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Minor League Report: Mississippi

The Braves farm system is broken into two pieces. You’ve got the major-league ready talent including Brandon Jones, Brent Lillibridge, and Jo-Jo Reyes, and then the wave of talented youngsters, headed by names such as Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, and Cole Rohrbough. That has presented itself as quite the problem for the 6-19 Mississippi Braves. The major league ready prospects have moved on to Richmond and the younger group is still scattered between Myrtle Beach and Rome. It leaves Mississippi with — as their disappointing record would suggest — very little in terms of talent.

On the offensive side of the ball, this team has basically nothing. Thirdbaseman Van Pope and firstbaseman Kala Ka’aihue are the only somewhat noteworthy position players on this team. At one point, these two were expected to someday compete for starting roles in Atlanta, however since then, disappointing offensive production has gone a long way towards stripping them of most of their prospect status. This year, Ka’aihue is sporting a .553 OPS and Pope is just a tad better at .611. The scary thing is that’s about it with Jordan Schafer serving his 50-game suspension.

The pitching is a little better, but still nothing to write home about. Mississippi’s staff is headlined by reliever Kris Medlen, who gained notoriety after his first full season in 2007. He hasn’t been dominant this year but he’s been good. The 22-year old right-hander has eleven strikeouts with four walks through 13.2 innings. His 3.29 ERA is a product of the seventeen hits he’s given up so far, but his hit rate should go down as the season progresses. Aside from Medlen, there are a couple other pitchers who have possible futures as relievers, including Jairo Cuevas, Sung Ki Jung, and Dustin Evans. One of the new members of the staff that is having a good year is Todd Redmond. He was acquired from Pittsburgh in the Tyler Yates deal and has been everything promised. Redmond has a 3.41 ERA in 29 innings this season with incredible control (7.33 K/BB ratio). Even with that great command, the consensus of most prospect publications is that his future is as a middle reliever.

There may be a few role players on this team but the only one I can see having a prominent future role with Atlanta is Medlen. The mid-season reinforcements could come, with several talented and polished players currently at Myrtle Beach, but this team is catching the off-period in the organization’s farm system.

Smoltz Will Probably Miss Next Start, At Least

John Smoltz had his worst start of the year against the Mets yesterday. Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t end there: according to MLB.com, he “likely have to miss his next scheduled start,” and moreover he “has told some of his friends that he thinks he might need to go on the disabled list.”

Smoltz only made 55 starts in 1998 and 1999, then missed the entire 2000 season and first month of 2001 following Tommy John surgery. He switched to the bullpen at his own request, because he said that the reduced inning load would help his arm; then, a few years ago, he returned to the starting rotation because he said that the regularity would help his arm (and that the irregularity of closing was too much of a strain). He will not return to the bullpen. This is out of the question, so don’t ask.

We have three off days in the next week: today, Thursday, and next Monday. This doesn’t make any sense, but it may help us skip over John’s spot while our other starters get their normal rest — of course, when I say “normal starters,” I’m including Tom Glavine, scheduled to come off the DL tomorrow. We’ll have to hope he does. And we’ll have to hope that Tim Hudson’s velocity and location return, and that Jurrjens doesn’t turn back into a pumpkin, and that Jeff Bennett continues to pitch well in Chuck James’s spot.

So that’s a whole lot of conditional statements. Right now, let’s just be happy that a scheduling glitch will let our guys get a whole lot of rest, and hope that tomorrow we’ll get to welcome Yunel Escobar, Chipper Jones, and Tom Glavine back to the field.

Smoltz’s Control Problems Cost Braves

I think John Smoltz has earned a bad start after what he has done for the Braves this season. It’s just too bad it had to come against the Mets. The veteran right-hander struggled with his control as the Mets downed the Braves 6-3, to bring the season series within one game.

