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Seriously, though, it's sort of a scary time to be a Braves fan. Schuerholz is under pressure to make a big trade, and there aren't many decent prospects left in the system. The guy who thought a half season of Ashby to be worth Bruce Chen and Bret Boone and Mike Remlinger to be worth Denny Neagle AND Michael Tucker AND Rob Bell. Yikes!
As for Alcantara, give the Sox Wes Helms and be done with it. I'll deal with the jujitsu if it gets that bat into the lineup.
Millwood has not been good (or healthy) for quite a while. But he is just what the Indians need: a front-line pitcher. Cordova is underutilized in the over-stocked Cleveland line-up; yet in Atlanta he would be the best corner outfielder on the Brave's team.
That's what makes for a win-win trade.
Here are Millwood's stats since 1999:
GS IP ER ERA W-L
I can't imagine the Braves not giving Mark DeRosa a chance to lose the job before making a panic trade for a shortstop. Sure, he's only had 50 at bats, but DeRosa has gotten on base, showed a bit of gap power, and played a respectible middle infield. At Richmond, he walked more and had more doubles than Marcus Giles in fewer at bats. He may not be a long term solution, but the Braves would have been far worse off if they lost any other position player than Furcal.
As for trading Milwood, I would only do it for a known-quantity bat that makes less than BJ freaking Surhoff.
((Marty Cordova turned 32 today.))
((As a major league from the date of his birth up to opening day of this season, he was a .274/.346/.442 hitting wing outfielder.))
I don't disagree with what you wrote about Marty Cordova. However, I think the story of Luis Gonzalez shows that some guys figure things out rather late.
Today, Luis Gonzalez (who I think is 34) is challenging for a home run title, perhaps an all-time record. He's not just one of the better hitters in the National League; he's a sure-thing starter in the All-Star game.
Yet, a few years ago, most people thought of Luis Gonzalez in the same way you described Marty Cordova. Mediocre, getting old, probably never will be very good.
When Gonzalez was 29, the player in history he was most comparable with was Tito Francona, who finished his career as a .272 avg, .343 obp, .403 slg hitter. Francona retired with 125 home runs. When Gonzalez was 30, he was most comparable to Dan Ford, who hit .270, .324, .427, with 121 home runs in his career.
My guess remains that he is now coming into his own as a hitter. But obviously, I could be wrong and Marty may just be another Dan Ford.
Tthe various injuries sure have slowed Cordova down quite a bit, though, haven't they? I never thought of him as fast, but he was quick enough to cover centerfield passably at one point.
Atlanta would've been steamrolling this year, ala Seattle, if they would've kept Boone and Klesko.
Of course, San Diego did something the Braves would never commit to - playing Klesko every day at first base. No throwing his body around in the outfield, no threat of a platoon being implemented after every 0-fer against a lefty. As a result, his splits against lefties have improved somewhat (albeit still not good), but his performance against righties has been amazing.
Of course, it may have just helped him to get out of the "aggressive hitting" environment of Atlanta, where patience is not the world's biggest virtue.
It looks a lot worse in hindsight, with Klesko blossoming in SD and Sanders imploding in Atlanta and Boone having his wet-dream season in Seattle, but at the time (the only valid time to critique the deal, really) it was solid baseball.
I also follow track and field quite closely, and have for almost 40 years. There is a great deal of steroid use in track, although they are making progress with testing. Almost all of the world records in weight events and women's running events date from 1990 or earlier. One of the indicators of steroid use is a sudden improvement from an established level of performance at an age where an athlete has already peaked. This is often accompanied by an increase in muslce mass and definition.
I began wondering about Boone when his production, which I initially thought was just a statistical freak, just kept on going at an unprecedented (for him) level. I haven't seen Boone enough to judge any increase in his build. His brother, Aaron, has a .206 ISO this year, compared to .157 for his career prior to this year.
This is NOT an accusation. Boone may drop right back to his usual level next year, as Brady Anderson did, but if he continues like this, steroids, andro, whatever, might be a possible explanation.
Red rover, red rover....
Makes sense to me.
Wonder who among retired players younger than Franco had the earliest debut?
Not that they're the Yankees or anything, but they're not really in the red, and there is no fire sale on the horizon.
Greg Maddux as a free agent.
Pathetic. Anyone wants a reason the Braves are constantly also-rans and runners-up, look no farther than the GM's office. Given a core of All-Star calibre young players and HOF pitchers JS has signed mediocrity after mediocrity after old, broken-down, doesn't get on base mediocrity.
Ugh.
I will reserve final judgement on the Braves' offseason until I see what else they do. So far, though, I am not a happy fan.
Let's give Schurholz a little bit of credit here. The Fred McGriff trade was a good one.
As a Braves fan, I'm happy he could resign the core free agents (Andruw, Javy, Smoltz), although Smoltz is getting more than he deserves. Still, the way he's handled arbitration cases (why do you NOT offer Burkett arbitration?) and the Vinny signing, it looks like another bad winter down in Atlanta.
Hey, do you think the Braves would have any interest in Everett, Tony Clark or Brian Dabuach? I'd love for the Sox to deal one of them for Millwood.
