In 2009, the Braves thought they had their center fielder of the future in the 22-year-old Jordan Schafer. He hit a home run in his first at bat against the Philidelphia Phillies and the future seemed bright, but then something happened. From an onlookers perspective, it looked like he wanted to hit everything out of the ballpark, which led to an uppercut in his swing. That uppercut eventually led to Jordan Schafer’s demise, as he was sent down after striking out in 37% of his at bats.

Schafer was sent down and promptly got injured to end his 2009 campaign. In 2010, Jason Heywad got all the headlines from the Braves outfield, while Jordan Schafer got slapped with a 50-game penalty for using a banned substance. When Schafer returned to play, he struggled to hit above the Mendoza Line (.201) for the Gwinnett Braves. Schafer was once one of the brightest stars in the game, but had absolutely fizzled out in 2010 to a point where many wondered if he would play again.

In 2011, he showed up to the Braves camp and took notes from Chipper Jones (who better?) about what he needed to do to stick in the big leagues. Nate McLouth had struggled mightily since joining the Braves in 2009, so Schafer had an opportunity to get some playing time in centerfield, Schafer had always been a strong defender, he just needed to learn how to use his bat. Chipper told him to use his speed and not worry about hitting the ball out of the ballpark. Schafer went down to Gwinnett and tried to put it to use. He hit .256, but made definite improvements on his strikeout rate, but at the expense of his walk rate. Due to Nate McLouth’s poor performance and injury, Schafer was called up to the big league team.

Schafer struggled at making consistent contact with the Braves and Astros (he was traded for Michael Bourn) in 2010, but was able to help both clubs. He was still striking out at a large rate (21%). I always thought that if Schafer could control his strikeouts and coax some more walks, then he would be an average MLB player.

Unfortunately for the Astros, he never did that with the team. In 2012 his line was .211/.297/.294 with a strikeout rate of 30%. The Astros didn’t see any reason for keeping Schafer, and the released him on waivers, where the Braves picked him up.

Something happened to Schafer in spring training; something that has translated into him having a great first month-and-a-half of the season. Currently, he sports a .298/.431/.468 slash line, with a high strikeout rate of 27%, but a great walk rate of 19%. Granted, his BABIP is at .394 (8% higher than his career norm), so expect some regression from that standpoint. His walk rate is what has been so impressive. At the leadoff position, he is seeing pitches and giving his team a chance to see the pitchers’ repertoire and is sometimes coaxing out a walk.

I don’t expect Jordan Schafer to be an all star at the major league level, but I do think he will make for a great 4th outfielder, who could start for some teams. He will regress, but he will be a valuable player with his bat and defense, despite the regression that is bound to happen.

With the Braves second baseman under performing, how realistic is the trading of Dan Uggla?

Dan Uggla should have his bags packed and on standby because he’s going to get traded, right? Um, not exactly.

Sure, Dan Uggla has not been the perennial .260/.350/.470 ball player that he was in Florida, but I’m going to make a case that he has still been a productive ball player in Atlanta.

The first reason is that he gets on base. Last year, Dan Uggla led all of baseball with 94 walks. That led to an OBP (on-base percentage) of .348, which was third best on the team behind Prado (2nd) and some guy named Larry (Chipper Jones). Sure, he hit .220 and didn’t have at least 27 home runs in a year in his MLB career, but is a guy not allowed to have a bad year (or two)? I remember in 2004 when Chipper Jones hit .248 and people were saying that he had lost it as quickly as Dale Murphy did. Dan Uggla is no Chipper Jones and will never be, but the point is that bad years happen to ball players. » Continue reading “So the Braves Should Trade Dan Uggla, right?”

Did you know that three of the five Braves starting pitchers have higher batting averages than Jason Heyward? Did you realize that Heyward is 4 for 39 for an .103 average, but he has seven walks and seven runs? Did you also realize that Heyward, B.J. Upton, and Dan Uggla have more strike outs than hits, and they are all batting under.175? » Continue reading “The Hits Keep Coming…For Some of the Braves”

Here it is, Opening Day! The new Braves take the field versus National League East nemesis Philadelphia. Ready or not, Braves fans will have an infield without Chipper Jones, someone other than Brian McCann behind the plate, and no daily game of “Where on the Field is Martin Prado”.

