He's 16-3, 2.72 ERA, 1.057 WHIP in 151 IP. I would be ecstatic if one of our highly touted prospects ever produced a season like that.
I'd love to have Wood and that 2.72 ERA of his. Was definitely a fan of his. Simmons, I think everyone agrees with you on that. With that being said, I understand the logic of trading guys that were good right then versus guys that will be good in a few years. Correction: When I said "most of his other trades were alright" I meant, "most of his other trades were, at the very least, alright". He made some fantastic ones as we all know.
I'm really ready for the John's to retire, Bobby Cox to go to the farm and Snitker return to the bus leagues. This picture looks like something from A Hebrews thread with a caption like: "I FUNNELED CASH TO 14 YEAR OLD DOMINICAN HEATHENS...WHAT OF IT?" -- INNER THOUGHTS OF DISGRACED DAGO GM
Shanks Take...not a pretty picture of Braves management http://www.macon.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/bill-shanks/
Heyman | Braves front office of Schuerholz and Hart at odds Former best friends John Schuerholz and John Hart, who run the Atlanta Braves now, are said to be at odds over things related to the team and currently having a tough time getting along, so there could be more upheaval in the organization. People with ties to the team say they believe Schuerholz would love to bring in Dayton Moore, and have Moore, a longtime Braves executive before he went to Kansas City, groom Schuerholz’s son Jonathan, who runs the farm system for the Braves. However, Moore has remained very loyal to the Royals-owning Glass family, and two years ago turned down a chance to interview to move to the Braves, where he presumably could have had the president job that went to Hart. Hart’s contract is up, but word around the Braves has been that he intends to remain to see things through, certainly while they are figuring out how to replace GM John Coppolella, who resigned after the Braves received the findings of an MLB investigation into international rules violations. Reports have suggested that Hart is likely to serve as the interim GM for the time being. But long-term, it’s anyone’s guess what’s going to happen. The Braves acted quickly after receiving MLB’s findings. Publicly, it remains unclear exactly which alleged violation or violations were the issue, or whether it was the number of them. As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported, 15 teams are being investigated for signing prospects before they were eligible to be signed, so there presumably must have been something else. Many say it remains “the Wild West” in the international markets. Coppolella will be a loss, as he gathered a great stash of prospects. Fuck off with Schuerholz trying to slide his son into the job after a few years
Yea no thanks on father pushing for son. I'm ok with it if most on Braves think he deserves it, but never heard his son mentioned before and it sounds shady coming from Dad.
Do writers generally know of GMs that are terrible to work for, or did the Barves stuff come as a complete surprise? Dave Cameron: The ones who are terrible to work for are pretty well known. Guys talk. Can you give us the cliffs notes as to why Coppy wasn’t well liked in the biz? Dave Cameron: His personality rubbed people the wrong way. hadnt heard that before
Hey John , Go fuck yourself and quit setting this shit up for your fucking boy. 100% this is why they acted so quickly on Choppy. JS didn't like the analytics aspect of all this and need a shit head meathead baseball guy
Can anyone post the Braves write ups from BA's Appy League list? Supposedly Maitan was #1: https://buff.ly/2y4L3p1
1. Kevin Maitan, SS, Danville (Braves) | Age: 17. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 190. Signed: Venezuela, 2016. Maitan headlined the 2016 international signing class and was considered by some to be the best international amateur since Miguel Sano in 2009. The Venezuelan shortstop signed for $4.25 million with the Braves, who assigned Maitan to Danville after a brief tuneup in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Maitan scuffled in the early part of the season but as he got his feet under him, evaluators began to take notice of his switch-hitting ability and plus raw power. He flashes impressive hitting hands and keeps his swing under control when he's in the zone. While his pitch recognition needs work, Maitan's ability to make consistent hard contact should come to life with more repetitions. At peak, he could be a plus hitter with greater than plus power. Maitan's ultimate position is in question. He has gained mass rapidly at a young age and may outgrow shortstop. One manager described him as "barrel-bodied." Despite notable athleticism and a plus arm, he faces a potential move to third base down the line. 8. Kyle Muller, LHP, Danville (Braves) | Age: 19. B-T: R-L. Ht.: 6-6. Wt.: 225. Drafted: HS—Dallas, 