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Now about our Braves . . . Thus far, I’d say I’ve been pleased and not very surprised by what I’ve seen. Let’s look at the individuals on the team: C Johnny Estrada has been solid although not anywhere near the hitter he was last season. I think his offense will pick up and I’m not overly concerned because our catching seems to be in good hands. Eddie Perez was a reliable sub until he got hurt. This called for Brayan Pena to be recalled and he might surprise all of us.  1B A lot of people are impressed with Adam LaRoche. The fact he has a dazzling glove at the bag is something we’re beginning to get used to but the beautiful swing is something being raved about in many baseball circles. He may be better than I ever thought he could be. Julio Franco is the right-handed half of this platoon but I think Bobby needs to give Adam at least 80% of the job, even against lefties. Otherwise, we run into the same problem we had when Ryan Klesko’s career, in my humble opinion, was screwed up by the notion that he couldn’t hit lefties.  2B Marcus Giles is a player I’m concerned about. His batting average is up there but it’s a relatively empty .300+, lacking power and steals. The concern is that the shoulder injury that messed up his 2004 season is still having an adverse affect on his offensive prowess. Time will tell because I want to see how he does when the guy in front of him is performing up to his normal level of play.  SS Which brings us to Rafael Furcal. His season, thus far, has been nothing short of brutal. He seems to have lit a spark in the past few games but one thing I’ve really learned lately; Raffy is the clear catalyst to our offense. We struggle mightily for runs when he’s not on his game. The most surprising aspect of his play is that it is being done in his free agent year. I love the kid and have always been a most staunch supporter. However, I can’t imagine the Braves giving him some crazy contract based on what he’s presently doing, especially when there are in-house alternatives on the roster and farm.  3B Chipper Jones You can see it in his eyes, an intensity about this present season far greater than I’ve ever seen before. He really wants to erase his poor 2004 performance and get back to his rightful position among the elite third basemen in the game. He is doing fantastic and the key issue for him is to just stay healthy.  IF Wilson Betemit Now we’re beginning to see what all the hoopla was about when he was just a kid. This kid can hit and field and just needs seasoning and the belief that he just needs to play within himself. I think this is just the start and I don’t whether, or not, he’ll strike gold as a Brave, but I sure hope he’s given the opportunity to do so.  IF-OF Pete Orr I have no complaints whatsoever. He doesn’t impress me as being more that a solid utility man but that all he is anyway and players in those roles are extremely valuable. If he can do what Mark DeRosa did I’ll be satisfied, recognizing they’re not the same player with the same set of skills.  RF Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan are two players who will have their names linked all season. I applauded the daring moves by John Schuerholz in bringing these two geezers to our club. I full understood the thinking behind them and agree totally. We have some real prizes on the farm in the names of Andy Marte, Jeff Francouer, and Kelly Johnson but they’re not ready . . .yet. So to take on any player with a huge contract over multiple years makes no sense.  Yet, we’re getting to the point when enough is almost enough. Raul has not exhibited much in terms of an ability to hit the baseball with any consistency. His batting average floats around the infamous Mendoza Line (.200) and that won’t wash if we’re going to win another Division title. I would dump him sometime very near in the future. Brian has been just a bit better and I would consider keeping him for an altogether different, but viable, reason. He’s a true Brave and brings a spark to the team that translates into strong motivation provided by a veteran. Let’s never forget that he’s really a football player in a baseball player’s uniform. I say keep him but limit him to batting against lefties whether as part of a platoon or in pinch-hitting roles. CF Andruw Jones had that great spring and everyone was talking about his new stance and the fact that he was finally going to break out big time. Fantasy experts even jumped on the bandwagon and began calling him this year’s “Adrian Beltre.” Then the season started and he went into a deep slump that was much too painful to even watch. Nevertheless, watch I did and found myself feeling confident that something big was about to erupt. Why? Because I noticed the increase of balls, he hit although out, going hard to the right side of the field. Erupt he certainly did as he began whacking homer after homer while, along with Chipper, carrying the team into first place. I think he’s going to have easily his best season with anywhere between 40-50 home runs and about 120 RBI’s. His batting average I see finishing slightly above .280. Considering he’s still the best defensive outfielder in the game, I’d say he might just be a candidate for Most Valuable Player is all said and done.  