Hanson, Heyward To Minors

Written by Colin on March 26, 2009 – 12:55 pm

Tommy Hanson won’t be starting the season in the major league rotation. He is headed to AAA Gwinnett along with Jo-Jo Reyes. First baseman Freddie Freeman and outfield prospect Jason Heyward were also sent to the minors, as was backup catcher Clint Sammons. There are three more names that will be announced today when the moves are made official.

Hanson has performed to his billing this spring – posting a 2.45 ERA and a 1-0 record in 4 appearances. He gave up 14 hits and 6 walks, along with 14 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. Jo-Jo Reyes went 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA with nine hits and three walks allowed in 13 innings. We’ll see who comes up first, should injury come to the rotation – Hanson is the future of the organization but Reyes is left handed (and the Braves only have one lefty – Glavine – in the rotation). The downside to Reyes is that he’s been far less than impressive in the regular season in the bigs leagues. Maybe this is the year he breaks that trend, but I won’t be holding my breath.

Hanson will continue to impress for years to come. His visit to big league camp this year brought praise from the mouths of Chipper Jones and Bobby Cox – mouths that normally stay shut on the potential upside of prospects. We’ll see Hanson in Atlanta before the end of the season. He needs the innings he can get at AAA to finish developing before he comes a few miles south to help out at Turner Field.

Hanson and Heyward will head to their minor league homes after today’s game vs. the Blue Jays.


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Pitchers & Catchers Report!

Written by Colin on February 14, 2009 – 12:43 pm

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report today and begin their official workouts tomorrow. Several players have already been around working out and throwing – Brian McCann, Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami among them.

Kawakami is followed, of course, by the Japanese media as he was one of Japan’s star pitchers. It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to American baseball as other Japenese pitchers have had mixed results switching leagues. Javier Vazquez will also be switching leagues – though only from the AL to the NL.

It’s not yet known if Tom Glavine will be the fifth starter or on the roster at all, but his talks with the Braves recently resulted in an increased amount of deferred money, bringing his offer to $1M this year and $3M in incentives that would be paid over the next few years. I think this is more along the lines of what Glavine was looking for and we’re likely to see him sign soon. Keep in mind that’s my opinion.

Brian McCann is in camp ready to take the first pitch as workouts begin tomorrow. Dave Ross, the Braves’ new backup catcher, and Clint Sammons will battle it out for the backup spot, but Ross will almost certainly land the slot barring something unforseen.

The rest of the squad starts spring training Wednesday, but to me, this is the first day of the baseball season. Go Braves – let’s take no prisoners and grind out a great season!


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Javy For Backup Catcher?

Written by Colin on March 19, 2008 – 8:30 am

All you ladies out there have certainly been following the backup catcher battle with some interest this year.  Hard-hitting catcher and all-around good guy Javy Lopez is trying to make a comeback to win the backup role with an increased focus on his defense this offseason.  Standing in his way are Corky Miller and the young Clint Sammons, along with Brayan Pena.  But can Javy prove he’s still able to play at the big league level?  Has his focus on defense improved him to the point where he’s extra valuable for the Braves?

Here’s the deal – offensively, there’s nobody with more power.  Javy is only hitting .200 after a slow start, but he has two home runs and has gotten more playing time than any other catcher save McCann.  The other guys are hitting for better average, but they don’t have the power potential Javy has.  Mid-season when we need a pinch hitter, I’m sure Bobby would prefer to have someone with a bit of punch – and Javy is that guy.  He just has to calm down, not try so hard, and his average will come along too.

Defensively, Javy isn’t there yet.  Brayan Pena has caught three runners stealing, Clint Sammons has caught two, and Miller has caught one.  Javy hasn’t gunned any runners down.  But neither has McCann – proof that the Braves may be more focused on the game calling and batting aspect than protecting the base paths.  And Javy has game calling experience that none of the younger guys have.

As far as fan preference, there’s no contest.  In our recent fan poll, Javy pulled 75% of the vote, Sammons pulled 16%, Pena pulled 9%, and nobody voted for Corky Miller.

If I had to go with someone today, it’d be Javy.  The Braves need the powerful bat off the bench and he’s got it.  He’ll continue to work hard to improve offensively and defensively, and he’s the clear fan favorite.

If all goes well, we’ll be able to welcome Javy back to Atlanta soon.


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