Jurrjens makes Braves roster, in disbelief | ajc.com

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The 2008 championship season figures to be a bright one for the Atlanta Braves as they look to reclaim their rightful place on top of the National League East. This version of the Braves will feature a formidable offense to go along with a very deep pitching staff. Under the tutelage of Bobby Cox, the Braves begin their epic journey to the top on March 30^th against the Washington Nationals.

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Most of the roster moves have been made or decided, but there’s still the backup catcher, fifth starter, and backup outfielder to determine before Saturday. Here is my (short) predictions on who wins what and what the lineup will be like.

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Forums: http://forums.tomahawk-talk.com

10. Mark Kotsay needs to stay healthy!!!

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The pitchers have reported. The catchers have reported. The position players have reported. Yes, it’s that time again folks. The time when the sun is shining bright, when the players are oiling up their rust spots, and when the pale, moon-like figures known as fans emerge out of their holes. Baseball is back, and it’s about time!
One of the teams that’s not been mentioned, or even on somebody’s far distant radar, is the team from Atlanta. Sure, they didn’t make too many big splashes during the off-season, but I think they may have found the few missing pieces to the puzzle that can lead them back to the playoffs, and to the World Series. Most people will dismiss my opinion of the 2008 Braves, but I have a message for them, “We are the team to beat.”
The Braves pitching staff is the most dominant or at least deep in the NL East. Smoltz, Glavine, and Hudson alone are one of the most promising top 3 in baseball. Old age or not, these guys can still pitch. The age is just an excuse made up by those who sit in denial. The back end is nothing to laugh at either. Returning for his third year, the crafty lefty Chuck James fills the 4th spot, and Mike Hampton, who after missing the last 2 years consecutive, may finally be ready to take the hill once again in the back end of the rotation. Now, these two are probably the most injury-prone in the rotation, so I wouldn’t expect them to pitch all season unharmed. It’s a good thing we’ve got at least three youngsters waiting in the wing for their chance to shine. First up is Jeff Bennett who pitched last year, and did quite well. He’ll probably get the nod first if either pitcher is to go down. Next is a toss-up being Jo-Jo Reyes, and the newly acquired Jair Jurrgens. Jo-Jo did quite badly in his time last year, but towards the end, managed to get his first major league win ending the season with two. As for Jair, at the young age of 22, has already claimed victory to 3 big-league wins, and impressive 4.70 ERA. Let’s not forget that he was an AL pitcher after all. Any one of these three guys would make for an excellent candidate if a spot opened up.
Starting rotation isn’t the only shining beacon for the Braves on the pitching side of things. No, the Braves, even after the Devine trade, have a solid looking pen out in right-center. Closing this year will be the dominant Dominican, Rafael Soriano. Last year, Soriano finished with a 3.00 ERA and 70 strikeouts, keeping up his reputation for sending batters back to the dugout empty handed. Setting up for him this year will be the “side-winda” from “down unda” Peter Moylan. Moylan was, without a doubt, the Braves biggest surprise player of the year, and one of their best. Moylan finished the season 5-3 with a barely-visible 1.70 ERA. The Braves also have Tyler Yates in the pen, who can be shaky, but brilliant as well. There’s also the newly attained Will Ohmen (who has an unbelievable record away from Wrigley), and returning Blaine Boyer. And last, but most certainly not least, the return of Mike Gonzalez sometime in late June or early July. This will provide an outstanding boost to the Braves pen, and if they’re already on a roll, who knows where this will lead them.
Now, onto those pesky position players, who are shaping up be just that for other teams. Around the horn, they’re as impressive as any team around. At third, do I even need to mention him? We’ve got Yunel Escobar at SS who lit up the league in his short four-month stint with the team before the close of the season. He went on to record a .326 batting average with 28 RBI’s, and 5 home runs, not to mention some very impressive work with the glove. Over at 2nd is the “most asked for player” Kelly Johnson. Kelly started the season on fire, but quickly tired. If he can work on his stamina, and last the whole marathon season, one can only guess at his numbers. Then there’s first base. First base is a bit bitter sweet. We’ve gave up so much to obtain him, and now he may be gone after just under a year and a half. That won’t let us not enjoy him this season though. Of course, I’m talking about the powerhouse that is Mark Teixeira. In just 54 games with the Braves, Tex hit .317 with 56 RBI’s and 17 home runs. Behind the plate is the catcher who I am convinced is the best catcher in all of baseball, Brian McCann. Coming off another solid season with the Braves where he hit .270 with 18 home runs, I think the Braves can expect only good things from him. In the outfield, from left to right are Matt Diaz, Mark Kotsay, and Jeff Francoeur. Diaz who has proved two seasons in a row that he is no fluke is out there once again to shut his critics up. Francoeur need not prove anything to anyone. With his killer arm, and crazy bat, his opposer’s lips were sealed from day one. The Braves with the most to prove though, is Mark Kotsay. Obtained from Oakland in exchange for Joey Devine, Kotsay has a very tough uphill battle for him. Coming off back surgery that side-lined for most of the season last year where he only hit .214, he needs to do a complete 180 if he is to be taken seriously. Even with a few bumps here and there, I think this Braves team is one of the most solid and well-rounded teams to ever take the field.
Now, what kind of aspiring blogger would I be if I didn’t cover all aspects of the team that will be playing on the diamond this season? Not a very good one, I will tell you that much. The Braves bench is something one should not look over either. For the first time in years, we have a possible solid backup catcher in former Brave great Javy Lopez. There’s also Omar Infante, a new addition to the team who is an excellent utility player. Backing up Tex is Scott Thorman, who can be very good when he’s used in small increments. Filling out the rest of the bench will be Prado, Anderson and/or Brandon Jones. So all in all, our bench is looking very stable too.
This year, I’m very confident in the Braves, and that’s quite a shocker to those who know me as a pessimist doubter who never believes. Even with the acquisition of Johan Santana, I still don’t see the Mets, or the Phillies for that matter, running away with the division, or pennant, as some over-zealous Met fans have declared. No, I think if the Braves stay healthy, and work together, they can make some serious strides and surprise a lot of people. But, for those of us without tunnel vision, it will be no surprise; it will be all that hard work paying off at last.

