He's done it every year of his young career so far. Sucks that's he put in a spot where it's magnified as he's not really a leadoff hitter anyways.
Game Thread: 4/9
- Thread starter mqt
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He's done it every year of his young career so far. Sucks that's he put in a spot where it's magnified as he's not really a leadoff hitter anyways.
It was clearly something beyond the on-field product that led to that. No one has picked him up since, have they?
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
Well typed!
That's the part that upsets me more so than the losing. I expect to lose in year 3 of a rebuild. I do NOT expect to see the FO making obvious roster construction errors in year 3 of the rebuild when the team is supposed to be on the upswing.
There is no excuse for how bad this bench is. Phillips for SRod was a direct plug in, so it's not like the bench was ever going to be better than it is now.
The fact the FO doesn't see a need for a competent RH hitting 4th OFer to plsit time with Markakis/Inciarte and be the daily defensive replacement for Kemp is laughable.
The fact the FO doesn't see the need for a LH hitting 3B to platoon with Garcia and be his defensive replacement is inexcusable.
These are very basic roster construction issues that the FO seems completely unable to grasp, and is evidence they won't be able to construct a winner with the financial constraints of a mid-market payroll.
So, Braves homers, which is it? Are they lying to us for a 3rd year in a row about being better? Or are they showing they are too incompetent to build a better roster?
Well, I'm sure they're planning on Albies and Ruiz being up before terribly long. So that gives you the LH 3B and puts 2 of the Ruiz/Garcia/Phillips group on the bench. So I'm sure that's in their mind. As for the 4th OF, I agree it is a need that could be addressed fairly easily. As to why they haven't, I'm honestly not sure.
I'm fine with criticism of them over the bench, I think it's warranted at least to some degree. I do think this year is more about putting a semi-competitive team with some guys people know on the field than it is truly trying to win as many games as we can. But I would like to see a better pen and a better bench. I just have no idea what our budget for this year is and how close we are to maxing out.
What I do know is that if a bunch of us on message boards who don't know that much see obvious areas for improvement in the roster, I'm guessing that our FO also sees it. I don't know all the reasons they haven't done it.
Oh...they are definitely lying to us. All these moves and old big name guys are about putting butts in seats for the new park. It has cost us many draft positions and will continue to do so.
The Kemp and Swanson moves very well kept us from the #1 pick, which we seemed to be a lock mid season. They needed some excitement going into this season and some extra hope to begin this season.
I have NO doubt that if there wasn't a new ball park...many of these moves you hate would have never have happened.
I have defended Kemp's production, but the trade should have never have happened....it just made no sense. Giving Kimbrel away on the cheap to clear payroll, only to add it back and more. The only 30+ year old players we should have on the roster right now, should be guys we hope to fill a spot and trade at the deadline.
So, I am with you in the fact that bad baseball decisions have been made, but I also believe there is a guy crunching numbers in a basement that felt the revenue generated from these moves out weighed the advantages of completely tanking...I disagree.
I "will" give Coppy a little extra cushion for the fact that I think many of these moves are made with Hart and Cox breathing down his neck. I have a feeling that many of the bad moves he has gotten flack for...were moves he wasn't big on (but was following orders). I could be wrong of course. In no way are those old men who have always been in charge just going to let a younger guy have the reins fully. He is on a short leash right now...count on it. His smaller moves for the most part have been great (those I feel like he does have complete control over).
Oh that things were truly as black and white as you want them to be.
AerchAngel
<B>Secretary of Statistics</B>
Somebody got a hold of Lockhart pics and copied them. I bet he/she made a pretty penny off of that.
Extreme SSS, but Mallex currently has a .368 OBP and 3 SBs in TB. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Mallex ends up with a superior OBP this year and over their entire careers, especially if he is platooned properly (which has a greater chance of happening in TB than in Atlanta). SBs and base running shouldn't be close once Mallex stops making bonehead mistakes.
I still say the Braves sold too quickly on Mallex.
striker42
Well-known member
I personally would have tried to unload Markakis and keep Mallex to play center while shifting Inciarte to right. However that would mean no Gohara. It'll be a few years before we know whether he was worth Mallex.
Russ2dollas
10 yr, $185 million Extension
I think Rod is significantly better than phillips. At least he can play 2B/3b/LF.
I didn't like the Simba trade or the CK trade when they happened. I didn't like the Neck signing. Hated the Olivera deal. Disliked the Kemp deal. None of those have been terrible. On Tex deal scale none of these really registers.
This regime is going to live and die based on how their picks due, especially the pitchers. Early returns on Wisler and Blair are bad. Young guys look great but are still young.
