Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: This is Getting Weird

So just how many third basemen can a team actually have?  The Braves have gone from about half-of-one to about five in a matter of weeks… but they are apparently still taking applications.

Just a day after we went to a lot of effort to contemplate potential trade partners for the delivery of Matt Adams to a contender, it seems that the Atlanta Braves are so enamored with his bat that bizarre scenarios are being contemplated.

This comes immediately after beat writer Mark Bowman suggested that perhaps Johan Camargo was impressing enough to earn at least a long look at the third base position:

"When Adonis Garcia was placed on the disabled list earlier this month, it appeared Rio Ruiz might get a majority of the starts at third base. But Camargo has essentially forced the Braves to keep him in the lineup on a daily basis and at least contemplate sending Ruiz back to Triple-A Gwinnett where he could play daily."

So Who’s on Third?

• Adonis Garcia?  He has to be thinking that his job is lost now… and his surgically-repaired thumb wasn’t even really that much of a concern before the medics scanned him.
• Rio Ruiz?  He’s now logged half the innings that Garcia has at the hot corner with 2 errors committed (Garcia has 5), but Rio is also not hitting – especially vs. RHP (.164), which was supposed to be his part of a platoon possibility.
• Danny Santana?  In case of emergency, break glass and Santana will play here.  At least he’s hitting a little now (.375 in June).
• Jace Peterson?  Not forgotten, but also the oddest man out of these odd men.  Wasn’t hitting very well at the major league level, though.
• Camargo?  Hitting .354 and almost cycled on last night.  1 error in 74 innings so far.  At least only one that was charged to him.

So that’s the five candidates… except that a sixth has suggested throwing his glove into the ring:

"As the Braves have discussed how to keep both Freddie Freeman and Matt Adams in the lineup once Freeman returns from the disabled list, they have not ruled out the possibility that one of these first basemen will become a third baseman.“We can’t rule out anything,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said."

Well, maybe you should rule out some things.

Picture Freeman at third base for a moment.   Could he scoop screaming liners hit toward him?  Maybe.  You could even say ‘probably’.

How about ranging to get them?  At that you’d have to say ‘maybe a bit less so’.  Maybe even a lot less so.

How about the patented Chipper-Jones-run-in-and-bare-hand-grab-and-throw to first on bunts and squibbed grounders 60 feet up the line?  Can you picture that?  I can’t either.

For sure, Freeman would have two or three sets of capable eyes to run him through drills and evaluate whether he could even be passable at the position:  Chipper, Terry Pendleton, and Ron Washington.  He wouldn’t be fooling any of these long time former infielders.

But even as the Braves seem to desperately want to put both Adams’ and Freeman’s bats into the lineup (admittedly that sounds enticing), you’ve got to think that there might be a defensive offset to consider.

Besides, the Braves really haven’t considered everything yet.

They haven’t yet applied to join the American League.

The Night That Was

Well, everything was going along just swimmingly until the 8th inning last night.  Julio Teheran truly deserved a much better fate… you could even argue that a complete game shutout was within sight.  Until…

• E – Dansby Swanson (12)
• E – Matt Adams (3)
• E – Ian Krol (1)

That doesn’t even count the earlier ‘single’ to Camargo at third who couldn’t make a play on the ball.

All of that plus a blast from Austin Slater killed the night as part of a 5-run 8th inning in which the Giants were gifted at least 3 extra outs and maybe as many as 5.  The Braves were actually lucky that Buster Posey ended the carnage with a first pitch double-play grounder.

But Teheran was brilliant – only the homer truly marred his night.  Julio was charged with 3 earned runs, but without the defensive gaffes, the Braves likely could have continued that Giants’ 0-for streak at SunTrust.

Here’s your box:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Next: So keep Adams or trade him?

Hopefully the month of July will be long enough – before Freeman is able to return – for the Braves to figure out the folly of Freeman at third base.

But according to Abbott and Costello, Who is playing 1st base… I Don’t Know is over at third – not Who.