2009 Atlanta Braves

[p_rushing]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I missed today's game (glad I did to)...what happened with Escobar?

He has an attitude problem, he hasn't really had it come out in the open, but I don't think he wants to be there. I believe Chipper challenged him about not playing because he was "hurt". I don't know if he doesn't want to play for a bad team or if he isn't giving 100% because the team is bad.

[Speedy]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

He has an attitude problem, he hasn't really had it come out in the open, but I don't think he wants to be there. I believe Chipper challenged him about not playing because he was "hurt". I don't know if he doesn't want to play for a bad team or if he isn't giving 100% because the team is bad.

I was wondering why GM Wren was including him in trade talks during the off-season...this kinda clears that up.

[crques]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I missed today's game (glad I did to)...what happened with Escobar?

I found an interesting article in the AJC that I thought I would share. It addresses his mistake in yesterday's game also.

http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2009/06/15/escobar-and-the-next-wave-are-killing-braves/?cxntfid=blogs_jeff_schultz_blog

[p_rushing]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I found an interesting article in the AJC that I thought I would share. It addresses his mistake in yesterday's game also.

http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-bl...f_schultz_blog

It is definitely bad when Bobby Cox is calling you out. Trade him to a worse team that has some prospects.

There is also questions about firing Pendleton. Guys have been horrible or not really improved while he has been here. A lot of the guys were just stupid though. Its a toss up, but he should probably be gone since it seems like most of the players don't listen to him. Cox isn't going to do it, so Wren will have too.

http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2009/06/15/the-cubs-fire-their-hitting-coach-should-the-braves/?cxntlid=sldr_hm

[Speedy]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-bl...xntlid=sldr_hm

A good write-up for a defense of Pendleton to which I agree. In the seasons early this decade the payroll was a lot higher as well so there was more talent to work with but the fault should go on the GM/players rather than Pendleton.

[Rod_Carew29]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Interesting...some of the Braves issues mirror what the Mets have happening--not enough power, bonehead plays and guys who you expected more power from (Wright), but you're not getting it--abeit he's around .350....

I always say perception is reality...one radio host earlier today mused about 'he heard' that maybe Francoeur was on the block--and perhaps Minaya (Mets GM) should make the call. Is this clown serious? Franceour has 6 homers, the Mets need power, not another power-deprived outfielder. I can see it now...if they even dared to go there and you have Franceour playing in this fishbowl...He'd be booed out of Citi Field qucik, fast and in a hurry...

...na

I found an interesting article in the AJC that I thought I would share. It addresses his mistake in yesterday's game also.

http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-bl...f_schultz_blog

[Speedy]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Yeh, it would be a death wish for sure, Carew. Frenchy might need a change of scenery, to get away from the hometown expectations but New York is definately not the right fit - I could see him moved to KC (since GM Dayton Moore worked in Atlanta for years) but I doubt it, especially with Jose Guillen fixed in RF with a $12M/yr contract thru 2010.

[crques]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Yeh, it would be a death wish for sure, Carew. Frenchy might need a change of scenery, to get away from the hometown expectations but New York is definately not the right fit - I could see him moved to KC (since GM Dayton Moore worked in Atlanta for years) but I doubt it, especially with Jose Guillen fixed in RF with a $12M/yr contract thru 2010.

I would rather take Dye's $11M contract than Guillen's if they could work that deal but I don't see it happening. I really don't think there is a RF fix out there anywhere right now though. I wish the Braves would have signed Ibanez when they had an opportunity to instead of having him sign with a division rival. Performance enhancers or not, he's having a hell of a season, lol, and we need a productive outfielder. Instead they overpaid Kawakami and wasted time on trying to sign Furcal & Burnett. Anderson also has been a huge disappointment and I don't even think he wants to be in Atlanta at all. He seems detached from the rest of the team.

[Sportsforever]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

The rumor I'm hearing is Cody Ross of Florida to Atlanta for Francouer. Can't say I'd be wild about that...one unproductive OF'r for another.

[Garydee]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

The rumor I'm hearing is Cody Ross of Florida to Atlanta for Francouer. Can't say I'd be wild about that...one unproductive OF'r for another.

Ross isn't that great but he is a little more productive than Francouer(which you can probably say for any starting outfielder in baseball).

[crques]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

The rumor I'm hearing is Cody Ross of Florida to Atlanta for Francouer. Can't say I'd be wild about that...one unproductive OF'r for another.

I read that Florida shot that one down and now Atlanta's trying to trade Francouer for Jeremy Hermida. Hermida's batting .276 with 8 homeruns so it's a little bit of an offensive upgrade but I don't know much about his defense. Anyone else find it odd that teams from the same division and that close in the standings are talking about a trade?

