Talking Chop

Notes From Braves Minor League Camp

2010-03-14T04:32:42Z

The Braves newest prospect, shortstop Edward Salcedo, made his first appearance in a Braves uniform today.

Today was my first of two days at the Braves Spring Training complex in Orlando and I spent the whole day at my favorite place in the world, the backfields that comprise the Minor League complex. It was kind of an odd day because the players were getting their physicals in the morning and didn't start their workout until around 1 pm, which is usually about when they're wrapping things up. Also, about half of the Minor Leaugers don't report until tomorrow, which is the first day of full squad workouts, so the fields were much more sparsely filled than I'm used to seeing them in Spring Training. The workout was pretty light, consisting of a few rounds of BP and some PFP, although apparently the pitchers got worked out pretty hard by the strength and conditioning coordinator, so there wasn't much to really comment on, but I'll pass along what was interesting. At least what I can remember of what was interesting.

Today was the first day that Edward Salcedo worked out with the team, possibly the first day he's been in the United States after signing the largest contract the Braves have ever given an international player. I was very surprised to find that Salcedo is fluent in English; you almost never meet a young man just over from the Domincan Republic who can speak more than a few words of English and I kind of embarrassed myself by greeting him in halting Spanglish. Fortunately Salcedo appears to be a Braves kind of player, otherwise known as an outstanding human being, and he didn't give me a hard time about it. He took all his grounders at shortstop, which is where he'll play, and looked very smooth out there in the little bit of infield practice I saw him take. It was hard to take too much out of his one round of BP, but he did have a bunt that would have been an easy single, seems to be able to smoke the ball up the middle, and has a fair amount of easy pop off his bat.

All the pitchers I talked to who were hurt and missed all of last season, including lefties Steve Kent, Brett DeVall, and Chad Rodgers and righty Dustin Evans, said they were 100 percent and throwing well. This could always be a bit of what royhobbs calls ITBSOHL, but I trust these guys enough to believe that they'll all be ready to go when the season starts, which is great news because each of those four is a legitimate prospect.

I actually got to talk to Jordan Schafer a little when he came over to visit the trainer's room. It doesn't sound like his wrist has healed in the way he'd hoped it would, but he's doing everything he can to help it get better, including making sure that he follows his doctors' advice to the letter. As always, Jordan's determination and positive attitude are blatantly impressive, so I'm really looking forward to seeing him healthy again.

As I said, there was only a bit of a workout and it wasn't that long, so there wasn't much else that really stood out. So, basically, nobody looked bad at routine drills, which is a good thing. Oh, and Kyle Rose is crazy fast. Like insanely fast. Hopefully I'll get to see some more in depth action tomorrow with the full squad workout. And since I know you all love pictures of our Braves, especially our new Braves, here's a shot of Arodys Vizcaino:

CB Wilkins is the author of the baseball novel Four-A.

The View From Your Seat

2010-03-14T01:25:00Z

Champion Stadium, Blue Jays vs. Braves, 3/13/10, 2:15pm, top of the fifth

Spring Training Open Thread: Blue Jays at Braves

2010-03-13T17:00:45Z

I'm en route to spring training today, making the long hard drive down I-75 to Orlando. It looks like the rain has left the Disney area for the upcoming week, so I'm excited for warm weather finally. Maybe I can bring it back to Atlanta in a week.

I'm too early to know the batting order, but I do know that Tim Hudson will be on the mound for the Braves.

Things Read in Other Moms' Basements - Around the NL East 03.13.10

2010-03-13T15:30:23Z

Spring training is in full swing, and with some regularity, we're seeing some actual baseball again. Box scores, game recaps, and player assessments are running afoul, and in less than a month now, we have real, meaningful baseball again. I'll be honest; ST trips don't intrigue me as much as regular, or dare I say it, post season trips do, which is why I've made such little effort to make my way down to Florida. But with all the excitement in the air, the stories and happenings all around the baseball world, and some of you folks having fun down in Florida, I have to admit that I'm enviously wishing I had the means to jet off to Orlando and just drive around and absorb as much baseball as I can, so that being said, maybe in future year I'll do such.

Now if it would just stop thunderstorming, I would say that this is a wonderful time of the year to be a baseball fan, but regardless, it's not going to stop Things Read in Other Moms' Basements, your look at links from the other teams in the National League East division, from happening every Saturday as we have it.

