Horsehide Harry
<B>Mr. Free Trade</B>
As for the prospects,
Swanson and Albies don't worry me too much at this point. They both profile as table setting type players, not production players, with fair to good defense, at positions where it isn't too hard to find players of similar profile. One or both could end up as perpetual All-Star guys hitting .300/.360 and playing gold glove defense but that kind of player is somewhat unlikely for either. If they bust out, what have you lost? Albies doesn't hit for enough power to be a great 2B. Swanson doesn't have the glove or range to be a great shortstop. Your very best hope is that Swanson becomes Jeter lite, a guy who has a little pop, hits for average, is loaded with intangibles and leadership and plays passable to poor defense.
The pitchers were always going to be a bit of a crapshoot. Wisler and Blair are probably going to bust. They were always #3 starter guys at best, so, not making a ML rotation is not that big of a surprise. My big concern here is the inability of Newcomb to cut down the BB's. Fried and Touki were upside gambles. If one works out, then it's a win.
Great teams have great players, not a bunch of good and ok players mixed together. It's several great players plus a mix good and very good with a very few occasional ok's.
Right now the Braves have Freeman - Great; Inciarte - Very Good, then a bunch of OK and several horrids. To be good, long term, year after year, you need a couple of more greats to go with Freeman and 5-6 more very goods to go with Inciarte (assuming you keep him - I would trade him if I had a chance to turn him into a Great or 2-3 very goods). You have to be able to fill in as needed with the goods and OK's and purge out ALL the horrid's.
Swanson and Albies don't worry me too much at this point. They both profile as table setting type players, not production players, with fair to good defense, at positions where it isn't too hard to find players of similar profile. One or both could end up as perpetual All-Star guys hitting .300/.360 and playing gold glove defense but that kind of player is somewhat unlikely for either. If they bust out, what have you lost? Albies doesn't hit for enough power to be a great 2B. Swanson doesn't have the glove or range to be a great shortstop. Your very best hope is that Swanson becomes Jeter lite, a guy who has a little pop, hits for average, is loaded with intangibles and leadership and plays passable to poor defense.
The pitchers were always going to be a bit of a crapshoot. Wisler and Blair are probably going to bust. They were always #3 starter guys at best, so, not making a ML rotation is not that big of a surprise. My big concern here is the inability of Newcomb to cut down the BB's. Fried and Touki were upside gambles. If one works out, then it's a win.
Great teams have great players, not a bunch of good and ok players mixed together. It's several great players plus a mix good and very good with a very few occasional ok's.
Right now the Braves have Freeman - Great; Inciarte - Very Good, then a bunch of OK and several horrids. To be good, long term, year after year, you need a couple of more greats to go with Freeman and 5-6 more very goods to go with Inciarte (assuming you keep him - I would trade him if I had a chance to turn him into a Great or 2-3 very goods). You have to be able to fill in as needed with the goods and OK's and purge out ALL the horrid's.
