Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Remaining Braves Spring Training TV Schedule
With the Braves Spring Training season a little more than halfway complete, here's a quick summary of the team's tv schedule over the next few weeks. Being from Upstate, NY, I've also included some local/regional stations. Please feel free to let me know if you have any additions, edits, etc. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Thoughts At The Braves Halfway Point
As the snow begins to (slowly) melt here in Upstate, NY, the Braves have reached the halfway point of the 2011 Spring Training season. As I think most would agree, for the most part, the team has been pretty impressive over the past few weeks. Here are some of my thoughts so far:
The Good
Starting Pitching – While it’s only Spring Training, Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy all have ERAs under 4.00, with Jurrjens the highest at 3.86. Lowe hasn’t given up an earned run during his 9 spring innings. Most believed the Braves starting rotation would be a strength heading into the 2011 season and it’s looking like that will be true.
Nate McLouth – After a horrid 2010 season, it looks like Nate might have figured out his swing again. In 28 PA, he’s hitting .429/.600/.667 with 7 BB, 1 HR and 3 RBI, often hitting out of the second spot in the order. Perhaps most importantly, he’s putting the bat on the ball, having only struck out once so far this spring. A resurgent Nate McLouth will be a big part of a successful Braves season.
Chipper Jones – Chipper returns from a torn ACL and at 38 years old, many wondered if he would still be able to play at a high level. Well, he’s done a pretty good job at addressing those concerns. Following another productive day at the plate Sunday against the Astros, Chipper’s hitting .353/.421/.647 with 2 HR, 4 2B and 8 RBI over 34 AB. It’s great to see some power returning to his swing. He hasn’t had any issues fielding 3B or running the bases. He’ll surely be given a number of days off throughout the season, but hopefully he’s able to continue with the healthy and productive play.
Jason Heyward – The power hasn’t really been there (2 XBH in 24 AB), but J-Hey continues to hit and get on base (.417 AVG, .517 OBP). It would seem that those numbers would suggest a spot towards the top of the order instead of the 6 spot that Fredi Gonzalez is suggesting, but we shall see. Jason’s been battling a few nagging small injuries over the past week or two, so starting Opening Day healthy seems to be his main priority.
The Good
Starting Pitching – While it’s only Spring Training, Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy all have ERAs under 4.00, with Jurrjens the highest at 3.86. Lowe hasn’t given up an earned run during his 9 spring innings. Most believed the Braves starting rotation would be a strength heading into the 2011 season and it’s looking like that will be true.
Nate McLouth – After a horrid 2010 season, it looks like Nate might have figured out his swing again. In 28 PA, he’s hitting .429/.600/.667 with 7 BB, 1 HR and 3 RBI, often hitting out of the second spot in the order. Perhaps most importantly, he’s putting the bat on the ball, having only struck out once so far this spring. A resurgent Nate McLouth will be a big part of a successful Braves season.
Chipper Jones – Chipper returns from a torn ACL and at 38 years old, many wondered if he would still be able to play at a high level. Well, he’s done a pretty good job at addressing those concerns. Following another productive day at the plate Sunday against the Astros, Chipper’s hitting .353/.421/.647 with 2 HR, 4 2B and 8 RBI over 34 AB. It’s great to see some power returning to his swing. He hasn’t had any issues fielding 3B or running the bases. He’ll surely be given a number of days off throughout the season, but hopefully he’s able to continue with the healthy and productive play.
Jason Heyward – The power hasn’t really been there (2 XBH in 24 AB), but J-Hey continues to hit and get on base (.417 AVG, .517 OBP). It would seem that those numbers would suggest a spot towards the top of the order instead of the 6 spot that Fredi Gonzalez is suggesting, but we shall see. Jason’s been battling a few nagging small injuries over the past week or two, so starting Opening Day healthy seems to be his main priority.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Pictures of Braves, Vizcaino vs. Red Sox
A friend of mine is a big Red Sox fan and is down in Florida right now to catch a couple of their Spring Training games. Fortunately, that means he was able to see the Braves play, as well. He was kind enough to pass along these shots, including Arodys Vizcaino in action. Enjoy!
Monday, February 28, 2011
So Spring Training Started?
