HAHAHAHAHA… Vee, inter office politics never leave, only become suppress in the best instances. I have never seen it fail to rear its ugly head at some point, it sadly is human nature.
Anywoo… Perhaps we shall finally see some closure to all this sorted mess soon. It has been like an albatross hanging around the Braves neck for a month now, it is tiring… and it is beginning to stink a bit….
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It has been like an albatross hanging around the Braves neck for a month now, it is tiring… and it is beginning to stink a bit
And as I’ve said before, the punishment before the punishment is being in this holding pattern while other teams are moving forward with their offseason plans. The longer it drags, the further behind we’ll be. And there is some heavy lifting that needs to be done.
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Feels a lot like the Muller investigation doesn’t it?
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The Braves might not have been as successful on the field as they wanted, but they were pretty dang successful off it. Check out this excerpt from a new report in the ajc…
The Braves posted a 70-percent increase in revenue during the July-through-September quarter, according to financial results released Thursday morning by team owner Liberty Media. The Braves’ revenue for the quarter was $185 million, up from $109 million in the same period last year, Liberty said in its quarterly financial report.
The revenue increase “was primarily … driven by the Braves’ move to their new ballpark,” Liberty Media said. “Ticket sales, concessions, corporate sales, suites and premium seat fees all increased during the third quarter.”
SunTrust Park “is living up to its potential,” Greg Maffei, Liberty’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
Liberty said the Braves’ operating profit before depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation soared to $49 million in the quarter, up from $16 million in the same period in 2016.
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It’s nice to see a corporation like Liberty be at least fairly honest with us, and the increase in revenue last season. Seems like they have forever claimed an operating loss, which doesn’t make a whole lotta sense , you would think they were turn the team into the Tampa team…..
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Ok, something I was thinking about for a few weeks…but seemed to be too much of a hassle…so keeping it short and sweet(for me) NOT saying this is the best idea ever, but it popped into my mind…..
Adam Eaton stats
http://www.imagebam.com/image/c52355652012573
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Ender’s stats
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wow, link doesn’t even show…I guess I could have gone to twitter, added it there, then I could embed it here…bleh…
http://www.imagebam.com/image/4802c0652042703
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ok, fine….Adam Eaton’s stats….
https://twitter.com/berigan/status/928698044182355968
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Ender’s Stats
https://twitter.com/berigan/status/928698366753689600
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a few points…one, how did Ender have a higher WAR in 2015 in AZ (5.3) in 132 games, with 6 HR’s 45 RBI’s, 21 steals, .303 Ave, only 26 walks, .303 ba, .338 OBP, .408 SLG, and only 3 WAR in 2017 playing 155 games, 11 HR’s, 57 RBI’s 22 steals, 49 walks, .304 ba, .350 OBP .410 SLG
Was Ender a lousy CF’er last year? 😆
WAR is a joke, except as another way to usually show guys hit well have good WAR
Ok, if you have/had no feelings, would it be worth it to trade Ender? What could he get you? Would he and Sims get you Michael Fulmer from the tigers (A much better , stronger guy than Archer, IMHO) What could you replace him with? Lorenzo Cain? (I know, it will cost a pic, and if over 50 mil, a bigger pic, but at some point, you have to improve enough to get above .500, and then go from there) I REALLY wish we knew if Lane Adams could hit enough to fill in….again, not saying I am big on this idea, but remember how much the Nats gave up, basically 2 ML ready starters for Eaton….and Ender is younger….just something to talk about on a rainy November day…
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I’m all for keeping the Gold Glover and adding to it, wish we had the other two we let get away… Well, Simba.. but I just don’t think trading away all your talent really progresses your cause. Putting together a winning ball club is always dicey, putting together a dynasty takes lots and lots of money…
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I had not heard about that. Yowser. The big picture is beginning to come into a little better focus.
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Roy Halladay’s aircraft just before it crashed, video taken by fishermen. Same fishermen raced out to the place where it went down, but found only wreckage. Seeing the plane, I wonder if he was incapacitated in some way. Either that or mechanical malfunction of some sort. I’m completely unfamiliar with the aircraft he was flying. May he forever rest in peace and in the joy of the presence of our Savior.
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Qualifier: we should never take the word of anyone in the media as gospel just because he says it. Still, Crasnick is a pretty credible guy with a decent track record, so…
And again I say the longer the process drags on, the more severe the effects to the 2018 team. Whether they mean to or not, they are hampering our efforts to put a decent team (and coaching staff) on the field for the upcoming season. I hope that’s taken into account when the real penalties are decided. Sort of compensating for “time served”, so to speak.
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And this from the guy who is more on the ball nationally than most national writers, Joel Sherman of the NY Post:
The MLB investigation into rule-breaking by members of the Braves front office, specifically in the international arena, is not expected to produce any punishments from the Commissioner’s Office before next week’s GM Meetings.
Thus, for the short term, president of baseball operations John Hart will continue to handle the GM job, which became vacant when John Coppolella resigned last month after revelations of his misdeeds.
The expectation is that penalties will be levied before next month’s Winter Meetings, but also that Braves ownership probably will install someone in the GM role prior to that. The Braves’ preference is Royals GM Dayton Moore, who was groomed as an executive in the Atlanta organization. But presently Royals owner David Glass is not allowing Moore to leave his contract to take this job.
If Glass does not change his mind in the short term, the Braves in the next week or two are expected to pivot and hire a GM from among a group that has been quietly interviewing the past few weeks.
Currently, Hart is not expected to be penalized by MLB for having a role in the misdeeds, which are expected to cover areas outside the international forum as well. However, it would be no surprise if ownership wants a clean break from the previous regime and moves on from Hart after a new GM is hired.
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Yes, as I opined previously. Liberty will step in and make the hire as they do not want to be painted with the same brush. The thing about a publicly traded company is they are less able to hide stuff.
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Yes, Gil, and I won’t be surprised if Terry McGuirk isn’t “reassigned” within Liberty away from the Braves too. A clean sweep is not out of the question.
