Atlanta Braves Spring Chop: about those hitters

The bats are looking a lot better this week… and perhaps no more than those belongs to players involved in a battle for the bench.

For the last several years, the backup/bench player selections for the Atlanta Braves seem to have boiled down to whoever was kinda doing okay at the time – and/or whoever didn’t have options remaining.

This year, options may very well be involved, but there does seem to be a genuine competition between players that actually have some value – both offensively and defensively.

• Danny Santana – plays virtually any INF/OF position.  Hitting .500 in 22 AB.
• Christian Colon – 2B/3B plus a little bit of SS (would he be called ‘Little Sexy’?).  He is finding a power stroke and hitting .375 in 16AB with increased playing time.
• Preston Tucker – Corner OF.  .300 in 20AB… his Achilles heel?  Not a stolen base threat.
• Rio Ruiz – 3B (learning 1B, but that’s not going to help his case much).  Got a homer recently, but still hitting just .172.
• Dustin Peterson – corner OF.  Rusty and hitting only .167.
• Lane Adams – OF.  Has speed and defense, but the bat isn’t catching up (.130), and that could result in his release in another couple of weeks (no options available).
• Charlie Culberson – INF, some OF in a pinch.  Likely wins a spot on the 25-man, though bat (.200) is coming around slowly.
• Chris Stewart – C.  Only 1 AB so far… not looking like the team is planning on carrying either he or Rob Brantly (9 AB) as a third catcher.
• Ryan Schimpf.  INF.  Still curious how the team is thinking about using him.  I’ve seen thoughts about everything between a 3B platoon (my idea) to being stashed in the minor leagues for depth.

Johan Camargo is still our odds-on favorite for the 3B starting role, though it’s clear that options abound.

So if the team carries the regular 8 position players + Kury Suzuki, that’s 9.  Add the initial 4 rotation members and we get to 13.  8 bullpen relievers gets us to 21.

Assuming Camargo is the third baseman and that Culberson gets a bye onto the roster, the handicapping right now looks like Santana and a wild card.  I would give the edge to Tucker since Ronald Acuna Jr. would be his replacement – maybe by late April.

Regardless who wins out – this bench looks a lot better than some of those we’ve seen in recent times.

Watch out for the Phillies

The Phils may not be done yet.  Some rumblings around suggest that they not only might be seeking Jake Arrieta, but if they do land him, they could then also pursue either Alex Cobb or Lance Lynn (source:  discussion from Sirius/XM MLB channel Wed. morning).

Getting both would suddenly leapfrog the Phillies up over the Braves in projections… and probably put them at least on par with the Mets.

Of all teams that still have money to burn, Philadelphia is almost certainly #1, and they have the ability to essentially declare themselves relevant at any point by writing a couple of checks.

Now sure: that’s not necessarily a panacea for what ails them, but while the Philly offense could probably hold its own, it’s their rotation that needs help… and having a pair of those free agents along with Aaron Nola at the top would go a long way to curing what ails them.

Teach… Your Pitchers Well

With apologies to Crosby, Still, Nash and Young (h/t @steelbells)… this thought involves the pile of pitchers that the Braves still have in contrast to the emptying shelf that the Tampa Bay Rays now have.

Just over a week ago, the Rays lost top pitching prospect Brent Honeywell to the same injury.  Jose De Leon was their 3rd best pitcher in the minors – at least by this reckoning.

So in the past few months, Tampa Bay has lost Jake Odorizzi to trade, Alex Cobb to free agency, lost reliever Chase Whitley (to the Braves via waivers), traded LHP Anthony Misiewicz, lost Steve Cishek to free agency, lost Sergio Romo to free agency, and lost Tommy Hunter to free agency.

They were already at the point where they have announced that they are going to try a 4-man rotation:

So they went from a club overflowing with pitchers to now where they are checking under seat cushions for pitching.

Now the Braves could probably offer the Rays a couple of spare parts to help them get by… but beyond that, this is a cautionary tale.

As a reminder, the Braves themselves lost two starting pitchers – Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy – nearly on consecutive days a few Marches ago – that required some significant late scrambling.

Since that time the Braves have managed to avoid this malady (for the most part), but it’s still something very much on the mind of all.

Next: Here's the Pitch

So with all of that “pitching surplus” the team has?  Don’t take it for granted.  Surpluses can evaporate… that quickly.