BravesRed

Prospect Team for 2010 Prospects.

2010-02-23T00:51:48Z

I am doing a prospect team. All the rankings came from scoutingbook.com.

#1 RHP Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals.
#2 OF Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
#4 OF Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays
#5 OF Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins
#6 C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
#7 LHP Martin Perez, Texas Rangers
#8 1B Justin Smoak, Texas Rangers
#10 3B Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
#13 SS Alcides Escobar, Milwaukee Brewers
#20 DH Jesus Montero, New York Yankees
#56 2B Brett Lawrie, Milwaukee Brewers

The team for Baseball America.
#1 OF Jason Heyward Atlanta Braves
#2 RHP Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals
#3 OF Mike Stanton Florida Marlins
#4 DH Jesus Montero New York Yankees
#5 LHP Brian Matusz Baltimore Orioles
#6 OF Desmond Jennings Tampa Bay Rays
#7 C Buster Olney San Francisco Giants
#8 3B Pedro Alvarez Pittsburgh Pirates
#12SS Alcides Escobar Milwaukee Brewers
#13 1B Jason Smoak Texas Rangers
#59 2B Brett Lawrie Milwaukee Brewers

Braves near a deal for Edward Salcedo

2010-02-19T23:14:47Z

Edward Salcedo of the Dominican Republic is close to a deal with the Braves, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Salcedo is a 18 year old SS/3B. He ran a 6.81 in a 60-yard dash, according to a post on baseballdailydigest.com back in 2008. A quote from the same article tells a little more about him. "Edward Salcedo is a FA SS with a 6'3'', 190 lb. frame from La Vega, Dominican Republic. Big League body, strong and athletic. Smooth, easy defensive actions, easy plus arm, can really play SS. Aggressive swing, power projection, deep load from wide base, good bat speed, geared to drive fastballs, timing will be an issue. All the tools to be a top player. Potential 1st round type if in draft."

Some might remember Salcedo from a few years ago when an investigation was started because of the MLB nullified the contract after the United States thought he was born in 1989, instead of 1991. Bowman also says that, "The AP reported that the deal that was nullified was $2.3 million."

The AP via univision.com said that the Braves were the front runners for Salcedo.
Stay tuned to see what else is brought up about this deal.

Update:
David O'Brien tweeted that the deal will be final after Salcedo took a physical. He later tweeted that the Braves consider him a high first-rounder.

Important Questions

2010-02-17T17:30:10Z

Some important questions that will not be answered until after the 2010 season:

Jurrjens went 13-11 in 2008, 14-10 in 2009, so will he go 15-9 in 2010?

After Jones had a bad season in 2004, he had four excellent seasons. He had a bad season in 2009, so will he finish his career with 3+ good seasons?

Hinske has been with three teams that have won back to back to back World Series. Will he be a good luck charm, and Braves win the 2010 World Series?

Glaus had surgery in 2004 and 2005-2008, he had good offensive numbers. He had surgery in 2009, so will he have another good four years before his next surgery?

Cabrera hasn't had a decent season in his career. Now that he is with a new team, and in the NL, will he finally have a good year?

After Hanson and Jurrjens got robbed of being named the Rookies of the Year, will this the season that a rookie Brave will be named the RoY? Last by Furcal in 2000.

Justice win RoY in 1990, Furcal win it in 2000, another Brave will win it in 2010?

Saito hasn't had a bad season since coming to play in MLB, will he finally have a bad season? *Knock on wood*

Braves have three 30 year old infielders on the 40 man roster, will one of them make it onto the 25 man roster out of Spring Training?

Will McCann go on the DL this season for his eyes?

Will Kawakami continue his strong outings that he had when he got use to the American baseball?

Questions that can be answered at anytime:

If Heyward makes the roster out of ST, will Blanco or Cabrera be traded?

Could Clint Sammons finally become the catcher he once was claimed he could be?

Will Heyward make the roster out of ST? If not, will he make it when he won't be Super Two status?

These questions can be answered by the end of 2010.

Interesting article from bleacherreport.com

2010-02-15T13:31:51Z

On February 13th, Cameron Britt of bleacherreport.com wrote an interesting article on Felipe Lopez and the Braves. "This is all speculation/thinking on my part," he wrote. He thinks, with all the Damon stuff going on, that the Braves should look at Lopez to play second, and move Prado out to LF. He believes Lopez can be the threat at the top of the lineup that Braves seriously need. He also writes that the Braves could sign Lopez to a 1-year deal in the $3-$4 million range, which I totally disagree with, he could be signed for maybe $1 million plus incentives deal. There is no market currently for Lopez, so why should Braves outbid themselves? Lopez recently fired superagent, Scott Boras and went to his new agent, Beverly Hills Sports Council, so it would be easier to get that kind of contract without Boras being around.

Now, on to Prado. Some might say that don't move Prado to the OF, but he does have experience out there, so it's not like he never played there. He does have a 91.5 UZR/150 and a 2.74 RF in LF. He has logged in 23 innings. His defense is less than desirable at second base with a -15.2 UZR/150, but an impressive RF at 5.25.