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Another young Braves minor league prospect makes the long trek to Australia to play for the Aces. I guess the kids are finding life down under is not so far as to not be found. It did not hurt Acuna…
http://www.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20171102&content_id=260541594&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t4067&sid=t4067
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I remember watching Tyler Neslony in the 2016 College World Series and he stood out to me with his great defense and mature approach at the plate. He spent the 2nd half of 2017 at AA and will likely begin the 2018 season there. But it wouldn’t surprise me to see him move on up to AAA around mid-season as other promotions are made around the organization. The kid has tools if he can put it all together. His inconsistency is what is holding him back right now. But as with all youngsters, that can change on a dime. Of course, the opposite is also true. That’s why they’re just “prospects” at this point, right?
Anyway, I’m pulling for the kid. I watched him play in college and was thrilled when the Braves drafted him. I’d love to see him eventually share the OF with Ender and Acuna.
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Depth is a wonderful thing to have, according to reports, he is a plus defender at first and the corner outfield spots. Perhaps something will unlock his bat. I still believe with the outlawing of PEDs most players don’t reach their potential until they are 26 or 27.
So, keep rolling them thru the system and pray some stick.
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Hummmm, lots of former managers being added to the staff….
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funny, I could have seen Coppy chew out Snit, but Hart? rarely doing his job….except to yell at the manager? Yeah, bye Hart….
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Yes there are. I’m OK with the additions. I think Weiss will be a nice addition to the bench. Definitely knowledgeable and experienced. And having a guy in EYSr that is an OF coach and baserunning coach specifically is a big plus. This team ran into too many outs over the last few seasons. And I believe with the right coaching, both Ender and Ozzie could swipe a fair share of bases.
My only gripe is the continuation of Chuck Hernandez as pitching coach. That is well documented, so there’s no real reason to flog that deceased equine any more.
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funny, I could have seen Coppy chew out Snit, but Hart? rarely doing his job….except to yell at the manager? Yeah, bye Hart
Ha. I can see him strolling into his office about 9:30pm after 36 holes and a big “19th hole” dinner and cocktails, wearing his knickers and polo shirt, looking out onto the field and seeing Jim Johnson blowing another lead. Then he hops on his golf cart and drives through the tunnel to Snit’s office where he chews him a new one after the game. Following the chewing, he takes the golf cart back to his office where he calls himself an Uber so that he can go home and rest up for a 8am tee time.
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DO’B, in a piece published this afternoon:
“A person familiar with the situation said MLB still was trying to discern exactly what was known by whom in the Braves organization – i.e., how much about the alleged infractions committed by Coppolella and Blakely was known by team higher-ups, including Hart and others before, during or after those alleged infractions occurred.”
“While a report in late October quoted anonymous sources saying Hart had been essentially cleared by MLB, subsequent developments called that premise into question. A person close to the situation said at least one Braves employee who was with the team during the time of the alleged infractions informed MLB that Hart knew what Coppolella was doing on the international free-agent market and didn’t just ignore it, but approved of it.”
And that is exactly what I believe.
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I cannot disagree here.
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To be honest, in my opinion it is really all about face saving at this point….
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Or to be more precise, trying to…
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Worth the read…
http://amp.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/bill-shanks/article184023761.html
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Very good article, V. Thanks for posting it. And I agree with the comments in the article. I don’t understand why Hart is still on the Braves payroll.
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Joel Sherman, NY Post:
Former Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is the perceived front-runner to become the next general manager of the scandal-wrecked Braves, according to three sources.
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Never heard of him. Anybody?
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MLBTR:
Anthopoulos, 40, worked as Toronto’s GM for six seasons, building the nucleus that led the Jays to consecutive runs to the ALCS in 2015-16.
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Wish the Braves could just give Hart the boot and move on!
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Wish the Braves could just give Hart the boot and move on!
CL, I believe they will once AA is in place and up to speed.
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Funny, this GM may have a more difficult name to spell than the last one, but at least his initials are easy. 😀
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If you read the piece linked above, you’ll note that the GM meetings begin today in Orlando (where John Hart lives and likely has several country club memberships). It’s expected that the Braves will announce AA’s hiring there. I would imagine that AA will lean heavily on current Asst. GM Billy Ryan, who himself was a candidate for the job. The scenario I can see forming is that AA takes the GM job and eventually assumes all of Hart’s duties as Hart fades into the Orlando landscape after a reasonable transition period. Then AA grooms Ryan for a year or so to take over the GM duties and eventually assumes the title of Pres. of Baseball Ops even though he’ll be operating as such in the mean time. From all that I’ve read, Ryan is both capable and respected. That’s my guess anyway.
As for my personal opinion on AA, well… I admittedly only know what I’ve read recently. But it sounds as if DO’B is accurate to say AA is an “impressive Plan B” from Dayton Moore. Truly, only time will tell.
But I’ll say this much… he has a track record of success, and wasn’t afraid to leave a good job when he felt the conditions were unfavorable. He rejected a 5-year extension from Toronto in 2016 because they had hired Mark Shapiro as an “advisor” and AA felt his absolute power was threatened. (Another reason I think Hart is definitely gone.) He also turned down at least 2 GM opportunities since then because they didn’t fit what he wanted. So apparently ATL is what he wants, and I like that about him. I want a guy that wants my team.
So count me IN on the AA bandwagon. I’m ready to get this thing rolling.
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Ahhh… good ol’ Kenny’s sources. They need to receive his paycheck as they seem to do all his work.
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As I opined earlier, I believe that will be for a transitional period only, then he’ll simply retire. But it’s evident that his “final decision making powers in baseball” are now removed. And that’s a very good thing.
Then again, that could change once the MLB findings are released.
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“Sources” AKA mole, spy, snitch, rat…. Of course it could just be a “planned” leak. Those happen you know.
So, the king is dead… long live the king…
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OK that’s funny, even if it’s painful.
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Is it noteworthy that John Hart is not in Orlando representing the Braves today? Maybe; maybe not. It may just be that he’s here in Atlanta for AA’s introduction. But that’s somewhat newsworthy given that Hart lives in Orlando and likely had a tee time this morning.
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Okay, enough with the Hart bashing… time to move on… He was doing exactly what he was hired to do. If you are going to micro manage your staff, you may as well do away with them as dead weight. So, having a President of Baseball Operations to me is dead weight. A ploy to demote someone without changing their title. Reminds me of a Chief of Police for a 10 man police force wearing 4 general stars. Who do they think they are kidding?
