SBNation.com User Blog: BenDuronio

Bay for Uggla, do you do it?

BenDuronio — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 19:32:03 -0000

Semi-rosterbation but with only one move in mind. The Mets management are not the ones that signed Bay, and after a year he has obviously not panned out -- though he may in the futre. Bay is worth 16 mil per year until 2013 and Uggla is 13 mil per year until 2015. Bay also has an option at 17m with a 3m buyout.

Over the careers of both, Bay has been the better performer. It's quite possible that the Mets would be the team to turn down this trade, and I would put every cent I had on it never happening regardless, but it is an interesting idea to think about. It's far too early to think that Uggla will be a below average player for the remainder of his contract, but guys like him do age quickly. Food for thought.

Poll

Would you trade Uggla for Bay?

Yes

53 votes

No

292 votes

345 votes | Poll has closed

Dan Uggla and Kelly Johnson both have 14.3 Fangraphs WAR since 2007, Kelly's first full season....

BenDuronio — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:32:56 -0000

Dan Uggla and Kelly Johnson both have 14.3 Fangraphs WAR since 2007, Kelly's first full season. Think about that one for a second.

Why OPS is not as good as wOBA

BenDuronio — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:12:22 -0000

Why OPS is not as good as wOBA

I know some are just getting acquainted with the more advanced statistics. But there are flaws in stats like OPS that wOBA tries to mitigate. The general consensus is that OPS is the simpler metric, but when you really look at it, it isn't. Simply adding two different stats together is a bad way to go about things. Look at wOBA in the future, that's my recommendation.

August '10: Send Heyward to Minors?

BenDuronio — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:34:34 -0000

August '10: Send Heyward to Minors?

So today was an awful game, and I am pretty bored now that there is no baseball on and not much else to converse about. Something on twitter sparked me to go back to this link and look at how awful the article was and how awesome the comment section was.

The Problem With Three Lefty Relievers

BenDuronio — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:18:54 -0000

Last night was the perfect example of a point I have been trying to make for weeks now. The Braves 4-3 ratio of right-handers to left-handers in the bullpen is extremely limiting. It's even more limiting when you consider that Kimbrel and Venters are only going to be used in situations closers and set-up men are used in -- as in close games in the late innings. Martinez's role is also limiting, as he is the long reliever or innings eater in big losses. That gives you a 2-2 ratio of right-handers to left-handers that can be used for those middle innings like O'Flaherty was last night.

There are considerably more right-handers in baseball than left-handers. It is not very logical to have an even 2-2 ratio of right-handers as left-handers for those middle innings, especially when two of them are pretty terrible at getting opposite handed batters out. Moylan and Sherrill, despite Moylan's improved changeup, should not be used for full innings but rather situations with either one tough same-handed batter or a series of same-handed batters.

So O'Flaherty and Linebrink are the two relievers counted on to pitch full innings regardless of handedness of the batters. They are supposed to be the relievers that can get both sides out and can be used in almost any situation. They are, more or less, filling the Venters role from last season. Well, right-handers have a career .386 OBP against O'Flaherty. He is a nice pitcher, but he's a far cry from Venters. With this current set-up, these types of innings where O'Flaherty pitches to three right-handers and one left-hander are going to happen. He got the lefty out, and allowed three straight hits to righties.

Having three lefties is overkill, even if one is Venters. There needs to be more flexibility in this bullpen. Sherrill is a useful player for some teams, but not teams with two other capable lefties and a right-hander who has better career numbers against lefties than righties in Linebrink. I can't blame any of the players in this situation. It was easy to tell what all the bullpen arms had as strengths long before the season, and management should have constructed a bullpen that is flexible, not one that has a bunch of different specialists. Scott Linebrink being the most flexible member of the bullpen speaks for what type of shape this group is in. It looks good at the back end and on paper, but when you dig a bit deeper you can see the obvious, gaping holes.

Tango Weighs In On Heyward Batting Sixth

BenDuronio — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:31:26 -0000

Tango Weighs In On Heyward Batting Sixth

I realize just below this fanshot is a post about Sweet Spot weighing in, but people should read what Tango has to say as well.