OF Ryan Langerhans I listened to a lot of our minor league pundits who were really very supportive of Ryan and decided that I would just sit back, watch and make my own decision. Here it is: Ryan would make an excellent 4th outfielder for our, or any, team in the majors. However, his offense isn’t anywhere near consistent enough to warrant having that responsibility as a starter. His solid defense is certainly an asset but I have to admit I start to doze off when they show the next three Braves batters and it says Langerhans, Mondesi, and Orr.  Our problem is clearly in the outfield and that’s why we’re watching Pete Orr performing like the fool on the hill as he attempts to just locate fly balls. One thing I can’t do is say with any certainty what the Braves will do financially or what their limits are. That said they need to cut ties with Mondesi, bring up Kelly Johnson to platoon with Brian Jordan in left, and go shopping for a right fielder. The situation isn’t critical yet but it’s time to plan if we want to win this again. Francouer is nowhere near ready. Whether Marte is might be up for debate but recalling him is more complicated because we certainly don’t want to meddle with Chipper’s major comeback season. In addition, the Braves have already shown a reluctance in the past to have their most prized prospect switch to the outfield. This means we need to go shopping and I’m not sure if the smart move isn’t to wait until we approach the July 31st deadline before we get serious about adding any specific player to our club. Here’s the current short list in my view:
One thing is certain; it will be interesting to see what Mr. Schuerholz pulls off.  Now we can discuss our pitching. The one thing we can always count on is the Braves’ focus on pitching as the key to success. It’s been tough to extricate us from our glorious Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz past, one that dominated the game in extraordinary fashion. We will always cherish those memories. However, this team keeps remodeling itself with the goal of having a chance at the big bonanza each year so we move forward. John Smoltz is the true Brave of our generation. He’s been with this team the longest and given his heart, soul, and especially his arm to our annual quests for glory. The last three years he performed as the team’s closer and performed on an equal level with the very best relievers in the game. He amassed enough saves to help his case for Hall of Fame election some day. Nevertheless, he’s always been a starter at heart and felt he was truly being wasted in the postseason, this after establishing himself as the premier postseason pitcher in the game. His first start this season was nothing short of a disaster but it was obvious that John was overthrowing and too hyped up. Since then he’s been simply a great pitcher who has had games ranging from blowing people away to showing how he can win with guile when his amazing stuff isn’t there.  Tim Hudson is the find of the new decade. It’s very rare for any team to add a pitcher of Tim’s caliber and characteristics, especially while the said pitcher is in the prime of his career. You know he’s special when all you have to do is listen to Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone talk about him, as if he was the reincarnation of Greg Maddux, who led our staff through so many glorious campaigns. What I like best about Tim is his competitiveness and his knowledge of what it takes to win, win, win. The Braves are very fortunate to have two aces to head their staff, both with terrific track records and leadership qualities.  Mike Hampton has shown us that the adverse Coors effect doesn’t go away overnight. This is the first time, as a Brave, he’s begun pitching effectively from the beginning of the season and considering his track record, pre-Coors, it has become common to say we have a new “Big Three” leading our team. Mike has been on the DL for the past week or so but should be back so sit back and enjoy a true artisan at work as he chops down one batting order after another.  John Thomson was rolling along and pitching as well as anybody when he got hurt. He’s expected to miss the next three months and ooh, that hurts, us, and especially him, as he was truly establishing himself as one of the most effective pitchers in the league. His contract is up but I think the Braves see a pitcher who’s too valuable to watch walk away. On the flip side, I have a feeling John absolutely loves being a Brave.  