Show #154: Our Mid-season Report Card
The Best. The Worst. A Grade for Fredi. Predictions for the Second Half.
337 Responses to “Show #154: Our Mid-season Report Card”
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Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 14 » Show All
July 6th, 2011 at 1:52 am
I’m listening to atLANTA BASEball talk!!! And commenting as I go. Because I’m that lame.
Happy Birthday, Ham’s dad. Curt’s dad, sorry about Curt.
Pixar, you Fredi’d up bad when Wonder Stevie slams you. Knock it off!
I’m not buying the Schafer causing recent success. We’re 19-8 since Prado left us, so I’m no more prepared to credit Schafer’s presence than Prado’s absence. The offense is improving, but pitching is what’s doing this mainly.
I wouldn’t make much of Chipper being elected to the ASG in a year when he’s lesser than years he didn’t make it. It has everything to do with the poor year at 3B in the NL. Yeah, his history probably has something to do with them choosing Chipper over somebody doing about the same as him, but his year is plenty good to deserve it in a down year for the position. In other words, I don’t think this is a “he’s clearly retiring” movement.
Fair on Chipper’s surgery now. If nothing else, the rest for his whole body would be nice. But he’s not doing it.
I’m all in for Kimbrel as full time closer. I take back all I said to the contrary.
A BEE MINUS for Fredi Gonzalez? AAAAGGGHHHH!! Are you trying to hurt my computer? D+
Look, it’s not the choices he makes themselves, but his quotes about them that absolutely confirm how stupid headed they are. Heyward’s an RBI guy, so bat him 6th. Nate’s a human being, so bat him second. Proctor was in there, I thought we had ‘em right where we wanted. He makes NO SENSE. He’s not just baseball stupid, he’s actually stupid. He’s got regular stupid, and lots of it.
These line ups with two of the worst OBP’s in BASEBALL at the top are just outrageous.
And his lack of support for the guys during bad umpire calls … and his comment on JJ was just offensively spineless. Fredi’s bad parts are so bad that the only way he can possibly escape a score of F from me is his general gambling spirit with the line up, which I like, and the fact that, late as it came, at least he finally, in some ridiculously frigged up measure, admitted the Venters thing and took steps to correct it.
Very funny riff on Uggla as the forerunner to the comeback player of the year as an asset.
I’d take Bobby back in a split second with the one worry that he might put Venters in the hospital.
Favorite series was probably the second Phillies series win, the Civil Rights one. I know it was at home, but it capped a 4-2 week against the Phillies. However, the Seattle series is so much fresher on my mind and it’s hard not to love it the best.
Worst series: tie between the two Mets series. Yuck. I don’t hate the Phils, but I hate, hate, hate the Mets. Rather be swept by the Astros than lose two to the Mets. (David Wright and R.A. Dickey always excepted…)
Have to play Uggla the rest of the season. The investment is too big. Have no idea if he’ll improve, a complete coin toss for me.
19 wins for Jurrjens and 18 for Hanson.
I like the Phils to win the East. Nothing against the very good Bravos. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Braves won it, though. As always: Heyward and Uggla have the keys to that possibility.
Yes, the season ends against the Phils. I think it’s at home.
I’ll call a 4-3 week as well. 2 losses in Philly.
Great show, fellas. Kudos for recording again quickly.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:52 am
Holy Crap.
That’s the last time I post through a show. Sorry.
July 6th, 2011 at 2:03 am
Someone calling himself “squinch” just posted that D. Lowe had more RBI’s in today’s game than Alex Gonzalez has had in his last 73 AB’s. If that’s true, wow.
July 6th, 2011 at 4:11 am
Nice show guys.
Kimbrel brought it tonight against Colorado. Now tied for the record…
It’s the first game I have watched him this year.
(Yes, I have been out of it)
What is it with that weird set up he has?
He was hitting the low corners at 99mph…freaking made Giambi look really old.
I guess he seems young..a few overthrown pitches in the dirt.. but…yeeesh. Ain’t broke, don’t fix.
July 6th, 2011 at 8:13 am
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-passan_10_degrees_fixing_all_star_game_070411
July 6th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Bub- I am all for you posting while you listen.
July 6th, 2011 at 11:06 am
Loved the Tuesday Podcast, changing it up a little bit. But with Dan Strugla this year, how would you feel if they brought up Brandon Hicks from Gwinnett and moved him to 2nd. I have seen him play a couple of times and he not to bad. Right now he is batting .271, 13 HRs, and 29 RBIs. Other then that, who else in the minors do you give a chance in the majors. Maybe give him a jump start or something just to get him going and turn it around for the 2nd half.