Mistreatment of Kenshin Kawakami continues

BenDuronio — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:40:37 -0000

Mistreatment of Kenshin Kawakami continues

Pretty good summary of what has happened with the Kenshin Kawakami situation. Just one man's opinion, but a worthwhile read.

His Name Is Nate McLouth!!!

BenDuronio — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:43:58 -0000

His Name Is Nate McLouth!!!

That should be read siimilar to the home run call for the Marlin's broadcaster for Dan Uggla

But seriously guys, his name is Nate McLouth, not Nate McClouth. He plays for our team, let's try and get his name right. We have been dealing with this kind of stuff since the internet has been invented with Andrew Jones and Jeff Francewfwaefawe. Let's all try and type the name correctly, even if you hate him a bit.

Jason Heyward A Historic Talent

BenDuronio — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:28:12 -0000

Jason Heyward A Historic Talent

Some guy on twitter started arguing with someone about Jason Heyward vs. Starlin Castro and I had to get involved. I did some digging using the B-R index and brought up the only 20-year-old players to walk over 55 times and have an OBP over .365.

The list of players are, in order of OBP: Ott, Williams, Kaline, Foxx, A-Rod, Mantle, Heyward, Robinson, Griffey.

BoaB -- Buzz Bissinger League Draft Rounds 16-25

BenDuronio — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:04:54 -0000

Draft order

1 - KittenMittons
2 - sexbobomb
3 - bfkrams3
4 - BlackOps
5 - Cole Stevens
6 - SenSurround
7 - edurson
8 - free f.p. #14
9 - ***Ben Duronio*** -- League Manager
10 - AirmanSD
11 - Jeterian 2
12 - Bill Petti

Remember it's a snake draft.

Make your selection in the comments section using this format:

Rd.Pk Name - Pos, Team
Salary

Example:

1.1 Alex Rodriguez - 3B, NYY
$0.4 million

I suggest emailing the manager whose pick follows yours after each selection to keep the draft moving.

Salary and position eligibility information.

League rules and roster information.

Draft Spreadsheet.

Salary and position eligibility information.

League rules and roster information.

Draft Spreadsheet.

ESPN NL East Preview

BenDuronio — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:48:58 -0000

ESPN NL East Preview

I contributed the "Nugget to know" on Jason Heyward as well. Lots of good info on the rest of the division and the Braves.

Nick Evans To Be Placed On Waivers

BenDuronio — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:54:09 -0000

Nick Evans To Be Placed On Waivers

"@AdamRubinESPN: Looks like Carlos Beltran will open season with #Mets. He's on travel list for Grapefruit League game Tuesday."

Mets bench, which was announced yesterday, will be Nickeas, Murphy, Hu, Harris, Hairston.

Nick Evans put up a .300/.371/.536 in 548 PA between AA-AAA last season. In addition, in an extremely small sample size, he owns a .322/.379/.512 line against left-handed pitching in 132 MLB PA. In contrast, his OBP against right-handed pitching in 93 MLB PA is .183.

Seems like a very intriguing option to me. Defense is a bit better than Hinske at left and first, but could be used as a platoon partner with Hinske if something were to happen to Chipper this year.

Talking Choppers On Twitter

BenDuronio — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:58:19 -0000

It has come to my attention that more TC'ers have twitters than I thought. I believe pacgnosis just created one this week, and of course gondeee has had one for years. I figured a post with us listing our twitter handles would do us all a bit of good. I'm sure a bunch of you have twitters that I don't follow yet and vice versa.

Mine is pretty simple and is in my signature, but I'll start with posting mine anyway: @Ben_Duronio

EDIT: I figured I would add in some recommended follows for any Braves fan:

@bravesjournal, @JoeCNC, @CapitolAvenue, @bravesbuzzer (Took over my spot as SBNAtlanta Braves editor), @bravseandbeer, @gondeee, @JunkStats, @scottcoleman55, @BravesDiva, @bravesnation. I'm sure there are a few I'm forgetting, I always forget a couple, but those people all have some fun and interesting stuff to talk about involving the Braves and various other things.

