That's worse than being complicit IMO Stop paying this guy so much to play golf with Libery Media execs
No shit...Hart needs to GTFO. Sounds like all he does is play golf and was asleep at the wheel while these international violations occurred. How about somebody in this organization actually lead, and do so within the rules? Too much to ask?
I find it to be bullshit that Hart didn't know. Liked the assumed violations of only lost picks and money
Acuña is the best positional prospect in baseball (some would argue Vlad jr). How far away is his prospect status from that of the premier prospects of the last ten years like Harper, Buxton, Trout, etc? Eric A Longenhagen: It’s a full grade below Trout and Harper right now, maybe a half beneath what I thought of Byron Buxton and Francisco Lindor. But Acuna is right there with Kris Bryant, Russell, Yoan Moncada, etc. for me.
Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet (Oct. 31) October 31, 2017 By BA Staff This edition of the Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet takes into account what AFL players did from Oct. 23-30. 1. Ronald Acuna, OF, Braves Team: Peoria Age: 19 Why He's Here: .476/.520/1.048 (10-for-21), 12 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB. The Scoop: Acuna could go 0-for-the-Fall-League and it wouldn't really matter. He's already established himself as one of the best prospects in baseball, and a bad October wouldn't have changed that. What Acuna has done is put together an outstanding start to his AFL season thanks in large part to one of the best weeks you'll see in the AFL. Acuna leads the league with 17 runs scored. His 12 runs scored this past week would rank second in the league (behind only Braves teammate Alex Jackson's 13). 2. Austin Riley, 3B, Braves Team: Peoria Age: 20 Why He's Here: .412/.500/1.000 (7-for-17), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO. The Scoop: The AFL is generally an excellent place to hit, both because the ball generally carries well and because more top hitting prospects than pitching prospects make the trip to the league. But cycles are extremely rare. Riley's cycle on Thursday is the first in the league in nearly a decade (Logan Morrison, 2008). The Braves third baseman celebrated his cycle by homering in his next game as well. 3. Max Fried, LHP, Braves Team: Peoria Age: 23 Why He's Here: 2-0, 0.82, 2 GS, 11 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 SO The Scoop: Unlike most of the starting pitchers in the AFL, Fried actually logged plenty of innings this summer (118.2 IP). But the Braves sent Fried to Arizona to give him a leg up in next year's spring training battle for one of multiple open rotation spots in Atlanta. So far, he's been outstanding. Fried leads the AFL in strikeouts (23), WHIP (6.63) and wins (3) and is second among starters in batting average against (.136). He's allowed only one extra-base hit in 19 innings and his control (2.3 BB/9) has been improved. 8. Alex Jackson, C, Braves Team: Peoria Age: 21 Why He’s Here: .333/.391/.667, (7-for-21), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0 SB. The Scoop: Thus far, the Fall League has been dominated by Braves. Max Fried has rung up the strikeouts, Ronald Acuna has caught fire, Austin Riley hit for the cycle and Jackson leads the AFL with five home runs through 11 games. To put that in perspective, five home runs was a enough to lead the AFL last year. Beyond the offense, Jackson, who was dealt to the Braves from the Mariners last offseason, is in the AFL to work on his catching. If he can become even fringe-average there, Atlanta's farm system might have gained a valuable piece. Previewing the 2018 Rome Braves Kevin Maitan SS- Kevin Maitan– Turns 18 in February, 6’1″ 225 lbs, bats both and throws right. He was a high profile signee out of Venezuela in 2016. I got to see him for 2 games this Summer in the Appy. The positives are: very good bat speed, quick to the ball and the ball explodes off of his barrel. The potential is there for plus hit and plus game power. Very high ceiling. What to watch for: he’s already filled out as a 17 yr old. He’ll have to maintain the body to not outgrow the left side of the diamond. Much more here: My 1st look at Kevin Maitan, SS, Danville Braves Drew Waters CF- Drew Waters– Turns 19 in December, 6’3″ 175 lbs, bats both and throws right. Waters was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft out of High School in Woodstock, GA (Atlanta Metro). I got to see Waters play once back in late July with Danville. What stood out in a good way? Quick wrists, fast bat and plus speed. Much more here: My 1st look at Drew Waters, CF, Danville Kyle Muller LHP) Kyle Muller– Age 20, 6’6″ 220 lbs, bats right and throws left. