Willie Harris is sick

[CBAreject]

First Brave to go 6-for-6 since 1970. He does it with 2 triples mixed in for good measure.

He's finally made a believer out of me, and I no longer attribute his high average to beginner's luck. He sustained his first "mini-slump" and broke out again with this unreal performance.

It's hard to give a 28-year-old much credit when he hasn't yet performed at the major league level. However, there have been players who've done this before. Harris has destroyed AAA for a few years, but he's had only modest opportunities to play in the MLB as a starter. He has a good eye, patient approach, sound hitting mechanics, and very good speed. He's a true leadoff man in a league where those are suddenly scarce. I think we found a true diamond in the rough, and I wouldn't mind seeing Willie Harris stick around for a few years. He probably won't hit .340 forever, but .290 with a .360 OBP sounds pretty good.

[Guest GHook4]

You're right man, I've got to give Willie a lot of credit. He was able to stay patient through his slump and break out with a great performance.

I guess it's the effect of reading Moneyball but I still think Kelly should have the leadoff spot. Kelly and Willie both have a knack for getting on base, but I like Kelly's approach and his really high OBP at the start of the season. For the frst 6 weeks of the season Kelly was a top 5 leadoff man in the NL. He got on a cold streak, then Escobar was called up, then Willie got the leadoff spot. It wasn't Kelly's fault in my opinion, the Braves just have to find at bats for a lot of talent, which is a very good problem to have. The smallball idea of having the speedy guy at the top of the lineup is the way Bobby chose to go, but I think Kelly's better suited there.

Anyway Kelly's playing much better of late and doesn't get much credit for breaking out of his slump. He's hitting .444 I think in late June and July. If Willie keeps raking in the leadoff spot, I hope he keeps the job. But the offense seemed to flow better most of the time when Kelly hit leadoff and Willie hit at the bottom of the order.

[TnDawg]

Regardless of the sport, some fan on here cannot acknowledge the good or great play of an Atlanta player without using it to promote their personal favorite.

[Guest GHook4]

Quote:

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You're right man, I've got to give Willie a lot of credit. He was able to stay patient through his slump and break out with a great performance.

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What about that is not acknowledging a great performance? I specifically used the words "great performance."

You need to reread my post. I said clearly that Willie and Kelly are both good at getting on base, but I found it unfair that Kelly outperformed expectations and was forced into a platoon and, on top of that, was dropped in the order. I thought he showed class by not complaining about it once. Even you have to know that Willie went through his slump in the leadoff spot. He was excellent in the bottom of the order, where the Braves sorely need production. Not to mention Kelly was a top 5 leadoff man in the NL when he WAS the leadoff man.

The point of my post, which you were too dense to find out, was that I want what's best for the team. But if it were up to me I would reward Kelly's consistency with another try at the leadoff spot.

Some fans on here, regardless of the sport, have no idea what they're talking about.

[DrReality]

Didn't see the game Sat but watched last night. I was surprised by how high the Brave's averages are. Chipper leading the league. Don't remember the last time that happened.

[gsuteke]

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