The Official Atlanta Braves Thread

[JTRaines92]

 

[JTRaines92]

Hanson not satisfied with rookie success

ATLANTA -- Tired of the nomadic life of a baseball player, Tommy Hanson opted not to return to his native Southern California this offseason. Instead, the Braves' heralded pitcher remained in Atlanta to wind down from his rookie season and prepare for what is slated to be his first full season at the Major League level.

"I'm feeling strong and ready to go," Hanson said Monday night, while attending the annual Hot Stove gathering staged by the Class A Rome Braves.

When Hanson went 2-6 with a 2.59 ERA in 15 appearances for Rome in 2007, there wasn't much reason to believe that just three years later, he'd return to this rural Georgia community as one of the game's most celebrated young pitchers.

At the conclusion of that 2007 season, which also saw Hanson complete a stint with Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, Baseball America tabbed Hanson as the ninth-best prospect in Atlanta's organization and described him as a "potential middle-of-the-rotation starter."

Just one season later, this same publication had Hanson tabbed as the organization's top prospect and the game's best right-handed prospect.

Coming off an 11-win rookie season, Hanson is approaching this season with the hope that he can continue this rapid rise that has quickly transformed him from middle-of-the-road prospect to top-of-the-line starting pitcher.

"I'm definitely happy with how my first year in the big leagues went," Hanson said. "But I'm to the point where that's in the past now. I stopped thinking about that a long time ago. I'm looking forward to this season, because I know I have to make some adjustments. The biggest thing right now is working on my changeup as much as possible to get comfortable with it."

According to FanGraphs.com, Hanson opted to utilize his changeup with just 4.5 percent of his pitches. Still, while working with his above-average fastball and an equal mix of sliders and curveballs, the talented hurler compiled the seventh-best ERA among National League hurlers who worked at least 100 innings dating back to his June 7 Major League debut.

Hanson led all Major League rookies in ERA (2.89), strikeouts-per-nine innings (8.18), WHIP (1.18) and opponent's batting average (.225). His 116 strikeouts and 11 wins ranked second among NL rookies to Phillies left-hander J.A. Happ, who compiled his 119 strikeouts and 12 victories over 38 1/3 more innings.

"It wasn't easy for him to come in and do what he did last year, when people were expecting him to throw a shutout every time he pitched," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He was able to do this because of his makeup, his character and his ability to fix things on the mound quickly. There's a lot to like about him."

Along with attempting to gain a better feel for his changeup, Hanson has recently placed an emphasis on strengthening his rotator cuff and shoulder muscles.

"I feel like I'm a lot stronger, so I feel like I'm on the right track with that," Hanson said.

By the time last season concluded, Hanson had combined to complete 193 innings -- 55 more than he had during the traditional season one year earlier. When accounting for the 28 2/3 innings that he completed during the 2008 Arizona Fall League, the jump wasn't nearly as significant.

"I don't feel any different when I'm throwing now," Hanson said. "Last year, when I went to the Fall League, I only had like a month off of throwing. This year, I've had a lot longer time to rest my arm and rest my body to get it back in shape. I think I'm going to feel even better this year."

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnerId=rss_atl

Just a little info if you wanted to hear what he has been up to and all that. I predict 16+ wins from the phenomenal THK

 

[JTRaines92]

The Braves don't want Damon; may start the season with Heyward on the big club

If there was any shred of hope in the Damon-Boras camp that the Braves may pick up Johnny Damon, consider it gone.

A team source tells me that the Braves discussed Damon recently, and the clear sense of the room was that (a) his arm just won't play in the Turner Field outfield; (b) he's just not versatile enough to move around, and the Braves want to be able to move around their outfielders this year; and (c) he's going to want too much money.

On this last point, Braves brass thinks that Damon is going to go for $4-5 million, probably to the Athletics, and they're not at all inclined to pay that price for him. They'd reconsider if he went cheaper, but they just don't care enough for him to think about making a bid.

And one last bit making Damon less necessary in the team's eyes: while everyone -- myself included -- assumes that the Braves are going to keep Jason Heyward down on the farm until Mother's Day to keep his service time from running, the Braves are in no way predisposed to do this. To the contrary, they would love to break camp with him, and are taking a "it's his job to lose" approach this spring.

Overall, the front office is quite optimistic about the team's chances this year. More so than they'll let on publicly for risk of creating unrealistic expectations. Whatever the case, I think the takeaway here is that it may be best to view whatever the team does this year as an act being taken by people who think that the Braves will be in the playoffs.

http://bases.nbcsports.com/2010/01/...-season-with-heyward-on-the-big-club.html.php

I hope the give up on him completely because if we do it looks like Heyward is gonna be up there on opening day. It is true though, it is his job to lose.

