SB Nation - Jordan Schafer

The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap

gondeee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:39:17 -0000

Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on November 1st:

In the Press...

John Sickels released his top-20 Braves prospects for 2010.
The Braves hired former major league pitching coach Dave Wallace as their minor league pitching coordinator.
Chipper Jones was interviewed by Forbes.com.
It was reported by several different sources that Tim Hudson was close to a contract extension with Atlanta.
David O'Brien gave us an update on how our prospects are faring in the Arizona Fall League.

At Talking Chop...

Talking Chop was the first to report that Jason Heyward would return to Atlanta to have his injured hamstring examined. It was later learned that he would not be returning to the AFL, and will instead use the winter to recover.
We reviewed the 2009 season of center fielders Nate McLouth and Jordan Schafer and outfielder Matt Diaz.
CB reviewed the top-5 minor league center fielders and the top-5 minor league right fielders in the Braves organization.
The bloggers of Talking Chop conducted two round tables about the state of the left fielders, center fielders, and right fielders in the Braves system.

Notable FanPosts and FanShots...

royhobbs gave us a pictorial recap of the 2009 season.
Sid Bream's Moustache shared a link about the source of baseball's magic mud.
TradeAndruw linked to MLBTR's off-season outlook for the Braves.
traphicg thinks that the hiring of Mark McGwire as the Cardinals hitting coach paves the way for Chipper Jones to one day be the Braves hitting coach.
schaef888 was nice enough to recap a fan chat by prospect guru Jim Callis.

Talking Chop Round Table: Braves Right Fielders

gondeee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:36:15 -0000

As part of season reviews for major league players and top prospect ranking for minor league players, we here at Talking Chop thought it would be a fun idea to get all of our bloggers together with the help of Google Docs and debate the various aspects of each position in the Braves organization.

The participants are, yours truly (gondeee, indicated by MG), yondaime4 (indicated by MF), royhobbs (indicated by DH), and cbwilk (indicated by CBW).

The round table for center fielders in the Braves organization is after the jump.

MG: Should the Braves give the right field job to Jason Heyward before spring training, or should they take a wait and see approach and see how his spring training goes before giving him the job?
MG: I'm of two opinions on this. One, I really want to see Heyward make the jump to the bigs and become all he can be. I wanted to see it last year, and I sure as hell want to see it as soon as possible next year. On the other hand, with the lost time in the AFL he just might not be ready, and the last thing we need is to bring up our brightest young star since Chipper Jones before he's ready. I have this idea that assuming the Braves get a "good" left fielder, they should plan on starting Matt Diaz in right (despite the defensive drop), and let him play right until Heyward is ready. Diaz can then spell both corner outfield spots and pinch hit.
CBW: I don't think they should give him the job before Spring Training, or even after Spring Training. I think they should do exactly what they did with Tommy Hanson, let him play in AAA for two months, until he proves without a doubt that he's ready, and also happens to bypass the possibility of becoming a Super 2 in arbitration, before they call him up June 1st. This scenario certainly will make some folks upset, as it likely means you have to go with a lesser player in RF for a few months (though if that guy is Matty Diaz, that's not too bad) and of course you'll run into the problem that if he does finally come up and dominate there will be people coming out of the woodwork, maybe even teammates, saying that he should have been there from the outset. But, this isn't about what makes people happy, or even really about what makes the team better for the first few months of the year, this is about what's going to be best for Heyward and the Braves long-term. My argument with Tommy Hanson has been that without those two months of AAA at the start of the year, he wouldn't have been ready and able to play well from the outset of his Major League career, and I'm taking that same argument with Heyward. The kid is 20 years old and he can learn a ton from a couple of months in AAA, enough to make him an instant force when he does reach the bigs. And, because he'd be skipping out on being a Super 2, the team would have more money a few years down the line to put pieces around him. To me, this scenario is the one that makes the most sense, and I'm betting it's the one that actually happens.
DH: Jordan Schafer and Tommy Hanson—good example of both scenarios. People will complain about the necessity to breathe air if they could, so complaining about some baseball decisions should be a given, no matter the path taken with Jason Heyward. People were unhappy when the league and an injury caught up to Schafer. People were unhappy when Hanson came out of the gate strong and that he should have been called up sooner—seriously I'd never expected to see so many people upset at seeing a young stud being 5-0? I am 100% in the camp that Heyward starts in AAA, or I'm not even going to rule out AA, regardless of how absurd his numbers in Spring Training might be. I've often felt that ST is nowhere close to gouging talent as much as it is a bunch of guys getting their bodies in shape for the rigors of the season. Pitchers are still trying to regain full arm strength, and a lot of people are coping with the cold in the early parts of the regular season; Schafer, who is a notoriously hard-worker might've (obviously) been in much better conditioning shape in ST, and blew away Blanco and Anderson, and forced the org's hand, before his stumble. Gauge the talent in games that have meaning—start Heyward in the minors, let him prove himself, save the money, and call him up at a good point where the team could use the adrenaline shot. As CB mentions, if "being stuck" with Matt Diaz, is the result in RF, we could do, loads worse.
MF: A couple of weeks ago I might have said yes, just let him do it because it is the simplest solution to our OF problems and I don't think, even if he were to struggle that he would produce less than Frenchy did last year. That said, with his recent injuries, I'd like him to get some time in AAA just to get his bearings. The X-Factor in all of this is Bobby Cox, because Bobby loved the guy last ST, and if Heyward comes in and pounds the ball this year he may say he wants him in Atlanta.

