Man Of The Month: Brooks Conrad

These days, the Atlanta Braves expect Chipper Jones to miss a few games here and there. He’s not as young as he once was and he needs a day off here or there even if he’s healthy. Last year, Martin Prado stepped into his shoes when Chipper was out, but with him winning the starting job at second, it wasn’t clear who might step into his shoes this year.

Enter Brooks Conrad.

You might remember July 3 of last season. Brooks hit his first career Major League home run – at age 29 – as a pinch hitter. The three run blast helped propel the Braves to a win over the Washington Nationals.

This season, Brooks has hit a walk-off grand slam, has filled in with some great defensive plays at third, and is hitting .277. In June, Conrad hit .313, fielded like a champ at third base (except that one time he discovered his uniform buttons need to be closer together), laid down a squeeze bunt for the winning run against the Minnesota Twins, and hustled on every single play I’ve seen.

And damn, isn’t he just fun to watch? Someone hustling on every play, running flat out all the time, not afraid to slide or dive after a ball? Someone who bats with more pine tar on his bat than is on Manny Ramirez’s helmet – who doesn’t use batting gloves? Is there a grittier, more hard working guy in all of baseball?

It’s like Conrad finally got his chance to stick around in the big leagues after being drafted in the eighth round (236 overall) of the 2001 draft, and he’s going to work his ass of to stick around. You can tell in the way that he plays that he’s enjoying every single at-bat and relishing every single inning. He’s living the dream many of us had growing up. If he keeps it up, he may just work himself into the lineup next year. He’s a very valuable bench player to have, at the very least. But you never know, maybe we’re watching Chipper’s replacement cut his teeth.

I know I’d like to see him stick around.

All Eyes On Jair Jurrjens… Hudson’s Dominance and Heyward’s Thumb

In his latest “Fried Baseball” audio blog, Kent Covington talks about the return of Jair Jurrjens, Tim Hudson’s dominance, and Jason Heyward’s thumb. Throw in your 2 cents in the comments area below… or leave a message with your questions or comments for a future commentary at 888-669-5368 (ext.701.)

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Do We Still Need To Hate On Terry Pendleton?

It was easy for people to hate on Terry Pendleton back at the end of April or the beginning of May. The Braves were not producing. We sucked. I mean, I wrote an article saying “There’s always next year” and AJC writers talked of how bad the Glaus acquisition was. Everyone everywhere wrote about how it was all TP’s fault. Which was fine and made sense. In April.

But then the team turned around. We have the highest on-base-percentage in the National League. Glaus is raking, Prado is leading the league in hitting, Heyward was mashing until his thumb got in the way. Chipper is hitting .385 over the last 11 games (stat taken before last night’s game). Yunel provided a clutch hit against Strasburg (oh, and hit .299 in June). McCann hit .276 in May/Jone. Hinske has been a bright spot among bright spots off the bench. In May and June, Melky Cabrera has hit (I begrudgingly admit) .293.

And yet some people I know (even on this site) still continue to hate on Terry Pendleton.

Now, I don’t agree with the folks that say TP should be the next coach of the Atlanta Braves. I think he’s an option but not necessarily THE option. Then again, he’s been a fairly low key coach for the Braves, and that’s what we’ve always had. What has TP done to deserve the haters? This is one of the most potent offenses in the NL and everyone is contributing in some manner.

Doesn’t Terry Pendleton deserve some of the credit for this? Do we still just want to blast him for anything that goes wrong?

Maybe we were wrong back at the beginning of the season. Maybe we just got our slumping month out of the way at the beginning of the season before starting to tune it up for the long haul – we were damn good in spring training and we’re damn good now. Maybe Terry Pendleton isn’t that bad as far as coaches go.

When was the last time we were this balanced? We have a damn good rotation, a damn good offense, a solid bullpen with a dominant closer, and a legendary manager pulling out all the stops in a season that really does feel special.

Braves Looking To Add Outfield Bat

Fox Sports is reporting that the Braves are looking at adding an outfield bat – a right-handed slugging outfield bat, apparently.

Atlanta officials are considering Josh Willingham (Washington), Corey Hart (Milwaukee) and Jose Bautista (Toronto), but it doesn’t appear that any deal is imminent.

All three players will be free agents after the 2011 season. So, for the time being, their current teams aren’t under extreme pressure to move them.

