Atlanta Braves
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The month of April is a very underappreciated sports month. Think about it for a second.
You have the final four in college basketball, the start of baseball season, The Masters, The NFL draft, and local playoff baseball with three local teams poised the make playoff runs.
Let’s start with the final four. Has there ever been a bigger Cinderella in college basketball than Loyola-Chicago? I know I will be a huge fan this weekend just like 95% of America will.
What captures national awareness more than a huge sports underdog making a championship run? Sister Jean and Loyola against Michigan in one national semifinal game. On paper Michigan should win.
The Wolverines have won 11 straight neutral site games by an average of 15 points. All signs point to a Michigan victory, but I watched the 1986 classic movie this week “Hoosiers” starring Gene Hackman to get ready for Saturday and I’m hoping for the upset.
My heart says Loyola and my head says Michigan. I’m going with my heart because my beautiful girlfriend is sitting right next to me as I write the story. Loyola wins 76-73 to make title game.
In the other matchup of blue bloods, you have Villanova and Kansas. Villanova is averaging 86 points a game and can put the ball in the basket. Kansas beat Duke so that automatically gives them high marks from me. I like Kansas to win this game.
Then you have Loyola against Kansas in the final on Monday night. Kansas like no other college basketball blue blood has been taken down by Cinderella many times in the tourney over the years.
Here is hoping for history to repeat as Loyola shocks the country and takes down Kansas 79-77 for the National Championship. Sister Jean for President in 2020. The President would not dare to tweet anything negative about Sister Jean, would he? The would be a recipe for disaster.
Tiger Woods is going to take America by storm again and win the Masters with a back nine charge for the ages on Sunday. Tiger will shoot 29 on the back nine to win by one over Bubba Watson. Tiger in a Green Jacket for the 5th time would be television gold.
April means the start of baseball season for the RONALD ACUNA-less Atlanta Braves. I’ll tune in when they call their future up in May.
NFL draft is later in April and the Jaguars need help on the at OL, WR, and TE. This team is a Super Bowl contender. The Falcons need help at DL and DB. They can make a run if they get the defense at a championship level.
Local high school teams are a combined 41-13. Glynn, Brunswick, and Frederica all will make playoffs, but this 18-2 Glynn squad, led by Randon Jernigan, can make a title run. If pitching can hold up then these baseball Terrors have a shot to bring a state title to the Golden Isles.
Yep, April is a very underrated sports month on the calendar.
Braves please call up Ronald Acuna soon!
Sincerely, Your Fan Base
Brave Business
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ronald Acuna, Jr. had a stellar showing in spring training for the Braves this year.
The heir apparent to left field led the team with four home runs in 16 games to go along with his bonkers slash line of .432/.519/.727. Oh, and he also stole 4 bases.
To sum up, the kid is good and he’s going to win Rookie of the Year; once he makes the big-league club.
That’s right, Acuna has already been demoted to Triple A despite having the best spring of anyone on the team and he’ll begin the season in Gwinnett, just as predicted.
Don’t fret however, because he’ll be donning his Atlanta uniform on April 13th. Write in down in pen.
The reason for this decision comes down to money and player control, not that anyone in the Braves’ front office would say so publicly. It’s the same situation that the Cubs found themselves in with Kris Bryant, the Philles with Maikel Franco, and the Astros with George Springer.
Due to complicated and pretty stupid Collective Bargaining Agreement details (the players are really going to have some things to say when the current CBA expires) if the Braves keep Acuna in the minor leagues through April 12th, they’ll get an extra year of at the end of his initial contract before he’s eligible for free agency.
Essentially Atlanta is trading two weeks of baseball’s best prospect in 2018 for a full year of a player entering his prime six years from now. A fair trade, if you ask me.
It’s a loophole that will almost certainly be closed in the next few years, as it does deny the players involved a whole year of potential big money but the Braves will reap the benefits for now.
As they should, because this is not the same situation as the Cubs were in in 2015, when they were a competitive team. Bryant being held back and the interim third basemen going 1-for-12 in the three losses out of five games might have actually made a difference to Chicago, who could have had home field advantage in the Wild Card Game with just one more win (they beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh anyway, mind you).
A few losses due to some lesser left fielders taking the field instead of Acuna will have no such impact for Atlanta.
I know it’s disappointing for those who bought Opening Day tickets (see you there), but let’s not pretend that two weeks of Acuna are going to make or break the Braves’ 2018 season.
The Nationals are going to win the NL East again (and lose in the first round again) and a few extra at-bats by our best prospect isn’t going to stop them.
The Wild Card is going to be out of reach as well. I think the team is going to be able to take some steps forward this year but there are better teams out there who will secure those spots.
The Braves won’t find themselves in the cellar (hello, Miami) but the youth and inexperience of the pitching staff will prevent them from finding a way into the playoffs this year.
On the other hand, in six years’ time those pitchers will be in their primes and so will the likes of Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, and Ronald Acuna, Jr.
There will be more use for him on the other end of this contract than there is right now and that’s why the Braves are doing what they’re doing.
This demotion was expected and its good business. Ronald Acuna, Jr. will be here soon anyway, on April 13th.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch March 17
Brave New Beginning
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While Spring Training is not a good example of what will come to pass in the regular season for any major league team, every game provides at least something to watch.