2016 (2). Muller achieved high school stardom in 2016 by striking out 24 consecutive batters over the course of two starts, and scouts from all over Texas flocked to see him. The Braves selected the southpaw in the second round, then assigned him to Danville in 2017 to work on his mechanics. Muller's two-seam fastball begins at 92-94 mph before tailing off to 90-92 as games progress. He commands it to both sides of the plate thanks to an improved ability to repeat his delivery. Muller's fastball is flanked by a sharp curveball that flashes plus life, dropping out of the zone at the last second to frustrate hitters. Muller has made progress with his changeup and is now working on adding more of a velocity gap between it and his fastball to develop a true three-pitch repertoire. 9. Drew Waters, OF, Danville (Braves) | Age: 18. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 183. Drafted: HS—Woodstock, Ga., 2017 (2). Waters ranked as the fourth-best prep hitter in the 2017 draft class, and the Braves took particular notice of the Georgia product. They selected him in the second round and sent him to Danville after a short stint in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Waters' switch-hitting ability stands out because he's able to impact the ball from both sides, rather than showing a clear preference for one side. His swing is built around quick hands and plus bat speed, and he laces line drives from line to line. He shows pull power and should grow into more opposite-field strength. He has toned down a leg kick that prevented him from catching up to fastballs and seeing pitches cleanly. Waters struggles with breaking pitches and recognizing spin, which led to high strikeout totals in the Appy League. Waters tends to be a little wild in everything he does now, causing one manager to compare his style of play to that of Hunter Pence. A plus arm and above-average speed give him a chance in center field, though right field is more likely. 10. William Contreras, C, Danville (Braves) Age: 19. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 180. Signed: Venezuela, 2015. The younger brother of Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, William signed for $10,000 as an amateur out of Venezuela in 2015. He was one of the most improved players in the Braves system this summer. The first thing that stands out about Contreras is his baseball acumen. He's a smart hitter who works himself into good counts and is willing to take a walk. He controls the bat head and is able to make consistent contact with pitches all over the zone, leaving the possibility for a plus hit tool down the line. He should be able to maintain average extra-base ability. Defensively, Contreras has at least a plus arm that is sullied by a slower reaction time he can improve with repetitions. He's agile and receptive behind the plate, even showing a mature ability to frame pitches for his age.
Looks like Yefri Del Rosario and Yunior Severino both made Baseball America's GCL top 20: https://buff.ly/2xw4VNU
The Arizona Fall League kicks off its 26th season on Tuesday, with the six rosters typically full of top hitting prospects from around the minors and a smattering of pitching prospects here to catch up on lost innings. It's one of the best scouting opportunities of the year, and I'll be out there for week one, seeing every club at least twice and filing a couple of reports for Insiders as I make my way around the league. The rosters have already changed a bit since they were first released in August and might still look different before the games begin, but here's a glance at the most notable names on each of the six teams going into Opening Day. Glendale: The Desert Dogs feature two top-10 overall prospects in Cleveland Indians catcher Francisco Mejia (No. 6 in my midseason top 50) and Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller (No. 10). The roster also includes a pair of former first-round picks who haven't developed as hoped in Pittsburgh shortstop Cole Tucker, who has been slowed by shoulder surgery but was throwing well when I saw him in August, and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Cornelius Randolph, the 10th overall pick in 2015 whose best tool was his bat but who hasn't shown the kind of averages or contact rates expected of him. Outfielder DJ Peters, the Dodgers' fourth-round pick in 2016, earns a ton of Jayson Werthcomparisons for his game, his build and even his hair, with walks, power and an exorbitant strikeout rate in high-A. Mesa: The best prospect on the Mesa roster isn't here, as Washington's Victor Robles is otherwise occupied by the postseason at the moment. That leaves Houston's Kyle Tucker (No. 16 overall midseason) as the team's best active prospect, and he is joined by fellow Astros prospect Yordan Alvarez, a Cuban defector acquired from the Dodgers in the summer of 2016 for reliever Josh Fields. The A's have two intriguing