You have questions? I have answers. Some of them are even right answers.
These are the questions baseball fans have been sending my way lately:
Q. Can the Indians return to the World Series next year?
A. Which is to say, can they make the playoffs? Fo' shizzle. Their two injured starters return to join my Cy Young pick, Cory Kluber, and Trevor Bauer is poised to take the next step. They lose Mike Napoli's bat but add by subtraction in the field. If Michael Brantley can return to anything like his 2015 self in 2017, and Lindor, Naquin and Ramirez avoid catastrophic sophomore slumps, they could be even better. With the Royals, White Sox and Twins reeling, only the Detroits have the stuff to challenge Believeland.
Q. When does the Yankees' rebuild pay off?
A.
Sooner than any of us want it to. They very likely have the best Minor
League system in baseball today, and that's even after Gary Sanchez and
Greg Bird made The Show.
Q. Should the Mets sign Yoenis Cespedes?
A. It's not my money, so sure! The Amazins can hurl with anyone, particularly with Gsellman in the mix and a potential Wheeler bounce-back, but they have fewer bats than an aquarium. Getting Neil Walker back is nice, but the Mets had better sign someone who can thump or the fans will be doing the hurling. They can sign Cespedes for some gargantuan contract that he won't be worth, once again playing three left fielders in their outfield. But who's the alternative -- DH Edwin Encarnacion? DH-in-waiting Jose Bautista?
Q. Which is the worst team in baseball next year?
A. i wouldn't bet against the Reds.
Q. What should the Jays do about their two big free agents?
A. Toronto is in a pickle. Lose Bautista and Encarnacion and there go 70 home runs out the door. Each is expecting the kind of deal that could sink a team as they age poorly. The Blue Jays are too good to punt and too smart to bankrupt the future on a 36-year-old defensive liability. I think the brass are hoping the market for Bautista cools and they can reclaim him for a reasonable amount.
Q. Is Andrew McCutchen over?
A. Boy, that would be precipitous -- from the game's most dynamic player to replacement level in one year. Regression to the mean suggests he'll be a 3-4 win player next season -- very good, but not the 'Cutch we knew. After that he's 31.
Q. How good can the Mets be next season? They were ravaged by injuries in '16 but overperformed; could they get a lot better and win fewer games in '17?
A. Depends on the sticks. The lineup they have today couldn't beat O'Neil's Texaco from the Bay Village Little League. They need to find some lumber, whether from inside the roster or plucked off another one. Add some scoring to 140 starts out of deGrom, Syndergaard, Gsellman, Harvey, Wheeler and Matz, and they're a serious World Series contender.
Q. Is there anyone on the free agent wire who can help my Orioles pitching staff?
A. Zippo, zilch, nada, nuttin, nil. Rich Hill's the best moundsman out there and he's 37 with 24 good starts in his pocket.
Q. Are we forgetting about Buster Posey?
A. Who? His output dipped 50 points of OPS in his age 29 season but he's still an above-average hitter with mad framing skills who was worth four wins to the Giants. He's a Hall of Fame argument, depending on how he ages, and still one of the best receivers in the game. It wouldn't surprise me if he hit .300 next year with a bump in home runs and 5+ wins of value.
Q. Who is the most under-rated player in baseball?
A. There are two variables in that question, one of which is, how is a particular player "rated." For the past two years I've touted Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich. The low-key 24-year-old has a Gold Glove, a Sliver Slugger and a .293/.368/.483 batting line over a three-and-a-half year career.
Q. Didn't Ian Kinsler sort-of get his wish?
A. When the Rangers flipped him to Detroit for Prince Fielder before the 2014 season, Kinsler called GM Jon Daniels a "sleazeball" and wished a 0-162 record on Texas. Since then, he's added 18 wins and a division title to the Tigers, but Texas has won its division each of the last two seasons, even as injuries ended Fielder's career prematurely. So assuming Kinsler hates the Rangers and not Prince Fielder, all he has is the satisfaction that his side got the better of the deal.
Q. What can we reasonably expect from Gary Sanchez in 2017?
A. Not that. Fangraphs projects .268/.329/.490 with 26 home runs and four wins against replacement. Pretty good for $540,000.
Q. It felt like Terry Francona out foxed Joe Maddon in the World Series. Why does everyone love Maddon?
A. For all the right reasons. He's smart and open to new ideas. His players love playing for him. He keeps it light over 162 games. He knows his players and never panics. That said, I agree that Tito did a great job of matching his limited assets -- most notably Cory Kluber and Andrew Miller -- against the Cubs' deep vein of talent.