Mine is pretty simple and is in my signature, but I'll start with posting mine anyway: @Ben_Duronio

EDIT: I figured I would add in some recommended follows for any Braves fan:

Rosterbation

BenDuronio — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 22:03:52 -0000

There wasn't already a rosterbation post that was rec'd and I want to rosterbate a bit. Just thinking of the future and what the Braves could need as the season progresses.

Mainly the Braves could be looking to upgrade shortstop, centerfield, or fill in for any injuries - with Chipper being the most likely candidate to go down.

I'm pretty sure Nate will rebound and be respectable, which means we won't be making any big moves for a centerfielder. Of course, this could be completely incorrect but that's the feeling I'm getting having watched his plate appearances.

The two targets that would fit most to me are Daniel Murphy and Jose Reyes. The Mets won't want to deal Reyes in the division and we won't want to give them any top notch prospects, but unless they find a suitor they will be looking to move him to avoid losing him in free agency or spending money, which they likely won't have, on him after the year.

Murphy really intruiges me if Chipper gets hurt, probably more so than most would imagine. He has only had one full season of Major League hitting, netting a wRC+ of under 100 - which is below average. Even so, he posted a 2.5 fWAR that year - mostly due to playing solid defense at first base.

They have tried him all over the field but his true position is third base. He's impressed me in the limited innings I've seen him play at third, with the best aspects of his game being coming in on balls and his range to his left. The Mets have almost no use for him as he can't play second and was horrible in the outfield in 2009. If Chipper goes down he is a solid buy-low candidate that could produce in at least a time share at the position, and would likely cost next-to-nothing compared to any left fielder brought in via trade.

There wasn't already a rosterbation post that was rec'd and I want to rosterbate a bit. Just thinking of the future and what the Braves could need as the season progresses.

Mainly the Braves could be looking to upgrade shortstop, centerfield, or fill in for any injuries - with Chipper being the most likely candidate to go down.

Kelly Johnson and Rickie Weeks are the same.

BenDuronio — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:16:17 -0000

Kelly Johnson and Rickie Weeks are the same.

Huge years last year, progressively declining previously. Pretty interesting stuff.

A Small Problem With Fredi

BenDuronio — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:02:39 -0000

It's pretty much impossible to judge if I like or dislike Fredi as a manager, because I've only seen him manage so many games so far in his career. I expect I won't be too big of a fan of his just based on me being more of a statistically based baseball person than almost every MLB manager.

My problem with Fredi is that he is trying to say that he really does look at all these numbers and says he understands the newer metrics. The problem isn't that he's saying it, but that it appears he is just making it up.

When I see quotes like this from DOB's interview, it makes me wonder how much he actually follows baseball stats.

"Q. So you’re not going to make a lineup based solely on sabermetics, on things like WAR or VORP. (Laughter.)

A. No, or – what’s the other one — DIPS? No, we’re not going to do that. Or hit the pitcher eighth. I’m not there yet."

Well, DIPS is a pitching stat, so I would hope he wouldn't base his lineup choice on a pitching stat. If he doesn't place that much faith in newer metrics when it comes to managing, that's fine. When he mentioned McLouth as a second hitter and Heyward more towards the bottom of the lineup, I started to question how much he follows newer stats too. Maybe it was somewhat in jest, but still it does alarm me a tiny bit.

It isn't a big problem to me, but I would rather him just be honest than try and appease us stat-heavy baseball people.

When I see quotes like this from DOB's interview, it makes me wonder how much he actually follows baseball stats.

"Q. So you’re not going to make a lineup based solely on sabermetics, on things like WAR or VORP. (Laughter.)

A. No, or – what’s the other one — DIPS? No, we’re not going to do that. Or hit the pitcher eighth. I’m not there yet."

It isn't a big problem to me, but I would rather him just be honest than try and appease us stat-heavy baseball people.

MLB Pre-Season Predictions

BenDuronio — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:45:36 -0000

The NFL season is done, for now and maybe for a bit longer, and the baseball season is upon is in just a few days. The big free agent signings and trades of the offseason are all but finished, and mlbdepthcharts.com is a great place to look at expected lineups, benches, and rotations if you want to participate in the comment section.