MG: Does anyone think we'll keep Ryan Church around next year? I have a feeling the Braves will non-tender him. Should we keep him around? Is there any reason to? Doesn't Brandon Jones fill that role if Atlanta needs him to?
DH: The question I have is, are there any other teams who would want him? He can play all outfield positions, adequate with the bat, and has some patience. I'm not necessarily convinced that Brandon Jones could produce at the Major League level as Ryan Church could offensively, and I like Church defensively a lot more than Bjönes. I make no assurance to knowing exactly how the process works, but whether or not any other team really wants Church or not, I don't see any harm in floating him a minor-league deal, and see what happens.
CBW: Personally, I'm a huge fan of Ryan Church, and as inneffective as he seemed to be for the Braves, he was still a ridiculous upgrade over Jeff Francoeur. Seriously, check the stats again, Frenchy was that bad. But, I don't think I love him enough to see him make 3 millon dollars as a backup outfielder. He's a smooth outfielder with the ability to play all three positions and he's got enough double power to see him being useful off the bench, where the fact that he swings from the left side is a huge plus, but that's a lot of money when the Braves need to bring in a real slugger, and I just don't see being able to tie it up. Also, Church seems to be hitting a huge downswing, possibly caused by injuries. Now, I don't neccessarily think Brandon Jones is the answer either, cause I don't think he'd be effective as a bench player, but there are any number of guys that could be signed as a free agent, even a minor league free agent, to come in and be a worthwhile backup outfielder. If they can non-tender Church and re-sign him to a Minor League deal, one that has a much cheaper salary for him should he make the team, I'd love to see him back.
MF: I think if we don't plan on bringing up Heyward as our opening day RF then keeping Church makes a lot of sense. Last year the reason why we didn't have a winning record in the first half of the season is because our entire OF was putting up sub .700 OPS. If we get the same production from the guys we have now whether it be Heyward or Church in RF and Diaz and McLouth (or even Schafer) in the other spots, I don't think we will get any guys putting up sub .700 OPS. If that happens we could be battling with the Phillies for the division lead. The real question is whether we want to pay Church or not, and if we do pay him his Arb raise, will we be able to move him when Heyward is ready.

MG: After Heyward I don't have a lot of faith in any of the Braves right field options. I went with Daniel Falcon as my number-2 RF prospect because at this point he has the most upside.
CBW: But really, after Heyward, what else do you need? When you've got a guy who could be a once in a generation star it's hard to expect the team to have much else at the same position. The fact that we have Cody Johnson and Adam Milligan in left field (as well as Robby Hefflinger, who I think is goig to be right with those two this time next year) and lesser, but still interesting prospects like Cory Harrilchak and Kyle Rose in center field, makes me think Atlanta's minor league outfield situation is pretty great. I don't think much of Falcon, or Anthony Feliz. In doing the writeup, I had a hard time finding much positive to say about them. Even if they both went to Rome in 2010 and had outstanding seasons, they'd still be a little old for me to be too excited about it. Heck, Falcon is the same age as Luis Sumoza, and Felix is older, and even though he had a down year, at least he's dominated short season ball, something neither of them have done. Chris Shehan is a decent player, and he might be able to rebound, but he's older and at best I really see him as a platoon/backup player. All of this makes me wonder why you guys were so willing to discount Jon Mark Owings. He had a bad year, but that was pretty much entirely due to the partially torn rotator cuff he suffered last year in the Carolina League playoffs. Ernesto Mejia didn't have a great year and only played in 36 games, but we had him 3rd on our 1B list. If you look at their 08 seasons in Myrtle Beach, they're pretty close, and while JMO loses some for being a year older than Ernie, he also isn't a complete defensive liability, in fact, he's an excellent outfielder. JMO is probably a better prospect than Shehan, Falcon, or Feliz, and maybe even better than Sumoza.
MF: CB's point is valid, just like what I was saying in the last roundtable. So what if our depth isn't great if we have a RF for the next 6 years? I'm not saying you don't need depth, but its not nearly as important when you don't have many glaring holes in the majors for the next couple of years. Concepcion Rodriguez played this season as a 22 year old in AA which is fine by me if you are looking for a backup OF. Sure he was pretty bad for most of the season, but he wasn't fall off the map bad and he was playing in Mississippi which can kill hitters. I will say I am not a fan of anyone else on the list really. Sumoza still has a chance, but he really needs to start harnessing his tools.

MG: To me, Luis Sumoza has fallen out of prospect status.
CBW: I guess it all depends on your definition of prospect status. He certainly wasn't considered for the Top 25 anymore, that's for sure, but I don't think he's done as a player or anything. He's only going to be 21 going into next year, so there's plenty of time for him to get better and this is the first time since his first go-round in the US (as a 17 year old) that he's struggled. The fact that he had trouble taking a walk is a huge concern and the massive amount of outfiled errors make me wonder how bad he really is in the field, but there are things to like. Even with the poor season, 28 is a ton of doubles to hit, and he's got a little bit of speed. I don't think he's a big time prospect, but I didn't really think that when we got him, and he's going to have to repeat Rome and prove something, but I'm betting he has a much better 2010.
MF: He still needs to walk more and he needs to tap into his raw power. It is all there, but he is becoming more of a tease than a real prospect in my eyes. I give him one more year.

MG: You guys seem to think pretty highly of Concepcion Rodriguez... why?
CBW: Well, he's a pretty prototypical outfield athlete and he had a great 2008, so there was some good reason to be excited about him coming into the year. And, frankly, he's fun to watch play. He's a natural athlete and he just looks smooth. I'd never see him becoming a star outfielder, but he could become a pretty good one, something like a David DeJesus. Once you look at his splits, you see that the biggest problem he had this year was dealing with Mississippi's park. It victimized a number of guys and made their years' look terrible; he hit .229 with a .534 OPS at home, compared to . 295 and a .753 OPS on the road. That's just a sign that he's not as bad as his totals make him look. (For reference about just how good Jason Heyward is, Mississippi's park didn't affect him at all; on the road for Mississippi he hit .342 with a 1.062 OPS compared to a .360 average and 1.055 OPS at home. Wow.)
MF: Why not? When compared to everyone else on this list he is the most advanced guy we have not named Heyward and he posted an .800+ OPS in 2008 in a league with an average .712. Ok his 2009 was pretty bad, but he was still only about 50 pts below the league average OPS and it was his first run through AA. I'm not saying this guy will ever be an every day RF for anyone, but I think he has the best shot out of the guys we have. He probably needs to walk some more and he needs to find that power that Mississippi took from him this year. And I would also like to point out that his OPS on the road this season was .752 which is about the league AVG in the southern league. We aren't looking at a star here, but he will be just 23 next season which is far from the end of the road for a prospect in the upper minors.

