Richie (SC)

Do you think that Craig Kimbrel will ever gain good enough control to be an effective major league pitcher?

Jim Callis

(2:29 PM)

Yes. With his mid-90s fastball and his slider, he just needs to get to "effectively wild" to get the job done in the majors. If he can do better than that, he has closer potential.

Tom (San Francisco, CA)

Should Freddie Freeman's performance thus far in the Arizona Fall League be a cause for concern?

Jim Callis

(2:30 PM)

I had a scout tell me he was disappointed in Freeman's bat speed and athleticism. But Freeman had wrist problems during the season, and it often takes a long time for a hitter to recover from that. I don't place a lot of stock in AFL performance and I'm not alarmed by Freeman's.

jim (virginia)

As a Braves fan I couldn't be more exicted about having one of the game's top prospects (if not the top prospect) in Jayson Heyward. But after him I worry about the depth of the farm system. How would you rate the overall strength of the farm as compared to other organizations?

Jim Callis

(2:38 PM)

I haven't lined up all the systems, but I was shocked at the Braves' lack of depth, considering they always seem to have a Top 10 system. But once you get past Heyward, Freeman, Teheran, Minor and Kimbrel, it falls off quickly. Particularly in terms of position players.

My brother was at a civic meeting where Steve DeSalvo, GM of the M-Braves was the guest speaker.  Steve said to not be surprised if Heyward and Freeman were promoted prior to Sept callups.  And they would definitely be promoted when the rosters expand.  He said he heard talk that Freeman wasn't ready, but that since Heyward & Freeman are best friends, that they would progress together. 

I don't know if I believe that statement because there is nowhere to put Freeman, and they aren't going to promote him to sit the bench.  I always thought they would advance them together, but I thought that meant Heyward wouldn't get the call prior to Sept. 

I hate Burrell as much as the next guy but at 2/$16M, why were we not in on this?  Seriously, he puts up 30 HRs & 100 RBIs every year.  ATL has proven it can handle a middle of the order bat putting up a .250 average.  His biggest deficiency is defense.  I don't like that either.  Again, for an $8 million commitment for only two years.   That seems like a no brainer. word