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Will The Braves contend this season ?...

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Comments

  • donmdonm Posts: 10,241 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    DeGrom got sent home for an MRI. If he goes on the IL, the Mets will suffer and the Bravos chances of making the playoffs go up a bit. What is it with the Met's pitching staff? They seem to have a dark cloud hovering over their heads.

  • WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Coastal. I assume you meant Sobotka is going to be a good reliever, Soroka is a starter.

  • coastaldawgcoastaldawg Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    WC. You’re right, meant Sabotka. Was glad to see Soroka finally come back and start the other night. Would like to see him stay healthy and stay in the rotation for the rest of the season. Him, Fried, and Touki have been the most impressive to me in their appearances with the big Braves. Sabotka has shown great stuff, expect big things out of him when he gets back to throwing strikes.

  • KirbstomperKirbstomper Posts: 1,102 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited April 2019

    You want a high OBP guy to lead off. Some people say you don’t wanna waste too many homers there. You definitely don’t want to be stealing and risking outs in front of your best hitters.

    Freeman for leadoff hitter 2019

    PS freeman has hit between 30-40 homers only once in his career, he’s never really been a big home run guy. But 20-25 with a high OBP and plenty of extra base hits is still plenty good.

    Also, analytics say the 3 hole is not where you want your best hitters to hit. Because they have the most at bats with 0 on and 2 outs

  • WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Kirb. FF had 34 hrs when he was 26, about the age many players realize their power potential. He got off to a similar start the next season, then he got injured. He's never re-gained that power level, which is what I was referring to earlier. Freddie is so big and his swing is so controlled, power should come easily as just a biproduct of making consistently good contact.

  • RDDawgRDDawg Posts: 235 ✭✭✭ Junior
  • bmauldinbmauldin Posts: 4,807 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Offense looks good, defense looks good, bullpen is ABSOLUTE trash...

  • AndersonDawgAndersonDawg Posts: 1,875 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Like the energy of the team. Relief pitchers toss batting practice. Need a reliable closer. They had the best and let him go to Boston.

    I hope I am wrong but I am afraid they will contend and then pretend.

  • AndersonDawgAndersonDawg Posts: 1,875 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Question for baseball experts. When opposing teams put exaggerated shift on for Freeman, why doesn’t he bunt down third base line. Seems to me if he started doing this, either he gets a single every time or opposing teams would modify shift and open up some holes on the right side.

    What’s wrong with my thinking?

  • WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited April 2019

    Anderson. I suspect advanced metrics killed the bunt. Bunting and stealing bases are both nearing extinction. On the other hand video never did really kill the radio star, maybe bunting will cycle back into favor at some point.

  • BankwalkerBankwalker Posts: 5,348 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Baseball is too macho of a game for that.

    They won’t contend without a closer. How can they? It seems unimaginable at this point, yet there still sits Kimbrel.

  • donmdonm Posts: 10,241 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I think teams would be happy if he started bunting....better than the doubles/HR he seems to hit a lot of.

  • orlandoorlando Posts: 2,322 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited April 2019

    Green light to steal on the Braves all day. Can’t remember the last time they threw someone out. Have to add all the walks here lately also, hopefully they get it together

  • WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited April 2019

    If you jump in the way back machine to the late 1980s you'll see it took several years for Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux to develop into the pitchers they became. Looking at the number of untested pitchers we're running out there it will take some luck for enough of them to mature this season to contend for a division title. It isn't impossible, just dicey.

    Glavine over his first 3 seasons was 9-21 with close to a 5.00 ERA.

    Maddux was 8-18 over his first 2 seasons.

    Smoltz was 78-75 through his first 7 seasons and he wasn't the pitcher we think of till he was 28 years old. I know things have changed with everybody throwing as hard as they can. Pitchers reach their peaks earlier and usually wear out younger, but it still takes time with all but a few to learn how to be consistent.

  • volatilisvolatilis Posts: 3,239 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Going into today's first game of the DH, Atlanta was tied for 4th for the most walks given up by relief pitchers. I was actually surprised they weren't first. Only 6 behind the Orioles, so they might take that lead after today. I'm thinking there are some pitchers in our farm system that can throw strikes.

  • coastaldawgcoastaldawg Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Wouldn’t surprise me to see Julio sent to the bullpen when Folty finally gets back and joins the rotation. Could be good move for both Julio and the club, he’s been decent the first time through the order in most of his starts this year. Rotation of Folty, Gausman, Fried, Soroka, and Touki looks pretty good.

  • volatilisvolatilis Posts: 3,239 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Interesting idea. Wonder how he would take to that assignment? With the right mindset, he could definitely help out the bullpen.

  • GeorgiaGirlGeorgiaGirl Posts: 1,854 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I think Julio gets a rogue IL stint first.

    Matt Carpenter explained why you rarely see the bunt against the shift. Teams are perfectly okay with a weak single. You can bunt ten or twenty times in a row and they're not changing their defense, because as long as they get the next batter out, they did their job by giving up just a weak single. They're more afraid of the extra base hit from the hitters they shift.

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