Q. I can't decide whether Hal Steinbrenner is a better owner than his father. George was a lunatic but his teams won.
A. That's not technically a question, frequently asked or otherwise. It's a different time now. George could bully the rest of baseball then in a way Hal can't today. New York enjoyed advantages -- not just financial-- that pre-dated the luxury tax, shared revenue and a social media landscape that makes anywhere the center of the media world depending on who's Tweeting. George's brand of insanity would be a colossal failure today.
Q. You made it pretty clear that you think Donald Trump is a sociopath. What policies of his are you rooting for?
A. My problem with Trump is not partisan; who even knows where he stands on the issues? The problem is he's a despicable human being who remains willfully ignorant of the job he sought. Replacing the Affordable Care Act and enforcing some fiscal discipline would be welcome developments, though I have zero faith he will accomplish either.
Q. What is ahead for Bryce Harper? He was the world's best player in 2015 and then hit .243 last year.
A. Almost no one's career progresses in a straight line. Harper appeared to be dinged up last year, yet he managed a .373 OBP, 24 homers and three wins against replacement. His 2015 might have been a one-off, but Fangraphs projects a big bounce back for him, particularly in the power department.
Q. What do the Cubs do if Jason Heyward continues to suck?
A. The only thing that's certain is that they'll keep paying him through 2023.
Q. Where does Aroldis Chapman land and for how much?
A. Are we assuming he's chasing the cash? Word is he and the Yankees are courting.
Q. Am I crazy or is this Hot Stove season shaping up as the worst ever? The free agent crop is garbage.
A. The free agent crop is mostly garbage. As for your mental health, you should see a professional.
Q. Who is going to be the best free agent pickup this winter?
A. Ian Desmond? Versatile defenders with broad skill sets tend to have high floors, and speedsters tend to age well. Plus he's good looking and of uncertain ethnicity.
That's enough for now. Keep those cards and letters coming. And try to put the questions in question form.
Showing posts with label Jason Heyward. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Heyward. Show all posts
22 November 2016
11 December 2015
Is Jason Heyward Realy Worth a Spadillion Bucks?
Named the nation's #1 travel destination the past three years, my hometown of Charleston SC is what you would call a destination. People accept jobs paying a lot less money to live here in the 29401.
The 60613 is becoming a destination too. That's the zip code for the iconic structure at 1060 W Addison St. on Chicago's Northside. Both Ben Zobrist and now Jason Heyward have agreed to bring their lunch pails to the shrine on that site for the next several years, despite more lucrative offers to ply their trade elsewhere.
The newest Wrigley Field denizens join John Lackey as 2016 additions to a squad that roared to 97 wins and a spot in the League Championship Series in 2015. Both said at their signings that they wanted to be part of the crew that brought a World Series title to Cub fans after 108 years.
Heyward: Just .268, 16 HR 59 RBI
The predictable blowback on Heyward's haul began the minute word of his eight-year, $184 million deal hit Twitter. Heyward is the prototype of the baseball player undervalued even in 2015 by casual fans and those not yet sophisticated in the ways of baseball analysis, such as many of the media's self-described baseball analysts. But here's why Theo Epstein is a millionaire and a future Hall of Fame front office guy while your average baseball writer is still struggling to understand OPS.
In his six-year career, Jason Heyward has averaged a mere .268, 16 HR and 59 RBI. If that's how you see the world, Heyward is a fringe starter in the outfield. And if that's how you see the world, give my regards to the woolly mammoth.
We've learned over the last 38 years that those three numbers are weak diagnostic instruments. Heyward's walking proclivities and double & triple power show up in his laudable .353/.431 OBP/SLG numbers. His 86 steals in just 113 attempts, combined with superb baserunning prowess, add to his value. Defense that dazzles the eye as well as the stat sheet adds more fuel to the fire, so that by the time you're done, you have a five-win player who's just entering his age-26 prime.
In other words, Heyward is all the things that traditional measures, like cubits and pieces of silver, don't measure. He gets on base without the gaudy batting average. He slugs doubles and triples, not homers. He's circumspect about his base-stealing, but highly efficient. He fields all three outfield positions and scores on doubles -- things that don't show up in the boxscore.
For the Cubs, there's even more value. Heyward can staff the central pasture and offset some of the defensive pain inflicted by two all-bat corner catastrophes -- Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler. And his addition in Chicago is subtraction from St. Louis, the Cubs' chief rival and tormentor.
