Official Atlanta Braves Thread

[rams fan]

I asked Cash and he oked it so I'm making this so I can post all Braves articles in here. Just for whoever wants to read them.
--------------- Madden 2007 Next Gen football ---------

11/15/2005 7:01 PM ET
Andruw second in NL MVP race
Braves slugger edged out by Cardinals' Pujols for award
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- It was simply a lighthearted prediction meant to get a rise out of Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton and at the same time provide some personal motivation.

Yet when Andruw Jones looks back on the greatest season in his baseball career, he will always remember that the turning point came when he looked at Pendleton with his patented, confident smirk and proclaimed that he was going to hit eight home runs in the span of the next nine games.

Jones fell one long ball short of the lofty prediction, but at the same time, he gained a confidence that he carried throughout a season in which he meant more to his team than any other Major Leaguer.

As Jones powered his way through his mighty season, the baseball world took notice and saw that the defensive wizard was finally realizing some of his enormous offensive potential. His fans and peers regarded him as the best player in the game this past season.

When it came time for the media to do the same on Tuesday afternoon, they instead narrowly chose the Cardinals' Albert Pujols over Jones in the National League MVP Award race. Jones received 13 first-place votes, 17 second-place votes and two third-place votes, for a total of 351 points. Pujols, meanwhile, received 18 first-place votes and 14 second-place votes, for a total of 378 points.

The 27-point margin that separated Jones from Pujols made this the closest NL MVP vote since 1991, when Pendleton -- then a Braves third baseman -- edged Barry Bonds by 15 points. Bonds had won four consecutive MVP Awards before missing most of this past season rehabbing his surgically repaired knee.

"I wasn't disappointed," Jones said. "I was anxious to see what was going to happen. I wasn't disappointed at all. I didn't think it'd take away from my season if I didn't win. I had a good season."

Jones, who led the Majors with 51 homers and the National League with 128 RBIs, knows that his .263 batting average certainly hurt him. Before recording just six hits in his final 51 at-bats of the season, there seemed to be a consensus that he would tally more votes than Pujols and the Cubs' Derrek Lee, who finished third.

Pujols, who had finished as the runner-up in the MVP balloting two of the previous three years, hit .330 with 41 homers and 117 RBIs. Like Jones, he was forced to carry much of the load, as his team dealt with injuries to such stars as Scott Rolen, Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker.

"[Pujols] had a better season than me," Jones said. "He deserved it after he had that many years being that consistent and that good. ... I respect him a lot. He's a tremendous hitter. He's got a really good idea what he's doing at the plate.

"I think it was the batting average. Me hitting .263 and him hitting .330, that was the difference. If I could have hit .290, it might have been a different story. He just had a better season than me."

Jones, Pujols and Lee were the only players to be named on every ballot. Lee led the NL with a .335 batting average, and also finished ahead of Pujols in slugging percentage, home runs and doubles. But because the Cubs finished the year with a losing record, he was widely considered to be the third-best candidate for the award.

"If Derrek Lee had his team going to the playoffs, he probably would have won," said Jones, whose previous best finish in MVP balloting came in 2000, when he finished eighth.

Though he didn't fare better than Pujols in the media vote, Jones' season didn't go unnoticed. He was named Major League Player of the Year by The Sporting News, and in the Players Choice Awards, he gained recognition as both the Major League Baseball Player of the Year and the National League's Outstanding Player.

All those awards were based on balloting among Major League players. Fans cast their ballots on MLB.com and elected him the National League's recipient of the Hank Aaron Award.

Many of the votes for all those awards were cast in mid-September, before Jones began struggling at the plate. When his batting average was at .275 after producing his ninth multi-homer performance of the year, on Sept. 11, the center fielder was regarded by many to be the favorite in the MVP race.

"[Jones and Lee] had great years," Pujols said. "Any of those guys could have won the award. You couldn't go wrong with any of those guys. Andruw had an outstanding year this year. I guess this was my year."

As for managers and coaches from around the Majors, they honored Jones with his first Silver Slugger Award and eighth consecutive Gold Glove. At the still-ripe age of 28, he's already collected enough hardware to rival the collection a young Bill Gates had while building the Microsoft enterprise.

Yet the awards don't matter as much to Jones as the satisfaction that he was able to improve upon the 2004 season, when he hit .261 and struck out 147 times. That motivated him to work harder last winter and concentrate on the wider batting stance that brought him so much success this season.

Other than during the 0-for-28 slump he endured in April and the season-ending plunge, he was much more consistent than his .263 batting average would attest.

