bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
That is a tough one. I like gohard too. I think the braves did alright in that. Good on the rays for snagging mallex as well.
Around MLB 2017
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That is a tough one. I like gohard too. I think the braves did alright in that. Good on the rays for snagging mallex as well.
Depends. Do the Rays have their toughest schedule in July?
I thought it was okay to quote SSS when it supported our narrative?
He has been this season. For pitchers with at least 60 innings he's 5th in fWAR, 2nd in ERA, and 2nd in FIP. Seems pretty ace level to me.
I do think it works for both teams, but Gohara clearly has more value right now, IMO. Mallex is riding a .435 BABIP, and if you bring that down to .350, his slash line is .288/.380/.363. That's just fine and works really well for a guy with his speed, but his defensive metrics are not as good this year, and you're still probably looking at a guy who is a 1-3 WAR guy. Certainly valuable, but I'd rather have Gohara.
It's more likely to build a good team with stud position prospects than stud pitching prospects.
Now that that tough question is out of the way, a team can focus on the easy part - acquiring stud position prospects.
Acquiring Beer is always good
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
I think Alex has surprised everyone this year. Even the Dodgers didn't see this coming since they had him in the pen to start the season. But he is definitely an ace so far this year.
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
what about Neck MarKickass
I guess we have different definitions of "ace." to me an ace is a guy who consistently throws a lot of high-quality innings & goes deep into games. I don't really think anyone can be an "ace" in 15 starts. But the term is subjective.
It's the risk all pitchers hold, including MLB-ready pitching. Also why you can make the argument that stockpiling pitching prospects is a good idea.
No one has claimed that all things being equal, it is better to have 20 stud pitching prospects than 20 stud hitting prospects. But the question is always ease and cost of acquisition. It is easier to get 20 stud pitching prospects than 20 stud hitting prospects.
And why do you think that's the case?
More valuable assets are always more difficult to acquire.
We have seen teams recently acquire top-shelf position prospects for pitchers lately, so it can be done. The fact the Braves were unable to do it outside of the "The Gift" is a pretty telling sign they were targeting pitching.
Taking the best available offer that just so happens to be pitching is one thing.
Willingly targeting the less valuable asset class is quite another.
Everything the Braves have said and done during the rebuild shows they were targeting the less valuable asset class. That was a mistake, no matter how you want to spin it.
msstate7
Well-known member
Not sure how you can say for certain it was a mistake this early. What if the braves wins the WS 4 years from now? Was it still a mistake? I think you have to wait to judge it
Yeah, most people looking to assess something judge the process, not the results.
Following a flawed process and having it work out once doesn't make the process any less flawed.
Alex wood is not an ace but he has pitched like one this season. To really get that label you need to do it for a couple of seasons.
sturg33
I
Do you think Wood would have figured it out in Atlanta? I have my doubts.
Apparently, Dodgers staff found something in his mechanics and fixed him
Tapate50
Well-known member
It certainly happens. Here he was losing what... 3 or 4 mph off his FB? McDowell being let go may give us a glimpse of how that worked out?
sturg33
I
Braves track record with pitching has been pretty bad in terms of development. Hernandez isn't off to a good start with the Julio collapse