SB Nation - Nate McLouth

Braves at the Winter Meetings... Wha' Happened?

gondeee — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:02:29 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox was one of the main attractions when he gave a pres conference at the Winter Meetings.

It was such a tumultuous few days, some of us may have forgotten what exactly the Braves did and got out of baseball's Winter Meetings. Here's a recap:

Rumors coming into the meetings had Rafael Soriano "leaning" towards accepting the Braves offer of salary arbitration, instead of declining like he should and netting the Braves 2 draft picks.
Those rumors increased once folks got to Indianapolis.
We had a fun first-day rumor about Yankees reliever Brian Bruney possibly heading to the Braves, but he ended up going to the Nats.
The Braves had interest in Nats outfielder Josh Willingham, but the Nats weren't willing to part with him.
There has been a lot of interest on the trade front in Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson, but nothing else was mentioned after that first day.
After a night of sheer agony and waiting, Soriano finally set the rumors right and accepted arbitration from the Braves.
Because of that decision, the Braves had to DFA Ryan Church, whom they still have not traded (nor likely will).
Like clockwork, Soriano's agent asks the Braves for a trade, thusly skirting the free agent compensation system.
There was some rumored interest by the Braves in free agent Xavier Nady.
But the trading of surplus pitching dollars was top priority over anything else, and our Meeting's were seemingly put on hold until the Soriano situation could be resolved.
Finally, in the middle of the night, we learned that Rafael had been moved to the Rays for a mighty return of... Jesse Chavez.
As if the Braves had not been slighted enough during the meetings, they lost promising lefty Edgar Osuna in the Rule 5 draft to none other than the Royals.

The Soriano trade is not yet official, the two sides are apparently awaiting the medical files or pending physicals to consummate the deal. Tampa Bay got a steal of a closer for next season at a reasonable $7 million-plus. A condition of the deal was that the Rays agree in principal to sign Soriano before the deal was complete.

The good news for the Braves is that we apparently don't have to send any money to the Rays, and thus the whole Soriano Surprise was just an unpleasant distraction that netted us a durable middle reliever for our bullpen next year. Jesse Chavez won't blow anyone's socks off, but in a pen where Cox likes to run people out there day after day, Chavez seems to be a guy that can be abused in that way. He's also a childhood friend of Jo-Jo Reyes, and was good friends with Nate McLouth when they were teammates with the Pirates.

The Soriano Surprise may have been a sour point for some fans, but the original thinking was that the team would not offer him arbitration, and it was only a few days before the deadline that we learned they would. Wren knew the risks, and instead of not offering him arbitration and ending up with nothing, they rolled the dice and ended up with a serviceable and affordable major league middle reliever. As weird as that is, I'd call it a win. Especially since we likely needed another middle bullpen guy like Chavez anyway.

Osuna was not a huge loss in the Rule 5, and the Braves usually do one of the best jobs of any organization of scouting their own players, so while he has talent, the Braves obviously thought more of some of the other guys they protected.

We have to believe that the main goal accomplished at the Meetings for the Braves was to lay the groundwork for a future trade of Derek Lowe. They should know the full market by now, and whether they need to wait until after Lackey signs or not. Hopefully we'll see some movement on one of those fronts soon, and hopefully he can bring back some sort of more valuable return than a Jesse Chavez, though to clear payroll, I may be willing to accept such a return if it means we can sign a bat.

Hoping the Braves Say No to Mike Cameron

gondeee — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:42:34 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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There has been a lot of talk on this site in the comments and on other sites supporting the idea of the Braves signing outfielder Mike Cameron. I'd like to go on record as saying I DO NOT support any move in this direction, and I would be very critical of Atlanta if they made this move.

I don't get why people are so enamored with Cameron. I'll admit his defense is above average at times, but his bat is just not that exciting, nor does his bat accomplish any of the goals that this team needs to accomplish this off-season -- (1) get a power bat, (2) get a consistent hitter.

Cameron's speed has declined to the point where he's not a top of the lineup hitter. He also strikes out way too much to exist at the top of the lineup. He doesn't have enough power to be a middle of the lineup hitter, so that leaves him as a bottom of the lineup hitter, with aging speed, aging defense, and an aging and slowing bat. Did I mention he's only a year younger than Chipper? Odds are we'd be way overpaying for a 7th or 8th place hitter, or we'd be overplaying a guy in the top-to-middle of the lineup who should be at the bottom.

This obsession some folks have with Cameron has got to stop. Just because he's from Georgia, and says he wants to play near his home, doesn't mean that the Braves should sign him for any amount of money. He's just not the guy we need clogging up our outfield physically or fiscally. We already have a younger, better version of Mike Cameron, and his name is Nate McLouth.