Jones, who was named the NL's Player of the Month in June and August, was at his best during the season's middle months. He hit 38 of his homers and drove in 97 of his runs after June 10, the same day he made his prediction to Pendleton. His production kept an injury-riddled and rookie-filled Braves team afloat.

While Chipper Jones was on the disabled list for six weeks, Andruw batted .311 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs. Most doubt that the Braves would have captured their record 14th consecutive division title without that impressive stretch.

Along the way, Jones set a new franchise record for homers in a season -- previously shared by Aaron and Eddie Mathews -- and with his 50th homer of the year, became the fourth-youngest Major Leaguer to reach the 300-homer milestone.

--------------- Madden 2007 Next Gen football ---------

Blauser to manage Double-A Braves
Former Atlanta All-Star had been roving instructor in Minors
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- More than a decade ago, Jeff Blauser was known as a gritty shortstop who played a large part in the success the Braves had throughout the 1990s. His manager Bobby Cox always viewed him as hard-working, knowledgeable player who had the makings to one day be a successful manager in the professional ranks.

Blauser will get the opportunity to prove his former skipper right when he begins his tenure as the manager for the Double-A Mississippi Braves next season. The former Atlanta shortstop spent this past season as a roving instructor in the Braves' Minor League system.

"That's good news for the organization to have him back on board," Cox said. "He's ready to go and he's committed to everything that he does."

"We're excited about Jeff Blauser's decision to become a manager in our system," added Dayton Moore, Atlanta's assistant general manager of baseball operations. "His leadership and baseball experience will serve our organization well and be a great benefit to our players."

"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity," Blauser said. "I've been there and I really like the area and the fan support. They've got a good product on the field and in the surrounding area. My wife is from Delhi, La., and I have friends from the Jackson-Pearl area, so I'm familiar with it. I'm looking forward to the challenge and I believe it's going to be a good summer."

Blauser's promotion, which was announced Wednesday afternoon, was among the many changes the Braves have made with the Minor League coaching staffs. Brian Snitker, who managed Mississippi last year, will now serve as Triple-A Richmond's manager.

Rocket Wheeler and Randy Ingle will switch jobs with Wheeler leaving his managerial post with Class A Rome to become the manager for Myrtle Beach, the club's advanced Class A team.

Paul Runge will once again serve as the manager at Rookie Level Danville. His new pitching coach will be Doug Henry, who pitched in the big leagues for 11 seasons.

Blauser made his Major League debut with the Braves in 1987 and remained in the organization until joining the Cubs in 1998. During his final season in Atlanta, he posted career highs in batting average (.308) and home runs (17). He was an All-Star in both the 1993 and '97 seasons. Blauser finished with a career batting average of .262 with 217 doubles, 122 homers and 513 RBIs.

During his years with the Braves, Blauser gained close friendships with Greg Maddux and Mark Lemke. Together, they provided plenty of clubhouse pranks and at the same time proved to be loyal students of the game.

"He was a real hard worker and he came through this system, too," Cox said. "He understands what the organization wants."

"It is very exciting to have Jeff Blauser manage this club. It makes it extra special to get a guy who played for us when I was the GM in Greenville. Jeff has come full cycle ... we watched him 'grow up' in this organization, watched him have a terrific Major League career in Atlanta, and now we will be able to watch him manage and mold the next generation of Braves superstars," said Mississippi Braves general manager Steve DeSalvo.

Snitker, who has either played coached or managed in the Braves system since 1977, replaces Pat Kelly, who will join the club's scouting staff. Mike Alvarez, who spent last season as Richmond's pitching coach, will now be a roving pitching coach.

"It's always sad to lose a guy like Brian Snitker who was a great manager and became a very good friend, however, I'm very happy for him and his opportunity to manage in Triple-A," said DeSalvo.

--------------- Madden 2007 Next Gen football ---------

Pair named to Topps rookie team
Braves one of three clubs with two representatives
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann, who helped the Braves win their record 14th consecutive division title, have been named to the 2005 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star team.

The Braves, Oakland A's and Toronto Blue Jays each had two representatives selected to the team following balloting by Major League managers.

Francoeur, who finished third in the Baseball Writers' Association of America National League Rookie of the Year voting, finished the 2005 season with a .300 batting average, 14 homers and 45 RBIs. Defensively, he was just as impressive. In just 70 games, he registered 13 assists, which ranked first among Major League right fielders and second among all National League outfielders.

McCann was also promoted midway through the season. In 59 games, he batted .278 with five home runs and 23 RBIs. He also established himself as a solid Major League catcher, and he caught the majority of John Smoltz's starts after he arrived in Atlanta.

