ATLANTA BRAVES 2012
For 2011 Opening Day roster, click HERE. For End-of-Season roster, click HERE.
*Players on the 40-man roster: BOLD.
*Players who are injured: +
*Players who are Out of Options: ##
*Baseball America '12 pre-season prospect rankings: BLUE #
*Baseball Prospectus '12 pre-season prospect rankings: GREEN #
•Gwinnett (AAA)/ Mississippi (AA)
•Lynchburg (Hi-A)/ Rome (Lo-A)/ Rookie Levels
'MLBDepthCharts Magazine' includes this roster projection feature but includes additional info, such as player age, 2011 level and stats, 2012 salary and contract info in an easy-to-read, printer-friendly pdf file and excel spreadsheet.
*40-man roster total (36)
*Projected 2012 Payroll: est. $88,037,000, according to MLBDC Magazine
OPENING DAY ROSTER (*indicates left-handed batter **indicates switch-hitter)
Starting Lineup (Click HERE to last 7 lineups)
1 CF Michael Bourn*
2 3B Martin Prado
3 C Brian McCann*
4 2B Dan Uggla
5 1B Freddie Freeman*
6 LF Matt Diaz
7 RF Jason Heyward*
8 SS Tyler Pastornicky BA#7 BP#6
Bench
C David Ross
1B/OF Eric Hinske*
3B Juan Francisco* ##
IF Jack Wilson
OF Jose Constanza*
Starting Rotation
1 RHP Tommy Hanson
2 RHP Jair Jurrjens
3 LHP Mike Minor
4 RHP Brandon Beachy
5 RHP Randall Delgado BA#3 BP#2
Bullpen
CL RHP Craig Kimbrel
SU LHP Jonny Venters
SU RHP Kris Medlen
MID LHP Eric O'Flaherty
MID RHP Cristhian Martinez ##
MID RHP Chad Durbin
LR RHP Livan Hernandez
Disabled List
Position Players
3B Chipper Jones** + UPDATE 3/29 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (surgery to repair torn meniscus in knee)
Pitchers
RHP Tim Hudson + UPDATE 4/4 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to April 3rd (recovery from back surgery)
RHP Anthony Varvaro + UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (strained pectoral)
RHP Arodys Vizcaino BA#2 BP#3 + UPDATE 3/29 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (Tommy John surgery)
LHP Robert Fish + UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (elbow tendinitis)
Optioned to Minors
RHP Jaye Chapman
RHP Erik Cordier BA#26
RHP Cory Gearrin BA#29
RHP Todd Redmond
RHP Julio Teheran BA#1 BP#1
LHP Luis Avilan
Major League Free Agents
Position Players
SS Alex Gonzalez (12/8: signed w/MIL)
IF Brooks Conrad** (1/7: signed w/MIL)
OF Nate McLouth* (12/6: signed w/PIT)
Pitchers
RHP Scott Linebrink (2/10: signed w/STL)
LHP George Sherrill (12/17: signed w/SEA)
Minor League Free Agents
Position Players
C Wil Nieves (12/16: signed w/COL)
UTL Wilkin Castillo (12/16: signed w/COL)
1B Mauro Gomez (2/3: signed w/BOS)
2B/OF Matt Young* (11/9: signed w/DET)
3B Shawn Bowman (1/3: signed w/MIA)
IF Ruben Gotay**
IF Diory Hernandez (12/1: signed w/HOU)
IF Ed Lucas (1/28: signed w/LAA)
OF Jeff Fiorentino* (11/16: signed w/OAK)
OF Wilkin Ramirez (11/17: signed w/MIN)
OF Antoan Richardson** (12/16: signed w/BAL)
OF Geraldo Rodriguez
OF Geraldo Rodriguez
Pitchers
RHP Michael Broadway
RHP Yeliar Castro (11/16: signed w/KC)
RHP Kenshin Kawakami
RHP Stephen Marek + underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2011 (1/4: signed w/TOR)
RHP Steven Shell
Lost off Waivers/Traded
IF Brandon Hicks UPDATE 3/13 - lost off waivers to A's
RHP Jairo Asencio ## UPDATE 3/29 - traded to Indians
RHP J.J. Hoover BA#12 BP#13 UPDATE 4/1 - traded to Reds
RHP Derek Lowe UPDATE 10/31 - traded to Indians
ATLANTA BRAVES
OFFSEASON PREVIEW posted 9/29/2011
It almost feels too soon to be talking about the Braves' offseason just one day after their September collapse officially left them one win shy of a playoff berth. After losing 18 of their last 26 games, it's hard to see the team standing pat this offseason. How much change will occur is uncertain but I'd expect GM Frank Wren to be very busy finding out how much value his young pitchers have on the trade market.
Even if they decided to move Derek Lowe to the bullpen, which is unlikely despite his disastrous second half, two of Randall Delgado, Mike Minor, and Julio Teheran would likely begin the season in the minors. Any of the three could be the key piece to any deal that would bring the team an impact bat in return. Shortstop is their most glaring need with Alex Gonzalez and Jack Wilson set to become free agents but Martin Prado's disappointing season could also have the Braves looking for an upgrade in left field. Moving Prado into a utility role could be ideal with third baseman Chipper Jones (40 years old in April) likely to need significant rest throughout the season.
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Can Heyward turns things around in 2012?
Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media, Inc.
