Atlanta Braves Morning Chop – Caravan
Roster Upheaval Having Impacts on Marketing?
ALAN CARPENTER / TOMAHAWKTAKE.COM
The Braves Winter Caravan is now underway, but I’m guessing the turnout isn’t going to be as high as in years past. The reason? Nobody knows who to expect at any given venue.
Yesterday was the first stop – at Warner-Robins, GA. It was only known in the past couple of days that Alex Wood was added to a player contingent of David Hale and Todd Cunningham. Newly-acquired reliever Josh Outman was then drafted at the last minute.
As for today’s stop (Spartenburg, SC), the player announcements have been even slower in coming. Only yesterday morning did we first see a hint: Cunningham (again) and minor league catcher Braeden Schlehuber. Late in the day, reliever James Russell was also added.
Thus far, there are no other players on the schedule for any of the remaining dates. Kinda hard to sell the event if you have no idea who’s going to be there.
Then again, that somewhat describes this entire off-season, doesn’t it?
Report: Braves pursuing Gomes for LF
CORY MCCARTNEY / FOXSPORTS.COM
Jonny Gomes. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Last week’s trade of Evan Gattis to the Astros created some uncertainty as to who will be in left field for the Braves this season, but they reportedly are chasing down a partial answer.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported Tuesday that Atlanta is pursuing veteran outfielder Jonny Gomes for a platoon role with Zolio Almonte.
Gomes, 34, spent last season with the Red Sox and A’s, hitting a collective .234/.327/.330 with six home runs, eight doubles and 37 RBI in 209 at-bats. The 12-year veteran is a career .244 hitter, though Gomes been near that number once in the last four years with a .262 average in 2012 when he was with the Nationals.
[ Ed. note: we also have this from Dave O’Brien this morning:
#Braves talking to Jonny Gomes. Possible LF platoon w/ ZAlmonte, who hit .360/.415/.558 vs. RH in D.R. Gomes .276/.373/.371 vs. LH in '14
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) January 21, 2015
]
Trade frenzy reshaped Braves’ Top 20 prospects
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Five of the top 10 and 11 of the top 20. That’s how many newcomers have been added to Baseball America’s updated Braves prospects list since the season ended, a list overhauled much like the team’s roster and its scouting and player-development staffs since the 2014 season ended.
The new prospects all were added to the organization in trades between mid-November and mid-January, beginning with the Nov. 16 Tommy La Stella trade that brought reliever Arodys Vizcaino. That was a mere warmup for the big Jason Heyward trade the next day (Nov. 17), and things rarely stayed quiet over the next 8 1/2 weeks right up through the Evan Gattis trade Jan. 14.
It’s been dizzying. Braxton Davidson, the Braves’ first-round pick in last year’s June draft, was No. 6 in Baseball America’s ranking of the top-10 Braves prospects published after the 2014 season. He wouldn’t have made the top 10 if BA waited till Jan. 15 to do the list.
[ Ed. note: he’s now 11th. TomahawkTake has been working on our own list – we hope to have that out soon. ]