MLB
Power Outage
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Trading Matt Kemp was a good thing, that’s true. Not keeping Matt Adams was fine. He had nowhere to play. Trading Brandon Phillips at the end of the season was the right thing to do as well, or at least it was the nice thing to do. The fallout from that is the loss of a ton of last year’s already meager home run output by the Atlanta Braves.
If you’re keeping score, the Bravos hit 165 dingers in 2017. That was good enough for 28th in the Majors and 28 of those came from Freddie Freeman. No one else had 20.
More pressingly, no one has been added to the roster to replace the 49 that Kemp, Adams and Phillips produced. There is a serious lack of power on the Braves’ roster going into spring training and there’s no indication much will be done to change that.
So, who will protect Freeman from the cleanup spot in the batting order?
Yes, Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki combined to crank out 31 bombs from the catching position and they certainly are an option; but I do question the idea that they’d be able to duplicate that level of success.
That being said, 10 homers each will still likely make them the number two power-producing position on the lineup card, depending on what a certain number one prospect manages to do when he shows up.
The most intriguing option is, of course, Ronald Acuna. All signs point to him starting the season in Triple A Gwinnett but a call up isn’t likely to be too far down the road.
Part of this rationale is seasoning. Acuna spent very little time in Gwinnett last year and part of it is player control: if they wait to bring him up, they’ll have another year before he’s able to hit free agency (the Cubs pulled this same maneuver with Kris Bryant). Both excuses are perfectly valid and either way we’ll be seeing him soon enough. The question is where does he hit when he arrives?
Cleanup is a tough spot to thrust a rookie into right off the bat (no pun intended). It may be a lot to ask of a 20 year to be called upon to protect Freddie Freeman in his first game with the big club.
On the other hand, he may have just the right make up to succeed under that kind of pressure. The problem is you won’t know until he’s there.
Failure can shake a young man’s confidence pretty fast and there will be a lot of eyes pointed at this kid.
Maybe it would be more prudent to see if he can produce from the fifth or sixth spot in the order first. He’ll be hitting cleanup (or second) eventually.
When GM Alex Anthopoulos addressed the Braves’ power deficiency at Fan Fest, he offered up two possible roads: one, in which the Braves roll with what they’ve got, which we’ve explored, or two, when he knowingly pointed out that there are a lot of free agents still available.
That’s true. There are over one hundred unsigned free agents, including some that could add some pop to the Braves’ lineup in 2018. The most obvious place for a free agent to slot in would be third base and there are options there.
One is the very unlikely Mike Moustakas, the other is the slightly more likely Todd Frazier.
Frazier is a third baseman with pop and will be much less expensive with Moustakas.
His batting average is fairly horrendous, reaching a career low last year, which he split between the White Sox and Yankees, but if you’re into OPS+ then his 105 is a little bit above average.
More to the point, the later it gets in the year the more likely it is that he’d look into a one or two-year contract, whereas Moustakas seems to be holding out for a multi-year deal.
It’s not a perfect solution but other than turning newly-minted Hall of Famer Chipper Jones back into a 25-year-old and signing him to a team-friendly contract, there don’t appear to be any.
Flowers and Suzuki. Acuna. Frazier, or another free agent. Whoever it is, the Braves need some pop.
The Miami Marlins Curse
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Miami Marlins have a short history of existence and long track record of winning championships and pissing off their fan base.
When former owner and Floridian supervillain Jeffrey Loria sold the team last year, baseball fans from across the globe wondered what kind of change this would bring to a team with 25 years of winning every single postseason series they’ve ever played in, along with never winning a single division title and constantly trading away their most popular players.
This is the team that wholesaled sold off their big guns after both World Series wins and the team that fired Joe Girardi the season he won Manager of the Year.
They have constantly developed superstars and then shipped them elsewhere. In 2012 the team built a new stadium and hired Ozzie Guillen to manage the team, which included freshly signed free agent superstars Jose Reyes, Mark Beuhrle, and Heath Bell.
Guillen was fired after one season and not one of those three players saw a second season in a Marlins uniform.
So, the team being sold was cause for celebration for the handful of Floridians who live and breathe Marlins.
After all, the team was chocked full of talent and maybe a new guiding hand would be able to supplement the likes of Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna with players that would help Miami take a huge step forward.
Another wrinkle was that the group buying the team included Yankees legend Derek Jeter among its members. This was a true baseball guy, someone who knows how the game is played and what’s more, knows how to win. All in all, things were hopeful for the Miami faithful.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Jeter and the ownership group moved quickly to do the same thing to the Marlins that the previous two owners did – strip it down for parts. Over the course of one week, just seven days, Miami traded away three of their most valuable assets.
