Friday Links and AFL Report
October 30, 2009 at 1:43 pm by Capitol Avenue Club under Links, Prospects
Your Friday links.
- John Sickels of Minor League Ball has his preliminary list of Atlanta Braves top-20 prospects. Comparing the list to mine, we’ve got 15 of the same in the top 20. He includes Cody Gearrin, Robinson Lopez, Luis Valdez, Scott Diamond, and Mycal Jones. I have Gearrin ranked 33, Jones ranked 21, Diamond ranked 35, and Lopez and Valdez unranked. I included Matt Young (15), Cody Johnson (16), Benino Pruneda (17), Tyler Stovall (19), and Cole Rohrbough (10).
- Atlanta Braves prospect and AFL Representative, Jeff Lyman, has a new blog post up. He’ll answer your questions, too!
- Mark Sanchez eats a hot dog on the sideline during a TV time out in Sunday’s game against the Raiders. They were up like 1,583,412 to 0, anyway. Speaking of NFL, I gave up on doing NFL picks. I wasn’t very good, anyway.
- It must’ve been my birthday this past weekend, because Steve Phillips was fired by ESPN. He also entered into a rehab facility to combat his sex addiction. There are two possible explanations. 1) He really is a sex fiend and actually needs treatment or 2) he’s full of shit and entering rehab to save face. I link, you decide. His mistress was also fired.
- It looks like my Tim Hudson prediction will, indeed, be correct. The funny thing about all of this is that Rosenthal originally broke the story. Here’s what Rosenthal writes two weeks ago:
Barring a last-minute, knockout offer from the Braves, right-hander Tim Hudson plans to become a free agent, according to major-league sources.
Can we all agree to never listen to anything Rosenthal says ever again?
- Jason Heyward’s AFL campaign has come to an end after a diagnosis of back inflammation per team doctors. Probably a minor set back in the grand scheme of things. He probably wasn’t going to get serious consideration for an opening-day role, anyway.
- This site is just hilarious.
- The Braves have plucked Mariners’ minor league pitching coordinator, Dave Wallace from them to fill the same role in Atlanta. I know nothing about the position, but Wallace seems like a well regarded instructor within the industry. He was most notably the pitching coach for the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Some Boston people tell me that was a good year for them.
- Chipper Jones gives an interview for Forbes. The money quote:
Near the end of the season, you mentioned that you were considering retirement after next season. Now that that the season is over, do you still feel the same?
I was really frustrated with how the middle part of the season went for me. I have such high standards for myself and I will never settle for being a mediocre player. I will work extremely hard to make sure that doesn’t happen again this year.
- The Braves have fired the scout that signed Tommy Hanson, Freddie Freeman, and Kris Medlen (ESPN Rumor Central, subscription required). Law’s assessment is that Tom Battista was a very valuable employee. I think Law is correct, though we can’t possibly know all of the circumstances, therefore it’s impossible for outsiders to properly assess the situation.
- Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors does his Atlanta Braves installment of the Offseason Outlook series. Good stuff and a great starting point for roster construction thoughts. Here’s his take:
My suggestion: retain the starting pitching depth. In all likelihood Kawakami will still be needed for 20+ starts next year. The Braves could instead bump payroll to $100MM, dump Johnson and Logan, go cheap on the bullpen, perhaps backload Hudson’s deal, and spend $9-10MM each for the first base and left field spots. Perhaps Johnson could even be used to acquire a decent late-inning reliever.
I do quibble with him on one point. He says:
Kawakami’s contract isn’t unreasonable. Lowe’s is, given his declining peripherals. Lowe is still useful, though, so the Braves could still trade him and shed 2010 payroll even if they can’t find a taker for all $15MM.
I respond:
People always say things like this. There’s zero empirical evidence that it’s true. None of his peripherals have declined for a sustained period of time, just 1 year. There’s no evidence it’s not just an aberration and there’s actually no real decline in his skills.
It remains to be seen what is the truth, but only Nostradamus is capable of properly speaking in absolutes with regards to his relative fundamental abilities or the possible decline thereof.
AFL Report
As you all know, Heyward’s AFL campaign is done. Fortunately, that’s about the end of the bad AFL news. Freddie Freeman hit the ball more than once this past week! He actually went 6-16 with a double and a homer, though he drew zero walks and struck out 5 times. Brandon Hicks continued to hit, going 3-9 and drawing 5 walks while striking out only twice.
Mike Minor made two starts this past week. He pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while recording 1 strikeout, in the first start. He seemingly inexplicably lasted only 1 inning in the second one. He gave up 1 hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning and threw only 16 pitches. It wasn’t a performance thing and I would’ve already heard about it if it were an injury thing, so I’m guessing it’s just nothing. Someone suggested there was a weather delay. Seems like the simplest explanation to me.
Lee Hyde made two appearances this past week, pitching 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing 2 hits (1 HR), 2 walks, and 3 ER while striking out one. Most of the damage came in the first outing. Walk, walk, homer will kill you every time. Jeff Lyman and Craig Kimbrel each made only one appearance and pitched a scoreless inning apiece. Lyman allowed 1 hit in his, Kimbrel’s was perfect.
Loading ...
Weather delay? In AZ? I suppose it’s possible but that’s not the Arizona I’ve been to.
I kid, but seriously, great work on this site. CAC has moved up to #2 on my favorite sites (behind only BravesJournal). Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Dusty.
Whether it was a weather delay or not, I’m sure it was something similarly inconsequential.
I’m starting to feel that Troy Glaus, on a minor league deal with incentives, could be a nice viable plan for 1B. Right handed, power and patience, whatever we lose with his defense we’re likely to make up more so with his bat. The injury history makes one want a second plan, but he could fit nicely, if he’s reasonably healthy. Can slide over to 3rd to spell Chip if for some reason Prado’s not available too or if we don’t want to mess with his flow at 2B… an alright way to go, if we want to spend LaRoche’s money on Holliday and not/can’t deal Lowe.
I like it, Nevin. Provided he’s healthy. Especially if KJ is traded.