Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Are the Atlanta Braves Rebuilding on the Fly?


The Atlanta Braves have shaken up the National League East pecking order a little this week when they traded second baseman Tommy La Stella for RHP and former Atlanta Brave and New York Yankee Arodys Vizcaino. The team then traded away homegrown talent and local boy Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals along with RHP Jordan Walden for RHP Shelby Miller and a highly regarded pitching prospect. Maybe I have become accustomed to expecting to win every season and I am losing my understanding on what it’s like to be in a smaller market with a smaller payroll but this sounds like a rebuild to me. This sounds at least like a rebuild on the fly anyway.

Pitching reigns supreme right now in that division and the Braves have lost, at least for now, Ervin Santana to free agency along with Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen to Tommy John surgery so I understand the need for pitching. At what cost does the pitching get too heavily relied on? Ask the 2014 Yankees who had a great pitching staff, injuries and all, and an even better bullpen but lost far too many 1-0 type games because of an inadequate offense. The Braves offense was already suspect with Heyward and La Stella so I can only imagine what Atlanta will be like without them.

I understand that it’s only November, 19 and there is a ways to go in this offseason but you have to wonder what new GM John Hart is thinking. Atlanta does not have a second base prospect less than a year away and the market for middle infielders is barren so why does a team trade away a guy with five years left of team control at what is becoming a premium position? Also one would think the Braves have a lot better chance at re-signing Heyward after 2015 then they do Justin Upton who is also a free agent at season’s end so why not trade Upton? The return is bigger and better and it still opens a position up for Evan Gattis.


I don’t think the Braves are done dealing soon to be free agents for controllable players and I think Upton and Gattis may be next because if it looks like a rebuild and smells like a rebuild and walks like a rebuild, it’s a rebuild. 

Major League Players Born on November, 19

There were more than a few notable players born on this day that went on to play Major League Baseball and today we honor them. Let’s take a look at the list of MLB players that were born on November, 19. 
Rk Name Born Yrs From To ASG R H HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS W L ERA WHIP
1 Michael Tonkin 1989 2 2013 2014 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.26 1.352
2 Bryan Holaday 1987 3 2012 2014 0 25 47 1 17 .241 .280 .303 .582
3 Michael Saunders 1986 6 2009 2014 0 226 396 51 182 .231 .301 .384 .685
4 Brad Harman 1985 1 2008 2008 0 1 1 0 1 .100 .182 .200 .382
5 Jonathan Sanchez 1982 8 2006 2013 0 10 23 0 9 .115 .157 .155 .312 39 58 4.70 1.464
6 Jeff Gray 1981 5 2008 2012 0 0 0 0 0 7 3 4.99 1.514
7 John-Ford Griffin 1979 2 2005 2007 0 7 7 2 9 .304 .370 .696 1.066
8 Ryan Howard 1979 11 2004 2014 3 760 1303 334 1058 .265 .355 .526 .881
9 Jeff Bailey 1978 3 2007 2009 0 25 31 6 16 .228 .340 .434 .773
10 Justin Duchscherer 1977 8 2001 2010 2 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 33 25 3.13 1.137
11 Clay Condrey 1975 6 2002 2009 0 2 3 0 0 .120 .120 .160 .280 18 12 4.10 1.470
12 Mario Valdez 1974 3 1997 2001 0 18 43 2 21 .238 .352 .315 .667
13 John Roskos 1974 3 1998 2000 0 1 4 0 2 .082 .151 .143 .294
14 Andy Sheets 1971 7 1996 2002 0 118 207 19 113 .216 .271 .321 .592
15 J.J. Thobe 1970 1 1995 1995 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9.00 2.250
16 Jeff Berblinger 1970 1 1997 1997 0 1 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
17 Steve Dreyer 1969 2 1993 1994 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 5.71 1.629
18 Gary Disarcina 1967 12 1989 2000 1 444 966 28 355 .258 .292 .341 .633
19 Jeff Hartsock 1966 1 1992 1992 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 6.75 2.036
20 Jeff Hearron 1961 2 1985 1986 0 2 6 0 4 .200 .273 .233 .506
21 Dickie Noles 1956 11 1979 1990 0 9 24 0 11 .136 .158 .164 .322 36 53 4.56 1.450
22 Bob Boone 1947 19 1972 1990 4 679 1838 105 826 .254 .315 .346 .661
23 Bobby Tolan 1945 13 1965 1979 0 572 1121 86 497 .265 .314 .382 .696
24 Aurelio Monteagudo 1943 7 1963 1973 0 0 2 0 0 .200 .200 .400 .600 3 7 5.05 1.394
25 Larry Haney 1942 12 1966 1978 0 68 198 12 73 .215 .252 .289 .542
26 Manny Jimenez 1938 7 1962 1969 0 90 273 26 144 .272 .337 .401 .738
27 Joe Morgan 1930 4 1959 1964 0 15 36 2 10 .193 .263 .283 .547
28 Bob Thorpe 1926 3 1951 1953 0 22 83 3 32 .251 .266 .323 .590
29 George Yankowski 1922 2 1942 1949 0 0 5 0 4 .161 .161 .226 .387
30 Roy Campanella HOF 1921 10 1948 1957 8 627 1161 242 856 .276 .360 .500 .860
31 Eddie Morgan 1914 2 1936 1937 0 8 14 1 8 .212 .325 .303 .628
32 Steve Gerkin 1912 1 1945 1945 0 2 2 0 0 .059 .059 .059 .118 0 12 3.62 1.363
33 Stu Martin 1912 8 1936 1943 1 322 599 16 183 .268 .327 .361 .688
34 Harley Boss 1908 4 1928 1933 0 64 139 1 61 .268 .309 .341 .650
35 Joe Glenn 1908 8 1932 1940 0 77 181 5 89 .252 .330 .334 .664
36 Elmer Tutwiler 1904 1 1928 1928 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 4.91 1.091
37 Joe Palmisano 1902 1 1931 1931 0 5 10 0 4 .227 .320 .273 .593
38 Harry Courtney 1898 4 1919 1922 0 19 41 1 23 .252 .282 .374 .657 22 26 4.91 1.648
39 Billy Zitzmann 1895 6 1919 1929 0 197 268 3 89 .267 .333 .336 .668
40 Everett Scott 1892 13 1914 1926 0 552 1455 20 551 .249 .281 .315 .596
41 Mike Regan 1887 3 1917 1919 0 12 23 0 1 .223 .273 .252 .525 16 15 2.84 1.260
42 Jack Nabors 1887 3 1915 1917 0 1 9 0 0 .106 .136 .106 .242 1 25 3.87 1.472
43 Bill Bailey 1881 1 1911 1911 0 1 1 0 0 .111 .111 .111 .222
44 Charlie Atherton 1873 1 1899 1899 0 28 60 0 23 .248 .313 .318 .631
45 John Roach 1867 1 1887 1887 0 0 1 0 1 .250 .250 .250 .500 0 1 11.25 2.750
46 Denny Driscoll 1855 4 1880 1884 0 37 57 1 5 .167 .191 .199 .390 38 39 3.08 1.195
47 Al Pratt 1847 2 1871 1872 0 41 52 0 32 .267 .270 .390 .660 12 26 4.41 1.535
48 Nealy Phelps 1840 5 1871 1876 0 6 5 0 2 .109 .128 .130 .258


As you can see by the list a few former members of the New York Yankees made the list including Bill Bailey, Everett Scott, ans Joe Glenn. The list also includes notable players Michael Saunders, Ryan Howard, Joe Morgan, and Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella.