Results tagged ‘ Melky Cabrera ’
Let the Season Begin
Thank God the season finally starts today. For the first time in my life as a fan I have really followed spring training this year. Most years I just keep an eye on the win-loss record during spring and I catch an occational game on TV. This year however, with Jason Heyward trying to earn a spot on the MLB roster I decided to really follow each play of the spring. And what a spring it was! So with all that being said, here are the biggest stories of the spring and my thoughts on them:
Jason ”The Phenom” Heyward: Jason Heyward may never get a hit in the regular season, but he sure looked good in the spring. Especially in batting practice where he spent his time peppering cars over 450 feet away. Heyward hit .305 with a HR and 5 RBIs. Most impressive to me though was the fact that he walked ten times. For a 20 year old hoping to make a team, that kind of patience is very impressive.
Nate McLouth Slumps: Nate has had a real rough spring. In his first 38 at bats he only had one hit. He finished the spring with a horrific .118 BA with only two extra base hits. At the beginning of spring I was less worried about the slumps of McLouth than I am now. During the offseason I was pretty upset about the Javier Vazquez trade, but as the spring has gone on the more relieved I am to have Melky Cabrera to plug into that leadoff spot. I do think that McLouth will eventually find his swing again, I just hope that he finds it soon because the games in April count just as much as the ones in September.
Huddy’s Back: I’ve never let it be a secret that I am a huge fan of Tim Hudson. But I was a little nervous this time a year ago that Hudson may never be the same again. I know it’s only spring, but Hudson sure has done his part to ease all of our nerves. In his 24 innings pitched he had a 1.50 ERA with 20 strikeouts and only walking four. I hope that this continues into the season, but based on the spring I think we can go ahead and label Hudson the staff’s ace.
Offense We Need You: The one thing that I was most relieved to see this spring was the Braves swinging the bat nicely. Apart from McLouth, the starters all enjoyed a pretty good spring at the plate. This is the biggest question mark going into the season. Although the games didn’t count it was very impressive to see McCann bat .500, Glaus bat .385, Prado bat .383 and Chipper bat .310. What I liked the most though, was the fact that the Braves walked a lot this spring. Patience at the plate is something that has been severly lacking the past few seasons, so maybe that will change this year.
A Whole Lot of Questions
Recently the MLB beat writers throughout the league did the top ten questions that their teams have this offseason. You can read Mark Bowman’s entry on the Braves here. This offseason has brought many question marks for the Braves. Those questions will dictate the success of this team in 2010. So here are some of those questions and how they could either benefit or hurt the club.
Will the Javier Vazquez trade ever make sense? I like many of you was very upset when I turned on my XM radio on December 22 and learned that Javier Vazquez had been traded to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, and Mike Dunn. My initial response was to jump on my computer and blast Frank Wren on my blog. However, I decided to cool off and wait until I saw what kind of return the Braves would get with the money freed up in the deal. We still do not know exactly who the Braves will acquire with the extra money, but I decided to address the Vazquez trade anyway. This trade could be a terrible thing for the Braves or it could be one that opens up possibilities for great things. Here’s my take:
The trade is BAD for Atlanta:
-If Troy Glaus is the only player signed from now until the season starts.
-If any of our starting pitchers have a major injury this season.
-If Vazquez repeats last season’s numbers in a Yankee uniform.
The trade is GOOD for Atlanta:
-If the Braves sign another free agent who is capable of hitting 30 homeruns.
-If Vizcaino is as good as advertised.
-If Cabrera has the best season of his career.
Before I change to a different topic let me say this one last thing. This whole trade reminds me of one that went down in October of 2007. Edgar Renteria had hit .332 for Atlanta in 2007 and was one of the few glimmers of light in a somewhat dark season. So you could imagine how we all felt when we learned that he had been traded to the Tigers for two guys who had never played in the MLB before. However, looking back it became a great trade for the Braves. Renteria didn’t fare very well in Detroit and the two players the Braves got in return were Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez (if you’re wondering about Hernandez, the Braves later used him in a trade that brought Nate McLouth to Atlanta). I’m not saying that this same thing is going to happen with the Vazquez trade, but given his history of following up a good season with a bad one it is very possible.
Will our players stay healthy? In my opinion this will be the most important question that will be answered this season. The Braves biggest signings so far this offseason have been resigning Tim Hudson to an extension, signing Billy Wagner, and signing Troy Glaus (I know that this hasn’t been officially announced, but we all know it’s going to happen). The three of them made a combined 38 appearances last season. If the Braves are going to be successful this season, these three guys will be expected to handle their fair share of the work load. Only time will tell if these gambles will pay off.
There are several other questions such as will Chipper bounce back? Will Jurrjens have the same success he had the last two seasons? Will Heyward be ready for the majors at the start of the season? etc. I could go all night. All I can say is I can’t wait for spring training!
ONE LAST THING: Jake’s Braves Blog is now on twitter. Follow me @ http://twitter.com/jakesbravesblog !
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