Spring Training Thread

[msstate7]

If shewmake continues to hit in AAA, I think he's our SS by beginning of May

[CJC]

Folks acting like it's some travesty that Arcia is the opening day SS over Grissom or Shewmake are severely overestimating how good those guy are likely to be. Arcia is likely to be an unspectacular SS, just like Grissom would have been. The choice at SS moves the needle very little. He’s a full 100 points higher than Arcia’s run. Arcia also hasn’t carried even that level to the MLB.

We should see if Grissom’s bat can play in the big leagues for more than 6 weeks. Arcia will not hit.

The moment Arcia was acquired it was blatantly obvious he was the stopgap after Swanson left, and I stated as much the day the trade occurred.

Grissom has shown he can hit above an .850 OPS in his time in the minors.

[Hulavol]

Folks acting like it's some travesty that Arcia is the opening day SS over Grissom or Shewmake are severely overestimating how good those guy are likely to be. Arcia is likely to be an unspectacular SS, just like Grissom would have been. The choice at SS moves the needle very little.

The moment Arcia was acquired it was blatantly obvious he was the stopgap after Swanson left, and I stated as much the day the trade occurred.

I’ll give you credit here. Not only did you call this, but you also said this meant the Braves were going to let Dansby walk.

And I was thrilled with that because of Grissom. Not right away mind you.
I honestly think Grissom is a star in the making with his bat and advanced knowing what to do at the plate. :)

So, only one thing makes sense here.
I fully expect to wake up tomorrow and see that we have traded Grissom, Shuster, both Andersons, Shewmake, Elder, and Vodnik to the Cubs for Ernie Banks. Keeping Dodd and Soroka.

[weso1]

Whatever. It is a long season. Arcia is capable of holding down the position for a while.

[CyYoung31]

That's because only an idiot would go into the regular season with Arcia as their SS unless they've had about 4 injuries and a payroll like the Marlins.

Arcia isn’t bad.

[striker42]

Arcia isn’t bad.

There's a very, very real chance he's replacement level this year. His defense has been his only real value in his career and that has steadily eroded to the point he's been below average the past two years. He's never been much of a hitter and still isn't.

He's bad.

[The Chosen One]

The good news is if Rosario and Ozuna show life, then Arcia basically becomes the least of our worries. And if he doesn't pan out then Shewmake or Grissom will be up here in no time.

I also think Arcia is there as a steady hand to help Ozzie get back into things. While Swanson was the primary shortstop for a long time, Arcia for sure has practiced with Ozzie way way more than Shewmake and Grissom. And because Ozzie missed so much time it's probably sensible to have him turn double plays with someone he's familiar with.

[50PoundHead]

The only thing that sucks as fans is not having advance stats that I am sure the front office has. Getting a bunch of soft hits doesn’t make a player better than a guy hitting .100 with rockets everywhere.

However, I wonder if twitner had a bigger role in this. Wanting to keep the 2 vertan scrubs over a rookie.

It's always amusing. If a good move is made, it's Anthopoulos' doing. If it's questionable, it just has to be Snitker. I have no way of knowing, but I'm pretty certain that when it comes to roster construction, it's 95% front office. In-game is obviously different.

[bravesfanMatt]

It's always amusing. If a good move is made, it's Anthopoulos' doing. If it's questionable, it just has to be Snitker. I have no way of knowing, but I'm pretty certain that when it comes to roster construction, it's 95% front office. In-game is obviously different.

I know what you are saying.. it is the same as when a prospect is raking, he is so ready, but when one of our pitching prospects struggles, clearly working on a pitch and results shouldn't matter.

That said, I have a different feeling about spring cuts. I think it is more 50/50. AA says, these guys are making it because they have X dollars allocated to them.. however, twit, you decide on the fringe guys.. here are the list of players you can pick from and what options they have left or contract status they have. That is why I said what I said. Not because I have this burning desire to punch twitner in the face.

[UNCBlue012]

Gammons: “Last week Braves coaches were concerned Vauhnn Grissom had an issue in the hernia area.Now he opens the season in AAA”

[CyYoung31]

Gammons: “Last week Braves coaches were concerned Vauhnn Grissom had an issue in the hernia area.Now he opens the season in AAA”

Wat.

[bravesfanMatt]

What is a hernia area?

[msstate7]

What is a hernia area?