Murderers Row, 2016
As for easily-dismissed broad skills, Ben Zobrist is much the same, and with full infield defensive flexibility. He and Heyward join Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Schwarber, Soler, Miguel Montero and Addison Russell as the Cubs' starting lineup if the season began today. (Sadly, it doesn't.) The guy squatting behind the dish flashes a lifetime .343 OBP while averaging 15 home runs-a-year -- and bats seventh in this lineup. Sheesh.
With Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey flummoxing opposition bats, Hector Rondon turning out the lights and Joe Maddon pulling the levers, it's no wonder free agents are turning down marginal bags of money to hop on the Wrigley Express. They will be young and loaded in 2016 -- and Theo might not even be done.
The 60613 is becoming a destination too. That's the zip code for the iconic structure at 1060 W Addison St. on Chicago's Northside. Both Ben Zobrist and now Jason Heyward have agreed to bring their lunch pails to the shrine on that site for the next several years, despite more lucrative offers to ply their trade elsewhere.
The newest Wrigley Field denizens join John Lackey as 2016 additions to a squad that roared to 97 wins and a spot in the League Championship Series in 2015. Both said at their signings that they wanted to be part of the crew that brought a World Series title to Cub fans after 108 years.
Heyward: Just .268, 16 HR 59 RBI
The predictable blowback on Heyward's haul began the minute word of his eight-year, $184 million deal hit Twitter. Heyward is the prototype of the baseball player undervalued even in 2015 by casual fans and those not yet sophisticated in the ways of baseball analysis, such as many of the media's self-described baseball analysts. But here's why Theo Epstein is a millionaire and a future Hall of Fame front office guy while your average baseball writer is still struggling to understand OPS.
In his six-year career, Jason Heyward has averaged a mere .268, 16 HR and 59 RBI. If that's how you see the world, Heyward is a fringe starter in the outfield. And if that's how you see the world, give my regards to the woolly mammoth.
We've learned over the last 38 years that those three numbers are weak diagnostic instruments. Heyward's walking proclivities and double & triple power show up in his laudable .353/.431 OBP/SLG numbers. His 86 steals in just 113 attempts, combined with superb baserunning prowess, add to his value. Defense that dazzles the eye as well as the stat sheet adds more fuel to the fire, so that by the time you're done, you have a five-win player who's just entering his age-26 prime.
In other words, Heyward is all the things that traditional measures, like cubits and pieces of silver, don't measure. He gets on base without the gaudy batting average. He slugs doubles and triples, not homers. He's circumspect about his base-stealing, but highly efficient. He fields all three outfield positions and scores on doubles -- things that don't show up in the boxscore.
For the Cubs, there's even more value. Heyward can staff the central pasture and offset some of the defensive pain inflicted by two all-bat corner catastrophes -- Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler. And his addition in Chicago is subtraction from St. Louis, the Cubs' chief rival and tormentor.
Murderers Row, 2016
As for easily-dismissed broad skills, Ben Zobrist is much the same, and with full infield defensive flexibility. He and Heyward join Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Schwarber, Soler, Miguel Montero and Addison Russell as the Cubs' starting lineup if the season began today. (Sadly, it doesn't.) The guy squatting behind the dish flashes a lifetime .343 OBP while averaging 15 home runs-a-year -- and bats seventh in this lineup. Sheesh.
With Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey flummoxing opposition bats, Hector Rondon turning out the lights and Joe Maddon pulling the levers, it's no wonder free agents are turning down marginal bags of money to hop on the Wrigley Express. They will be young and loaded in 2016 -- and Theo might not even be done.
25 February 2014
A Hart Attack in Atlanta Leaves A Franchise in Great Shape
If Carlos Baerga and Albert Belle join the Braves lineup, we'll know for sure what's afoot in Atlanta. Until then, we see the old Cleveland Indians philosophy of locking up future stars beyond their arbitration years at play in the Home of the Braves (soon to be Marietta).
The original plan, engineered by General Manager John Hart, paid dividends for the Indians, who won six AL Central titles in seven years, made two World Series and should have won one. Hart recognized that his bevy of promising talent -- Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Charles Nagy, Belle and Baerga -- could be locked up through their most productive years with relatively low-cost contracts if he acted early.
With rampant salary inflation unabated and a new park opening in three years, Hart inked the bulk of Cleveland's future core to team-friendly extensions that bought out arbitration years and a season or two of free agency. His judgment was vindicated when all but Nagy produced beyond their contract terms and then again when Baerga turned into a pumpkin immediately upon the expiration of his.