The Topps Major League Rookie All-Star team began in 1959. The 2005 Rookie All-Stars will each have a trophy on their 2006 Topps trading card.

--------------- Madden 2007 Next Gen football ---------

Betemit among Braves in winter ball
Versatile infielder excelling with Escogido in Dominican League
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

Wilson Betemit made the most of his opportunity to prove himself during his rookie season in the big leagues. Now while spending the offseason in his native Dominican Republic, he's not resting on his laurels. Instead, the powerful switch-hitting infielder is seeing his stock rise even higher.

Betemit and fellow utility infielder Pete Orr headline the list of Braves prospects who are playing winter ball this offseason. While they're producing some impressive numbers, top prospect Andy Marte is struggling and giving more reason to believe he might not be ready for the Majors.

There are various reasons players choose to play in the Dominican, Venezuela, Puerto Rico or Mexico during the offseason. Veterans like Rafael Furcal and Julio Franco enjoy keeping themselves sharp while playing in front of friends and family members in the Dominican.

Younger players like Betemit and Orr simply need to get the regular playing time that they didn't receive while spending most of this past season as backups in Atlanta. Minor Leaguers like Onil Joseph are getting the opportunity to hone their skills against high-caliber talent.

Furcal and Franco haven't yet played a game this winter. But here's a look at how some of the other members of the Braves organization are faring in winter ball this year.

Betemit: When Chipper Jones was on the disabled list for six weeks this past season, Betemit provided sound defense at third base and proved his offensive skills were strong enough for him to be an everyday player. His production quieted the critics who began doubting the top prospect when he struggled at Triple-A Richmond from 2002-2004.

Betemit is currently playing for Escogido in the Dominican League. Through 17 games, he was hitting .328 (21-for-64) with five homers, 12 RBIs, a .427 on-base percentage and a .625 slugging percentage.

This, combined with the .305 batting average he produced in Atlanta this past season, shows he certainly has the ability to be a regular in the big leagues. If the Braves aren't able to keep Furcal from exiting via free agency, Betemit could possibly replace him as the club's starting shortstop.

Orr: Very few Braves fans knew much about Orr two years ago. But since taking advantage of regular opportunities at Richmond in 2004, the hard-working Canadian has established himself as a big leaguer. While serving as a utility infielder in Atlanta this past season, he hit .300 (45-for-150), was successful in seven of eight stolen base attempts and proved sound defensively.

Through his first 20 games with Zulia in the Venezuelan League this winter, Orr was hitting .365 and had a .427 on-base percentage. He should once again prove to be a valuable backup in Atlanta during the 2006 season.

Marte: Through his first 19 games with Azucareros in the Dominican League, Marte was hitting just .232 (16-for-69) with two homers and six RBIs. This may be a sign that he could use another year of seasoning at Richmond, where he hit .275 with 20 homers in 2005.

Marte's struggles during his first few weeks of winter ball aren't the only indication the Braves might not be ready to promote the top prospect. He also hit just .140 (8-for-57) in limited opportunities with Atlanta this past season. His production hasn't been enough for them to make room for him by moving Chipper Jones to another position.

Tony Pena Jr.: Pena, who hit just .249 as Richmond's shortstop this year, was hitting .246 (14-for-57) through his first 16 games with Aguillas in the Dominican League.

Brayan Pena: Pena, who spent some time as one of Atlanta's backup catchers this past season, was hitting .246 (15-for-61) through his first 16 games with Gigantes in the Dominican League.

Joseph: The speedy outfielder, who hit .249 at Double-A Mississippi this past season, had one hit in just three at-bats through his first nine games with Gigantes.

The Braves Minor League outfielder who has had the most productive winter has been Gregor Blanco, who was hitting .333 (5-for-15) through his first eight games with La Guaira in the Venezuelan League.

ok, well...this si great and all...maybe a little too much....although...

Jones had a great season, but his average is not that great. If it were, i bet they'd win a few more games. .260 and .330 is BIG difference!!

I remember Blauser...he was awsome(not at hitting), then he went to the Cubs and hit 4 home runs in one game...I never wanted him to go anyway!

Marte is sucking...maybe he'll never play at the major league level. That's too bad!

[rams fan]

Yea. but he was a rookie. He was hittin the ball everytime but just not gettin it into the gaps.

[SicK NasTy]

I believe Marte will be an eventual 30+ Home Run man. Maybe 2-3 years, when Chipper start's aging..

Time will only tell..

[rams fan]

He is aging its not that obvious due to his injuries are really catching up to him. Next year is when we will start seeing Marte get more playing time.