How do you build a top level farm system? Start with a bunch of number one draft picks that comes from having some really bad teams… Funny how that works out. I have not forgotten how JS gutted the Braves minor league of talent by trading 5 players to the Texas Rangers for stop gap Texeria.
So. who will the axe fall upon with the hire of AA? Look for the current Braves shortstop to be traded, also will not be surprise to see the Braves eat Matt Kemp’s contract.
I love Acuna but he has not faced major league level breaking pitches yet. I fear those will be his bane.
Markakis will be gone before spring training I predict. Part of a package deal to return relief pitching. Not sure who will be in the Braves outfield but with a new guy coming in, don’t be surprised to see a big turnover in the Braves.
Several of the young pitching prospects so highly touted will be traded away to make the Braves better now. I predict they will go on to greatness for other organizations. It is the way things work.
So, let’s see how much money the guy gets to work with. That is the real tell isn’t it? Maybe take the money the Braves are paying Hart and add a decent pen.
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It takes more time to drive to and from airports than it does to fly between Orlando and Atlanta. Of course flying on your own personal jets makes things less a problem. Hart will turn over the keys to the kingdom this afternoon, I wonder if Bobby Cox and Hank Aaron will be there?
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Literally sitting in the dentist chair awaiting a root canal…
Reading different reports it’s clear that AA will have full authority and final say on all baseball matters.
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Nothing stops us from our duty to report all things Braves and Stuff.
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4pm presser…
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Just heard something pretty funny. A guy on the radio noted we went from Coppolella to Anthopolous, and suggested we refer to Anthopolous as “Thoppy”.
Ha ha ha…
I’ll just stick to AA, thanks.
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No John Hart at today’s presser. Telling.
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Terry McGuirk led off the whole shebang with an apology to the fans for the current debacle. I think that was more than fitting.
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“John Hart is transitioning to Senior Advisor and will not be involved in the day to day operations.”
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AA takes the title of Executive VP & GM.
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AA first contacted prior to World Series. Met and interviewed during an off day.
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McGuirk: “John Hart steps down immediately.”
Essentially, John Hart takes on the same role as John Schuerholz, which is more or less a non-role. As McGuirk said, they are available for consultation if anyone wants to avail them of such. Otherwise, they’re just figure heads.
McGuirk maintains that the decision was mutual and that they had begun discussing such a role back in the summer.
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It has been made very clear once again that AA has the final say on all things baseball. He’s the man. No other layer of bureaucracy above him.
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He’s been studying the roster and pipeline for 2 weeks, so he has some very basic knowledge already. But he continues to emphasize that he relies heavily on the opinions of others on his staff and will be seeking their opinions not just in the short term but going forward as well. Strongly believes in the strength of the “team” over the individual.
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I think I might like this guy.
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When asked about this specifically, AA admitted that because he does not yet have “institutional knowledge” of the roster and personnel, he will tread “slowly” during this first offseason. But he also said that if something presented itself that would be favorable for the team, he would not be hesitant to act on it.
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I think I might like this guy.
Based solely on my first impression of how he answered questions and handled the press, I came away impressed. I think the Braves may have made their best move of the offseason already.
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Terry McGuirk, via press release: “The past few months have been the toughest in our storied history. We are excited to have Alex lead our baseball operations team and begin a bright, new chapter for our organization. We chose Alex because he is of the highest character and has a wealth of MLB leadership experience. He is one of the elite baseball executives in our industry and is the perfect person to lead us to a World Series.”
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Well, as Gil’s previous lead was entitled, “The worst may be behind us!”
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Full official press release:
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I watched the earlier press conference and have just been listening to AA on a radio interview… and have to say that if his goal was to get Braves fans a little juiced over the future, he’s accomplished it with this one. It’s been a very nice ray of sunshine in an otherwise stormy offseason. I like what I hear from him, from such topics as prospects to trade philosophy to his belief in analytics vs. traditional analysis. In my book, he gave ll the right answers.
One thing has been made crystal clear: this is a new page in the history book of the Braves. We are finally moving forward into the future, regardless of the impending penalties from MLB. This fan, for one, cannot be happier about that.
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“Thoppy”…
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LOL
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A bit of news and a couple of observations: First. Braves prospect Brett Cumberland has signed a deal to play for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League.
http://www.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20171113&content_id=261795106&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t4067&sid=t4067
Secondly, There is no truth to the rumor that Nick Markakis has challenged the new GM to beard growing contest…
Three, beware of looking in the mouth Greeks baring gift horses…
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😀 😀 😀
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So, after the finger pointing and recriminations finally subside, and they will. Remember the Braves were left in much better shape than when Coppy and Hart were hired. So, I leave you with this question, “other than that Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?” 🙂
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LOL Love the wit and humor!
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Good Grief! Ned Yost nearly killed in accident. Surgeons called him very lucky.
https://www.thewildcard.com/royals-manager-ned-yost-almost-died-falling-tree/
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOjYg6MWAAAbwsR.jpg:large
Too frumpy for words…
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LOL – again!
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Much is being made this morning about something we mentioned yesterday regarding the AA press conference…
It is as noteworthy who was NOT on the dais as to whom was on the dais.
When was the last time you can remember that John Schuerholz, John Hart, and/or Bobby Cox was not at the table?
I have discovered this morning that Bobby Cox was in the room, sitting in the front row next to Snit. But his presence was downplayed and limited to that of an observer only. And I think that may be a good analogy for where the “Sunshine Boys”, as a local radio guy likes to call them, now sit in the Braves hierarchy… on the sidelines.
Its a major break from the historic past, but it’s time. It’s past time. I like that Terry McGuirk specifically addressed all three of those esteemed (well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad) gentlemen. He mentioned that those three were now in an “advisory” role, and at the disposal of AA and anyone else seeking an opinion. But it was made crystal clear that AA would have to do the seeking. Those guys no longer have any influence over baseball ops.
Now I’m sure JS will continue to guide the development of the new Spring Training facility. And that’s great. He did a great job securing the location, and he did a great job in role in getting SunTrust Park out of the ground. I have no doubt that he’ll do a great job in getting North Port ready for our boys in 2019. Bobby will continue to ride his tractor in Acworth and JH can continue to play 18, or 36, or however many he wants to play. And he won’t be missing anything important anymore.