Here are a few words on my personal predictions, which are sure to be at least a bit off, but there is some rational thinking behind the picks. I'll start with the AL.

AL EAST: Boston. I actually don't think this team is as dominant as most are expecting. While adding Gonzalez they lost Beltre, and Beltre was a huge part of their defense and run production last year. While Gonzalez should get a boost from Fenway, I don't think he'll be as productive as Beltre was last year. Even so, with Crawford and the bullpen acquisitions, this team has set itself up as the best team in the tough A.L. East.

AL CENTRAL: Chicago: The Chi Sox didn't do too much in the offseason, but their pick-up of Adam Dunn should do wonders for the offense, along with expected improvements from Gordon Beckham and at third base with their No. 2 prospect Brent Morel. Chris Sale should make some type of impact this season, and they have a sturdy rotation. This was probably the toughest decision, but I think the Sox can get it done. Detroit and Minnesota are both very reasonable picks as well.

AL WEST: Oakland: The Rangers haven't gone down as many assume. If Feliz is used as a starter, which seems possible although a tad unlikely, they should have just as formidable of a rotation (they only had Lee for some of last year) and Beltre is a big addition offensively and defensively over Michael Young. Even so, I'm sipping the A's Koolaid. They have some power with Willingham and Matsui (old, but 21 HR in '10) as well as tremendous defense and some decent OBP guys. They'll need the rotation to be just as stellar as last year, and Trevor Cahill be more good than lucky unlike last year, but an underrated bullpen, solid rotation, and great defense should give them a serious chance this season.

AL WILDCARD: Tampa Bay: The Rays are going to be a different team in '10, but not necessarily a worse team. Damon will need to improve and Manny will have to show more power, but Ben Zobrist should be able to up his ISO this season. I love the young arms and the defense more than anything involved with this team, and they have some very nice pieces in reserve roles that could end up playing a big part later in the year. The bullpen took a big hit, but they are relying on young arms to do the dirty work, and it is not unfathomable to expect a decent year from Kyle Farnsworth.

Here are a few words on my personal predictions, which are sure to be at least a bit off, but there is some rational thinking behind the picks. I'll start with the AL.

NL EAST: Philadelphia: The Phillies are definitely the most talented team in the NL, but they are full of older players in the rotation and in the lineup. The injuries last year were not exactly fluke injuries, so a few bad breaks could keep them with the rest of the pack or even worse. With that said, going into the season it is tough to say the odds aren't in their favor.

NL CENTRAL: St. Louis: The Cardinals have a lineup with a few top notch bats but not much depth. The rotation is definitely impressive, and the bullpen is not terrific nor terrible. The division is not all that competitive, and I haven't been sold on the Reds despite their nice '10. I would project the Cardinals to have the worst record of any of the four playoff teams.

NL WEST: Rockies: Not much to dislike about them. The Giants will be the only legitimate competition, with the bottom three teams all having at least a chance to stick around, but the Rockies are the more talented team. Although their rotation is far from the same quality as San Francisco, the lineup has a lot more potential and they have some depth in case of injury.

NL WILDCARD: Atlanta: The Braves biggest losses were Wagner, Saito, and Infante, but with the bullpen depth they have developed and the fact that Infante was simply a super-substitue, the Braves should not be too hurt by any losses. The Dan Uggla acquisition is huge for the offense, but should not help an already bad defense. Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson are near locks for a quality season, barring injury, but there are at least a few questions about the rest of the rotation. They have the depth to compete even with injuries, and are probably the second best team in the National League entering the season.

That's my take, what's yours?

A Few Braves Plans I Love And A Few I Hate in '11

BenDuronio — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 08:17:17 -0000

I've noticed while reading transaction updates, interviews, and so forth over the past few months leading up to the season that there are certain aspects of the team I absolutely love and a few I hate. I figured there are probably a number of other posters who have a few things they are happy or frustrated about entering the season as well, so using this as a place to comment and elaborate on your issues could stimulate some fun conversations.