 

[NAHSTE]

http://controlatldelete.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/waiting-for-heyward.html

Jason Heyward is the best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. The 20-year old from Henry County has a shot to crack the Braves opening day roster, and looks to be a cross between Jermaine Dye, Dale Murphy and Willie McCovey. If his minor league stats are any indication, Heyward projects as a .330 hitter with 20-25 home run power. Expect those in the front office to wring their hands over the decision to promote him to the big club by opening day. Liberty Media would like to wait, because the earlier they call him up, the earlier he'll be eligible for arbitration. Heyward could take the decision out of the front office's hands with a strong spring, because if it's one thing the Braves lack more than money, it's a corner outfielder. Expect Bobby Cox to give the kid every chance to win the right field job.

 

[JTRaines92]

Should Braves lock up Jurrjens?

As the offseason is quickly drawing to a close, Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman answers your questions about the Braves' future and who will be coming up through the Minors.

Should we start trying to sign Jair Jurrjens to an contract, similar to the one that carried Brian McCann through his arbitration years? He is extremely talented and we cannot let him go.
-- Walt B., Spokane, Wash.

Before potentially going through the arbitration process with Jurrjens for the first time next year, the Braves certainly have reason to approach Jurrjens with this kind of contract, which would provide them with cost certainty during his three arbitration-eligible seasons.

Such a deal would also provide Jurrjens insurance to protect against any unforeseen injuries or struggles. Based on the 23-year-old right-hander's makeup, maturity and sound mechanics, the Braves would at least have reason to feel confident about making this kind of offer.

Still, it's a roll of the dice any time you make this kind of offer to a young pitcher. Last year, Cole Hamels was on top of the world. But now there's reason to question whether the Phillies were wise to commit $16.15 million to him over the next two seasons.

Along the same lines, the Braves undoubtedly have something special in Tommy Hanson. But before guaranteeing his salaries through his arbitration-eligible seasons, shouldn't the club wait at least one more season to see what kind of effect his unique delivery could have on his arm?

Clubs often feel more comfortable providing these kinds of deals to their top position players. With this in mind, don't be surprised to see Jason Heyward possibly gain a guaranteed, multiyear contract before Jurrjens or Hanson.

My guess is that Jurrjens and Hanson will both gain multiyear deals before their arb-eligible seasons expire. But the greater concern should be focused on how long the club can keep this duo together past the end of the 2013 season, when Jurrjens will first be eligible for free agency.

Have a question about the Braves?
Mark BowmanE-mail your query to MLB.com Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content.
First Name, Last Initial:

Hometown:
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Question:

Chipper Jones mentioned something recently in an interview about signing Javier Vazquez next year as a free agent. Is this possible or is Chipper just dreaming like the rest of us Braves fans?
-- Andy R., Huntsville, Ala.

It might be more appropriate to say that Chipper was doing some wishful thinking. Vazquez was impressive on the mound and a delight to everybody in the clubhouse. It was great to see him hone his craft every five days and just as impressive to see what kind of leadership he provided in the clubhouse on a daily basis.

Vazquez gained comfort with the Braves and the Braves certainly had comfort with Vazquez. This certainly wasn't something that went unnoticed by Frank Wren. But at the end of the day, he had a to move a high-salaried starter and there was only one that he could move.

Now to answer your question, I don't see a situation arising that would allow Vazquez to return to Atlanta after he enters the free-agent market at the end of this season. Barring a significant injury to one of their starters they won't have to make any changes to their starting rotation between the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Derek Lowe has three years remaining on his contract and Kenshin Kawakami will be around for at least another two seasons. In addition with Jurrjens scheduled to become arbitration-eligible at the conclusion of this upcoming season, the Braves will have to spend a little more to utilize this rotation in 2011.

This question may seem premature, but sadly I feel it's important to know. What is the contingency plan for Chipper at third base? Would they consider moving Yunel Escobar from short to third? It really doesn't look like they have Major League talent to play this position in their farm system.
-- Dan K., Buford, Ga.

Given that I'm pretty confident that Chipper will stick around for another three seasons to complete his contract, this probably is a bit premature. But at the same time, I think it's important to point out that it seems the Braves are making strides to improve their quality of infield prospects at the Minor League level.

A year ago, I would have thought Brandon Hicks might eventually find himself as the club's third baseman of the future. But with another disappointing offensive season behind him, there's reason to wonder if this talented defensive shortstop will ever be able to show his glove at the Major League level.

Over the next couple of years, we'll likely see the Braves place a greater emphasis on finding infielders in the Draft. During the Winter Meetings, I was told the club was attempting to land young shortstops to improve depth at that position and also increase the candidate pool for potential third basemen.

But the best solution might actually prove to be Martin Prado, who has been pretty impressive when he's been asked to man the hot corner over the past couple of years. Plus, I think you're going to see him start to show the power you would want at this position. Based solely on the raw strength shown during batting practice, Prado has as much power as anybody on the club right now.