It was bad right from the get-go. Smoltz just could not find the strikezone, which undoubtedly had to do with his shoulder. If today’s game tells us anything, it’s that cold weather is not going to be Smoltz’s friend this season. After eclipsing the 3,000-strikeout mark in his last start, Smoltz lasted only four innings before being removed for a pinch hitter. He walked only two but gave up seven hits including homeruns to Raul Casanova and Carlos Delgado, who would homer again in the game. The bullpen was decent today but it was blatantly obvious that Bobby was trying to save some arms after having to go there extensively yesterday. Will Ohman, whose job is to handle one-to-two batters at a time was left in for two innings. A positive was Chris Resop, who pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts. He definitely has an up-hill battle to put him back in a good light and rolling through the top of the Mets’ order like that should help.

It seemed like no matter how hard the offense hit the ball, there was a Met standing right at the other end. I can’t tell you how many times I sat there shaking my head and saying “how did that not fall?”. The climax of this was probably Mark Teixeira’s bullet out to right-center which Mets rightfielder Ryan Church made a very impressive play on. There were some good things out of the offense though. Mark Teixeira really seems to be coming around and both Frenchy and McCann hit the ball well also. Mark Kotsay was another guy who looked good at the plate and with the recent play of Gregor Blanco, it couldn’t come at a better time for him. On the other hand, Kelly Johnson and especially Gregor Blanco really had poor at-bats. Both drew a walk but they also went 0-8 combined with a number of weakly hit balls. With a right-hander on the mound, that’s not something you want to see from those two.

The Braves have a timely off-day tomorrow, followed up by a three-game set against the last-place Nationals. Hopefully this can get us back on track. As a side note, Tim Hudson threw about 30-40 times in the outfield before today’s game. If he were injured, the team would have shut him down so this is a good sign.

Mets 4, Braves 3: Hey, What’s that? Look Over There!

Mets 4, Braves 3

Lots of things about this game sucked. Very few things about this game ruled.

Tim Hudson came out after 3 innings again; no one’s saying he’s injured, so we have to hope he was simply inexplicably terrible today. Chipper sat out the game with back spasms, which Bobby described by saying, “He can hardly breathe.” Martin Prado played third, grabbed two hits (the team only got six hits all day), and flew out to the warning track against Billy Wagner in the 9th; a few more feet, and we would have tied the game, but it was that kind of afternoon.

Yunel was out because he injured his fingernail trying to bunt last night, and so we just have to hope and pray he’ll be healthy soon. (He pinchran for McCann in the 8th inning and was promptly erased on a Francoeur double play.) Yunel was replaced by Brent Lillibridge, who’s batting .195 at Richmond, and who went 0-3 in his major league debut. Welcome to the Show, kid.

The one bright spot was undoubtedly the bullpen, which pitched 5 scoreless innings, giving up only 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. Jorge Campillo was particularly impressive, striking out 4 in a hitless 2 innings. He’s now got 11 K and 4 BB in 11 1/3 innings, with a 0.79 ERA — I don’t know how you’re doing it, Jorge, but keep doing what you’re doing.

Also, John Maine came out after only 5 innings, and our announcers speculated he may have injured something. It remains to be seen how serious it is, but the Mets are already handing the ball to Nelson Figueroa every 5th day. They can’t afford for another starter to go down.

Clearly, this lineup is useless without Chipper and Yunel. Get well soon, guys. The injuries necessitated a few roster moves which I’m not so sure about: Lillibridge replaced Stockman, whom I was looking forward to seeing in our pen instead of Resop, and so that Lilli would have room on the 40-man, they DFA’d Zach Schreiber, who has a career 2.63 ERA in the minors, and who I would also rather see in our pen than Resop.

Speaking of Figueroa, we’ll face him tomorrow. We’d better beat him.

(P.S. Yes, we lost this game by one run. That makes us 0-8, and the only team in the majors that hasn’t won a one-run game. By this point, I imagine the players are aware of the situation, and probably pressing, which doesn’t help. All we can do is hope that Chipper and Yunel get back soon, and score enough runs that it doesn’t matter.)

