Back In Action

I must say, I apologize for my inactivity but my lack of knowledge technically combined with my enormously busy schedule has forced me to get my start to the new season and new blog format a bit later than I had hoped. I have still been writing, mostly at www.BravesBlast.com (a website you should definitely check out), but now I will be back in full force.

The plan, is to write three articles per week on similar topics each week. Consistent articles will be the main focus for the rest of the regular season along with the offseason.

My game plan for now, is to write articles Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. In addition, I am going to start doing podcasts. It has come to my knowledge that there simply is not much Braves content available in this form and it is something that has always intrigued me. The plan for this is to do them each Monday and Thursday night.

I’m glad to be back, and I will still have some updates on the website as I get more accustomed to this format, but the content will be much more consistent, so be sure to check it out!

Now a Braves ‘Featured Columnist’ on Bleacher Report

In addition finding out that I will be participating in weekly Braves discussions with HotStove.com, the crew at BleacherReport.com has decided to offer me a position of “Featued Columnist” for the Atlanta Braves.

This pretty much means they will give me stories to follow and I will continue to develop my own. It should be a great opportunity and I am required to post three articles a week so I will surely be writing articles as frequently as I have been the past few weeks.

Hope everyone gets some time to check the website out over at Bleacher Report. It is a great place for aspiring writers. Time to go to my dean and speak about potential internships with newspapers in the local area, wish me luck!

Bravesball Season is Upon Us

The football season is now over and Spring Training is nearly here. The anticipation for each team across the league is at its peak and as most of the transactions during the off season are now completed, how could a Braves fan not be excited?

Troy Glaus, Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Eric Hinske, Melky Cabrera, Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, Kris Medlen, and Nate McLouth will all likely make their first appearance on the Braves opening day roster and the buzz around the Braves forums, websites, and blogs is incredible.

Some, like Jon Heyman thinks the Braves had a “cheap” off season by stating that Atlanta was one of the top eight teams to not spend enough. Many view the Javier Vazquez trade as a loss and the acquisition of Troy Glaus, Billy Wagner, and Takashi Saito as injuries waiting to happen.

Sure the Braves did not land a big time free agent or make a trade for a huge bat, but small and subtle moves can lead to championships(See Werth, Jayson).

To fully understand the Vazquez trade one would need to look past last years numbers and look back upon career statistics. Tim Hudson has been markedly better than Vazquez over his career. Although it would be hard to expect a 2009 Vazquez type of season from Hudson, improvements from Kawakami and Lowe seem to be inevitable.

Sure Glaus, Wagner, and Saito have a great chance to get injured but the Braves have something they have not had in a long time across the board- depth. If Glaus goes down the power will surely be hurt, but Eric Hinske is a player who has been around the league a long time and has the ability to hit right handed pitching very well. If Saito or Wagner are injured, Craig Kimbrel and Kris Medlen will get opportunities to prove that they are quality prospects.

This Braves core now has a winning season under their belt. As Chipper Jones’ and Bobby Cox’s tenures as Atlanta Braves come to an end, players like Brian McCann and Tommy Hanson are ready to takeover the clubhouse and lead by example. The hard work these types of players put in are something that many teams across the league lack, and the comradery in the clubhouse is ever expanding.

Lastly, how could one forget about the top prospect in all of baseball Jason Heyward ready to start his career in an Atlanta Braves uniform? The big, talented right fielder has had Braves fans excited since 2007 and his debut gives the Braves not only hope for the season but hope for the future.

As a Braves fan expectations for this season can be understandingly pessimistic, but the opportunity for success is there, regardless of what some want to believe. Health and durability will be key for the Atlanta franchise this season, but even if they miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season the Braves franchise and fan base has to be a confident one moving forward.

Fred Lewis a Possibility?

Chris Haft of MLB.com covers a number of Giants-related topics in a mailbag, including how outfielder Fred Lewis “appears to have fallen out of favor with the organization” and “probably needs a change of scenery.”

via http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

This would be a very good opportunity to gain a quality platoon option for Matt Diaz for multiple years. Fred Lewis bats .286/.362/.443 vs. RHP. Last season Lewis had a 115 tOPS+ vs. right handed pitching, and he has a career 10.2 UZR in left field. We are not in dire need for a left field option or platoon partner, but this one makes sense to me if he is on the market. He has good defense, pretty solid speed, and some good potential, specifically if he is put into a strict platoon with a lefty masher.

Jordan Schafer

This may sound a bit surprising to many or even a bit out there, but I think when we hit the AL park this weekend we need to bring up Jordan. Normally, I wouldn’t even think of this but coming into the season it was noted that Schafer could be ready to take over duties in CF by the AS break. With the injuries and lack of performance in our outfield, Schafer could be exactly what we need to get this team going. He did miss the 50 games, but he was down in extended still playing and the way he performed in ST really made it seem like he’s near ready.

This team needs something, and he has been great since the beginning of ’07. Who knows, maybe Morton and Schafer could be our two big surprises this year and get us out of this funk.