Atlanta Braves Clippings Tuesday, June 16, 2020 Braves.Com
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Atlanta Braves Clippings Tuesday, June 16, 2020 Braves.com Braves reportedly add 3 undrafted free agents By Mark Bowman ATLANTA -- After making four selections in last week’s shortened MLB Draft, the Braves are now evaluating some of the undrafted free agents who can immediately provide some organizational depth. Because these players cannot receive a signing bonus that exceeds $20,000 this year, very few of the players being targeted are projected to become top prospects. The players willing to sign are primarily college seniors or juniors who are worried about how this year’s coronavirus shutdown could affect their future at their current school. More coverage ¬--20 things to know about Day 1 of the DraftBest all-time Draft prospect from each stateBest 2020 Draft prospect from each stateAll-time No. 1 overall picksThese 2020 Draft picks have familiar names7 key storylines from Day 1 of DraftCubs get 'winner' in hometown pick Howard'Told you so': Prediction comes true in 7 years laterMLB development alum among top Draft picksQuizzes According to Baseball America, here are three undrafted free agents who have agreed to terms with the Braves. The club has not confirmed these agreements: 1B Bryson Horne, Columbus State (Ga.) University Horne hit .425 (34-for-80) with six homers over 21 games for Columbus State this year. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior had spent the two previous years playing at Georgia Highlands College. Horne told Panama City’s CBS affiliate he declined a similar offer from the Yankees because he grew up a Braves fan. UTIL Landon Stephens, Miami (Ohio) University Stephens was a four-year starter who earned all Mid-American Conference honors after he hit .310 with nine homers and 12 stolen bases over 56 games in 2019. The versatile senior can play each of the infield positions and spent some time as an outfielder during his freshman season. He participated in the 2010 Little League World Series with Hamilton, Ohio. Carter Linton, Tusculum (Tenn.) University Linton pitched at Colombia State (Tenn.) and East Tennessee State before playing the past two seasons for Tusculum. The right-handed reliever recorded 20 strikeouts and issued seven walks over 13 1/3 innings before the season abruptly ended in March. His is the son of Doug Linton, who pitched for the Blue Jays, Mets, Angels, Royals and Orioles over seven big league seasons. Atlanta Journal-Constitution For baseball, these are dark days without promise of a brighter future By Gabriel Burns, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution This year’s was an unconventional MLB draft. It was strange. It was not ideal. It was nothing like drafts of the past, from format to execution. It was exemplary of baseball’s new norm. MLB trimmed its draft from 40 rounds to five. To put it lightly, that is an astronomical difference. It was a terrible look for a professional sports league that’s supposed to care about its players and fans. It essentially encouraged young athletes to pursue other sports instead (Kyler Murray, as it turns out, made a sound decision). The truncated draft did, however, save the owners some money. Cutting the draft should’ve been a huge story. Yet, it didn’t seem to make headlines outside the baseball community. It isn’t an exact comparison, but what if the NFL shortened its draft from seven rounds to two because of financial reasons? What if the NBA did only lottery picks (14) and every other prospect entered free agency? Those would be the biggest sports stories of the year. As a millennial who very much enjoys baseball, I can tell you we’re a lessening breed. The lack of concern on the national scale speaks to baseball’s fading relevancy. It should be alarming to the baseball world that making such a significant change didn’t cause a ripple outside its own bubble. The MLB draft has always been drastically less popular than the NFL and NBA editions. Most of us watched Joe Burrow burn through the SEC, win the Heisman Trophy and crush Clemson in the title game. A season before that, we watched Zion Williamson’s dunks, his shoe explosion and Duke’s run to the Elite Eight. Seeing Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson go No. 1 just isn’t as exciting TV. That’s no disrespect to Torkelson, who should be a phenomenal player. It’s just another example of a compelling subplot that baseball lacks. Still, you’d think this draft would’ve had more buildup considering the lack of live sports. Then you have the disturbing element of cutting it by 35 rounds. At least viewership was up after dipping last year. Day 1 reportedly had an average of 615,000 viewers across MLB