2007 Atlanta Braves Discussion

[cbgatorade0202]

Quote: Originally Posted by tonybologna

SOS! This is getting ridiculous. Well, we're still in the hunt but I can honestly say .500 or below isn't gonna get us anywhere. Why can't we get on any hot streaks? It's always win 2 lose 2 win 1 lose two. This isn't gonna cut it for a playoff run. And, yeah Andruw is killing us. I have taken up for him all year long but if his elbow is adding to his problems then get Willie out there more often & let Diaz roam left all the time. Diaz is playing too well for a platoon basis right now. Willie is playing great when he gets his chance. But, what does this come down to? Andruw is the one making the $ so we're gonna leave him out there as long as he wants & able. Andruw does still have 74 RBI & 21 HR but he's killing us really. He can still play that D though but it's not making up for his sorry performance at the plate. He has the lowest BA of all regular position players in MLB. Geez! I think we should at least give him a couple games off & see if that will help him any. He's just really struggling badly. He looks like a little leaguer trying to hit MLB pitching right now. Thanks guys!

I agree with most of this, Tho Richie Sexson sucks worse then Andruw but they both blow.

[p_rushing]

Andruw does have a lot of RBIs, but put anyone else on the team in that spot and they already have >100 RBIs. Andruw has the worst BA with runners in scoring position on the team and probably in MLB.

[TheMatrix31]

Regarding Andruw...I've been using the nickname "Spiderpig" for him on Braves-Nation.

They like it over there. It should be his permanent nickname.

[p_rushing]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheMatrix31

Regarding Andruw...I've been using the nickname "Spiderpig" for him on Braves-Nation. They like it over there. It should be his permanent nickname.

I like Spiderpig, so I can't call him that

[MachoMyers]

I don't understand Andruw these days.

I could see him losing interest in playing D, the old "been there, done that routine". But he has been even sorrier at the plate. At least Manny shows up for at bats. Jones is totally mailing it in.

[tonybologna]

This is certainly the worst struggles of his career at the plate. It isn't affecting his defense but it shouldn't anyhow. I thought back when he was struggling way back before the All-Star break that he would pick things up dramatically. I guess I was totally wrong though. You just don't expect him to keep on struggling through the entire season with his talent.

This year is certainly gonna factor in his free agency in the off-season. I honestly don't think we're(Braves) gonna go after him hard. Two factors play into my thinking here. The first is the amount of money needed to sign him. This was into my thinking back even before the season began. The second thing & has become more prevalent as the season has progressed is definitely his struggles this year.

Can a star player have a bad year? Yes, that can happen but he's picked the wrong year for this to happen to him. Will other teams be interested in him? That's a definite yes! I just don't see us going after him with any type of aggressiveness. I could be wrong but it's not the likely scenario certainly now. This is why I think we pulled the deal for Tex by giving up so much. We wanted to have a player with power & good defensive skills to fill Andruw's void in the lineup. We have Tex for another year but after that then he's a question mark.

The biggest problem I have with losing Andruw is the fact of not having anyone in the minors in the OF with his skills ability. I mean he can hit for both average & power & his defensive skills are already proven as one of the best in MLB. We have absolutely nobody in the organization that can fill his shoes.

There are certain players like Brandon Jones that has similar ability along with Gregor Blanco but these guys aren't close to the skills of Andruw. Blanco doesn't have power but pretty solid defensively though. Jones has both defensive & offensive skills but not as solid as Andruw. He may even be a better hitter for average than Andruw but his power & defensive skills are a little behind but he's not even had the chance in MLB yet to say exactly what he is capable of really doing.

I feel that we are gonna go after someone else in the FA field after the season other than Andruw. I don't know who that might be but there are some possibilities. Hunter from the Twins is having a great year for his FA year, isn't he? I feel he is not as good as Andruw on defense but he's put up a solid offensive campaign for a FA year. Some feel that Hunter is better than Andruw roaming CF but I think Andruw has the knack for balls slightly better than Hunter. Hunter is faster but he doesn't look to get as good as a jump on balls than Andruw. Anyhow, let's try to sweep the Giants please!

[bravosfan]

Smoltz looking sort of shaky again tonight, 3-0 Giants through 3.

[bravosfan]

Bobby's record-setting ejection must've woken the team up.

Very next inning, Braves score 4 and take a 4-3 lead.