SB Nation User Blog: Fischerking

What to do with KJ...

Fischerking — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:04:32 -0000

Martin Prado has emerged as our starting 2B and seems very capable of holding down the position. The last few games before the All-Star break he played 3B while Chipper was hurt and Brooks Conrad had a chance to play a few consecutive games at second. Conrad suprised a lot of people with his plate discipline and his ability to get some key hits. Not to mention some spectacular plays on defense.

Conrad has shown that he can play in the majors even though the sample size is still very small. Omar Infante will be returning to the lineup soon, and though not a big offensive threat Diory Hernandez has been decent off the bench.

This leaves the Braves with a decision when KJ is ready to come back. He seems kind of the odd man out right now. I guess it's possible for him to take Norton's spot (one of the few guys on the team that's been more disappointing than KJ) on the bench, but I don't know if the Braves will do that. I just wanted to see what others thought might be possiblities for them when he is ready to come back.

Umps and officiating

Fischerking — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:59:29 -0000

Is it just me or have we been getting burned a LOT by the umps the last couple of weeks. There have been three or four bad calls recently that directly affected the outcome of the game. Last night was another example of the umps getting it wrong and costing the Braves. I was so excited to see the pick off throw from Medlen called an out because I couldn't remember the last time one went our way. Then (not surprisingly) they had a MAJOR missed call that ended up costing us TWO runs and momentum.

Am I the only one that thinks we've been getting hosed more than usual lately?

Bennett fat again? O'Flaherty looks good.

Fischerking — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:30:40 -0000

Was it just me or did Bennett pack back on some of that weight that was so famously lost last year? That was troubling to me because last year he gave most of the credit for his success to his new diet that allowed him to be more effective for longer. If he was right then that might explain why he didn't look too hot in ST and shaky again last night. I hope his new rolls don't become a liability.

O'Flaherty is right up there with JJ for the Player of the Game for me. JJ had a great start to the season (though I think the wind could also get some player of the game votes) but Eric O came in at a crucial time in the ballgame and pitched a great 1 1/3 for us. Not only was it crucial because the Philly offense was threatening but also because this was the point in the game last year where they had a huge inning or two and came out on top. He shut them down. Hopefully he can build on this and prove some of the skeptics (including myself) wrong.

Projections for Jeff Francoeur (FYF)

Fischerking — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:04:57 -0000

Plenty has been said this offseason about Jeff Francoeur. Some good, but the overwhelming majority has been bad. However, to my knowledge no one has yet done a post to specifically gauge projections for the 2009 season. Will he be closer to the 2007 form when he hit .293/.338/.444 with 105 RBI's or his submarine season last year when he dropped to .239/.294/.359 with only 71 RBI's?

Let me just say that I completely understand that there are certain people that will take this as an opportunity to complain about how this has been talked about too much and this is a stupid post. So to those of you I say please at least try not to send this into a downward spiral of off topic complaints that kills the post. I have a genuine interest in seeing what other fans expect to see out of Frenchy. He is an anomaly in that he had been so successful throughout his days playing baseball and last year he fell on his face.

Obviously his inability to avoid pitches down and away led to the beginning of the slump that only got worse as his confidence dwindled and our confidence in him did the same. But I have a hard time believing that an athlete that was so successful for so long before that could just forget how to play. I am confident that he will win back the Braves fans this year and have a respectable season, although maybe not as productive as years past.

My Line on Francoeur for 2009: BA: .277 RBI: 84 HR: 21

What is our pitching staff in 2010???

Fischerking — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:13:57 -0000

With the signing of Lowe, K. Kawakami, and Vazquez this offseason we have seemingly achieved our offseason goal of bolstering our rotation. But that opens up some new questions about the future of our pitching staff.

With all 3 of these guys under Braves control for multiple years some of our younger talent will have to either stay in the minors or be traded. And these are guys that will be ready to be starters in the majors.

Reyes, Morton, Parr, and the highly touted Tommy Hanson are all possible candidates for the 5th rotation spot this season.

So if we stay put then by 2010 our rotation consists of:

Lowe, Kawakami, Jurrjens, Vazquez, and most likely Hanson.

So what will happen next for the younger pitchers that already have MLB experience in Reyes, Morton, and Parr?

Khalil Green to St. Louis

Fischerking — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:52:07 -0000

Khalil Green has been traded to St. Louis for two relief pitchers. This now leaves a hole in their infield. They have said that they are comfortable with their utility guy in the role although he is a natural second baseman but I think that is a bluff.

Since Green is gone I wonder if they will try to come back to the Braves in an attempt to get Yunel. If that is their plan they better hurry. If Burnett takes the supposed 5 year offer the Braves a preparing to give then the Pad's will be out of luck.

Braves going to offer Burnett contract

Fischerking — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:53:14 -0000

This from Yahoo:

While the New York Yankees sit and wait for CC Sabathia to decide whether it's worth $140 million to pitch in New York, the Atlanta Braves have put themselves in position to take one of the other big names off the free-agent market, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

Just as they were finalizing a trade for Javier Vazquez, the Braves were preparing a five-year offer for A.J. Burnett, according to sources. Burnett, considered the No.2 starter on the market, was expected to wait for Sabathia to make the first move. But with the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays all apparently hesitant to give Burnett a fifth year, the 31-year-old might jump at Atlanta's offer before Sabathia makes his decision.

Any interest in Dontrelle?

Fischerking — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:39:06 -0000

Dontrelle Willis had an awful year last year in his first season with Detroit. He was a very good pitcher for years in the NL East for years before that. At this point his value is worlds below where it was last year. It would be nice to see the Barves kick the tires on him and see what it might cost. If he was able to get back to his old form for a couple of mid level prospects then I would jump on that. SI.com has said that there were whispers of a trade of him for Julio Lugo of the Red Sox who has been underperforming for them so my guess is they are redy to take what they can get for him. He is a great clubhouse guy and would most likely be on the cheap. I say check it out.