Lopez does have a more impressive UZR/150 at second with 2.6 and not as impressive as Prado RF at second with a 4.73. Lopez can also play third and the OF, but you don't want him anywhere near the OF.

Also, there is not link, this is just speculation on the part of Cameron Britt. Also, some of the stats came from Fangraphs and the other part of the stats came from ESPN.

Reason for the Braves to sign and not sign Damon

2010-02-14T01:53:00Z

My blog will be about why the Braves should try to sign Damon, and why they shouldn't try to sign him.

Reasons why:
- He can be the leadoff hitter that Braves have lacked since Furcal left.
- He can help in the SB department, that Braves lack in over the last few years.
- He's a proven winner.
- He can help tutor some of the young outfielders such as Heyward.
- He would fell the outfield with people that can run fast.
- He helps charities like most of the Braves players.
- He's experienced in the playoffs.
- He owns Halladay

Reasons why not:
- Scott Boras
- He's taking to long to make a decision.
- If his defense is as bad as last season, that's not a good thing.
- He's dragged this thing on for to long.
- He can't play everyday.
- He's never played in the NL.
- His OPS is not very impressive.

I will be the first to admit that I didn't want Damon anywhere near the Braves outfield or even in Turner Field, unless in the opposite dugout. These are some reasons why I do and don't want Damon to sign with the Braves. Comments are always welcomed. Criticize, compliment, disagree, agree, I don't care, just leave a comment.

My prospective on things dealing with the Braves

2010-02-12T03:12:40Z

It's great to be back 3 days before Valentine's Day. For those to don't know me, my name is Joe, and I ran this blog for a few months last year, before I went on a break. Great to see some of the old faces still around here. But, let's get down to business.

Tom Glavine. He finally realizes that he can't pitch anymore, so he finally retires. He is now the Assistant to Mr. Schuerholz, the Braves President. Some consider Tom one of the best, if not one of the top two left-handed pitchers of all-time, along with "Lefty" Grove as the greatest one's of all-time. It's great to have Mr. Glavine back with the Braves, without having no hard feelings for what happened last season. He will go in the Hall of Fame with Braves great, Greg "Maddog" Maddux, which some think Maddux might go in as a Cub, and some think he will go in as a Brave, but even if he doesn't go in as a Brave, he will always be a hero to the Braves, and everyone that ever looked up to him, including myself.

Jason Heyward. The #1 prospect in the Braves organization, and in my opinion, #1 overall prospect in the minors. What can I say, the kid is a 5-tool athlete. Some say he should have a job out of Spring Training, some say keep him in the minors for a few months, and some say bring him in at the beginning of 2011. Whenever he finally come to the majors, he will be a great player, and the future of the Braves.

Johnny Damon. The man that can run fast, but a man that some like to call "Noodle-Arm." It went from Braves having interest, to them having none, then to have some interest, to none, to them having enough interest to offer him a deflated contract. You got Schuerholz saying that Wren are engaging in talk with Damon and his agent, Scott Boras, then you got Heyman and Olney coming up with tweets not long after that saying, "Some executives believe Damon will sign with the Tigers," and Heyman putting, "He hears that Tigers two-year offer is for little over $14 million." I am sick and tired as everyone else is about Boras saying one thing, and and screwing Damon over, because Boras is greedy. All I can say is, Damon and Boras need to hurry about about who he is going to play for, and Damon should fire Boras for misreading the market, which everyone knew that it would be a down off season for free agents not named Lackey, Bay, or Holliday. As some people are, I was against the Braves signing, then someone brought it to my attention to look at Damon's stats from all the years he has played. He has had 10+ home runs in 10 of his 14 years, if you keep him in LF, he can almost field good. If Damon keeps up the numbers he had before the new Yankees Stadium, I welcome him with open arms. But, if Braves want him, they better up their offer to Damon.

My projected 2010 Opening Day Lineup:

Without Damon:
1. Dias
2. Prado
3. Jones
4. McCann/Glaus
5. McCann/Glaus
6. Escobar
7. McLouth
8. Whoever will play the opposite of Dias in the OF.
9. Pitcher (Hudson)

With Damon:

1. Damon/Diaz as platoon
2. Prado
3. Jones
4. McCann/Glaus
5. McCann/Glaus
6. Escobar
7. McLouth
8. Heyward/Diaz, if Heyward doesn't start out of ST.
9. Pitcher (Hudson)

Starting lineup 08/08/09; Jones still out with injury

2009-08-09T02:11:44Z

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Andre Ethier RF
3. Manny Ramirez LF
4. Matt Kemp CF
5. James Loney 1B
6. Orlando Hudson 2B
7. Tony Abreu 3B
8. Brad Ausmus C
9. Clayton Kershaw P