[rams fan]

What are the Braves going to do to get beyond the first round of the playoffs? I don't think Bobby Cox is capable of getting the Braves to the World Series again.
-- Jay Minner, Tallahassee, Fla.

If the first three players in Cox's lineup hit a combined .175, as Rafael Furcal, Marcus Giles and Chipper Jones did in this year's National League Division Series, you're right.

If he goes into another Division Series like he did in 2004, when Jaret Wright was overthrowing and both Mike Hampton and John Thomson were injured, I'll also bet that Cox wouldn't need to make plans for the NL Championship Series that year, either.

While I understand there is frustration that the Braves have advanced past the first round just once since 2000, I can't see how you blame it on Cox. By all accounts, he completely outmanaged Phil Garner in the 2004 Division Series. But when your top three starting pitchers are either injured or determined to throw differently than they did in the regular season, a manager is put in a rather unmanageable position.

There are instances, such as in Game 6 of the 1998 NLCS, when Cox chose to start Tony Graffanino and Tony Bautista in favor of left-handed hitters Keith Lockhart and Michael Tucker, that are going to be questioned. But, at the same time, it should be pointed out that Chipper nor Andres Galarraga had much success against southpaw Sterling Hitchcock in that Series, either.

If there's one fault that can be aimed toward Cox, it's the fact that he's helped produce a product that has completely spoiled Braves fans. Every season begins with new faces and questions. Still, since 1991, every full season has ended with playoff baseball in Atlanta.

With the recent early postseason departures, it's almost forgotten that Cox was the manager who led the Braves to the World Series five times in the 1990s. He's a little older now, but he's far from being too old to lead another team back to the grand stage.

An over-the-hill skipper never would have had the patience to use 18 different rookies and still lead his team to a 14th consecutive division title, like Cox did this year.

There's always a need to place blame after a team fails to win a championship. It's the nature of sports. But instead of pointing the finger at Cox, it might be wise to remember that it was Bautista who lost the fly ball in the sun during the 1998 NLCS against the Padres.

Or that strong pitching duos like Randy Johnson/Curt Schilling and Mark Prior/Kerry Wood are sometimes unbeatable in the postseason. I mean, it wasn't Cox who hit .062, like Gary Sheffield did in the 2002 NLDS. Nor was he the dependable closer that blew a five-run, eighth-inning lead six weeks ago.

It's been said that the Braves' run will only be fully appreciated when it ends. Sadly, Cox will also likely have to retire before some understand how lucky Atlanta was to have him around all these years. It's not his fault that the Braves have lost in the Division Series five of the past six seasons. His only crime is that he's put himself in position to be blamed for multiple years of disappointment.

Other than the Yankees' Joe Torre, there isn't another manager in the past 50 years who has realized the annual success that it takes to commit such a crime.


If the Braves don't re-sign Julio Franco, who will platoon at first base with Adam LaRoche? I don't think LaRoche is ready to face lefties. He hit .188 against them last season.
-- Dimas Cisneros, Los Angeles

If the Braves were to bring Franco back and once again limit LaRoche's opportunities to face lefties, then I guess it would be my turn to second-guess Cox. I don't believe the platoon should be used again, and that isn't simply because I think Franco's age is finally showing.

It's time to let LaRoche prove he can hit left-handed pitchers. You point out that he hit just .188 against them last year. Let's remember he had just 48 at-bats against them, and 13 of those came in August, when Dimas Cisneros or even Mark Bowman could have struck him out.

There are times, like this past August when he was struggling mightily, when you're going to shake your head and wonder about LaRoche. But I'm still of the belief that he can hit 25-plus homers and produce a .300 batting average on an annual basis. Thus, I'd like to see him play every day against right-handers and left-handers.

If there is room to bring Franco back as a pinch-hitter, it's worth having him on the roster. But even before his offense dropped because of a late-season elbow injury, he was showing signs defensively that he was indeed a 47-year-old man who was just looking like a 25-year-old the past few years.

Will the Braves win 20 consecutive division titles with the abundance of talent coming up from their farm system?
-- T.J. Jones, Owensboro, Ky.

This forces us to look into the crystal ball and see what's in store for the 2011 season.

From what I can see, it shows an ancient form of Jeff Francoeur, Brian McCann and Kyle Davies. Each of them begin the year at age 27 and with the excitement of playing with 44-year-old knuckleballer John Smoltz. Oh yeah, and their shortstop is this Elvis kid, also know as Elvis Andrus, who is in his fourth big-league season at the age of 22.