prospects on the Mesa roster in right-hander Logan Shore, a command/control guy who had a solid year in the tough California League, and catcher Sean Murphy, their third-rounder in 2016, who threw out a third of opposing runners this year and hit well in High-A before struggling in Double-A in the second half. Also here from Oakland's system is Cuban right-hander Norge Ruiz, signed over the winter for $2 million. He made just eight underwhelming starts in high-A in July and August this summer. Peoria: This is the must-see team of the six, as it is loaded with talent, notably Atlanta Braves prospects, as well as a number of former first-rounders trying to prove their value. Ronald Acuna (No. 9 overall midseason) is the team's best prospect and is likely to spend most of 2018 with the big league club. He is joined here by left-hander Max Fried and right-hander Touki Toussaint, both former first-rounders. Fried reached the majors this year, and Toussaint had a modest breakout season between high-A and Double-A, cutting his walk rate and boosting his strikeout rate even with a midyear promotion. The Padres boast one of the minors' best farm systems but have sent only one of their best prospects, the little but fierce middle infielder Luis Urias, who posts high batting averages and contact rates without power everywhere he plays. The Javelinas also include former first-rounders outfielder Kyle Lewis (Mariners), finally back from the torn ACL he suffered last summer; right-hander T.J. Zeuch (Blue Jays), who was essentially done after May 27th, making only rehab starts around back and hamstring injuries; and third baseman Michael Chavis (Red Sox), who had a huge year between high-A and Double-A, with 31 homers and a much higher contact rate after struggling through injuries in 2016. Salt River: The Rafters are loaded with Brewers prospects but not a ton from other organizations. Their 2016 first-rounder, Corey Ray, who had a very disappointing season while coming back from the torn meniscus he suffered in instructional league, will be here, along with second-round pick Lucas Erceg, who struggled this year with a .307 OBP in high-A. Those two will be joined by the Brewers' sandwich and second-round picks from 2014, outfielders Jake Gatewood and Monte Harrison, both of whom had breakout years at age 21 -- Gatewood in high-A and Double-A and Harrison in low- and high-A. The Brewers send the team's best arm, right-hander Adrian Houser, who pitched in the AFL in 2015 but had Tommy John surgery in July 2016 and came back at the tail end of this season. In the non-Brewers part of the roster, the Orioles sent infielder Ryan Mountcastle and hard-throwing lefty Tanner Scott, who are probably the two most interesting guys not from Milwaukee. Scottsdale: Pitching is generally in short supply in the AFL, so the Scottsdale roster's inclusion of three fairly strong starting pitching prospects is a welcome development. Tyler Beede of the Giants and the Yankees' Dillon Tate and Justus Sheffield should all be among the league's best starters. Beede and Sheffield missed time this year due to injuries, while Tate re-established his prospect status with a restored delivery and better velocity than he had last summer when the Yanks acquired him from Texas. Among hitters here, the Yanks sent toolsy outfielder Estevan Florial, who has huge upside and even huger swing-and-miss issues, while the Giants sent outfielder Steven Duggar, who missed almost four months with a flexor strain and hip injury that probably prevented him from making his major league debut. The Angels sent 2016 first-rounder Matt Thaiss, a former catcher at the University of Virginia who is now at first base and hit a combined .274/.375/.395 between high-A and Double-A in his full-season debut. Surprise: The Cardinals provide the Saguaros with their two most intriguing arms in Sandy Alcantara and Jordan Hicks, both of whom have hit 100 mph as starters, with Hicks finishing the year on an absolute tear on which he allowed runs in just one of his final nine appearances covering 35 innings (three runs, eight walks, 41 K’s). Alcantara got a cup of coffee in the Cardinals' bullpen but still has starter upside, with a fair amount of work to do on repeating his delivery. St. Louis also sends the revenant prospect Oscar Mercado, who flopped at shortstop but thrived this year as an outfielder, mostly playing center but also performing at the plate for the first time since he was drafted in 2013. Other players of note on Surprise include Minnesota lefty Tyler Jay, the sixth overall pick in 2015 who missed nearly all of this season due to thoracic outlet syndrome; Royals shortstop Nicky Lopez, the team's fifth-round pick in 2016, a high-contact hitter with speed and some defensive potential at short and second; and Texas shortstop Josh Morgan, who is listed as a catcher here after playing 36 games behind the plate this season for High-A Down East.
