sign in sign up
<<
Home , Aaron Blair, Chris Ellis (baseball), John Schuerholz, Manny Banuelos, Rob Kaminsky, Ted Turner

Braves Clippings Thursday, January 21, 2016 Braves.com

Around the Horn: Starting pitching

Mound questions abound for Braves as nears

By Mark Bowman / MLB.com | @mlbbowman | January 20th, 2016

ATLANTA -- Over the past month, the Braves have been lauded for the significant return they gained in exchange for . But now they will have to spend the next few months dealing with a suspect starting rotation that includes Julio Teheran and a whole lot of uncertainty.

If shortstop , outfielder and Aaron Blair all live up to the expectations that were set when they were acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Miller, then this will be a trade that will be celebrated in Atlanta for many years to come. But the immediate consequences could prove painful for the Braves as they spend the next couple of seasons watching their top prospects endure inevitable growing pains.

The Braves' rotation will likely assume many different looks this year as they take advantage of an opportunity to test some of their young starters. Some of the who debuted last year might be weeded out at some point during this summer to make room for the next wave of starting- pitching prospects, which includes both Blair and .

Newcomb (acquired in the November trade that sent to the Angels) and Blair became Atlanta's top two pitching prospects after they were acquired this offseason. There is a strong possibility that both could join Atlanta's rotation at some point this year. Of course, the same could also be said in reference to Chris Ellis, and Lucas Sims.

Before evaluating their next wave of starting pitchers, the Braves need to get a better feel for some of the young pitchers who were introduced to Atlanta's rotation last summer -- , Manny Banuelos, and Williams Perez.

As things stand, it appears the Braves will begin the season with a rotation that includes Teheran, Wisler and Bud Norris, whose one-year, $2.5 million deal positions him to become a potential trade piece at some point this summer. Teheran entered August with a 4.71 ERA and then produced some hope as he pitched to a 2.95 ERA over his final 12 regular-season starts. Norris was released by the Orioles after he produced a 6.79 ERA in 11 starts. Wisler was briefly moved to Atlanta's bullpen before ending last year's rookie season with a few encouraging starts.

Obviously, there are reasons to be concerned about each of these three starters. But as things stand, they provided a little more certainty than any of Atlanta's other pitchers who will be Major League-ready at the start of the regular season.

The Braves were hoping to spend last September evaluating whether Foltynewicz should be used as a starter or a reliever. They were unable to do so when the hard-throwing right-hander had a portion of his rib cage removed after he was hospitalized with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a condition that affects the nerves or blood vessels of the lower neck and upper chest.

Foltynewicz is still attempting to regain some of the weight and strength that he lost while recovering from this ailment. Thus, he'll come to camp surrounded with some of the same uncertainty that surrounds Banuelos, who showed some promise last year but also created more concerns about the durability of his left elbow.

If Banuelos is healthy, the Braves could put him in the rotation with the understanding that an innings limit will prevent him from serving as a starter over the entire season.

Though Perez does not possess the upside of Foltynewicz, Banuelos, Wisler or any of the club's starting-pitching prospects who could debut this year, he might provide just enough certainty to gain one of the last available spots in the rotation. One of the other spots could go to either Jhoulys Chacin or Kyle Kendrick, a pair of veterans who will come to Spring Training with a Minor League contract.

It's hard to predict how Atlanta's rotation might look at the beginning of the year and even harder to project the different looks it might assume throughout the summer. But with Newcomb, Blair and so many other talented prospects on the horizon, the Braves are starting to get excited about the opportunity to get back to those more comfortable days, when they could project the makeup of their rotation with far greater certainty.

2016 Prospect Watch: Top 10 left-handed pitchers

Dodgers' Urias again takes top spot, but Rays' Snell closes gap

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | @JonathanMayo | January 20th, 2016

MLBPipeline.com will unveil its 2016 Top 100 Prospects list on Friday, Jan. 29, on MLB.com. The Top 50 will be revealed during a one-hour show on MLB Network at 9 p.m. ET. Leading up to the release, we look at 's top 10 prospects at each position.

