Atlanta Braves News: The Morning Chop, Sign Former Football Player Sanders Commings

USA Today

Revamped lineup gives Braves plenty of hope heading into ’17

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: The Atlanta Braves can’t start off as bad as they did in 2016…you know why?  Because we’re playing the Padres, the Pirates and the Marlins in the first 11 games.  Yes, we start off with the New York Mets, but I still see us winning at least one of those games.  

The Braves lineup is going to be solid in 20-17.  Georgia boys Matt Kemp, Dansby Swanson and Brandon Phillips will carry this team along with superstars Ender Inciarte and Freddie Freeman.  This is the most complete lineup the Braves have had in YEARS.  Yes, including the Upton/Uggla years.  Hitters one through eight heading into the year is exciting!  

This lineup will cause major headaches for opposing managers when they’re looking to their bullpen to get hitters out…take a look at how it’s shaping up

Inciarte – lefty

Swanson – righty

Freeman – lefty

Kemp – righty

Markakis – lefty

Phillips – righty

Ruiz – lefty

Flowers – righty

Obviously, if you put in Adonis Garcia things change a little bit towards the end of that lineup, but you get the picture.  I like Rio Ruiz and within a few weeks we’ll see if he’s able to win the starting third base job or not.

"A lineup that was downright embarrassing at the beginning of last season looks a whole lot more imposing, bolstered by slugger Matt Kemp, top prospect Danby Swanson and three-time All-Star Brandon Phillips.“It’s going to be an exciting year for us,” said Freddie Freeman, another key part of the batting order.That’s a far cry from last April, when the Braves started 0-9 and were held to fewer than four runs in 13 of their first 23 contests."

Yahoo Sports 

The Braves are giving another football player a chance to try baseball

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: So kind of shocking or I guess I should say out of the blue signing yesterday happened.  Braves GM John Coppolella is taking a chance on a former Georgia Bulldog and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback and safety.  Commings played DB at Georgia from 2009 to 2012 and was selected in the 5th round of the 2012 draft by the Chiefs.  He only appeared in two games because of injuries and what not.

The Braves must have saw the video’s Commings’ agent Jerry Hairston Jr posted on social media.  Not going to lie, this kid may be able to play!

Scroll down to Hairston’s third tweet here.  He says multiple teams were aggressive in signing Commings, but he decided to go home.  Wow, so other teams were involved.  This could be a good signing.  

I’m guessing Commings will start pretty low in the Braves minor leagues since he hasn’t played baseball since high school.  We’ll certainly keep our eye on him though and see how he progresses this season.

"Deion Sanders, Brian Jordan … and now Sanders Commings?The Atlanta Braves have continued their franchise lineage of two-sport athletes by reportedly signing ex-NFL cornerback Sanders Commings to a minor-league deal. Yes, to play baseball. The news was first reported by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.As Rosenthal notes above, Commings has Georgia roots, so that might have helped the Braves give him a shot. This is otherwise a gamble, albeit a low-risk one. It’s not like they’re throwing millions of dollars at him. Commings is 26 but hasn’t played baseball since high school. He was good enough then to get selected in the 37th round of the draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks."

Next: Focal Point for Atlanta Braves Prospects, pt. 1

Larry Brown Sports 

Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth team up for ‘Step Brothers’ photo

Tomahawk Take Editor’s Note: Sure, you may hate the name Bryce Harper and probably can’t stand his face or that beard … but this is pretty funny.  Harper and Washington Nationals teammate Jayson Werth posed for a picture during Spring Training to replicate the poster of the 2008 Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly film Step Brothers.  I think they did a pretty solid job…could have been better, but still funny.  

Yahoo Sports took the extra step and Photoshoped Harper and Werth’s heads onto Ferrell and Reilly’s bodies.  Now that’s good stuff!

"The Washington Nationals held picture day on Thursday, and Bryce Harper teamed with Jayson Werth for one heck of a photo.The duo recreated the often-memed photo from the comedy “Step Brothers.” Harper even included a quote from the movie when sharing it on Twitter.And this nice Photoshop job by Yahoo Sports on Twitter:"