Braves Rumors

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:53:33 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

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After signing two relievers earlier this week, the Braves are still keeping tabs on the market in hopes of landing an outfielder or first baseman. The Braves are still talking with Adam LaRoche, but reports that they are also talking to Nick Johnson indicate that the LaRoche negotiations might not be going as planned.

Johnson hit .291 with 8 home runs in 133 games with the Nationals and Marlins last season, and is also drawing interest from the Mets, Orioles, and Giants. Sources say the Giants are the favorites to land him.

In the outfield, the Braves are considering Marlon Byrd and Mark DeRosa. DeRosa, a former Brave, would give the Braves a reliable veteran who can play the corner outfield spots, first, second, and third base. He is coming off back-to-back 20 home run seasons, but offseason wrist surgery might bring his power back down to the 10-12 homer range.

Byrd is also coming off a solid season, and would give the Braves a solid center fielder, meaning Nate McLouth can be moved to one of the corners. Byrd hit well for the Rangers, but was not as patient at the plate as he was in 2008.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Marlon Byrd	146	547	66	155	43	2	20	89	32	98	8	4	.283	.329	.479

One AL source contemplated the idea of the Braves and Tigers discussing a deal around Curtis Granderson. The Braves have an influx of pitching, and could send Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe (with cash) in a package for the outfielder. As of right now, that has not been confirmed.

Next week the Braves will talk with the representatives of Adam LaRoche, who has drawn interest from the Mets, and likely will try to deal a starting pitcher to free up some additional cash.

MLB Trade Rumors: Atlanta Hot After Mike Cameron or Marlon Byrd??

raygu — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:00:17 -0000

by Luis Alvarez - AP

3 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers' Mike Cameron hits a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Washington. The Brewers won 11-9. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

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I was flipping back and forth between the XM Radio Grateful Dead station and XM 175 tonight on my drive home and caught some of the interview with Mark Bowman, the Atlanta Braves beat writer for MLB.com. Bowman was interview by Joe Castellano and Jim Bowden.

As I switched over, Bowman was talking about the Braves interest in Mike Cameron and Marlon Byrd. I haven't heard this rumor before, but I was curious where Nate McLouth would play should the Braves sign Cameron or Byrd as they are both centerfielders. I assume McLouth will play right field till Jason Heyward is ready, but I thought the Braves were going to allow Heyward a chance to win the right field job in spring training.

More after the jump:

Bowden and Castellano then asked about Heyward, and Bowman felt that the Braves will have him play a few more months in AAA before bringing him up in June, similar to how they handled Tommy Hanson this year.

Should Heyward get the call in June, and everyone expects that to happen, I assume Matt Diaz would either be trade bait or platoon with McLouth and Heyward, as he crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of .412-.464-.640-1.103 in 136 at bats in 2009.

So who should the Braves sign? Cameron went 24-70-7-.250-..342-.452-.795 with the Brewers in 2009, while Byrd went 20-89-8-.283-.329-.479-.808 with Texas in 2009.

Poll

Who should the Braves sign this offseason: Marlon Byrd or Mike Cameron?

Kemp, Hudson Win Gold Gloves

Eric Stephen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:59:20 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

The Bison took home his first Gold Glove award today, joining teammate Orlando Hudson

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Matt Kemp and Orlando Hudson of the Dodgers are among the National League Gold Glove winners, to be announced later today. This is the first award for Kemp, and the fourth for Hudson, who also won from 2005 to 2007 with both the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks. Here are the full list of winners:

Pos	Player	Team	GG
P	Adam Wainwright	StL	1st
C	Yadier Molina	StL	2nd
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	SD	2nd
2B	Orlando Hudson	LA	4th
3B	Ryan Zimmerman	Was	1st
SS	Jimmy Rollins	Phi	3rd
OF	Matt Kemp	LA	1st
OF	Shane Victorino	Phi	2nd
OF	Michael Bourn	Hou	1st

This is the first time the Dodgers have had two Gold Glove winners in the same season since 2004, when Cesar Izturis and Steve Finley (who was acquired at the trade deadline that season) took home the hardware.

Kemp, who led all major league center fielders with 14 assists and four double plays (tied with Nate McLouth), is the ~~first~~ second full-time Dodger center fielder to take home a Gold Glove, joining Willie Davis (1971-1973). Finley played center field for the Dodgers in 2004, but only for 55 games. Kemp is also just the ~~fifth~~ sixth Dodger outfielder to win the award, joining Wally Moon (1960), Davis, Dusty Baker (1981), Raul Mondesi (1995, 1997), and Finley.

