Who would have thought that 32 games into the season

[coachx]

I must say that I am a little suprised in 2 things:

1. McClouth is leading the team in OBP at .384....while at the same time batting .287.

2. At 39 years old Chipper is leading the club with 23 RBI and has only missed 1 game so far. (I know he has some pinch hit appearances where he didn't start).

I must add that I'm very happy about both of course.

The only thing holding us back is untimely hitting. Most of our HRs have been solo shots. We got to hit those when they count.

Edited May 5, 2011 by coachx

[frosgrim]

It's about time for Uggla to start heating up. Once the day time temps get above 85, maybe we'll see him start hitting.

I'm happy with Chipper and Nate's play both in the field and at the plate.

[CBAreject]

I am happiest that Jair Jurrjens has been downright dominant in his first 3 starts. I said a few weeks ago that he was the most important part of our rotation. I was pretty confident Tommy Hanson would be as good as last year, that Hudson would be Hudson, that Lowe would be mediocre to good, and that Beachy would fill in adequately as a #5 starter. Jurrjens was a wild card. He was kinda awful last year, but the two prior years, he was our best pitcher. As long as he pitches like the Jurrjens of '08 and '09, I think we'll challenge for the division.

The Braves currently lead the National League in runs allowed per game. Yes, we are outpitching the Phillies about 20% of the way in. We have the second best run-differential in the league, and we should be neck-and-neck with the Phils based on our statistical performance. That's important because run differential is a better predictor of future success than current winning percentage. As such, I expect Florida to fall and for us to be right in it til the end, barring injuries, collapses.

[CBAreject]

By the way, see if you guys can tell me which pitcher leads the team in strikeouts without looking it up...

[frosgrim]

By the way, see if you guys can tell me which pitcher leads the team in strikeouts without looking it up...

I'm going to guess Beachy.

[coachx]

By the way, see if you guys can tell me which pitcher leads the team in strikeouts without looking it up...

Probably Hanson.........ghe lead the team last year.

I love Huddy's last 2 performances. 1 batter away from a 1 run complete game then a 1 hitter.

[CBAreject]

It's Brandon Beachy, but I wouldn't have guessed it. He has had 2 9-strikeout games. His first 10 starts as a pro have been phenomenal, really. If the Braves didn't have an inept offense which gets even worse when he pitches, he'd have 5-6 wins over the last 2 seasons. Instead he has 1. I really think Brandon Beachy could be a Roy Oswalt type pitcher. His composure is better than any rookie I've seen come through Atlanta, and that includes Glavine, Avery, Smoltz, Schmidt, Millwood, Hanson, Jurrjens.

[jhay610]

It's Brandon Beachy, but I wouldn't have guessed it. He has had 2 9-strikeout games. His first 10 starts as a pro have been phenomenal, really. If the Braves didn't have an inept offense which gets even worse when he pitches, he'd have 5-6 wins over the last 2 seasons. Instead he has 1. I really think Brandon Beachy could be a Roy Oswalt type pitcher. His composure is better than any rookie I've seen come through Atlanta, and that includes Glavine, Avery, Smoltz, Schmidt, Millwood, Hanson, Jurrjens.

and now he goes on the DL with an oblique....ugh

Edited May 15, 2011 by jhay610

[CBAreject]

and now he goes on the DL with an oblique....ugh

Yeah that really sucks for Beachy who is having a phenomenal rookie season, W-L record aside. Obliques for pitchers are frequently worse than the initial optimistic prognoses. You start out saying "he'll miss a couple starts" or "he'll spend 15 days on the DL", but then 6 weeks later, after your 3rd 15-day DL stint, you're making a rehab start in Gwinnett.

The Braves are fortunately the best equipped team in MLB to deal with pitching injuries, and they really have 3 good options to choose from to fill Beachy's spot for however long he's out. Haven't seen Mike Minor yet this year, and I bet he gets the call. I hope it's not Teheran because I just don't think he's quite ready, even though he's gonna be really tough.

[jhay610]

Beachy struck out 11 yesterday. Nice work in his first start back.

[frosgrim]

Beachy struck out 11 yesterday. Nice work in his first start back.

He was filthy yesterday. Dude is looking really good.

With all this starting pitching, the Braves should be able to make a move if they want to get a legitimate RBI producing outfielder. Or, upgrade at SS.

[CBAreject]

He was filthy yesterday. Dude is looking really good.

With all this starting pitching, the Braves should be able to make a move if they want to get a legitimate RBI producing outfielder. Or, upgrade at SS.

Beachy was a good starting pitching prospect last year, and that was before he developed a bona fide strikeout pitch, which his slider has become. He now has 3 plus pitches (FB, CH, slider) along with an OK curve, which still needs work, but he's young. Just hope he stays away from arm injuries.

Another thing to consider is we will be getting Medlen back at some point this summer. He won't be able to start, most likely, but he could add to the depth.

If we do trade for a bat, I hope it's not a 1-year rental, unless we only move B-prospects for him. Jose Reyes should only be considered if he can be locked up. He's the type of player that is worth spending on, and we could potentially afford him once McLouth and Kawakami come off the books, and especially if we trade Lowe in the offseason. Chipper may also retire. If all that happens, we'd have about 40 million freed up, some of which would be spent on increasing rookie contracts. I just don't think the Reyes deal happens because he probably won't commit to us knowing he may fetch 22 mil per year from the Yankees in the offseason. Also, the Mets would probably ask for a package starting with Teheran or Beachy. We'd be more interested in packaging Delgado or Minor.

The other possibilities are to trade for an outfielder. CF is preferable, but corner is workable. Here are a few possibilities:

Carlos Beltran, who I'm not sure can still play center (but Prado or Heyward could suffice there if he can't).

Matt Kemp, who is absolutely ideal but unfortunately is having a career year. Sucks because we could've had him for a reasonable price after his disappointing last season. Frank Wren so far has done too much of buying high and selling low, though I was impressed with his selling high on Infante, which was a welcome change. Kemp is simply the NL's best player so far, and if the Dodgers weren't struggling, he'd be the first half MVP. Kemp is under contract for one more year.

Hunter Pence, who I think will be dealt. I've loved his bat for 3 years now. He's a professional hitter who always gets a good pitch and puts a good swing on it.

Andre Eithier, who I think won't be dealt bc he's the face of the Dodgers. Love his bat.

Adam Jones, who I think will cost too much for what he brings. I hate his low OBP, but he's a lot better than our CF options. The Orioles will want a handsome package.

Melky Cabrera...just kidding

In the end, I don't suspect any of these will get done. I think Pence might be dealt, but I haven't heard we're interested. I think it's much more reasonable that we will try to acquire a RH bat to bring off the bench and move a B-level prospect like Hoover for it.