Jose Reyes does indeed have thyroid problem - MLB.com
This is unfortunate news for Reyes, the Mets, and their fans. Until further notice, Reyes is on the shelf until doctors can find out the best way to handle his overactive thyroid. It's one of those scenarios where he feels fine, and is itching to get back onto the field, but it's not until he exerts a lot of physical activity in which it could begin to hamper him. I was hoping that this wasn't the case, because regardless of whom he plays for, he's always a fun player to watch. But alas, since this is the Mets, it's never this simple - Jose Reyes claims he doesn't have a problem. Sigh. Admission is the first step to recovery. He'll be out anywhere from 2-8 weeks, and likely miss the opener.

Not a Rookie - Daniel Murphy - Minor League Ball
This is kind of why I like doing TRIOMB, because I'm genuinely learning more about other players. Based on pretty much my exposure to Murphy being only when the Braves play the Mets, I often just thought how overrated he was. He was often times an easy out, and his defense has led to at least two come-from-behind victories for Atlanta to my recent knowledge, but apparently, he's not bad when playing everyone else, according to John Sickels who points out his adequate career line, plus fielding, and positive UZR rating.

Goose Gossage calls K-Rod a clown - NY Daily News
Ahh, New York. In this link, is a brief mention of how HOF Goose Gossage calls K-Rod a clown for all his excessive celebration after he converts a save:

"I don't think there is any place for it in the game. You respect that other team."

How does K-Rod handle being criticized by a HOFer? By acting like he has no idea who he is:
(via Amazin Avenue)

"I have no idea who he is,"

K-Rod likely to go back to wearing glasses - MLB.com
Due to the pinkeye, contact lenses are currently not an option for Mr. Celebration. That being said, it looks like Rodriguez is going to have to go back to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar glasses, like the ones he wore with the Anaheim Angels all those years ago.

Kyle Snyder signs with the Mets - Mack's Mets
(via Amazin Avenue)
Typical journeyman four-A pitcher (who has a ring) signs with the Mets to fill out potential arm space. He can start or relieve, and has done plenty of both throughout his tenures with the Royals, Red Sox, and most recently, the AAA Buffalo Bisons.

Sandy Koufax can't even help Oliver Perez - Metstradamus
Despite the advice given to him by the legend, and being ITBSOHL, Perez still gets shelled. Sure, it's just ST, but it's still amusing to cry foul so early, as it pertains to the Mets.

The Weakest Link - MetsBlog
All that off-season training out in Arizona, the ITBSOHL, and advice from Sandy Koufax, and people are still saying this kind of stuff. The sky is also blue, and human beings need oxygen to live.

Who's running the show? - FanGraphs
(via Amazin Avenue)
As it stands, nobody is necessarly sure where prospect Jenrry Mejia is going to start, whether it's going to be in Double-A as a starter, or on the big-league club, as a reliever. The decision is apparently Jerry Manual's, with Omar Minaya kind of nodding his head in the background, when it should kind of be the other way around, like most baseball clubs operate. Lots of comparisons to Neftali Feliz, David Price, and Joba Chamberlain as examples of ways to and not to bounce to and from the minors in different roles.

Double Standard? - Section 518
(via Amazin Avenue)
Mets fan gripes about the double standard of Jesus Sucre's walkoff blast and subsequently getting mugged at first base in a Spring Training game, compared to the excessive celebration flag that was thrown when Robin Ventura was mugged at first base after winning the 1999 NLCS in extras innings with a grand slam single. There's a pretty huge difference between pre- and post-season...

Spring Training BINGO - Lookout Landing
(via Amazin Avenue)
You see this? This has lasting power. This deserves to be published every spring training from now on.

Catcher Omir Santos hits inside-the-park grand slam against Nationals - MLB.com
I'm not sure who should be laughing at this more - the Nationals, laughing disgustedly, at Willy Taveras arguing with an umpire over a ball being a ground-rule double which allowed for this to happen, or the Mets, giddily giggling at the fact that a backup catcher just hit an inside-the-park slam.