Just how high in demand is left-handed pitching? Six of the 10 pitchers on this year's Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects list are relatively recent acquisitions by their organization. Two come via the 2015 Draft, but four of the southpaws on this list have been traded. Three of those four deals happened at last July's Trade Deadline.

There may have been a lot of change on this list -- in addition to the trades, there are five new names on this Top 10 from a year ago -- but there is stability at the top. For the second year in a row, teenager Julio Urias is in the top spot, and for good reason. But he has some good competition nipping at his heels.

1. Julio Urias, Dodgers He doesn't turn 20 until August, and he's already knocking on the door. Urias has an outstanding combination of stuff and pitchability well beyond his years. He has three plus pitches with outstanding command. The only thing he doesn't have is innings. Urias has yet to top even 90 innings in a season, but that shouldn't hold him back for too long.

2. Blake Snell, Rays Few prospects in the game improved their stock more than Snell did in 2015. It was a true breakout for the projectable lefty, one that started with a streak of 46 consecutive scoreless innings. It kept going as he dominated across three levels and led the Minors in ERA. He's ready to help out with the Rays now.

3. Steven Matz, Mets It hasn't been the most direct path for Matz, who missed nearly three years of competitive pitching coming back from injuries. The wait was worth it, as Matz pitched his way to the big leagues and even into the postseason in 2015. The further removed from injury he gets, the more the concern about his durability dissipates. Matz is the only one on this list with big league time.

4. Sean Newcomb, Braves The 2014 first-rounder is exactly what teams look for in a starting pitcher: Big, strong, durable and with plus stuff to boot. That's why the Braves wanted him in the Andrelton Simmons deal. He needs to improve his control, but when he does that, he has front-line starter written all over him. Those Jon Lester comparisons aren't too far-fetched.

5. Tyler Jay, Twins Jay, the first 2015 draftee on the list, went No. 6 overall to the Twins. A reliever at Illinois, Jay has the repertoire and the command to be a starter, and that's how Minnesota plans to develop him. He could have at least four Major League average pitches with above-average control when all is said and done. The transition to starting might slow Jay's progress a bit, but it's also nice to know that if it doesn't work, he could have an impact in the bullpen in a hurry.

6. Josh Hader, Brewers Hader's pure stuff has been in such high demand, he's been traded twice, first from the Orioles to the Astros, then from the Astros to the Brewers in the Carlos Gomez deal at the Trade Deadline last July. Milwaukee has him right as he's peaking after a huge 2015 season and an absolutely dominant performance in the . Once thought to be a future reliever, Hader now looks like he can be much more.

7. Cody Reed, Reds Another on this list who took a huge step forward with his 2015 campaign, he's also one who was traded, this time in the Johnny Cueto deal with the Royals. Thought of as a projectable lefty when drafted, Reed has come a long way, with two plus pitches in his and slider and a third average pitch (his ). Improvement in his command has him looking like a very solid big league starter in the near future.

8. Sean Manaea, A's The big Indiana State product could've been the top pick in the 2013 Draft, but he slid because of injury concerns. Manaea missed the first half of 2015 with an unrelated injury, but he pitched his way to Double-A and was sent to the A's from the Royals in the Ben Zobrist Trade Deadline deal. He's a mid-rotation workhorse, at the very least.

9. Amir Garrett, Reds A two-sport star who spent a couple of years shuttling between college basketball and the Reds' system, Garrett has started to take off since he turned to baseball full-time. Big, strong and athletic, the 2015 Futures Gamer still has considerable upside and a fresh arm because of his split focus in the past.

10. Kolby Allard, Braves The second 2015 draftee on this list, Allard had the chance to go at the top of the Draft, until a back injury allowed him to fall to the Braves in the middle of the first round. He had surgery this offseason, and if he can put the back issue behind him, he has the chance to be a front-line starter, with an exciting combination of stuff, athleticism and feel for pitching.

