On this date in 2005 Braves center fielder Andruw Jones hit his 50th home run in the eighth inning of a 12-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Curacao native became the first major leaguer to reach the plateau since Alex Rodriguez hit 57 homers playing shortstop for the Rangers in 2002. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Blue Jays Plus goes deeper into Brett Cecil vs. Sean Rodriguez.
- Inside The Zona says the D’Backs could be a match for Yasmani Tomas.
- Beisbol’s talks Chris Davis and amphetamines.
- Camden Depot has a bone to pick with WAR.
- Beyond The Box Score held their own expansion draft.
- MLB Reports explains why the Marlins’ future is very bright.
- WFAA looks back at the Elvis Andrus for Justin Upton trade that almost was.
- NYY Fans looks at the pros and cons of re-signing Brandon McCarthy.
- Rays Colored Glasses says Evan Gattis would make sense for Tampa Bay.
- Orioles Nation is high on Chance Sisco.
- Ian Thomas Malone argues for the DH.
Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
I also see Tampa as a destination for Gattis. His cheap years would end as he was reaching the downside of his career, and the Rays have controllable position players who would improve the Braves offense and defense. Now if they could just find places for BJ and CJ.
The braves can’t afford to lose any offense.
The offense they have isn’t that great. 14th in runs scored won’t get it done. Add two regulars who get on base and drive the ball, put Bethancourt behind the plate (improving the defense), and get a new hitting coach …
Which is why they can’t afford to lose it. I’m not even sure what they can do. They have a good 2b/SS prospect, but he doesn’t have power, and Upton and Heyward will probably be gone soon.
That’s why you move Gattis for an OF or two. The Braves have too many unathletic guys who strike out far too often. You can get by with a couple in your lineup, but when you have five or six, it’s impossible to score runs unless everyone hits HR. The lineup needs more balance, and Gattis is the player who could bring the largest return. Plus, Bethancourt upgrades the defense immensely, even if he’s no better offensively than Simba.
I never understood why the Rangers gave Andrus that extension. They did the same with Michael Young and didn’t learn anything about big extensions for players barely above the mediocre level. People will argue Andrus wasn’t mediocre, but the signs were there if you watched him every game: lapses in decision-making, fielding errors and a slump-prone bat. The Rangers envisioned keeping Andrus at SS, putting Profar at 2B and moving Kinsler to 1B–would have worked too if they hadn’t gone wimpy when Kinsler balked at the idea. The Rangers need to do what they did with Young and move a player wherever they want–a contract is a contract…you play where your employer tells you to.