SB Nation User Blog: mvhsbball

BA's Ben Badler discusses Jason Heyward, Arodys Vizcaino and more

mvhsbball — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:21:55 -0000

BA's Ben Badler discusses Jason Heyward, Arodys Vizcaino and more

Here are some of the questions from the chat. I'll put the questions and Badler's answers in bold and my imput in italics:

David (Queens, NY)
In regards to the haul the phillies got for Cliff Lee, Would you say Atlanta got more for their ace Javy Vazquez?

Ben Badler (2:12 PM)
Yes. I'd rather have Arodys Vizcaino than any of the prospects the Phillies got for Cliff Lee.
Now that everything is said and done with, I'm really pumped for this Vizcaino kid. He was definately a big reason for this deal.

Phil (NJ)
Who pitches in the majors first: Arodys (Vizcanio) or Aroldis (Chapman)?

Ben Badler (2:14 PM)
Chapman. I like Vizcaino but he will probably spend the entire year in low Class A, whereas Chapman should probably start in either high Class A or Double-A (though I wouldn't be surprised if the team that signs him gives him a more aggressive Opening Day assignment).
Man, the pitching at our lower levels will be stacked.

Zoey P (Augusta)
Ben - I hadn't heard about Arodys Vizcaino until yesterday? What's your take on him, and where would he be on your Top 100 list?

Ben Badler (2:24 PM)
Coming into the 2009 season I had Vizcaino as the No. 77 prospect in baseball when we had our BA top 100 meeting, and I've been talking the guy up for the last two years now. After the season he had this year, I imagine he'll move up, with a chance for top-50 status.
Again, I'm really pumped to watch this kid develop. With Vizcaino, we'll possibly have 4 top-50 players when the rankings come out.

Ryan (Roswell)
Heyward the real deal? Do you have him as the #1 prospect?

Ben Badler (2:38 PM)
He's not going to be a star this year, but I'll be surprised if he's not one of the top players in the league within the next few seasons. It's either Heyward or Strasburg for the No. 1 prospect, although the usual edge that a hitter has over a pitcher due to health might not apply here as much, since staying healthy is just about the only skill Heyward hasn't shown thus far.
Badler makes a great point here. The only thing Jason Heyward hasn't done in his career is stay healthy for a long period of time. Hopefully, as his body matures, he'll stop getting these nagging injuries.

Jason (Atlanta)
So where would Vizcaino rank in the Braves system if BA reranked them today? Ahead of Teheran?

Ben Badler (2:41 PM)
Either No. 3 or No. 4 behind Heyward and Freddie Freeman. I'd probably put him No. 3, right ahead of Julio Teheran.
Interesting the he has Vizcaino ahead of Teheran. IMO, I'd put him 4th right behind JT, but I'm not paid for my prospect coverage.

DOB: Troy Glaus will be...

mvhsbball — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:30:42 -0000

DOB: Troy Glaus will be...

the Braves' 11th different Opening Day starting 1B in the last 12 years. Good lord.

Freddie Freeman, you better tear it up in Atlanta for a long, long time.

Kings #17 in Stein's latest rankings

mvhsbball — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:56:11 -0000

Kings #17 in Stein's latest rankings

Man, 3 months ago, who woulda thought this team would be #17?

Stein also gives some love to Casspi. Nice to see. Omri is going to be a stud.

Opening Day Lineup Contest

mvhsbball — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:15:17 -0000

Can you believe it? Only 105 more days until opening day! It does seems like that's quite some time, but with so many questions left on the Braves -- 1B, LF, RF, which of our 6 starting pitchers get traded, bench, etc. -- there's no doubt there will be plenty of stories to develop over the next 3 and a half months.

As of right now, this contest is just for bragging rights and a big air-five, but maybe someone will be able to round up a prize package or something. I think it would be great to see everyone's predictions for the upcoming season...and heck, this is almost like rosterbating, so I'm sure we'll have a ton of participants. :)

All entries are due by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) December 31st, 2009

1. Name the Braves batting order on Opening Day. 1 point for each correct name in the correct batting slot in the order. (9 points possible)

2. Name the Braves positional starters for the game. 1 point for each correct name in the correct position during the 1st pitch of the game. (9 points possible)

18 points are possible.

In case of a tie:

Tiebreaker #1: Who strikes out first for the Braves?

Tiebreaker #2: Who hits the first double for the Braves?

Tiebreaker #3: Who scores the first run of the game/season for the Braves?

Here is an example of what it should look like (or close to it):

McLouth - CF

Prado - 2B

Chipper - 3B

FUGA - LF

And so on....

And then for the tiebreaker questions: 1. Greg Norton 2. Diory Hernandez 3. Albert Pujols

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY PREDICTING!

Diaz, Braves avoid arbitration; signs one year deal

mvhsbball — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:18:12 -0000

Diaz, Braves avoid arbitration; signs one year deal

MattyD avoided arbitration today, signing for $2.55MM, a 106% raise going into his 3rd arbitration eligable season.

Gotta love Matt. And $2.55MM doesn't seem like very much money to have one the best hitters against lefties in Major League Baseball on your roster.

I really wish the Braves would find another CF, so we could create a platoon in LF of McLouth and Diaz. That would be a beastly duo.