But they are earning reasonable salaries, making them attractive to Atlanta and other suitors. Bautista has roughly $1.2 million left on this year’s contract; Willingham $2.3 million; Hart $2.4 million.

I can understand why we’d want to add any of the three. They’re all going to hit 30 or more homers this year. They’re all on track to knock in at least 90 runs – more on a good team like the Braves. They’re power outfielders – and yes – they’d be more potent either in center than McLouth or left than Diaz/Hinske.

I like the idea of having more power. Imagine how much more potent a lineup of Prado, Heyward, Chipper, Hart, McCann, Glaus, Escobar, and Diaz would be than our current lineup. If I have to pick, I’m going with Corey Hart, who is hitting .306 with RISP and 2 outs and making $2.4M this season (not a fan of giving up prospects in-division to the Nats for Josh, and Baustista’s average is only .253, though with 20 HR/50RBI). We’ve got the salary room to add any of the guys mentioned above – our estimated payroll this year is around $83M, down from $96M last year.

I will caution (strongly) against giving up too much for a rental – any of these three are only under contract until the end of this season. But if we can give up a decent (not top) prospect and in return add a 30+ homer, 100+ RBI guy to the lineup, we should do that. If any season is worth doing that to “push us over the edge,” it’s this one. Short-term moves like this have bitten us in the ass before.

We need to make sure that this isn’t something we’ll regret as much as the JD Drew and Eli Marrero for Jason Marquis and Adam Wainwright trade, or the time we gave up Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz for a year of Mark Teixeira. But another hitter to provide some significant punch in the middle of the lineup is only going to ensure that Prado, Heyward and Chipper are getting good pitches.

This is the year I’ll be OK with a rental. Let’s just not give up too much – I’d rather pay way more cash than give up the wrong prospect.

Utley to DL, Prado May Land All-Star Start

Apparently few outside of Atlanta know who Martin Prado is, but that may change after Chase Utley landed on the DL yesterday with a (this sounds familiar) sprained thumb, clearing the way for Prado to start the All-Star game.

Yesterday, Prado was featured in SI.com’s “All-Overlooked All-Star Team,” amidst the likes of Corey Hart, Joey Votto, and Ricky Romero (all names you should go familiarize yourself with if you haven’t yet). The praise from SI’s Tom Verducci was simply “The Braves began to turn around their season when manager Bobby Cox put Prado into the leadoff position. Prado has hit .356 out of the top spot. The guy can flat out rake.” And can he! One of my favorite parts of Martin is how hard he works and how team-focused he is. There’s no attitude or personal glory moments with Prado, he’s always getting dirty and hustling to make things happen and then pushing credit to others.

As of the last vote tally, Prado was firmly in second to Utley in votes for the second base position in the NL. Unless something has changed, Prado will likely be the National League’s starting second baseman for the midsummer classic – and that’s a good thing. There’s not a better top-of-the-order hitter right now than Prado (hitting .331 on the season), and the NL needs someone to set the table to win this one.

The Braves may actually have a vested interest in home field advantage during the World Series this year. One thing’s for sure: If the Braves make it, Prado will be at the front of the lineup setting the table.

Heyward Will Sit Out All-Star Game

I know I was hard on him earlier, but Jason Heyward just made me glad his head is screwed on straight – he said that, if chosen, he’ll sit out the All-Star game.

And this is why he’s more mature than most kids his age.

Most kids his age would want to go take the fame and glamour that comes with being selected as an All-Star in your first season. Heyward will be eligible to come off the DL before the All-Star game and could likely play with no risk to the remainder of the season. Despite this, Heyward is showing his maturity and his devotion to the team and electing not to play in the All-Star game.

Good on you, Jason. I’ll be the first to say that we appreciate not just you prioritizing the rest of the season with the Braves, but knowing you’re not after personal glory. You fit here in Atlanta, and we appreciate that.

Listen Here, Jason Heyward

I think it’s time to bitch at Jason Heyward just a bit.

Jason is an incredibly important part of the offense this season – batting second behind Prado and before Chipper means he’s a crucial part of setting the table. That’s not to mention the number of clutch hits he’s had and the power and run production he’s shown off this year.

The fact is simply that now he’s out for two more weeks (not to mention his .172 average for the 24 games prior). Now, I’m the first one to admit that Jason Heyward is even more valuable because he’s a threat on the base paths, but we need to change this sliding headfirst thing. That’s what led to this injury – sliding head first into third base.

