2014 Braves Thread

[DFSNOLE]

Braves fans, it starts tomorrow! Spring training! It's been a long time since the Braves have spent like they belong in the AL East. They still don't have a #1 starter nor did they get a second baseman. Too much money invested in BJ Upton and Uggla to trade or release either of them. If, and it's a big if, both get back to an average offensive production level, the Braves can contend again.

 

[fsugrad06]

I'm glad we locked up some of our young talent and are in a position to have the core group and new money ready for the new stadium (and Uggla's contract comes off that year). The team is taking a very systematic approach and are gearing for the future. I'm a little worried for this year because there was no improvement really and other teams got better. Definitely looking forward to the season.

 

[tommynole3476]

How does one get scar tissue in/around their urethra?
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[DFSNOLE]

Several questions are there for me going into the season.

1. Will one of the young starters step up and become a true #1? While 90 wins is a possibility in the regular season sans a #1, playoff success is much more difficult.
2. How will Gattis respond to being the #1 catcher. Will the wear and tear negatively affect his offensive production? Will he handle the young staff and call quality games?
3. Can BJ and Uggla come close to living up to their contracts? Offensive improvement will be had if the two of them just meet their career numbers.
4. Was last year a career year for Chris Johnson? His production surprised me last year. Can he continue to put up similar numbers?
5. Can the bullpen remain the best in baseball? With the young starting staff, their continued production is imperative. Kimbrel is back but the set up rotation must be established.

I'm sure there are other questions but these came immediately to mind.

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:
Several questions are there for me going into the season.

1. Will one of the young starters step up and become a true #1? While 90 wins is a possibility in the regular season sans a #1, playoff success is much more difficult.
2. How will Gattis respond to being the #1 catcher. Will the wear and tear negatively affect his offensive production? Will he handle the young staff and call quality games?
3. Can BJ and Uggla come close to living up to their contracts? Offensive improvement will be had if the two of them just meet their career numbers.
4. Was last year a career year for Chris Johnson? His production surprised me last year. Can he continue to put up similar numbers?
5. Can the bullpen remain the best in baseball? With the young starting staff, their continued production is imperative. Kimbrel is back but the set up rotation must be established.

I'm sure there are other questions but these came immediately to mind.

All are big concerns, and you can add Justin Upton to part 3 in a way. Will he not have so many peaks and valleys, and can he hit more for average? Also, how will Heyward do starting the season at leadoff? He seemed to really hit his stride there to end the year, and can he finally stay healthy and progress? Who takes the lead in the clubhouse to replace Hudson and McCann? Very interesting year coming up.

 

[1nole2]

Went to the game Saturday and Uggla looked the same in his first AB. Struck out on 3 pitches and didnt have a good swing at any of them.

 

[trefeet]

IMO Uggla had to be roiding in Miami. 2nd base has always been a weak link for ATL except Lemmer in the playoffs. Brett Boone & Tony Graffanino were much better away from ATL.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[DFSNOLE]

Originally posted by 1nole2:
Went to the game Saturday and Uggla looked the same in his first AB. Struck out on 3 pitches and didnt have a good swing at any of them.

Uggla is hitting over .400 so far this Spring. Need to give him a chance.

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:

Originally posted by 1nole2:
Went to the game Saturday and Uggla looked the same in his first AB. Struck out on 3 pitches and didnt have a good swing at any of them.

Uggla is hitting over .400 so far this Spring. Need to give him a chance.

I would have no problem with Uggla if it wasn't for his contract. What you see with him, is what you get at this point. Maybe he can get the average up a bit, but I'm not holding my breath. If Uggla and BJ can just improve a little, and the young guns show natural growth/progression, this team may be able to compete considering the lack of additions in the off-season.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:

Originally posted by 1nole2:
Went to the game Saturday and Uggla looked the same in his first AB. Struck out on 3 pitches and didnt have a good swing at any of them.

Uggla is hitting over .400 so far this Spring.

Lets trade him before he screws it up. BJ too.

 

[DFSNOLE]

Originally posted by Lemon Thrower

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:

Originally posted by 1nole2:
Went to the game Saturday and Uggla looked the same in his first AB. Struck out on 3 pitches and didnt have a good swing at any of them.

Uggla is hitting over .400 so far this Spring.

Lets trade him before he screws it up. BJ too.