In the meantime, The Jake (now Progressive Field) filled up for 455 consecutive games. The sellouts spilled into Canton, where fans gobbled up tickets for the Double-A Indians and a chance to see future Cleveland players.
With a similar set of circumstances, and Hart serving as a front office advisor, GM Frank Wren has committed $309 million to five prized on-field assets that will keep them in uniform for the rest of the 20-teens. The Braves now know they can build around Jason Heyward, Julio Teheran, Freddy Freeman, Andrelton Simmons and Craig Kimbrel for at least the next five years. Of the money committed, more than two-thirds will be spent after the Nocahomas unveil their new suburban home.
They also know that if any of the quintet age poorly, the team can let someone else pay gigantic sums for their decline years. In concept it's a beautiful thing. Braves fans know right now that three years from now a deft first baseman, an athletic outfielder with pop, a top-of-the-rotation starter, a slick-fielding shortstop and the best closer anyone has ever seen will anchor their roster. It's no coincidence that Atlanta sent aging free agents Brian McCann and Tim Hudson packing. Those savings have been invested back into the future.
What seems different about this round of Hart attacks is the cost. Though Simmons's signing is almost completely free of downside, some of the others -- Freeman's in particular -- feel mighty rich considering all the risk being taken by the team. The old formula for these deals -- team takes long-term risk ensuring player wealth at a discounted rate -- appears to lack some of the discount. Only if the players fulfill their potential and salary inflation continues to run unchecked will these deals appear to be no-brainers in restrospect.
Nonetheless, if you offered the entire package as a take-it-or-leave-it deal to a smart GM he would take it in a heartbeat. The new stadium will fill team coffers if the win column is well-stocked and this nucleus goes a long way towards ensuring that. Native Americans may have given away Manhattan for $24 in beads but they're redeeming themselves in the baseball front office.
The original plan, engineered by General Manager John Hart, paid dividends for the Indians, who won six AL Central titles in seven years, made two World Series and should have won one. Hart recognized that his bevy of promising talent -- Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Charles Nagy, Belle and Baerga -- could be locked up through their most productive years with relatively low-cost contracts if he acted early.
With rampant salary inflation unabated and a new park opening in three years, Hart inked the bulk of Cleveland's future core to team-friendly extensions that bought out arbitration years and a season or two of free agency. His judgment was vindicated when all but Nagy produced beyond their contract terms and then again when Baerga turned into a pumpkin immediately upon the expiration of his.
In the meantime, The Jake (now Progressive Field) filled up for 455 consecutive games. The sellouts spilled into Canton, where fans gobbled up tickets for the Double-A Indians and a chance to see future Cleveland players.
With a similar set of circumstances, and Hart serving as a front office advisor, GM Frank Wren has committed $309 million to five prized on-field assets that will keep them in uniform for the rest of the 20-teens. The Braves now know they can build around Jason Heyward, Julio Teheran, Freddy Freeman, Andrelton Simmons and Craig Kimbrel for at least the next five years. Of the money committed, more than two-thirds will be spent after the Nocahomas unveil their new suburban home.
They also know that if any of the quintet age poorly, the team can let someone else pay gigantic sums for their decline years. In concept it's a beautiful thing. Braves fans know right now that three years from now a deft first baseman, an athletic outfielder with pop, a top-of-the-rotation starter, a slick-fielding shortstop and the best closer anyone has ever seen will anchor their roster. It's no coincidence that Atlanta sent aging free agents Brian McCann and Tim Hudson packing. Those savings have been invested back into the future.
What seems different about this round of Hart attacks is the cost. Though Simmons's signing is almost completely free of downside, some of the others -- Freeman's in particular -- feel mighty rich considering all the risk being taken by the team. The old formula for these deals -- team takes long-term risk ensuring player wealth at a discounted rate -- appears to lack some of the discount. Only if the players fulfill their potential and salary inflation continues to run unchecked will these deals appear to be no-brainers in restrospect.
Nonetheless, if you offered the entire package as a take-it-or-leave-it deal to a smart GM he would take it in a heartbeat. The new stadium will fill team coffers if the win column is well-stocked and this nucleus goes a long way towards ensuring that. Native Americans may have given away Manhattan for $24 in beads but they're redeeming themselves in the baseball front office.
29 August 2013
Don't Count Out the Braves
Went to see the Braves nip the Tribe in an inter-league tumble yesterday. I predicted at the outset that the Native Americans would win. Jenius!