Omir Santos drawing interest from Orioles and Rangers - Mets Blog
And speaking of Santos, two teams are reportedly interested in him. Likely for a backup role, since the Rangers have both Jarrod Saltalamacchia (remember him?) and Taylor Teagarden, and the O's have one of the many Jesuses in baseball, in Matt Wieters where is your god now.

One good outing prompts Jerry Manual to consider A-baller to 25-man roster - MLB.com
Sure, he got Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla retired in the process, and I'm pretty sure this is more one of those confidence-building power plays, but it doesn't change the fact that it's still just an ST game, and it sounds silly to us basement dwellers.

Are they really "Los" Mets anymore? - Mets360
(via Amazin Avenue)
When I made my veiled comment last week, I was aware of the ethnic tide gradually changing over in Flushing, but here's an article stating it officially.

Jesus only needs 27 pitches to complete two perfect innings in ST debut - MLB.com
Two hits, four groundballs, two strikeouts, one of which was Miguel Cabrera, for Stephen Strasburg's first encounter with live ML opposition. Set him up like a wind-up toy, with two off-speed pitches, followed by a heater he couldn't catch up to. Cabrera describe's Jesus's fastball:

"like an explosion."

I haven't seen this many cameras at a ST game since Daisuke Matsuzaka - Nats320
Naturally Jesus's debut was bound to garner a lot of attention, as pretty much anyone and every with a camera was around to try and snap a shot. Interestingly though, forgotten in the hype was the fact that Rick Porcello was quietly grounding everybody out for three scoreless innings.

Doesn't change the fact that he's going to pull a Tommy Hanson - MLB.com
Regardless of his holy performance, GM Mike Rizzo insinuates that his plans for Strasburg aren't going to change, which means, he's probably going to start the season in the Minors.

The differences between fastballs from 96-100mph - Red Reporter
(hat tip: Federal Baseball)
Nothing to do with any particular team, but since FB found it, it goes with them - RR shows us the differences between fastball ranging from 96mph to the rare 100mph pitch, and how drastic a 1mph difference between two speeds changes the numbers.

Hey-soos Flores, sent to Dr. James Andrews - Federal Baseball
Anyone who pays any attention to baseball knows what that name means, but the good news is that it's not for Tommy John, but there's no such thing as a trip to DJA without some extensive DL time. But very unfortunate for Flores, who was really blossoming into a good hitting catcher before all these shoulder woes kept popping up on him.

Desmond's ST case makes Guzman's future a little blurrier - MLBlogs
If Guzman starts the season in a bench role, Stanley King, his agent, will seek a trade. Which will be a little difficult, considering Guzman is owed $8M for the 2010 season.

"Everyday" Eddie Guadardo, among others, first round of Nats cuts - Federal Baseball
As we all know, cuts happen, and nobody is more surprised and disappointed by his release than long-time veteran, Eddie Guadardo, who was only given two innings, where he gave up four runs on seven hits, and threw only a total of twenty pitches, before being given the axe.

Nyjer Morgan having a tough time sliding - MLBlogs
Morgan once injured himself sliding head-first a long time ago, and Jim Riggleman wants him to start sliding feet first. It's hard to break old habits, and during ST, Morgan had a mental slip, and slid head-first again. But like a good employee, he quickly apologized to the skipper for the slip up.

Jim Riggleman "talks" about pitching - Fire Jim Bowden
(via Amazin Avenue)
I counted six "you know's" in the quote alone. This doesn't deter my opinion that the Nationals will be better than the last two years, and I'm going to chalk it up as Riggleman just not being a good speaker in general.

Nats fans talk about Tim Dierkes, Tim Dierkes shows up - Washington Nationals Fan Forum
FYI, Tim Dierkes is the guy that runs/maintains MLBTradeRumors.com - his opinions on the Nationals' offseason are being discussed, and naturally not everything is well received, and in the midst of the snowballing, Dierkes himself shows up to address the fans in person, and does so pretty tastefully, too.

Chien-Ming Wang schedule to have bullpen session next week - MLBlogs
The road to NL Comeback Player of the Year begins next week as Chien-Ming Wang is scheduled to be taking his first bullpen session off a mound. This will be the first time he has pitched off a mound since July 4th, 2009.

Next Jesus Watch - The Nats Blog
(via Federal Baseball)

"Harper is now batting a team-leading .408/.500/.831 with six homers and 20 RBI in a total of 20 games."