Never going to be able to trade either of those salaries.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[DFSNOLE]

Medlen walks off the mound today with an arm injury. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010. Right now they're calling it a forearm strain. Let's hope they're right.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[1nole2]

Anyone else worried about the lack of power so far this spring, only 5 HRs with 3 coming from Heyward

 

[fsugrad06]

Well, it's not looking good. Medlen needs a second opinion, and the Braves are down the top 2 pitchers in the rotation for at least a few weeks. Looks like the rotation currently is Teheran, Wood, Hale, and Garcia, with who-knows as #5 (hopefully we get good news on Beachy, Minor is out until April, and our 1 signing, Gavin Floyd isn't ready until May).

I hope there isn't a move for Santana, as he isn't worth the money, and definitely not worth losing a pick for. I know he wasn't pitching great, but having Gilmartin for the start of the year would be nice right now, hope Doumit is worth it.

Medlen Update

 

[DFSNOLE]

This sucks.....


LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ? A magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) exam on Kris Medlen's injured elbow showed "some
involvement in the ligament," Braves general manager Frank Wren said,
and the pitcher will have further tests and a second evaluation before
determining whether he needs surgery.

Medlen, who had ligament-transplant elbow surgery ? aka Tommy John
surgery ? in 2010 and missed most of the 2011 season for a 13-month
rehab, left Sunday's game against the Mets after grabbing his right
elbow and hopping off the mound in pain following a fourth-inning pitch.
The injury was intially diagnosed as forearm strain, but an MRI on
Monday showed apparent ligament damage.

A day later, Braves starter Brandon
Beachy lasted only two innings of a planned four-inning appearance
because of biceps tightness. He's coming back from two elbow surgeries
in a 15-month span. Braves starter Mike Minor is also questionable for
the first two weeks of the season after having shoulder soreness in the
first week of camp.


Medlen met with Braves doctors Tuesday to discuss the situation, then
left Champion Stadium without speaking to reporters because he had to
get to another medical appointment, a team spokesperson said.

If Medlen needs another Tommy John surgery, he would join Braves
reliever Jonny Venters in trying to be among the few pitchers to ever
come back from two "TJ" surgeries and perform at a high level again in
the majors.

Medlen was likely to consult with Dr. James Andrews, who did his
Tommy John surgery three years ago. MRIs on patients who previously had
Tommy John surgery can be difficult to read because of the scarring in
the area of the previous procedure, and the doctor who did the surgery
is usually consulted when there are subsequent injuries. Andrews did the
TJ surgeries on Medlen, Beachy and Venters (twice).

ajc.com

 

[DFSNOLE]

ESPN is reporting the the Braves will sign Ervin Santana to a one year deal. This does not speak well for the condition of Medlen, Minor and Beachy.

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:
ESPN is reporting the the Braves will sign Ervin Santana to a one year deal. This does not speak well for the condition of Medlen, Minor and Beachy.

Signed to a 1 year, $13 million deal. I don't mind that it's only a year, but I hate losing that pick.

 

[DFSNOLE]

They gave up the 26th pick but got the 32nd from NY in the McCann deal so that softens it a bit.

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:
They gave up the 26th pick but got the 32nd from NY in the McCann deal so that softens it a bit.

That's true, forgot about the McCann pick; plus, we should offer Santana next year and will get a pick then (if he performs well)

 

[DFSNOLE]

Hate it for him.....


Medlen, 28, paused several times and put his head down as he
discussed the situation with reporters Wednesday morning at Champion
Stadium, three days after he left a game against the Mets clutching his
right elbow in pain. He said he actually felt the injury on a curveball
he threw to Curtis Granderson on a ground out, but stayed in the game
and threw two more pitches to Matt Clark, and felt searing pain after
each, before hopping off the mound and heading to the dugout with the
count 1-1.

He said cursed to himself after the Granderson pitch, almost in
disbelief that he had probably torn the ligament again, like he did in
2010.

"It was more of a denial/frustration/anger thing," Medlen said. "I
was already losing it on the way to the dugout. I couldn't breathe. Just
all that stuff … going through it one time, I told myself if I ever had
to do it again I would quit. Stupid comments like that. I'm not going
to quit, obviously. But the first time I did it in 2010, I was telling
myself there was no way I could will myself to do all this crap again."

Braves general manager Frank Wren sat next to Medlen when the pitcher
spoke with reporters, and put a hand on his shoulder at one point when
Medlen nearly broke down.

2nd TJ Surgery

 

[DFSNOLE]

ajc.com is reporting Beachy needs a second TJS.