4/25 Game Thread: Chipper Jones + Shea Stadium = I’m Optimistic

Last night, birthday boy Chipper Jones went 3-3 with a walk and a homer and more or less beat the Marlins with one hand tied behind his back, which is a good thing because Chuck James had another mediocre short start and was sent back to Richmond again immediately after the start. He’s 36 years and one day old now, batting .442, and heading to his favorite place in the world to hit — Shea Stadium. I’m sure he’s looking forward to demolishing the place one last time before the Mets move to their new stadium next year. (Don’t worry too much, though: in 354 PAs at Shea, Chipper’s batting .310/.399/.565, with 19 HR and 53 RBI; in 755 PAs vs. the Mets in his career at all stadiums, he’s batting .328/.417/.571, with 38 HR and 118 RBI. So he basically annihilates them no matter where they play.)

I did an interview with MVN Mets blogger Jessica Bader about the series, talking about some of our pitching woes. The Mets have their own pitching woes, of course, in the form of the DLed Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez, but their worst enemy (and likely our best friend this series) has been our old buddy Jorge Sosa, who’s sixth on the team in innings pitched, and in his last three games has given up 2 homers and 6 earned runs. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the mound.

Of course, we’ve played pretty good ball against them. Last year we were 9-9 against them despite their dominance for much of the year, and this year we swept the brief two-game series we played a couple weeks ago . Tonight, Jair Jurrjens will be facing Mike Pelfrey (who sucks); tomorrow, Tim Hudson will face John Maine, reprising their matchup from a couple weeks ago, when Hudson had the edge; and Sunday, John Smoltz will be facing Nelson Figueroa, which is a bit like the U.S. Army facing Grenada. We’ll miss Johan Santana, which is nice even though we beat him last time, and the matchups each night are in our favor. I like our chances.

As you no doubt know by now, Mike Gonzalez is on the way, and he may be here very soon — like, within three weeks soon. Soriano will likely be back by then too. Gonzalez won’t immediately be the automatic closer he was in Pittsburgh, but he’ll be a hell of a lot better than Resop/Ring/Ohman, three pitchers who rarely appear capable of getting two outs in a row, let alone pitching an entire inning. Tom Glavine expects to start against the Nationals this Tuesday, the same day Mike Hampton will pitch a rehab start. Don’t believe it till you see it, but the opposite of bad news is good news, so I’m not complaining.

Let’s beat the hell out of the Metropolitans!

Reinforcements Are on the Way

The struggles of Atlanta’s injury-depleted pitching staff has been discussed over and over again on this site and amongst Braves fans everywhere. Two fifths of Atlanta’s opening day rotation is on the DL with their top two relievers from last year joining them. Don’t worry though because reinforcements are on the way.

• After throwing a two-inning simulated game on Tuesday, the timetable for Mike Gonzalez’s return has been moved up to mid-May. That news couldn’t come at a better time since the Braves learned that Peter Moylan will more than likely have to undergo season-ending elbow surgery. Back in the end of May when the lefty reliever underwent Tommy John surgery, he was expected back around the All-Star break. Since then, the Braves have moved it up to June, then late may, and now this. If he can come back and be effective, it will provide a significant boost to a fairly shaky pen.
• Veteran starter Tom Glavine threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and Pitching Coach Roger McDowell reported no setbacks. Glavine, who strained his right hamstring in a start against the Nationals, is schedule to return from the DL next Tuesday, where he’ll face the Nationals in Wahington again. A healthy Glavine will allow the Braves to move Jeff Benntt back into the pen and either Buddy Carlyle or Jorge Campillo back to Richmond.
• Mike Hampton threw his third bullpen session since landing on the DL with a strained pectoral muscle. The veteran southpaw reportedly threw with near maximum effort and no pain, which is a very good sign. Hampton, who hasn’t made a start for the Braves in over two years, will go on a minor league rehab assignment as early as Friday. Until Hampton fininshes his rehab, Chuck James will continue to occupy his spot in the rotation and with Chuck James showing some rust after coming of the DL, the Braves will probably be happy to not only get Hampton back, but give James some time in the minors. Cross your fingers guys.

