Emptying out the Locker

After 200 plus posts, I'm moving out of the dugout. I'm leaving for another blog to continue what I've been doing the past year. This time I'll be joining a fellow Braves fan as we keep talking chop like we have been. Be sure to check us out:

http://homeofthebraves.blogspot.com

Relief Pitcher Moves

Ken Ray has been claimed by the KC Royals. You might recall that Ray began his career as a Royal. Also, Kevin Barry has been optioned to Richmond to begin next year.
I didn't think Ray would have been brought back and frankly would have been suprised if he was.

Mr. Leadoff....oh and LF

I've been reading alot from Braves fans over the situation on LF and leadoff as we begin to rebuild for next season. Mostly there's a concern over who will be playing is a link from my Peeking towards.. posts where I briefly addressed the LF issue.

2006 LF scenario

Here's a shortlist of names that some fans have mentioned for possible replacements:
Carl Crawford, Juan Pierre, Gary Matthews, Jr., Coco Crisp

Carl Crawford:
Positive:I would love to see Crawford in Atlanta. Carl would provide a solid bat & glove plus the speed we've been missing at the top.

Negative:The Devil Rays have been tossing his name around and are expecting a huge return. You might recall that the D'Rays were stubborn when the Braves were working a Marte/Lugo swap last year, I think they were also requesting Brian McCann to be apart of the deal? They requested McCann for some deal, it may have been another one. Regardless, the D'Rays are stubborn when it comes to dealing. I mean really, it took like two years to finnally deal Aubrey Huff after everyone wanted him. Huff didn't really sparkle in Houston. Crawford will probably be dealt to whoever wants to ante up the most chips.

Juan Pierre:
Positive: Juan Pierre is fast.

Negative: Pierre is a slap hitter with an avg. mitt and a weak arm. He's good for the smallball game, but having him in LF isn't a good idea. His time at Wrigley wasn't as pleasent as Cubs fans hoped for. Some Braves fans will sacrifice the lack of defense for OBP while others just don't want the headache. Juan will probably get around $8M-$10M next year and I'm not sure the Braves will want to walk that line.

Gary Matthews, Jr:
Positive: Lil Sarge made a name for himself last year in Texas.

Negative: It only took about 7 years for Matthews finnally to break out. He's been a Braves for a little while. In 2004, the Braves cut him during Spring Training. Everyone knows that 2006 was a career year for Gary, and I'm not sure if he could kepp up the track record. Matthews could be worth a look, but I'm not sure if the Braves would be willing to sacrifice it.

Coco Crisp:
Positive: Crisp has shown he can put up some good numbers in the past. Atlanta wanted him before. Coco is still young.

Negative: Coco's numbers dropped considerably this past season. Maybe it's the drama playing for the Boston Red Sox that causes this. The Braves already brought back to life Edgar Renteria after his stint in Beantown. Could Crisp be next?

2005: 594AB 16HR 69RBI .300/.345/.465
2006: 413AB 8HR 36RBI .264/.317/.385
2007: 525AB 19HR 80RBI .302/.370/.450


If the Braves work something I think Crisp would be the one Atlanta goes after. I don't think it would take much for Boston to satisfy a deal. Possibly, Horacio Ramirez and Langerhans??

Nationals request Pendleton

The Washington Nationals have asked and recieved permission to speak with Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton. Pendleton as well as Dusty Baker are on the short list for the Nats managerial opening. Talk about strange, the Braves could have another coach leave for a team in your own division. Good Luck to Terry.


Well it looks like my pick for the Dodgers to win the NL have just about vanished. The Dodgers are 1 game away from being eliminated. Although I still think the Mets will crumble before the Series.

Playoff Predictions

Oh, a little thing called the playoffs is going on right now. I've been posting about departures and season ending evaluations that I've almost forgotten to mention it.