I know it’s probably something he’s done his entire baseball career, but it’s time to change that. He’s too valuable now. We can afford to miss him for two weeks when Chipper and McCann are starting to pick up some of the slack. But once he’s anchoring the offensive production of the team and protecting people in the lineup, not to mention making millions of dollars, he can’t be batting .172 for three weeks and then sitting out two just because he’s too stubborn to learn to slide feet first. I don’t know why in the hell none of his minor league coaches made him switch, but it’s time now.

It’s time to slide feet first, Jason. Learn to do it. You’ve got too much potential power and run producing capability to be effectively useless for five weeks. Your hands are too important to throw them in the way of danger like that. Figure it out.

Atlanta Braves, Tim Hudson Tackle Stephen Strasburg 5-0

The hype surrounding the Washington Nationals phenom pitcher Stephen Strasburg is absolutely insane – and most of it is earned. But he’s hittable, and beatable.

The bottom line yesterday was Tim Hudson. Through seven innings of ball, Hudson struck out six, picked off one, walked three, and gave up a total of five hits. His extremely effective sinking two-seamer led to twelve groundouts – and only one fly out. Hudson showed that he’s back in ace form last night – as the nation watched expecting such a performance from the opposing pitcher.

Strasburg was almost as good. Through six innings he held the Braves’ offense scoreless. Nats manager Jim Riggleman almost pinch-hit for Strasburg when his spot in the order came up in the bottom of the sixth (someone came out on deck for Strasburg but was pulled back) and Strasburg came back out to pitch the seventh inning. Right now I’ll bet he wishes he hadn’t. Following a leadoff walk to Chipper (his 46th of the season), the Braves loaded the bases with no outs (thanks to an error) and tattooed WonderBoy for four runs (three earned). They then tacked on another unearned run.

Hustler of the night: Gregor Blanco, who surprised everybody with a bunt down the first base line that the pitcher couldn’t field cleanly for an RBI comes in second to Tim Hudson, who was absolutely ace-like last night.

Slacker of the evening: In the first inning, Melky Cabrera roped a double to left. Chipper then knocked a fly ball to deep left and Melky got caught somewhere between second and third. Had he tagged up, he could have scored when McCann singled to left. Instead, Melky’s slow self got caught trying to score from second to end the inning.

Strasburg Effect: 9601 walkup tickets were sold yesterday and a total of 21,608 tickets were sold since Strasburg’s previous start. The Braves’ franchise thanks Strasburg for coming to Atlanta, selling tickets, and then giving up the loss to improve the Bravos’ home record to 27-8.

Tags: Atlanta Braves, Gregor Blanco, Melky Cabrera, Stephen Strasburg, Tim Hudson, Washington Nationals
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Heyward To DL; Kawakami To Bullpen

The good news first.  Jason Heyward won’t require surgery on the thumb that has been bothering him since injuring it sliding into third on May 14th.  The bad news? Heyward has been placed on the 15-day disabled list and will have the thumb put in a cast tomorrow for a week.

An MRI this morning revealed a deep bone bruise and a strain at the base of a ligament in the thumb where it attached to the bone.  I’m not considering this to actually be bad news.  Heyward has needed the extended rest for the thumb for quite awhile and hopefully this will get him through down the stretch.  It won’t be until the extended rest of the offseason that the injury fully heals.  Matt Diaz will be activated off of the disabled list to take Heyward’s spot on the roster.

The Braves also indicated that Kenshin Kawakami would be heading to the bullpen when Jair Jurrjens is activated from the disabled list to make his first start since April on Wednesday.

Chipper Still Among OBP Leaders

Amidst all the retirement talk surrounding the Atlanta Braves and Chipper Jones of late, one thing stands out: Chipper is 6th in the National League in On-Base Percentage.

No, he’s not leading the league in batting. He’s only hitting .256, but he’s getting better – .230 in March and April, .265 in May, and .271 in June. No, he’s not slugging like he used to. Five home runs is not going to make Chipper Jones happy through three months of the season. He has stolen more bases already this year than any year dating back to 2006 (when he stole six overall).