 

[tommynole3476]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE
ajc.com is reporting Beachy needs a second TJS.

what.the.eff?
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[DFSNOLE]

Originally posted by tommynole3476:

Originally posted by DFSNOLE
ajc.com is reporting Beachy needs a second TJS.

what.the.eff?
Posted from wireless.rivals.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ? Pitcher Brandon Beachy's
arm injury appears to be far worse than he and the Braves initially
believed, and he could find out Monday that he needs a second Tommy John
elbow surgery and another year-long rehabilitation.

The Braves face the almost unimaginable, but quite real, possibility
that starting pitchers Kris Medlen and Beachy could both be told Monday
when they visit Dr. James Andrews that each needs to have a second
ligament-transplant surgery, aka "Tommy John" surgery. Andrews did TJ
surgery on Medlen in 2010 and on Beachy in June 2012.

The rest of the bad news here

 

[DFSNOLE]

Originally posted by DFSNOLE:
ajc.com is reporting Beachy needs a second TJS.

Being done by the Dodgers team surgeon.


PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. ? The Braves' spring of
maddening misfortune continued Thursday with the announcement that
Brandon Beachy would have Tommy John elbow surgery Friday, the pitcher's
second ligament-reconstruction surgery and third overall elbow surgery
in just 21 months.

The surgery will be done by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Dodgers team
physician, rather than Dr. James Andrews, who did Beachy's previous
Tommy John surgery in June 2012 as well as his arthroscopic procedure in
September to remove a bone chip. Andrews, considered a foremost
practitioner of Tommy John surgery, performed the procedure Tuesday on
Braves pitcher Kris Medlen, also Medlen's second TJ surgery in 41
months.

The rest of the bad news

 

[DFSNOLE]

How about some good news for a change.


LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ? Dan Uggla has twice as many
home runs and more than three times as many walks as last spring
training, and Braves officials aren't even bothering to knock on wood
anymore when they say they're encouraged by his progress.
Uggla
hit a two-run homer off Red Sox pitcher John Lackey in the fifth inning
of the Braves' 6-3 Grapefruit League win Saturday at Champion Stadium.
It was the team-high fourth homer for Uggla, who went 1-for-3, drew his
team-high 10th walk, and also lined out to left field on a Lackey
breaking pitch.
"I love it," Braves hitting coach Greg Walker
said. "He's starting to get results. You could see early on in camp he
was doing things a lot better. And it's not just running into breaking
balls or anything else ? he's covering a lot of different kinds of
pitches. We're excited for him, we really are."

Let's hope...

 

[DFSNOLE]

The Chief has been released.


LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ? When the Braves released
veteran Freddy Garcia on Monday afternoon, the move was met with
surprise and confusion by most in the clubhouse. After all, the team has
had a rash of injuries to starting pitchers and he could've provided
experience to an otherwise youthful opening-day rotation.
It
wasn't until a few hours later, when news trickled out that the Braves
had agreed to terms with veteran starter Aaron Harang, that the move
made any sense. Harang had asked for and been granted his release
earlier Monday by the Indians, after they told him a day earlier that he
wasn't going to make the opening-day roster.
Harang, 35, is only
two years younger than Garcia and hasn't been any more effective in
recent seasons. But he impressed scouts more this spring while posting a
2.00 ERA in four games (two starts) for the Indians. And so, the Braves
said goodbye to Garcia.

Came down to $

 

[DFSNOLE]

From the mlb.com preview of the NL East.


Atlanta Braves

Strengths: The middle of the lineup -- Craig Kimbrel,
are areas the Braves count on. The durability of Gattis is a bit of a
wild card since he'll be the regular catcher for the first time, but he
has legit power (21 homers in 354 at-bats last season). Kimbrel had 50
saves and an incredible 98 strikeouts in 67 innings while allowing just
39 hits. Power arms Jordan Walden help get the game to him. Atlanta's relievers combined for a franchise record 2.46 ERA in 2013.

Weaknesses: All you need to know is that the Braves probably know more about 23-year-old Gavin Floyd, coming off Tommy John surgery, could be back by the end of April.

Spot to watch: Center fielder Dan Uggla
hit only .179 in the third year of his five-year, $62 million contract.
Especially with the rotation iffy until reinforcements arrive, strong
seasons by both players would be a big boost to the offense and help
prop up the rotation, especially at the beginning of the season.

Sign of trouble: Third baseman Jason Heyward
has shown he can be a difference-maker, but he has been inconsistent
while suffering two unavoidable injuries last season. It will be a bad
omen if Johnson and Simmons slip and Heyward doesn't step up.