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft out of High School in Dallas, TX. Part of the big 3 with Ian Anderson and Joey Wentz, all were drafted by the Braves in the 1st two rounds of the 2016 draft. Muller’s on a different time table than the others though, as he’s just now getting to full season. He’s long and pretty well put together, he has a solid 3 pitch mix led by a low 90’s heater that is coming down hill. A lot more here: Scouting Kyle Muller, LHP, Danville Braves William Contreras C- William Contreras– Turns 20 in December, listed 6′ 180 lbs, bats and throws right. He was signed out of Venezuela in 2015. I saw Contreras play twice in the Appy. He’s an athletic young backstop, with a quick bat and developing power. I never got to write him up but I did contribute to a piece that Wayne Cavadi put together this Summer. You can read about him here. Good young ball player. https://www.minorleagueball.com/201...-braves-prospect-discussion-william-contreras Question #1, How was the overall talent level of the GCL Braves, compared to the other teams that you saw? Matt- “The GCL Braves I saw were arguably the most prospect laden team in the league. And that’s after Kevin Maitan, Drew Waters, and Jasseel De La Cruz were promoted. They could potentially go down as an all time prospect talent team as they had legitimate prospects on the bench every day while trying to rotate everyone through. Of course they didn’t fully translate in the standings(even though they nearly won their division) because they went so young and so inexperienced that it sometimes hurt performance- that’s a side effect of having multiple 17 year old Latin American FAs who skip the DSL, and some talented prep draft choices is that they’re going to have some initial ups and downs. It’s a special enough team that I’d say it’s right behind the 90s Richmond squads featuringChipper, Klesko, Javy Lopez, and others in terms of pure prospect potential.” Question #2, Are there a few International Signees that you’re particularly excited about? Matt- “There’s a lot of international talent. Anyone who follows me knows how excited I am about Kevin Maitan. I didn’t see him play (My trip missed him by about 36 hours), but I saw everyone else.”
Baseball America Prospect Report (Nov. 1) November 01, 2017 By J.J. Cooper The Nationals Top 10 Prospects list is led by an elite outfield prospect. Newsmakers from Tuesday’s action: Ronald Acuna, OF, Braves. Highlighting Braves prospects in the BAPR may be getting a little repetitive but they keep dominating the AFL. Acuna hit his fourth home run of the AFL season yesterday in a 3-for-5 day where he also doubled. Acuna leads the AFL with a .377 batting average and a .462 on-base percentage. He’s also second in slugging percentage (.698). He also leads the league in hits, extra-base hits, runs and total bases. Austin Riley, 3B, Braves. Riley is trying to keep up with Acuna. He also hit his fourth AFL home run yesterday, keeping him tied with Acuna for second in the league in home runs, trailing only fellow Brave Alex Jackson, who has five.
Morton throwing 97-98 for several innings at a time and just blowing guys away was not what I remembered from him
As a Braves fan, now that WS is over, we get our Doomsday announcement. From what you know, how does our crimes compare to Cards hacking scandal. Would we get more or less of a punishment? Eno Sarris: Less. The stuff they are accused of is *rampant*. whats your guess on the braves penalties? MLB wouldn’t want to cut Maitan and see how much minors are being underpaid right? Eno Sarris: I’m guessing they don’t lose a player of that magnitude, baseball doesn’t want to see 30 teams going at a minor league free agent like that.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/2017-18-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html MLB Trade Rumors predict we sign Moustakas 6. Mike Moustakas – Braves. Five years, $85MM. Moustakas, 29, set a Royals franchise record with 38 home runs this year. The second overall draft pick in 2007, Moustakas didn’t click as a hitter until 2015. The third baseman suffered an ACL tear in May 2016, ending that season early, but exhibited no health problems in his return this year. The biggest flaw in Moose’s game is his low 5.7% walk rate this year, resulting in a .314 OBP that drove down his overall value as a hitter despite the power. Defensive metrics were also down on his once well-regarded glovework this year, though teams may be willing to chalk that up to rust coming off his knee injury. Regardless, he should do well in free agency. If the Royals move on, the Angels, Braves, and Cardinals could be options. Like Hosmer, Moustakas is going to receive and reject a qualifying offer. 41. Tommy Hunter – Braves. Two years, $12MM. Hunter hopes to follow in the footsteps of Joaquin Benoit and Fernando Rodney, who resurrected their careers with the Rays and found lucrative free agent contracts. Hunter, 31, employed a 96 mile per hour fastball to put up a 2.61 ERA, 9.8 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings, unlocking a strikeout ability he did not previously possess in nine seasons for the Rangers, Orioles, Cubs, and Indians.