That is the question. Who is the number 5 starter? With Hudson, Glavine, Smoltz, and maybe Hampton going for the first 4 slots, this looks like one strong rotation. Reyes is still a work in progress. Jurrjens needs a little more seasoning, but looks really good. Bennett impressed last year, but can he do it year? I don't like him taking over a spot, but I would not disagree if he was number 5. I think Chuck James could best be suited for the number 5, because he's been pitching in the majors for over 2 years. He has Glavine like qualities of pitching. However, I think we will have a right handed pitcher as our number 5, because Cox likes to have 3 right handers, and 2 left handers.

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Those are the words from SI.com fantasy preview:
Love this guy. Johnson is a complete and well-balanced player hitting at the top of a good lineup, and [...] he can be a cog on a championship-caliber fantasy roster.

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Well, it was rumored a good bit. One of the out of option players were being asked in phone calls to GM Frank Wren for trades. Wren bit at an offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates, as he traded reliever Tyler Yates for Pittsburgh minor league right hander, Todd Redmond. This deal gives the Braves more options to play with. One is that Wren has one less Out of option player to choose from. He is likely picking his opening day roster tomorrow, so I wouldn't be surprised to see another deal or two come, since Blaine Boyer and Royce Ring are also out of options. I'd expect Ring to go.

Can’t say I’m surprised. Javy Lopez has retired. After a weak arm in Spring, the former Braves catcher decided to hang up the cleats. He only hit .180 with 2 homers and 7 RBI’s. Only 6 hits in 22 at bats, so it looks like he might have made the right decision to retire. He really had nothing to play for, and there are others who could do a better job. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the out-of-option guys was sent on his way to Pittsburgh, who we’ll be seeing on Monday, for a minor league pitcher. Tyler Yates was not proving he was worth keeping in this year’s bullpen and thus was traded to make room for one of the other out-of-option guys who have seemingly faired better than Yates this Spring. The minor leaguer we traded Yates for was the young 22-year-old, Todd Redmond, who hasn’t pitched but three times above A ball. DOB and many others see another trade happening before the week is up.

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Braves trade reliever Yates to Pirates | ajc.com

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The Braves have traded away flame throwing reliever Tyler Yates to the Pirates. In return the Braves got minor league pitcher, Todd Redmond. In Yates’ two seasons in Atlanta, he went 4-8 with an ERA of 5.09 and a WHIP of 1.58 in 106 innings. Todd Redmond became a Pirate when they drafted him in the 20th round in the 2004 draft and signed shortly before the 2005 draft. Baseball America ranked him as the Pirates’ 27th best prospect. John Sickels gave Redmond a grade of C. He profiles as a reliever in the long run. He possesses a 90-mph fastball, curveball, and is improving change-up. He has outstanding command, but needs pinpoint accuracy to be successful. Here are his Minor League Stats. He will likely open the season up in Double-A Mississippi, but this move does affect the opening day roster. It likely ensures Chris Resop and Blaine Boyer a spot on the 25-man opening day roster. This trade reminds me of a Lenny Dykstra quote when Lenny was told the Phillies had just traded Von Hayes, “Great trade. Who’d we get?”

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It seems John Smoltz will begin the season on the DL. He threw today and didn't experience any soreness but the Braves aren't going to change their plans. This gives Smoltz a chance to throw a sim. game and a minor league game in Rome before coming off the DL on the 6th of April. That date will be a home game against the Mets, on a Sunday, he will be going against Johan Santana, the Mets #1 starter.

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The Official Site of The Atlanta Braves: News: Hampton silencing critics this spring

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Well, as Spring Training approaches, final cuts are made, dreams come true, and others wait for another year. Before all this happens, Frank Wren had to assemble the team, sign free agents, and make trades. This was a little weird for Braves fans as they have been used to John Schuerholz calling the shots. As I look back, make your own judgments on Wren’s job, but I feel this team is in good hands.

