So the Braves will have a solid first baseman....I mean a real, power hitting, offensive, marquee, first sacker.
Let's take a look at the recent history of the Braves 1B position:
2007: Thorman/Saltalamachia/Franco
2006: LaRoche
2005: LaRoche/Franco
2004: LaRoche/Franco
2003: Fick/Franco/Franco
2002: Franco/Franco/Helms (and even some Surhoff)
2001: Bogna/Helms/Camanitti/Franco
2000: Galarraga/Joyner
So that means it's been since 2000 that the Braves had a real threat, I mean a household name type bigleaguer manning the old man's corner.
I like it. I like Teixeira. I liked Salty and hope he turns out to be a dud.
BTW, Matt Diaz wears #23 - and so does Teixeira, so someone will be buying someone else a new car for a jersey number.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Braves Get New First Sacker
Mark Teixera is a Brave.
Braves get 1B Mark Teixeira and LHP Ron Mahay.
Rangers get C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus, LHP Matt Harrison, and one more not accounced.
Pete Orr is still playing for Richmond.
Braves get 1B Mark Teixeira and LHP Ron Mahay.
Rangers get C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Elvis Andrus, LHP Matt Harrison, and one more not accounced.
Pete Orr is still playing for Richmond.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
48 Year old Everyday First Baseman?
Yes, the Braves have 22 year old Jarrod Saltalamacchia sitting while they play 48 year old Julio Franco at 1B.
I don't understand this at all. It appears taht they are very close to a deal to get Mark Texiera from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Salty and some other prospects...but wouldn't you want to have Salty at the first sack instead of Julio?
I like Julio, but c'mon.
Pete Orr went 4-5 for Richmond last night.
I don't understand this at all. It appears taht they are very close to a deal to get Mark Texiera from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Salty and some other prospects...but wouldn't you want to have Salty at the first sack instead of Julio?
I like Julio, but c'mon.
Pete Orr went 4-5 for Richmond last night.
Friday, July 20, 2007
8 Teams; How Many Jersey #s?
Julio Franco has worn a variety of jersey numbers on his back. I remembered that he had worn several different numbers with the Braves during 2001-05, but couldn't remember them all. So I did some searching and found his page on the Baseball Almanac web site. Man, there is some cool stuff there. They have a record of all his jersey numbers!
Franco is currently wearing #14 for the Braves. This appears to be his favorite jersey number. As a rookie in 1982 he wore #15 with the Phillies. From 1983 to 1994 Franco wore #14 for the Indians, Rangers, and White Sox. When he returned to the bigs in 1996 for the Indians he wore #23. The switch was made because the Indians planned to retire the #14 in honor of the second African American Major Leaguer, Larry Doby.
In 1997, with the Brewers, Franco wore #25. Number 14 was worn by catcher Dave Nilsson. SI.com says, however, that Franco wore #14. Not sure what the real deal is here. Could have been a midseason switch by Nilsson.
In 1999, Julio had 1 AB with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He wore #18.
When Atlanta rescued Julio from the Mexican League in 2001, he wore #28 and #4. Bernard Gilkey wore #23 with the Braves in '01 and Quilvio Veras wore #4. Julio took #28, then switched to #4 after the Braves sent Quilvio packing. Verteran Dave Martinez wore #14 that year.
One would think that Franco would have stuck with #4 throught '02, but he didn't. He wore it for a while, then switched to #23. He gave #4 to Matt Franco - Matt was promoted from AAA Richmond pretty early that season. He and Julio more or less platooned at 1B that season. It does not appear that anyone wore #14 for the Braves in 2002. (Note: Matt Franco is currently playing professional baseball in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines; the same team Julio Franco played for in 1995 and 1998.)
In 2003, Franco put on #14 and kept it through 2005.
It was a good thing that Franco kept #14, because Pete Orr broke in with the Braves in 2005 and wore the #4.
In '06, with the Mets, Franco wore #23. The Mets have the #14 of Gil Hodges retired, so that was not an option for Franco.
