Latest article from AJC beat writer DOB about why Heyward will bat 6th: 

“That’s the reason – I think he is a run-producer,” he said. “And I think it will give McLouth an opportunity to see some pitches, so he can get going. It’s a good spot for him.

“I think it works better. Because if you don’t put McLouth second, where do you put him? Sixth? Seventh? And I think, though we don’t have a prototypical leadoff guy, the way the club responded last year to Prado’s move to first, why not? He does OK up there.

“I think it works for all parties. First of all, for the team — it’s a better lineup. Then for McLouth, for Heyward.”

 

Poll

Given the choice hitting Jason Heyward 2nd or 6th, which would you choose?

69%

2nd

196 votes

30%

6th

86 votes

282 votes | Poll has closed

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Thought it might be fun to have a little thread predicting when some of the future stars of the Braves organization will make their big league debut, what role that debut will be in, and even how they will fare (statistics-wise) in that debut if you want to go that far. It might be cool to dig this up in a while to see who was the closest on which prospects. I'm just bored, and thought this was more fun than the rosterbation threads. I also am a bit curious as to what the general sentiment on TC is for the ETA on some of our prospects. But if this still falls under the umbrella of rosterbation then by all means go ahead and take it down. I'm guessing these predictions will spark debate - so I'm going to save posting mine until it has gotten underway as to not get immediately flamed/influence opinion (not that I could, but still).

I was thinking a format along the lines of:

Full Name - Date of Debut (doesn't have to be exact) - Position - Stats

I say 'position' as some of our pitching prospects might make their debut as relievers rather than starters, and obviously some of our prospects have the ability to play several different positions. If you think their debut will come as a PH you can throw that in as well if you want. If you're bold enough to post their stats for their debut season feel free.

This is open to any and all prospects you want. Fire away.

EDITED to remove my idiot mistake

Before you judge me let me explain. I was Googling for some Braves articles out of boredom and one of them popped up. I figured why not? I was also sorta anxious to see if the articles had improved since my last visit ages ago. Well, my head almost exploded. Imagine the worst of the worst fanposts here (the ones that get deleted) and then just add marginally better grammar. It has really made me appreciate the good work done by the guys here at TC. Just want to take a second to say thanks to all who contribute here for doing what you do. Without it, well, I don't want to imagine a world where I have to regularly read Bleacher Report. One visit there has already make me hate slideshows for the rest of my life.

Briefly I encountered:

• A starting lineup where Matt Diaz played CF
• Analysis of Scott Podsednik's defense based on fielding %
• A potential Julio Teheran for Joakim Soria trade
• Endless slideshows

It is easy to take the stuff here for granted, but after reading articles like that I have realized that quality content is harder to come by than you would think. Kudos, TC.

Any TC'ers make it out to the game last night? I've been there for some huge moments before but I have never in my life heard Turner Field so loud and into the game. I know the term "electric" has become pretty cliche but you could definitely feel the electricity in the air (which was part of the reason I was sure we were going to win but... alas). I'm curious if they mentioned anything on the Radio or TV broadcast about the state of the crowd. Hopefully tonight the crowd will be equally as loud and into the game... it was really cool to be a part of it. 

sorry to make a fanpost about this if it isn't warranted but i was wondering if someone could lend a hand with a seating question. i'm going to a game this saturday which is a 4pm game and i'm trying to stay out of the sun if possible (spare the jokes :P ). i'm trying to get seats in the 13-18 dollar range on stubhub ( http://www.stubhub.com/atlanta-braves-tickets/braves-vs-marlins-7-3-2010-896904/ ) and was wondering which was a better area... section 126 (down the 1B line near the LF foul pole), or section 321 (club level down the 3b line, but it faces where the sun sets so i'm not sure if there would be any shade). or if anyone has another suggestion around that price range it would be greatly appreciated. thanks! 