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Since the last time there was a post on Tomahawk Talk...Talk, there has been alot of changes to TT, staff and forum wise.As a staff member. I am please to announce that Braves N 08 is Owner/Admin now. Congrats to him. We have made some additions to the staff as well as we have lost some staff due to a split. Like to welcome gobravez, who will be leading the blog with updates on our Atlanta Braves. braveschopbraves who also has made global moderator. Nice going bcb. Kumar has stepped down. Thanks for all your work on the board. You have lead us to this point now we take it from here.The New Tomahawk Talk now features an arcade, chat and we got our own fantasy league with 8 teams. Alot of competitive teams. We will keep all updated as to who is doing well and not so well. Come and check out the New and Improve Tomahawk Talk. http://forums.tomahawk-talk.com/index

As we approach Opening Day (6 more days!!!), we here at Braves-Report not only get excited for Braves baseball, but baseball in general. And we, and I’m sure you as well, tend to start making your predictions for the upcoming season. Glorious thoughts start to fill your head, while others plague you full of dread. It’s the time to make your predictions, no matter how bold they may be, because everyone is even,  don’t you see? So, before you go off on your own, sit back, and read our predictions, which are sure to make you moan.

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Smoltz likely to start season on DL | ajc.com

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After receiving word he’d been cut from the major league camp, Javy Lopez retired Saturday. This closes the book on an odd end to a career that makes it easy to forget just how good a player Lopez was during his prime. I think it’s easy to agree that Mike Piazza was the premier offensive catcher of the era, and his ticket to Cooperstown is essentially already punched. Ivan Rodriguez’ all-around play will get him there as well. However, what about one of the other stars of the era, Atlanta’s own Lopez? Let’s put Javy Lopez to Bill James’ Keltner Test and see how his HOF case stacks up.

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The forum has temporarily been turned offline, as the people who host the board (Invisionfree) apparently had their domain hijacked. As of this moment, the board still remains in tact, but can only be accessed through it’s original link (http://z3.invisionfree.com/CoffeeShop). Yet, to be on the safe side, I’ve turned the board offline. Should anything happen to it, I’m sure Invisionfree will restore it, as they do routine backups, and their servers don’t appear to be affected.

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The Braves made their second round of cuts this morning. Some of the players cut were in the running for a spot on the roster, but were taken out of the running. The following players cut were Javy Lopez, who opted to retire instead of accepting a minor league assignment, Brandon Jones, Jo-Jo Reyes, Ryan Drese, Jorge Campillo, Francisely Bueno, and Jordan Schafer, who hasn’t played above A level yet.

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Javy Lopez to retire, ending Braves comeback attempt | ajc.com

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I would come up with some sort of jokes for a new thread, but frankly my brain isn’t working very well right now. Anyway, this is an open thread.

This game looked to be a great match-up against Cleveland and C.C. Sabathia, but Smoltz was scratched this morning after feeling shoulder soreness. Smoltz says it’s just the Braves being cautious and that it is just a Spring Training game. Smoltz also said he could start the season on the DL. I think we all really hope that doesn’t happen. Jeff Bennett will get the start instead as he tries to keep his name alive for one of the remaining bullpen spots. The game is on FSN and the boxscore is already up with not many regulars in the lineup. Still should be a good game to watch.

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Seems like a fitting title for this time of year. I hope everyone’s bracket is doing better than mine. Luckily, this means I can go back to concentrating on baseball and the Braves. As Spring Training comes to a close in a week, the Braves have some tough decisions to make surrounding the supporting roles. I’ll take a look at each of them and give you my perspective. Things can change in a week (ie. injury, bad slump, etc.), but things are becoming clearer.

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Braves play Tigers in a really good match-up with Tim Hudson taking the mound against Justin Verlander. While it is only a Spring game and both starters probably won’t go more than five innings, it will still be a great game to watch. The game is on TV on SportSouth, so make sure to catch it if you can.

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Smoltz was on the Dan Patrick show Wednesday morning and talked about March Madness, Frenchy being a cheater, and saying he'd take Bonds over Diaz/B.Jones/Blanco/Schafer/Anderson

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These are all off the top of my head, don’t hold me to them. Unless they’re right, in which case I’m a genius.

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So there’s a reason for a post today other than posting about tonight’s game, I found this post that was written over at Braves Report and thought it was worth mentioning as well as posting the link to it. The post is a review over where the money goes on this year’s payroll as well as in 2009 and beyond. Kind of makes you wonder if we’ll become a "rebuild" team by then with very little veterans or go after free agents if Liberty Media raises the payroll. Also, in the post is a question of whether we should risk everything for Mark Teixeira when we’ll probably have needs elsewhere to fill or if we should really even try to keep Teixeira and find another alternative. As it states in this post, uncertainty is exciting. 

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Since the 1994 season when I began to pay more attention to professional baseball, I have been a Braves fan. I have garnered an appreciation for the likes of John Schuerholz, Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, Andruw Jones, etc., but I realized that I didn’t know a lot about the history of the Braves or the people before 1994. Unfortunately, I have found this to be a common theme about baseball fans in general, so I am starting a series on the history of the Braves focusing on players, managers, and events from the Braves’ past. About every week or so, I’ll publish an article about someone or something in Braves’ history. This week: Phil Niekro.

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