Much like signing Maddux when Maddux decided he didn't want to play for the Yankees, trading for Fred McGriff while San Diego is gutting its roster isn't a stroke of GM genius. It's obvious. And as Colin points out, it has still been 8 years since a certifiably good signing, even if you give him McGriff.
re: Everett, Tony Clark or Brian Daubauch
Rumor was the Braves/Sox were talking about a Daubauch deal during the World Series, but it didn't pan out. I could never see a Bobby Cox team trading for a clubhouse presence like Carl Everett. Which leaves resurrecting Daubauch now that Clark is on board in Boston, or dealing for Clark. Either of which is possible, but nothing more than wind and rumors right now.
Not all fire sales consist of teams giving away talent for free. Everyone and their mother know the Marlins had to dump after '97, and they still got some pretty impressive talent in return. Schurholz ended up trading three non-entities for McGriff, and thats a positive, fire sale or no.
Of course, its a moot point now. As Colin points out, its just moving up the 'last good move' date up to eight and a half years, rather than nine.
Anyone here think Schurholz gets credit for picking up Burkett? Yeah, I know nobody here would have predicted his getting possessed by space aliens, but did Schurholz know something we didn't? On the offensive side, he wouldn't know Rey Sanchez from Honus Wagner, but he usually puts together a pretty mean pitching staff.
But Burkett pitched hellaciusly well this year.
1) Tampa Bay's pitching coach suggesting he start long-tossing between starts, to build up arm strength and rejuvenate his fastball, as a final parting shot as Burkett moved on.
2) Pitching behind Greg Maddux and picking up some tips on how to live with an 85 MPH fastball and junk.
3) Leo Mazzone telling Bobby Cox that Burkett was worth a shot after watching him pitch the final exhibition game of 2001's spring training (in Venezuela).
I personally go with 4) His DIPS didn't move an inch, and his performance in the second half was indicative of his coming back to Earth after being extremely lucky on balls in play in the first half.
I know that means I'm giving some sort of credit to Voros, but hey, sometimes you gotta dance with the devil, right?
I only hope that this means Millwood is about to be traded for some offense. Of course the signing still makes zero sense. If you want a vet Burkett could have been had for about the same (still can't fathom why the didn't offer him arbitration). Moss could have been plugged in to the rotation (I assume he would match Lopez's preformance) if Millwood or (heaven forbid) Marquis is going to be traded for offense. The true worst case scenario is for Albie to become the set up man for one of the most exspensive bullpens in history (A spot where the Braves previously excelled at getting excellent production at low costs.) Can Chief Nok-a-homa and Expos size crowds be far away...
s/
That might have been Barry Bonds money. Or Moises Alou money. Or money for anybody who isn't filed under stiff in the dictionary.
The Dodgers are still run by moronic buffoons.
About freakin' time that Schuerholz did something worthwhile this offseason. Now, as long as Cox doesn't bat Castilla right behind him (else we could see a new GIDP record).
I think Odalis will flourish in Dodger Stadium; it'll be forgiving enough that maybe he won't have those annoying deep-pitch-count innings where he gets himself in trouble from nibbling. May give him confidence to just throw the ball hard over the plate and get outs.
But man, Chipper and Sheffield back to back in the order. If Andruw could return to 2000 form that makes a real tough middle of the order, and if Furcal can re-learn how to draw a walk it gets real interesting.
I take back every good thing I've ever said about Steve Phillips as a GM. This is awful. How could Phillips not be willing to give up 'freaking Armando Benitez for Gary Sheffield, especially when not doing so means that he'll be going to your biggest rival and biggest competition? All we need is that Chen and Agbayani for Trammel deal to go through, before a full-scale revolution is started.
Did a certain someone get a "loan" from Ted Turner?
Is TBS going to inexplicable start airing ads for Fox television shows?
I wonder if Dan Evans actually thinks that Brian Jordan is a good player? Is that possible?
Honestly, I really must be missing something.
[Sound of head hitting table]
There should 28 GM's kicking themselves after this one. Too bad for Met fans they didn't play any games in December.
Yes. By far. Where can I find myself a good gun?
"The thing that strikes me is this makes the seemingly inexplicable signing of Albie Lopez make sense. If Schuerholz knew he was going to trade either Jason Marquis or Odalis Perez for a hitter, then signing Lopez provided the flexibility to do so. It makes me wonder just how long this deal has been brewing."
During his 4PM (EST) conference call news briefing Evans said he and Schuerholz had been "talking since the winter meetings." The Lopez signing was made specifically to make Odalis Perez expendable. I was very worried about what JS would return for the trade, but now I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised to say the least.
s/
I'm a Red Sox fan without the ability to see my team play every day, so the ONE thing I was looking forward to was seeing Sheff play at Dodger stadium. Guess I'll start saving up for my TBS Season Pass.
I will say this: it would be a reasonable expectation for Sheffield to pick up 50 points of OPS just from the change in parks. However, he will have to contend with an iffy lineup. To address Atlanta's first four hitters:
Rafael Furcal -- While I think he is tremendously skilled at what he does, I'm waiting for him to get through a full season and put up numbers comparable to his rookie year.