As of late the Phillies have come under fire for stealing signs, and this is an accusation that has been hurled at them before. The latest complaint comes from the Rockies:

The incident in Colorado was brought to light during the telecast of the Rockies-Phillies game on Monday night by FSN Rocky Mountain, which showed that with the Phillies hitting in the top of the second inning, Philadelphia bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was using binoculars to look in at Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo.

The video also showed Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino in the dugout on the bullpen phone.

The Phillies claimed that Billmeyer was evaluating the Philadelphia catcher, according to a source, although the evidence wouldn't support that claim; Billmeyer was using the binoculars during the top of the second hitting, when the Phillies were hitting — which means Miguel Olivo of the Rockies was the catcher.

 

The rest of the article can be found here. 

The Mets apparently made a similar complaint against the Phillies after they knocked around Santana on May 2. This action has already been defended because binoculars are "not an electronic device," and has been compared to the Mauer sign stealing incident from last year (if you recall, he was tipping pitch location as a runner on second). Whether this accusation is true or not, I don't believe that stealing signs from the bullpen via binoculars is of the same nature as stealing signs as a runner. Catchers switch signs up with runners on all the time. It pretty much can be expected that a runner is going to try to do what they can to give the hitter the edge (a runner stealing signs can even be expected in little league). I don't think any pitcher expects someone to have their eyes trained on the catcher's signs from somewhere else in the park. What do you guys think? Just because it isn't against the rules per se does it mean it is OK? Is ANY sign stealing wrong? 

I think this has been addressed here, but I wanted to basically conglomerate the thoughts into one post to see if I was missing out on any possible solutions. Basically it boils down to the fact that we're pretty much stuck with 2/3 of this outfield unless Wren has some tricks up his sleeve.

There's no cavalry in the Minors that could bail us out at this point with Schafer still a ways off (and the organization not wanting to rush him). There's no real attractive FA's lurking (Sheffield, Dye... no thanks). Basically the only relief that could be had is via trade, and we'd have to part with valuable pieces to get anything worthwhile. I for one don't think it would be worth it to see potential future talent leave when there is no guarantee that the trade will get us to the promised land (See: Mark Teixeira).

So we wait. Maybe give Matty D some more PT over Melky and hope that this was just a slower start than usual. Pray that McLouth somehow works out of this funk and starts looking like the guy in Pittsburgh we traded for. I'm pretty sure no one thought that outside of Heyward our OF would have a combined OPS of .527, 2 HR, and 15 RBI at this point. I did not think it was possible for our offense to take a step BACK after last season, but somehow they did. At least we have Freeman in the wings if we decide that the Troy Glaus experiment needs to come to an end (I have actually been encouraged with his hitting lately, he just has run into loads of bad luck). With the OF I see no short term fix in sight outside of a complete turnaround. I know Omar got some playing time in the OF last season. Could this be a possibility once Yunel comes back?

I've heard statements about how we should expect these players to return to their career averages by the end of the season. There was a post on ESPN about the gambler's fallacy which pertained to that idea, and it may be worth a read: http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/baseball/flb/story?id=5157660.

 

EDIT: Additionally, with our struggles against LHP is there a concern about how LH heavy this lineup might be in the future (assuming we stick with Nate for another year)? Depending on how we arrange the order we could be setting up other teams for more effective use against their LOOGY (not to mention it seems like we are facing a LHP every other day).

Do you guys think it will be a sell out? As of right now, Braves.com is only allowing people to purchase tickets as part of a 6 game or 10 game plan. Stubhub currently has 1660 tickets remaining. Last year we didn't open the season at home but we drew 48,327 against the Nationals in our first game at the Ted. I'm thinking we will top that this season (hopefully) thanks to the buzz of Heyward and the general optimism surrounding the team. However, the wildcard here is the Cubs fans. If they show up in force (they normally have every single game I've been to at the Ted) this could easily be a sell out. I have despised Cubs fans ever since the 2003 NLDS and it really ticks me off when they invade Turner Field. Here's hoping Braves fans show up in force!