Few outside of the deep South give Atlanta much chance of winning a championship even though the rest of the division conceded back when Egypt had a democracy.
The Braves lack a singular talent, a significant home run threat or an ace. The leading talent in the lineup will be sipping dinner through a straw for a month. Mike Minor and Julio Teheran project as the top of the playoff rotation, scaring exactly as many people as the Bolivian navy.
Look deeper, though, and you will see a formidable opponent with baseball's best record.
1. Little weakness in the lineup.
They get production from shortstop Andrelton Simmons, catcher Brian McCan and second-sacker Dan Uggla, where most teams wobble. Eight batters have ripped 10 or more home runs. Without Heyward, the outfield's got one Upton too many, but even so, the Braves rank second in the NL in scoring.
2. A bench thick with quality.
Evan Gattis has popped 15 homers in half a season and plugs holes at catcher and corner outfield. Lefty Jordan Schafer gets aboard and swipes bags as an outfield fill-in or as Heyward's replacement. Ditto for switch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich who owns outfield and first-baseman mitts.
3. Solid, not flashy, defense.
Atlanta ranks fifth in the Majors in defensive efficiency and what it lacks in outfield bats it makes up for with the gloves.
4. A middle-heavy rotation.
There's no Verlander-Scherzer or Kershaw-Greinke combo here, but even after Tim Hudson's broken ankle they go six deep with quality. #5 starter Alex Wood, a rookie southpaw, sports a 2.27 ERA since his call-up eight starts ago. They have the fifth-best ERA in the senior circuit.
5. Something called the best bullpen in the world.
Craig Kimbrel and his sub-one ERA would end the argument, but throw in Luis Avilan, David Carpenter and Jordan Walden's combined ERA under 2.00 and good luck scoring after the sixth inning.
6. A bye and home-field.
You already know they won't repeat last year's depressing one-game elimination. And the home crowd gets an extra opportunity if a series goes the distance.
Put it all together and you've got a tough out. The Dodgers have been hotter lately and appear to have more overall talent, but sleeping on the Braves would not be the work of a jenius.
Few outside of the deep South give Atlanta much chance of winning a championship even though the rest of the division conceded back when Egypt had a democracy.
The Braves lack a singular talent, a significant home run threat or an ace. The leading talent in the lineup will be sipping dinner through a straw for a month. Mike Minor and Julio Teheran project as the top of the playoff rotation, scaring exactly as many people as the Bolivian navy.
Look deeper, though, and you will see a formidable opponent with baseball's best record.
1. Little weakness in the lineup.
They get production from shortstop Andrelton Simmons, catcher Brian McCan and second-sacker Dan Uggla, where most teams wobble. Eight batters have ripped 10 or more home runs. Without Heyward, the outfield's got one Upton too many, but even so, the Braves rank second in the NL in scoring.
2. A bench thick with quality.
Evan Gattis has popped 15 homers in half a season and plugs holes at catcher and corner outfield. Lefty Jordan Schafer gets aboard and swipes bags as an outfield fill-in or as Heyward's replacement. Ditto for switch-hitter Joey Terdoslavich who owns outfield and first-baseman mitts.
3. Solid, not flashy, defense.
Atlanta ranks fifth in the Majors in defensive efficiency and what it lacks in outfield bats it makes up for with the gloves.
4. A middle-heavy rotation.
There's no Verlander-Scherzer or Kershaw-Greinke combo here, but even after Tim Hudson's broken ankle they go six deep with quality. #5 starter Alex Wood, a rookie southpaw, sports a 2.27 ERA since his call-up eight starts ago. They have the fifth-best ERA in the senior circuit.
5. Something called the best bullpen in the world.
Craig Kimbrel and his sub-one ERA would end the argument, but throw in Luis Avilan, David Carpenter and Jordan Walden's combined ERA under 2.00 and good luck scoring after the sixth inning.
6. A bye and home-field.
You already know they won't repeat last year's depressing one-game elimination. And the home crowd gets an extra opportunity if a series goes the distance.
Put it all together and you've got a tough out. The Dodgers have been hotter lately and appear to have more overall talent, but sleeping on the Braves would not be the work of a jenius.
07 July 2013
Fun With Conventional Wisdom
Braindrizzling should pay royalties to the Associated Press for all the knee-slapping material it provides. Let's take a spin around the Majors AP-style, which is to say, in the style of the purveyors of conventional wisdom.
