2020 Sucks – Virtual Winter Meetings Edition

COVID-19 claims another victim as the Baseball Winter Meetings go 100% Virtual Scott Boras must be beside himself right now. In any other year, he would be holding court in a packed hotel lobby or conference room, hundreds of reporters gathered around him, as he pontificates on the number of ways that MLB is failing …

Ozuna or later, the Braves need to find a long term solution for their lineup

Marcell Ozuna is poised to enter free agency at the end of the season. Where will the Braves look to fill that void? The Braves find themselves in a familiar position, looking for offense to fill the hole just behind Freddie Freeman in their lineup. Marcell Ozuna, signed to a one year deal after the …

Turn the Page – Braves Head Into Offseason With Few Questions

Coming off a surprising NLCS appearance, GM Alex Anthopoulos prepares for a big offseason Close the book on the Atlanta Braves for 2020. By all objective measures this was the most successful season for the Braves since they managed to get swept by the 1999 New York Yankees in the World Series. Atlanta stood toe-to-toe …

Unwritten Rules? I’ve got a rule for ya!

Fernando Tatis, Jr. found himself in violation of an unwritten rule, and talking heads are falling all over themselves trying to protect him (courtesy Getty Images) Ah, the Unwritten Rules of Baseball. Nothing drives a wedge between generations of fans faster than trying to explain the existence of, let alone the validity of, the Unwritten …

Help Wanted: Part Time Seasonal Work, Experience Desired but Not Required.

Entering play Monday night, the Braves were riding a 5 game winning streak and embracing the possibility of a 4 game sweep of the Mets. There were questions, to be sure, about whether that success was sustainable with only two proven starters in rotation and the remaining options all struggling to log more than 3 …

Braves Notes: Disappearing Ball Trick, Re-appearing Nick Trick, and Mint Condition Minter.

Hey batter batter... It's early. Gotta keep telling yourself it's early in the season. Playing baseball during an apocalypse, the Braves might be fortunate to have a .500 record after 6 games. All things considered, this is not even close to the worst thing that could have happened, right? Starting the season with both of …

America’s Greatest Pastime – The Blame Game

Tony Clark (MLBPA) and Rob Manfred (MLB) have set the stage for a contentious labor battle over the next 2 years. We all want baseball back. Owners do. Players do. Fans especially do. In theory, baseball should be back in the first week of July, but it's looking increasingly unlikely that will be the case. …

The Braves May Have A “DH-elimma”

Everyone knows that if you want to start a fight in a sports bar all you have to do is mention one of these two topics: Pete Rose should (or should not) be in the Hall of Fame, or the National League should (or should not) adopt the Designated Hitter. For the record, I am …

No Room in the Pen

Projected Bullpen for 2020 - Mark Melancon (closer), Will Smith, Shane Greene, Chris Martin, Darren O'Day, Luke Jackson, Josh Tomlin, Grant Dayton Spring Training stats don't matter, except when they do. Here are two stat lines to consider as we sit halfway through the Spring Training slate of games: 4 games, 0-2 9.64 ERA 5 …

Spring Training Update – March 6th

First cuts of Spring Training announced today Big names struggle early, new names impress, and first cuts of spring training are announced As the Braves wrap up their second full week of Grapefruit League action, starting pitchers are going longer, roster regulars are getting more AB's, and the Spring Training roster gets thinned out a …