The only other Dodger second basemen to win a Gold Glove award were Charlie Neal in 1959, and Davey Lopes in 1978.

Thanks to Kensai at Memories of Kevin Malone for the scoop.

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.

Pirates Can't Learn Much From Phillies

Charlie — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:05:52 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Philadelphia Phillies' Cole Hamels throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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John Mehno has the right idea in this Beaver County Times column about the differences between the Pirates and Phillies--it's not primarily about spending, it's about building by acquiring amateur talent. But while the technique of comparing some great Phillies draft picks (Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and so on) to picks the Pirates botched at similar points in their drafts is effective for an article written with a word count for a general audience, it doesn't quite tell the whole story.

The Phillies' case is really weird. If you look at their drafts under previous GM Ed Wade (that's basically the time frame described in the Beaver County article), it's very surprising they've been so successful. Working backwards, the best player they got in 2005 was current Athletics reliever Josh Outman; they also got current Reds reliever Matt Maloney. That was it. In 2004 they got J.A. Happ in the third round, Jason Jaramillo in the second, and Lou Marson in the fourth, but they also took Greg Golson as a dubious tools pick in the first round and got nothing in the later rounds. In 2003 they had no first- or second-round pick; they got Michael Bourn and Kyle Kendrick, and that was it.

In 2002 the Phils took Cole Hamels in the first round, which was obviously a great pick, but they got absolutely nothing else. In 2001, it was Gavin Floyd in the first round and Howard in the fifth, and absolutely nothing else. In 2000, they got Utley, Taylor Buchholz and nothing else. In 1999, it was Brett Myers, Marlon Byrd and nothing else. (They also drafted Joe Saunders, but didn't sign him.)

Now, maybe this doesn't sound too noteworthy to some of you. Maybe you think that if you get one good player out of a draft, that's great, and to a certain extent that's true. In this case, the results speak for themselves. But what's odd to me about the Phillies' drafts under Wade is how incredibly thin they were. Wade seemed to get a star player and almost nothing else every year for several seasons in a row. That's strange.

To see what I mean, let's take a look at Wade's first draft for the Phillies in 1998. He took Pat Burrell with the first overall pick (a bit of a no-brainer), but he also got several moderately useful players later on, such as Jason Michaels, Geoff Geary and Nick Punto.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter that much if you fail to identify the next Nick Punto in your draft, but it does raise the question of why, if the Phillies are supposed to be a good example of intelligent drafting, they were able to identify so many star players but so few other future productive major leaguers.

Here's an example. In 2000 the Phillies got Utley, who single-handedly made the draft a very successful one for Philadelphia. The same year, the Pirates got Chris Young, Nate McLouth, Ian Snell, Jose Bautista and Sean Burnett. I'd say the Pirates actually did a much better job in that draft, even though it turned out worse--Dave Littlefield stupidly traded away Young a couple years later, and first-rounder Burnett's career was derailed with a ton of injuries. Drafting players who will stay healthy and helping them stay healthy involve skills, of course, and it certainly helps to not take a pitcher in the first round every year like the Pirates did. But there's luck involved too. For example, the Phillies were notably lucky that, for example, high school draftee Hamels basically made it to the majors with his elbow and shoulder intact, particularly after he missed huge chunks of his minor league career with injuries.

In 2001 the Phillies got Floyd, later sent to the White Sox in the Jim Thome trade, and Howard. That was all. Again, the Pirates had a much more robust draft, grabbing a number of moderately useful players in Zach Duke, Chris Shelton, Jeff Keppinger, Chris Duffy, Jonathan Albaladejo and Rajai Davis. (They also might have had some shot of signing 11th-rounder Stephen Drew if Littlefield, who was hired shortly after the draft, hadn't dropped the ball.) The Pirates royally messed up their first-round pick, John Van Benschoten, and that was their fault, but again, I'm not really convinced that Wade and the Phillies had a better idea of what they were doing.

Of course, Littlefield and his team started drafting in 2002, and after that all bets are off. There's no defending much of anything Littlefield did. My point, though, is that I'm not sure the Wade-era Phillies are a particularly good model here. In fact, it looks to me that they repeatedly got very lucky with about one pick each year and totally bombed the rest of their drafts under Wade, with the exceptions of 1998 and 2004. I don't mean to take anything away from the Phillies, who have generally been pretty well run since Wade left. But If there are things the Pirates can learn from this, they are the very basic points that, first, it's generally very important not to screw up first-round picks, and second, that it's important to build a core of homegrown stars. Beyond that, the Phillies' example doesn't tell us a whole lot.