At the age of 17, no less.

Former Nationals closer trying to start-over with the Mariners - Examiner
My former drinking buddy, Chad Cordero, is trying to find a job again, currently working out in Mariners camp. Between 2005 and 2007 he converted 113 saves, made one all-star team, and won a DHL Delivery Man award, but in 2008, his right arm, for lack of a better term, fell off (torn side, labrum, bicep). But he's had surgery, and has been on the slow road to recovery, and I'm hoping he can find a spot out in Seattle, with Chris Woodward.

I know what I'm doing next time I go to Disney - Nats320
In Downtown Disney, there's apparently a Rawlings display where you can watch official employees hand-stitch together an official MLB baseball. Anyone down there for ST should check this out, I certainly would if I were down there.

Buzz Killington chimes in on the 2010 Phillies - The Good Phight
Every team has a Buzz Killington - the fan that points out every fault possible about their team, with the old adage "I'm only being realistic." Nah, it's all good, though. This story points out a lot of the factors why the Phillies might not be the juggernaut everyone expects them to be, from Rollins gradual slide since being MVP, the age gap between Polanco and Feliz, Howard's ineptitude against lefties, and so on, and so on, but as far as I'm concerned, they are still, the team to beat.

To Arms! Why Phillies Pitching Should Surge in 2010 - The Good Phight
I like this look at a baseball season - take out extra innings, and the bottom of the 9th on the road while losing, and there are 1458 innings in a season. A rational look at the probables and just how efficient the projected starting Phillies rotation should be at eating a giant chunk of all those innings, with obviously, the more innings eaten, the less the bullpen has to eat, and the more efficient a rotation should be in comparison to their opponents.

Make up your mind! Kendrick or Moyer? - MLB.com
Every week, Ruben Amaro, Rich Dubee, and Charlie Manuel contract one another about whom is going to be the 5th starter. Amaro says Moyer. Manuel says it's a toss. And now Dubee says it's Moyer's position to lose. The reality is that Kendrick is young, and has the potential to be better, but Moyer has experience, and a completely unrelated large salary. Screw 'em both - give it to Ryan Vogelsong.

J.C. Romero's delay gives Phillies a little breathing room on 5th starter - Beerleaguer
Romero's hit a little speedbump on the road to recovery, but that's not such a bad thing - it allows the Phils to hold off on the battle for the 5th starter, since whomever doesn't get it can be put in the bullpen until Romero returns. It's hard to say who will face that reality, but Kendrick has been pitching well this ST, having been obsessed with following in Roy Halladay's footsteps all March thusfar.

Moratoria - Clichés that need to go - Phillies Nation
The link is to part 2, which applies to mostly all baseball fans, but the first part is definitely geared more towards Phillies fans in general. But it's a pretty good list of some excessively overused terms, sayings and cliches that I honestly wouldn't mind seeing go away.

PSA to the Detroit Tigers - speak with your players - MLB.com
I'm not really complaining here, because I like Polanco at 3B instead of Feliz (for us) - but in hindsight, Polanco was allagedly likely to accept arbitration had it been offered to him in Detroit, but was allowed to leave instead, because the Tigers didn't want him to reject it and sign elsewhere, forfeitng the draft pick in the process.

Brian Schneider happy to be on the Phillies - MLB.com (video)
The former resident of Lehigh Valley, Schneider talks about how happy he is to bring his McCann-beating defense to the Phillies, and his bouncing around the NL East. I hope he faces the Braves often, because he's rocking some numbers against Atlanta, that McCann probably won't be able to achieve against Philadelphia: .197/.280/.289

Phillies sign another Hawaiian - Beerleaguer
Four-A caliber infielder, Keoni DeRenee, who spent 10 years in the minor leagues of the Braves, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Red Sox, before heading to the Independent Leagues signs with the Phillies. He's typically a light-hitting speedster, but given his likely age, he's gotta be grasping at straws. I wonder how much of this is in relation to Shane Victorino's Hawaiian roots?

Hank Blalock signs with the cross state Rays instead of Fish - Marlin Maniac
Considering Blalock would have likely gotten a ton more playing time in Miami as opposed to Tampa, one has to believe that Blalock's motivations were one of wanting to either stay in the American League, or thinking the Rays have a better shot than the Marlins, but bottom line, a little gravy train-ing has to be involved here.