Dee Gordon was the first to go, packing his bags for Seattle. Marcell Ozuna was part three, being traded to St. Louis exactly one week later.
Ozuna was just an extra kick in the ribs, as three days prior, reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton was traded away. It should be noted that he was traded to the Yankees, because there is no justice in the world.
In the span of just seven days all the promise that the concept of new ownership had brought to the team sank into the familiar sense of utter betrayal that must by now feel like a warm hug to Marlins fans.
Rebuilding isn’t inherently an awful thing and it may not even be the wrong thing to do for Jeter but what a wrong foot to start out on for this new regime.
For a franchise that has repeatedly been torn down to be rebuilt and then torn down again, trading away some of the most talented players the team has ever seen as a first move will not instill trust between owners and fans. Stanton is probably the second greatest Marlin in their team’s short history behind Miguel Cabrera (who was traded), ahead of the likes of Gary Sheffield (who was traded), Josh Beckett (who was traded), and literally any other Marlins player was any good at all (who was traded).
He was incredibly popular and now he’s gone, along with Ozuna and Gordon and Christian Yelich isn’t going to be too far behind.
No one liked Jeffrey Loria. He didn’t have a good relationship with his players and they were usually happy to leave south Florida but Derek Jeter is a likeable guy.
Yet Christian Yelich’s agent claimed that the relationship between Yelich and the team was damaged beyond repair.
The Curse of the Bambino prevented the Red Sox from winning a World Series for 86 years.
The Curse of the Black Sox prevent the White Sox from winning a World Series for 88 years.
The Curse of the Billy Goat prevented the Cubs from even participating in a World Series for 71 years, extending their championship drought to 108 years.
The Marlins have won two World Series in the past 25 years but are they cursed to forever be a front office mess?
Brave Move
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have to admit, I didn’t think it was possible, but the Braves traded away Matt Kemp to the Dodgers, got players in return, and didn’t have to eat his salary.
Now, it’s a slightly more complex deal than that, so let’s dig in.
The Braves shipped Kemp back to his old haunt in La La Land and in return the Dodgers sent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, shortstop Charlie Culberson and pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir, along with some cash considerations.
So, what’s the logic here? Well the Braves needed to make room in the outfield, which meant that either Kemp or Nick Markakis (or both) needed to go. I, for one, preferred to see Kemp draw the short straw but had honestly anticipated needing to eat all or most of his salary in either a trade for very little or straight up releasing him. So, I’m genuinely surprised to see this move.
Now, it’s not that the Braves are getting away with this scot free. Adrian Gonzalez only waived his no-trade clause because he was told he’d be a free agent.
The Braves obliged that caveat almost immediately, releasing A-Gone right after news of the trade broke.
So, they are still eating a big contract for a player that won’t be playing for them.
However, Gonzalez’s contract is up at the end of 2018, whereas Kemp’s was through 2019; so what Alex Anthopolous accomplished here was maybe the best-case scenario: taking a year off the financial burden that was Matt Kemp’s deal.
As for the other players, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Brandon McCarthy was a solid player for Los Angeles when he was healthy, going 6-4 with a 3.98 ERA. Injuries are his cross to bear, not having pitched over 100 innings since 2014.
Regardless, he’ll start the season in the rotation for Brian Snitker, until the time comes that a younger pitcher with upside usurps his position.
Kazmir is going to be a shot in the dark. He missed all of 2017 and the Braves will essentially just be hoping that they can get something out of the lefty.
Culberson will likely end up being the most useful of the acquisitions. He’s a backup infielder with experience at all three positions. You may know him from starting in the NLCS this year while Corey Seager was hurt. He’s arbitration eligible this season for the first time.
If you’re wondering why Anthopolous went for these four players, the answer lies within their contract expiration dates.
Gonzalez, as I mentioned, will be off the books next offseason and is already off the roster. Kazmir and McCarthy both have contracts that end after 2018 as well.
Culberson, by far the cheapest of the four, will either prove himself useful or be non-tendered. So, this trade, for the Braves, is less about the players exchanged than it is about the money they’re owed and how long they’re owed it.
Essentially, the trade is for 2019 financial flexibility. It’s a matter of taking on a little unwanted payroll now for the ability to take on wanted payroll later. It may seem like a lot to undertake just to unattached Matt Kemp’s salary, especially given that these players will almost certainly get jobs on the big-league club.