Do the Braves have any promising left-handed pitchers on the cusp of coming up to the Major Leagues?
-- Timothy J., Anniston, Ala.

As mentioned previously, the glaring weakness on this year's club is the lack of depth in the starting pitching department. Kris Medlen and Jo-Jo Reyes currently stand as the first line of defense if any of the first five starters should suffer an injury. But after that, the options are scarce.

But as this season nears its conclusion, I think there will be some debate about when the Braves should bring left-hander Mike Minor to the big leagues.

There's no doubt the Braves could have seemingly gained something better than Minor with the seventh overall selection in last year's Draft. But the left-hander from Vanderbilt fared pretty well in the Arizona Fall League and provided every indication that the Braves won't be disappointed in their selection.

My guess is that Minor could arrive at some point during the 2011 season and then possibly become a mainstay in 2012. From what I've gathered, he has a chance to be a solid No. 3 starter.

Who will serve as the broadcast team for the Braves games that are carried by Peachtree TV?
-- Kenny K., Elyria, Ohio

The Braves and Turner Sports, which runs Peachtree TV, are still attempting to finalize these plans. They have interviewed a handful of broadcasters who have never previously been affiliated with the club. In addition, there have been discussions about the roles that Joe Simpson and Chip Caray (broadcasters for games on Fox Sports Net and SportSouth) could play.

But given that Caray and Turner Sports parted ways in November, I think there's a good chance that at least one new face will be brought into the Braves broadcasting family to take care of the 40-some games that will be carried on Peachtree TV.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnerId=rss_atl

I say sign him to a long term deal. Him and Tommy Hanson are the new era, if we add Kris Medlen to the duo it will be our big three like in the 90's.

 

[JTRaines92]

Jason is gonna be special. I want him up there on opening day so bad. Here is a little .GiF of his D and a cool little signature you guys can use.

Feel free to use them both as a avatar/signature combo!

 

[NAHSTE]

Got some great Braves related shout-outs in this parody vid:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbg8-DwNDwM"]YouTube- Peach State of Mind - Official Video (Empire State of Mind Parody) - Georgia Edition[/ame]

 

[JTRaines92]

2010 Non-Roster invitees announced

Outfield phenom Jason Heyward and left-hander Mike Minor are among 18 non-roster players invited to Braves major league spring training camp. Minor was the team's first-round draft selection in June and Heyward was recently rated the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball.

First baseman Freddie Freeman, potential future closer Craig Kimbrel and power-hitting outfielder Cody Johnson are other Braves prospects on the list, which also includes right-hander Eric Cordier, shortstop Brandon Hicks, outfielder Matt Young and catchers Jesus Sucre and Braeden Schlehuber.

The Braves previously announced the other invitees, including right-hander Scott Proctor, a former Yankees setup man recovering from elbow surgery who is expected to be ready by May. Others include right-hander Chris Resop, left-hander Mariano Gomez, infielder Joe Thurston, outfielders Brent Clevlen and Mitch Jones, and catchers Orlando Mercado and J.C. Boscan.

Link:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/heyward-minor-among-spring-294138.html

Very solid group but when they invite these guys do they all have a fair chance to make the team or is it just to see what they got in the system? I hope Freddie and Jason get in there!

 

[NAHSTE]

2010 Non-Roster invitees announced

Link:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/heyward-minor-among-spring-294138.html

Very solid group but when they invite these guys do they all have a fair chance to make the team or is it just to see what they got in the system? I hope Freddie and Jason get in there!

Usually just to get the guys experience, but with Heyward he's expected to compete for a job, they just don't want to add him to the 40-man too early so he keeps his options I'm guessing.

 

[JTRaines92]

Usually just to get the guys experience, but with Heyward he's expected to compete for a job, they just don't want to add him to the 40-man too early so he keeps his options I'm guessing.

I thought it was to see how well the guys in the farm play against the guys at the next level... Hicks, Freeman, and Heyward should contend for a job I think. If Hicks can get his offense together he would be good.

 

[NAHSTE]

Jurrjens shoulder has no structural damage, but not out of the woods yet according to me:


Jurrjens has “no structural damage”, but not out of the woods yet control+ATL+delete

The good news from Jair Jurrjens’ MRI came today, with no structural damage being found in his right shoulder. The bad news, is that we’ve heard this before. Here’s an excerpt from the Braves’ homepage in 2007, about reliever Mike Gonzalez and his elbow:

After battling some discomfort during the first 2 1/2 weeks of this season, Gonzalez’s mind was put at ease when an April 19 MRI showed no structural damage. He became even more confident with his elbow when, over the course of the next 10 innings, he held opponents scoreless and registered nine strikeouts.

