Interesting Things from the Official Site of the Braves

[chop2chip]

That's about what I thought, smootness. I think that's a stupid rule, from the fan's perspective, but the PU negotiated it, so we're stuck with it. I didn't blame the Cubbies for waiting on Bryant (and it didn't come back to bite them), and I wouldn't blame the Braves to do the same with Swanson. Didn't we lose a year of Heyward when he stayed up from opening day in 2010 (as opposed to waiting two weeks)?

Re: Heyward - That's maybe the strongest example against holding someone back that's clearly ready for the big leagues because (1) his homerun was one of the best moments in Braves history and that wouldn't have been the same if he did it two weeks later (2) we don't make the playoffs without having him for those two weeks.

 

[dak]

Most encouraging ST news I've read so far is on the simplification of Olivera's swing.

New Swing
[TW]701060686248603648[/TW]

Old Swing
[TW]701435710981668864[/TW]

 

[praeceps93]

Much smoother. Looks like it can generate some line drive pop, rather than the all over the place swing he had in his MLB at bats last year.

 

[Julio3000]

Looks like that massive bat wrap is reduced a lot. Looks a lot smoother.

 

[Runnin]

I wonder if this is a real "new" swing or just a 1st week of ST loosening up swing.

 

[jpx7]

That's not unlikely enough to make that bet. Weird things happen all the time. What if he has a great spring AND 3 or 4 infielders get hurt? It happens.

Then you sign some scrap-heap fill-ins because the Braves aren't competing this year anyways and they need to be careful with service-time, as should be made obvious by the multi-year punt in-progress.

 

[zitothebrave]

There is literally no chance at all that Swanson opens the season in Atlanta. There is essentially a 0% chance of him playing before September, at the absolute earliest.

I mean he could in theory make his debut before then. But it's supremely unlikely. Aybar is our placeholder. Be it for Swanson or Albies.

Just my guess, those 2 are down until september and then they come up and play SS and 2B for us a bit as a look.

 

[Runnin]

Then you sign some scrap-heap fill-ins because the Braves aren't competing this year anyways and they need to be careful with service-time, as should be made obvious by the multi-year punt in-progress.

That sounds logical enough but my point is that things rarely play out logically.

And yesterday Fredi tells Swanson and the media that he shouldn't "sell himself short" and that he should play as if he "expects to make the team". That doesn't sound like zero chance to me.

 

[striker42]

With Dan Uggla and BJ Upton, I've learned not to buy into the ST hype of revamped swings. The things that will determine Olivera's success will be things like pitch recognition, bat speed, bat control, etc.

 

[jpx7]

And yesterday Fredi tells Swanson and the media that he shouldn't "sell himself short" and that he should play as if he "expects to make the team". That doesn't sound like zero chance to me.

Consider the source.

 

[Runnin]

Consider the source.

Exactly!

 

[clvclv]

I strongly disagree. Aybar might well be very valuable to someone at the trade deadline. I see an August callup as a very plausible option. Starting Swanson's clock should be of minor concern; he's already 22 years old.

JMO, but if the timing of a potential Aybar deal is that close to the deadline, it would make even more sense to hold Swanson back until September. It really would be much smarter to use Castro for 25 meaningless games and then let Dansby start for the entire month in September. Definitely nitpicking, but those extra 30 or so days could conceivably make a difference in whether he achieves Super Two status in the event he gets hurt during his first two seasons. I agree it likely won't be a concern given the chance to send the message that "when you're ready, you'll play" they'd like to send all the other youngsters, but one COULD make an argument that it's in the organization's best interest financially to hold off as long as possible.

 

[GovClintonTyree]

Much smoother. Looks like it can generate some line drive pop, rather than the all over the place swing he had in his MLB at bats last year.

Quieter, shorter, quicker. No stride. Looks good.

 

[msstate7]

How long has Olivera been working on his swing? Think maybe the poor winter ball showing was due to working on swing?

 

[dak]

How long has Olivera been working on his swing? Think maybe the poor winter ball showing was due to working on swing?

Reportedly, Seitzer started working with Olivera on the adjustments even before the Winter ball season, then continued to work with him in the Caribbean. From what has been written, he's now pretty comfortable with the changes. There's no guarantee the changes will work or stick, but it sure looks a lot more clean.

 

[smootness]

I strongly disagree. Aybar might well be very valuable to someone at the trade deadline. I see an August callup as a very plausible option. Starting Swanson's clock should be of minor concern; he's already 22 years old.

Why would his age change the concerns about starting his clock? You still get an extra year.

That said, his service clock doesn't change if it's August vs. September. But I just see very little chance of him being up in August, even if we were to trade Aybar.