Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop 12/21
By Jeff Schafer
Too early to give up on Braves in 2015
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Lets not jump off the bridge just in for the 2015 and possibly the 2016 season. Many are throwing the rebuilding word out there but I’m sitting in the boat where we scream Restructuring. Yes, the Braves traded away one of the best hitters in Justin Upton but that had to be done…plus the Braves got four strong prospects in return. Evan with all the offseason changes, I still feel Atlanta will still have a squad in 2015 that will compete.
"Regarding the 2015 Atlanta Braves, let’s assume the worst. Let’s assume that John Hart, who bears the lengthy title of VP of Baseball Operations but is the architect of this massive remodeling job, is finished for the offseason except for a few tweaks here and there.If so, are the Braves destined to scrap with the Philadelphia Phillies to avoid last place in the National League East? The consensus answer among baseball analysts is yes. Jason Heyward, who led the team in batting average after the All-Star break … gone.Justin Upton, who led the team with 29 home runs and 102 RBI … gone."
B.J. Upton: Major League Baseball’s lost sibling
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: A once perfect situation for the Upton family…they had both children playing in the same town for the same team. What more could you ask for? Well possibly the older brother to play better. BJ now seems like the step child who is still sticking around. They say he will be a different player in 2015 but with the speculations and trade of his brother, does that change his attitude? Hopefully he can be a man and realize his potential as a ball player.
"Looking at his entire body of work is the equivalent of attempting to solve an incalculable trigonometric equation. His highest home run total was in 2012 for Tampa Bay when he hit 28 shots and slugged .454. B.J. also crushed 24 homers and slugged .508 in 2007. His strongest speed display was in 2008 when he stole 44 bags. B.J. also walked 97 times and had a .383 on-base percentage that year. His worst campaign was his debut season for Atlanta in 2013. In 126 games, he batted .184 and slugged .289. He struck out 151 times in 391 at-bats. The next year, B.J. hit .208 with 35 RBIs in 141 games. He managed to accumulate just 108 hits and 173 strikeouts.These earlier numbers tell the story of an All-Star talent with every physical tool imaginable. The recent statistics reveal the tale of a fringe ability player with more detriments than positives. Through the first two years of his deal, Atlanta is paying for the dream of B.J. and receiving the ultimate nightmare. This has spawned reports of Atlanta trying to package his horrid deal with an appealing hitter like Evan Gattis. No team will eat all that money, but B.J. must still have his talent somewhere trapped within his thin frame."