Marcus Giles -- Giles really impresses me, and I think that an 800+ OPS is well within the realm of expectation.
Andruw Jones -- I've never been impressed with his command of the strike zone. He had one good year (1999, 76 walks), but has never had more than 59 in any other season. He can be a great, great player, almost as good as Vladimir Guerrero, if he can live up to the press clippings and take a pitch on occassion. Failing that, Jones will be cast into the scrap heap of tools-laden flops.
("Flop", of course, is a relative term, and it would be an apt use of it if Jones continues to put up 260/320/480 seasons when experts have touted him as a future Hall-of-Famer.)
Larry Wayne Jones -- Not much to say about him. Future Hall-of-Famer. One of the 5 or 10 best players in baseball. Walks on water.
The rest of the lineup? Meat. I will admit to being intrigued by Julio Franco, but I'm not sure if that's a healthy interest.
Sheffield has a ring (97 Marlins). I'm sure you know this, but the phrasing above makes it appear that he hasn't. Of course, a second ring would certainly help his chances.
Furcal
Re: Turner Field v. Dodger Stadium
Park factors, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus 2001
He probably still projects to be elected, but in light of this he clearly won't crack the best 3B's of all time. Schmidt, Mathews, Brett, et al.: At ease, gentlemen, for another while.
2. Anything you read in the AJC can more or less be discounted.
*looks up Lombard's 2001 Minor League Stats*
.318/.423/.682 in 44 ABs for AAA Richmond.
It would be nice if he could show up and play like those 44 ABs at the ML level. 270/350/500 plops him right down into LF and moves Chipper back to 3B, booting Castilla over into The World's Ugliest Firstbase Scrum (tm).
Allen's rate stats: 308 AVG/420 OBP/603 SLG
Gene Bearden was a lefty who threw the knuckleball, but you're right, there are very few of them. I think the reason for that is clear: they don't need to. The southpaw job market is a whole lot less competitive than the one for righthanders; why bother to stake your career on a difficult-to-master trick pitch when just showing up with an average-at-best sidearm curve guarantees you lifetime work?
As for Cabrera, he was an odd man out in the pen for this year. Cox lost confidence in him down the stretch last year, and Spooneybarger will be joining remlinger and Ligtenberg in setup of John Smoltz.
Blanco can't hit. However, Javy's knee's make carrying a caddy a must. One who can control the running game every fifth day and in late inning defensive situations--just icing on the cake. Cabrera was sporadically effective last year. Cox and Leo have a track record of getting good work out of the likes of Brad Clontz and Dennis Springer. They will prove Cabrera to be replacable.
If Giles can kick the injuries plaguing him this spring. The middle infield looks good. The outfield is in good shape. The infield corners, as discussed in previous threads, at best provide replacement level offense. At first this is done cheaply, at third outrageously. (Signing Castilla made no sense. Why not let the Francos (Matt and Julio), Derosa, Helms, and Surhoff just rotate the positions amongst themselves? Only Surhoff is overpaid.)
Speaking of BJ. Surhoff could probably find himself 400 at-bats this year (not that this would be any good for the Braves) if he would turn himself into a jack-of-all-trades. If he expressed a willingness (and demonstrated a minumum level of competence) to play the infield and outfield corners and catch twice a month. (This also solves the third catcher issue that comes along every post season.) Instead he ####### and moans.
Is it just a Maddux mind game? Or is he simply helping Cox in determining when to rest his #1 catcher?
That's not necessarily the optimal solution in all cases. If your backup kills lefties, it makes more sense to start him then; or if your backup hits better than your starter, maybe start him with your worst pitcher; etc.
I just wish they'd traded for Girardi instead. Actually, I need that in my dmb simulation -- just started playing with the 2002 projection disk. My Cubs are off to a fast start (23-13) mainly due to a weak schedule. But I just lost Hundley, Duncan, and Zambrano for a month -- I could really use a LH C and some RH bullpen help about now.
Whatever the explanation, it always seemed to me that if I was Javy Lopez, I'd be pretty pissed about being snubbed by The Great One. Can we hear from Javy on this one?
Bragg was already on his way to join the team before any further news about Surhoff came out.
At that point, it was the sixth LH HR ever off of Johnson. The next year, he gave up 4. Since then, he's given up 1. For comparison, he's given up 232 right-handed HR.
http://www.baseballprimer.com/to/archives/00000372.shtml#comments_37
So all that means all vinny, all the time. Which means Helms getting injured is a loss for this team, because if nothing else he was about 100 points of OPS above Vinny.
Steve and Yorvit are not from the same city and I think the name Torrealba is not that uncommon in Venezuela.
The Venezuelan white pages aren't online, but the Yellow Pages (Paginas Amarillas) are online and there seemed to be over 20 different businesses with the name Torrealba in it. (Doctors, lawyers, etc.)
In related news, at the Marlins-Bucs game tonight, both Abraham Nunezes were in the the game at the same time, confusing my poor mother immensely.
s/
Alan spells better than both of us, though.
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