Loading ...Atlanta Braves 2011 Season Kickoff
Written by Kent on March 31, 2011 – 8:02 amIn a special 2011 Braves kickoff Fried Baseball podcast, Kent Covington is joined by sports writer, Bud Ellis, to discuss the Braves, Phillies and the rest of the National League. Please bear with few technical glitches we experienced during the recording, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Feel free toss in your 2 cents in the comments section below.
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OPENING DAY VIEWING PARTY TODAY!
Join us for a Braves opening day viewing party at Jocks-N-Jills (Galleria Mall – I-75 & 285 in North Atlanta) this afternoon. Game time is 1pm.
There is no cost, other than whatever food you purchase. Feel free to drop by unannounced, but it is helpful to figure out how many chairs/tables to string together. So if you’ll email me at [email protected] or message me @FriedBasballATL on Twitter, we’ll be happy to save you a seat.
Tags: 2011, Audio, Fried Baseball, Opening Day, Podcast
Posted in General | 5 Comments »
The Braves Roster Is Complete….And It’s Good!
Written by Kent on March 28, 2011 – 9:19 amIt’s official, boys and girls, the 25-man roster has been set.
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PITCHING: Kimbrel (RHR) CATCHERS: |
INFIELD: OUTFIELD: |
The Braves’ bench is nearly flawless, featuring both speed and power. And Hicks and Young add a little more defensive prowess to the bench. There is also a great deal of versatility here: Two left-handed hitters, two right-handed batters and one switch hitter. The Bravos have three players who can man 1B, five guys that can play 2B, two shortstops, four third-basemen and five outfielders.
There is, however, one missing element on the Atlanta bench… right-handed power. Brooks Conrad is a switch hitter, who provided quite a bit of thunder off the bench last year. However, most of his damage was done from the left side of the plate.
Well, actually, there IS right-handed power on the bench (David Ross), but as the team’s only reserve catcher, he cannot be freely used as a pinch hitter. With that in mind, the Braves have been vocal about their desire to add the mirror image of Eric Hinske to the bench. That is to say, someone who elicits the same level of anxiety in opposing pitchers from the right side of the plate as Hinske does from the left side.
General Manager, Frank Wren, will keep an eye out for just such a player as the season progresses. A right-handed hitter with power who can play shortstop would be ideal. Wilson Betemit comes to mind as exactly the right kind of player, but it’s been a few years since he’s played any SS at all, so he’s probably not the right fit.
I am very pleased to see Matt Young lock up the 4th outfielder job. Having a legitimate base-stealer on the bench (Young led his league in steals each of the last 2 seasons at AA/AAA) can be extremely valuable in close games. Imagine being able to pinch run with a premier base stealer after a leadoff single in the 8th or 9th inning of a tied or 1-run game. Oh, and he can hit too. Through 6 minor league seasons, Young boasts a career .300 average and .380 career on-base percentage. Adding Young’s speed to the power of Hinske, Conrad and Ross virtually ensures Atlanta of once again featuring one of the league’s strongest benches.
Similarly, the bullpen should be very deep and quite strong, just as it was in 2010. And the starting rotation and everyday lineup figure to be among the best in the National League.
It’s a good looking roster, folks. 1-through-25, I simply can’t find a better roster in the NL. Games aren’t played on paper, and certainly, anything can happen. But in my humble (but correct) opinion, as we size up the 2011 Braves a few days out from opening day, this is the most balanced and talented Atlanta roster in at least 9 seasons.
So whadya think? What do you like about this roster? What concerns you?
By the way, if you don’t have plans Thursday afternoon (or even if you do), please join us for a Braves opening day viewing party at Jocks-N-Jills (Galleria Mall – I-75 & 285 in North Atlanta)!
There is no cost, other than whatever food you purchase. Feel free to drop by unannounced, but it is helpful to figure out how many chairs/tables to string together. So if you’ll email me at [email protected] or message me @FriedBasballATL on Twitter, we’ll be happy to save you a seat.
PS: Keep an ear out for a special Fried Baseball season kick-off podcast within the next few days.
Tags: 2011 Roster, Opening Day, Roster
Posted in General | 3 Comments »
The Shot Heard ‘Round The League
Written by Thomas on April 15, 2010 – 12:53 pmWhen Jason Heyward made contact with Carlos Zambrano’s first inning 2-0 offering on Opening Day, I began yelling “Get out!” while the ball was in the air. Moments later I realized how foolish this was as the ball had easily carried the right field fence and landed deep into the Braves’ pen. It then dawned on me that Heyward’s blast was quite possibly the hardest hit ball I had ever seen. Since the beginning of Spring Training, Braves fans have been bombarded with numerous Heyward comparables from players, coaches, and members of the media, the most notable of which may have been Bobby Cox comparing the sound of a ball off Heyward’s bat to that of Henry Aaron’s. Following a second inning Heyward double against the Cubs last Wednesday, Peachtree TV analyst Joe Simpson stated, “There’ve been a lot of comparisons from this guy drawn to people like Fred McGriff, Dave Parker, and some others, but that line drive, John (Smoltz), reminded me of Dave Winfield and how hard he used to hit the ball”. While I’m sure Joe has his reasons for this comparison, it would be nearly impossible to research how hard those players actually hit the ball. We can, however, look at how hard contemporary players hit it and put the magnitude of Heyward’s first homer into perspective.
After visiting Hittrackeronline.com, a website designed by engineer Greg Rybarczyk that scientifically estimates homerun distances, it becomes apparent that we have a potential monster on our hands. Over one week into the season, Heyward’s first long ball, which traveled an estimated 476 feet according to the website, remains the longest homerun to date (the next closest belongs to Baltimore’s Luke Scott at 456 feet). In fact, Hittracker’s archives show that it was the longest homerun hit in Turner Field since Mark Teixeira hit one 480 feet in September of 2007!
More importantly is the speed with which the ball left Heyward’s bat (estimated at 120.9 MPH). While it may not matter if a homer scrapes the fence on its way over or carries all the way to “Sky Field” on the scoreboard, homerun distance is a reflection of bat speed which is a pretty good gauge of a player’s strength. Since 2007 only 5 long balls have come off of bats faster than the one Heyward hit off of “Big Z” which is a testament to the athlete’s raw power. Of course, the Braves are not looking for a player who can win Home Run Derbies, but this raw power combined with plate discipline makes for a scary out.
Tags: Home Run, Jason Heyward, Opening Day
Posted in General | 5 Comments »
Nationals Park
Written by Akshay on February 22, 2008 – 10:43 amBecause the Braves will have the privilege of being the first away team to play a regular season game at the Washington Nationals’ new stadium, we’ve decided to give a preview of the stadium for the upcoming season.
Nationals Park obviously gets its name from the team, but about 100 years ago, the former Washington Senators were also called The Nationals and their stadium, the former Griffith Stadium, was also called Nationals Park. Accessibility to the park is also a lot better than Turner Field, as Washington is a lot more commuter-friendly than Atlanta. One of the metro stations drops people off about a block away from the stadium, meaning parking and congestion around the stadium will be a lot more manageable than other stadiums. Read more »
Tags: Nationals Park, Opening Day, Washington Nationals
Posted in General | 7 Comments »