FWIW, searched "Braves" in the article and it mentioned us as potential candidates for Arietta, Wade Davis, Addison Reed and Todd Frazier as well. Would love to see us pay up for a bat, been a while since we've seen that (Hector Oliveira notwithstanding).
And then there's this: http://www.myajc.com/sports/basebal...kely-pursue-expensive/Uqx5ZbRjt0moNg2w5s86tK/ With Riley on rise, Braves unlikely to pursue expensive 3B Spoiler ATLANTA-BRAVES By David O'Brien 0 THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Austin Riley wowed Braves legend Dale Murphy when he hit a ball over the scoreboard at low Single-A Rome in 2016. (Photo courtesy Rome Braves) Posted: 4:26 p.m. Friday, November 03, 2017 PEORIA, Ariz. – The Braves aren’t likely to pursue a big-ticket free agent third baseman this winter, in part because they don’t want to block prospect Austin Riley by signing a veteran to a multi-year deal that might overlap the anticipated arrival of the young slugger. The other reason could be that none of the available free agents is enticing enough for the Braves to get into a bidding war. Not when when they are feeling better all the time about Riley’s potential. The 20-year-old has played just 48 games above Single-A, but Riley’s performance in Double-A coupled with his impressive showing in the ongoing Arizona Fall League has some in the Braves organization thinking the former Mississippi high school star could be ready for the big leagues in a couple of years, perhaps sooner. “I try not to think about that,” said Riley, who had eight extra-base hits including three homers in his past five games for the Peoria Javelinas, raising his average to .357 with a robust .810 slugging percentage and an AFL-leading 1.235 OPS in 10 games before Friday. “Just try to keep developing as a third baseman and develop my (hitting) approach,” he said of his current goals. “When that (MLB arrival) time comes I’m just going to let it happen. Soon as I get there it’s going to be a great experience.” Riley, whose slugging percentage was 129 points above the next-highest in the prospect-laden fall league, was selected to play in Saturday’s AFL Fall Stars Game (8 p.m., MLB Network). Fellow Braves prospects Ronald Acuna, who was Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year, and right-hander Touki Toussaint were also picked to play in that showcase game. Braves prospects have created a buzz in Arizona, with catcher Alex Jackson leading the AFL in homers (five) before Friday, Fried leading the league in strikeouts (23 in 19 innings) and starters’ ERA (0.47), and Riley and Acuna (1.084) ranked first and third in OPS and each hitting over .350 with four homers apiece. Riley missed more than a week with an elbow infection, the cause of which remains unclear, though he thought it might have been from getting stuck by a cactus on a hike he took with a few teammates. He’d played seven games since returning and was 10-for-22 in a five-game hitting streak entering Friday, a surge that began with Riley hitting for the cycle (single, double, triple, homer) on Oct. 26 – the first time that happened in the AFL in nearly nine years. Riley showed his athleticism and pretty good speed for a big man when he hit a triple to the right-center gap and never hesitated as he rounded second base. The 6-foot-3 right-handed hitter dropped about 10 pounds and played at 225 this year, and the weight reduction has helped Riley’s lateral movements and range at third base – he made a diving stab on the line to prevent an extra-base hit in the cycle game – as well as his mobility on the bases. “I think my first full season I had 30 errors,” said Riley, who did, indeed – 30 errors in 122 games at low Single-A Rome in 2016, his first full season after being selected in the first round (41st pick) of the 2015 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Southaven, Miss. “I was a little rough, and I cut them down quite a bit this year. I still just need to kind of clean up some things and I think things will be alright.” He reduced his error total to 20 in 2017 and hit a combined .275 with 20 home runs, 74 RBIs and a .786 OPS in 129 games (542 plate appearances), including 81 games at high-A Florida and 48 at Double-A Mississippi. Along the way, Riley has impressed Braves officials and some notable former Braves sluggers. Future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones saw him on a backfield at spring training and said “that kid has light-tower power,” and two-time former MVP Dale Murphy was doing some scouting for the Braves in 2016 when he said Riley play in low-A. “I saw him hit one over the scoreboard in Rome,” Murphy said. “You could just see it in that kid. He’s got good hands and just everything. I love that kid. And his (mental) makeup’s incredible.”
