Atlanta Braves Promoting Todd Cunningham
Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Todd Cunningham (26) runs toward first during a spring training baseball game at Champion Stadium. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
When Kelly Johnson injured himself during a swing on Wednesday evening, the next immediate question was this: “Who will be called up to replace him?” Via Mark Bowman’s mailbag column, we have the answer:
"When will the Braves see what they have in Todd Cunningham and some of Triple-A Gwinnett’s other players?— Aaron K., Cumming, Ga.This question was asked before it was learned that Cunningham would be promoted to fill the roster spot created when Johnson was placed on the DL on Wednesday night."
Ummm, Why?
Astute readers will quickly point to these two lines in the Gwinnett Braves’ stats chart:
- Adonis Garcia: .347/.380/.455/.834
- Todd Cunningham: .286/.356/.352/.708
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There is an easy answer to the question “Why Cunningham and not Garcia?” It’s the 40-man roster. Cunningham is on it; Garcia is not.
Note that whoever got the call for an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to Miami has to know that his time in Atlanta is temporary, and most likely will end once Kelly Johnson is fully mended. In the case of Adonis Garcia, that means the possibility of losing him through DFA waivers as would be required to get him back to AAA (I won’t go into all the 40-man roster details, but suffice it to say that the Braves need all the space they can get, and right now it’s at 39 names).
In the case of Cunningham, a demotion would be a simple matter of ‘optioning’ him back to Gwinnett… no danger of losing the player to another team for free.
But that’s probably not the only reason to call up Cunningham.
Another Reason
Ah, but there’s another possible angle. In Cunningham’s case, he would not merely be filling in for Kelly Johnson. He might actually have the chance to compete for a real job.
Eric Young has already lost his starting role in Center Field to Cameron Maybin. If Todd Cunningham can put on a run over the next couple of weeks, then Young might end up losing his spot on the team all together.
Young is hitting .171 with a .237 OBP. While his speed and defense are big parts of his game, you have to get on base to (a) use that speed effectively; and (b) earn the chance to be in the outfield.
If Cunningham can show that he does all that with better offensive numbers, then Eric Young’s days could be numbered.
So while I’m sorry to disappoint the riders on the Adonis Garcia bandwagon, know that there’s likely more going on here than a simple DL-replacement promotion. There’s a real dogfight for a roster spot.