Atlanta Braves Morning Chop – Nov 5
"“Remember remember the fifth of NovemberGunpowder, treason and plot.I see no reason why gunpowder, treasonShould ever be forgot…”"
Ooookay…. so what does a 409-year-old poem have to do with the Atlanta Braves? Or baseball in general?
Well, sometimes you have to be a student of history in order to learn from it.
On November 5th, 1605, a man by the name of Guy Fawkes was caught in a room beneath the Houses of Parliament in London. Accompanying him was several large barrels of gunpowder… like 36 of them. This was to be the date that the legislative session opened… directly overhead.
Under some ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, the plot was fully uncovered. Fawkes, along with his several co-conspirators, was convicted of treason and sentenced to die in a most expressive manner: hanged until mostly dead, then multilated, drawn, and quartered. Fawkes was to be the last of the executions on that day. But once the hangman’s rope was placed about his neck, he opted to leap from the platform – thus killing himself instantly and avoiding the pleasantries that were to follow.
In doing so, Fawkes became an instant folks hero… albeit posthumously so. He had tried to blow up the Government. Failing that, his last act in life on earth was to foil the plans of the King. He thus became an international symbol for all those who have complaints about whatever government one could wish to have a complaint about. Today is his day.
Oh right: baseball.
This writer has been an occasional advocate of “blowing up” the roster of the Atlanta Braves – trading their best tradable assets in the hope of a brighter tomorrow. The occasion of Guy Fawkes Day… and the article below from Atlanta All-Day… seems to be a good time to remind us of this.
I don’t actually recommend trading everybody – but I do believe that strategic moves should be done to both replenish the farm system and also re-shape the team into one that features OBP, fewer srikeouts, and more speed.
It is evident in our analyses over the past month that changes will need to be made – notably, there is a position jam in left field… possibly also for second base. But we’ll have to see what John/John has in mind.
In the meantime, this is… the Guy Fawkes edition of the Morning Chop.
Could Jason Heyward and/or Justin Upton be traded?
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Many have called for sweeping changes to the Atlanta Braves roster, and that is a natural reaction given the woeful offensive performance of the team during the 2014 season. Still, this “core” of talent is just one season away from a 96-win campaign, and that has spurred some (including myself) to resist wholesale change for the sake of wholesale change. Regardless, there are a few pieces on the roster that could
easily
be dealt for a large return, and
($) has included both
and
as players who could be “dangled” for the right price during the off-season.
It should be no surprise that both Heyward and Upton land on this type of list, and the reason is simple. Both players will reach free agency following the 2015 season, and with the current financial state of the Atlanta Braves organization (including long-term deals already handed out to Freddie Freeman and others), it seems unlikely that both will be retained past the ’15 campaign.
Jason Heyward is a homegrown asset for the organization who happens to double as the best defensive right fielder in baseball. That seems like a pretty strong combination, but seemingly no matter what he does, Heyward will be chased by the substantial hype that accompanied him throughout the minor leagues. Skeptics of Heyward’s game will point to a slash line of .271/.351/.384 on the season with only 11 home runs, but in the same breath, he adds incredible value with the glove, in addition to being one of the best overall base-runners in the National League.
In the case of Upton, a deal arguably makes even less sense. The 27-year-old possesses the best right-handed bat in the organization on the heels of a 29-home run season, and with the club in turmoil offensively, it would seem slightly on the side of crazy to jettison Justin Upton without a substantial return.
Arizona Fall League Update
Believe it: Peoria has pulled into a tie for first place in their division after having reeled off 3 straight wins! But here’s how our Braves are doing:
- Edward Salcedo. .253… and still no errors in right field over 19 games (tops on the squad). He also has 19 Ks, though 6 BB and 6 doubles.
- Daniel Castro. He’s fallen to .217, though many of his teammates are struggling against the good pitching that’s on display.
- Kyle Wren has now been in 9 games, though he’s only hitting .194… likely the result of the inconsistent playing time.
- Aaron Northcraft: 14 innings and a 3.14 ERA. The 7 walks vs. 8 Ks remains a concern.
- Brandon Cunniff: 4.22 ERA in 11 innings with a large number of hits (14) and 1.69 WHIP.
- Ryne Harper: somehow his 4.22 ERA looks a lot better than Cunniff’s: 0.94 WHIP with 13K, and 2 walks in 11 innings. I am wondering if he doesn’t end up with a Spring training invite after this.
- Nate Hyatt: another story from the AFL… 1.13 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 8 innings.