Next up Many feel the Indians made out extremely well when they got from the Cardinals in the deal at the Trade Deadline last July. The 2013 first-round Draft pick has an outstanding breaking ball and solid stuff across the board, to go along with good control, athleticism and plus makeup.

During last year's Trade Deadline period, the Twins got as many inquiries about Stephen Gonsalves as just about anyone in their system. There's some projectability to his 6-foot-5 frame, and he's already showing he knows how to pitch with what he already has, leading Minnesota's organization in ERA and batting average against while finishing second in and wins.

Braves embrace time of change for club

President Schuerholz optimistic about young talent, excited about new ballpark

By Richard Justice / MLB.com | January 20th, 2016

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- The are in a good place. That's the one thing everyone in the organization can say for sure now. There's more work to be done, but there's an inner confidence about what has already been done and even more about what's ahead.

"It took courage to do something like this," Braves president said Wednesday morning at MLB's quarterly Owners Meetings. "When you've won as much as we have and when you're expected to win, this has been a new experience."

This first phase of the reconstruction of the Braves has happened perhaps more quickly than even Schuerholz thought possible. And this spring will offer the first real glimpse of all the young talent that has been acquired.

"Our pipeline is about as full now with prospective Major League talent as it's ever been," Schuerholz said. "Now they have to matriculate and find their way to the Major Leagues and prove that our judgements were right. That's what it's always about. To get from where we were to where we are now, we feel very good."

As for a timetable when the Braves will be competing for a championship again, that's changing, too.

"Some in our group would say mid-2016," Schuerholz said. "Some would say early 2017. I'd be happy with either one of those."

And all that young talent is symbolic of other changes.

The Braves are on track to move into SunTrust Park, a 41,500-seat ballpark under construction in Cobb County, on 2017. Likewise, Schuerholz is shopping hard for a new Spring Training home for the club in Florida.

On Monday, Schuerholz spent a few hours in an office building overlooking SunTrust Park and marveled at the progress. His vision is of a ballpark that's also a destination spot combining baseball, restaurants and shopping.

"A lot of forward-thinking people have done remarkable work," Schuerholz said. "This is a cozy ballpark -- a Pittsburgh kind of park. But it's so much more. It's where you'll bring the family and spend an evening or an entire day."

This period of change for the Braves' baseball operations began 18 months ago, when Schuerholz did a tough-love assessment of his organization and came to the conclusion that the time had come to essentially start over.

"I didn't need much convincing, and neither did [Braves chairman] Terry [McGuirk]," Schuerholz said. "There was only one way to fix this, and that's the way we're doing it -- go all in. We went down to the bare steel. In order to do that, we have to offload some very talented players, expensive players, but very talented and beloved in the community. Those were the tough decisions that had to be made. We took our criticism, and we still do. If we were going to do it right, that was the only way to do it."

Schuerholz put a veteran baseball man, , in charge and promoted a bright young talent evaluator, , who now has the title of general . To trade some of the franchise's biggest stars -- , Craig Kimbrel, Evan Gattis, Justin Upton, etc. -- has been painful on one level. But in these 18 months, the club has been remade. Shortstop Dansby Swanson, acquired from the D-backs in a deal for pitcher Shelby Miller, may be the cornerstone of these new Braves, but there's talent up and down the organization: pitchers Sean Newcomb and Aaron Blair, shortstop Ozhaino Albies and a long list of others.

"Hart and Coppolella have done remarkable work," Schuerholz said. "I've named them Batman and Robin. Coppy is intrepid. I mean, this guy is unbelievable. He's not big on sleep. He just wants to do his job and do it well. I think the organization is strong again.

"When our fans begin reading about how good these players are, they'll be excited. When Spring Training begins, they'll read the reports about these talented players and the hopefulness and the future that exists for all of us. I'm excited to see a lot of them. They're talented, and many of them are going to play in the big leagues. They're going to be our future."

