‘08 Roster Nearing Completion

Written by Colin on March 29, 2008 – 7:23 am

After last night’s loss to Cleveland, the Braves further thinned out their roster, getting ready for Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals.  Of course the most notable moves involved the ongoing battles for the limited number of backup spots on the roster.

Brent Lillibridge, impressive as he was in the first half of the spring, got sent back to AAA Richmond, where he’ll get more playing time.  I think this is crucial, since either he or Escobar will likely be trade bait before too long.  He needs to be playing all the time.  Martin Prado gets to stay in Atlanta - his first time starting the season in the majors.  Joining Prado (who played a few innings last night at first, by the way) is new acquisition Ruben Gotay, a switch-hitting contact hitter who can play second, third, and short.

In the outfield, Gregor Blanco beat out Josh Anderson for the backup job.  Anderson got out-hit by Blanco this spring (.260 to .341) and despite his speed, Bobby couldn’t find a roster spot for him.  I like Anderson though - if we have an issue mid-season with Diaz or Kotsay I’m sure we’ll see him (maybe even before Schafer, whom they might want to groom all season long).

Behind the plate, Corky Miller seems to have the backup job.  Brayan Pena is still on the roster too, but he’s out of options and conventional wisdom says he’s traded by the end of the day.  If Pena sticks around, he can pitch in at first as well.

So that leaves the five bench spots going to Blanco (OF), Gotay (IF), Prado (IF), Pena (C/1B) and Miller (C).  I’m not sure what we’ll see happen if Pena is traded - maybe Anderson comes back up?

The Bullpen is finally solid, with slots going to Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano, Manny Acosta, Will Ohman, Chris Resop, Royce Ring, and Blaine Boyer.  I like this year’s ‘pen.  Lots of arms who have the capacity to be good pitchers throughout the season.

Jeff Bennett and Buddy Carlyle are still fighting for the pitching slot left vacant by Smoltzie, who will start the season on the DL (it’ll be backdated and he’ll only miss one start).  I’d give the edge to Bennett in this one - he’s been impressive, but Carlyle hasn’t put together a bad spring himself.

More as we hear it - our ears are to the ground today as we wait for the final moves to be made.


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Posted in Roster Moves |

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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Posted in Speculation |

Jurrjens, Smoltz Hit Hard Saturday

Written by Colin on March 16, 2008 – 7:25 am

The split-squad games aren’t turning out so well for the Braves thus far. Saturday half the team faced the Tampa Bay Rays in Smoltz’s spring debut. The other half faced the Houston Astros.

vs. Rays:

Smoltz started the game - his first this spring - in fine form, keeping the Rays scoreless over four innings. Then things got weird. He gave up five runs in the fifth inning. The Braves answered with three in the 7th, but gave up five more in the 8th. Despite a 7 run 8th inning for the Braves, the Rays scored another run to top the Braves 11-10.  Rafael Soriano also had his spring debut in this game, allowing two singles to start the sixth and then retiring the side.  Corky Miller contributed a grand-slam from the offensive side of things.

vs. Astros:

Jair Jurrjens, our favorite #5 pitcher, came out yesterday and showed us he’s human.  After a 1.00 ERA before his start, he gave up four hits and four runs in 2 2/3s innings.  The rest of the game wasn’t much to write home about either, as Drese gave up five runs in two innings and Jorge Campillo gave up six in just two-thirds of an inning’s work.  Offensively Javy contributed two RBIs and Jordan Schafer put one RBI up, but they were 1-3 and 1-5, respectively.

Next Up:

Tom Glavine starts for Atlanta against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday at 1:05 PM.  Here’s hoping he stays out of first-inning trouble.


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Posted in Game Analysis |

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