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.

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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: Nate McLouth

gondeee — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:17:28 -0000

More photos » by Paul Abell - AP

Atlanta Braves' Nate McLouth will likely continue as the team's lead-off hitter next year.

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It's hard to describe the season of Atlanta Braves center fielder Nate McLouth. He wasn't bad, he wasn't really that good, he was just average. Of course, after the last few seasons of below average center fielders, it is nice to finally have one who is at least average. None of this is to say that McLouth doesn't have a lot of positives, and that those positives didn't show up in 2009, because they did.

In Nate McLouth, the Braves have a very versatile hitter and outfielder on their hands. He's a player who can hit for power and bat third or behind the cleanup hitter. He's a player who can use his speed on the base paths to help the Braves in many ways, but is he a lead-off hitter? It's easy to think that he can be a successful lead-off hitter with his speed, but for some reason he hasn't had success at the top of order when leading off an inning, but that's not to say he's a bad hitter when batting 1st in the order.

Here's the Rubix Cube; McLouth hit .204 last year and he hits .245 for his career when leading off an inning, but he hit .260 last year and he hits .260 for his career when batting 1st in the lineup. The poor batting average and on-base percentage when leading off innings tells me that he's not the best lead-off hitter, if a lead-off hitter is someone you want to get on base and score runs. He doesn't have enough power to be a three-hole hitter, so what batting order position McLouth seems best suited for is right between those two in the second spot in the order. That's where he can utilize his speed and power while not making either one of them a liability.

But he's better than just about any other Braves player at getting on base above his batting average, so he's likely still our best option to hit lead-off (he just needs to work on hitting when nobody's on base). Which means that he'll enter next season as the Braves lead-off hitter. I'd like to see him work on hitting for a higher average, which would help that on-base percentage more, but I'm not sure I want a higher average at the expense of his power.

At just 28-years old next season, McLouth should be entering his prime years. While the Bill James 2010 projection for McLouth (.263/.348/.449) doesn't see much deviation from his career norms (.260/.342/.454), he seems primed for a little more of a breakout from those career norms. We may have seen that this year if not for the injuries that slowed McLouth late in the season. I say, expect big things from Nate McLouth in 2010.

Perry Hill Speaks Out

Charlie — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:54:41 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

4 months ago: Pittsburgh Pirates first base coach Perry Hill (8) and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, left, come to the aide of a fan who was hit by a foul ball down the first baseline in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. Pirates's Garrett Jones was the batter. The fan was taken by paramedics from the field, and his condition is not known. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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I'm honestly not overly interested in the scene that has unfolded around Perry Hill's departure, but since the Post-Gazette has another item on it today and Buster Olney is running with it...

As dramas go, I find this one to be pretty thin gruel, and it's very surprising to see that ESPN.com thinks the loss of a first-base coach is interesting. Right off the top, the reason this is still in the news is that Hill has spoken up to dispute Neal Huntington's comment that Hill "has decided he does not want to coach." Hill says he does want to coach, just not with the Pirates right now.

It's a distinction without a difference, even if we grant that Huntington meant that Hill doesn't want to coach at all, which isn't at all clear from what Huntington actually said. The fact is that the Pirates have Hill under contract next year, so by leaving them behind, he is effectively opting not to coach. If there was anything wrong with Huntington's comments, it's that they were a little bit ambiguous.

I'm not sure I understand why this story would be national news. A coach refusing to honor his contract is, I suppose, unusual, but since Hill is just a first-base coach, I'm not sure why any non-Pirate fan would care.

It's unfortunate that the Pirates lost him--he has a good reputation. But it's not really clear to me that his loss will be felt much. Hill's greatest value lies in his reputation as an infield coach, and it's true that the Pirates made big strides in their defense last year. But most of that improvement was in the outfield, not the infield, as good defenders like Andrew McCutchen, Nyjer Morgan and Brandon Moss (and, if you believe the numbers, even Lastings Milledge) replaced mediocre or outright bad ones like Jason Bay and Nate McLouth. Hill may well deserve some credit for Andy LaRoche's good play at third, and the Delwyn Young experiment at second turned out better than I thought it might have (although it was still pretty bad). But improvement in the infield was a small percentage of the overall improvement. Hill will be missed, but a coach is just a coach.

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I'm on the road tomorrow through next Tuesday. I suspect I will have some internet access, but I'm not sure how much, so please hang tight if the updates aren't as regular as you'd like.