Talking Chop article on Chris Johnson

Gary82

Gary82

Called Up to the Major Leagues
This a good read concerning Chris Johnson. I've always enjoyed the guys at CAC/TC.

http://www.talkingchop.com/2013/7/11/4515378/what-do-the-braves-exactly-have-in-chris-johnson

So the Braves are likely stuck with Chris Johnson for the foreseeable future. But that's not a necessarily a bad thing. As it stands, he's a decent player who is relatively cheap, and he's in his peak years, making a collapse less-likely than if he was older. It's not easy to find guys who give a team positive value.
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I agree. I would keep Johnson through next year and hope you get average production out of him overall then move on for 2015.
 
I remember when I said Id take Johnson over Prado when the trade happened...good times.
 
Prado fWAR -0.2
Johnson fWAR 1.5

I'm surprised at how poorly Prado has been on defense.
 
I don't know what Prados issues are this year. Haven't seen him. I would take him over Johnson though despite Johnson's heater. Johnson is just that bad on defense and when his BABIP normalizes, what are you left with?
 
Gary82 said:
Prado fWAR -0.2
Johnson fWAR 1.5

I'm surprised at how poorly Prado has been on defense.
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He has played the bulk of the time at 3rd this year and has a UZR of 1.2 there which is about what you would expect. I think his ratings at other spots are due to a small sample size. He is a better defender in left than his stats have showed but I thought last year and still think this year that his big spike from left last season was due to playing next to Bourn. I've shown where elite center fielders can make their corner mates look that much better.
 
thewupk said:
He has played the bulk of the time at 3rd this year and has a UZR of 1.2 there which is about what you would expect. I think his ratings at other spots are due to a small sample size. He is a better defender in left than his stats have showed but I thought last year and still think this year that his big spike from left last season was due to playing next to Bourn. I've shown where elite center fielders can make their corner mates look that much better.
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Andruw is a perfect example of that.
 
CyYoung31 said:
Andruw is a perfect example of that.
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Yeah. A couple years ago I looked at every corner outfielder that he played with in the UZR era and pretty much every one of them posted their highest UZR of while in Atlanta. Andruw truly was the best ever at that position.
 
gilesfan said:
I don't know what Prados issues are this year. Haven't seen him. I would take him over Johnson though despite Johnson's heater. Johnson is just that bad on defense and when his BABIP normalizes, what are you left with?
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Someone who is likely around average or maybe a little less than that. Prado is better but Johnson a better fit (for now) due to salary.
 
I believe Andrelton Simmons alone has boosted the Braves infield defense to one of the best in the league statistically. It's amazing how one player can have such an impact defensively.
 
Gary82 said:
I believe Andrelton Simmons alone has boosted the Braves infield defense to one of the best in the league statistically. It's amazing how one player can have such an impact defensively.
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Oh definitely. Simmons has the 3rd highest UZR in baseball and is blowing everyone away at the SS position.
 
I think most opinions on CJ turn on what a sustainable BABIP is for him. Those who like him point to the fact that he has sustained a .360 BAPIP over 1600 plate appearances. So not some sort of small sample fluke. The skeptics will point out that the number of players who have sustained a BABIP at that level is very small and consists of players a lot faster than Johnson (Joey Votto being a notable exception).
 
nsacpi said:
I think most opinions on CJ turn on what a sustainable BABIP is for him. Those who like him point to the fact that he has sustained the .360 BAPI over 1600 plate appearances. The skeptics will point out that the number of players who have sustained a BABIP at that level is very small and consists of players a lot faster than Johnson.
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That is generally the case. However I'm not sure how many players have sustained a line drive % of 24.5 like Chris has. Line drives (especially) and ground balls lead to a higher BABIP than fly balls and that is what Chris does over two thirds of the time. I'm not sure if he can sustain a LD% that high while playing every day but if he does I see no reason he can't maintain a BABIP in the 350's. Again I think he's an above average hitter but his defense is truly awful. If not for that I could see him being here for more than a year or two.
 
Headley is going to get expensive, and the Padres flat out suck. So, with that in mind, it may be possible to swing a deal with them.

He is having a down year, but I don't know what kind of package the Padres would agree to. His peak WAR is 7 plus, but I think he'd be a 4 to 5 win player looking forward. His defense is good and he has shown he can hit for power.
 
I'm interested in both Headley and Forsythe from the Padres, both can play third and other positions too. They're both not hitting to their potential right now. So this would be a good time to at least buy low on Forsythe. I'd ask about Headley first of course, but depending on the answer go for Forsythe. Forsythe can even play some shortstop if needed. Forsythe is very good vs lefties historically too, which is important when facing tough lefties like Lee and Hamels in the NL East.
 
Why does Headley get a pass for his horrible hitting this year. If we traded for him in the offseason and he had hit this poorly for 300 at bats I think posters would be all over him. His career high is .773 OPS outside of 2012. They moved the fences in this year so home park isnt much of an excuse anymore. He is actually hitting better at home.
 
His overall value mitigates his offensive inconsistencies. I will say I'm concerned, or unsure of his power. Last year he hit 31 home runs, but before that his high was 12.

To be honest, the more I've looked into him, the less I am interested. His overall value and his defense, along with his awesome production last year makes him desirable, but his production this year along with the fact he is 29 makes me hesitant. I certainly wouldn't give up the farm for him, and I don't really think we would have to.
 
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