Atlanta Braves Spring Chop: Roster moves, notes from Monday

Those pitchers I’ve highlighted as having given up roughly half the runs allowed so far this Spring?  Some of them are no longer in the mix for a bullpen slot.

The Atlanta Braves made another move today to eliminate another bullpen candidate.  They also added an interesting third baseman, but that was a subject from earlier today.

But let’s get to the bullpen first:

• Josh Ravin:  outrighted from the 40-man roster to make room for the newly acquired Ryan Schimpf.  Apparently, this has been in the works for a bit, as Ravin has already cleared waivers and has been reassigned to AAA Gwinnett.  He held the distinction of having the 4th highest Spring ERA (13.50) with a 3.00 WHIP and .444 batting average against (BAA).
• Jason Hursh was reassigned over the weekend.  He remains on the 40-man list for now.  His ERA was #1 at 23.62.
• Akeel Morris was also optioned to Gwinnett, but this is a case of one thing not looking like the other.  In 2.1 innings this Spring, Morris had a 0.00 ERA, and a .125 BAA.  However, he had also walked (and stranded) 4 batters, which was probably at least 2 too many.
• The next candidates on the bubble are likely Miguel Socolovich (18.00), Luke Jackson (15.43), and Rex Brothers (12.27).

In addition, some pitchers from the minor league camp have been invited up to the major league camp for both a look and some additional help in terms of innings:

• RHP Sean McLaughlin (March 1st)
• LHP Michael Mader (1st)
• LHP Corbin Clouse (3rd)

That’s good, because the Braves built a 6-1 lead today against the Pirates, then held on for dear life for a 7-5 final, with the Bucs scoring twice in the 9th against Rex Brothers.  As noted above, he continues to struggle…. with 3 walks and a hit allowed today.

Wait, What?

Let me introduce you to Christian Colon.  He’s closing in on 29 years old and was originally drafted in 2010 by the Royals as the 4th overall pick. The Braves picked him up on a minor league deal last December in an under-the-radar move.

He is a 2B/3B type… not terribly unlike the player Atlanta acquired today… including stature (an inch taller at 5’10” and 185 lbs).

The difference?  though he’s hit for average in the minors, he has struggled with that in recent years in the majors, dropping from .333 in 2014 to .290 in 2015, .231 in 2016, and then .160 in 2017… all in limited playing time.  He also has shown very little in the way of power.

Now being with the Royals for a while (through 2016 – and he has a well-earned World Series ring) means that he’s familiar with Kevin Seitzer – which certainly explains his ‘informalness’ about the Braves hitting coach in this interview.

So why was he being interviewed?  Because he had a 2-for-3 game on Saturday with a homer and five RBI.

In fact, he now has nine RBI on the Spring after getting 3 more today (bases-clearing double) and is hitting .375, while getting increasing playing time.

But it’s the “how” factor that this interview focused on… actually its the information he volunteered when asked about his recent hitting prowess.

"“I’ve been working on my swing a bunch, obviously with this whole launch angle stuff,” Colon said. “We’ve been trying to adjust to that, and I’m trying to get the ball in the air at times, without getting away from who I am and the approach that I bring. It’s been working out.”"

He mentioned ‘buying in’ to the approach that Kevin Seitzer was selling him on… yes, the same Kevin Seitzer that preaches driving the ball – not launching it:

"Seitzer stresses a patient approach, with a goal of hitting the ball to all fields."

So… now we have a change in philosophy here?  That’s interesting.  Honestly, I thought (maybe ‘hoped’ is the better word) that the term “Launch Angle” was going to be one-and-done from 2017 and hardly carry over at all to this season.

Apparently the Braves’ analytics department and the hitters are getting together and realizing that balls driven in the air tend to fly out of SunTrust Park with a frequency similar to that of the old launching pad that was Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium… especially toward right field.

So Colon is buying in… and getting some results.

So the Braves also have a newly-acquired left-handed-hitting third baseman who is an “extreme” fly ball hitter, too.  Someone who hit a lot of dingers despite being mostly at Petco Park (391 to the alley; 382 to straight right field).

SunTrust Park is 375 to the right-center alley, tapering from there to 325 in the corner.  Yeah, there’s a 16 foot wall, but… sufficiently lofted fly balls will clear that.

Next: Don't Hurt Him!

Well now… this might be fun to watch.