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.

Where we started, and where we have comes makes all the difference in the world. Coming out of the first series in the season, the Braves were 0-4, and now we are 13-16. Not too shabby.

» Continue reading “Braves take the Pirates, 6-1″

The stove is already hot, but the Braves stoked it up by the move fans have been waiting for.  Derek Lowe is no longer an Atlanta Brave.  Lowe has struggled for the past two seasons, but was responsible for Atlanta making it to the post season in 2010.  The deal left the Braves covering an expected $10 million of Lowe’s $15 million contract.  In return, they pick up a minor league lefty Chris Jones.  While Atlanta made the deal to simply unload Lowe’s salary, Cleveland actually stands to gain from picking up the soon to be 39 year old.  Lowe has the veteran knowledge and leadership that most rotations lack, and more than that, he still has the drive to win.  I truly hope that Derek Lowe can find away to pull out a better season than 2011.  His body of work deserves to be remembered for more than just how far he fell. » Continue reading “Throw Another Log on the Fire”

Hopefully, Derek Lowe is less concerned about the how and just happy to get a win at this point because the 8-5 win over the Marlins was not pretty at times.  We are talking about a game that included ejections of Fredi Gonzalez and Freddie Freeman, so obviously the Braves were not happy with the strike zone.  One thing Lowe can look at as a thing of beauty was the run support he has missed out on in so many of his starts.  That support carried him through the innings where he loaded the bases, and carried him to perfect and near perfect ones.  Most importantly, the lead stood up to a classic Scott Proctor appearance that brought the Marlins within three runs with a chance to tie.  Proctor was rumored to have been on the verge of being released had it not been for Scott Linebrink’s injury.  He certainly did not help his case in his 1/3 inning of work.  He did, however, create a save situation for Craig Kimbrel that put the rookie ahead of Brian Wilson and one closer to the all-time rookie save record.

Let’s get to the part that was more appealing- the offense.  » Continue reading “If It’s Broke……Don’t Fix It!”

Braves fans can breathe easier as Atlanta made move this morning that many in the baseball world saw coming, at least part of it.  Atlanta traded Jordan Schafer and pitchers Juan Abreu, Paul Clemens and Brett Oberholtzer for Houston Astros Michael Bourn.  Noticeably missing in this trade are the names Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, and Randall Delgado.  Frank Wren was able to pull off a trade that gives Atlanta their first true lead off hitter since Rafael Furcal without dealing top prospects.  The trade is bittersweet for the Schafer, who is currently on the DL with a fractured finger, and the Braves locker room.

“I thank the Braves for sticking by me the entire time,” Schafer said while packing up his locker. “With everything I’ve been through, they’ve been great to me. It’s a business. They have to do what’s best for the team. They have to what’s best to try to win a World Series this year.”

“It sucks, truthfully. I was comfortable here. At the same time I’m excited to go there. Any time you get traded the team obviously wants you. I’m excited to go over there and start fresh and try to start winning.” » Continue reading “Are You Happy Now?”

You would not know by looking at the 5-0 score that Atlanta posted against Florida that: a) it was a close game b) the Braves had only two hits and no runs until the 7th inning or c) fans were crucifying management for not having made a deal for another bat.

One swing by Dan Uggla not only extended his hitting streak to 20 games, but it also busted the game open for the Braves.  Martin Prado and Freddie Freeman did their part by getting on base for Uggla to drive them in.  Long time minor leaguer Jose Constanza added to the total and notched major league hit and RBI after Brooks Conrad doubled to start off the inning.  Constanza also showed his speed and later scored on a Prado single and Freeman sacrifice.

While many of us watching could not help but focus on the lack of offense (especially after word came down that Philly acquired Hunter Pence) Brandon Beachy was busy pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings.  Beachy gave up only two hits.  Clay Hensley pitched well for six innings, until Uggla broke up his shutout.  Beachy pitching into the eighth and the offense finally giving the luxury of run support allowed Fredi Gonzalez to stray from the OVentrel formula.  O’Flaherty came on for 2/3 of an inning, and Scott Linebrink found himself in the role of closer.

Now that we have addresses a & b from my opening statement, let’s talk about c.  » Continue reading “Oh How Quickly Things Can Change!”

Not even close!  All I am going to say on that matter is Jim Joyce and Don Denkinger.  As my dad used to say to me every time I tried to dispute an umpire or referee’s call, “What did they call?  Then that’s what it was.”  Is it always correct, not by a long shot?  His point was that you deal with what is, not what should be.  Until there is instant replay, we are stuck with the judgement of a guy that working behind the plate for 6:39:00.  Yes, that says six hours and thirty-nine minutes.  We should be more bothered by how bad he was when he was fresh.  You could argue that had Jerry Meals called even a descent game, we would have all been asleep long before he decided that Michael McKenry do not actually touch Julio Lugo with his swipe tag. » Continue reading “The Worst Call Ever……”

The Queen City of Cincinnati was not kind to the Bravos this weekend.  What started off as a promising series for the Braves, ended in the disappointment of losing ground on the  Phillies.  Sunday was the first of two games in a row to be televised on ESPN, and ending with a heart breaking walk off loss to the Reds.

Brandon Beachy, who has struggled of late with his command, did so again Sunday.  Beachy gave up three runs in the first two innings before settling in to hold the until he was pinch hit for in the top of the 7th.  Beachy, like many control pitchers, can get aught up in trying to place pitches to perfectly.

“It’s a mindset I have,” he said. “I think I can make a perfect pitch every time. I think I can paint that perfect corner. Some days I go out there and do it, and others days I don’t. Those are the days I need to make that adjustment a little quicker.” » Continue reading “Queen City Breaks Atlanta Hearts”

Baseball speculators and eight year olds everywhere are doing exactly the same thing- making a list for Santa.  Yes it is the middle of  July, but as a kid, it is never to early to start the list, and you do not want to leave anything out.  The same goes for baseball fans, except that Christmas is in July.  The July 31st trade deadline is quickly approaching, and everyone has a deal they feel has to been done to win a championship.  For the Atlanta Braves, that deal is a right handed bat with speed, or possibly no deal at all.

Only 11 times this season has Fredi Gonzalez had his full, healthy lineup, so in that sense, they are picking up new players.  Having Martin Prado back is better than anyone Atlanta could trade for, and Chipper Jones is already starting rehab assignments after knee surgery.  (He is, however, skipping tonight’s game with the Rome Braves due to soreness from a workout in AAA Gwinnett)  Jordan Schafer has learned his role as a lead off hitter, and he has stopped trying to hit for power.  Schafer is still not getting on as much as a team would like to see from a lead off man.  Nate McLouth is improved from last year, but has struggled at the plate.  He, Alex Gonzalez, and Dan Uggla had good defensive first halves, but less than stellar offensive ones.  Dan Uggla, however, has been on fire, appears to have come out of the worst slump of his career.

So, what is a general manager to do- should he stay or should he go?  » Continue reading “Have You Made Your List?”

Nate McLouth and Jason Heyward were placed on the DL this week. Heyward, who had missed games intermittently and received cortisone shots in attempts to avoid a 15 day absence. We are finding out now that this injury has nagged him since Spring Training and is at least partially to blame for decreased production.

Dan Uggla is not in the lineup against the Pirates after an off day yesterday. Did he really need a day to clear his head after being off yesterday, or is he too headed to the Braves infirmary? It sounds better for a hitter of his caliber with a .185 average than he is just starting slow.

Only time will tell, but we do know Jordan Schaefer and Mike Minor will see action this week with the revolving injury door spinning.