That’s an understandable concern. Braves fans would like to avoid more Bartolo Colon and see more of the farm system that’s been built up.
I would assuage those concerns by guessing that, for Kazmir and McCarthy in particular, the leash will be incredibly short. These are players the Braves acquired to help. If they do, great but are essentially they just monetary maneuverability.
If they don’t perform, well, the Braves’ hopes weren’t pinned on them to begin with.
And were you expecting a playoff run anyway?
This move is unlikely to pay off in 2018 but what is arguably the greatest free agent class of all time goes on the market next November and now the Braves have a better chance at playing ball.
Andruw To Hall?
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2018 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been released and there are two names on it that will be very familiar to Braves fans; the Joneses, Chipper and Andruw.
It’s been five years since they stopped playing pro ball in MLB and now it’s time for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to decide if their respective careers merit induction to the hallowed grounds of Cooperstown in New York.
When it comes to Chipper, I don’t think there’s any doubt that he belongs in the Hall and honestly I expect him to go first ballot. His numbers are worthy, he was never linked to PED use and he’s arguably one of the top three greatest players at third base in baseball history. Chipper goes in, case closed.
Andruw, on the other hand, presents a more complex case. His prowess in center field is the stuff of legend; more than one who watched him play will tell you he’s the best they’ve ever seen play the position.
The ten straight Gold Gloves he collected from 1998 through 2007 bolster that claim. That certainly helps his argument for the Hall. Ozzie Smith is often referenced as getting in based on his glove work, despite that not being a whole truth.
The thing is, he also hit. During that same ten-year stretch of Gold Gloves, Andruw hit 30 or more home runs eight times (26 and 29 the other two seasons) and drove in at least 90 each year except one (84), including five 100 RBI seasons.
He garnered MVP votes five times as well, including finishing second in 2005 after leading the league with 51 home runs and 128 RBI. That kind of production at the plate coupled with the stellar glove work at a particularly difficult defensive position is a truly incredible decade of baseball for a player.
The trouble is Andruw’s career following that excellent ten years.
Actually, the trouble really starts the last year of that decade, which was also his final year with Atlanta. After hitting over .260 with 51 and 41 home runs to go along with 128 and 129 RBI in 2005 and 2006, Andruw finished up his final year as a Brave by hitting .222 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI.
The power numbers aren’t bad but the drop off those three statistics are indictive of what was to come.
While his defense was still certainly better than average, anyone watching closely enough could tell that the once mighty center fielder was losing a step and that was indeed his last year receiving baseball’s highest defensive honor.
Andruw signed with the Dodgers and fell off a cliff. He didn’t stay in the same kind of shape he had won adoration in and in that first (and only) year with L.A. he only played in 75 games and hit .158 with just three home runs.
The next few years saw a better output, but he never hit higher than .247 or slugged more than 19 bombs. What’s worse, he only played five seasons after leaving Atlanta and he was only 31 years old at the time.
It’s hard to predict where voters will land on Andrew. Certainly, he’s not a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he’s in this grey area where he may get in eventually or because of the ludicrous 10-player limit and the current crowded ballot he may not even show up on enough ballots to stay in consideration for next year.
Maybe he doesn’t belong in the Hall but he deserves more than a one year appearance in the discussion.
Sandy Koufax will get brought up in this debate. He only played for 12 years and is in the Hall of Fame on the strength of about half of those seasons. The difference is that all of Koufax’s lesser years came at the start of his career and he retired at age 30, well before he could decline.
Andruw didn’t have the foresight to see what would become of him (how could he?).
Only one Jones is going into the Hall of Fame next year. The question is: will the other one ever join him?
New Brave World
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It has been nothing but upheaval in Braves Country the past few months.
The John Coppolella scandal shook the front office on down and they are still piecing things together.
From the top down, it has been somewhat of a bizarre turn of events, in that Coppy’s forced resignation has caused decisions that both change things and keep things the same.
Brian Snitker will remain the Braves manager in 2018. Doubtlessly, a direct result of the circumstances surrounding Coppy’s departure. It’s a little bass ackwards since usually you would see a new GM being given the opportunity to select his own skipper, but Snit was awarded his contract for next season right after Coppy left, well before Alex Anthopoulos’ arrival.
I call this a direct result because the word was that the Braves were going to replace Snitker prior to the scandal breaking. Snitker’s maintaining of his job was a move made to provide a little stability to the organization and specifically to the clubhouse during what was going to be (and is) an uncertain time.