1. Nate McLouth CF
2. Martin Prado 3B
3. Garret Anderson LF
4. Yunel Escober SS
5. Matt Diaz RF
6. Adam LaRoche 1B
7. David Ross C
8. Diory Hernandez 2B
9. Kenshin Kawakami P

Starting lineup 08/07/09; Jones resting

2009-08-08T02:07:38Z

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Andre Ethier RF
3. Manny Ramirez LF
4. Casey Blake 3B
5. James Loney 1B
6. Matt Kemp CF
7. Russell Martin C
8. Orlando Hudson 2B
9. Chad Billingsley P

1. Nate McLouth CF
2. Martin Prado 3B
3. Garret Anderson LF
4. Brian McCann C
5. Adam LaRoche 1B
6. Yunel Escobar SS
7. Ryan Church RF
8. Kelly Johnson 2B
9. Jair Jurrjens P

Starting lineup 08/06/09

2009-08-07T01:32:08Z

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Andre Ethier RF
3. Manny Ramirez LF
4. Casey Blake 3B
5. James Loney 1B
6. Russell Martin C
7. Orlando Hudson 2B
8. Randy Wolf P
9. Juan Pierre CF

1. Nate McLouth CF
2. Martin Prado 2B
3. Chipper Jones 3B
4. Brian McCann C
5. Yunel Escobar SS
6. Garret Anderson LF
7. Matt Diaz RF
8. Adam LaRoche 1B
9. Derek Lowe P

Braves sign Mike Minor

2009-08-06T13:23:11Z

According to Talking Chop the Braves have signed 1st round pick, Mike Minor out of Vanderbilt. Minor was selected 7th overall in the 2009 June draft. The Braves and Minor agreed to a $2.42 million bonus, which is the highest in Braves draftee history. It's $200,000 above the bonus of former Brave, Jeff Francoeur.

Some fans didn't want Braves to sign Minor to a deal. The Braves would of got the #8 pick in next year's draft if they did fail to sign Minor.

Starting lineup 08/04/09

2009-08-05T01:28:25Z

1. Tony Gwynn CF
2. David Eckstein 2B
3. Will Venable RF
4. Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B
5. Chase Headley LF
6. Kyle Blanks 1B
7. Henry Blanco C
8. Everth Cabrera SS
9. Tim Stauffer P

1. Nate McLouth CF
2. Martin Prado 2B
3. Chipper Jones 3B
4. Brian McCann C
5. Garret Anderson LF
6. Yunel Escobar SS
7. Adam LaRoche 1B
8. Matt Diaz RF
9. Javier Vazquez P

Starting lineup 08/02/09

2009-08-02T23:24:46Z

1. Rafael Furcal SS

2. Andre Ethier RF

3. Manny Ramirez LF

4. James Loney 1B

5. Matt Kemp CF

6. Russell Martin C

7. Mark Loretta 3B

8. Orlando Hudson 2B

9. Chad Billingsley P

1. Nate McLouth CF

2. Martin Prado 2B

3. Chipper Jones 3B

4. Brian McCann C

5. Garret Anderson LF

6. Adam LaRoche 1B

7. Matt Diaz RF

8. Diory Hernandez SS

9. Jair Jurrjens P

Starting lineup 08/01/09; Prado returns, LaRoche making redebut

2009-08-01T20:19:45Z

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Andre Ethier RF
3. Manny Ramirez LF
4. Casey Blake 3B
5. James Loney 1B
6. Matt Kemp CF
7. Martin Russell C
8. Orlando Hudson 2B
9. Randy Wolf P

1. Nate McLouth CF
2. Martin Prado 2B
3. Chipper Jones 3B
4. Garret Anderson LF
5. Matt Diaz RF
6. Adam LaRoche 1B
7. David Ross C
8. Diory Hernandez SS
9. Derek Lowe P

Starting lineup 07/31/09; Prado and Escobar out with injuries

2009-07-31T22:19:38Z

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Andre Ethier RF
3. Manny Ramirez LF
4. Casey Blake 3B
5. James Loney 1B
6. Matt Kemp CF
7. Martin Russell C
8. Orlando Hudson 2B
9. Jason Schmidt P

1. Nate McLouth CF
2. Kelly Johnson 2B
3. Chipper Jones 3B
4. Brian McCann C
5. Garret Anderson LF
6. Barbaro Canizares 1B
7. Matt Diaz RF
8. Diory Hernandez SS
9. Tommy Hanson P

Kotchman traded to Boston

2009-07-31T19:53:51Z

According to Mark Bowman via his blog the Braves are in discussion to bring back former Braves Adam LaRoche. LaRoche was traded to the Pirates a few years back for Mike Gonzalez. He was traded earlier this month to the Boston Red Sox.

Ken Rosenthal of foxsports.com says it could be a deal that would send Casey Kotchman to the Red Sox.

Danny Knobler of cbssports.com has confirmed that Kotchman will be traded straight up for LaRoche.

Barbaro Canizares has been called up from Gwinnett to play first base in tonight's opener against the Dodgers, According to Mark Bowman via twitter

Stay tuned for more details.