Soriano leaning towards accepting arbitration

mvhsbball — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:30:32 -0000

Soriano leaning towards accepting arbitration

So....this kinda gives us an interesting situation if Raffy really accepts arbitration. It looks like Frank Wren might've acted a little too soon with Wagner and Saito.

All I want for Christmas is...(the Atlanta Braves version)

mvhsbball — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:41:14 -0000

The holiday season is here and it's time to make our Christmas lists! For me, however, I'd much rather have a few things from the Braves this offseason. Here's my Christmas list to Frank, Bobby and Co.

Now, this is not going to be a serious post. It's not meant to rival the great writings from CB, RoyHobbs, Yondaime4, PWHjort, and so on. If you disagree with something I say (like a stance I have on the All Mighty Marteeeen Prado), don't get all defensive and mad about it. It's just for a little fun.

So, here's an open letter to Santa from a Braves fan:

1. Don't trade the farm for a rental player - Please keep all of our young talent in the minor leagues. We've killed our farm system in recent years to bring in guys like Javy, Tex and Nasty Nate, and while I think it's important to bring in proven players to Atlanta, I'd really like to build our farm system up. It's always great watching your young prospects grow and develop as they make their journey to the Big Leagues. That's kinda what the Braves are about: Letting their young players grow. Hell, our entire infield was developed by us once we acquired Roachy.

2. A start for Brian McCann at the All Star game - Seriously, what the hell does this guy have to do to earn a starting spot in the Mid-Summer Classic? He's without-a-doubt the best offensive catcher in the NL and still plays *cough* decent *cough* enough defense. BMac is a great guy and it's crazy to think he hasn't started an All Star Game in his fantastic, though short, career.

3. Trade away Derek Lowe - Honestly, I don't care if we don't get anything for DLowe and his huge contract. Yeah, he was a decent pitcher in 2009, but our rotation is far too good to have to owe our 5th starter that much money. A rotation of Javy, Huddy, Hanson, JJ and KK would be sick nasty. Derek and his $15 million dollars shouldn't be on the Braves in 2010. Trade him and his money away.

4. Start Martin Prado at 2B in 2010 - As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of Martin and I really think he deserves the 2B position at the start of the upcoming season. He was part of the reason for our turnaround in '09 and always seems to spark the team. I have absolutely nothing against Kelly Johnson... I just love the way Marteeeny Weeny plays the game.

5. Another healthy season for our pitchers - In 2009, the Braves were blessed with relatively healthy pitchers. DLowe, Javy and JJ rarely missed a start and were workhorses all season long. Tommy Hanson stayed healthy despite pitching the most innings of career and KK stayed healthy even with it being his first season in a 5-man rotation. Huddy also returned from injury and pitched very well. Stay away Dr. James Andrews. Stay far, far away.

6. More fans at Turner Field - I know I shouldn't complain and me whining about it won't do anything, but it would REALLY be nice to have more than 15,000 fans at the Ted on weeknights and daygames. It's totally understandable if it's empty for a meaningless April game against the Nats, but to have to give away tickets in the middle of a playoff race is just pathetic. If you're in the area, get your ass to Turner Field. I know they have cheap tickets. That's all Boog and Joe would ever talk about!

Pictured Above: the average crowd during a Braves daygame.

7. A "big bat" - Was there anything more inconsistent and streaky than the Braves' 2009 offense? It could be maddening at times. If Frank Wren and his large testis can land us a stud hitter this offseason, it might just push us over the top in the ~~East Division~~ National League.

8. A(nother) World Series ring for Bobby - What to say about Bobby? The man has done it all. Despite making questionable calls in 2009, which included frequent misuse of his bench players and bullpen, he's still a legend and always will be. He'll be remembered as one of the best 5 managers of all time and I'm proud to have him as our manager. Win one for Bobby in 2010. He f'ing deserves it.

Signed,

A hopeful and optimistic Braves fan.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

mvhsbball — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:55:23 -0000

and our old rosterbation thread is no longer delightful. And since we've got no place to go, let us rosterbate, let us rosterbate, let us rosterbate!

Alright, so maybe my calling in life isn't song writing (if you can even call it that), but I do know when it's time for something new.

We can really fill up a rosterbation thread. And it's definately time for a new one. The "old" one from a week ago has broken 300+ comments and the hot stove is only going to heat up with all the arbitration offerings and trade talks. A month and a half into the off-season, the Braves still have a ton of questions remaining:

Do we make a trade for the "impact bat"?

Which of our starters do we trade?

Do we invest all our money in one reliever, like the Muts did? Or do we invest money in multiple low-risk/high-reward veterans, like the Red Sox did?

Who mans 1B for us in 2010?

And so on and so forth. There's a ton of stuff worth discussing.

Have at it boys and girls.

Bud Selig to step down in 2012

mvhsbball — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:57:14 -0000

Bud Selig to step down in 2012

Finally. Finally. Finally. It's about time the old man steps down.

Jimmie Johnson: The BEST athlete in sports

mvhsbball — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:23:20 -0000

Jimmie Johnson: The BEST athlete in sports

Yeah, okay. What a joke.

I know this isn't Kings related, but it amazes me how stupid some writers can really be.