Brett Carroll working with Chris Coghlan - Fish Stripes
Brett Carroll, a not very good hitter, has been working out with Chris Coghlan, a very good hitter this offseason. Coghlan now claims that Carroll's swing looks better, is more fluid, and could be a better hitter in 2010. I wonder if Carroll is now allowing the voices in his head tell him when to swing or not?

Groin injuries plaguing Marlin outfielders - MLB.com
Maybe it's the cold weather? Cameron Maybin and the Devil suffered "tweaks" in their groins this week; Maybin while running the bases, and Ross, while taking batting practice. Sure, both of them are acting as if nothing is wrong, but groin injuries are the ones that typically nag and nag and nag all throughout the season if proper rest is not given to them.

Burke Badenop likes to write screenplays - Fish Stripes
Good to see players with aspirations other than baseball, because as we all know, baseball careers sure don't last forever. But he's going to have a long way to go to get any film accolades, unlike his teammate, catcher John Baker's excellent rendition of Braveheart.

The View From Your Seat

2010-03-13T14:25:43Z

Champion Stadium, Pirates vs. Braves, 3/12/10, 4:32pm, top of the third

Bored? Need something to read?

2010-03-12T21:25:16Z

It's a slow lazy rainy Friday afternoon, why not use this time to finally order your copy of the Talking Chop 2010 Baseball Annual. Click the book to order:

Spring Training Open Thread: Pirates at Braves (maybe)

2010-03-12T17:58:06Z

Rain in Florida is putting the kybosh on many a spring training games today. The Braves-Pirates game has been pushed back to a 1:30 start time. Here is the lineup for Atlanta (notice the big change at the top):

Martin Prado, 2B
Nate McLouth, CF
Chipper Jones, 3B
Troy Glaus, 1B
Brian McCann, C
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jason Heyward, RF
Matt Diaz, LF
Jair Jurrjens, P

This is very likely the lineup we may see on opening day. It will be interesting to watch how long they keep Prado and McLouth switched, and if that works for both of them.

I'm Heading Down To Spring Training

2010-03-12T14:08:16Z

I'm super-excited, and not getting a lot of work done today, because I'm eagerly anticipating leaving for Florida and Braves spring training tomorrow. I'm hoping to follow the team to many of their stops over the next week, and I'll also have access during several games to the clubhouse where I'll be able to interview and talk to the players.

So stay tuned next week as I'll hopefully have some exclusive and exciting content.

Spring Training Open Thread: Braves at Yankees

2010-03-11T22:00:35Z

The Braves face the defending World Series Champions tonight. The biggest news will of course be that of the return of Jair Jurrjens to the mound. He has been slowed so far this spring with tightness in his shoulder, and this will be the first game-action he's seen this year.

Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Jason Heyward, RF
Troy Glaus, 1B
Brian McCann, C
Yunel Escobar, SS
Eric Hinske, DH
Matt Diaz, LF
Omar Infante, 3B

On the mound of course is Jurrjens, followed by James Parr, Jeff Lyman, Michael Dunn, Todd Redmond, and Stephen Marek.

Braves Making the Team Meter 2010: Hitters, Week 3

2010-03-11T13:22:43Z

Making the Team Meter for the Atlanta Braves hitters for week 3 of spring training shows us what the hitters have done the first two weeks of spring games. Go here for week 2 of the hitters MTM. I'll be taking some people off the list this week. I've removed Clint Sammons, Jordan Schafer, Freddie Freeman, and Cody Johnson, as they may still be on the spring roster, but barring injury they're not likely to make the team.