July 6th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/07/05/all-star-game-troubles/index.html?xid=siextra_070611
July 6th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
curt, you wouldnt bat bourn leadoff in this lineup? i say foul on that one. :- )
you have to play uggla, because this team needs him to hit. if uggla isnt playing and hitting, this team wont make it all the way. hes not hitting much now, but hes more likely to hit if he is in the lineup. know what i mean?
besides, uggla is still making it happen in the power department. we do need that pop in the lineup.
July 6th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Re Bourne. Yeah, I meant to bring that up in the show last night but got sidetracked. He’s hitting .280, his obp is over .350 and he has 30+ steals. I would absolutely lead him off.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Notice that Verducci did not call for the ASG to be meaningless (i.e. not for WS home field advantage) – just to change how it is played/managed. I am for that. In some ways, it has the potential to be the best game of the year.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Congrats to Sluggla. Yes, Uggla may have turned it around or maybe he will continue to be a slugger one day and a slug the next.
July 6th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
#12 was mine (don’t like “anonymous”)
July 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Michael Bourn to the Braves.
If you agree that in comparing McLouth and Shafer, McLouth is the better hitter and Schafer is the better defender…
Bourn is a better hitter than McLouth, at least as good a defender as Schafer and a better base stealer than either (best in league right now? best in MLB?).
He is relatively cheap to own and I think could be had for McLouth and prospect or two) not including Delgado, Terhan, etc.
He wouldn’t cause a log-jam in the OF when Prado comes back and would be the leadoff man (w/ Prado hitting second) that we have needed…
July 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Fair
Surprised that Hanson didn’t make it. A little surprised that Kimbrel didn’t make it.
Not really surprised that Chipper and Venters made it.
Would have been aghast is McCann and JJ didin’t make it…
July 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Foul
Let Prado get back before fixing Chipper’s knee.
July 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Thanks, Hammy.
Something I haven’t heard mentioned: bad as Uggla is, you know he still makes pitchers very nervous. Just the combination of his past power and really his current power, too, as far as power goes. Yesterday’s two walks speak to that.
Speaking of which, I liked the two walks almost as much as the XBH’s.
July 6th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Foul
Keep Kimbrel as closer.
(I still wish I knew what McCann said to him in the TX series. He has been a different pitcher since then…)
July 6th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Mark in Memphis, Bourn would cost way more than that. A premium prospect, a second tier prospect, and Schafer at minimum. They’d have no use for McLouth in a walk year.
July 6th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I can live with the B- on Fredi
I understand he is trying to load up on right handers against a lefty pitcher, but to that end, the only right handers we have are low-average/high strikeout guys…
July 6th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Bubdylan “Bourn would cost way more than that. A premium prospect, a second tier prospect, and Schafer at minimum.”
hmm…no, less than that, but were are getting closer!
July 6th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
BUT Uggla’s homer was another of the same he has hit almost all his this season… A mistake on the inner half that he could hit even though he was pulling off the ball.
I wish Fredi/Parrish would walk up to him and say something like:
“We are going to change your approach at the plate.”
“From now on, you take everything you swing at the other way. I don’t care where the pitch is, if you decide to swing at it, it better be aimed at right or right-center. EVERYTHING. You don’t, you sit.”
“What you have been doing up till now hasn’t worked. A definition of insanity is doing the same thing, over and over, expecting different results. A new season starts now.
”
If that doesn’t stop him from pulling off the ball, I am not sure anything will. If you see him miss that outside pitch and go to (or towards) a knee, his head led toward left field…
July 6th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
19
I don’t necessarily agree, but even so.
I would be willing to consider that as long as the premium isn’t Terhan or Minor (I don’t include Beachy as a prospect anymore). But if you include Schafer in the deal, I don’t see it taking more than adding Delgado.
July 6th, 2011 at 2:28 pm
DAP, you think we can get a guy who’s put up 3.3 WAR in half a year, in a CF starved market, who doesn’t cost much, for less than Delgado, Schafer, and Hoover? He’s been worth as much as McCann this year. Would we give up McCann for less than three unknowns?
July 6th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Good signs:
Freddie Freeman
There were MANY around baseball that wondered if he would hit enough for the Braves to be able to play him at first in a pennant race. The though was that with the expected offensive production from Heyward, Uggla, Prado, McCann and Chipper, that the Braves could overcome any shortfall in offense from that “corner infield” spot.
Brian McCann
NO EYE TROUBLE!
Tommy Hanson
More consitantcy, going deeper in games.
JJ
Pitching instead of throwing.
A Gone
Defensive prowise we didn’t see last year (but heard about)
Uggla
SO MUCH better defensively than we were led to believe. Expectations were a “sub-Brooks-2010-playoff” capability. What kind of record would we have if he were that bad defensively AND not hitting?
Bullpen
With all the press about players, coaches and the like trying to talk (I actually had to pause for a moment typing this to remember his name) Billy Wagner into one more season. Even with Proctor and early season Linebrink, we have one of if not the best ERA in the league.