The things I'm loving:

The young arms: Placing faith in Minor or Beachy, Venters, and Kimbrel seems to me like a great idea to get solid production for a low amount of money. The Braves could have easily signed a fifth starter type and let Minor be the sixth starter, but acting as they have seems like a great decision to me. Likewise, in the bullpen, they could have acquired a player or two with closing experience which would have cost either prospects or money. I don't like the Linebrink or Proctor deals, but those are minor deals compared to acquiring a closer or set-up type. Allowing Craig and Jonny to man the back-end is a tad bit risky but likely worth it.

The bats: The offense was tremendous last season, despite popular belief, and it has only gotten better aside from AGon being on the team from the start. Freddie is a bit of a question mark considering his penchant for struggling at the start of each level, but he should be more consistent throughout the season than what we had last year and I can't imagine McLouth being any worse than last year's group of centerfielders, including himself. This team is going to score a ton of runs.

The things I'm hating:

Freddi's proposed lineup construction: It doesn't matter much, as evident by a number of different studies, but I don't like the idea of McLouth getting more plate appearances and Heyward getting less. Of course, it's just proposed and I would imagine Freddi comes to his senses and alters it either in Spring Training or not long after the start of the season. We went into last year with Melky as our opening day leadoff man, so it could be worse.

Kimbrel likely winning the closer spot: That title looks a lot worse than it sounds. I want Kimbrel to be flexible. He's probably going to be the best reliever, and having him pitch the final inning only will be frustrating. Hopefully Freddie mixes and matches Kimbrel and Venters in that role but I doubt it. I see bullpen aces having more value than closers, by a pretty big margin.

Defense: Freddie will be a big improvement at 1B compared to what was there all season. Center field was pretty terrible defensively and probably won't get any better. We know Nate has limited range and that whole ordeal with not throwing last season was pretty annoying. Prado could be better than what we had in LF, especially when you consider how much Hinske played there, but there is at least a small reason to worry about the transition. Chipper will probably be pretty bad at third with the new knee ligament, and Uggla is basically a small improvement over Conrad defense but it will be there every single day. The pitchers won't be happy with balls dropping and being booted as frequent as I'm expecting, and neither will you and I.

No real backup CF option: Schafer isn't a reliable option at this point and neither is Young. We want them to be, but they just aren't. When Chipper gets hurt, and unfortunately that has turned from an if into a when these days, the Braves won't have a good option offensively or defensively to put in left or center. Hinske and Mather are a bit better than replacement level most likely, but neither should be playing regularly for this team. It's scary, especially if McLouth doesn't get going. Seems to me like the FO is looking at having a quality backup option as a luxury and not a necessity, but I see it the opposite.

----

These are the things I love and hate. Even though there are more things I wrote I hate, I left the given lovable things off (I.E. pitching looking very formidable, Heyward being awesome).

So what do you love and what do you hate?

The things I'm loving:

The things I'm hating:

----

These are the things I love and hate. Even though there are more things I wrote I hate, I left the given lovable things off (I.E. pitching looking very formidable, Heyward being awesome).

So what do you love and what do you hate?

David Ross Has Fourth Highest ISO For Catchers Ever

BenDuronio — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:04:21 -0000

David Ross Has Fourth Highest ISO For Catchers Ever

Article is really about Vernon Wells and his weird splits, but there's a graph with the highest career ISO for catchers (1,500 PA minimum) and Ross comes in fourth.

Lowrie or Scutaro Could Be Made Available Eventually

BenDuronio — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 05:12:33 -0000

Lowrie or Scutaro Could Be Made Available Eventually

Both would provide some depth at the position. Scutaro currently makes twice what Goznalez makes and could make 6 million if club option is picked up next year or 3 million if he picks up a player option.

Lowrie still has a year before arbitration and wouldn't be set to make much unless he had a stellar year.

This isn't quite rosterbating, just pointing out that one of the two could be available eventually, which could help the Braves in the future considering their lack of depth at SS in the higher minors.

Did The Braves Just Trade and Extend Jeff Kent?