Player, Position	This Week's Trend	Last Week	Notes and Comments
Brooks Conrad, 2B			He is still swinging a hot bat and helping his cause by playing second and third. His main competition, Thurston, is also having a good spring. This battle could go down to the wire.
Gregor Blanco, OF			He has been largely unimpressive this spring. He's still way down there on the depth chart.
Brandon Hicks, SS			He doesn't have many hits, but he's impressed a lot of people in camp. He's probably nowhere near making the team, but he can certainly help his future prospects for making the Majors with a good showing this spring.
Joe Thurston, 2B			In the same boat with Conrad, and there's only room for one. Thurston is at a bit of a disadvantage because he's not on the 40-man, but he does have more experience as a pinch hitter and utility player than Conrad, and that could give him an edge.
Brent Clevlen, OF			He's getting a lot of playing time, but he's not doing much with it. We'll change him to going back down this week.
Jason Heyward, OF			Poser.
Mitch Jones, OF			He had a big homerun the other day, but that's his only hit this spring. He needs to show everyone that he's not a one-dimensional player.
Matt Young, OF			He's got as many hits as M. Jones and Blanco combined in far fewer at-bats. I'm still rooting for him, and we'll keep him here to see what happens.

Arrow Key:
= Chance of making the team is waffling or 50-50.
= Chance of making the team is trending down.
= Chance of making the team is trending up.

Jesus Wins Game for Braves

2010-03-10T21:49:43Z

That's right Jesus Sucre gets the walk-off hit for the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon, as they beat the Mets in the bottom of the 10th. That Jesus is of course pronounced "Hey Zeus," and not "Geez Us," like the resurrected son of God. Other than that the game was a mishmash of typical spring training veteran blowups, with Derek Lowe and Takashi Saito having rough outings. That headline, though, had to be posted.

The View From Your Seat

2010-03-10T20:28:38Z

Champion Stadium, Mets vs. Braves, 3/10/10, 2:30pm, bottom of the fourth

Braves Quote For The Day

2010-03-10T19:29:38Z

From a DOB Tweet:

Blister under r. big toe led to Lowe's troubles. It's messy, cropped up after 3rd pitch. Said he taped it whole career until this spring.

And here I thought his blister problems were on his hand...

I vote that we nickname Derek Lowe, "Mister Blister."

The View From Your Seat

2010-03-10T17:50:26Z

Champion Stadium, Phillies vs. Braves, 3/9/10, 7:15pm, bottom of the first

Spring Training Open Thread: Mets at Braves

2010-03-10T17:30:24Z

More photos » Rob Carr - AP

Derek Lowe takes the mound for the Braves.

Browse more photos »

The Braves take on the Mets for the third time this spring. Jason Heyward apparently has a sore back from running into the outfield wall in last night's game, and he is sitting this one out. Jeff Francoeur also didn't make the trip with the Mets, as New York brought what looks to be their C-team (which begs the question, "why didn't Francoeur come along). Here is the Braves lineup:

Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Eric Hinske, 1B
Melky Cabrera, RF
Matt Diaz, LF
Omar Infante, SS
David Ross, C
Derek Lowe, RH

Following Lowe on the mound should be Takashi Saito, Kris Medlen, Kyle Cofield, Mariano Gomez, and Jonny Venters.

I'm excited to see if Lowe can continue his success, and to see if Cofield can come out and show us something.

Braves Making the Team Meter 2010: Pitchers, Week 3

2010-03-10T16:06:30Z

Making the Team Meter for the Atlanta Braves pitchers for week 3 of spring training follows what the pitchers have done the first two weeks of games. Go here for week 2 of the pitchers edition MTM. I went ahead and removed Juan Abreu from this list, and a few more will come off next week.

