Results tagged ‘ Cardinals ’
Jake’s Player Profile: Jair Jurrjens
![jair[1].jpg](http://mlblogsbravesblogbyjake.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/jair5b15d1.jpg?w=275&h=235)
Below is the first part of a four-part series titled “Jake’s Player Profile”. For the next four weeks I will post a quick profile of my four favorite Braves. I will tell you why I like them, what they did in 2009, and my prediction for what they will do in 2010. Here’s my profile of Jair Jurrjens:
Why I like Jurrjens: What’s not to like about a 23 year old right hander who is capable of running through the toughest lineups in the national league? Don’t believe me? Check out this, this, or this. Jurrjens was one of the top pitchers for the Braves the past two seasons. I am fully convinced that had he had a small amount of run support the rest of the league would agree with me that Jurrjens is a top tier pitcher in the National League.
What he did in 2009: As I already made mention Jurrjens could have had a huge season in Atlanta with a little run support. His 2.60 ERA ranked 3rd among NL pitchers. His 215 IP was 9th among NL pitchers. He led the league in games started with 34. Jair was a solid starter who wanted the ball every start and in this day and age with guys staring at the pitch count hoping the manager is going to pull them, that is something that is very valuable.
My 2010 prediction: Before I give you my prediction on how I think JJ will do this season let me first tell what others are saying. The general consensus is that it would be too much to expect him to do in ’10 what he did in ’09. Recently I spoke to Adam over at The Truth About the Phillies and he cited the upgraded Mets and Phillies lineups as reasons for why Jurrjens can’t repeat in 2010. Well here’s what I think (remember I have claimed to be a total Braves homer). I think Jurrjens will not only match the success he had in ’09, but possibly eclipse it. Am I saying that his ERA will stay under 3.00? Not necessarily, but he doesn’t have to! Hanson will be in Atlanta all season, and Hudson will be back to help carry the load. I also think that another season in the majors will only make this guy better. Basically it all boils down to this: Jair’s success this season (much like a lot of the team’s success) will be contingent on whether Chipper and Glaus bounce back from last season. If these guys (along with McCann and Heyward) can provide some type of run support, we could see another excellent season from JJ!
This Week in Baseball
I hope it’s not against any copyright rules for me to use that title. If you’re reading this apparently my account hasn’t been shut down by the FBI. My latest blog post is all the stuff that I found interesting in the past week of MLB and what’s been going on with the Braves.
Sammy’s mug: By now I’m sure you’ve all seen the picture of Sammy Sosa’s skin transformation. If not click here. Someone close to Sosa says that he’s doing a “rejuvenation process”. I think Sammy has always been a little off his rocker and this is no different. Apparently the guy has never really cared what he put in his body. MJ would be proud Sammy!
McGwire’s coming out party: Mark McGwire was named the new hitting coach of the Cardinals a couple weeks ago and still has not said a thing. Tony La Russa made the announcement and I was expecting a press conference by Big Mac sometime in the near future. Unfortunetly McGwire has once again chosen not to say anything. If and when he does give his press conference I’m going to set the over/under for the amount of times a reporter asks a question about steroids at 6. What do you think? Story found here.
Brian gets another Silver Slugger: Congratulations to Brain McCann on yet another Silver Slugger award this week. This is his third time receiving the award. McCann is still young and is positioning himself to maybe win more Silver Sluggers than any other catcher. Right now that record belongs to Mike Piazza with 10.
Hudson gets a deal: The Braves finally announced this week that they have resigned Tim Hudson to a three year deal with a fourth year option. The deal is worth about $9 million a year. I love this deal for a lot of reasons. Tim is a gamer who wants the ball every start. I also believe that he took a pay cut to stay in Atlanta. I think a lot of teams would have given him somewhere close to the $12 mil per year range. Thanks Tim for staying in ATL!
Ooops! Spoke too Soon!
Please disregard my last posting stating that the Braves won’t make the playoffs. I apologize to the Braves and all their fans for doubting what they could do in the month of September. As I write this post the Braves have just finished another three game sweep, this time over the Washington Nationals. This makes ten consecutive road wins, the most since 1994. I’m eagerly awaiting the results of the Cards-Rockies game, but if the Cardinals pull off the win it will cut the Braves’ wildcard deficit to 1.5 games.
Show up to the Ted: The Braves head home tomorrow to take on a very important three game set with the Florida Marlins. I think it’s time that the Braves faithful show up to at Turner Field and get behind our boys! This last home stand against the Marlins and Nationals is the most important home stand in a long time, so let’s get out there and show some support!
Decisions, Decisions (part2): In my last post I stated that I would reveal who I think the Braves should move next season to free up money and maybe make room for a bat. I’m going to wait on worrying about next season later. Right now let’s focus on this season and the fact that the Braves’ playoff hopes are still alive!
Better Late Than Never
It’s been awhile since I made a posting, so here are some things that I’ve noticed since my last posting:
It’s been real and it’s been fun: I’m about to make a really bold prediction…the Braves will NOT make the postseason. Okay, well that may not be as bold of a statement now as it would’ve been a few weeks ago. However, with this many games left and the ground that they have to make up, it’s going to be almost impossible to go the playoffs. Even with the sweep of the Cardinals and the awesome pitching we’ve seen of late I think it’s time to look to next season.
Decisions, Decisions: The Braves front office have decisions to make especially when it comes to that rotation. Hudson has a team option in his contract for next season, but he stated last week on an interview with XM MLB Home Plate that he would gladly sign a new contract with the Braves and give them a discounted price because he loves Atlanta that much. So with that we’re looking at going into the offseason with six talented pitchers. One would think that one of those pitchers could be used in a trade to pick up a new bat. I have my opinion on who I think the Braves should move this offseason, but first I want to hear from you guys. Who do you think the Braves should try to move in order to pick up some offense? Next week I’ll make a new posting detailing who I think they should move and why.
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