And all three are welcome to attend every game they want to without the price of admission. But their collective appreciated time is over.
It’s AA’s time now. It’s Thoppy Time.
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AA said it was as a result of his interview with Bobby Cox that he became excited about possibly becoming the GM for Atlanta. While not at the “table”, Bobby C still holds a place in the organization. He has not been involve in the day to day for quite a while but he is still around, often as a cross checker for the scouting department. So, I would not throw dirt on his grave quite yet.
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As for Hart… HE GONE!
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Bobby C still holds a place in the organization… I would not throw dirt on his grave quite yet.
Agree. And I believe his place is important. But I still think it’s noteworthy that he has taken a backseat. I also think it’s the right thing. Perception often trumps reality, and the perception that the Braves cannot let go of the past is a powerful one. It’s why I think that handing the reins completely over to a relatively young and energetic exec who has a modern view of talent (while still keeping an eye on the classic view) is an important step for this organization going forward. History is important… more important than is being taught in this “modern society”. But keeping one foot nailed down in that history makes it impossible to move into the future. We may realize that being denied permission to bring over Dayton Moore turns out to be a blessing in disguise.
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CL, wow, that’s amazing that story about Ned Yost! The good Lord was certainly looking after him! That phone could have easily been crushed in the fall…
Don’t get why anyone would want to climb up a tree 20 feet to shoot….you can still shoot at ground level too!
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Mobile’s Fasano lines them up, inks them down
BayBears manager, a self-taught calligraphist, makes art every day
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… plus he’s one Bad A__ looking dude.
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Don’t get why anyone would want to climb up a tree 20 feet to shoot….you can still shoot at ground level too!
Ber, pretty much everyone who deer hunts now hunts from an elevated position. A couple of reasons, 1. Deer cannot/don’t look up… 2. It is safer especially if using a high power rifle because you are shooting down. Here in Va it is required in counties east of the blue ridge mountains if you are using a HP rifle that you do so from an elevated tree stand.
Vee, I cannot agree completely on your view of history. I mean, it is not as if the old joke of how many Virginians does it take to change a light bulb? A. At least three, one to change the bulb and 2 to talk about how good the old one was…
I think it is important to remember what got you to where you are, what made you successful and what went wrong. Now, that does not mean you should be so rooted in history that you cannot get to the future, just keep in mind people stand on the shoulders of those who preceded them.
So. why do we have so many wars of conquest? Because many people don’t know what happened to those who have tried before and failed. Another way of saying why we should not be in Afghanistan, but, folks always think they are smarter than the guy who preceded them…
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On Fasano, why am I reminded of Brad Garrett????
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Gil, I believe you and I are much more aligned on our view of history, and its importance, than it may appear.
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Sal has the whole Godfather look going.
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AA lays out his current modus operandi. Definitely worth the read.
You can link it here.
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Nubyjas Wilborn, Marietta Daily Journal:
As Anthopoulos gets started, the Braves still waiting to find out the results of MLB’s investigation, and there is no timeline as to when they will be announced.
According to sources with knowledge of the proceedings, MLB will look favorably upon Hart no longer being involved with the baseball operations.
“The office wasn’t happy that the Braves of all teams are involved in this kind of stuff,” the source said. “It looks better for the Braves to clean house. Hiring Alex gives them a chance to show baseball that it’s serious about operating in a new way.”
It’s always better to be proactive than reactive. As deeply disappointed as I am with what has transpired, and as a long time fan I almost take it personally, I appreciate the fact that Liberty Media immediately dismissed Coppolella and Blakely, and acted swiftly to bring AA in and move Hart out. I also appreciate the fact that Terry McGuirk opened the AA press conference with a very direct and specific apology. It was no vague typical swipe at being sorry for being caught. Rather, it was a direct admission of wrong doing and a seemingly sincere apology for allowing it to happen. And as a long time fan, I appreciated the fact that the team has taken responsibility and has promised to clean their own house. And by all appearances, the hiring of AA is the first step.
I hope that MLB sees the same contrition I do and takes that into account in doling out the impending penalties.
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Good piece by DOB. like I have opined, John Hart has a lot of information about this team and it was his vision that got the Braves to this point. It is very unfortunate folks tried to take shortcuts but that price will be paid. Time to move on.
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Anybody else remember former Braves reserve IF Chris Woodward?
He played one season here (2007) where he played in 92 games and slashed a less than robust .199/.252/.279. That season, he played all around the IF getting 24 G at 3B, 13 G at SS, 11 G at 2B, and 6 G at 1B. He also committed 6 E’s spread out around the IF. It’s not hard to figure out why he wasn’t around in 2008.
Anyway, for the last 2 seasons he has been the Dodgers 3B coach. Now it appears he may be the leading candidate for the Yankees’ manager spot. Who’da thunk it?
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For those curious as to how the impending penalties will affect our international spending budget, DO’B clarifies a couple of points. We pretty much knew this, but this does make specific clarification…
If Braves lose player(s) in MLB sanctions, those players would not have to give back any signing bonus $ and Braves would not recoup that.
Not a bad deal for the kids, huh? Free money and a chance to earn another signing bonus from another team.
Also, if Braves are forbidden from signing international free agents for a year or two (seems likely), they would lose any international signing bonus space they’ve acquired via trades.
That last part I had not considered. Ouch. Although I don’t think they have done much of that after the last big int’l spending spree knowing they wouldn’t be back in that market for a couple of years while waiting in the “penalty box”.
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Bowman, on the impending penalties:
Sounds like MLB could announce the Braves’ penalties before Thanksgiving.
I’ll be surprised if the Braves don’t lose at least one of their international prospects. Maitan, Gutierrez and Bae are among the players who could be affected by the penalties.
We all know who Kevin Maitan is. He’s the big fish in that signing group. Gutierrez refers to Venezuelan C Abraham Gutierrez, who is also an elite prospect and already sits at #30 on the Braves Top 30 prospect list. Bae is the Korean SS Jihwan Bae. This is the first time I have heard anything regarding an int’l guy that wasn’t in that 2016 class.
Bowman doesn’t even reference any of the domestic draft picks, but I’m really nervous about Drew Waters. I’d just about rather keep him over Maitan. Well… maybe not, but just about.
