Analyzing The Atlanta Braves’ Depth: http://bit.ly/9LNGFk

I posted a slideshow analyzing the Atlanta Braves depth on BleacherReport.com. Below is the introduction and a link to the BleacherReport.com article.

Depth is key to any team with legitimate playoff aspirations. The Phillies were able to win a world series with Matt Stairs having some key hits in there NLCS series against the Dodgers, and the Yankees benefited from having Brett Gardner running around the bases late in games last October.

One thing Bobby Cox has always managed to do with the Braves is maximize the potential of the Braves fringe starters and bench players. Willie Harris, Wilson Betemit, and Charles Thomas are a few players who were great with the Braves in limited roles and played pretty poorly with other teams.

This season the Braves have a number of position players who can move all around the diamond and this could be critical if the Braves hope to make the post-season for the first time since 2005. A long playoff drought is something that Braves fans have not come to expect out of the Atlanta franchise and in order to avoid another season of golf in October the Braves must get the most out of their high energy players.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/350966-analyzing-the-depth-of-the-atlanta-braves

Is Johnny Damon an Upgrade?

Currently, Johnny Damon is still unsigned and his market is continuing to drop. His price may eventually fall to the Braves’ supposed asking price of $2 million. My question is, is Johnny Damon at $2 million an upgrade over current options?

On its face, Damon’s 2009 season should make him a very valuable commodity. He set career highs in OPS+ at 126, isoSLG (The difference between his batting average and slugging percentage, demonstrating power numbers) at .207, and tied a career best with 24 home runs.

The problem with these numbers is that over the past three years his home and away statistics are separating more and more each season. As Damon has aged, he has used the short right porch in right field of Yankee Stadium to his advantage.

In 2007, his home OPS was .742 and away was .750, in 2008 his home OPS was .846 and away .827, and in 2009 his home OPS was .889 and away .776.

The dipping away OPS, along with his age, and -12.1 UZR/150 in left field last season makes it understandable why so many teams have been passing on Damon’s services.

The current options for left field are a Matt Diaz platoon with either Eric Hinske or Melky Cabrera, and possibly later in the season Jordan Schafer.

Hinske has similar career platoon statistics as Damon, and had 5.3 UZR/150 in the outfield last season—much better than Damon’s.

Cabrera was not on Damon’s level offensively last season, however, outside of Yankee Stadium the splits were not as vast as one would assume.

Cabrera’s .745 OPS in away games last year, coupled with his age (25), and his career 4.0 UZR/150 in left field make him just as serviceable in left field as Damon, in my opinion.

Lastly, unless Schafer proves to be a much better player than he was last season he is not a better option than Damon. However, if Jordan produces how he had before his injury last season and in his minor league seasons, then Jordan’s defense and offense would make him a very valuable and cheap option left field.

Outside of the current options, as previously stated Johnny Damon would cost at least $2 million. This would handcuff the Braves if they want to make a midseason trade as they did last season with Nate McLouth.

Johnny Damon was a crucial part of last year’s World Series champion New York Yankees, but Turner Field is not Yankee Stadium.

Maybe Damon can perform next year, but at the age of 36 moving into a bigger ballpark will severely decrease his overall value. The question still remains, is Johnny Damon at $2 million an upgrade over the Braves’ current options?

Brief Overview of Retaining Matt Diaz

Outside of straight production, which is usually my only factor in evaluating players, a guy like Diaz is essential for any good team. He is the Braves Nick Swisher. He has a fun loving attitude that keeps the clubhouse enjoyable throughout the season and just looks like hes having a blast every time he steps onto the field.

I’m not a big Bobby Cox supporter, but one thing you have to give him credit for is always making the most of his fringe-starters and bench players since he’s been in Atlanta. There are countless names that had improved numbers compared to the rest of their career when they played with the Braves in moderation.

Kelly Johnson and Matt Diaz

…posted by Ben Duronio

Kelly Johnson and Matt Diaz are the two most under-rated players in the Braves every day lineup. The importance of these two in this lineup is also under-rated. The Braves and all other organizations know what they’re going to get from guys like Chipper, Teixeira, McCann, and Francoeur. They know these are the hitters that drive in the runs and can truly put teams away.

With Kelly Johnson we have a player who at the top of his game is at the second tier of his position in terms of performance.

The first tier 2nd Basemen-

Chase Utley
Robinson Cano
Brandon Phillips

The second tier 2nd Basemen-

Jeff Kent
Orlando Hudson
Dustin Pedroia
Ricky Weeks
Brian Roberts
Kelly Johnson

Many sports writers and fans across America may not quite view Kelly as a second tier 2nd basemen. If you analyze the stats however, it is clear that he is comparable with all of the other players. Having the 5th highest OPS of all second basemen in baseball proves that he is a premier second baseman. His power numbers out of the position are great and only improving. The 52 extra base hits he had last season should be improved upon this season and he should see many more at bats as he has the full time job out of the gate this season. If he is able to put up 60+ extra base hits and 20+ home runs he will not only be setting up runs for Jones and Teixeira, but he will be driving in runs at a very high rate for a leadoff hitter. Every day that goes by it looks more and more like Kelly will be the leadoff man for this team. He will be the catalyst to one of the best offenses in the league, and for his position, there aren’t many other 2nd basemen who could do as good of a job as KJ.

Diaz isn’t quite a second tier left fielder, as left field is a very productive position in the past few years with names like Soriano, Holliday, Ramirez, Dunn, and Burrell heading the pack.

Matt hasn’t had 400 or more at bats in a season yet, and if given the starting job this season he is looking at possibly 500 or more. Diaz’s stats from the past two seasons stretched accross 500 at bats shows that he is a quality left fielder who can hit for a very high average. His isoOBP is low, but that is made up for by his high average. Last season if he had enough at bats, the only left fielder with a higher batting average was Matt Holliday. It appears that Diaz will hit in the eighth spot of the lineup a majority of the time, and he will have many opportuniteis to drive in Francoeur, McCann, and Kotsay. If is able to sustain his average over the course of 162 games and 500+ at bats then he could be seen as one of the most productive left fielders in terms of Runs Created per Game.

These two players will help eachother out. Diaz should be on base frequently and Johnson will have many opportunities to drive him in. If both of these players are able to improve on their seasons last year then this lineup top to bottom will be very effective and in the top of many statisitcal categories. Here’s to KJ and Diaz continuing to fly under the radar and put this Braves lineup over the top.