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Braves Ongoing Season Comments Thread..

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    PTDawgPTDawg Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    Doing well so far. Entire infield is top 3 at their position.  BMc is 2nd. Acuna has an outfield spot just about nailed down.
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    UGA4LifeUGA4Life Posts: 930 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    This offense right now is scary good.  If we can get quality pitching night in and night out, this team could make noise in October.
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    KirbstomperKirbstomper Posts: 1,102 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited June 2019
    Don’t want to be dumb and over react during a hot stretch, but this team is a handful of bullpen arms, folty figuring out how to be serviceable again, and kuechel being good from having an actual shot at the title.

    First time in about a decade I’ve seen an actual path to win it for the Braves. But still they are gonna have to make moves to do it.
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    WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited June 2019

    Of course I like the way the team is playing right now, but it's way too early and pitching is too spotty for me to declare them title contenders just yet. Baseball more than any other major sport is littered with teams that looked good for half a season only to be exposed in the second half of the season. 162 games can wear the thin pitching staff down.

    I like what I'm seeing from the offense right now though.

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    greshamdiscogreshamdisco Posts: 2,674 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    27 runs in two nights is hard not to like. 
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    SquillDawgSquillDawg Posts: 1,438 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited June 2019
    WC is right. Baseball is the oddest sport when it comes to projecting forward. That being said, the fortunes of this team are tied directly to the bullpen. Obviously we need a closer.(I'm on record as wanting Brad Hand once Cleveland goes sell mode.) But we need at least one more quality arm in the pen with some postseason experience.
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    WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Hand would be a huge plus, he's been really good for over 3 seasons straight, that is a very good indication he won't fold soon. Cleveland is still very much in the playoff hunt though and they just signed Hand last year. I'll be surprised if they put him out there unless they take a nose dive.

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    MeR3htidMeR3htid Posts: 2,525 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    Someone mentioned in the off-season that the Camargo kid was gonna solve the Braves shortstop issue and I reminded him that Dansby Swanson was gonna solve the Braves shortstop issue and DADGUMMIT if I wasn't right. Thanks so much Dansby!!!
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    donmdonm Posts: 10,241 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Swanson has been good. Next step is consistency - needs a good 2nd half. Baseball needs to add a 10th player like slo pitch softball - need to get Camargo on the field - he's wasting away. Culbertson, meanwhile is a bench machine. I like Joyce as well. Nice bench.

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    Bsampson0317Bsampson0317 Posts: 133 ✭✭✭ Junior

    I think Folty would benefit the team more by coming out of the pen. This would strengthen the bullpen and then would only need a closer.

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    WCDawgWCDawg Posts: 17,293 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited June 2019

    I think getting Folty back too form as a starter would have more value. I'd only consider moving him if it looked like he wasn't going to re-gain his form quick enough to be a difference maker starting. It's a lot easier to go 100% for an inning or 2 than pitch through a lineup several times.

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    UWGDawgUWGDawg Posts: 490 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Yes, if we get 2018 Folty back, that would be better than Folty in the pen.

    There are too many good bullpen arms out there via trade to give up on him that quickly

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    TeddyTeddy Posts: 7,109 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited June 2019

    Folty long term would be better for the team as a good starting pitcher. Short term, he's the #5 starter based on ERA at this current time, which you don't need in the playoffs. So, he could potentially be a bullpen arm if he gets a few chances to adjust to relief pitching in the regular season. Then back to starting pitching next offseason in an attempt to regain 2018 form.

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    KirbstomperKirbstomper Posts: 1,102 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    Interesting comment @loxahatcheedawg. I checked out Felipe Vasquez and he is putting up some very impressive numbers this season, and the since 2016 he’s been good honestly. That contract is worth it for a top end reliever. He has something like 50-65M in surplus value, meaning he would cost something like Pache and a lower end pitcher. Would you guys make that trade?
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    TeddyTeddy Posts: 7,109 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    Not sure I'd want to give up Pache. He may be Markakis' replacement in the next couple of years. Riley, Acuna and hopefully Pache sounds like an amazing homegrown outfield to me. Do they want Ender instead? 😂

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

    Teams almost always use surplus starters in relief roles in the playoffs. It doesn't take much adjustment. They can go 100% for an inning or 2.

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    KirbstomperKirbstomper Posts: 1,102 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    @Teddy if a team is giving away a good controlled player, it usually is gonna hurt to get them 😂. I don’t think ender is quite painful enough haha
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    TeddyTeddy Posts: 7,109 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
    edited June 2019

    Ender is good, albeit not the 40 games he played this year. He was an all-star season before last, and isn't too far off from being a .300 career hitter while being a good fielder. Is under contract through 2022 and has a 2023 club option.

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    UWGDawgUWGDawg Posts: 490 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate

    I wish Ender could sneak into the lineup just enough over the next month and a half to make him good trade chip. For most teams without the OF and minor league depth we have, he would be an amazing CF and 7-9 hitter. Or just a bench piece for a playoff team.

This discussion has been closed.