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I was going to post something on A.A/Thoppy, but never had a chance to sit down…now?
Let me finally write something really significant, earth changing even……
Good signing!
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Ken Rosenthal, on his new pay site The Athletic:
Braves will lose prospects, and possibly a lot more, for violating international market rules, according to major-league sources.
Really? Is this news? Haven’t we been talking about this for weeks now?
Perhaps Kenny’s new pay venture should be renamed The Pathetic.
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I read a comment earlier today that suggested that the Braves, in this instance likely HOF’er JS, may be negotiating the penalties that are to be handed down. The reasoning behind the commenter’s statement seems sound to me…
First, baseball has been trying to get the IFA market under more control for a number of years, to little success. Thus the Red Sox in 2016 and now the Braves are to be held as examples of what happens when the rules are broken so egregiously. And the well documented fact remains that the Braves are not the only team to skirt the rules, just the one that did it the most overtly. Coppolella didn’t just cut a corner here and there, he rounded off the whole process.
So, following that reasoning, if the Braves feel that the penalties are too harsh, they could seek relief in the courts and point to the widespread although more covert cheating in that IFA market. And nobody wants that kind of ugly drawn out publicity, especially the league office.
No, in reality both MLB and the Braves would like this to hit swiftly and then go away without alot of residual bad press.
So to that end, there may be some negotiation going on so that when the penalties are handed down, the Braves gladly accept them and move on with not as much as a whimper.
To be perfectly honest, in this current litigious society, I can realistically see this happening just exactly like that.
Or am I just once again being the cynical conspiracy guy in the room?
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Kind of backs up my earlier hypothesis…
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Heyman | Former Braves GM Hart all good despite role change
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Really? Is this news? Haven’t we been talking about this for weeks now?
Perhaps Kenny’s new pay venture should be renamed The Pathetic.
well, Kenny’s a big name on the national front….It seems to be, MLBTR has not covered this story nearly as much, as say….the Red Sox story was….just reread about that story, seems pretty darned shady when they were overpaying marginal prospects, and that moola was funneled to better prospects via a mutual trainer(s)….
I just hate the thought of losing future Miggy ….hopefully an AL team gets him, and not say Mets/Nats/Marlins(not that the Marlins want to ever spend any money to get better, they should make a nice pinata for a few seasons with that former Yankee SS, Jeffrey Loria Jr running the Marlins)
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Or am I just once again being the cynical conspiracy guy in the room?
It’s just you 😉
Honestly, they way the world is now, almost nothing surmises me anymore.
Praying that something finally happens to the Clintons…..it would honestly shock me if all their corruption came to light…it would make those with less power at least think twice before doing something illegal . Right now, it looks like anyone can get away with anything, as long as you pay the right folks off…
if a ton of teams do the same thing, then a ton of teams should have to suffer, IMHO….
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So. who will the axe fall upon with the hire of AA? Look for the current Braves shortstop to be traded, also will not be surprise to see the Braves eat Matt Kemp’s contract.
Gil, I meant to comment on this before…. I have far fewer feelings for players right now, after watching everyone but FF and Julio T get traded away.
I am like a fantasy baseball fan now…Acuna, Gohara, Ozzie, Matian (get over it ber, he gone) and perhaps Newcomb are all I care about right now.
and only for their potential.
as for Dansby…would I like him to succeed? Sure! But…I have really wondered what his ceiling is…15 HR, 70 RBI, .270-280? Nice numbers…
but…what I saw last year…. 6 Hr’s 51 RBI’s .232. Not good…but, he’s only 23,….I know…I know…do you realize (I sure didn’t) that he didn’t hit a homer after….June??????
April .156
May .216
June .306 (yay, turned the corner!)
July .125
Aug .309(yay, really turned the corner!)
Sept .240 (.214 last 7 games)
16 RBI’s after the all star game…
Johan Camargo 81 Games, 241AB’s 21 Doubles (Dansby had 23 in 488 Abs 4 HR’s 27 RBIs, .299 BA .331 OBP.
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I posted for fear of losing all that data….
Dansby I fear has a disease for which there is little hope for a cure….acute JHeytitis….
aka screwed up swing disease….even when he was hitting in August, and they were saying, he just needed confidence , well the swing looked like crap. He moved up on the plate, which helped him at least tip the outside slider….he didn’t look right…..but, it was better…and some folks have ugly swings, yet are successful.. Robin Yount for 1, but that was awhile ago
so, I wouldn’t cry if Dansby and Sims and perhaps someone else were traded for some starter that’s pretty good….not sure if a team would go for it, except because of his age, and being a former #1….
Camargo IMHO, could hit .290 like Prado used to do, and give you 40 Doubles and perhaps 15-20 Homers, as I recall a lot of those doubles were wall bangers….
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I just hate the thought of losing future Miggy
While I believe the kid certainly has alot of promise, let’s not lose sight of the fact that he’s only 17 years old and may not ever turn out to be half of what some people see. In fact, there were scouts this year who saw him at rookie ball and came away unimpressed. But as we said, he’s only 17. Who knows?
As happy as I was that we were able to sign the kid as a IFA, I’m not going to jump off any bridge if we lose him. If we do, we do. Life, and baseball, goes on.
Let’s also remember that for every Kevin Maitan, there is a Ronald Acuna, who signed as an afterthought in 2014 for just $100K. Scout hard, draft smart, develop well, and Maitan won’t be missed.
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Am I the only one that notices that the AL MVP’s head could be called a high strike on the NL MVP?
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On the Braves news front… well, there isn’t any really. But the prevailing thought now is that MLB will announce the penalties against the Braves early next week. Why then? Well, #1 it appears that the investigation is over, #2 all the shiny feel good hardware has been handed out, and #3 all the baseball execs would have returned from this week’s GM meetings in Orlando.
A couple of sentiments are floating thereabout… because the Braves have already taken some very hardline steps in response to their own missteps, i.e. Coppy and Blakely being forced to resign and Hart being “reassigned”, MLB might withhold some of the wrath it wants to unleash.