I'll ask the following:

Your estimation of the attendance

Ratio of Braves fans to Cubs fans (or the # of Cubs fans you think show up)

i got a jersey but it won't be here for opening day :( . i called up the clubhouse store and they said they wouldn't be getting anything in until after april 5th. i figured at best there would be a mad dash on opening day and i might miss out, so i just grabbed one online. anyone else get some heyward stuff already/plan on getting some? i imagine that heyward will be a popular seller for years to come.

SI_JonHeyman: #braves havent announced it yet, but phenom heyward has same chance to make team as chipper, mccann, hudson, lowe & wagner

I assume he is getting this from a source in our organization, as he usually posts solid leads (not just his opinion). Not like I didn't expect it, but it is good to hear considering I have tickets to the home opener and wanted to see J-Hey in action as soon as possible :D .

His strikeout rate is WAY up and he is hitting .033 2 weeks before the season starts. He definitely doesn't look like the guy he was in Pittsburgh. I was expecting a rebound from the dip in his numbers last year (especially after he got his vision straightened out), but I am already fearing the worst. I want to tell myself this is just a slump but the increase in strikeout rate seems to indicate that something just isn't right. I haven't combed over the fanposts enough to see if anyone had any ideas about what it is but my first thought would obviously be something mechanical (although I haven't had the privilege of watching him but a couple of at bats this spring so this is entirely speculation). Will Nate get things straight? Or are we going to be seeing a lot more of Melky in CF than we expected? I could see Bobby "giving Nate days off against tough lefties (i.e. all lefties)" if this continues. I pray that we will just be able to laugh about his spring training when he is hitting .270ish with ~25 homers this season, but right now I'm afraid.

Poll

Should we be concerned about Nate?

66%

Yes

88 votes

21%

No

28 votes

12%

No idea

17 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed

That would be two former Braves Icons they have depended on past their prime... What gives? I'm not even sure how to feel if they do sign him. I definitely think the Braves handled the whole Smoltz situation correctly last winter and he made them out to be the bad guys. Yeah, he was a lifelong Brave and did command a level of respect... but the Braves were obviously (and still are) a little bit more financially hamstrung than clubs at the top. We couldn't throw Red Sox-guaranteed money at him when our rotation had been devastated by injuries the season prior. We were willing to give him an incentive-laden deal, which apparently wasn't good enough for him. Smoltz left huffing and puffing and then didn't pitch up to the level that everyone expects out of John Smoltz. I don't expect him to offer an apology now (though down the road I think he eventually will give one if he ever does wise up about the whole thing), but although he claims to "have looked at the situation from the Braves perspective" he went out of his way to vilify the organization on his way out and then once again after the Braves released Glavine (another "controversial" move, but another that was eventually vindicated with the dominance of Tommy Hanson).

I was mad as hell after the Braves lost Smoltz, but after I examined the details and had time to cool off I could really see where the Braves were coming from in not wanting to guarantee money. Smoltz acted the same way - mad as hell, except he never backed off his belief that he was "due" the same amount of money from the Braves as he was the Red Sox. We didn't make the playoffs, but had we guaranteed Smoltz 5 million we likely don't end up with Vazquez or Kawakami. That definitely would have adversely affected the win total in light of Smoltz's performance. Smoltz can like it or not - the Braves were right. The man simply has too much pride and too big of an ego to ever come off his opinion. That sort of pride and ego translates terrifically to the Baseball field when you have as much talent as Smoltz, and that is why I loved him so much with the Braves... he was the ultimate competitor. His words during his departure left a bad taste in my mouth, and to see him end up with a rival as hated as the Mets would likely irk me that much more.

I don't know if I want the Mets to sign him so we can beat the living heck out of him every time we face him, or if I would not be able to stand the sight of Smoltz in a Mets' uniform. It shouldn't be too hard after the exodus of Glavine (and I guess you could say Francoeur), but 2 years ago it was a thought that never crossed my mind.

TL;DR (too long; didn't read) :

Pissed off Smoltz left on such a bad note, don't know if I want him to go to the Mets so we can beat him or if it would be too much to take.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/10374040/Trading-Cabrera-makes-financial-sense-for-Tigers

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