Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop and Box Score 9/23

USA Today

Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren fired

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note:  By now, you’ve heard about the firing of Frank Wren and in the waiting of a new GM the Braves will have a three man committee…John Schuerholz, John Hart and Bobby Cox.  Wren made some awful moves in his day but you can also argue that he made moves to shake up the team.  When he first signed B.J. Upton or Dan Uggla many were excited about All-Star caliber guys coming to Atlanta…but they just didn’t pan out.

The Atlanta Braves, frustrated and angry with their dysfunctional team, fired Frank Wren as their general manager Monday morning and hired John Hart to be their interim GM.

It is the first firing of a Braves GM or manager since 1990.

Braves CEO Terry McGuirk had grown increasingly frustrated with the team, and in August, a high-ranking Braves’ official told USA TODAY Sports that Wren, and possibly even manager Fredi Gonzalez, would be fired if the Braves failed to reach the playoffs.

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CBS Sports

R.I.P.: 2014 Atlanta Braves’ season

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note:  The Atlanta Braves definitely have some work to do this offseason but still have a great deal of core players to turn this organization around.  If it wasn’t for the month of September, the Braves are still competing for the NL East in 2014.  I see a new Braves built with “The Braves Way” in 2015 and will again contend for the NL East crown.

For starters, the Braves simply can not score. They average only 3.57 runs per game, second worst in baseball ahead of only the Padres (3.30). That’s with Freeman, Upton and Gattis producing like borderline MVP candidates. Atlanta has scored three or fewer runs in 89 of 155 games, or 57 percent. That’s no way to compete.

The Braves simply had too many black holes in the lineup. Andrelton Simmons went from 17 home runs and a 90 OPS+ last year to seven home runs and a 75 OPS+ this year. Chris Johnson hit .321 with a 124 OPS+ last season. This season? He hit .264 with an 83 OPS+. B.J. Upton (71 OPS+) and Dan Uggla (34 OPS+) remain colossal big contract busts, though at least they cut their losses and released Uggla at midseason. Furthermore, the Braves had one of the least productive benches in the league.

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Baseball Reference

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note:  If you had to pick the worst team in the league at this given moment, I think the Braves have to be in consideration.  They are currently playing awful and can not get a run across the plate.  It’s embarrassing at the water cooler talking about the previous nights game.  Aaron Harang put together another great outing going seven innings and only giving up one run on four hits.  But no run support and Harang takes another loss.