Remember in the off-season one almost every single Braves fan was ragging on Frank Wren? Well look what he has done now. This Wednesday has probably been his busiest of the year and he has accomplished something great. We have all been whining for an outfielder who can hit and Mr. Wren has come through and provided one.

Nate McLouth is the newest member of the Atla- wait Frank Wren also released Tom Glavine and is bringing up Tommy Hanson…

Nate McLouth and Tommy Hanson are the Two newest additions to the Atlanta Braves.

Wren traded Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez, and Jeff Locke to the Pittsburgh Pirates for All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth. McLouth will definitely provide some offense for Atlanta and I think we got him for a great price. Yes, Charlie Morton is very good and yes, Hernandes was a great prospect but we have pitching depth, and we have Jason Heyward. Also McLouth is under contract for three years, so our outfield is looking better and better in the future.

Today is like Christmas for Braves fans because two of their wishes were granted: to get an outfielder that will provide some offense and to see Tommy Hanson pitch in the majors.

Yep, Glavine was released and Hanson will be pitching this saturday against Milwaukee.

“You do what’s best for your team, for the organization,” Wren said. “We had lots of people agree this is what’s beset for the team and for the organization. Our duty is to give those 25 players down there the best opportunity to win and to play in October.”

Wren is definitely doing what is best for the team and now The Braves do have a good chance of making the playoffs. Now it’s about time some of you Braves fans start liking this guy.

Kudos to you Mr. Wren

******

Los

 

 

 

Yeah, I know it’s a bit late to be doing these but this will be my first time and I am dfinitely not going to be waiting until next season. So here they are…

 

(I decided to start in the west so I don’t get blamed for an ‘East Coast Bias’)

NL WEST

1- Dodgers

This is probably one of the easier picks simply because of the division. During the off-season i was hoping to be able to but San Fran in the number one spot but unless they add a bat and add one now, that is not going to happen. The Dodgers rotation is surprisingly doing very well and their offense is unstoppable right now with Pierre on fire. Unfortunately it will get even better when Ramirez gets back ( I say unfortunately because I am not exactly a fan of Manny). They could probably improve their pitching by trading Pierre, and i hope he does get traded. He is a great player with a lot of heart and he deserves to start some where.

 

2- Giants

They have a solid pitching rotation and they will probably try to improve their offense before the season is over. It won’t be very pretty but they will manage to get second in this steller division.

 

3- Diamondbacks

Granted, they are definitely not the same team as last year but their rotation is still decent and Justin Upton is on fire. They will be able to pull out third place pretty easily.

 

4- Padres

What? The Padres not in last? Yeah, I thought they would be right in front of Washington at the end of the year but thanks to the Rockies they will probably finish fourth.

 

5- Rockies

Well what can I say? its just not exactly the Rockies year.

 

 

NL CENTRAL

 

1- Cardinals

Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel are now back to drive in some runs along with Albert Pujols. This line-up will score alot of runs and now that Chris Carpenter is back and better than ever their pitching looks like it will be enough. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded Ludwick or Ankiel to get another arm and strenghten the rotation.

 

2- Milwuakee

I was debating on putting the Cubs here but with Derek Lee not producing, Aramis Ramirez out, and there amazing bullpen I think that they will finish third. The Brewers have got Hoffman in the 9th so if they go in with a lead its over. They will need to get some more pitching though.

 

3- Cubs

I hate to say that the Cubs are not going to win or even get to the World Series, again, this year but the Cubs are not going to win or even get to the World Seires, Again, this year. Their offense is not producing and the bullpen does not look to great either. Maybe the reason I am being so pessimistic about the Cubs is because I really hate Ted Lilly but, oh well.

 

4- Reds

If they get some offense going then they could be a very good team, but i don’t think they have the stuff to do much better. Hey they might come in third, if the Cubbies keep it up.

 

5- Pirates

Great young pitching. To bad thats all. Oh, and Nate McClouth

 

6- Astros

………………..

 

 

NL EAST

 

1- Mets

The Mets have made some major improvements and lets face it, they are due. They might have to do something about that pitching rotation but they should be able to pull it off this year (I would knock on wood but my team is kinda in this division)

 

2- Braves

This one is not biased at all. Anyways if the Braves get a bat sometime soon then it would not be very surprising at all. Their starting pitching is excellent this year and Moylan, Soriano, and Gonzales are doing great in the pen. If Franky turns it around and hits like he used to its looking pretty good, but all of these is being very optimistic. Again, this is not a biased pick or anything 

 

3- Phillies

Well the Phillies somehow won the World Series last year but their thin pitching and shaky lineup will not be enough this year.

 

4- Marlins

It seems like this team is unpredictable but their pitching is just not good at all.

 

5- Nationals

Come on, its the Nationals. (If I insulted anyone I am truly sorry that I picked their swell team to finish last… in the National league)

 

******

I have just realized that I will not be able to do the  American League predictions today so you will have to wait until tomorrow.

NL MVP- Albert Pujols

With his team winning the division it will be an even bigger reason that he will win this award… again.