Talking Chop Round Table: Braves Center Fielders

gondeee — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:55:58 -0000

The participants are, yours truly (gondeee, indicated by MG), yondaime4 (indicated by MF), royhobbs (indicated by DH), and cbwilk (indicated by CBW).

The round table for center fielders in the Braves organization is after the jump.

MG: Can Nate McLouth become one of the top center fielders in baseball, or will he always be sort of an average defender and average hitter?
CBW: Well, if you average out his career numbers over a 162 games, you're looking at a .260 average, .796 OPS, 33 DB, 20 HR, and 22 SB. I don't know what numbers he has to put up to be one of the top center fielders, but if that's average, I'm great with it. In pretty much any lineup, if you can get that kind of production out of center field, you're going to be more than happy. And he was pretty much in line with his career numbers for Atlanta, with a bit less slugging and a bit more OBP. And he's a guy that makes me think even more that UZR is total crap. I keep hearing about how he was negative 40 or whatever last year and negative again this year, and I wonder if they were watching a different player. To me, he made all kinds of great plays, got to a lot of balls that I didn't think a center fielder could get to, and generall played great defense. His arm is pathetic, but most center fielder's are. Frankly, I think McLouth is a great player, and as much as I love Gorkys, Charlie, and Locke, Atlanta straight up stole him from Pittsburgh.
MF: I'm not sold that McLouth is a good CF, defensively. I didn't really like what I saw of him, and I haven't seen his UZR stuff. I just wasn't as impressed with his skills, though I think he can manage. Offensively I think he definitely has the pop to be one of the better CF in the game. What we saw of him in a Braves uni this season probably wasn't indicative of his true ability and I don't think he was being used properly. He is a well rounded player but I just don't know if he fits at the top of the lineup (maybe his ability to steal bases does). I'm not really sure where he should fit though. Maybe 2 or 6. CB is right, we fleeced Pittsburgh in that deal. Gorkys will never be an MLB starter, Locke still has potential but he wasn't good this year and Morton maybe needed to change locations to really blossom, but he's probably never more than 3 anyways.

MG: If Jordan Schafer were still a prospect, where would he rank?
That's tough to sort out because he's essentially lost a whole season the last two years between an injury and a suspension. Do you go off of his stats last year as a major leaguer (when he was injured part of the time), or his track record in the minors. I'd like to say that he would slot pretty high, probably in the 2-to-4 range, I think I'd put him at 4.
CBW: Probably 4th. I'm a huge fan of Schafer's and have been for several years. I'm not putting much stock into his struggles because I think they were largely the by product of his wrist injury. I have no idea how to explain why he looked lost in center field, because I've only known him to be a superlative outfielder and a guy who I think can win a gold glove in the future. I'm willing to write that off as a fluke. I think he's going to come back in 2010 about as strong as anybody. I'm telling you, betting against this kid is just stupid. He's confident in himself and he's willing to put in more work than anyone out there.
MF: He would be 3 for me. The guy has at least average tools across the board and if you use John Sickels 7 Skills which include hitting for average, hitting for power, strike zone judgment, baserunning ability, fielding range, fielding reliability and throwing utility. A quick glance at that says that Jordan Schafer can do all of those things at a premium defensive position. He may never hit for an extremely high average but I do believe he can hit .280 in his prime and add 15-20 homers. Again for a CF this is phenomenal and I can't wait to get him back on the team.

MG: Does Matt Young ever get a chance to be a big leaguer? He should be at triple-A next year, but now he's blocked by Schafer. Young will also be old next year, for a prospect, at 27. I know we ranked him first on our center field list, but in retrospect I think that's more of a nostalgic ranking, when we should really be putting guys like Rose and Harrilchak ahead of him. CB, I think you got it right by putting those two in first and second and Young in third.
CBW: Hey, always nice to be told you're right. I like Matt Young a lot and I think he's going to get a shot to play in the Majors. He's shown a ton of speed and that's somthing that isn't easy to ignore. He could have a lot of value as a 4th or 5th outfielder, especially to playoff caliber teams with clunkers in left field, like Manny Ramirez or Raul Ibanez. I think there's a good possibility that Schafer does go back to AAA to start next year, but I dont' see anyone in AA that seems likely to come up and play LF, so Young could fit in well right there. I have to say, after doing the writeup, I'm higher on Rose and Harrilchak that I was before. When I saw Danville, Harrilchak was definitely the second most impressive player (behind Myke Jones). It may sound dumb, but he just looks like a professional. And he put up an outstanding season in his debut. Like with RSF, I can't get too excited about it, cause he was old for the league, but it's still worth valuing. And he's got a ton of athletic tools. I really think he's going to devlop well. My guess is he starts 2010 at Myrtle Beach, skipping Rome entirely. Because he's a year younger, and in a certain context the GCL and Appy league are fairly equal, I put Rose first though. When you really crunch the numbers on those stolen bases, the amount that he was able to get is astonishing. I haven't seen him play, so it's a bit odd that I chose to put him first, but those kind of steal numbers, even against Rookie ball catchers, were enough for me to put him ahead of the pack.
MF: I think if Young doesn't get a real shot next year he probably won't ever get his chance. I think the only reason I didn't rank Rose and Harrilchak ahead of Young was simply because they hadn't played in full season ball. I have a hard time ranking guys very high until they get into full season ball and show me something. Like I have said before I usually consider a guys first season in pro ball a wash, even if it is good. Its just hard to get a read on their skill sets in such a short time with such varied competition. So yeah, Harrilchak and Rose are probably better prospects in the traditional sense of the word (and I am actually really excited about both guys) but I feel like Young gets the nod in my book because of what he has done in the past couple of seasons and his proximity to the majors. Don't forget also how difficult it is to hit in Mississippi.