I’m fairly certain, as is almost anyone who has been paying attention, we’ll lose prospects. We will lose any prospect, int’l or domestic, that they have documented evidence of malfeasance in their signing. Things such as the apartment that Kevin Maitan and another kid shared in Miami before his signing. If MLB has evidence that the Braves provided that apartment, that’ll be enough to lose Maitan. If they find evidence that any others were “bundled” in their bonuses, those prospects will also be gone. Their bonuses are theirs to keep and the Braves forfeit any claim to them or the $$.
Here’s how “bundling” works. Only the top 10 IFA signing bonuses are counted against the pool money allocated according to signing slots. SO each team has a finite bonus amount they can spread out over those 10 players. If you blow your wad on the top 1 or 2 picks, then you don’t have much left to spend on 3-10. In this case, if you spend $10M on Maitan at #1, then you have relatively little else to sign guys like Yunior Severino or Abrahan Gutierrez or Livan Soto, their next 3 picks.
But…
If you give a kid at #20, who just happens to be represented by the same guy who reps #1, and you give #20 a bonus that’s 2 or 3 times what his normal bonus amount should be, the overage gets funneled back to #1 and isn’t accounted for toward the bonus pool. It’s very common and happens all the time. But it seems that in the case of Coppy and Blakely, they did it blatantly and with great vigor. The analogy was made is that almost everybody speeds on the road, but not everybody goes 95 mph, while texting, and under the influence.
So I’ve gone a long way to say this; We will lose whatever IFAs that can be proven to have been signed illicitly. Period. That will be proven “damages”. If there is proven account of providing something off the grid to a domestic draftee, we’ll lose that kid as well. Again, proven damages. That much is fairly straightforward and easy.
The real question is what MLB will assess as “punitive” damages. You can certainly expect a fine. And you can certainly expect some restrictions on the IFA market in the near future, maybe a loss of pool money or simply keeping us in the “penalty box” longer. Where it could really get dicey is if the penalize us in the domestic amateur draft. Any loss of picks there would be hurtful.
I am of the belief that there will be a little leniency because the team has been proactive in cleaning up its own house. But it’s still going to hurt. I’m just ready to get this done and over with so we can move forward with a clear plan.
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Enjoy this rant by Fred Owens at Tomahawk Take. Its a very clear and well spoken opinion… and just common sense, something lost in this generation of PC lemmings.
Here’s another idea MLB; fix it so that children too young to shave aren’t treated like the allen wrench that comes with cheap furniture: used and then thrown away. You make the rules; change them.
Change the rules so that no amateur international player may sign a contract of any kind with any major league team, one of its affiliated companies or any person who works for a team even as a consultant, until the player is 18 years of age.
Create a system so that anyone other than a parent who operates as a buscone, quasi agent, or representative (or whatever they choose to call themselves) for these potential players must be vetted and approved by MLB – particularly those who do not speak English.
If another country doesn’t like those rules tell them to go home and create a system that prevents exploitation of uneducated children.
No child of born in the USA can sign at 16, why do you allow it to happen elsewhere? You have the authority to stop or significantly curtail these abuses. I know it’s hard but it is the right thing to do.
I’d much rather wait on a player to grow up so he understands what’s going one than see players with no chance used as lubricant to smooth the path for truly talented players then thrown away.
Amen brother… amen.
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And there ya go. This a a precursor to what will be announced next week.
For all the criticism I’ve heaped upon Hart and Coppolella over the last few weeks – all of it deserved – these men did execute a masterful restocking of our minor league system. And for that I give them complete credit.
That said, bye.
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Terry McGuirk said on Monday that Hart’s move to Senior Advisor and away from baseball ops was effective “immediately”. Hart disputed that on Tuesday at the GM meetings in Orlando saying he was very much in baseball ops.
I suppose we see who won that battle now don’t we?
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Hearing Derek Schiller, Pres of Business for the Braves, on a radio interview just now. He specifically stated that once the Braves were made aware of the infractions and the investigation by MLB, that they have worked very closely with MLB the whole way to get to the outcome that they have now reached, including doing some of their own housecleaning while the investigation was in progress. He didn’t specifically say it, but he very strongly hinted that this would impact the severity of the penalties that will be announced. He concurs that we should hear something very soon. I get the feeling that the Braves have not been sitting idly by awaiting things to happen. Rather they have been very involved in the investigation up to and including its conclusion.
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I also read somewhere today that the $$ lost in paid bonuses to whichever IFA players are lost via penalties might be counted toward the monetary fines imposed. That seems fair to me.
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Goody, one more baseball game to watch. For sure, I would not stop watching until the final out is recorded. Lots of offense to be had by both teams in this one.
As for the Braves, okay, get it over with already…. That way we can all move on.
On Hart, I guess he did not get the memo…. Good luck and thanks for the minor league restocking… maybe…
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On the draft…. why not institute a draft for the international players. If folks want to make it fair, really make it fair…. No overages either. when you run out of money, you don’t get any more picks…
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Happy Birthday Kakes. Probably be somewhere else next year…
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Watching (enjoying) the game this afternoon. My eye test is this, Nationals, Robles might be a better defender but Acuna is clutch. 2-4 with 3 RBI today. (so far) it is the bottom of the 7th.
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Of course Acuna not having an opportunity to make any plays in left field might shade my judgement….
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Oh.. the score is currently 6-2 in favor of the Braves/Blue Jays… Jackso has been fairly solid behind the dish for the Javalinas but former gNats draft pick and current Oakland prospect Shawn Murphy is a really solid catching prospect. His bat may not be major league but his defense sure is.
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Of course with Acuna moving to right, Robles made a wise decision not to run on him. Current reliever for Peoria is an 18 y/o kid who is bringing it at 99 to 100 mph, Padres prospect. kid’s name is Munos. Has closer written all over him.
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I think there is going to be a long rivalry in the National League East on who is better, Acuna or Robles. Should be fun.
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The Javalinas’ manager, Luis Salazar. is going to be spoiled after having an offense which can put an 8 spot on the scoreboard night after night. Pretty impressive line up.
So, the answer to everything ends his day with a sac fly to center for his 4th RBI of the day. Pretty good day.
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Peter Gammons:
When the sanctions against the Braves are revealed and they lose some international signings, one member of the organization who had nothing to do with the violations says that an example is that one Asian infielder that was signed got a $300,000 bonus that kept them within the allotment borders, but he was promised another $300,000 in 2018 that would have been paid under the table. They also expect to lose infielder Kevin Maitan, who received $5M, but the new order Braves are not concerned, feeling Maitan was not worth the money or the hype.
