Yardbarker: John Smoltz

Braves Pitching Dilemma

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:49:08 -0500

The Braves are 15.5 games back in the division, and they need some help to compete with the Marlins, Mets, and Phillies in 2009. While going after a top tier pitcher makes sense, expect the Braves to aggressively pursue the second tier pitchers: Ryan Dempster and Jon Garland. However, they are going to have to decide whether or not to offer deals to Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Both have informed reporters that they would like to pitch in the future, but where is uncertain. John Smoltz will likely take a big paycut and head to the bullpen, but Glavine is a different story. He may cost more and may slow down even more in a starting role.

If the Braves chose not to sign him, he could be an option for the Nationals.

Braves Pitching Dilemma

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:49:08 -0500

With Age Comes Ending

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:07:49 -0500

The bad year for legendary Braves starting pitchers from the 1990s continued this weekend, as Tom Glavine seems to have torn ligaments. Combine this with his less than encouraging numbers before the snap (2-4, 5.54 ERA), and you've got the ingredients for Later Stew.

One hopes that he really is done, is only for the nice numerical poetry that is 304-203 (career won-loss record), and the idea that he could go into the HOF in the same year as stablemate John Smoltz. That'd be sure to get all 38 Atlanta Braves fans nice and pleased... but if anyone is thinking that they are going to be joined by the third horse in the dynasty, Greg Maddux has other ideas.

For the year, the man is 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, which is to say, he's still a very reasonable back end of the rotation starter. You also get the feeling that when he goes into the HOF, he'll want to do it all by himself, as the greatest right-handed pitcher of his half century... at least, now that we know that Roger Clemens was a low down dirty cheater. 353 up, 223 down, and he's still got an outside shot at 400...

Burgos to have impact on pen....

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:35:08 -0500

RHP Ambiorix Burgos is recovering from Tommy John Surgery and has been pitching in minor league games for approximately 10 days. Burgos has appeared in three games ( five innings) in which he's allowed three runs on six hits and no walks, while striking out eight.

For those who want Kunz closing games Burgos might serve as an example to show patience. In 2004 as a 19 y/o he was in single A and by the next year he spent 12 days in AA before becoming a reliever for the Royals. The 21 y/o was the youngest closer in the American league and converted 18 saves, however; he blew 12 opportunities and had an ERA of 5.52. Despite Mets fans calling the trade a failure, Burgos is still under 25 y/o and has a great deal of potential. Here's an exert from the NY Times from 2/19/07:

According to Minaya, team scouts have clocked Burgos's fastball at 103 miles an hour, and last season he threw five pitches at 100 or faster, which was fifth among American League pitchers. And yet, the fastball may not even be his best pitch. It certainly is not his favorite one.

That distinction belongs to a diving splitter that, when right, could be as good as John Smoltz's. The difference is, Smoltz can pretty much throw it wherever he wants at any point in the count. Burgos? Not yet. He loves it so much, though, that he tends to favor throwing it more than his fastball, and that led to trouble last season. source NY Times

The Mets feel that Burgos could have a positive impact on the bullpen down the stretch.....

Bernazard predicted Ambiorix Burgos, the reliever obtained from the Royals two winters ago for Brian Bannister, could be a September call-up and have an impact in the bullpen. source Daily News

Fantasy All Stars: 1995-1997

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:53:23 -0500

Razzball.com and FBHOF.com continue to recreate All Star teams of the fantasy era. The most incredible collection of baseball talent ever assembled is honored this week.

Here's to You: Skip Carey

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:19:45 -0500

Skip told it like he saw it without the sugar coating or unnecessary fluff many of today's announcers choose to use. He was unafraid to state his opinion, whatever it may have been, and had no remorse if you didn't agree. He hated the Wave and when anyone called in on sports talk radio and asked about the Infield Fly Rule. He knew baseball and seemingly where every fan in the stands hailed from as he would announce the hometown of whomever was lucky enough to catch a foul ball. Our tribute to Skip...

How The Mighty Braves Have Fallen

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:16:05 -0500

The best franchise in the N.L. for 15 years is falling pretty hard. Much of it is not their fault, and some of it is. I don't think there is another team in 2008 that has had as many injuries, several of which have been catastrophic. Then again, when you count on 40 year old starters to anchor your staff, whether they are HOF'ers or not, you have to expect problems.

Getting Old: Baseball's Most Experienced Players #10-#6

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:04:10 -0500

Counting down the oldest, most experienced, most accomplished, and wisest players in the MLB

Green(?) Pastures Ahead

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:52:35 -0500

The Braves, to paraphrase former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green, are not who we thought they were. We thought they were rock-steady John Smoltz and uninjurable Tom Glavine. Two tickets to the DL took care of that. We thought they were young and unflappable budding star Jeff Francoeur. He's hitting .234 on the season, and was sent [...]

Simpler Times

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:38:23 -0500

Amazing the joy an autographed program and score card from '93 will bring a guy.

Mid Season Report

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500

The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama.

Frankie gets the record

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:48:42 -0500

It's not exactly one of baseball's most hallowed records, but Francisco Rodriguez did break a record that's incredibly hard to top. Frankie got his 35th save Monday night, the most ever before the All-Star break, breaking John Smoltz's 34. K-Rod has had an incredible season in a year where he's been counted on more than ever [...]

Fantasy History of Wins

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:06:17 -0500

The Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame is back, turning its attention to pitchers in the 6th installment of a series investigating statistical trends over the past 3 decades.

Red Sox and Cubs Each to Send 7 Players to All-Star Game

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:46:07 -0500

The Red Sox and Cubs are the only two teams to send 7 players to the All-Star game. Cubs catcher Geovany Soto is the first rookie catcher ever in the NL and Kosuke Fukodome is the first rookie outfielder since Frank Robinson in 1956. The other NL teams each have two players named to the team. Other Cubs named are Alfonso Soriano, who is soon to come off the DL after a hand injury, Aramis Ramirez and pitchers, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood. Wood is in rare company, along with Rich Goassage, Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz to be named to the squad as a starter and a closer.
The Red Sox had four starters voted in by fans: Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Added reserves are Jonathan Papelbon, Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew.

Yardbarker: John Smoltz

Braves Pitching Dilemma

Braves Pitching Dilemma

With Age Comes Ending

Burgos to have impact on pen....

Top Five Fantasy Storiesa?"Atlanta Braves

Fantasy All Stars: 1995-1997

Here's to You: Skip Carey

How The Mighty Braves Have Fallen

Getting Old: Baseball's Most Experienced Players #10-#6

Green(?) Pastures Ahead

Simpler Times

Mid Season Report

Frankie gets the record

Fantasy History of Wins

Red Sox and Cubs Each to Send 7 Players to All-Star Game