Expect Roster Cuts This Week
By Fred Owens
Opening day is 20 days away and that means Braves roster cuts are coming. After assigning the name prospects to minor league camp and eliminating non-roster invitees who have no chance of staying we’re left with 37 players. So, who stays and who goes?
Guaranteed Roster Spots
I think it’s safe to assume that the following players have a guaranteed ticket to Atlanta.
| Christian Bethancourt | C | L |
| A.J. Pierzynski | C | R |
| Jace Peterson | Inf | L |
| Chris Johnson | 3B | R |
| Andrelton Simmons | SS | R |
| Eric Young Jr. | UT | S |
| Jonny Gomes | OF | R |
| Freddie Freeman | 1B | L |
| Nick Markakis | OF | R |
| B.J. Upton | OF | R |
| Julio Teheran | RHSP | |
| Shelby Miller | RHSP | |
| Mike Minor | LHSP | |
| Alex Wood | LHSP | |
| Craig Kimbrel | RHRP | |
| Jason Grilli | RHRP | |
| Josh Outman | LHRP | |
| James Russell | LHRP |
That’s 17 names with two, Upton and Minor starting the year on the DL. That means that there are 10 spots to be filled. Before looking at that I’ll dispose of the one’s who should already have packed their bags.
Bye Bye, Travel Safe
There are four names that won’t – or shouldn’t – be on the roster for any reason.
| Alebrto Callaspo | UT | |
| Kelly Johnson | UT | NRI |
| Donnie Veal | LHRP | |
| Matt Capps | RHRP | NRI |
Kelly Johnson’s bat isn’t any better than last year. In 15PA he has a double, a homer, a walk and three strikeouts. As one of the “Baby Braves” I and a lot of other Braves fans hoped he would bounce back but he hasn’t. Over the past three seasons his only value has been occasional power – 39 homers, 35 doubles and 6 triples – while slashing .226/.307/.379/.685 and striking out 329 times in 1285 PA. On a team that’s not challenging he’s dead weight.
Over the past three years Donnie Veal pitched a little for the White Sox throwing 48 1/3 innings with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.324 WHIP. This spring he’s thrown 3 2/3 innings and given up three run. Lefty relievers are always nice to have but we have better available in Josh Outman and James Russell. Keeping him in the minors is fine but he shouldn’t be on the 25 man.
Alberto Callaspo’s been a disaster. He came to camp over weight after failing to keep his vow to fix the weight problem he had last year. As I wrote earlier he’s not a good second baseman. He confirmed that hasn’t changed by committing clunkers that extended innings. If he was hitting the ball well we’d just say he was playing his way into shape but after today’s game he’s 3 for 24 and none of his hits have been of the extra base variety. Peterson is playing better defense and making solid contact. Gosselin is a better defender. Callaspo is dead weight and should be cut sooner rather than later.