MG: Our centerfield depth is pretty slim. After Schafer and Young, you have to go to rookie ball to find a viable prospect. Guys like Ware, Culver, and Miles just haven't done anything in pro ball.
CBW: I think when you factor in that Concepcion Rodriguez and Willie Cabrera play a good bit of center field it looks a bit better. Both of those guys are fairly viable prospects, and if they reached their top offensive potential I'd be more than comfortable with them patrolling center. Frankly, Culver didn't even enter into my thoughts. He didn't get regular playing time and didn't play well. Miles is interesting because I think he's actually beginning a transformation that will establish him as a decent prospect. He's been somewhere between awful and less than great at different points in his career, but I'm encouraged by the fact that his overall season this year was better than last, and that his second half was better than his first. The kid is has absolutely no power, sometimes you think he might get knocked backwards when he makes contact, but he's got a ton of speed. If he can learn how to use his tools well, we might be talking about him like we're talking about Matt Young in a few years. I have to admit, I'm completely biased for LV Ware. Not only do I think he's one of the best people in the Braves' system, I think he's one of the best people I know. And his character and makeup bleed all over his performance on the field. I love that he was able to improve in Danville this season instead of pouting. It was a crappy situation that he absolutely made the best of. And I'm willing to write off his struggles in Rome. When a guy plays a little poorly, it's a sign that he's just not good enough, but when a guy absolutely bombs like he did, there's more to it. Ware is a superb athlete and I think he's a talented player. I'm not going to say he's an amazing prospect who will save the team, I had him 4th on my list just like everyone else, but I do think he can develop into a useful player for the Major League team, even if it takes a little while.
MF: People keep talking about how weak our upper minors are on position prospects (and even pitching to some degree) but the counter point here is that we have a good portion of our young nucleus locked up through 2012. Lets just look at this for a second (I'll assume for a second that Heyward and Freeman pan out)
C: McCann - Till 2012 (2013 with options)
1B: Freddie Freeman (if he makes the majors next year he is a FA when? 2016?)
2B: Martin Prado we've got him till at least 2012 probably longer
3B: Chipper Jones signed through 2012 with an option for 2013 (if he keeps up an 800 OPS for those seasons he is still above average at 3rd)
SS: Yunel Escobar we have control of til at least 2012
LF: McLouth just tossing him here for the moment Club option in 2012
CF: Jordan Schafer till 2014 or so
RF: Jason Heyward for a long time
Thats just the position players. All of which are good for another 3 seasons. And that isn't really a bad lineup though I can expect some attrition from Chipper and growing pains from Freeman and maybe Heyward. But if we can't get some solid depth back in the ranks of position players by 2012 then Frank Wren will be having issues. Sorry that was a little more off topic, but still to the point I think.

Braves Top-5 Minor League Center Fielders

cbwilk — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:24 -0000

Atlanta Braves center field prospect Matt Young received a late season promotion to Gwinnett after a second strong season at Mississippi.

View full size photo »

While the Braves top Minor League center fielders don't have the star power present in right field, or the pure power present in left field, they are still an interesting collection of speedsters and defensive stalwarts. While none currently seem like locks to become future stars, and maybe not even future starters, fortunately, the Braves are well set at the Major League level with Nate McLouth and the center fielder of the future, Jordan Schafer.

1. Matt Young B/T: L/R Born: 10/3/1982 Ht: 5'8" Wt: 175
Young takes the top spot after a second excellent season at Mississippi that saw him take home the award as the Southern League's Top Huslter. After hitting .289 with a .769 OPS along with 30 stolen bases for Mississippi in 2008, Young improved to a .289 average, .827 OPS and a team record 43 stolen bases. After playing most of his games in left field in 08, he shifted and played mostly in center this season. The same speed he utilizes on the basepaths enables him to cover an excellent amount of space in the outfield, and he takes good routes while making intelligent decisions. But, his arm is well below average, so that negates some of his defensive value.

A line drive hitter, Young doesn't make the mistake of trying to hit for power, and instead contents himself with spraying the ball to the gaps, collecting 23 doubles and 10 triples this season. He also makes use of his tiny frame (his listed height of 5'8" is a good bit of an exaggeration) to work a ton of walks, racking up 97 this season on the way to a .414 on base percentage.

Young was originally signed as a second baseman, so he has a bit of versatility, but he's only played 59 games there as a professional, and half of those came in 2006. He'll enter next season as a 27 year old, so he's not a typical prospect, but there's plenty of reason to think that his speed and defense, combined with his on base skills, could make him a valuable part of a Major League bench. If he's left off the Braves' 40 man roster this offseason, there's a possibility that a team looking to keep him as the 25th man on their roster and utilize him as a late inning pinch runner and defensive replacement might take a chance on him in the Rule V draft.

2. Cory Harrilchak B/T: L/L Born: 10/27/1987 Ht: 5'10" Wt: 175
Harrilchak, who turned 22 yesterday, was drafted in the 14th round this year and excelled for Danville, hitting .324 with a .842 OPS and 19 stolen bases as the team's regular hitter in the three hole. He split his time fairly equally around the outfield, playing 25 games each in center field and right field while playing 11 in left field, but, mostly due to his bat, he profiles best as a center fielder. He has excellent speed and a great knowledge of how to play the outfiled, along with a fairly strong, accurate arm.