NL Cy Young- Chad Billingsly

He is a great pitcher and his numbers will look even better considering the division he is pitching in. There are not to many great offenses in the NL West. Also, he will be on the winning team and unfortunately that usually has a big part in these awards.

 

******

 

Ok go ahead and rag on my predictions,

Los

 

 

If the Braves are in such dire need of a power hitter, can someone please explain to me why they are going after Indian’s utility man Mark Derosa?

I am not saying that Mark Derosa is a bad player; he is an extremely good player, but he is a UTILITY man. He can play 6 out of 9 positions and he can play them all well (maybe not shortstop anymore but he has played their before). He is definitely a guy that can start for any team and he could even start for a certain position. I am sure he would much rather be ‘the second-baseman of a team’ than, ‘the utility-man of a team.’ Yes Derosa can be a valuable player to a team but could he really provide most of a team’s power? Nobody even thought of Derosa as an above average hitter until after last year. That definitely doesn’t mean he will come out and become a slugger. Throw out last year and his highest homerun total in a season is 13 and the most RBIs he has had is 74. That can not be the hitter who provides your power.

And its not like he provides you of much else. He can play all those positions but we have Omar Infante to do that and we don’t need to give up a lot of pitching prospects for a bench player.

 

 

 

A long time ago (approximately 20 years or so until the beginning of baseball) small ball was how most if not every single Major League team manufactured their runs.Now most teams look at their offense and if they are not scoring runs they figure out how they can get some big slugger wow either mashes the ball right into the parking lot behind the field or strikes out. The simple fact is that a lot of teams are relying on the long ball to win and if their ‘sluggers’ go into a slump then their chances of winning are not very good. The Chicago White Sox perfectly illustrate this picture, and hit the most home runs last year (i think) and look at them now.

The Braves huge and obvious problem is their run producing ability. This is going to be a very hard problem to fix especially if you are looking for the big name homerun hitters who are going to require a lot in return. If you look around you will see that their is anything but a surplus of power hitting options. But it could be easier if we go after a LEADOFF batter or someone who has speed and can get on base.

I have said this before and i am going to say it again: the Braves should get Brian Roberts. He is probably one of the best leadoff batters in the game and he could definitely benifit Atlanta’s team. Brian Roberts brings speed to the slowest lineup in the league. Yep thats right, they rank dead last in stolen bases and Roberts has 10 already this season. Kelly Johnson now leads the team with a grand total of two stolen bases.

We dont have speed and we dont have power. If we can’t find a solution to the power issue easily what are we going to do give away our rich farm for a Matt Holliday rental like we did with Texiera? Or are we going get rid of some pitching (which will make room for Tommy Hanson) either Kelly Johnson or Martin Prado and maybe an outfielder (not named Jordan Schafer or Jason Heyward) for a great leadoff hitter and a great defensive second baseman that is named Brian Roberts? I like plan B much more myself.

Oh yeah i forgot to mention that Brian Roberts is also a POWER upgrade. Lets compare some stats…

first up is Kelly Johnson:

Home Runs: 5

RBIs: 15

Triples: 2

Doubles: 6

SLG: .421

OPS: .733

AVG: .243

 

Brian Roberts

Home Runs: 6

RBIs: 21

Triples: 1

Doubles: 15

SLG: 490

OPS:863

AVG: 302

 

As you can see Brian Roberts beats KJ in every one of these catagories except for triples and that will most likely change. One of the more noticeable differences is their doubles. Brian Roberts has 15 and Kelly has only 6 extra base hits are much more important than people think.

If a leadoff batter gets a single than your second batter could ground into a double play. This leaves you with two outs and nobody on. If your leadoff batter gets a double than your second batter could hit a grounder and advance the leadoff man to third. you now have a runner on third with one out and your #3 batter up. A pop up, grounder, base hit, or homerun could now score your runner and if the number three guy gets out you still have another shot with your cleanup man. This is already a huge benifit just by considering this one stat. Granted you can’t judge a player by a single stat or even multiple stats but Brian Roberts will get on base more often than Kelly Johnson and he is a LEADOFF hitter which is a crucial ingrediant to a successfull lineup. Atlanta does not have a legitimate leadoff guy. Brian Roberts gives us this. Roberts also has 23 walks compared to KJ’s 12. Brian has the ability to steal bases and get into scoring position which is something that the Braves dont have right now

Well there is proof enough that Roberts would help our team and also he hits in the american league in a division with arguably the best pitching in baseball. The numbers will only go up when he is brought into the national league. On top of all of these offensive benifits Brian Roberts plays steller defense and will make a great double play duo with Yunel Escobar. This would mean that the Braves would have one of the best if not the best defensive infields. Chipper Jones at third, Yunel Escobar at short, Brian at second, and Casey Kotchman at first is almost as solid as you can get.

Now before you can say that yeah Brian is good but we can never get him look at the Oriols pitching. Did you no any of those names? Didn’t think so. We have pitching to spare and the Oriols will also be sellers this year considering the Yankees, Red Sox, Tampa Bay, and Blue Jays are still in their division. We can offer Medlen, JoJo, either KJ or Prado, and another prospect for Brian Roberts. Yeah these are alot of players but you have to give up something in order to get something back and Brian Roberts would definitely be worth it.

