Re-visiting the Braves “Ideal 25-man roster”…

The Braves are in first place, however there are numerous concerns that flood even the most feeble of Braves’ fans.  There are some experiments the Braves are running that are face planting in front of millions of viewers, and those viewers are wondering when the Braves will make the necessary changes.

Here’s your chance to be heard!

If you were given Frank Wren’s job and, arbitration clock/salary dumping be damned, what would be the 25-man roster of which you’d put in the dugout for the foreseeable future? I’ll kick this party off!

Lineup:

1. Jason Heyward

2. B.J. Upton

3. Freddie Freeman

4. Justin Upton

5. Evan Gattis

6. Chris Johnson

7. Tommy La Stella

8. Andrelton Simmons

Rotation:

1. Julio Teheran

2. Mike Minor

3. Aaron Harang

4. Ervin Santana

5. Gavin Floyd

Bullpen:

1. Craig Kimbrel

2. Jordan Walden (I realize he’s on the DL and wouldn’t be available tonight, but he’s on my ideal 25 for the rest of ’14)

3. David Carpenter

4. Luis Avilan

5. Alex Wood

6. Anthony Varvaro

7. David Hale

Bench:

1. Ryan Doumit

2. Jordan Schafer

3. Gerald Laird

4. Ramiro Pena

5. Joey Terdoslavich– not the ideal fit(really, there’s no one in the organization that is the ideal fit) but gives much more pop than Pastornicky and more contact than Uggla.

Who doesn’t make the cut?

Two legs of the 2nd base tripod…

1. Tyler Pastornicky–  He’s been given a few chances to succeed and has made no impact.  Rushing him back this year was probably a mistake by the Braves.  In 259 Major League plate appearances, he has a .612 OPS with only 11 XBH.  Letting him marinate in Gwinnett would do him good.

2. Dan Uggla– It’s obvious that the Braves do not intend to use Dan in any significant role, and rightly so.  If that’s the case, his time is no more.

A guy I still like, but might need more time…

Ian Thomas–  Like many, Ian doesn’t seem to have anything left to prove in the Minor Leagues.  His Major League  FIP (2.83) still suggests that he has been very unlucky, but don’t expect a manager to look at those results, especially when the reliever in question is a rookie and has coughed up 2 games in 9.2 innings. The Braves already have a mop-up man in Varvaro and Ian as a lefty would not fit that mold.

So, what do the armchair GMs out there think?