Harrilchak has a slight frame, so he's unlikely to develop much power, but he's already smart enough to make use of his skills as a line drive hitter, spraying out 10 doubles and 5 triples in his 60 games, and he was able to effectively add speed to his game, getting caught stealing only twice in his 21 attempts. He also showed a knack for getting on base, with a .401 on base percentage, another indicator that, while he may have hit third for Danville, he profiles better as a leadoff or number two hitter in the future.

While he was a bit old at 21 for Danville, like Riann Spanjer-Furstenburg, Harrilchack had an outstanding professional debut, showing plenty of promise that he'll develop into a fine prospect. With his age and his dominance of the Appy League, there's a possibility that he could start 2010 at Myrtle Beach, but an assignment to Rome seems more likely. While he's unlikely to be considered a top flight prospect, at least until he has a breakout season at a more age appropriate level, Harrilchak has the tools to work himself into Atlanta's Major League plans in the future.

3. Kyle Rose B/T: R/R Born: 5/24/1989 Ht: 6'0" Wt: 165
Rose was drafted in the 8th round of the season's draft and, like Harrilchak, he was slightly old for his league, playing for the Orlando Braves in the GCL as a 20 year old. But, unlike Harrilchak, he didn't exactly dominate, though he still fared well, hitting .293 with a .750 OPS along with 27 stolen bases. The speed was the biggest asset to his offensive game, as he led his league, stealing those bases in just 48 games, and, more impressively, in just 63 times of reaching first base, meaning that he stole a base 43% of the time he reached first. For comparison, this year's Major League stolen base leader, Jacoby Ellsbury, stole 35% of the times he reached first. Those are tremendously impressive numbers, especially when you factor in a .397 on base percentage.

While he excelled at the speed game, Rose showed almost no power, slugging just .354 on the season. His incredibly slight frame suggests he isn't likely to gain much power, but if he can continue to get on base at a great clip and steal bases at an oustanding rate, he'll turn into a great prospect. He made 4 errors in center field this season, which raises some concern about his defense, but without the context of those errors, it's possible to write them off as the by product of his first professional season.

While Rose may have been slightly old for the GCL, he won't turn 21 until late May of next year, so if he is able to start out at Rome he'll be in step with the ages that typify better prospects. If he's able to augment his speed with a bit more slugging, he'll likely emerge as a top flight leadoff hitting prospect. Even if he's unable to, his immense speed will make him a valuable player.

4. LV Ware B/T: R/R Born: 3/18/1987 Ht: 5'10" Wt: 185
Ware struggled mightily for Rome in April, hittting just .130 with a .423 OPS in just 51 plate appearances before he was sent to Extended Spring Training. But, a huge part of that poor showing was tied up in the five man outfield rotation that Rome was utilizing at the outset of the season, leading to irregular playing time for Ware, . He rebounded easily though once Danville's season began, hitting .293 with a .740 OPS and a league leading 24 stolen bases as the team's leadoff hitter.

Those numbers were an improvement over the .272 average, .727 OPS and 13 stolen bases that he put up for Danville in 2008, which is important, because even though he was forced to repeat the level, he showed a marked improvement. Like all the other center field prospects, Ware doesn't have much power, hitting no home runs this season, but he makes up for that lack with a strong line drive swing and an excess of speed. Above all, Ware's greatest asset is his mental game, as he has established himself as a smart, polished player who gladly takes on a role as a team leader. He combines that mental edge with his speed to make himself a plus defender, capable of covering a large amount of ground in center field, with a slightly above average arm. He also takes this edge to the plate, as he is a smart hitter, willing to hit behind runners and bunt when advantageous.

Ware is likely to return to Rome to start 2010 and since he'll turn 23 just prior to the start of the season he's too old to be considered a top tier prospect. But, he is a solid, polished player who seems likely to be able to build on his success one level at a time. At worst, he's likely to develop into a 4th outfielder capable of providing great defense off the bench and a ton of speed, but his work ethic and baseball accumen suggest better is in store.

T5. Calvin Culver B/T: R/R Born: 10/7/1988 Ht: 6'2" Wt: 220
Culver began 2009 in Extended Spring Training, before joining Rome at the beginning of April. He started out hot, hitting .295 with a .774 OPS in his first 44 at bats, but faded as the season went on, finishing with just a .225 average and a .607 OPS in a part time role.

He's big for a center fielder, but he's able to use his strong body to make himself a more than capable defender, spending the majority of his games in the middle of the outfield, while playing 16 in right field and 11 and left field. At this point, Culver has shown little aptitude for hitting in the Minor League, compiling a .236 average and .634 OPS in 579 career plate appearances. But, he'll enter next season as a 21 year old, so there's time for him to improve, but with the wealth of young outfielders coming up from Danville and Orlando, there might not be enough at bats available for him.

T5. Cole Miles B/T: S/R Born: 3/24/1987 Ht: 5'8" Wt: 165
Like most of the players on this list, Miles has little to no power, but tons of speed. And, like Matt Young, his listed height is a friendly lie. After putting up a poor showing with Rome in 2008, hitting just .239 with a pathetic .585 OPS to go with 28 stolen bases, he managed to improve dramatically with his promotion to Myrtle Beach this season, hitting .266 with a .679 OPS, though his stolen bases dropped to 16. While thos numbers still aren't overly impressive, he came on strong in the second half, following up a .259 average and .634 OPS in the first half with a .272 average and .716 OPS in the second half while collecting 13 of his 17 extra base hits for the season and 10 of his stolen bases.