BenDuronio — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:54:14 -0000

Did The Braves Just Trade and Extend Jeff Kent?

Interesting. I see a lot of similarities.

First Article With ESPN, Kevin Brown HOF?

BenDuronio — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:57:21 -0000

First Article With ESPN, Kevin Brown HOF?

Use some Braves comparisons. Miss you guys!

Aaron Rodgers and 4,000 Yards

BenDuronio — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:55:35 -0000

Aaron Rodgers is already the first QB to ever throw for 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons as a starter. Due to the injury to his head during the Detroit Lions game in week 14, he missed a game and a half and may not be able to reach the 4,000 yard plateau for the third consecutive year.

With the way the game is changing – especially when you include the potential for and expectancy of an 18 game schedule – someone will throw for 4,000 yards in their first three seasons as a starting quarterback, but being the first to do so in the 16 game schedule era would certainly be impressive. It would look very good on a future Hall-of-Fame resume should Rodgers continue to play as well as he has.

Rodgers needs 306 yards thanks to his 404 yard performance against the Giants last Sunday, which is certainly a reachable number. With the way the Bears play cover-two -- locking down most deep passes – the task becomes a bit more difficult. Rodgers has thrown for 300 yards just once against Chicago in his career, which was in the second game of this season.

Of course personal accolades are of little interest in this game with so much riding on the actual outcome, but reaching that number for the third consecutive time would be a pretty cool accomplishment.

Fredi Gonzalez Speaks About State Of The Braves

BenDuronio — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:31:48 -0000

It has been a pretty crazy entrance into Atlanta's managerial position for Fredi Gonzalez. Here is how he feels about everything to date.

Fredi Gonzalez spoke to WCNN in Atlanta about a few Braves topics, one of which being the blockbuster trade for the power hitting Dan Uggla. Obviously, Gonzalez is more than happy to have his old second basemen back on the team. He went as far to say at first he thought it was "too good to be true."

Obviously, the Marlins have had a smaller payroll than most teams since their inception. When Gonzalez managed the team, this was the case as well. He often had to deal with being in a "seller" situation rather than a "buyer." When asked how he feels about the roles reversing he said, "That is something that I haven't done in three and a half years and it is great, it is a great feeling."

The topic moved to Chipper Jones' health, and Fredi seems as optimistic as one can be about the prospects of Chipper returning next spring. At this point, one would have to be surprised if Chipper did not end up playing next year. His knee is coming along at the correct pace, and his determination to get back on the field and leave the sport on his own terms will likely drive him to play in 2011.

His replacement if he were to retire would be Martin Prado. However, if Chipper returns, Prado will move to left field, a position he has played in winter ball in the past. Prado is a gamer, and he is comfortable with moving positions yet again. Not many All-Stars would be fine with moving from position to position as Prado has, but he understands that his flexibility is one of his assets. Moving positions is just something that comes with making this a better team, something that Prado has ensured the fans and the team he is focused on doing.

Fredi Gonzalez Speaks About State Of The Braves

BenDuronio — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:31:48 -0000

Derek Lowe Gets A Bigger Strike Zone Than Most

BenDuronio — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:08:21 -0000

Over at Beyond The Boxscore -- one of the top saber-slanted baseball sites online -- has tackled the issue of which pitchers get bigger strike zones and why they are so fortunate.

Derek Lowe is one of the pitchers mentioned. He gets a pretty big zone which is comparable to Livan Hernandez's. Both are contact pitchers who rely on movement more than arm deception or arm strength.

When we look back at the pitchers of record with this new information, the results start to make sense. Livan, Moyer and Lowe all throw fastballs with substantial movement, not the least of which is because they don't throw very hard in the first place. As contact pitchers, they also tend to pitch with runners on more than others.

As a veteran with solid movement on all of his pitches, look for Lowe to get a bit bigger of a strike zone next year as well.

Peter Gammons For Tweet Of The Year

BenDuronio — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:56:35 -0000

Peter Gammons For Tweet Of The Year

"There is little doubt Felix got what he deserved, and credit should go to those who have helped us "mainstreamers" out of our boxes"

The mainstream media has adapted the way they look at baseball due to the baseball bloggers of the world, and it is very rare that you see such a profound member of the media give credit to what we do on a daily basis.