They'll be rolling if ... : Santana, Minor and Floyd have to
pitch deep into games when they become available. As good as the bullpen
is, the relievers could be burned out early if the starters don't eat
enough innings. So if the rotation can take some of the pressure off the
bullpen, the Braves should be in position to keep a lot of games close
early and win them late.

The rest here

 

[Vizike Is Back!]

Game 1 not looking good. After last year, I can't believe BJ and Uggla are playing...starting no less. They are a combined 0 for 6 on the day so far contributing to the ZERO runs the Braves have scored thru 6 innings. BJ in the #2 spot with two Ks already. Idiot management.

Our "ace" Julio looks shaky as well giving up hits all over the place.

Gonna be a LONG season with these guys.

This post was edited on 3/31 4:38 PM by Vizike Is Back!

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by Vizike Is Back!:
Game 1 not looking good. After last year, I can't believe BJ and Uggla are playing...starting no less. They are a combined 0 for 6 on the day so far contributing to the ZERO runs the Braves have scored thru 6 innings. BJ in the #2 spot with two Ks already. Idiot management.

Our "ace" Julio looks shay as well giving up hits all over the place.

Gonna be a LONG season with these guys.

Don't think we should consider Julio the ace, at least not this year. Santana is the ace when he comes back, or Minor. With another year of development, Julio should be the ace. BJ should switch spots with Simmons.

 

[Vizike Is Back!]

BJ should switch spots with some minor leaguer....

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by Vizike Is Back!:
BJ should switch spots with some minor leaguer....

If he didn't have that massive contract, I'd agree.

 

[DFSNOLE]

Originally posted by Vizike Is Back!
Game 1 not looking good. After last year, I can't believe BJ and Uggla are playing...starting no less. They are a combined 0 for 6 on the day so far contributing to the ZERO runs the Braves have scored thru 6 innings. BJ in the #2 spot with two Ks already. Idiot management.

Our "ace" Julio looks shaky as well giving up hits all over the place.

Gonna be a LONG season with these guys.

This post was edited on 3/31 4:38 PM by Vizike Is Back!

To be fair, none of the other guys in the lineup contributed to any runs either.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[trefeet]

I would put Andrelton in two hole pitcher in 8 spot and BJ in nine spot. Reason is I would rather have BJ on for Heyward than a pitcher.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[fsugrad06]

BJ is 0-6 with 4 ks so far...that 2 spot is really working Fredi.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[fsugrad06]

Nice work tonight from Heyward, Freeman, Wood, and Uggla. Kimbrel struck out the side in the 9th for his first save.

 

[Kbnoles7]

Originally posted by fsugrad06:
BJ is 0-6 with 4 ks so far...that 2 spot is really working Fredi.

Something's gotta give with BJ. Need to drop him in the order. I like Heyward leading off.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[tommynole3476]

Same team as last year I'm afraid. If they hit a HR they'll win 90% of the time, if they don't, they'll win 20%, but they'll still make the playoffs, but the offense will disappear and they'll be out early.

We all just need to accept that BJ and Uggla have to and are going to play a lot, and it won't really matter where they are in the lineup. They can't be moved or traded, we are just stuck with them until their contracts are up. Not saying they shouldn't try, I just think in spite of there being some really stupid clubs out there, there isn't one that would be dumb enough to take one of them off our hands, let alone two of them.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[DFSNOLE]

Originally posted by fsugrad06
BJ is 0-6 with 4 ks so far...that 2 spot is really working Fredi.

He did alright during Spring Training. To use a golf analogy, he must be a fine driving range player.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[fsugrad06]

Originally posted by Kbnoles7:

Originally posted by fsugrad06:
BJ is 0-6 with 4 ks so far...that 2 spot is really working Fredi.

Something's gotta give with BJ. Need to drop him in the order. I like Heyward leading off.
Posted from wireless.rivals.com

That's the thing too, with Heyward batting in front, and Freeman behind, BJ has seen decent pitches to hit but still can't put them in play. Uggla has made solid contact in both games, I have much more hope for him.

 

[tommynole3476]

Sometimes its funny to project someone's stats when they have a big first day or two, knowing that it is absurd, and would never finish that way. Well, with his first AB today, BJ is on pace for 252 K.... I wish that sounded absurd, even though it would break the all time record by about 30 K, but sadly it isn't.

Part of me knows, he can do better (worse) than 252 K. lol
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]