Franco continued to wear #23 for the Mets until he was let go earlier this month. Currently Franco is wearing a #14 Atlanta Braves jersey.
So, Franco has wore 7 different numbers on the back of his Major League jerseys (15, 14, 23, 25, 18, 28, 4).
Franco is currently wearing #14 for the Braves. This appears to be his favorite jersey number. As a rookie in 1982 he wore #15 with the Phillies. From 1983 to 1994 Franco wore #14 for the Indians, Rangers, and White Sox. When he returned to the bigs in 1996 for the Indians he wore #23. The switch was made because the Indians planned to retire the #14 in honor of the second African American Major Leaguer, Larry Doby.
In 1997, with the Brewers, Franco wore #25. Number 14 was worn by catcher Dave Nilsson. SI.com says, however, that Franco wore #14. Not sure what the real deal is here. Could have been a midseason switch by Nilsson.
In 1999, Julio had 1 AB with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He wore #18.
When Atlanta rescued Julio from the Mexican League in 2001, he wore #28 and #4. Bernard Gilkey wore #23 with the Braves in '01 and Quilvio Veras wore #4. Julio took #28, then switched to #4 after the Braves sent Quilvio packing. Verteran Dave Martinez wore #14 that year.
One would think that Franco would have stuck with #4 throught '02, but he didn't. He wore it for a while, then switched to #23. He gave #4 to Matt Franco - Matt was promoted from AAA Richmond pretty early that season. He and Julio more or less platooned at 1B that season. It does not appear that anyone wore #14 for the Braves in 2002. (Note: Matt Franco is currently playing professional baseball in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines; the same team Julio Franco played for in 1995 and 1998.)
In 2003, Franco put on #14 and kept it through 2005.
It was a good thing that Franco kept #14, because Pete Orr broke in with the Braves in 2005 and wore the #4.
In '06, with the Mets, Franco wore #23. The Mets have the #14 of Gil Hodges retired, so that was not an option for Franco.
Franco continued to wear #23 for the Mets until he was let go earlier this month. Currently Franco is wearing a #14 Atlanta Braves jersey.
So, Franco has wore 7 different numbers on the back of his Major League jerseys (15, 14, 23, 25, 18, 28, 4).
Sitting at 2.5 Back
The Bravos pounded the Redbirds last night at The Ted in the return of Julio Franco. Franco had a two-run single to show that he can still get around on the ball (he hit it to left field, a rarity for Franco).
This season will be his 6th in a Braves uniform - his first stint was 2001-05. Julio has played for 8 different MLB clubs. The Indians are the only team whom Franco has spent more time (8 seasons; 1983-88, 1996-97).
This is an interesting move. I guess Schuerholz and Cox think that Franco can help as a pinch hitter and at first base. I don't think they signed him for the "veteran leadership" as some of the media outlets have reported. I don't think the Braves, or any other big league team, would give a roster spot to a soon-to-be 49 year old to be a "father figure."
The Braves sent Jose Ascanio to Mississippi to open a roster spot for Franco. The Braves also moved Kyle Davies to Richmond and actived reliever Wil Ledezma (who had been on the "restricted" list since the end of the All Star break - his passport had been damaged in a load of laundry or something and he was stuck in Venezuela while he got a new one.
I think the Braves are concerned with left-handed hitting 1B Scott Thorman enough to make this move. Thorman is hitting .212 with 9 yayas and 33 RBI. He has Ked 57 times in 241 AB; that means he fans every 4.2 at bats. As previously mentioned, Thorman is out of minor league options.
Golden Child Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been spending a good amount of time at 1B, but that leaves the Bravos without a catcher on the bench. The Braves seem to have no interest in adding another catcher, and with Pete Orr now down on the farm Matt Diaz is the only "emergency catcher."
Salty has made 2 errors in 103 innings at the first sack - not all that bad for it being a new position. His batting average has dropped quite a bit. He was hitting .330 on July 1. After yesterday's 0-4, his average was .278.