American League

A's vs. Twins

Oakland has taken two from the Twins in Minnesota. Frank Thomas beat John Santana and Tori Hunter suffered the loss in the second game. What was he thinking? The A's look real good right now heading back home. Oakland has a little bad karma hounding them. The A's haven't been able to wrap up a series in the ALDS since 1992 and futhermore haven't won the AL since '90. I thought the Twins were pretty hot coming into the playoffs but the A's have cooled them off. My pick and favorite is Oakland in 3.

Yankees vs. Tigers

The Yanks are without a doubt one of the top teams in the AL. They pay the big bucks for the big names to perform in the big games. The Tigers slumped there way into the playoffs after a very suprising and successful start to the season. Since you only have to win three to get to the ALCS my pick goes to the Yankees in 4.

ALCS

Yankees vs. A's

This should be a real good series, but do the A's have enough firepower to beat the so called "mighty" Yankees. I'm rooting for the A's to head to the Series and my pick goes to the A's. This would truly be a series of David vs. Goliath. An all star lineup vs. the underdog.

National League

Mets vs. Dodgers

The Mets have already taken one away from the Dodgers. Who do you root for, anyway? The team that won your division or a team full of ex-Braves. The Mets are gonna have to do step it up since losing Pedro for the postseason. I think the Dodgers can upset the Mets, and this would surely make Met fans go bonkers. Dodgers in 5.

Cardinals vs. Padres

The Cards almost missed the playoffs. The Braves helped them out by beating the Astros in the final series. The Red birds have continued their slow slide since their defeat in the 2004 World Series. Their pitching is lacking and thier offense sans Pujols has slipped a little. The Padres always seem to back end their way to the playoffs and usually take an early exit. I pick the Cards to win this series in 4.

NLCS

Dodgers vs. Cardinals

The WC team versus the Cards. This is going to be a good matchup. I'm going on a hunch and picking the Dodgers in 6. When the Dodgers get rolling they seem unstoppable. The Dodger Blue should be happy to get back to the big show.

World Series

A's vs. Dodgers

Granted this series probably won't be high in the ratings system since a NY team is not involved but I don't care. The A's and Dodgers would make a pretty damn good series. The worst thing about this would be staying up to watch the games, west coast time stinks! These teams last played in 1988 when the Dodgers won 4-1. For this series my pick goes to the A's in 6.

More Departures: Don Sutton leaves the booth

Don Sutton has been commentating Braves games since 1989. His contract has expired and he wasn't offered an extension. Don lives in California and would like to head out west and pickup with either the Padres, Dodgers, or Angels broadcasting teams. So, the changes keep continuing in Atlanta. 2007 is the last year TBS will cover solely Braves games. Beginning in '08 and running through 2013, TBS will cover 26 Sunday afternoon MLB games per season.

Gonzalez leaves for Florida

No big suprise here, as Fredi Gonzalez has been hired as the next manager of the Florida Marlins. The last coach to leave the Braves org. to become the manager of another club was Ned Yost. Regardless, Fredi is heading to a team with a talented bright future.

The 2007 coaching staff will have Brian Snitker as the replacement for Gonzalez. Snitker has been promoted through the ranks coming from Richmond last season. Pat Corrales will not be returning next year as Chino Cadahia will be taking his place. Cadahia has been the Braves minor league field coordinator for the past ten years. Also as I stated earlier Eddie Perez will become the new bullpen coach as Bobby Dews will be repositioned in the front office.

AJC: Schuerholz Wants Pitching!!

Here's a quote out of the AJC. "We're going to strengthen our pitching staff ," Schuerholz said. "That's goal No. 1. We're going to do everything we possibly can to return our pitching, from top to bottom, to the standards that were set around here for the last 15 years. That's our goal. And we believe we can do that."

This quote came from an article in the AJC ironically about Tim Hudson. I really hope JS is true to his word on this. Evaluate your pitching staff and clean house. Simple, right? Atlanta's been too vulnerable to second chances and it's misfired on them in recent past, i.e. Chris Reitsma, M. Remlinger. I don't think we are too far away from a pretty good pitching staff top to bottom. Once again, we'll see what happens this winter.