It’s maybe not an ideal way have your job saved, but I’m sure Snitker is happy to have another opportunity to prove his mettle.
That being said, after retaining Snitker the Braves stopped trying to carry over coaches from last season.
Former Braves shortstop Walt Weiss was hired as the new bench coach for the 2018 season, replacing longtime Braves coach Terry Pendleton.
Eddie Perez is also being relieved of his duties as first base coach, removing the last two vestiges of Bobby Cox’s tenure from the clubhouse aside from Snitker himself.
It’s a move that says to me that the Braves moved too quickly to retain Snitker and probably even regret doing so.
Clearly, they’re looking for a change in the regime, but they reacted to Coppy’s royal screwup by keeping the head of that regime attached.
For the record, I’m in favor of this kind of massive changeup of the coaching staff. As a Bobby Cox devotee, I find it strange to even be typing this, but it’s time his fingerprints were wiped from the team.
Bobby had a very particular managerial style. One that players and fans like myself loved and admired; that has permeated the tenures of both Fredi Gonzalez and Brian Snitker.
It was very old school, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it’s just time for a changing of the guard.
I think the Braves would like to see a little bit less traditional managing and something a little more brazen.
It’s probably not a coincidence that these changes away from “Bobby’s guys” is happening after the World Series-winning manager AJ Hinch (allegedly) got into a bar fight in the middle of the series. There’s fire out there and I support bringing it in to Atlanta’s clubhouse.
Anthopoulos serves as another example of the kind of aggression the Braves need to move toward.
This is a guy who decided the Blue Jays were going to make a run in 2015 and traded for Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and David Price before and during the season.
Donaldson won the MVP that year and Toronto went to the ALCS. Now he’s got a whole new toy chest of goodies in the Braves’ minor league system and given the choice between waiting for them to develop or trading them, chances are we’ll see the latter.
That’s not a bad thing. Prospects are far from sure bets and Atlanta has tons of them. Some of them need to be turned into bona fide major league players and Anthopoulos has shown he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on a deal if he thinks it will help the major league club.
He’s a pallet cleanser of a GM and I think we’ll see some exciting moves during his stint.
All this change probably means that Snitker’s seat is hotter than ever but if he can steer in the direction the Braves want him to, we might see some fire from him after all. If not, then there will still be fire; it’ll just have a ‘d’ at the end.
Trade Temp on Matt Kemp
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Despite having no General Manager in place after the scandal that sent John Coppolella packing, the offseason has arrived and the Braves need to start planning for the 2018 season.
John Hart will be assuming the GM duties until a replacement is hired and assuming he keeps his job, he’s got a few things on his to-do list.
Now the nice thing for Hart or whoever takes over is that the Braves have a lot of pieces to play with.
No, they didn’t have a winning season, but they have young talent, a new ballpark, and a deep farm system to take advantage of during the offseason.
There are a few moves that the front office should make to improve the club if not to contention, then at least to .500 or just above.
One thing should be at the top of the list. The first thing to do is trade Matt Kemp.
Notice that I didn’t say “trade a corner outfielder?” Do not trade Nick Markakis. Trade Matt Kemp. It’s obvious that Ronald Acuna is going to be manning a corner outfield spot come first pitch next year, the question has been which corner?
Nick Markakis’s position in right field seems the obvious choice, given that he provided more value on the field in 2017 than Kemp did, plus he’s only got one year of $11 million left on his contract. He’ll be easier to move, that’s doubtless, but they should move Kemp instead.
It’s a tall order, especially if they hope to get anything of value in return for him. To that I say this: get what you can. Trade this veteran outfielder with some pop in his bat for a single A backup infielder if you have to and eat the contract if it comes to that. Beyond that, swallow the millions he’s owed and release him, if that’s the only option.
Kemp’s arrival in 2016 invigorated the offense and prior to getting hurt in 2017 he looked like he was hungry for a comeback player of the year award. All that dissipated upon his return. Even if he can return to some form, he’s an injury risk. He’s past his prime and Acuna is waiting.
Markakis, on the other hand, provides consistency. He’s not tearing the cover off the ball or making incredible plays in right, but he’s steady and that’s not nothing.
Markakis is past his prime too, but he’s aged much more gracefully than Kemp. At the very least is worth the money he’s being paid.
He plays hard and plays well and while he’s apparently the quiet-leader-type that the Braves annoyingly have only ever had, the young players certainly can learn from a guy who shows up and does his job day in and day out.
Again, these are all reasons that make him easier to trade but if the Braves truly want to improve their on-field product next season, Kemp’s salary will need to be sacrificed.