What is the same is the old reliable Tim Hudson on the mound. At 37 years old, you can count on Hudson commanding the cutter, just as you can count on the “War Eagle” for the former Auburn star. Hudson has lead by example since joining the Braves in 2005. Do not mistake his laid back nature and often comical interviews for lack of killer instinct. Anyone that has watched the veteran compete knows that while he may have us laughing of the field, on the field there are no laughing matters. (Well, there was that time he fell off the mound versus Baltimore. As someone who frequently embarrasses myself in similar manners, if you cannot laugh at yourself, you are the only one not laughing.) » Continue reading “Braves Opening Day- Something Old, Something New”

The cries of a family reunion in the Braves outfield by many has been heard and answered. As of today both B.J. and Justin Upton will hold down the fort along with Jason Heyward after Atlanta and Arizona reached a deal. A deal being praised by most, but not everyone is ready to throw confetti (Raises both hands high!)

The Braves will receive Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson from the Diamondbacks in return for Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, and Nick Ahmed and Brandon Drury. This move marks a departure from Frank Wren and company’s theory that pitching prospects are untouchable by including Delgado and Spruill. You will not find many arguments with that aspect of the deal, but Martin Prado is another story.

Prado is the third top 2012 performer that Atlanta failed to resign, and could prove costly on several levels. First and foremost, Prado was a lock to replace Chipper Jones at third. Johnson will platoon the position with Juan Francisco. Platooning in the outfield can be quite successful, but most championship caliber teams do not subscribe to philosophy at third.

The other team leaders departing from the Braves are Michael Bourn and David Ross. Michael Bourn, may have had a price tag initially out of the budget, but this late in the game, deals are more likely to be had- especially when a player has proven their worth and added dimensions to the game. When evaluating the value of the deal, you must include Bourn’s contributions. Both Uptons have tremendous upsides that could prove worthy, but it remains to be seen if they will perform to a level that is worthy of two All-Stars.

Prado’s loss is even more significant in a year where team leaders Chipper Jones and David Ross are no longer in the clubhouse. Is Brian McCann healthy enough to replace the leadership of Chipper, Prado, Ross, and Bourn? Do not get me wrong, on paper, the Braves lineup is exciting has the potential to do great things, but you better hope and pray the youngsters have grown up a lot in the off season because your stability and maturity of 2012′s older wiser brothers resides elsewhere in 2013.

For more trade details check out David O’Brien’s Braves complete trade for Justin Upton

Who would have thought Kris Medlen would have lost? Who would have thought that the best defensive team in all of baseball would have three errors, the first of which by retiring Chipper Jones? Who would have though a rule that no one understands would be the most memorable factor in MLB’s first Wild Card playoff game?

Not the Braves fans that delayed the game nearly 20 minutes by throwing trash on the ground.

» Continue reading “Errors, Trash Tossing and The Infield Fly Ends Season for Chipper, Braves”

All season we have watched a 40 year old play like he is a teenager all the while wondering, “is this the last home run,” “is this the last…” Sunday was a definitive last- Larry Wayne Jones played his last regular season home game for the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta has at least four more games, three in Pittsburgh in the regular season, and at least one playoff game.

Oddly enough, during Chipper Jones weekend, it was not Chipper Jones carrying the Braves. For some fans, this was surely disappointing, but honestly, it should be relieving. All season, those of us covering the team have told you it is not a good thing for the best player on your team to be the guy who will not be here next year. Finally, Atlanta does not need Chipper as their spark- at least not this weekend. Martin Prado, Kris Medlen, Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Mike Minor were the stories on the field. Atlanta won a record 23 games in which Kris Medlen started on Sunday, Minor’s win on Saturday further highlighted his incredible second half turnaround. Prado, Freeman, and Heyward each stepped up with key RBI to give both pitchers enough run support to get the wins. All of this while Chipper went one for the weekend.