15. Yunior Severino, 2B, Braves image: http://www.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3ds_braves83.jpg Age: 17. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 185. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2016. When the Braves smashed through their international bonus pool in 2016, one of their prized signings was Severino, who got $1.9 million. After getting his feet wet in the Dominican Summer League, Severino jumped to the GCL and showed a high-risk, high-reward offensive profile. Severino is wiry strong, generating power with strong hands and quick wrists that produce fast, whippy bat speed. A switch-hitter who looks more comfortable from the left side, he makes hard contact when the moving parts in his swing are synced up and on time, with a chance for plus or better power. That timing isn't always there, though, and Severino tends to overswing, which led to a 30 percent strikeout rate. If he can learn to trust his hands and put more balls in play, he could be a power-hitting second baseman. Severino signed as a shortstop but the Braves quickly moved him to second base. He's a below-average runner who will need to clean up his footwork. 16. Yefri del Rosario, RHP, Braves image: http://www.baseballamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3ds_braves83.jpg Age: 17. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 180. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2016. The Braves snapped up Rosario for a $1 million bonus in 2016 when they exceeded their international bonus pool. He was one of the top pitching prospects in the class and he elevated his stock in 2017 as his stuff jumped. As an amateur, del Rosario sat 89-92 mph and touched 94. Now he's more consistently throwing 91-94 and has reached 97 while generating sink and armside run. With his arm speed and build, he could continue adding velocity. Rosario will throw his breaking ball in any count. It has sharp, late break and misses bats with late break. He throws a solid changeup for his age as well. Del Rosario's delivery has red flags between his stabbing arm action with a hook and how he throws with effort across his body, but he does a good getting himself back on line to the plate, throwing steady strikes in his debut with a starter's repertoire.
MadduxGlavineSmoltz: do you feel the braves went about rebuilding the right way? With how “set up” the Astros, Yankees, Cubs, etc.. are heading into 2018 and beyond with the way they loaded up on position players, Im very concerned the Braves went the wrong direction while loading up on pitching prospects. Would like to hear your thoughts Eric Eric A Longenhagen: They’ve done fine, cast a wide net with arms and it isn’t like they don’t have bats. Acuna is almost there, Swanson and Albies already are. They have depth in the lower levels that will yield more in the next few years.
After listening to the Talking Chop podcasts and The Road to Atlanta podcasts, I feel a little bit better with regards to our sanctions. They made it seem highly unlikely that we'd lose Maitan. Hope they're right.
Hope that's true, but those writers have never seemed like ones with sources to me. Seems like they're pretty much just fans like us.
ATLANTA BRAVES Pleskoff Scouting Report | Alex Jackson TEAM: Atlanta Braves AGE: 21 POSITION: C/OF BATS: Right THROWS: Right HEIGHT: 6-foot-2 WEIGHT: 215 pounds ACQUIRED: The Seattle Mariners chose Jackson in the first round with the sixth pick in the 2014 first-year player draft out of Rancho Bernardo High School in California. In November 2016, he was traded along with lefty pitching prospect Tyler Pike to the Atlanta Braves for right-handed pitchers Rob Whalen and Max Povse. ***** STRENGTHS Alex Jackson is considered a low-risk, high-reward type player with his new team, the Atlanta Braves. The team has converted Jackson back to being a catcher from his original role as an outfielder in the Seattle Mariners system. A star catcher in high school, Jackson was drafted by the Mariners as an outfielder. His strong and accurate throwing is one of his many good tools. Jackson has a sturdy and stout frame that he uses to generate power. His eye-hand coordination and the strength he generates from his strong legs and broad chest help him drive the ball to the gaps. Scouts feel Jackson has home run power that has not yet totally been realized. They sense that greater physical maturity and a less aggressive approach at the plate will help him realize his home run potential. For a player with the potential power and strength of Jackson, his strikeouts are not overwhelming. He can generally put the bat on the ball and make things happen. I have watched Jackson play in the Arizona Fall League. On defense, he caught the opening game of the season for the Peoria Javelinas. He looked very comfortable and very