We'll see how this whole thing plays out.
This season will be his 6th in a Braves uniform - his first stint was 2001-05. Julio has played for 8 different MLB clubs. The Indians are the only team whom Franco has spent more time (8 seasons; 1983-88, 1996-97).
This is an interesting move. I guess Schuerholz and Cox think that Franco can help as a pinch hitter and at first base. I don't think they signed him for the "veteran leadership" as some of the media outlets have reported. I don't think the Braves, or any other big league team, would give a roster spot to a soon-to-be 49 year old to be a "father figure."
The Braves sent Jose Ascanio to Mississippi to open a roster spot for Franco. The Braves also moved Kyle Davies to Richmond and actived reliever Wil Ledezma (who had been on the "restricted" list since the end of the All Star break - his passport had been damaged in a load of laundry or something and he was stuck in Venezuela while he got a new one.
I think the Braves are concerned with left-handed hitting 1B Scott Thorman enough to make this move. Thorman is hitting .212 with 9 yayas and 33 RBI. He has Ked 57 times in 241 AB; that means he fans every 4.2 at bats. As previously mentioned, Thorman is out of minor league options.
Golden Child Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been spending a good amount of time at 1B, but that leaves the Bravos without a catcher on the bench. The Braves seem to have no interest in adding another catcher, and with Pete Orr now down on the farm Matt Diaz is the only "emergency catcher."
Salty has made 2 errors in 103 innings at the first sack - not all that bad for it being a new position. His batting average has dropped quite a bit. He was hitting .330 on July 1. After yesterday's 0-4, his average was .278.
We'll see how this whole thing plays out.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Kyle Davies as Pinch Hitter
Kyle Davies pinch hit today in the 15th inning for Jose Ascanio. I have to wonder about this move for a couple reasons - the first being that I'm thinkin' that Davies would have been a potential relief pitcher in the game...possibly the next pitcher if the game had gotten tied and the second being that Davies is not, by the numbers at least, the best hitting pitcher who was still on the bench.
There were X pitchers still on the bench - Buddy Carlyle, Tim Hudson, Chuck James, Pete Moylan, and Jo-Jo Reyes. Moylan being the only reliever. Cox had used Jo-Jo as a pinch hitter before and had been successful.
Both Hudson (.200, 8 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI) and James (.194, 6 H, 1 2B, 2 RBI) have better batting averages than Davies (.192, 5 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI).
If it were me, I would have gone with Jo-Jo, who is 2-3 as a big league hitter.
There were X pitchers still on the bench - Buddy Carlyle, Tim Hudson, Chuck James, Pete Moylan, and Jo-Jo Reyes. Moylan being the only reliever. Cox had used Jo-Jo as a pinch hitter before and had been successful.
Both Hudson (.200, 8 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI) and James (.194, 6 H, 1 2B, 2 RBI) have better batting averages than Davies (.192, 5 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI).
If it were me, I would have gone with Jo-Jo, who is 2-3 as a big league hitter.
Braves Bring Back Some Bench Help
No, Pete Orr is still in Richmond hitting .238 in his first 21 AB since being kicked to the curb by the big club.
Julio Franco, who will turn 49 on August 23, will join the Braves tomorrow. He'll be a right handed hitter off the bench - and will probably get some limited playing time at first base. At first one might think that 1B Scott Thorman will be headed to Richmond, but he's out of options and would have to be put on waivers if the Braves want to do that. I'm thinking the Bravos will send down one of their 13 pitchers to open the spot for Julio - either Jo-Jo Reyes or Jose Ascanio.
The move will be announced tomorrow before the 7:35 tip-off with the St. Louis Redbirds.
Julio Franco, who will turn 49 on August 23, will join the Braves tomorrow. He'll be a right handed hitter off the bench - and will probably get some limited playing time at first base. At first one might think that 1B Scott Thorman will be headed to Richmond, but he's out of options and would have to be put on waivers if the Braves want to do that. I'm thinking the Bravos will send down one of their 13 pitchers to open the spot for Julio - either Jo-Jo Reyes or Jose Ascanio.
