Week 1: Roster Recap

Written by Jonathan on April 12, 2010 – 5:15 pm

Well week one of the 2010 season is in the books and the Braves have one series win and one series loss for a 3-3 record.  We need to take every series this season to have a chance.  I figured at this point, we should do a quick trip down the roster and see how everyone’s doing so far:

Melky Cabrera – Melky’s struggling a bit at the plate, batting .120.
Brooks Conrad - Has come off the bench for pinch hitting and running roles in 4 games.  Has struck out in both of his at-bats but will be useful down the stretch.
Matt Diaz – While hitting .231, Matty has struck out in 5 of his 13 at bats.  Consistent in the clutch however, he has 2 RBI with his 3 hits.
Yunel Escobar – Started on fire with 5 RBI in the home opener but has only added 1 more since.
Troy Glaus – Troy struck out in 6 of his first 8 at bats, but has started to pick it up.
Jason Heyward – Leads the team with three HRs and 17 total bases.  Also leads with 9 strikeouts.  The kid’s for real, but will have his ups and downs.
Eric Hinske – Leads the team with a .833 slugging percentage in his pinch hitting roles.
Omar Infante - Gaining some playing time due to Chipper’s injury, Omar’s batting .250.
Chipper Jones – Left midway through the team’s third game and has gone -2-for-9 from the plate, one of which was a home run.  Hopefully we’ll see him back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Brian McCann – Mac has homered twice and is batting .294.  Perfectly content if he can keep that up.
Nate McLouth – Nate still hasn’t shaken his spring training woes, though the hamstring looks healthy.  He’s batting .154.
Martin Prado – Martin continues to prove he was the right choice for the starting 2B job.  He’s leading MLB with a .554 batting average after the first week of the season.
David Ross – Has gone 1-for-3 at the plate and provides respectable backup for McCann.

I’ll touch on pitching soon, but we need to focus on getting those series wins against the Padres before heading back to Atlanta for a tough homestand.  So what do you think after the first week?  Concerns?  Optimistic?


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The Braves Should Sign Barry Bonds

Written by Colin on June 27, 2008 – 11:22 pm

Humor me.  For about five to seven minutes put aside all loyalty to Hammerin’ Hank (without a doubt a very classy individual) and hear me out.  The Braves should consider signing Barry Bonds for the remainder of the season.

The Braves are looking for power in the outfield – which makes sense given that Francoeur is struggling, Kotsay is still on rehab, and we’ve seen to much of Greg Norton playing left field for my taste.  The Braves need a boost in the lineup from another player – but at what cost would we trade for Jason Bay or Randy Winn?  We’d not only pay a few million but get rid of young talent.  So let’s set aside our dislike for the guy and talk business.  No bias.  Look at the numbers.  Think about the possibilities and results.

Pros:

  • Think of having Chipper/Tex/Bonds in the middle of the lineup.
  • $200,000 price tag for the rest of the year.  That’s the same thing we’ll pay Brent Lillibridge to be on the team.
  • No prospects have to be traded away.
  • We could probably expect 15-20 HRs, and Chipper and Tex would have a chance to make a killing.
  • Without a doubt the most offensive bang for the buck out there.  Bonds would justify keeping Teixeira and making a legitimate run at the World Series this year.

Cons

  • It’s Barry Bonds – there’s not much love for the man
  • This is Aaron city.  Atlanta is his town.
  • He has a reputation for being standoffish and not helping the chemistry of the team he plays with.
  • Barry has legal issues hanging over his head – currently having to do with allegedly lying to a grand jury about his alleged steroid use.

What do you think?  Would fans open their arms and accept Barry as a hired bat, an NL DH, if you will for the rest of the season?  Could he put himself aside and accept the fact that he wouldn’t be treated like a star, just another member of the team?  Would the team be able to have Barry on their side?  Would the Braves management even consider this?

If Barry came in to play for the Braves, it’d be a shot in the arm (pun intended) for the offense.  Is it worth it?


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Posted in General, Speculation | 26 Comments »

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