professional behind the plate. His time as a high school catcher and the work the Braves staff has done with him since converting him from the outfield back to his normal catching position have been outstanding. He uses very good catching mechanics. He blocks balls in the dirt very well and seems to be a good handler of pitchers. His strong arm precludes runners from just taking off and stealing bases. His footwork and “pop” time are very solid. WEAKNESSES Jackson really struggled as a member of the Mariners organization. A successful high school catcher, right from the beginning he may have been uncomfortable converting to the outfield with Seattle. He did well in the summer Arizona League in 24 games during the 2014 season. Jackson hit .280 with 16 RBIs. Then things changed. It was his first full season covering two classifications in the Mariners organization that led to him ultimately being moved in a trade with Atlanta. He hit .239 at Short Season Everett in the Northwest League and followed that with a batting average of only .157 at Class-A Clinton in the Midwest League. Seattle returned Jackson to Clinton for the 2016 season. In 381 plate appearances, Jackson hit .243 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs. Even though he was only 20, the team had expected more production from a first-round draft pick. They traded him to the Braves. He played the 2017 season in the Braves organization. This past season, in addition to returning to catching as opposed to playing the outfield as he did with Seattle, Jackson returned to better hitting mechanics and a more relaxed approach at the plate. He finished the season with a composite .267 batting average after playing at Class-A Advanced Florida (.272 in 282 plate appearances) and at Double-A Mississippi in the Southern League. He hit .255 there in 120 plate appearances. NARRATIVE All the buzz and hype regarding Jackson began at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego County, Calif. He was on several high-profile traveling teams and won awards as the best high school prospect leading up to the 2014 major league draft. Even though he was highly touted on the showcase circuit in 2012 and 2013 a year before he was drafted, Jackson committed to play baseball for the University of Oregon. His type of talent and the power in his bat excited scouts who saw him as an outfielder and a catcher. But would he sign a professional contract or go to college to play baseball? While in high school, Jackson could hit home runs that traveled 400 feet. He hit 43 home runs over his three-year career at Rancho Bernardo. It was his loud bat that made him the hottest hitting topic in the country before the 2014 draft. However, even at that time, questions came up about his best defensive position. Apparently, the Mariners wanted him as an outfielder. Jackson has stated he likes playing both in the outfield and at catcher. Jackson batted .400 on a 40-for-100 hitting line as a high school senior. He hit 11 home runs with 31 RBIs in 35 games. He had a 1.459 OPS. His record and the potential thunder in his bat were just too good to pass up in the draft. Jackson has good hitting mechanics that will continue to lend themselves to his power upside. It may just be a matter of time before he puts everything together and becomes a very hot catching prospect. Blossoming as a hitter/catcher is exactly what happened with Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees. Sanchez came to the 2016 Fall League with a reputation as an overrated hitter and a poor defensive catcher. Something happened to Sanchez in his Fall League season. He learned to drive the ball off the barrel of the bat with a measured swing. The balls sailed out of Fall League parks. He also learned to block balls in the dirt, an issue that had kept him from being considered a top-quality catching prospect. Sanchez has gone on to hit plenty of major league homers for the parent Yankees. His catching and blocking may have regressed, but he is acceptable behind the plate. I do see some of the Sanchez barrel-of-the-bat hitting qualities in Jackson. And I think Jackson is already a better catcher than Sanchez. Kyle Schwarber was the first true catcher selected in the 2014 draft. The Cubs took him with the No. 4 pick, two slots ahead of Jackson. Shortstop Nick Gordon, the brother of Dee Gordon, went just ahead of Jackson to the Twins. So the talk of Jackson being the best hitter in the draft may have still been true, but his position uncertainty and the needs of the Cubs and Twins dictated position player selections before the Mariners took Jackson at No. 6. Jackson really didn’t care which position he played with Seattle, as long as he could play. He converted from the outfield to catching after his freshman year when the catching position became available at Rancho