The move will be announced tomorrow before the 7:35 tip-off with the St. Louis Redbirds.
Friday, July 06, 2007
The Reality of Baseball Strikes
Pete Orr was sent to AAA Richmond yesterday and the call me up, send me down, call me up again, then send me down again, Joey Devine was recalled from AA Mississippi.
This will mark the first time since the beginning of the 2005 season that Pete Orr will not be on the Atlanta Braves 25-man roster.
Braves skipper Bobby Cox said, "We need another pitcher for the next couple of days bad. I hate to do it, because Pete is one of my favorite guys and one of the best teammates our guys have ever had."
Orr was hitting well below the mendoza line at .179 this season and has been overshadowed by the rise of Yunel Escobar during the recent weeks.
Orr said, "I'd love to play for the Braves and Bobby Cox again."
The Braves cannot recall Orr for 10 days - Major League rules, not mine.
This will mark the first time since the beginning of the 2005 season that Pete Orr will not be on the Atlanta Braves 25-man roster.
Braves skipper Bobby Cox said, "We need another pitcher for the next couple of days bad. I hate to do it, because Pete is one of my favorite guys and one of the best teammates our guys have ever had."
Orr was hitting well below the mendoza line at .179 this season and has been overshadowed by the rise of Yunel Escobar during the recent weeks.
Orr said, "I'd love to play for the Braves and Bobby Cox again."
The Braves cannot recall Orr for 10 days - Major League rules, not mine.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
...And Your National League All Star Shortstop is...
not Pete Orr since he's only played 1 inning during his MLB career at SS. Your NL All Star SS is Jose Reyes. The fans made a great choice. Reyes can play. He's a stud. He's got 40 SB at the half way mark and is hitting ~.315. A very worthy starting shortshop.
The members of the Major League Baseball Players Association chose the backup shortstop. They picked J.J. Hardy. Hardy is having a great year for the Brewcrew (18 HR, 52 RBI, .283 Avg, yada yada yada).
Who should the players have picked? Edgard Renteria. The Braves SS is having another great year (.326 Avg, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 21 2B, 7 SB, 53 R). Renteria has a .980 FPCT. Reyes has a .987 and Hardy has a .972.
The only NL SS with a higher batting average than Renteria is Christian Guzman, but Guzman has only played in 43 game (Renteria has played in 79).
Renteria has 101 hits. Hardy has 87. I could go on, but I won't.
Renteria is an All Star. The players dropped the ball -- and you can't blame the "every team needs a representative rule" because the Braves have 2 on the team (John Smoltz and Brian McCann) and the Brewers hav 3 others on the club (Prince Fielder, Francisco Corder, & Ben Sheets).
The members of the Major League Baseball Players Association chose the backup shortstop. They picked J.J. Hardy. Hardy is having a great year for the Brewcrew (18 HR, 52 RBI, .283 Avg, yada yada yada).
Who should the players have picked? Edgard Renteria. The Braves SS is having another great year (.326 Avg, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 21 2B, 7 SB, 53 R). Renteria has a .980 FPCT. Reyes has a .987 and Hardy has a .972.
The only NL SS with a higher batting average than Renteria is Christian Guzman, but Guzman has only played in 43 game (Renteria has played in 79).
Renteria has 101 hits. Hardy has 87. I could go on, but I won't.
Renteria is an All Star. The players dropped the ball -- and you can't blame the "every team needs a representative rule" because the Braves have 2 on the team (John Smoltz and Brian McCann) and the Brewers hav 3 others on the club (Prince Fielder, Francisco Corder, & Ben Sheets).
Monday, July 02, 2007
Who is Better at Picking All Stars?
Really, who is better at picking an all star team - the fans or the players?