[Speedy]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

We don't need another LH bat.

[bravosfan]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Pretty rare for a beat guy to go off like this. O'Brien's not on the road trip, guess he's not 'on-duty'...

After watching or listening (on radio while mowing lawn) to least parts of the first four games on this trip from home, I’ll certainly second the opinion that this team’s awful tough to watch when it’s going like this.

And I’ll also agree that this, like last season, has hardly been a banner year for Bobby as manager. Last year the injuries were just ridiculous, and it was tough to really gauge anything because of the fractured, injury-riddled rotation. This year? Braves have no more injuries than your average team, and fewer major injuries than a lot of teams that have had less dropoff in absence of bigger-impact players than the Braves have had in the absence of Omar Infante. Not that Omar’s not an important piece of the puzzle, but folks, let’s be clear: He’s a utility man. A very good one, but a utility man.

And the Braves haven’t done much better with McCann than they did while he was on the 15-day DL. So it’s not as if losing a huge piece of the team (McCann for 15 days) has been the problem.

No, this just isn’t a very good team. No spark. No fire. And the only fist-pumping comes from the guy they’re trying to rein in at times. Give me a Victorino, an Utley. Or, for that matter, two Escobars, mental lapses or snits with umpires and opponents be damned.

Strong starting pitching, and a talented but erratic bullpen that’s got a couple of very good arms at back end, but has been hurt way too many times by a couple of borderline major leaguers that have been in the bullpen most or all season.

But the offense? Just uninspiring. Uninspired and uninspiring. Closest thing they’ve got to a sparkplug is Escobar, and it’s like the Braves and him still aren’t on same page at times, like there’s a disconnect that might have as much to do with their communication and embracing (or lack thereof) of him as it does with him and anything he’s done. And the timing of the benching of Escobar, well, let’s just say it seems more an act of frustration by the manager, rather than reflective of the severity of the misdeeds. He and others have done worse things with no punishment at all during this and other recent seasons.

McLouth, to be honest, has been lackluster so far. But it’s waaay early to make any judgments, considering the guy was traded out of the blue from the only team he’s ever known, etc. In a couple or three weeks, I don’t think I’ll have same view of him, because I’ve seen what he can do, when he was playing with the Pirates against the Braves. He’s a very good player, just hasn’t done much so far. Almost like the malaise of this team has affected him.

Francoeur, again this season, has been a huge disappointment; Kelly’s been a disappointment to a lesser degree, but a disappointment.

Garret Anderson? Hasn’t shown me anything, really. And Bobby can say all he wants about his swing and approach, etc, but we’re seeing those “professional at-bats” once or twice in a game some days, and not at all in plenty of other games. I certainly see why he was still available in February.

Diaz? Great guy, hard worker, but a platoon player, not a daily guy.

Kotchman? Great defensive player, and hits enough to be a solid player on a team they gets plenty of power from its corner outfielders. Uh, this team gets almost no power from its corner outfielders, and its opposite-corner infield is out of the lineup about once every four games. Not Kotchman’s fault, but he’s just a bad fit for this particular team because it’s so punchless just about everywhere except catcher and third base (when Chipper’s in lineup). And, relatively speaking, at shortstop.

Yes, say what you will about Yunel, but I’d easily rank him higher at his position in the NL than any Brave at theirs except McCann and Chipper, and considering the latter’s frequent lineup absences, it’s a close call there.

Mac, Yunel and (when healthy) Chipper are strong offensive performers at their positions, and McLouth will be (he certainly was with Pittsburgh), but look at the rest of this lineup — below average to horrendous at four of the eight positions.

When half of your lineup is below average to far worse offensively, and you have very little team speed or even all-or-nothing guys who can at least hit three-run homers … well, you better at least be strong at situational hitting, moving runners over, getting them in with less than two outs, etc.

Uh, this team’s not that, either.

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/06/16/escobar-braves-looking-to-regroup/comment-page-20/#comment-147271

[crques]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

This team can't score runs! I'm getting tired of watching them strand runners on 2nd and 3rd, or wasting doubles to lead off an inning. It's painful.

[Garydee]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Yeah, it is painful. When your 5-8 hitters as a unit are the worst in the National League, you've got serious issues. One thing that we can do to make it a bit better is to bench Johnson. The guy is hitting in the .230s and Cox keeps him in no matter what. Why not let Prado or Infante(when he gets well) take over the job? The Francouer and Anderson situation is going to be hard to fix unless we get a midseason trade. We might have to wait until next year to remedy that.