We don't appear to have anyone that close at 3B, C or corner OF (maybe Peterson). Inciarte is good but can he hit? So this team is going to need Swanson and Albies to be 3+ WAR players....probably need those two to get 8 WAR together (tall task). B/c we are likely looking at 1 WAR guys at 3B and corner with Peterson and Ruiz. Kemp is locking down a bunch of payroll. And our only catcher option is a Lucroy to have any significant upgrade.
So we are going to need a pitching staff full of 3-4 WAR starters.
I didn't like the Simba trade or the CK trade when they happened. I didn't like the Neck signing. Hated the Olivera deal. Disliked the Kemp deal. None of those have been terrible. On Tex deal scale none of these really registers.
This regime is going to live and die based on how their picks due, especially the pitchers. Early returns on Wisler and Blair are bad. Young guys look great but are still young.
We don't appear to have anyone that close at 3B, C or corner OF (maybe Peterson). Inciarte is good but can he hit? So this team is going to need Swanson and Albies to be 3+ WAR players....probably need those two to get 8 WAR together (tall task). B/c we are likely looking at 1 WAR guys at 3B and corner with Peterson and Ruiz. Kemp is locking down a bunch of payroll. And our only catcher option is a Lucroy to have any significant upgrade.
So we are going to need a pitching staff full of 3-4 WAR starters.
Russ2dollas
10 yr, $185 million Extension
I think he's a 4th OF. I don't think he'll keep infield hitting his way to a high OBP. Still playing LF a lot. Still has a noodle arm.
Go hard might flame out but even if he's a lock down reliever I'd rather have that than Mallex. I feel like Didder can replace Mallex soon and maybe even Lein (contact is too crappy now I know).
Again, Markakis is not the problem on this team. He is being used incorrectly. Just like last year, Markakis should be batting in the top 2 spots in the lineup. He is the best OBP hitter on the team not named Freddie Freeman, and he is being wasted batting in the bottom half of the lineup. The man has a ~.360 OBP since becoming a Brave with a sub-.400 SLG. Sticking him the 5 hole is laughable.
There are a couple reasons the Braves 8 and 9 hitters had so many PAs with RISP last season, and all of those reasons have to do with poor lineup construction. Miscasting Markakis as a middle of the order impact hitter rather than a top of the order table setter is the worst of the lineup construction mistakes, and will probably cost Freeman ~20 PAs with RISP over the course of the season.
Mallex is going to be a quality player but it does seem like Gohara has ace level stuff with a strong build. That potentially has more value.
The important thing to not is that Seattle looks stupid for getting Smiley in this acquisition. Not sure it's right to criticize the braves at this point.
The important thing to not is that Seattle looks stupid for getting Smiley in this acquisition. Not sure it's right to criticize the braves at this point.
striker42
Well-known member
I wasn't saying Markakis was a problem. I actually like Markakis more than most. It's just when faced with the choice of which two of Mallex, Markakis, and Kemp I'd keep, it would be Mallex and Kemp. While I believe Markakis can still contribute, I think Mallex can become a dynamic player. As for Markakis or Kemp, Kemp brings the middle of the order righthanded power we need. We'd also have to pick up a good bit more money to unload Kemp.
So while I like Markakis, he'd have been the odd man out in our outfield if I was at the helm. Hopefully Gohara explodes and becomes a lefty ace for us making the trade of Mallex look amazing. We'll have to see.
Hitters are hitters, lineup construction makes little difference. You're bizarrely going against the grain on modern thinking on this. Ah yes, because you can use it to paint the Braves as stupid.
Would I prefer Markakis higher in the order? Yes, with Inciarte moving down. But it's certainly not because Markakis is a 'table setter' and not a 'middle of the order impact hitter'. It's just because he's a better hitter than Incoarte.
You are correct, optimizing the lineup won't have much impact. That's not the point.
The point is optimizing the lineup is an improvement the team can make immediately with zero cost. The fact the leadership of the team fails to do so is proof of their incompetence. Whether moving Markakis to the top of the lineup adds 1 run or 100 runs over the course of the season Is irrelevant, it is an improvement that competent management should make.
And I don't need to twist things to make the FO look inept. They do that all by themselves...
Poor lineup construction. Poor bench construction. Poor valuation of several spots in the lineup being occupied by bad, old, and sometimes overpriced players. No additions made to a poor bullpen. Poor optimization of valuable player assets like Swanson. These are all issues everyone has been pointing out all offseason, so they exactly mysteries to anyone.
Need I go on?
Southcack77
Well-known member
You don't need to...
Again, the Braves are not trying to contend in 2017. You can be upset about their not spending even more money to still not contend in 2017 if you want, but it isn't really going to make a lot of sense.
That's fine. The bottom line is, you will pick and choose whatever argument you want to try to make the Braves look bad in every situation. You would destroy others for using terms like 'table setter' in deciding where a player should hit in the lineup, yet here you are doing it when it suits your agenda.