In my opinion there has always been an undertone of disrespect for the selections that the fans make. So, here we are in the new era of All Star selection - fans still pick the starting position players, but the players get to pick most of the reserves. Prior to the tied all star game in 2002 the selections of the reserve players were done entirely by the managers World Series teams during the prior season.
So here were are in the National League with several catchers having solid years. It seems that a Major League Baseball All Star is defined by his year-to-date performance, so I will only address the 2007 stats that the NL backstops have put up.
The Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles catcher Russell Martin was selected to start by the fans - he leads NL catchers with a .297 batting average, 53 RBI, 9 HR (tied with Michael Barrett), runs scored, stolen bases, doubles (tied with Brian McCann), and hits. He has thrown out 36.5% of those who have tried to steal a base on him.
The players selected Atlanta Braves catcher McCann as the reserve catcher. Now, don't get me wrong. I'll take McCann on my ball club any day of the week. I love the guy...not love love, just love - ya know, kinda like Pete Orr. But McCann ain't no All Star - not this year. Here are the catchers with a higher batting average than McCann: Martin, Bengie Molina, Yadier Molina, Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, Carlos Ruiz, Brad Ausmus, and Josh Bard. Yes, that's right, there are 8 National League catchers who have a higher batting average than McCann. That puts McCann's average in the bottom half.
The only offensive categories that McCann is near the top in are doubles (19, ties for first with Martin), home runs (7, tied for 5th with 3 others), and RBI (41, third). McCann has thrown out 20.5% of would be base stealers. Sorry Brian, not this year.
If I were a player I would have voted for...drum roll please...B. Molina and his .289 batting average, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 76 H, and 26.3% caught runner stealing rate. I considered Johnny Estrada (7 HR, 33 RBI, .281 Avg, 29 R, 72 H), but his 19.5% rate of catching basestealers turned me off. I also thought about Paul Lo Duca (.285 Avg, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 74 H), but B. Molina's stats were stronger over all.
But what do I know, I'm just a fan.
Next topic will be the NL All Star Shortstops.
In my opinion there has always been an undertone of disrespect for the selections that the fans make. So, here we are in the new era of All Star selection - fans still pick the starting position players, but the players get to pick most of the reserves. Prior to the tied all star game in 2002 the selections of the reserve players were done entirely by the managers World Series teams during the prior season.
So here were are in the National League with several catchers having solid years. It seems that a Major League Baseball All Star is defined by his year-to-date performance, so I will only address the 2007 stats that the NL backstops have put up.
The Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles catcher Russell Martin was selected to start by the fans - he leads NL catchers with a .297 batting average, 53 RBI, 9 HR (tied with Michael Barrett), runs scored, stolen bases, doubles (tied with Brian McCann), and hits. He has thrown out 36.5% of those who have tried to steal a base on him.
The players selected Atlanta Braves catcher McCann as the reserve catcher. Now, don't get me wrong. I'll take McCann on my ball club any day of the week. I love the guy...not love love, just love - ya know, kinda like Pete Orr. But McCann ain't no All Star - not this year. Here are the catchers with a higher batting average than McCann: Martin, Bengie Molina, Yadier Molina, Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, Carlos Ruiz, Brad Ausmus, and Josh Bard. Yes, that's right, there are 8 National League catchers who have a higher batting average than McCann. That puts McCann's average in the bottom half.
The only offensive categories that McCann is near the top in are doubles (19, ties for first with Martin), home runs (7, tied for 5th with 3 others), and RBI (41, third). McCann has thrown out 20.5% of would be base stealers. Sorry Brian, not this year.
If I were a player I would have voted for...drum roll please...B. Molina and his .289 batting average, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 76 H, and 26.3% caught runner stealing rate. I considered Johnny Estrada (7 HR, 33 RBI, .281 Avg, 29 R, 72 H), but his 19.5% rate of catching basestealers turned me off. I also thought about Paul Lo Duca (.285 Avg, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 74 H), but B. Molina's stats were stronger over all.
But what do I know, I'm just a fan.
Next topic will be the NL All Star Shortstops.
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