Yeah I don’t see us putting down for 5 years of Moustakas with Riley poised to be up maybe by the end of 2018
BP Braves top 10 posted this morning. For the first time I can remember, you need a subscription to read player caps, but the top 10 is below. https://www.baseballprospectus.com/p...-kevin-maitan/ 1. Ronald Acuna, OF 2. Kolby Allard, LHP 3.Mike Soroka, RHP 4. Kyle Wright, RHP 5.Joey Wentz, LHP 6. Luiz Gohara, LHP 7. Ian Anderson, RHP 8. Bryse Wilson, RHP 9. Kevin Maitan, SS 10.Cristian Pache, OF
Obviously Camargo looks better in that role long-term but why not give him the job for now and get him as many reps as possible. Or we could sign a stopgap vet and let him get leadership reps in the dugout
21. Atlanta Braves Successes: Twenty-year-old shortstop Ozzie Albies had a fantastic debut, hitting better as a 20-year-old major leaguer than he had even in the minors. The Braves' farm system remained loaded, with seven of the top 50 prospects in Keith Law's midseason top 50. Their offseason trade for high-upside catching prospect Alex Jackson looks like it has a better chance of paying off. Disappointments: If this was supposed to be a consolidation year -- like the Astros' 2014 season, when Jose Altuve won his first batting title and Dallas Keuchel cut his ERA almost in half -- it was mostly a failure. Dansby Swanson's stardom crashed, ace Julio Teheran had a career-worst season, and the Braves fielded one of the oldest, least interesting rosters in the National League. There was fun stuff happening below the surface, on the farm, but Atlanta's were not 72 fun and lively victories. And then their GM, John Coppolella, was forced out at season's end, amid investigations into the Braves' international signings and industry-wide schadenfreude and hints that the front office was profoundly dysfunctional. Good season? No, but it had a purpose.
its been a long rebuild and still have a ways to go, thats obvious. Plus with this management/GM situation turning shady as hell, and we have a manager that should of already been fired. Better teams fired their managers and we still have Snit because Hart and Cox are too old school I think we have enough pitching in the minors, we've gotten to that point. One more year of tanking and start loading up on bats in the draft Any thoughts on the lesser known Braves guys in Arizona -- Jared James, Corbin Clouse, Josh Graham? Eric A Longenhagen James has above average raw and performed in Double-A after being picked in the 30-somethingish round back in 2016. He's something, though his feel for OF and strikeout issues are concerning. Still a nice late pick. Clouse and Graham are relievers. Graham has a 70 changeup, he's pretty nasty. Austin Riley: above average regular? Eric A Longenhagen More a chance to be average. Jake Lamb is an above avg regular. Has many of the same issues Riley does, but more raw power, better handedness and he's a 55. Did you hear anything about Kyle Wright's pro season debut? Eric A Longenhagen Heard that he never threw a bullpen between starts at Vandy and needed some workload babying because of it. Also heard he found a more natural arm slot while taking groudners on the infield and that's when his stuff spiked ahead of the draft. He looked great after he signed, feel good about having him #1 in the class right now.