For the Braves, there will be many things to keep an eye one throughout spring, from any innings pitched by their young hurlers to Dansby Swanson’s attempt to make adjustments and improvements. And of course, most of all, Ronald Acuna taking at bats.
The Braves have started off their Grapefruit League season with consecutive losses against the Mets and Astros, but who cares?
That first loss featured every run scored by the Mets coming in the ninth inning off a pitcher whose name I can’t spell and don’t care to because he won’t be on the roster on Opening Day.
Prior to that, the Braves gave up only two hits and two walks in eight innings, featuring the likes of Matt Wisler and Kolby Allard pitching scoreless baseball.
Rotation contender Sean Newcomb gave up one run on a hit and a walk in his one inning of work in the second game, but also struck out two batters. Watching his one inning he certainly lacked control but after the first two batters got on Newcomb buckled down and adjusted.
Which is, again, more important to see than his actually line score. His big curve ball to strike out Carlos Correa looking reaffirmed that his stuff is good and that he can battle. He just needs to consistently throw strikes.
Ozzie Albies looks to continue his good work from 2017, going 1 for 3 in both games, including leading off game 2 with a slap hit on the first pitch.
Watching him play is going to continue to be a joy in 2018, if his gameplay so far is any indication. He was a pesky hitter who also drew a few throws while leading off from first base. That is exactly the kind of scrappy player I hope he continues to be during the regular season.
Watching Ronald Acuna bat was a treat (he made his debut in the second game) despite going 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts. I had never seen him play before, but his swing was smooth and he fought off some tough pitches before going down swinging in his first at bat.
Once he straightens out a few balls he’s going to really make keeping him in Gwinnett a tough call for Alex Anthopoulos (sort of – I’d be surprised if he makes the roster Opening Day even if he leads the Grapefruit League in four baggers).
I’d be remiss not to mention his able chase down of a ball to the warning track that was smoked by Tony Kemp in the second inning. His bat gets all the headlines but Acuna is also heralded as a defender who could man center field for Atlanta if not for Ender Inciarte firmly in place at the position. It’s good to see the kid’s makeup.
Even though he didn’t have the preferred results at the plate, Acuna still scored rave reviews from Brian Snitker due to him staying in the dugout to soak up more baseball after he was taken out of the game.
This isn’t required or expected, or even very common, but it says something about the game’s best prospect that he isn’t resting on his laurels and is still trying to learn everything he can about the game of baseball.
It’s so early and the games are massively populated with players that are a long way from the Major Leagues (especially after the 4th inning or so) but storylines are already starting to develop in Braves camp, with more to begin their opening chapters in the coming weeks.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch Feb 24
The Next Big Thing
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Chipper Jones, the Braves most recent addition to the Baseball Hall of Fame called Ronald Acuna the next Mike Trout. No pressure huh?
Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna soared to the No. 1 spot in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list for 2018.
This is pretty high praise for a 20-year old kid. Acuna is coming off a magnificent season in which he hit a combined .325 with 31 doubles, 8 triples, 21 homers, 82 RBIs, 44 stolen bases and a .896 OPS in 139 games.
The Braves have drafted well recently and have 8 prospects listed in the top 100 of Baseball America’s list of top prospects. The Braves fan base would agree that the future is bright if all of these players develop and make the show.
But going into the 2018 season the Atlanta Braves will not be predicted to make a playoff run. So, people are asking will Ronald Acuna be on the opening day roster. Personally, I haven’t been this excited about a kid in the Braves system since Andruw Jones back in the 1990’s and that turned out pretty well for the Braves.
Acuna who is from Venezuela was signed by the Braves in 2014 for $100K. Acuna just turned 20 last December, and has fast tracked through the Braves system and now appears on the cusp of being a major league starter on opening day in 2018.
Matt Kemp is gone and that opens up a spot for Acuna in left field. Outside of Freddie Freeman the lineup has no consistent power, so Acuna brings much needed pop to that starting 9.
Here is the scouting report on Ronald Acuna:
Acuna is a legitimate five-tool player who has the potential to be a superstar at the big league level. Acuna is a big physical kid with an athletic and strong build. He will continue to grow into his body.
Hit: Acuna has above average bat speed and can hit to all fields with ease. He can drive the ball easily to any field. As he develops into a major league power hitter he will consistently bat in the .280 to .300 range and drive in a lot of runs.
Power: Acuna has raw power that needs to be developed, but has shown he can be a consistent HR threat in minor leagues.
Glove: Acuna is a good athlete and has the ability to play all three outfield spots and will probably settle into RF as his career progresses.
Arm: Acuna had the best outfield arm in the minors last season. The arm strength is exceptional. Once he settles in the Braves lineup he will have one of the top outfield arms in baseball.
Speed: Long strider with impressive top end speed. Acuna’s speed will translate in the Braves outfield because he will go get balls Kemp could not last year. Good base runner who can steal bases if needed.
Look for Acuna to have a long Braves career. As he just turned 20, look for Acuna barring a trade to be the piece the Braves build around for the next 10-12 years.
Acuna along with the young arms in the farm system could bring a World Title back to Atlanta in the next 10 years.
Ronald Acuna will be the next Braves superstar. All he needs now is to be the Braves opening day starter in left field. I think he will be. He showed up 4 days early to Spring Training so management is taking notice.
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.
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.
The Game July 15