So according to one or two articles I’ve read online, apparently Spring Training started recently. You could have fooled me as I look outside and still see a foot of snow on the ground. So it was a bit odd watching the Braves play the Mets in sunny Florida on tv while my heater was on full blast.
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| Credit: timesunion.com |
The one thing that’s starting to get me in the baseball mood is planning this season’s trips. Being a Braves fan in Upstate, NY means you really have to plan ahead to see your team play. Right now I’m looking at 1 or 2 games against the Nationals in DC during opening weekend, 2 or 3 games at Turner Field in June, 2 or 3 games against the Cubs in Chicago in August and probably a couple games against the Mets in New York throughout the season (that’s really the only same-day trip to see the team play). The Gwinnett Braves also play in Syracuse in August, so I’m hoping to catch a game or two there, as well.
But until the regular season starts, Spring Training will hold my attention from afar. Over the first few games, I’ve been pleased with how the regulars are doing and have been happy to see Nate McLouth start off strong. Outside of seeing how some of the prospects play, here are the main questions I have for the next month:
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
What's The Deal With Barbaro Canizares?
Ever since I really started following Braves prospects a few years ago (instead of simply being aware of who the top up-and-comers were), the one player whose situation has puzzled me the most is 1B/DH Barbaro Canizares. The Cuban defector was signed by the Braves in early 2006 and has spent nearly his entire career in the team's minor league system.
Taking a look at some of his stats and accolades, without any preconceived thoughts, we see that Canizares put up a .341/.403/.504 line last year with 13 HR and 77 RBI in 425 AB with the Triple A Gwinnett Braves. That .341 average was tops in the International League (3 guys were next closest at .319, including some guy named Freddie Freeman) and was named to his third consecutive IL All-Star team (3 post-season selections, 2 mid-season selections). And don't think this was a one-year fluke. His 4 season Triple A slash is .314/.374/.458, almost dead equal with his career (5 seasons) minor league line of .314/.375/.455. The guy doesn't strike out much (about 12% of his Triple A plate appearances) and has remained relatively consistent throughout his career (his worst OPS in 4 Triple A seasons was .785 in 2008). And Barbaro continues to impress in the off-season. He led his Obergon Mexican Pacific winter team to the league title and a berth in the Caribbean Series, hitting .320 with 12 HR and 45 RBI in just 56 games. Canizares stepped it up in the seven-game championship series, mashing 2 HR and adding 8 RBI. Sounds like a decent player, right? Especially for a team that hasn't had much to get excited about at 1B over the past handful of season (this year being the exception, of course).
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Off-Season In Upstate, NY
Braves pitchers and catchers report in just a couple weeks and the team opens up their 2011 season against the Nationals in a little more than 2 months. While I'm beginning to see a faint light at the end of the baseball off-season tunnel, Upstate, NY is still looking at 2 more months of winter. With the third snow storm this month hitting the area a few days ago and temperatures recently dipping below zero, baseball still seems like a long way away....
Since the sub-header of this blog mentions the thoughts of a Braves fan, specifically in Upstate, NY, I figured I might as well share some of those views. One thing I've noticed while following a number of ATL/GA/South Braves fans and media outlets on my Braves State of Mind twitter account is that the end of baseball season simply means COLLEGE FOOTBALL. I'm not sure (most of) us in the northeast can truly understand the college football passion in the south..and most other parts of the country, for that matter. I do consider myself a college football fan and have season ticket's to my alma mater's FCS team, but it's not a season that I spend each year desperately waiting for. The closest FBS team is Syracuse and they haven't exactly given fans much to cheer about since the Marvin Harrison, Donovan McNabb and Dwight Freeney days ended 10 years ago. There are a number of FCS teams in the northeast, but while the quality of play is still solid, it's not as exciting as having 100,000 fans in a stadium each Saturday afternoon.
In thinking about it a few days ago, I realized my sports focus are mainly on two things: baseball (Braves) and college basketball. This is my 5th season as a season ticket holder for UAlbany Great Danes basketball. The team plays in the America East conference with Vermont and Boston University, among others. I think the college basketball season helps me get through the (much too) long Upstate, NY winter as I wait for baseball season..especially on days like this past Thursday when my team destroys a conference-rival by 39 points.