Player, Position	This Week's Trend	Notes and Comments
Manny Acosta, RHP		Okay, seriously, really, Manny has been pretty darn good this spring. 4 innings, 6 strikeouts, and only 1 hit and 1 walk. I hate to say it, but with Chavez and Dunn struggling, Manny's looking good to make the team.
Jesse Chavez, RHP		His stats look horrible so far this spring. He did have a decent outing last night, but it was by no means dominant. Nor did he look that confident on the mound. He has an option left, and I say his odds of making the team are slipping.
Kyle Cofield, RHP		He's only gotten into one game, but he's been compared to John Smoltz, so we'll keep him on here and see if he gets a more serious shot at one of the bullpen spots.
Erik Cordier, RHP		Two decent outings. He's helping his cause to make the team, but he's still a non-roster guy, so unless he just blows away the Braves coaches he's still bound for the minors.
Michael Dunn, LHP		Lots of walks and hits. He's pitched around them for the most part, but his control is a point of concern.
Mariano Gomez, LHP		He got shellacked in his second outing of the spring. He really hasn't shown he can get anyone out this spring.
Lee Hyde, LHP		Like Gomez, Hyde got shelled in his second spring appearance. I still like his chances, but he's got to have better control.
Craig Kimbrel, RHP		I still think that with his stuff there's always the possibility of him making the team. He needs to get into some game, though.
Jeff Lyman, RHP		He has done well this spring, and is flying way under the radar. Could be a dark horse bullpen candidate.
Stephen Marek, RHP	OFF	He doesn't seem to be ready for the show, as his disappointing 2009 is following into this season. We'll take him off this list, as he's too far down the depth chart at this point.
Kris Medlen, RHP		He has looked great so far this spring.
Mike Minor, LHP		He's looked really good, and he seems to be throwing with a lot of confidence. I still believe that he is in the Braves long term plans more than their short term plans for this year. He may be one of the first players cut so he can go prepare for the rotation in the minors.
Jose Ortegano, LHP	OFF	After having a great Winter League, he got creamed by the Phillies last night.
James Parr, RHP		He's done okay this spring, with good strikeout numbers. It will be interesting to see how the Braves use him this year. He could be a long shot for the bullpen.
Scott Proctor, RHP		The team still seems optimistic that he could be ready to start the season with the big club.
Todd Redmond, RHP		He had a good first outing, and he is another pitcher who is intriguing. Still, I bet the team wants him to start in triple-A as emergency depth.
Chris Resop, RHP		Not having a good spring. It doesn't look good for Resop. Seeing as how he didn't get into many games last year in Japan, he could probably stand to spend some time in the minors.
Jo-Jo Reyes, LHP		He might be squeezing his way into a bullpen role, and Cox hinted at just that.
Luis Valdez, RHP		Still having visa problems getting into the states.
Jonny Venters, LHP		He's having an okay spring. He needs to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack if he is to move up this list.

Arrow Key:
= Chance of making the team is waffling or 50-50.
= Chance of making the team is trending down.
= Chance of making the team is trending up.

UPDATE: 4PM 3/10:

We may have to add Cory Gearrin to this list. He's not on the 40-man roster and he's not listed as a non-roster invitee, but he's made it into two games now and he's pitched very well, allowing only one hit while striking out two.

Spring Training Open Thread: Phillies at Braves

2010-03-09T22:00:44Z

It's a 7:05pm night game on CSS (Comcast), and on MLB Network for non-Atlanta markets (Atlanta market will likely be blacked out). It should be a nice matchup, phacing the Phils for the phirst time this spring. Here is the lineup

Nate McLouth, CF
Martin Prado, 2B
Chipper Jones, 3B
Troy Glaus, 1B
Brian McCann, C
Yunel Escobar, SS
Jason Heyward, RF
Melky Cabrera, LF
Kenshin Kawakami, P

From a DOB tweet:

Cox about tonight being opening-day lineup: "Pretty close. I don't know if Heyward will be hitting seventh, if he keeps going like this."

This is the lineup I've had in mind for the past two months. I think even if Heyward keeps raking they'll keep him protected lower in the lineup early in the season. At some point the league is going to adjust to him, so we'll see how his learning curve is then.

Well, it looks like I won't be getting any work done today.

2010-03-09T17:52:45Z

Well, it looks like I won't be getting any work done today.

Matt Diaz: Atlanta Braves 2010 Player Preview

2010-03-09T16:23:18Z

More photos » Rob Carr - AP

Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Diaz will attempt to climb higher in 2010.

Browse more photos »

This player preview was written by Kyle Hugueley, who posts here as J-Freak.

At the behest of the fan base, Frank Wren followed through on his effort to sign Johnny Damon. Our newly acquired left fielder will probably be used as the leadoff man-

What's that you say? Damon's not coming? Thank goodness. Now back to our regularly scheduled Preview:

For years Matt Diaz has been stuck with the label of a fourth outfielder, and given his splits against right-handers that label has been justified. He had the highest batting average of any Brave in 2006 and 2007, however, so there's always been a glimmer of hope he might one day outgrow that label, and he might be primed to do so in 2010.

