Twitter Mailbag: 11/12

November 12, 2012 at 9:02 am by Ben Duronio under Atlanta Braves

@jprice89: How bad is losing Ross to the BoSox going to hurt?

It most certainly has the potential to be a relatively big blow to the team, due to Brian McCann’s performance and injuries over the past year and a half. Since Ross came to Atlanta, the Braves had the best catching duo in baseball and it is doubtful that anyone they acquire will be of th same quality as Ross. If they sign a guy like Kelly Shoppach, they may get a hot streak out of him during the early part of the season while McCann recovers from his shoulder surgery, but the combination of Ross’s consistency both offensively and defensively in that role will be extremely difficult to replace.

@Eric_Adam10: What could Juan Francisco look like as a full timer? Any chance we reach that point?

I think he could look like Pedro Alvarez of last season if he is given regular plate appearances. I am probably a bit higher on Francisco than most, but I see the talent when he is at the plate and believe he could develop rapidly if he is able to be a bit more patient. I doubt he ever gets the shot to start on his own, but I could see him making the transition to regular ala Martin Prado. By that I mean, filling in for an injured or poorly performing player and running away with the job.

@RavensNiinja: How would you rank Fredi Gonzalez’s couching (FS09 meme) ability?

On a scale of 1-5 I think I would put him between a 4.5 and a 5. His first year was awful and his tenure in Florida wasn’t terrific either, but he did really well last year in most regards and learned a lot from the mistakes he made in 2011. He will likely never be a great manager, but if he is able to just not be terrible then the team should be able to succeed at a relatively high rate for the foreseeable future.

@Dongofrommcongo: What’syour guess on the starting OF?

My guess is just as good as anyone’s, but I’ll say Cody Ross, Denard Span, and Jason Heyward.

————————————

I hope you guys enjoyed this quick mailbag, if you have any questions you want answered send them over to me @Ben_Duronio