zbhargrove
Well-known member
Too risky with his injury history. With his history, you're playing with fire if you don't trade him if he has a big bounce back season. A healthy and effective Garcia would be worth a decent return for a rental.
Braves "Kick Tires" on Dozier
- Thread starter striker42
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Too risky with his injury history. With his history, you're playing with fire if you don't trade him if he has a big bounce back season. A healthy and effective Garcia would be worth a decent return for a rental.
zbhargrove
Well-known member
Stop gaps? After we got Fried for Justin Upton, we picked up Wisler in the Kimbrel/Melvin trade. Coppy and Hart were ecstatic because they said Wisler was the one they were really trying to push for over Fried in the Upton trade. Blair and Wisler were two MAIN prospects we got for the talent we've sold off in the rebuild. They were not at all thought to be stop gaps. Every single one of our high ceiling prospects can very well be just as disappointing. There are no guarantees and more of our prospects will flame out than will make it, its just simple statistics. High ceiling guys blow it every year. You can't count on our young guys staying healthy or becoming aces... you can only hope. Wisler and Blair, however, were traded for to be either a big part of our team, or big ammo for future trades and they haven't worked out thus far. Its far from over for those guys, but they were not traded for as stop gaps.
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
Couldn't agree with both of you statements anymore. Well said.. Garcia is a sell high guy all the way, and Wisler and Blair should have been in our rotation this year if Coppy had his way. I am still on record that Wisler will surprise a lot of folks around here this year.
I think they will definitely keep Blair in AAA, try to improve his value...and then trade him. Possible for Wisler also. I don't think either are in the Braves long term plans at this point, unless say....Wisler develops another pitch over the offseason. I still think how Wisler looked in 2015 as opposed to 2016...so strange (Blair has never really showed me anything to have hope).
I think they're both still rotation options going forward, especially Wisler. I don't know why the Braves would be ready to give up on him yet. He's 24.
And Blair's trade value has dipped too much. I get that he could try to build it back in AAA, but I don't think that's all that likely. He will have to have major league success at this point to get his value back.
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
I am still not sure why Blair gets so much crap. He was down right dominate before his call up. He, like many rookie, got beat around and left in the rotation to long. He thankfully got sent down and worked with our AA coach and made a mechanical change that produce 3 starts in the Bigs where he was good, bad, great respectively. I definitely want to see more now that he had a full off season to work on that change.
GovClintonTyree
<B>Vencer a Los Doyers</B>
While I agree with your general premise, that you've got to give a young pitcher time to adjust, I am skeptical of the "mechanical adjustment" story with Blair. I sat behind home plate in SD for a start, and what he was, was tentative and not trusting his stuff. He went 3-1 on everybody and nibbled with an average fastball. He just didn't trust his stuff, and it wasn't the '27 Yankees he was facing. For me, at least, that's why I give him so much crap.
His change was ready for prime time, and that's a good start. It could come together, that final start was impressive, but I'm not holding my breath on Blair. Apparently Coppy isn't either, since he's now set up a system where you have to bust your way into the rotation. We're no longer having tryouts.
Which was also the goal last season as well - the difference is that the names brought in were Norris and Chacin rather than Colon, Dickey, and Garcia. When you consider the money on the books at the beginning of each season, the subtraction of the financial commitment to Bourn and Swisher paid for the rotation upgrade (more or less). Only other difference was that they tried to give the rotation spots to Wisler and Blair rather than make them earn them last spring.
Given the offensive improvements in the second half, the brass owed a stronger rotation to the fans AND players - new park or not.
Blair's averaged less than 91MPH with very little movement. He does not have the stuff to be a consistent contributor in the rotation. Wisler averages 93 MPH And has a much better chance at settling in as a 3/4.
GovClintonTyree
<B>Vencer a Los Doyers</B>
Wisler
wRC+ Against
by pitch
2016 FA 133
2016 SL 44
2016 FT 132
2016 CU 189
2016 CH 227
I'm not sure that fastball will ever be a major league pitch, either. I mean, hopefully it would come down if he ever learned the change, but...ye cats. BTW, the only appreciable difference in these numbers in 2015 is that the change was 60 points lower, before Glavine "helped" him.
We could make some noise, but unfortunately we don't have a rotation that could do much in the playoffs if we got there.
I think we'll go after an ace next offseason.
Probably take us from a high 70's win team to a low 80's win team on paper. So we would definitely have the talent to be a legitimate wild card contender.
Look, I've been told by some very smart people that since Smoltz, Glavine and Colon turned into great pitchers after early struggles that Wisler and Blair will be fine. I'm going to ignore logic and just have faith in the geniuses who told me this info, even though they said the same thing about pitchers like Williams Perez and several other guys with marginal stuff.
Stop bringing "numbers" into the discussion and trying to pass them off as "proof". Thanks.
GovClintonTyree
<B>Vencer a Los Doyers</B>
That's comedy, right?
I'm not sure anymore honestly.