This marked improvement was a welcome sight for Miles after his poor showing for the previous year and a half, and looks like a good indication that he's begun to make the adjustments necessary to develop into a Major League prospect. Another change that has aided him is the shift from the infield to the outfield. Originally drafted as a shortstop, MIles had seen most of his playing time at second base prior to 09, playing just 13 games as an outfielder. But 2009 saw him make the full time switch, as he played just 19 games in the infield, compared to 64 in center field, 21 in left field, and even 8 games in right field. While he never seemed to grasp playing the infield, compiling just a .957 fielding percentage there for his career, he's shown apptitude for the outfield, making use of his speed. While he still has great lengths to go in learning the best routes and actions to take in the outfield, and his well below average arm will always be a bit of a liability, he certainly profiles better in the future as an outfielder.

Miles will likely return to Myrtle Beach in 2010 as a 23 year old, looking to build on his strong second half. He'll need to work on hitting the ball with more authority, as he's never hit more than 9 doubles in a season, and he'll need to walk more to utilize his speed, which he needs to utilize more, but his overall situation isn't as dire as all that sounds. There are positives to his game, and if he can continue to show an ability to adjust and adapt, he might become a Matt Young like prospect in a few years.

Braves 2009 Season in Review: Jordan Schafer

gondeee — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:53:13 -0000

More photos » by Paul Abell - AP

Atlanta Braves' Jordan Schafer will use next season to work his way back to the majors.

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One of the most disappointing story lines of the 2009 season for the Atlanta Braves was the failure of center fielder Jordan Schafer. Going into spring training he was competing with two other guys, both with major league experience, Josh Anderson and Gregor Blanco. Schafer had such an impressive spring that he beat out both of them, relegating Blanco to the minors and Anderson to the trading block.

The positive spring training reports and performance turned up big in those first few games of the 2009 season. Schafer hit a homerun on the fifth pitch he saw in the first at-bat of his big league career. Another hit and a walk in that first game had everyone abuzz that this kid was for real. After his first 5 big league games he was hitting .421, he had hit in 4-out-of-5 games and 3 of those games were multi-hit games. Then came a 1-for-21 stretch as the league adjusted to him, then some more good hitting where he adjusted to the league, but it wasn't enough, and the injury he suffered in those first few games caught up with the grind of the big league season. Schafer tried to gut it out, but a wrist injury combined with the inexperience of a rookie caused his numbers to crash.

Schafer eventually had surgery on that left wrist to remove a bone spur and insert a wire linking two other bones. More info on that here.

When looking ahead to a return to the majors next season, or more likely a return to the majors in 2011, how do we quantify Schafer's 2009 performance to get expected results? Do we take the .300-hitting Schafer of the first 8 games, or the sub-.200-hitting Schafer of the next 42 games? Maybe a little bit of both? It's easy to throw a dart right in the middle and say that's what kind of hitter he'll be in the majors. The Bill James 2010 Handbook pegs him as a .239 hitter were he to see big league action in 2009.

What we need to do when analyzing Schafer is to go back to those scouting reports when he was a prospect. Baseball America said last year that Schafer has "good hand-eye coordination with quick wrists and plus bat speed." That combination is still there, and now it's there with a renewed sense of determination to get back to the big leagues and prove to everyone what he can do when he's healthy. Most all of the prospect reports from last year on Schafer also said that he would benefit greatly from at least half a year at triple-A, but he made the jump directly to the majors after just 84 games of double-A.

2010 will be the year that Schafer should have had last year. It will be a year to further his seasoning as a ballplayer at the top rung of the minor leagues, and to regain the confidence and swagger that is so much a part of who he is. He's too much of a tireless working not to come into next season with a mission to prove to everyone that he deserves to be back in the majors. To do so he'll have to work on keeping his strikeouts down, keeping his walks up, and continuing to work at becoming a guy who hits for a high average. Success in triple-A early next season could make him a very valuable backup in case of injury to anyone in the 2010 Braves outfield, and a potential major impact player late in the season for Atlanta.

Update on the injury to the Braves' Jason Heyward

gondeee — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:26:38 -0000

Atlanta Braves and baseball's top prospect Jason Heyward has not played in an Arizona Fall League game since Saturday. From Keith Law's chat wrap here is what he said about the injury:

Minor leg injury - hamstring, I think.

The little nagging injuries are creeping up every now and then with Heyward. I don't know whether to think this is a chronic thing or just the byproduct of playing the game all-out. Let's hope Heyward can get back in the saddle. This makes me think back to the injury that cut short Jordan Schafer's stint in the Mexican Winter League last winter. I know Schafer's injury during the regular season was what may have caused much of his bad play, but he also missed half of the games in the Mexican League that he could have played in to get tuned up for the season because of the injury.

Atlanta Braves 2009 Season MVPs and LVPs

gondeee — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:37:38 -0000

The 2009 season is behind us for better or worse, and for the most part it was for the better. There were a lot of good performances, especially on the pitching side, and we finished with our best record since 2005. Here are the Atlanta Braves 2009 hitting and pitching MVPs and LVPs.

Hitting MVP: This is actually a pretty tough decision. No one really stands out, as there were some good performances, but not any great performances. All the really good performances were not for a full season. If guys like Adam LaRoche, Matt Diaz, and Martin Prado had posted the numbers they did in the second half for a full season, we might have had a three-headed MVP monster. I considered LaRoche, but he was a victim of his position in the lineup, and while he posted the highest OPS+ on the team, he wasn't in run producing situations enough, and of course, he was only here for half a season. Yunel Escobar gets some consideration, but he doesn't really act like an MVP all the time. He's got some growing up to do in that department.

I'm going to go with consistency for the MVP, and that would be Brian McCann. Once he got his vision straightened out, he put up some stellar numbers, and even when the rigors of catching 90% of the games slowed him down, he was still able to drive in runs. McCann quietly put together a terrific season, leading the team in homeruns, RBI, and OPS+ for a full season -- not bad production from a catcher. The runner up here is most certainly Martin Prado.