 

http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/PHO/bb_AAIH121_8x10~Brian-Roberts-Posters.jpg

 

 

***** oh yeah, switch hitting isn’t exactly a bad thing is it? what else do you guys want?

Los

 

 

Right now the Braves starting pitching is excellent. Derek Lowe is 5 and 2 and should have no losses. The problem is obviously within the Braves offense.

If you take a look at the Braves’ not-so-steller line-up you will notice that two crucial things are missing. 1) a solid leadoff man that has some speed 2) a power hitter

The best our line-up has looked is like this:

Yunel Escobar

Casey Kotchman

Chipper Jones

Briann McCann

Garret Anderson

Kelly Johnson

Jeff Francouer

Jordon Schafer

 

Casey Kotchman could do very well in the number 2 spot because he rarely strikes out and consistently puts the ball into play. Esco shouldn’t really be batting in the number two spot because he does put a lot on the ground and could start quite a few double plays. So untill we get a legit leadoff guy than he should do fine as the first batter. Chipper and Brian are set in the three and four spots. Garret Anderson has proven so far to be terrible and he was supposed to supply some of the power… well thats not happening and hopefully Jason Heyward will be ready by next year (lets cross our fingers). Jeff Francouer seems like he can turn last season around so don’t worry about him… yet. Jordon Schafer is just a rookie and he is doing far beyond great in the field so let him get some more at bats and the strike outs will gradually go down.

 

The spot in the line-up that i think we can improve in is second-base. Kelly Johnson is not exactly a ‘good fielder’ and he doesn’t have speed and he doesn’t have plus power. He can drive in runs but what he can offer is not enought for this power lacking line-up. There are three players who i think could be possibilities to put at second base.

 

1) Brian Roberts- he provides speed and also has some power for a good leadoff man. His defense is also an upgrade from KJ

2) Mark Derosa- Derosa provides power and he has a great flexibility in the field. He can play second, third, outfield, he has played first, and he used to play short.

3) Rafeal Furcal- he provides excellent speed and is great in the field and should be able to play second base

 

Brian Roberts

http://mysportsrumors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/brian_roberts.jpg

 

I have always liked Brian Roberts and he is probably my favorite second baseman so that might be a reason why i put him first, but you can’t lie; Brian would be a breat fit in Atlanta. He has been one of the most successful leadoff men in the past few years. He gets on base, he steals bases, and he has a little bit of power to. He can also play very good defense and would make a nice double play duo with Escobar.

The Oriols would probably want some young talent, along with Johnson, which we have to offer (and still have some to keep) so we could probably get this deal done… i hope.

 

 

Mark Derosa

http://www.delawareonline.com/blogs/uploaded_images/Mark_DeRosa-744244.jpg

 

The second best option would be Mark Derosa. The guy can hit the ball. He is not a super slugger but he will drive in runs and hit a few out of the ball park. His flexibility in the field is also a major plus.

Cleveland would obviously want some pitching and we have a few young pitchers that would could offer with KJ.

 

 

Rafeal Furcal

http://kermittheblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/furcal.jpg

 

The third option that i thought of is Rafeal Furcal. In the off season we tried to get him but that fell through right at the end of our ‘negotiations’. Furcal obviously has plus plus speed and can play defense but i don’t know if the Dodgers would be willing to give him up, even if we have some good young pitching to offer. He also has a pretty nice salary that we would be taking on so this one is definitely iffy.

 

*** i would also like to point out how immensly ironic it is that i am trying to solve Atlanta’s power issue while they are beating Colorado 10 to 1. ironic but definitely not bad

 

So what do you guys think about this lack of offense?

Los

 

 

 

Wow. Thats all i can think of to say about Derek Lowe so far this season. I am pretty sure he has exceeded everyone’s expectations and he has turned out to be the ace that Atlanta is in dire need of. He has been able to pitch pretty deep into games and the most runs he has given up in one game is four. Today he got his second loss of the season but that doesn’t mean that he dissapointed. Pitching 8 innings with three hits and two earned runs is hardly dissapointing. What this tells you is how dissapointing our offense is right now. Oh yeah he also only walked one guy and had three K’s. If he continues to pitch like this then we ‘should’  be able to win every time he takes the mound. All we have to do is maybe consider hitting the ball and trying to score runs; i hear that can help a team win some games.

 

Los

Well every Braves fan out there thought that the next starter to come up from the farm would be super-prospect Tommy Hanson. Kris Medlen decided to prove the Braves nation wrong by going 5-0 with a .96 ERA for Class AAA Gwinnet. What might seem even more impressive is his scoreless innings streak which is currently at 21 innings. Medlen will be replacing Jo Jo Reyes (thank goodness) who will be moving to the bullpen.

Tommy Hanson is doing good despite his 1-3 record, having a 1.99 ERA.

Jeff Francoeur looked like he had left last season behind him with a homerun in the opening night game of the 09 season but he is now hitting .257 with a dreadfull .273 OBP. He took a game off and hopefully he will get back to the Frenchy we are all used to.