Diaz is a beast without equal against lefties. He has hit .347/.384/.537 against lefties in his career for a .921 OPS, comapred to just .722 OPS against righties. In 2008 his numbers against righties went in the tank, even before his knee injury. While posting those great numbers in '06 and '07 he didn't do much extra-base damage against righties, putting up a somewhat pedestrian OPS, but he slapped plenty of singles off of them and hit over .300 against them. in ‘09 he bounced back to post a .749 OPS against righties in almost a half-season's worth of at-bats, while still systematically destroying lefties to the tune of a .412/.464/.640/1.103 line. In ‘08, bad luck was probably the culprit more than anything, as his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was an obscenely low .304. That mark is right about MLB average, but it pales in comparison to Diaz's .364 career BABIP.

A .364 BABIP in one season is usually an astounding amount of luck and an indicator that a hitter is due to regress badly in the coming season, but this is Diaz's career mark over 5+ seasons of work. It's no fluke, though his .383 mark from last year might be flukish even by his standards. Part of the reason for such a high mark is his work against lefties -- it's obvious he absolutely obliterates them, so of course his BABIP there will be higher than normal.

Further, he has a career line drive rate of 22.5 percent, well above the MLB average of 19 percent, and last year he posted up a staggering 24.7 percent rate. Folks, that's David Wright territory (before his power outage last year, that is). Diaz might not send as many over the fence, but he is a prolific hard-hitter. Plenty of his hits fly off the bat with homerun speed, just not the altitude, as his fondness for the double will attest. In '07 and '09 (skipping the anomalous '08) he hit 39 two-baggers in just over 700 Abs, which gives him about 33 prorated over a 600 AB season. That's roughly Chipper-in-his-prime levels of double production.

Dateline 2010 -- with no Garrett Anderson taking up space in left field anymore, and no plans by the front office to bring in another veteran, the left field job is Diaz's to lose. If he wants to take full advantage of this opportunity, Diaz needs to continue the success he showed once he was given regular playing time last year. I mentioned earlier that he had exceeded his career OPS against righties last season, but he did this while hitting 21 points under his career average against righties. If he can bring that mark up to near his career norm while maintaining the increase in OBP and SLG he put up against them last year, he could be an .800 OPS man against righties, and coupled with the numbers he puts up against lefties it's very easy to picture a scenario wherein Diaz posts an .850-.900 OPS, which is far more than you'd expect from a fourth outfielder (He delivered an .878 OPS in 09, by the way). Diaz has put up a .350+ OBP for us every year but the anomalous 2008, ending with a whopping .390 in 2009. If he maintains that skill to draw walks and makes the adjustment to bring up those numbers against righties just a bit, Diaz may become not just a strong everyday left fielder, but a dynamite leadoff option.

Realistically Diaz will probably start the year in the 8 spot in the lineup protecting Jason Heyward, but if he can make the adjustments mentioned he could force Bobby's hand and move to the top of the lineup. His competition in that spot is McLouth, who would be more valuable in a run-producing role than leading off, and given McLouth's pedestrian OBP numbers, moving Matt to the top could prove a boon for Chipper, Glaus, and McCann and might add a couple of wins to this team. Diaz must make his case, however, by finding a way to hit around .270 or better against righties again. He's done it before, and he's headed back in that direction after the lousy 2008 showing, but he needs to do it again to come into his own as a regular player. And being in that 8 spot he should have plenty of low-pressure situations to just zero in and show he can hit the way he needs to.

That really sums up the key to Diaz's success in one blow -- succeed against righties. If he does that, good things are in store for him and the team. It is even more critical that he do very well against righties in spring training, so that no thoughts of a Melky platoon are entertained. Just for fun:

Matt vs. RHP: .276/.334/.387/.722
Melky vs. RHP: .275/.333/.397/.730

They're virtually identical. Even mild improvement over his career marks really ought to be enough to garner him a full-time role and let him really show us what he can do. 2010 can be very special for Diaz if he just keeps on keepin' on, and makes any improvement whatsoever against righties.

Nice preview by Kyle, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Atlanta Baseball Talk

2010-03-09T13:30:18Z

Last night I made an appearance on the blog radio program Atlanta Baseball Talk. We talked for around 40 minutes about my path to Talking Chop and beyond and how the Braves are shaping up this spring. This would be a nice lunch-time listen. Go here to listen. Thanks to the hosts, Steve and Curt, for an enjoyable interview.