Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, Brandon Phillips Fitting In Nicely, Aaron Blair’s New Pitch?
By Jeff Schafer
Blair hoping slider will propel him into rotation
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: So this is interesting! We learn so much within the first week of Spring Training. Last season, Blair struggled with an “out-pitch” meaning when getting ahead of hitters, he was struggling because everything he threw, hitters could touch.
That leads to throwing more pitches, getting tired quicker, giving up more hits, more runs…it’s a trickle effect.
Now as we head into 2017, we’ve learned that Blair continued to develop the slider he tried working on in 2016. If you recall the final game he pitched in 2016 against the Tigers. Blair threw six innings and had 10 strikeouts.
In August and September while with the Gwinnett Braves, Blair had time to work on this pitch and he may have perfected the pitch. Early reports from Orlando is that he’s looking good and can compete for a starting rotation job. Very different from what we were hearing only a couple days ago.
"Aaron Blair has returned to Spring Training with the out pitch he finally developed just in time to end his frustrating rookie season, when he threw a dazzling 10-strikeout performance against the Tigers. But the Braves right-hander understands that last year’s inconsistencies potentially mean he’ll to need to wait for another call to the Majors.“We had our opportunities last year,” Blair said. “We faulted with some opportunities and took advantage of some. They’re here to win. They brought in three veterans. That’s what those guys are here to do. So, anything that will help the team.”Along with the right attitude, Blair now has the potentially effective breaking ball that he lacked most of last season."
R.A. Dickey brings knuckleball back in style for Atlanta Braves
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: When you look back to where we were two years ago and then last year and now today, it’s amazing the work the Braves front office and John Coppolella has done. Many didn’t think the Braves would be competitive in 2017…even as late as last year…but something told me the Braves weren’t going to be satisfied heading into a new ball park with a not so good team. Coppy was going to do everything he could to make sure the Braves had a competitive roster going into SunTrust Park.
The Braves rotation is exciting now. The lineup is exciting. The bullpen is even exciting. And let’s not get started with the minor league teams.
Julio Teheran, Bartolo Colon, RA Dickey, Jaime Garcia, Mike Foltynewicz — that is a solid five and we’ve got youngsters Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair perfecting their stuff in the minors just waiting for an opportunity.
If you’ve flaked off because the team wasn’t so good in the past few years, you better jump back on the wagon…quickly!!
"Niekro and Dickey are two of the knuckleball’s great advocates, the former ushering the eccentric pitch into the Hall of Fame in 1997, the latter riding it to the Cy Young Award with the Mets in 2012.Nobody understands the actual and metaphysical ups and downs of this pitch better than the few who have tried to corral it. (“I never mastered it. I was still trying to figure it out my last year throwing it,” Niekro said.)Which means that the original Atlanta Brave, the statue-worthy Niekro, and the “new” 42-year-old guy brought in to shore up the Braves rotation might be something of co-dependents this season."
Next: You Should Probably Get To Know Braves OF Connor Lien
Brandon Phillips already bringing leadership, flair to Atlanta Braves camp
Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Mr. Brandon Phillips, aka DatDudeBP, was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 2nd round of the 1999 draft out of Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
In 2002 he was involved in a blockbuster trade — that may have resulted in the Expos’ leaving for Washington — that sent Phillips, Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens to the Cleveland Indians for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.
After struggling badly with the Indians, on April 7, 2006 Cleveland traded Phillips to the Reds for a PTBNL. Wow.
I’m guessing both the Expos and Indians wish they hadn’t made those two trades, but do you see where I’m going with this??
Now we flash forward to present day…well a few days ago…when the Reds traded Phillips to the Braves for Andrew McKirahan and Carlos Portunondo. All three of Phillips’ teams have kinda given up on him and he rises to the scene with each new team.
So at first was I skeptical about this trade? Yes, but after seeing the Reds are paying the majority of his salary, we gave up very little and the fact he’s on a mission to prove himself…I definitely changed my mind!
One last question…who’s Batman and who’s Robin?
"Say what you will about the 2017 iteration of the Atlanta Braves but they will be a fun club to watch. A large part of that is the team’s influx of interesting veterans including Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, and, of course, DatDudeBP,Brandon Phillips.Phillips, a two-sport standout at nearby Redan High School in Stone Mountain, GA, has relished his return to Atlanta.Already, the flamboyant second baseman has made his presence known, and seems like a tremendous asset to the club."