OK. Now back to reality. There are obviously far too many things that could happen between now and then to wisely predict whether 20 consecutive division titles is a possibility. Winning four in a row still seems like an almost unthinkable accomplishment, if your not wearing Yankee pinstripes or a Tomahawk on your chest.

But with the youthful talents of Francoeur, McCann, Davies, Blaine Boyer, Chuck James, Andy Marte, Eric Campbell and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, there are plenty of reasons to think it's possible. Oh yeah, that center fielder for the 2011 team could be a 34-year-old Andruw Jones, who would be entering the season with 13 consecutive Gold Gloves.

What is meant by "picking up the option"? This was done recently for one of the Braves pitchers.
-- Leah P., Lakeland, Fla.

The Braves recently picked up the option that was in John Thomson's contract. When he signed with the Braves, he was guaranteed two years (2004-05) and the Braves had the option of bringing him back for a set salary ($4.75 million) in 2006.

Had the Braves chosen not to bring Thomson back, he would have received $500,000 from a buyout clause and become a free agent.

Most options are club options, which means the club makes the decision whether it wants to bring the player back. Some options vest when a player reaches a certain milestone, like number of games played, innings pitched, plate appearances, etc.

If Jeff Blauser has success for a couple of years at Double-A Mississippi, do you see him as Cox's replacement? Or is Ned Yost a possibility?
-- Adam D., Cullman, Ala.

Let's let Blauser manage his first game before we start wondering whether he should be anybody's successor. Obviously, you hope the best for Jeff and hope that if he wishes, he does get the chance to manage at the big-league level.

Nobody knows when Cox is going to retire. But that never stops a sports fan from making projections. So right now, I'd say Yost, Fredi Gonzalez and Terry Pendleton are the three most likely men to replace Cox.

Yost has a great thing going in Milwaukee, but his family wants to be in Georgia. Gonzalez and Pendleton both have the potential to be successful managers when given the opportunity.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Make sure you put this stuff in quotes. Thank You

[SenorMatt24]

I'm pretty sure its been made clear that you need to quote things like this...

[rams fan]

Yes I remembered after I posted it but since I coudln't edit it I couldn't change it. next time though

[SicK NasTy]

Furcal Signs with Dodgers..

12/04/2005 1:10 AM ET
Sources: Furcal heading to Dodgers
Shortstop agrees to three-year, $39.5 million deal
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- Late Saturday night, sources very familiar with the negotiations confirmed that Rafael Furcal has decided to sign with the Dodgers.
The Furcal signing is expected to be announced Sunday afternoon, just before the start of the Winter Meetings, where Braves general manager John Schuerholz is sure to be very busy.

With Furcal's exit, Schuerholz now must explore the free agent and trade markets to fill the voids Furcal leaves at leadoff hitter and shortstop. He had been with the Braves organization since signing his first professional contract at the age of 19 in 1996.

The sources confirmed that Furcal will receive a three-year deal worth approximately $39.5 million. The Braves aren't believed to have made more than a four-year offer for $36 million.

When this week began, it seemed like Furcal might be ready to sign what was believed to be a five-year, $50 million offer from the Cubs. But the Dodgers and new general manager Ned Colletti, who just accepted the position on Nov. 16, made a late charge that proved very fruitful.

Furcal's representatives first spoke with the Dodgers on Tuesday and soon after received the lucrative offer. They were then flown to Los Angeles on Friday and gained confidence that owner Frank McCourt is committed to rebuilding the Dodgers into a respectable, winning organization.

When Furcal became a free agent and began getting attention from a number of big market clubs, the Braves felt it would be tough to bring him back to Atlanta. They weren't willing to compete with the mega-offers and were reluctant to extend a long-term deal to their 28-year-old shortstop, who has a history of shoulder and knee injuries.



Complete coverage >
The Braves could choose to use Wilson Betemit as their starting shortstop and look to trade for a leadoff hitter. The wheeling and dealing Marlins are willing trade Juan Pierre, who would supply offensive spark as a leadoff hitter and, at the same time, provide a speedy presence in left field.

There have been other rumors that the Braves are looking to trade for Tampa Bay's Julio Lugo, who, despite struggling in August and September, still produced a career-best offensive season. Lugo will be eligible for free agency at the end of next season.

Within their Minor League system, the Braves have 23-year-old Cuban defector Yunel Escobar, who would likely be ready to play in the Majors by the start of the 2006 season. They also have highly-talented 17-year-old Elvis Andrus waiting to become what many believe will be one of the game's best shortstops.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[Short]

13 million/year seems like a bit much for Furcal...but then again all free agents wind up being overpaid. But hey, any loss for the Braves is a gain for the Mets, so I'm happy...