I understand you wanted the Chipper Jones heroics you have become used to over the last 19 years, but your happiness should be in that the Braves can win without him. This was something that I myself was skeptical of at several points during the season. The faces of the Braves as Chipper announced his retirement showed sadness and even doubt. Maybe, just maybe, this was something that this team was not certain of themselves, but now that they are, you may be for a Hall of Fame ending to a first ballot Hall of Fame career.

Braves fans may finally be able to take a breath and enjoy the rest of the season thanks to the guy that ended a horrific September and in return the season in 2011. Freddie Freeman not only clinched at least one playoff game for the Braves with his two run walk off home run, he also brought a glimmer of hope of a division title.

That’s right folks the team that had the most colossal collapse in team history, could make just as shocking of a come the next year. With eight games remaining, Atlanta finds itself only four games back of the NL East leading Washington Nationals, a team that has shut down their ace when they need him most. More than the loss of Starburg’s arm, Washington misses the continuity in the clubhouse. The message sent to the Nationals and their fans is that winning is not important. On top of the fact they they have proven to the world their inability to manage a pitching staff.

Freeman’s moment of glory may have taken away from two milestones: Chipper Jones tied Robbie Alomar in career hits, and Kris Medlen tied Whitey Ford for the longest games started team winning streak. In the 22 games Kris Medlen has started, even if he has gotten a no decision, the Braves have won. You cannot really blame Freddie though, it could have more to do with the fact that we are just accustomed to Medlen and Chipper carrying the team.

I will admit I chalked up yesterday’s game versus the Phillies as another loss. Seriously, five runs in the first given up by Paul Maholm, and Cole Hamels dealing? I had about all I could take. I had no explanation other than the Braves look out of gas. Let’s not forget that Fredi Gonzalez choose to bench Brian McCann and Dan Uggla due to their lack of production. A move that Uggla had no problem voicing his displeasure about. Being strongly against leaving early, I decided to seek shelter from the heat and humidity in the 755 Club with friends old and new.

As we attempted to solve the Braves problems to no avail, the crowd got smaller and smaller. All the sudden there seemed to be a bright spot, Peter Moylan had made his way back to Turner Field. 11 months removed from shoulder surgery, many fans did not realize the Aussie had been called up. Seeing Moylan on the mound seemed to be our reward for having waited it out, but not so fast my friend!

Let’s fast forward to the bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded, and Martin Prado up to bat. (Well, maybe I should mention Dan Uggla was to pinch hit, but was pulled when Jonathan Pappelbon entered the game in favor of Lyle Overbay. Overbay was called out on strikes, but I digress.) As he has done all year Prado delivered with a bases loaded double that set the table for none other the @RealCJ10 Chipper Jones to get the GW #mammo. For those of you who do not follow him on Twitter, Chipper hit a game winning three run homer.

There are very few times I am able to show emotion at the ballpark, but last night standing in left field in a spot honoring the achievement of the great Hank Aaron, I jumped up and down like a little kid. It was something I a cannot adequately describe, but it was one of those times that I just felt something special was about to happen, and it did. As @RealCJ10 put it, Shame on fans that left game-kudos to those that stayed! Never kno when somethin cool gonna happen, like GW #mammo!Yessir!

Four days shy of two years since his last pitch in Major League Baseball, Ben Sheets gave the Braves just what they what they needed- six innings of shutdown ball. Sheets was on a pitch count of 80-100, and left the game at 88 pitches, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strike outs. With a little help from his new friends, Sheets was given six runs in the bottom of the fifth before Juan Francisco pinch hit for his spot in the order in the sixth.

Atlanta got production from the old faithfuls in Bourn, Prado, Jones, Heyward, and Freeman and a key walk from newbie Paul Janish. In true Braves fashion the majority of runs were scored with two outs. Those runs came just in time considering Kris Medlen gave up a run in the top of the seventh.

While the outing was impressive, it was not the Ben Sheets one would recognize. The right hander with high 90s overpowering pitches was reinvented as a low 90s fastballs and lots of breaking stuff. There is something to be said for an athlete’s talent and intestinal fortitude to be able to depart from what made you successful the first time around, make it back, and most important to the Braves, win. It is only one outing, but it is a great start for Sheets and the Braves second half with a sweep of the Mets.