Brian McCann

#16 / Catcher / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-3

Weight: 230

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Feb 20, 1984

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Brian McCann	138	488	63	137	35	1	21	94	49	83	4	1	.281	.349	.486

Hitting LVP: There are a couple of unfortunate candidates here. The guy I most want to give it to is Garret Anderson. He was just awful, and he played 134 games of .303 OBP and .401 slugging in a position where there should be a big bopper. Not to mention his defensive style is that of a hung-over beer-leaguer. He was bad, but not as bad as some others. We all know about how bad Jeff Francoeur was as a Brave -- the worst everyday right fielder in baseball. But we've done enough beating up on Frenchy, and besides we rid ourselves of his taint months ago.

Nope, the hitting LVP for the 2009 Braves is a guy many thought would really turn the corner this year, unfortunately he did turn a corner, just not down the road to improvement. Kelly Johnson played way too much before he was mercifully replaced by the excellent Martin Prado. Johnson spent way too much time in the lead-off spot, compiling a .274 on-base percentage while hitting first. His whole game suffered this year as he looked completely lost and/or over-matched at the plate. The runner up here is actually Jordan Schafer, another unfortunate season for someone who we had such high hopes for.

Kelly Johnson

#2 / Second Base / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Feb 22, 1982

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Kelly Johnson	106	303	47	68	20	3	8	29	32	54	7	2	.224	.303	.389

Pitching MVP: There are several very good and deserving candidates for this award. First off, we need to step back and realize that in Tommy Hanson, we probably saw the best debut of a Braves rookie starting pitcher ever... and the scary thing is he's only going to get better. There were some worthy bullpen performances. As much as Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez struggled at times, they were two pretty darn good relievers for most of the year. Both of them had ERAs under 3.00 and strikeout-per-nine ratios over 10. Add Peter Moylan and his almost league leading appearances in there as well (he missed it by one game).

Jair Jurrjens was absolutely amazing this year, with the third-best ERA in the National League (2.60) while starting the most games on the team (34). But still, as good as he was, we had someone better. Javier Vazquez may have been the best off-season acquisition of any club. He ranked 6th in the NL in ERA (2.87), tied for 5th in wins (15), 3rd in WHIP (1.026), the 5th lowest in hits allowed, and the 4th lowest in walks allowed, while striking out the 3rd most per 9 innings pitched. Oh, and he pitched the 5th most innings in the league, and ranked right behind last year's Cy Young winner in total strikeouts. He was silly-good, and worth every prospect we gave up for him.

Javier Vazquez

#33 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-2

Weight: 210

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jul 25, 1976

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Javier Vazquez	15-10	37	32	3	0	0	0	219.1	181	75	70	20	44	238	2.87	1.03

Pitching LVP: At first I was struggling with this one. There really weren't too many bad performances this year. No one in the bullpen stayed around long enough if they were stinking it up -- they were Blaine Boyered out of town. The default for this distinction goes to Derek Lowe. Yes, he won 15 games... I don't know how. When you look at his numbers (other than the wins) he definitely deserves this award. A 4.67 ERA and a disgusting 1.515 WHIP. Lowe gave up 10.7 hits per nine innings for a total of 232 hits -- the most in the NL. He is going to have to figure some things out and be more like the Lowe we saw in the first couple of months of the season.

Derek Lowe

#32 / Pitcher / Atlanta Braves

Height: 6-6

Weight: 230

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Jun 01, 1973

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Derek Lowe	15-10	34	34	0	0	0	0	194.2	232	109	101	16	63	111	4.67	1.52

Braves Roster/Coaching Movement

gondeee — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:07:08 -0000

From Mark Bowman's blog, the Braves added some extra relief help yesterday:

[...] the Braves provided their bullpen some more depth by purchasing right-handed reliever Vladimir Nunez's contract. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, they promoted Jordan Schafer from Gwinnett and then placed him on the 60-day disabled list.

Nunez appeared in 23 games for the Braves last season, compiling a 3.86 ERA with a good .260 batting average against. This year for Gwinnett he has a 2.16 ERA in 83.1 innings pitched, and a very respecible .227 average against. Now let's see if Bobby Cox will actually use him.

The Braves also made it official that Kenshin Kawakami will be moved to the bullpen to help out and to gain some extra rest.

You can read into this next move all you want:

In the thick of a pennant race, the Atlanta Braves front office has promoted Myrtle Beach hitting coach Rick Albert to assist their major league club for the remainder of the season.

Albert's promotion is a result of league-wide active roster expansions (from 25 to 40 players) on Sept. 1. This time of year it is typical for organizational brass to promote a coach from the minors for added support.

I wonder if he can straighten out Chipper and McCann.

Braves Batting Positional Ranks

gondeee — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:39:22 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Atlanta Braves' Brian McCann leads the best offensive catching unit in the National League.

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Here is a look at where the Atlanta Braves rank by position compared to the rest of the National League.

Catcher: The Braves, and Brian McCann, are 1st in OPS by almost 80 points over second place. The Braves hold a dominant offensive edge is the NL at the catching position. This is also helped greatly by a more-than-capable backup in David Ross.

First Base: On the season our first baseman rank 11th in OPS, but that has obviously been greatly improved as of late since Adam LaRoche has posted a 1.186 OPS since joining the Braves. The fact that he has been so good lately, and we're still only 11th, underscores how pitiful Casey Kotchman was when compared against the offense that the rest of the league is getting out of their first basemen.

Second Base: Even with the early season struggles of Kelly Johnson, Atlanta second basemen are 4th in the NL in OPS with a .782. Again, this illustrates how valuable Martin Prado has been, since Kelly has a .683 OPS on the year, and Prado an .815 (see note below). Good work from Omar Infante while playing second and Brooks Conrad also contribute to the good overall number.

Third Base: This is mainly Chipper Jones, but the number is brought down by some bad offense when Prado and Infante play third. Atlanta ranks 6th in the NL, but if it were just Chipper, they would probably rank somewhere around 3rd or 4th.