Braves 2010 Season in Review: Omar Infante

BenDuronio — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:24:51 -0000

Coincidentally enough, the Omar Infante review was set to post today, which happens to be the first day he is not an Atlanta Brave since December 4, 2007 when he and Will Ohman were traded for right-handed reliever Jose Ascanio. In his final season with the Braves he put together the best season of his career. He was controversially selected to the All-Star game as the league's top utility man and almost won himself a batting title. Infante started at every position aside from first base, catcher, pitcher, and center field, providing the team with much needed flexibility as they battled through injuries in the outfield and infield all season.

Due to the trade, the SBN stats widget is not working for Infante, but I'll post his stats here. He batted .321 with a .359 OBP, 8 home runs, 7 steals, 15 doubles, and 3 triples in 506 plate appearances.

Infante really got going after his selection to the All-Star team. On July 5 the All-Star teams were announced, and after that date Infante hit .331/.373/.444 with seven of his eight home runs. Of course, he got significantly more playing time after that date due to the injuries to Martin Prado and Chipper Jones. Infante was far from a wizard defensively, but playing adequate defense at a number of positions made him one of the most important defenders on the Braves roster.

The biggest slight against Infante last season was his inability to draw a walk. His walk percentage of 5.7% was lower than both Jeff Francoeur's and Juan Pierre's, two players known around the world as free swingers. Most of Infante's success was tied into his BABIP, which sat at .355, which is .042 points higher than his career BABIP of .313. This says that he is likely to suffer a drop down in numbers next season, which is why it is hard to understand why the Marlins valued him so much.

Infante played so well that he became a centerpiece of a deal for one of the top power hitting second basemen in baseball. He put together a career year and Frank Wren sold him at his peak value. While an extremely useful player on a team with playoff aspirations, Infante was expendable. One can only wonder how high Infante's value would have been, and if he could have netted an even better return, if he actually did win the batting title. It will be sad to see Infante playing against the Braves with the Marlins, but I imagine it will be even sadder for Marlins fans to watch Dan Uggla torture them as he tortured the Braves over the past five seasons.

Braves Trade Omar Infante And Mike Dunn For Dan Uggla

BenDuronio — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:39:12 -0000

Omar Infante was an All-Star and Mike Dunn had a tremendous season between triple-A and the majors, but both were proven expendable in the Braves pursuit of a powerful right-handed bat. Just a few moments ago, Frank Wren completed a trade with the Florida Marlins for the perennial 30-home run hitting second basemen Dan Uggla.

Uggla is in his final year of service, meaning he will be a free agent at the end of this season unless he is given a contract extension. It is expected that the Braves would look to extend his contract for around three to four more seasons. Talent wise offensively, the Braves just upgraded big time. They do lose a bit of flexibility in losing Infante, who has started at every position other than first base, catcher, and pitcher during his tenure with the Braves. Uggla, who is a notedly bad second basemen will likely stick at the position with Martin Prado moving to left field.

The Braves lineup just got a ton better, but their defense is now significantly worse. Prado may end up being a decent-to-good left fielder, but their efforts should be focused on finding a solid defensive center fielder unless they plan to go with Nate McLouth or Joe Mather this season.

Tim Hudson Finishes Fourth In Cy Young Balloting

BenDuronio — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:05:22 -0000

The Braves ace and the Comeback Player of the Year, Tim Hudson, finished fourth in this year's Cy Young balloting. Hudson had a great season as he rebounded from missing nearly all of 2009 due to Tommy John surgery the season before.

Hudson closed out the year with a 17-9 record, 2.83 ERA, and a 64.1 ground ball percentage. It was a marvel of a season for the veteran right-hander, and the Braves will be counting on him for yet another good season in 2011.

Winning the award was Roy Halladay. Finishing second was Adam Wainwright and third was Ubaldo Jimenez. Hudson finished with three third place votes, 13 fourth place votes, and four fifth place votes, according to Mark Bowman.