Jason Heyward hit a three-run homer to lead an Atlanta offense that scored in all but two innings.
Heyward's blast came with the Braves leading 7-1 in the seventh inning, having already blitzed Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. He didn't lead the Atlanta offense to anything they hadn't already achieved. Perhaps Dan Uggla's two-run smash in the second inning could have been described as "leading" the offense.
Jonathan Lucroy homered and Yovanni Gallardo scattered six hits over six innings while adding two hits and a pair of runs scored as Milwaukee beat the Mets.
Here's how Gallardo "scattered" six hits: he mixed in three walks, a homer and a double, surrendering four runs in six frames. That's an ERA of 6.00 and fails to attain the modest standard of a quality start. But seven Brewer runs afforded him his seventh "win," and for that Gallardo shares top billing.
Andy Pettitte threw an early pitch exactly where he wanted. Chris Davis launched it over the centerfield wall. Most of his later offerings landed in the right spot and Pettitte stopped the Orioles again.
...Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the play? Pettitte also allowed nine base runners and four runs in six-and-two-thirds innings. That's an ERA of 5.40 and also not a quality start, but backed by early runs, Pettitte was credited with a victory.
We've still got a ways to go.
Jason Heyward hit a three-run homer to lead an Atlanta offense that scored in all but two innings.
Heyward's blast came with the Braves leading 7-1 in the seventh inning, having already blitzed Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick. He didn't lead the Atlanta offense to anything they hadn't already achieved. Perhaps Dan Uggla's two-run smash in the second inning could have been described as "leading" the offense.
Jonathan Lucroy homered and Yovanni Gallardo scattered six hits over six innings while adding two hits and a pair of runs scored as Milwaukee beat the Mets.
Here's how Gallardo "scattered" six hits: he mixed in three walks, a homer and a double, surrendering four runs in six frames. That's an ERA of 6.00 and fails to attain the modest standard of a quality start. But seven Brewer runs afforded him his seventh "win," and for that Gallardo shares top billing.
Andy Pettitte threw an early pitch exactly where he wanted. Chris Davis launched it over the centerfield wall. Most of his later offerings landed in the right spot and Pettitte stopped the Orioles again.
...Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the play? Pettitte also allowed nine base runners and four runs in six-and-two-thirds innings. That's an ERA of 5.40 and also not a quality start, but backed by early runs, Pettitte was credited with a victory.
We've still got a ways to go.
26 September 2012
Can the Braves Win Without A Star?
Now that that Atlanta Braves have slain 2011's demons and clinched their Wild Card berth, it's fair to wonder who exactly is going to carry them through the playoffs.This team is a mile wide and a foot deep, which is a commendable formula for the regular season, but not for the fast twitch muscles of the playoffs. They boast a solid but unspectacular lineup lacking any serious threat and eight plausible starters but perhaps no ace.
On offense, they're the Atlanta Egalitarians. If you asked 100 Braves fans who was their MVP you'd get eight different answers. Jason Heyward is a five-tooler leading the team in home runs...with just 27. Martin Prado is a five-position Gumby leading the team in batting average. Michael Bourn's after burners and noteworthy CF chops combine with a .346 OBP for a stellar leadoff resume. Brian McCann (.297 OBP) has scuffled and Dan Uggla leads the league in walks to offset a .216 batting average. With rookie shortstop Andrelton Simmons, this is a shiny defensive corps.
(Spell check is going out of its mind over five-tooler, Gumby, OBP, leadoff and Andrelton. Spell check must be a wussy golf fan.)
All well and good, but who's the guy you walk intentionally?
On the hill, they're a hot band without a frontman. Tim Hudson (16-6, 3.61) has cracked the 15-win mark for the eighth time in his outstanding career, but he's no
Then there's Mr. Jones, already a big big star. In his curtain call season he continues to rake .300/.380/.470 despite knees entering their fifth decade. As long as he's upright he remains the biggest threat to put this team on his back.
Maybe the manager, Fredi Gonzalez, is the MVP. Since Spring Training he has been banishing the ghosts of 2011, waving off questions about their collapse. He clearly learned some lessons, taking the foot off the pedal of Kimbrel and Jonny Venters, whom he wore to a nub by last season's final weeks. He also lightened Chipper's load to keep him healthy, and the result has been 105 games of All Star-level performance and more at bats and glove time for Martin Prado.
It's all moot if they lose their play-in game, but if they don't, it will be interesting to see whether the yin of good pitching, strong defense and a couple of hot bats overwhelms the yang of a no-star team.
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