Translation: Maitan and Jihwan Bae are goners. I think I’m OK with that if we don’t lose SS Yunior Severino and draftee OF Drew Waters. And I’d like to keep C Abraham Gutierrez. I’m nervous though. We should know tomorrow.
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Good morning Stuffville… Looking at the Braves depth chart, there are several Rule 5 eligible players the Braves are going to have to either keep or cut bait on. A couple of outfielders are Dustin Peterson and Ray-Patrick Didder.
Of course, for every player taken off your roster, a new one opens… Not sure how many teams are willing to give up a guaranteed roster spot for either player.
Rule 5 player selection is a tricky thing.
Here is a link to the current Braves depth chart.
https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-atlanta-braves/
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And of course:
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Ugh…
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Yes, may as well wait until Wednesday so we can stew over it during Thanksgiving Day.
Can’t see anything else on the horizon except the Yankees announcing their new whipping boy.
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Braves fans awaiting verdict…
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CL… new dates for the bottom:
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Several? How many is several?
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… the 2nd minor league reliever from the organization that AA came from. He should know them.
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AA knows how important that strong Dodger bullpen was to their success.
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From Braves official twitter:
Ravin, 29, appeared in 14 games in relief for the Dodgers last season, striking out 19 in 16.2 innings while compiling a 6.48 ERA.
Those numbers easily say that Ravin has great stuff but lousy control. You can’t teach stuff but you can teach control. Worth the risk. Puts the monkey on Chuckie’s back, though. Hopefully Chuckie has learned a few things too.
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As for the earlier acquired LHRP Grant Dayton, MLBTR’s Jeff Todd describes him thus:
Dayton (29) carries an intriguing background to his new organization. He seemingly came from nowhere to dominate down the stretch and become one of the Dodgers’ top relievers in 2016. But Dayton showed signs of trouble throughout the 2017 season and ultimately struggled to a 4.94 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 23 2/3 innings before going down with a UCL injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery this August.
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Another project…. And what of Lindgrem? The kid who has gone thru rehab and the Braves snatched from the Yankees? I did not see his name…
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Hummm, does this mean he will try to reacquire Alex Woods? 🙂
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does this mean he will try to reacquire Alex Woods?
I’ll take him. 😀
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And what of Lindgrem?
Jacob Lindgren was activated from the 60-day DL back in November when the DL dissolved and is on the 40-man roster. He’s supposed to be ready to compete in spring for a bullpen spot.
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Before the official MLB sanctions are handed down – which admittedly could be delayed yet again – I’m going to take a WAG and guess the Braves will lose at least 4 players: Kevin Maitan, Jihwan Bae, Abraham Gutierrez and Drew Waters. I think there could be a couple more lesser players involved in the “bundling” issue as well, but those 4 are the “big” names. I think Maitan and Bae are obvious goners. I think Waters is 50/50. I think Gutierrez is less than 50/50, but I have a gut feeling…
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It’s intriguing to me now that most people view it a foregone conclusion that Maitan is gone, that the negative scouting reports are trickling out. The Braves have always been good about pumping the value of their own prospects and keeping a low profile on the shortcomings. I had not heard one negative on Maitan until his loss became more of a reality. Now I’ve heard many… mainly that his bat is slower than reported and that his body is “thicker” (aka fatter) than when first scouted. Then again, for a kid who came from nothing and now has a few million bucks in his pocket, he’s probably eating pretty good.
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What is said about money spoiling a kid’s incentive? $4.5MM is a heck of a lot of dough for a 16 year old kid who had nothing. Think Acuna, who signed for $100,000 does fell like he deserves just as much if not more? I’ll bet he will demand a huge raise when he finally hits arbitration..
So, the chickens have finally come home to roost, you can bet the Braves will be flyspecking every other team in the majors for just such deals. Oh well, nothing to do but move on.
Still, pretty hard to think a kid who got a $4.5MM was taken advantage of. Just saying…
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$4.5MM is a heck of a lot of dough for a 16 year old kid who had nothing.
And that’s all that we are aware of that he received. Could be twice that. And a car. And a condo. 😉
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Still, pretty hard to think a kid who got a $4.5MM was taken advantage of. Just saying…
That should be part of the debate. After all, these kids who are suddenly set free get to keep their bonus and go back for another. Where is the incentive on their end to do things right? And the way I see it, they were participants in the shady dealings. Now granted, they’re kids. How are they to know better without guidance from an honorable representative? But this certainly is not a way to teach them. They get off with free money and a year and a half of professional development and get to dip in the IFA bonus pool a second time. To me it’s incentive for the kids (and more specifically their greedy buscones) to encourage the cheating from their suitors.
If MLB truly wants to clean up the IFA signing process, they’ll regulate the representatives and give more oversight to the scouting process. And they won’t allow these kids to sign at age 16. That part is ridiculous.
How about this, MLB? How about set up a developmental league that they can play in beginning at age 16? Then make them eligible for the regular amateur draft after age 18. Lump them in the same draft pool with the domestic kids. If they did that, MLB teams would be much more careful and judicious when dealing with them.
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To add to that, MLB could even give the kids playing in the developmental leagues a stipend to augment their expenses. As it stands, kids are recruited to play in “developmental camps” where those running the camps are compensated with finders fees.
It is not like the kids in these third world counties have high school teams to play on. The only real development leagues are in Cuba… How is that right? And those kids have to sneak off in the night to sign with a team for a chance to play in the Show.
If I were the Cuban government, I would develop the same kind of deal the Japanese Leagues have in allow a player to move to the MLs. Hey, why not? I t would be a heck of a lot less risky and the players could go home to see their parents.