Network, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Note that’s with the draft broadcast on ESPN for the first time since 2008 (the Worldwide Leader has trimmed its baseball coverage in recent years, which is a shame because “Baseball Tonight” is missed as a more regular presence). That’s with it being a drink of water for the dry-mouthed inhabitants of a currently baseball-less desert. But it’s a ratings increase nonetheless. A minor win, I suppose, at a time the sport could use even the smallest bit of good news. Speaking of good news, MLB and Turner Sports are reportedly near an extension worth roughly $470 million annually. With that deal set to kick in after 2021, Forbes estimated that MLB could bring in $2 billion annually from national TV contracts. An obvious observation: MLB is profitable, despite some suggesting the contrary. A not-so-obvious observation: MLB still isn’t dying. The money is still pouring in. But the aging audience and dragged-out games, among other disenchantments, aren’t easy fixes. They’re just a couple of factors to consider when evaluating the sport’s long-term future, which isn’t looking bright despite the dollar signs. The lack of excitement, intrigue and grand-scale coverage around baseball right now speaks to MLB’s growing irrelevancy to the national, and especially younger, audience. As we’ve seen throughout the league’s and union’s negotiations, baseball is sagging behind. I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers, but it’s fair to say the MLB brain trust doesn’t inspire any confidence that the sport will overcome the hole it’s in. For too long, it’s seemed the sport can’t identify its own problems. Truth is, baseball is trending toward becoming more a niche following than a sport that will attract the all-important casuals. I don’t say this to be negative – I say it out of love – but baseball has major issues. Problems that won’t be fixed by a pitch clock, signaling for an intentional walk or even Mike Trout doing more commercials. The past several weeks have served as a reminder of why this sport is struggling to entice new fans while simultaneously pushing away even its most passionate base. The 1994 strike alienated fans, many of whom never came back – or if they did, didn’t carry the same enthusiasm. The pharmacological theater of ’98 injected life back into baseball. Whatever you think of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and the like, they played integral roles in bringing MLB to its modern peak popularity (sidebar: Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones deserve a salute here, as always). Fast forward two decades. Baseball misses the pizzazz of the steroids era. For as much as it was illegitimate – I would not vote any of them into the Hall of Fame as of now, though I don’t have a vote – it was exciting. It was box office. Must-see TV. MLB still has the eye-popping talent, just as it did then. We see one of its greatest young ambassadors, Ronald Acuna, right in our own town. We had a 21-year-old on the doorsteps of a clean 40-40 season. Yet the individuals and game itself isn’t resonating the same with the masses. Baseball is making alterations to the on-field product. Next time they play, we’ll see a three-batter minimum rule for pitchers. Soon, we’ll likely see the designated hitter in the National League on a permanent basis. Playoff expansion feels inevitable, though I don’t know when “inevitable” will be. The only change officially implemented – the three-batter minimum – was set to begin March 12, in the thick of spring training. Naturally, that was the day MLB was forced to cease operations because of the pandemic. So we’ve yet to actually see how that will play out. Proposed changes have garnered split reviews, but those conversations have been overshadowed by continued public-relations nightmares for the sport. Remember the central storyline when teams began camp in February? It feels like forever ago that baseball was shrouded in the Astros scandal; bad press that now looks like child’s play compared with the last month. The ongoing negotiation leaks have only further angered spectators. It’s exhausting to follow. You see the phrase plenty on social media: “I don’t care anymore if there’s a season.” Many fans’ feelings have gone from mad to disappointed to the worst stage: apathetic. That is how you alienate consumers. Then there’s the optics of arguing money, whatever the amount, while the nation is overwhelmed with far more important factors – the pandemic, millions unemployed and social injustice. I understand why the MLB and MLBPA are struggling to find middle ground – fighting for every dollar is their right – but the situation surely isn’t winning the sport any good graces either.