No, a sore shoulder is not nearly as fragile as an elbow ligament, but the same danger exists in over-trusting another positive MRI. If Jurrjens proceeds through spring like it is business as usual and continues to wear down his shoulder, he could end up with real structural damage, as was the case when Gonzalez injured his arm permanently because an MRI told him it was fine.

Frank Wren hopes Jurrjens can soon resume his preparations for the season:

“This is just one of those times of the year when we are very cautious,” Wren said. “This was just one of those standard operating procedures that you perform when treating a player to determine what is causing the discomfort. We just don’t take chances with our players….He might be a little behind the guys during the early days of camp, but he’ll quickly make that time up.”

While it’s easy to remain cautiously optimistic about Jair’s shoulder, the bottom line is that arm troubles are inevitable with young pitchers. Where there’s smoke (soreness in this case), there’s usually fire. I just hope Jurrjens and the Braves don’t proceed too quickly with the false confidence a medical report can give. There’s too much at stake, i.e. JJ’s career, to rush into anything for the sake of the team, or the season.

“It just didn’t want to go away,” Jurrjens said. “It’s definitely a relief to hear them say that everything should be fine.”

It should be fine, but it’s still too early to tell.

 

[Sharkweather]

Got some great Braves related shout-outs in this parody vid:

YouTube- Peach State of Mind - Official Video (Empire State of Mind Parody) - Georgia Edition

That's a shame the audio got taken down.

I searched for other Peach State of Mind's and the rest were all pretty crappy. That one is probably the best on the web.

 

[NAHSTE]

That's a shame the audio got taken down.

I searched for other Peach State of Mind's and the rest were all pretty crappy. That one is probably the best on the web.

Yeah I looked for it the other day to put that Detroit vid Kle posted to shame, and the audio is taken down WTF? That parody was really really well done.

Except the line about JJ makes me sad:

"The boys at Georgia Tech all are virgins, not worried though cause we got Jair Jurrjens"

They possibly jinxed us dammit.

 

[NAHSTE]

<-- misses Jair Jurrjens from Detroit.

You got a season of Edgar Renteria what more could you ask for?

 

[NAHSTE]

Yea...about that...

Hey, he got us to a World Series at least...right? RIGHT!?

Yea, I'll gladly take back Jurrjens. Especially last year.

Oh well, I'll be able to have him again this season in my keeper league, that's all that matters.

I would mention Gorkys Hernandez, but we shipped him off for Nate McLouth. Still an awesome trade for the Braves.

 

[NAHSTE]

This 18-year old kid = :jizz:


Braves closing in on 18-year old shortstop prospect Salcedo control+ATL+delete

 

[NAHSTE]

Damon still wants to join Braves, who still don’t need him control+ATL+delete

:shifty:

McLouth's numbers will be equal if not better than Damon's this year, guaranteed.

 

[dj_morton]

<------READY FOR BASEBALL.....Excited for the Braves this year, but sad to see Bobby go. Some say he's old fashioned and stuck in his ways, but regardless, he's a hell of a manager.

 

[NAHSTE]

Francoeur on Heyward control+ATL+delete

MLB -- Buster Olney -- Atlanta's Jason Heyward need not look far for advice on how to handle the phenom storm - ESPN

As everyone in Braves nation (okay, region) anticipates the Jason Heyward show, a former local phenom provides some insight on what he’ll experience in Buster Olney’s latest piece. “Frenchy” tells Olney of the pressure that will be heaped upon Heyward, and of the endlesss appearance requests he’ll be expected to honor.

“Jason will find out this spring that if he tries to do everything — if he tries to do every interview — he will be there until 4 or 5 o’clock every day. And if he goes to the big leagues and gets off to a great start, the same thing will continue to happen.”

Olney notes that much of the same buildup associated with Francoeur is happening again, pointing to the Paul Bundy tall tales surrounding J-Hey’s batting practice debut. The bottom line is that Heyward’s makeup and plate discipline at 20 is far beyond where Jeff’s was at that age, and possibly even now. The most impressive thing about Heyward’s minor league performance last season was his 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (he had 51 of each). In Francoeur’s final season in AA, he struck out 76 times with just 26 walks. Not bashing Frenchy, just noting that Heyward is a completely different player, one who is more equipped to handle the instant local stardom.

Also mentioned in the Olney piece was Andruw Jones (25 lbs. lighter) the self-proclaimed best center-fielder in White Sox camp. It’s good to see AJ has reduced the waistband, but it’s still debatable if he’ll hit his weight unless he cuts down on the Ks like he has the carbs. But enough of the negativity, let’s look back on a happier time for AJ fans.

 

[Nash]

Frenchy is just butt hurt about the whole situation. Guy had zero plate discipline in his great years and pictures figured it out. When they figured it out, Frenchy decided to add 20 pounds of muscle and be a big bomber, swinging for the fences on every pitch he'd see. Guy has talent but needs to rewire his approach to hitting if he wants to succeed.

i hate it when pictures figure it out