The timing of the two seasons almost work out perfectly, too. For the most part, the Braves regular season runs from April through September. The Danes college basketball season begins in November and pushes into the first few days of March. In good years for my teams, I have almost no sports drop-off. A Braves run into the play-offs eats up enough of October while Great Danes victories past the conference tournament semi-finals keeps me busy into much of March.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm done with the Upstate, NY snow and cold temperatures for this year and can't wait for another Braves season (and I wouldn't mind seeing my Danes go dancing into March Madness in a couple months, either).
Since the sub-header of this blog mentions the thoughts of a Braves fan, specifically in Upstate, NY, I figured I might as well share some of those views. One thing I've noticed while following a number of ATL/GA/South Braves fans and media outlets on my Braves State of Mind twitter account is that the end of baseball season simply means COLLEGE FOOTBALL. I'm not sure (most of) us in the northeast can truly understand the college football passion in the south..and most other parts of the country, for that matter. I do consider myself a college football fan and have season ticket's to my alma mater's FCS team, but it's not a season that I spend each year desperately waiting for. The closest FBS team is Syracuse and they haven't exactly given fans much to cheer about since the Marvin Harrison, Donovan McNabb and Dwight Freeney days ended 10 years ago. There are a number of FCS teams in the northeast, but while the quality of play is still solid, it's not as exciting as having 100,000 fans in a stadium each Saturday afternoon.
In thinking about it a few days ago, I realized my sports focus are mainly on two things: baseball (Braves) and college basketball. This is my 5th season as a season ticket holder for UAlbany Great Danes basketball. The team plays in the America East conference with Vermont and Boston University, among others. I think the college basketball season helps me get through the (much too) long Upstate, NY winter as I wait for baseball season..especially on days like this past Thursday when my team destroys a conference-rival by 39 points.
The timing of the two seasons almost work out perfectly, too. For the most part, the Braves regular season runs from April through September. The Danes college basketball season begins in November and pushes into the first few days of March. In good years for my teams, I have almost no sports drop-off. A Braves run into the play-offs eats up enough of October while Great Danes victories past the conference tournament semi-finals keeps me busy into much of March.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm done with the Upstate, NY snow and cold temperatures for this year and can't wait for another Braves season (and I wouldn't mind seeing my Danes go dancing into March Madness in a couple months, either).
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Where Has All The Power Gone?
For the past 20 years, Braves baseball has meant solid, if not stellar, starting pitching. Whether it be Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz or Hudson, Hanson and Lowe, Atlanta's starting rotation is more often than not one of the best in the league. With a prospect pipeline that includes Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Randall Delgado, Arodys Vizcaino, Brandon Beachy, etc, etc., that trend should continue. But while a strong rotation has been the hallmark of the franchise over the past two or three decades, the team's unprecedented division dominance from 1991-2005 also included some bats with power. Comparing those 15 years to the 2006-2010 seasons, we begin to see what's perhaps a notable factor as to why the Braves haven't tasted much divisional success recently.
From 1991-2005, the Braves had big poppers like David Justice, Fred McGriff, Ryan Klesko, Chipper Jones (in his prime) and Andruw Jones to anchor the middle of the order. Over the past 4 or 5 years, as Chipper's power has declined, much of that load has been placed on Brian McCann's shoulders. While Brian is certainly one of the best hitting catchers in the game (as evidenced by his 4 Silver Slugger awards), he's not the type of player who Braves fans can expect hit 30 HR a season. McCann has led the team in homers each of the last 3 seasons without hitting more than 23 (in 2008). A serious power bat would give the Braves a true one-swing walk-off type threat instead of continuing to rely on stringing together 2 or 3 hits in tight late-game situations.
From 1991-2005, the Braves had big poppers like David Justice, Fred McGriff, Ryan Klesko, Chipper Jones (in his prime) and Andruw Jones to anchor the middle of the order. Over the past 4 or 5 years, as Chipper's power has declined, much of that load has been placed on Brian McCann's shoulders. While Brian is certainly one of the best hitting catchers in the game (as evidenced by his 4 Silver Slugger awards), he's not the type of player who Braves fans can expect hit 30 HR a season. McCann has led the team in homers each of the last 3 seasons without hitting more than 23 (in 2008). A serious power bat would give the Braves a true one-swing walk-off type threat instead of continuing to rely on stringing together 2 or 3 hits in tight late-game situations.