A Note here about Prado and Infante: As a second baseman, Prado has a .922 OPS, Infante a .926, but as third basemen Prado stinks it up with a .578 OPS and Infante a .511. Both of them have combined for 110 plate appearances at third, so that is no small number or lack of offense. Strange that their fortunes at the plate turn out so different when they man the hot corner.

Shortstop: Atlanta ranks 5th here with a .759 OPS, which is clearly a result of way too much playing time going to Diory Hernandez and his .410 OPS. Yunel Escobar's .816 OPS should be good enough for 3rd in the league.

Left Field: Here comes the pitiful. Atlanta's left fielders lead the Atlanta outfield contingent with a .769 OPS which actually ranks 7th in the league.

Center Field: Jordan Schafer is still pulling down this rank, all the way to 14th in the league with a combined .667 OPS, ahead of only Arizona and Cincinnati.

Right Field: A .717 OPS and 15th in the league (next to last, ahead of only San Diego), and believe me, that has improved lately because Jeff Francoeur had a .634 OPS as a member of the Braves this season.

If you want to look at where the problem is with the Braves offense this season, it's in the traditional power positions of first base and the outfield. We seem to have solved first base, and now McLouth, Church, and Diaz should at least get on base and hit for sub-homerun power in the outfield. The problem is that for far too many games we relied on offense from center field, right field, and first base which never materialized. We may be winning games now, but if we don't make the post season, we can point to the first two-thirds of the season where our inept offense from those positions likely cost us the necessary wins to be in contention.

Washington Nationals/Atlanta Braves: Series Preview Interview With Talking Chop.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

4 months ago: Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, right, argues a call with home plate umpire Eric Cooper in the fifth inning of an baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. Cox was ejected from the game. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

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(ed.note - "You might remember Martin Gandy, aka Gondee of the SB Nation's Altanta Braves blog, Talking Chop from the recent roundtable the SBN's NL East bloggers participated in...We decided to exchange a few questions in advance of the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves' two-game series in Atlanta, Georgia's Turner Field. (ed. note - "I'll put up a note when the questions I answered go up over there.")...Dave Nichols from The Nationals News Network asked the first question...

Nats News Network: With the seemingly endless pitching depth the Braves seem to have, why didn't they go out and get a legitimate corner outfield bat for the stretch run?

Talking Chop: "We would love nothing more -- the fans and the front office -- than to have a legitimate corner bat, and we'd probably be willing to give up some of that pitching depth, especially the minor league depth, but a corner bat who would not cost too much in terms of talent in return and $$$ is just not available. I think it was a small coup that we got Nate McLouth from the Pirates. In that trade we gave up pitching depth and center field depth -- two areas we could easily part with. Also, the number-1 prospect in baseball is the Braves' Jason Heyward, who is a corner outfielder hitting over .400 in double-A. He's only been there for a month, but a lot of Braves fans are hoping he's not there too much longer. With Heyward on the horizon, we're not going to break the farm for an outfield corner bat."

Federal Baseball.com (FB): Nyjer Morgan's working out pretty well for DC, how's Atlanta enjoying their Pirates' outfielder, Nate McLouth?Does Jordan Schaefer come back in a corner spot now?

(cont...After The JUMP...)

Federal Baseball.com (FB): Nyjer Morgan's working out pretty well for DC, how's Atlanta enjoying their Pirates' outfielder, Nate McLouth?Does Jordan Schaefer come back in a corner spot now?

Talking Chop: "As I said above, we got McLouth at what looks like a bargain price. He's done fairly well for the Braves, and he's had stretches of absolute brilliance. He gives the Braves a solid and speedy lead-off man, and he comes with some good pop in his bat as well. And he's signed affordably for the next few years. Jordan Schafer has been injured since getting demoted, and it turns out he was injured for 80% of the time he was in the majors at the beginning of the season -- it's a wrist injury, which can and did severely impair his swing. He'll rehab it and probably start next year in the minors (since he's lost so much time this year). With McLouth in place, there's no reason to rush him.

FB: Why did the Braves bring Adam LaRoche back?

Talking Chop: "Three reasons, (1) they wanted more power out of first base, (2) they were convinced, after seeing Casey Kotchman up close for a year, that he is not a starting first baseman, and (3) this gives them greater financial flexibility in the off-season, and it opens up a hole for one of their best prospects, Freddie Freeman. Maybe that's four reasons..."

FB: Was the talk about trading Javier Vazquez at the deadline serious? Was there an argument to be made for trading him?

Talking Chop: "I was serious when I lobbied for the Braves to trade him, but I'm glad they didn't. I wanted him traded because I thought we might be able to get a greater return than we gave up for him, and at the same time fill several areas of need. It would have been hard to find a partner to trade with, but I thought we should be open to it since Javy has done nothing but increase his value since becoming a Brave. That said, I'm glad we held on to him, and I've been convinced that is absolutely the right move. He's a top of the rotation starting pitcher, and a power pitcher to boot. Those are hard to find, and when you get one at below market price you should probably hold on to him. That, and you really can't ever have enough starting pitching. At this point, I'm hoping that the Braves can extend his contract this off-season."

FB: Now that Smoltz didn't work out with the Red Sox, and Glavine's still unsigned does it make Atlanta's decision to part ways with the two more acceptable? Or should they bring them both back in some capacity?

Talking Chop: "They shouldn't bring either back as a player, but I'd be happy as a clam if they brought them back in a baseball or broadcasting role. Smoltz did some broadcasting last year when he was injured and he was pretty good. Apparently we've talked with Greg Maddux about coming back as some kind of instructor in spring training, and it would be a player development wet dream to have Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz as coaches in your major and minor league spring training camp."

• Check Out The SB Nation's Atlanta Braves Blog: Talking Chop.