Beyond the new players and the new ballpark, Schuerholz senses a spirt within the organization.

"There's optimism, spirit, belief," Schuerholz said. "Everybody's on the same page. Everybody's pulling in the same direction. Everybody has a positive wind in their sails again. They feel great about where the organization is going and how it's been dealt with so far."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When do Braves report to spring training?

The Braves' pitchers and catcher report to spring training Saturday, Feb. 20, with full squad workouts starting Thursday, Feb. 25.

The team is set to begin its 34-game Grapefruit League schedule on March 1 against the Orioles. The Braves will play 17 games at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

A number of prospects, including recently acquired shortstop Dansby Swanson, are among the 27 non-roster invitees to spring training.

Who decides where statue moves: The city, the Braves or the fans?

It's one question about the Atlanta Braves' move to Cobb County that everyone keeps asking, but no one has answered: What will happen to Hank Aaron's statue at ?

Among the askers: ESPN's Dianna Russini, who spoke with Atlanta Journal-Constitution business reporter J. Scott Trubey.

"The future of (the statue is) a little up in the air," Trubey said during his recent appearance. "So the Braves want to take it to Cobb. I think the city of Atlanta and the Fulton County Recreation Authority say they own it. Then the statue came about through the fans paying for it, and there was a sort of legendary PR guy here in Atlanta named , who arranged that, and he worked for back in the day.

"And Bob basically says that the say on it may end up being Hank Aaron's, and what he wants to happen with it."

Also discussed during Trubey's appearance: the state of Turner Field in a post-Braves world and the state of the Braves' SunTrust Park in advance of their 2017 season.

Fox Sports

Braves' Freddie Freeman: Wrist is '100 percent healthy'

Atlanta Braves Freddie Freeman missed 44 games last season largely due to a chronic wrist injury. The two-time All-Star says he's fully healthy for the first time in six months.

By Zach Dillard

Freddie Freeman's Iron Man streak ended in 2015 courtesy of a nagging wrist injury that twice landed him on the disabled list. The Braves' two- time All-Star first baseman missed 44 games total and struggled during the second half of the season while playing through pain, posting uncharacteristic offensive numbers after the break.

Freeman's injury issues appear to be in the rearview mirror, though. The 26-year-old joined 680 The Fan on Wednesday afternoon to discuss his long road to recovery and said he's pain-free for the first time in months.

"It's been a long offseason, but my wrist is 100 percent healthy for the first time in six months," Freeman said. "I think everybody saw the report with (Fox Sports MLB insider) Ken Rosenthal when I told him that I was 100 percent healthy, but that was just everyday activities. I didn't become 100 percent baseball-wise until Dec. 31. I took 10 dry swings and felt pain-free for the first time."

Freeman received his last wrist injection on Dec. 20 and while the injury has cost him his typical offseason routine, he plans to be back on track by spring training. He took 30 more dry swings on Tuesday without any pain. The plan moving forward is to hit off a tee for the first time on Thursday and, barring any setbacks, to continue strengthening the wrist and forearm leading up to the 2016 opener.

Freeman remains the most potent hitter in Atlanta's lineup after posting a .276/.370/.471 slash line with 18 home runs and 3.4 wins above replacement.

Still, despite his third straight season posting a three-plus WAR, the injury provided plenty of frustration.

"It was probably the hardest time of my big-league career so far," Freeman said. "When you know going in day in and day out that you're not 100 percent and you can't perform up not only my expectations but everybody else's expectations of you, it was definitely mentally frustrating for me. It was a time that I hope I never have to experience again.

" ... I kinda realized what was the difference between being hurt and being injured, and last year I was injured. And usually I can play through being hurt, and I have done that many times in my career, but last year I just couldn't play through it."

The Braves front office has, on multiple occasions, expressed its belief that it has upgraded baseball's lowest-scoring offense across the board this offseason, which would help provide more protection for Freeman, but the first step is getting the franchise's middle-of-the-order bat back to full health.

It sounds like he's well on his way.