Horacio Ramirez is a kid that Bobby and Leo love to death. They view him up there with all the great lefties in the game today. The first thing he must do, however, is prove he’s not too brittle to play a full season. His season ending injury last season came out of the blue and had an adverse affect on our pitching staff. He’s presently back healthy and is super as a backend starter to a solid rotation.  Kyle Davies “How Atlanta does it every year I have no idea. Kyle Davies, the newest Atlanta Brave stud prospect has yet to give up a run in two starts. Davies looked masterful at times Wednesday against the Mets. He went 5 1/3 innings striking out 6 and walking one. The Braves veterans and coaches can’t say enough about this 21-year-old prospect. He was 4th round pick in 2001 out of high school. Davies began last year in single A and his quickly vaulted up the ranks. Please remember that while Davies has been stellar in his starts, he is still a rookie and will likely experience many peaks and valleys. His worth will be determined in how low those valleys go.” Above is what a fantasy baseball writer wrote this morning, 5/27/05. The opening line is the primary reason I included the paragraph in here. Doesn’t it make you feel special inside, as a fan, when someone objective writes something like that? Kyle may be something very special and he certainly doesn’t surprise anyone who’s followed his recent progress climbing up the minor-league ladder. Nevertheless, let’s reserve judgment till he goes through the league a couple of times before we go berserk over him. I am confident that he will excel enough for us to do so.  That’s our starters and they certainly comprise the strongest positive feature of our team. What I like most is that at the same time that this staff is presently strong, it is also the beginning of a great one for the future. Dan Kolb  This photo has become commonplace regarding Danny. I just wish he would calm down. I still believe in him and feel he’s our best option to close games. Chill out, Danny! You have the job and getting aggravated when things don’t go your way doesn’t help you in any way at all. Folks, he’s just a corrective measure, regarding his sinker, away from being the premier closer he was last year with the Brewers. Keep the faith.  Chris Reitsma It is said that Larry Bowa, then manager of the Phillies, practically freaked when he heard the Braves picked up Reitsma a couple of years ago. I have to admit that I wonder why. There are times when I definitely see it because he looks so good. However, there are times when it looks like batting practice is being taken against him. Much of his resume is based on the stint he had as the closer for the Reds for half a season three years ago. Thus far, I can’t see him as our closer but do feel that although he deserves some kudos as our setup man, we can do better so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was dealt.  Adam Bernero is a nice guy, I guess. However, I don’t see him being any more than a journeymen pitcher who’s a dime a dozen in the majors. I hope he proves me totally wrong.  John Foster is the most impressive pitcher in our bullpen this year. He’s come back from a severe injury to grab the left-handed setup role with our team. Lefties can’t seem to hit him at all. Me like very much. Jorge Sosa has as much potential as anyone in the pen. Hard stuff with wicked movement but needs improvement on his command and consistency in throwing strikes. My feeling is that we’ll have something very strong down the stretch or we’ll be watching a blowup in the making. Roman Colon is very impressive and a pitcher with vast potential. If I were he, I’d sit at Leo’s feet day and night and learn as much as I can. I think he could be huge for us in the second half.  Kevin Gryboski keeps coming back for more. What a specialist! Need a groundball? Let’s get Kevin in there. He’s especially adept at taking care of middle innings for us and has become a valuable commodity.  If there’s anything I’ve learned during the past 50 years as a fan and as one who follows this game fervently, it’s that the season is a marathon and not a sprint. Teams go through certain types of evolutionary changes before they reach their final product. It is why I always call our team “a work in progress” at this stage of the season. This club has great potential but also some inherent problems. Solving those problems may be the key to whatever level of success we’re able to reach this season. Not only am I confident that John Schuerholz will take care of those problems, but equally confident that the fruition of those efforts will be maximized by the gentlemen below, who are being deemed as certified geniuses by so many in the game.   © Copyright BravesBeat Network, BravesBeat.com, and Michael M. Rapaport |
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