Minor League Report: Richmond

We’re just about a month into the minor league season and it seems like the perfect time to start breaking down what’s going on around Atlanta’s farm system team-by-team. We’ll start with the Braves’ triple-A affiliate, the Richmond Braves, who are off to a strong start at 11-6 and more importantly, lead in the International League’s South Division.

Who’s Hot

RHP Phil Stockman- The 6′8″ Australian reliever went relatively unused and unnoticed this spring, throwing only three innings before being optioned down. With Atlanta’s pen feeling the strain of some key injuries, the Braves are going to have to take notice of the Aussie flame-thrower, who is ripping through opposing hitters this season. Stockman has pitched 11.2 innings in six relief appearances so far while allowing only two earned runs (1.54 ERA). His peripherals are very impressive as well as he’s held opposing hitters to a .103 average and has a 14/4 K/BB on the young season. There always seems to be something that keeps Stockman from getting his shot, whether it be injury or visa problems. If he keeps pitching this way, it’ll be almost impossible not to give him a look.

LHP Jo-Jo Reyes- The Braves are going to have to look outside the normal rotation for plenty of starts this season with Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton, John Smoltz, and Chuck James all either currently on the DL or having spent time on the DL at some point this season, as well as a youngster in Jair Jurrjens, whose innings the team will probably look to control. Charlie Morton may have made a case for himself over the winter and in the spring, but Jo-Jo Reyes is the one who has capitalized the most early in the ‘08 season. The southpaw hasn’t factored into a decision in any of his three starts, however he has yet to allow a run — earned or unearned — in his 14 innings this season. He has only allowed six hits with a .125 batting average against as well as a strong groundball rate and an 18/5 K/BB ratio. If his performance stays strong, Reyes is going to at least get a chance to prove to the Braves that he deserves starts and possibly position himself for a rotation spot next season.

C Clint Sammons- The Braves chose to go with experience over talent this Spring in choosing Brian McCann’s backup. The job was given to journeyman Corky Miller over Georgia-native Clint Sammons but poor performance by Miller combined with an offensive tear from Sammons may pretty quickly reverse those roles. While Miller has struggled both with the bat and in the field, Sammons is hitting a cool .395/.458/.535 in 43 at-bats as Richmond’s starting catcher. OK, admittedly Sammons is not THIS good — not even close really — but this offensive surge may be all he needs to supplant Miller on the major league roster. Sammons is known primarily for his defense and specifically, his ability to control the opposing team’s running game. On the other side, Miller has struggled with pretty much everything from blocking balls to throwing out runners this season. Sammons has done enough to force the issue. Right now, it’s just a question of how long Bobby Cox and Frank Wren can take Miller’s struggles.

OF Josh Anderson- Anderson was almost guaranteed a roster spot going into spring training, however a strong couple of weeks from Gregor Blanco took the speedy outfielder out of Atlanta’s opening day plans. He seems eager to get back to the majors, batting .319/.338/.391 in 69 at-bats with five stolen bases. There is just one minor obstacle and that is Gregor Blanco’s .444 batting average as Atlanta’s fourth outfielder right now. It’s pretty clear by now that neither of these guys will likely be regulars during their careers and both are going to be prone to slumps with rather free-swinging approaches (Anderson more than Blanco). If Anderson keeps putting up decent numbers, Blanco is going to have to avoid any extended slumps or else risk being sent down. I expect we’ll at least one swap of these two over the course of the year.

1B Barbaro Canizares- The former Cuban defector is following up a strong 2007 campaign by hitting even better to start this season. Canizares has hit .407/.444/.661 with six doubles and three homeruns in 59 at-bats for Richmond this season. There is one big problem for his chances of seeing time with the Braves this season. He only plays first. With Mark Teixeira entrenched at the position and without being able to play another position, Canizares has nowhere to go. The Braves are not going to use a bench spot on him with a logjam there already, so his best bet is probably to continue hitting and try and impress Braves officials during September if he gets a callup, because if Teixeira chooses to leave next season, Frank Wren is going to be looking at every possible option to fill the void.
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