Bernardo. But after all is said and done, it’s not likely Jackson will ever play the outfield or catch for Seattle unless he somehow finds his way back to that organization in the future. The trade with the Braves may have been due to the fact Mike Zunino was a top catching prospect in the Mariners organization and Jackson didn’t show the hit tool the team had projected for him in his brief time in their farm system as an outfielder. So they moved on from him. THE FUTURE FOR JACKSON Can Jackson prove the Mariners wrong and provide solid power-hitting offense and quality catching work for the Braves? That remains to be seen. One can look at his statistics with the Mariners and wonder why the team was impatient with a young former No. 1 draft pick. It’s a valid point. In my observations, Jackson is a good catcher. He can make all the defensive plays with good mechanics. He looks like his power is emerging. Is he Sanchez? I don’t think so. Is he better than Zunino? That’s a fair question and one maybe the Mariners will be qualified to answer in two or three years. He may be better than Zunino. For now, Jackson will grind out at-bats in the Arizona Fall League and wait for his spring classification assignment. It would not surprise me to see him as a regular catcher for the Braves in the 2020 season. Incidentally and ironically, Max Povse, for whom Jackson was traded to the Braves, is now on the same Fall League team with Jackson. Povse is pitching among the Seattle Mariners group, with the Peoria Javelinas. His catcher could be the Braves’ Jackson. That’s baseball. CONCLUSIONS A highly regarded but perhaps a tad overrated high school outfielder/catcher, Jackson was drafted by the Mariners with the No. 6 pick in 2014. The Mariners traded him to the Atlanta Braves when he didn’t tear the cover off the ball in his early Mariners developmental years. Jackson is currently playing for the Braves contingent in the Arizona Fall League. He looks comfortable and efficient behind the plate. He looks like he will be able to hit quality pitching. He does, however, appear to need more development time on offense and defense. Ultimately, he can serve as a big-league catcher for the parent Braves. I think he can be an average to above-average hitter and a solid defensive backstop. SCOUTING PHRASE FOR JACKSON: An athletic catcher with offensive power and upside. SCOUTING GRADE FOR JACKSON: 50 – an everyday starting catcher of average ability.
Dayton Moore is OK, I'd probably prefer him over Glavine, but I have no idea how a guy like Glavine would run a club. If Glavine is deep into the advanced stats, I'd be all for it, but get the feeling he isn't. Dayton Moore also would mean Hart is gone. He requires full control I believe. Big fan of Bowman, but I really think that 2nd tweet is silly. It just seems anecdotal tbh. Aren't deals supposed to benefit both parties? I realize not everyone is rational, but rationally, it shouldn't matter how much you like a guy, or how his predecessor operated.
Hey Dave, please give your thoughts on where the braves should go from here? A lot of rumors are than Moore will sign on, and Glavine will be a part of the process as well.. How do you feel about that? Dave Cameron: I wouldn’t be thrilled with that if i was a Braves fan. But I wouldn’t have been thrilled with what Coppy was doing either. I know that you hate the Braves, but what is the floor for the penalties they are looking at? Banned from entire signing periods? Dave Cameron: Yes, I’m a noted Braves hater because I think public prospect rankings have an established trend of overrating risky pitching prospects. Dave Cameron: But yeah, I’d guess the Braves won’t be allowed to sign anyone internationally next year, and maybe for more than one year.
Next year it's OK, but the year after comes an uber prospect (forgot his name) the Braves were rumored to be a lock. What sucks is that we will 100% miss out on that guy. What doesn't suck is that it looks like we'll keep all of our signees. Also, got all of this info from various podcasts (Talking Chop, Chopcast, Road to Atlanta), and I believe it was Eric Longenhagen mentioning it. I quickly tried googling the name of the prospect, but couldn't find it in the 2 minutes I tried.
Yeah for sure, and regardless of sanctions, he won't be a Brave. It just sucks because he was a real option while we, the fans, were all in blissful ignorance about the situation.
Outside of the scandal, what is there to dislike what Choppy has done? Free agent pitchers sucked...OK. but 2017 didn't matter. In 2 years he's singke handedly retool the entire system and gives them a chance going forward. If we kept with the old Braves way, we be complete shit. I don't think He has too much doing with the young pitchers he didn't draft not developing. His force on the org will be felt in the coming years