But he still gets respect at the plate. His 45 walks make him tied for 4th in the NL, And that’s the secret to his .388 OBP. At least in one category (one that matters), Chipper’s still one of the leaders. No, he’s not the slugging third baseman that strikes fear into the hearts of pitchers, but he is the respected third baseman that – literally – walks his way to being a valuable part of the Braves’ very balanced lineup.

Melky Cabrera: One n’ Done

Melky Cabrera is, to me, the epitome of the unwarranted prima donna too caught up in his own lackluster self to worry about simple things like “giving a shit.”  We saw this again last night as Melky barely ran to catch a simple pop-up and let it drop in front of him — an out that could have easily been caught had he exerted himself, and possibly helped plug up a disastrous fourth inning.  Instead, we see him doing what Melky always does: looking out for number one.

It’s obvious that this guy has no passion for a city that, insofar as I can tell, isn’t New York.  The man’s ego is almost larger than his bulging waistline, and his inability to put effort into plays is beyond infuriating.  This is his JOB people. Instead of seeing it as an honor to play for a legendary skipper in his final season, Melky (who is currently being paid 3.1 million dollars — of which the Braves are paying 2.6 million) is half-assing his way through a season.  There is no fire there.  There is no passion.  It’s straight and simple bitterness from being traded from the Yanks to a team and a city he deems inferior.

Perhaps a lot of this is me reading into his dealings, but with all of the other Braves, there is an energy about them — lively and electric — they want the ball to come to them.  They want to be the one to make a big play and be the hero (a role that has largely gone to relative unknown: Brooks Conrad this year) while Melky so sincerely doesn’t want the ball hit to him that when it does, he seems genuinely befuddled.  Watch, if you will, the next time he is in the outfield and a ball is hit to him — it’s almost as if he doesn’t believe it.  This, to me, is a sure sign that the man has no desire to be out there.

But why?  His contract says that he has only one year left, right?  Wouldn’t he want to perform as well as possible for a big contract in a Javy Lopez-esque season?  Well, no.  He only has until the end of the year on his contract, but the Braves can elect to keep him on for an extra year if they so wish because of arbitration.  This means that if he were to play well, the Braves might elect to keep him on for another year.  So instead of performing well and wishing to make an actual career as a baseball player, he wishes only to get paid $3.1 million to do essentially nothing.

There could also just be the fact that he’s just this bad and getting paid 3.1 million to whiff.  Ultimately though, he is very fun to heckle from centerfield bleachers, so there is some sort of morbid satisfaction to be had… I just don’t know if it matches the price-tag.

Braves Up Next On The Stephen Strasburg Show

The Washington Nationals come into Atlanta tonight leading the season series over the Braves 2-1 and the most anticipated game of the upcoming series is the kickoff match this evening when rookie pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg takes the mound against Tim Hudson.  Strasburg is 4 starts into his major league career and comes to Atlanta with a 2-1 record (his loss was a 1-0 matchup his last time out).  In those 4 starts he has struck out 41 batters and allowed more than 1 earned run in a game only one time (his first outing he gave up 2 earned) and has an ERA of 1.78.

Tim Hudson’s coming off of one of his worst outings of the season where he gave up 4 earned runs in 7 innings of work to the White Sox.  Hudson is 7-3 on the season and averaging 6 2/3 innings of work per outing and has a 2.54 ERA.  He has struck out 45 and walked 37.

Strasburg isn’t unhittable; the Braves offense will just have to get going.  He’s issued 19 hits in his 4 starts this season (9 of which were in his last outing against the Royals) and has walked 5 (all in the same start).  The key to winning tonight for the Braves is to not get behind the 8-ball by not allowing the Nationals to create an insurmountable early run lead.

Just as a sidebar, and I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sick of all the “future Hall of Famer”, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc talk going on every time anyone mentions Strasburg’s name in the news.  He’s pitched 4 games, people!  Yes, he’s good, I’m not denying that at all.  He was 13-1 his last season of college, he was 7-2 in the minors and he’s 2-1 so far this season.  Those numbers speak for themselves, but for someone that has been in the majors for all of 20 days, I think it’s a little early to say he has a Hall of Fame career in progress.

This isn’t just how I feel because we’re going against the Nationals and they are in the Braves division.  I’ve said the same thing about Jason Heyward this season.  Let the kids go out there, play baseball and worry about if they had Hall of Fame careers in another 20 years or so.  That’s what this game’s all about……..well that, and beating the Nationals.  Go Braves!