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Mid-season acquisition Michael Bourn will be with the team for a full season, although they're hoping the near .100 drop off in OPS (.766 w/HOU, .673 w/ATL) isn't a sign of things to come. Regardless, they'll benefit from his defense and ability to steal at least 50 bases. Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman were two of the lone bright spots down the stretch while Jason Heyward struggled for most of the season and Brian McCann could never get going after returning from an oblique injury in mid-August. Those two will need to bounce back or the offense could struggle once again.
There is no question in my mind that a healthy Tommy Hanson (10-4, 2.44 ERA in 1st half) and Jair Jurrjens (12-3, 1.87 ERA in 1st half) would've gotten the Braves into the playoffs. The duo made a combined 12 starts in the second half as Hanson battled shoulder discomfort and Jurrjens dealt with a knee strain. Their young trio of Delgado, Minor, and Teheran combined for 25 starts and the Braves won a majority of those games. They rarely worked past the 5th or 6th inning, however, which may have led to a worn down bullpen by the end of the season. The injuries to Hanson and Jurrjens, along with the decline of Lowe, could give them reason to hold on to their depth but expect the names of Delgado, Minor, and Teheran to be floating around in trade rumors all winter.
Considering how often the team's top three relievers were used - Craig Kimbrel (79 games), Eric O'Flaherty (78 games), and Jonny Venters (85 games) - you'd think the rest of the bullpen was really bad. But that just wasn't the case. Maybe that trio was just so good and reliable that manager Fredi Gonzalez didn't want to go in any other direction with the game on the line. Either way, the Braves will be lucky if all three return in 2012 as effective as they were this season. Arodys Vizcaino and Kris Medlen are possibilities to take on a setup role while Anthony Varvaro, Cristhian Martinez, and Jairo Asencio have all earned a shot to pitch with the game on the line. Another young pitcher who could help soon is converted starter J.J. Hoover, who allowed just four hits and six walks over 13.2 scoreless innings in relief in his first taste of Triple-A. The 23 year-old, who was rated the 10th best prospect in the organization prior to the season by Baseball America, struck out 26 over that span.
•UPDATE 10/31 - Eric Hinske had his club option exercised so he'll return in 2012. He posted a .713 OPS in 236 AB's while playing LF, RF, and 1B.
•UPDATE 10/31 - Lowe has been traded to the Indians for a minor leaguer.
Offseason Needs: Shortstop, Corner Outfielder
Potential Position Battles: TBD
Posts
20 comments :
Would they shop Jurrjens, Beachy, Minor or Delgado if they needed to shop somebody? Maybe they could move Hudson at the deadline?
Yes they could move any of those guys in the right deal. Jurrjens is most likely because he's arb-eligible and he's gonna get expensive.
They could move Hudson at the deadline if they're out of it. Don't think that will happen, though. The pitching staff should keep them in the race.
i think that braves will either get josh willingham or micheal cuddyer and it will be nice if that get another starting pitcher like joel pinero bartolo colon edwin jackson or roy oswalt or trade for one starting pitcher
i see that you guys want to trade tim hudson dont do it with out him our starting pitching falls and then we might no win 80 games or more trade a position player. DONT TRADE TIM HUDSON
Just wondered about your reasoning that Heyward hits so low in the order. Not questioning or disagreeing, just wondering why you see him hitting that low, and is that an opinion he may not be the star he was projected to be?
I could put anyone else in that lineup (Jones, Uggla, McCann, Freeman) into the #7 spot and I'd get the same exact question because all those guys are good. If Heyward had a good year in 2011, there could be an argument for having him in the #2 spot with Prado at the bottom of the order.
With that said, I think Heyward and Prado both struggled because of injuries and I'd expect them both to bounce back.
As for Heyward, I think he'll be the #3 hitter in 2013. Future superstar. The fact that he's 7th in this order is a good thing for Braves fans. Potential to have a very good order 1-thru-8.
Are they trying to sign a shortstop? It seems like they let them all slip by and now Betancourt is their only option, just about.
Doesn't seem like it. At this point, I think they'll sign Ronny Cedeño as a backup who can start if Pastornicky isn't ready. It sounds like they really like Pastornicky but he's only 22 with 27 games of Triple-A experience.
It would be interesting to see them trade Prado to COL for Scutaro and then turn around and sign an outfielder like Ross.
Is James Parr with the team at some level?
As far as I can tell, he's not with any team. He was a minor league free agent at the end of the 2010 season but was recovering from Tommy John surgery. I imagine he could get a look with a team in a minor league deal. He should be recovered by now. I think the surgery was mid-2010.
Just a simple question: who's better, Hanson or Jurrjens?
Thanks.
Health is the biggest question with both. If completely healthy, I think Hanson can be a #1. Jurrjens more of a 2 or 3.
Considering the Braves have the deepest starting pitching and the best setup man in the game, I'm guessing having "starting pitcher" and "setup man" in that poll is a joke, right?
Those options are on most of the polls because you can never have too much pitching. And the current projected setup man that isn't Venters is unproven. It wasn't a priority but finding another veteran setup man wouldn't have been a surprise.
What kind of player is Tyler Pastornicky supposed to be?
Not much power but I'm guessing he can be a .280 hitter in his prime with 25-40 SB. Maybe not his rookie season, but within 2-3 years.
With Teheran and Delgado's lackluster springs, does Kris Medlen grab the #5 spot. He's looked pretty good.
They've been stretching him out just in case. It really depends on how much they trust the other guys in the 'pen. Losing Vizcaino hurt. I had him as the 7th inning setup man with O'Flaherty.
Looks like Andrelton Simmons may be the opening day SS
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