Abdomen, chest, and around the peewee

[bravesfanMatt]

Abdomen, chest, and around the peewee

back as well.. so entire torso.. seems vague

[zbhargrove]

Well this would be an explanation. And if true... holy **** DOB and Bowman suck at their job so much worse than we even thought they did

[PawPawMaxwell]

Tim Anderson, Javy Baez, one of the Yankee excess SS's????? Braves pitching depth could be a big asset.

[OcalaBrave]

Arcia as the starting SS shouldn't be shocking. Not because he has the highest ceiling, or the lowest floor, but because the other possibilities need more development time.

Grissom had 91 ABs in AA and none in AAA. He got rushed to MLB because we had no one that could legitimately fill in at 2b (and that includes Arcia) for an extended duration. His bat is his ticket. Still, that bat went very cold once the league got a book on him (think Riley his rookie season). There is every reason to let him work on beating the book in AAA instead of having him struggle through it like Riley and then head to AAA to get right. In addition, Grissom may not stick long term at SS, especially if Shewmake can get his bat to work. Thus, Grissom in AAA addressing the book and getting time at multiple positions is the best for the long term of both him and the organization. My guess is he is up as soon as they realize Arcia isn't an everyday MLB SS. I think he gets first dibs at SS because his potential bat at SS is a star. If he can't hack it defensively, his bat still plays but might not be star quality. My guess is Grissom gets a lot of time at SS in AAA to start and if his defense holds up like they hope he will be in Atlanta by May.

Shewmake has less than 300 ABs in AAA and can't be considered anything other than a defense only player at this point (Ronnie Belliard). Sure he could give you MLB caliber defense at SS and mendoza line production currently. But if you give him another 150 ABS in AAA, you might have essentially the same player Dansby was for the first 4 years he was in Atlanta (glove first with a streaky bat that when hot is really good and when cold is really bad). The Braves want/need a cheap SS for another 6 years. Shewmake may be the best bet to be that guy right now. Letting him spend time in AAA only improves their odds. Letting him play 2b and 3b while there increases his value.

[zbhargrove]

Where is all this Tim Anderson on the block mess coming from? I saw one person on Twitter wishing the Dodgers would trade for Anderson and now everyone's acting like he's available even though there's zero evidence he is.

[zbhargrove]

Arcia as the starting SS shouldn't be shocking. Not because he has the highest ceiling, or the lowest floor, but because the other possibilities need more development time.

Grissom had 91 ABs in AA and none in AAA. He got rushed to MLB because we had no one that could legitimately fill in at 2b (and that includes Arcia) for an extended duration. His bat is his ticket. Still, that bat went very cold once the league got a book on him (think Riley his rookie season). There is every reason to let him work on beating the book in AAA instead of having him struggle through it like Riley and then head to AAA to get right. In addition, Grissom may not stick long term at SS, especially if Shewmake can get his bat to work. Thus, Grissom in AAA addressing the book and getting time at multiple positions is the best for the long term of both him and the organization. My guess is he is up as soon as they realize Arcia isn't an everyday MLB SS. I think he gets first dibs at SS because his potential bat at SS is a star. If he can't hack it defensively, his bat still plays but might not be star quality. My guess is Grissom gets a lot of time at SS in AAA to start and if his defense holds up like they hope he will be in Atlanta by May.

Shewmake has less than 300 ABs in AAA and can't be considered anything other than a defense only player at this point (Ronnie Belliard). Sure he could give you MLB caliber defense at SS and mendoza line production currently. But if you give him another 150 ABS in AAA, you might have essentially the same player Dansby was for the first 4 years he was in Atlanta (glove first with a streaky bat that when hot is really good and when cold is really bad). The Braves want/need a cheap SS for another 6 years. Shewmake may be the best bet to be that guy right now. Letting him spend time in AAA only improves their odds. Letting him play 2b and 3b while there increases his value.

Well that and the whole Grissom/possible hernia thing...

[Tapate50]

Orlando Arcia will open the regular season as the Braves' starting shortstop.
Atlanta's stunning decision to jettison both Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake to the minors leaves Arcia as their starting shortstop at the outset of the 2023 campaign. The 28-year-old doesn't offer much from a fantasy standpoint, but he did manage to slug nine round-trippers in just 234 plate appearances last year in a part-time role. He figures to reach double digits with an everyday role, but doesn't offer any stolen base potential at this stage of his career.