Acuna needs a position, under no circumstances should the Braves begin 2018 with both Kemp and Markakis patrolling the outfield.
However, that does not mean that the guy who is easier to trade should be the guy who gets a new uniform. Kemp is much more likely to get hurt and then the Braves will have to find someone to replace him anyway. Instead, give him a fresh start elsewhere. Even if it means releasing him and taking the monetary hit.
The Braves are still a few steps away from contending but they’ll no doubt want to see improvement next year.
Ronald Acuna is the future and nothing is going to prevent him from starting the season in Atlanta; but if the Braves want the best they can get, then he’ll be batting in a lineup with Nick Markakis in it.
Chiefless Braves
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Monday after the MLB season ends, for a non-playoff team, really ought to be a slow news day.
Players can’t declare free agency until after the World Series ends; there are no moves to be made, aside from maybe the occasional replacement of a bullpen coach or something like that. But overall that Monday should be a time for a reflecting on the season that was and looking forward to the playoffs and the offseason that will follow.
For the Atlanta Braves, however, that day was quite the opposite, with General Manager John Coppolella resigning as news broke of a scandal. Assistant GM Gordon Blakeley would follow Coppy out the door shortly thereafter.
Braves Season Wrap Up
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Like any losing team, the Atlanta Braves had an overabundance of disappointments during 2017.
Especially given that a few years back, 2017 and the opening of the new stadium was pegged to be the year that the then-rebuilding Bravos would begin to compete again.
As 2017 inched closer, those paying attention knew that wasn’t going to be the case but with 2016 ending on a high note with an offense firing on all cylinders there was potentially plenty to look forward to. So as the season wraps up this week, let’s look at a few positives and negatives from the season.
Rays Still Swimming
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
From 2008 to 2013, the Rays were a consistently good team. They made the playoffs in four of those six years, including a World Series berth against the eventual champs, the Phillies in 2008.
In the three seasons since, it has been a rougher go for Tampa Bay. This year appears like it may shake out no differently. They’re too far back in the division to be anything other than a headache to the Red Sox and Yankees ahead of them, both of which have been holding onto playoffs slots for dear life.
However, that doesn’t mean that Tampa should be written off completely. They are in the hunt for the second wild card spot. They have two teams between them and, at the moment, Minnesota.
They just need to scrap and fight and claw and, of course, win. They also need to stay healthy. Middle of the season injuries to Colby Rasmus and Kevin Kiermaier have crippled the team’s potential in 2017.
They also need to play at least to their base level. Evan Longoria in particular needs to reach a consistent level of production in September for this snowball in hell not to melt.
The second wild card has changed the game so much (for the better), making teams that would be done for the year still competitive this late in the season. Having two wild card spots keeps so many clubs in the hunt and it alone is keeping the Rays’ ambitions alive.
It’s still not an entirely likely scenario; Tampa reaching that wild card game, since they’ll have to leapfrog three teams to get in but it’s not impossible.
Unfortunately, it leaves a lot in the hands of those three clubs. They need to lose while Tampa wins. On the bright side, the Angels are the only team ahead of the Rays that they don’t play in September.
Tampa hosts the Twins starting on Monday as well as playing a road and a home series against Baltimore in the coming weeks. They’ll have to make strong statements in those 9 games and by that I pretty much mean win ALL of them. Then pray those teams lose some more to others as well.
For the sake of covering all that there is to cover, the Rays also have a road series and a home series against the team currently holding the first wild card spot; the division rival Yankees.
Now this doesn’t mean that they’ve got a shot at getting to that first spot (though mathematically they of course do), but it is another team with a better record that they’ll need to play well against to not dash those playoff dreams.
Basically, they’ve got a lot of sway in their own destiny. Not as much as I’m sure they would like, but with 16 games against teams ahead of them in the standings, the schedule couldn’t do much more for them.
At the end of the day, they are still a long shot for a playoff spot but it’s a position they’ve thrived in before. Even during that six year run where they were consistently contending, they seemed to constantly either have their back against the wall or just flat out get overlooked. Overlooking this team could spell doom for their opponents.
Tampa is always the underdog and that’s the role they shine in. Their incredible game 162 in 2011, coming back from 7-0 to win in 12 innings stands as a testament to what this team has accomplished with their back against the wall.
That certainly is the case as September baseball gets underway in 2017. So, Tampa, what have you got to show us this year?
Rays Have Sting Back
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the trade deadline approaches, teams begin to look around at who might be available to help them down the stretch.