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Back to the Rule 5 roster protection…
Fred Owens at Tomahawk Take posted a nice graph of the players in the Braves system that would be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. I’m going to try to post that here, but have no idea how it might format:
Lvl Pos Player Age Acquired
AAA IF Travis Demeritte 23.1 Trade (TEX) Jul’16
AAA RP Caleb Dirks 24.4 Trade (LAD) Jun’16
AAA 3B Carlos Franco 25.9 Amateur FA (DOM) May’09
AAA RP David Peterson 27.9 Drafted 8th Rd ’12
AAA OF Dustin Peterson 23.2 Trade (SD) Dec’14
AAA IF Luis Valenzuela 24.2 Trade (KC) Aug’15
AAA RP Wes Parsons 25.2 Non-Drafted FA Jul’12
AA 1B Carlos Castro 23.5 Amateur FA (DOM) Jul’11
AA OF Ray-Patrick Didder 23.1 Amateur FA (ARU) Apr’13
AA SP Tyler Pike 23.8 Trade (SEA) Dec’16
AA RP Bradley Roney 25.2 Drafted 8th Rd ’14
AA RP Jacob Webb 24.3 Drafted 18th Rd ’14
A+ RP Oriel L Caicedo 23.8 Amateur FA (PAN) Jul’10
A+ C Tanner Murphy 22.7 Drafted 4th Rd ’13
A OF Leudys Baez 21.4 Free Agent (WSH) Dec’14
A SP Dilmer Mejia 20.4 Amateur FA (NIC) Jul’13
Of these players, I only see a couple that might be taken, both pitchers. The thing is, any team taking one of these players has to keep them on their 25-man active roster for the entirety of the year. That’s really hard with a position player like Demeritte or DPetey. They take up a very valuable bench spot. But a pitcher is easier to “stash”, especially if you carry 8 relievers like the Braves and several other teams do.
Those I see in peril are Dirks and Parsons. And I think Dirks is likely. No way anyone gambles on Demerrite. A team like MIA, who could trade its entire OF before 2018 begins, might take a flyer on DPetey, but only under that type condition where they just need to get through 1 or 2 years on the cheap.
(I really hope that list doesn’t come out all scrambled…)
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What I really think happened is a disgruntled employee who knew where the bodies were buried ratted out the Braves scheme and MLB had no choice but to bust the team. That and the urging of other teams who had deep pockets were amazed someone would not want to play in (cough) new York, Boston or LA.. ahem… Anyway, it will soon all be behind us and we can stop speculating. That in itself will be a relief.
No doubt, the Braves will also be placed on probation where any deals made will be heavily scrutinized by the league. That may be part of the package.
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I did not realize there were so many… As for Demerrit, the PED suspension really hurt him. Teams are waiting to see if the power numbers he put up were the real thing. He is another player who will have to grow into his body at age 26 before someone would take a chance on him.
As for the Marlins… Their park may even more cavernous than it is now if Stanton is traded. I foresee them playing in front of hundreds of fans and the new ownership will try to make it’s case for moving the team to a new venue citing low revenue streams. Just saying…
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Peterson had surgery on the dreaded fracture hammock bone… Think Jordan Schafer… Who never recovered his stroke. It has been the bane of a lot of good hitters.
It is what scares the h*** out of every GM, coach and manager when a player is hit with an inside pitch.
Even Freddie suffered last year after being hit and it was not nearly as serious as a hammock bone fracture.
And while I’m thinking about it… Anyone think Jeffery Loria wasn’t thinking ahead when he signed Stanton to a massive (and back loaded) guaranteed no trade 10 year contract? He, Loria, made a tidy profit on a club in a smallish market where he repeatedly snookered the fan base as well as major league baseball by pocketing luxury tax money. To put it bluntly, the Yankees and the Red Sox were Loria’s bi***s.
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it will soon all be behind us and we can stop speculating. That in itself will be a relief.
Amen brother. Amen.
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The first player I remember breaking the hamate bone was big Bob Horner. I loved Bob Horner. He was larger than life to a young fan.
Horner broke his twice, neither time batting. The first time was sliding and the second time was diving for a ground ball. Another unique thing about his was that it was in his right hand (as a RH batter). Not quite the same as being hit in the lead (pulling) hand. That’s the one that generates all the power.
He is also the first big name player I remember leaving the Braves as a FA. I even remember his agent’s name: Bucky Woy. I hated that man back then. I’ve matured now. I no longer hate him. I still wouldn’t buy him dinner though.
Bob Horner and Dale Murphy were THE only highlights of those horrible 80’s teams.
I wish I could find the commercial that those 2 made together back then. I can’t remember the product, but they were sitting in lounge chairs when a ball rolled near them. Horner reached to grab it with his bad hand/wrist and said “Ouch” toward the camera. It was pretty funny.
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Okay, names of players the Braves are losing coming down, among them SS Kevin Maitan, SS Yunior Severino, catcher Abrahan Gutierrez and RHP Juan Contreras.
Let the bidding begin, make them pay through the nose kids, you may never get another chance at such a windfall…..
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So, who do you think has an extra couple of million lying around?
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Wow so much for going easier on the Braves since they were helpful in the investigation I think this is really going to haunt the team for years and goodness are so many good arms at least
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OUCH! That hurt…. So much for cooperating….
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Contracts forfeited
Kevin Maitan
Abrahan Gutierrez
Yunior Severino
Juan Contreras
Yefri del Rosario
Livan Soto
Yenci Pena
Guillermo Zuninga
Antonio Sucre
Jihwan Bae
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I think it’s funny that Kevin Maitan is now overrated at 17…slow bat, fat…
I recall some “experts” saying Bryce Harper wasn’t all that and a bag of chips….long swing…remember a few years ago he was considered the most overrated player in baseball, by his peers?
I also recall Aroldis Chapman being overrated by some scouts before he signed with the Reds….
You just never know with kids…
I hope he has a great career…and perhaps signs as a free agent with the braves at the age of 26…..
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A public flogging. In my opinion, it was too harsh… but what do I know? As bad as I imagined it, I didn’t imagine it this bad.
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I had begun to thaw a little with respect to my disdain for Coppoloser. But after seeing the depth of the punishment handed down on the Braves today, a lifetime ban from MLB doesn’t even make me blink. In fact, I’d like to see him washing dishes at the local Waffle House. I’d pay good money to watch that. His blatant disrespect for rules has cost the Braves dearly. Maybe not in 2018 or 2019, but long term we’ve been raped.
I have to go pray now and ask forgiveness for the things I’m thinking about He Who Will Not Be Dignified By Name.
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Gil’s new lead is up! Thanks, Chief!!
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