Braves 2015 season thread

[Chewbaccer]

Pitchers and catchers reported yesterday and from what I've heard, most position players made the trip with them. The regular season will be here before we know it, and the good thing about this team is they can't disappoint us, they can only surpass expectations, which I'm hoping more contact and fewer strikeouts and not relying on the 3 run homer will help us do.

Baseball is my favorite sport, and I'll watch every game I can. Lots of stuff to keep it interesting this season.

New look offense and a new look bullpen.

Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, Evan Gattis, Tommy la Stella, Ryan Doumit, Gerald Laird, Aaron Harang, Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, David Hale, Jordan Walden, David Carpenter and Anthony Varvaro are notable 2014 players that are no longer with the club

I'm thinking our opening day roster will look something like this, but there will be many call ups and send downs throughout the course of the season.


C- Christian Bethancourt
1B- Freddie Freeman
2B- Phil Gosselin
3B- Chris Johnson
SS- Andrelton Simmons
LF- Eric Young Jr
CF- BJ Upton
RF- Nick Markakis

SP- Julio Teheran
SP- Shelby Miller
SP- Mike Minor
SP- Alex Wood
SP- Eric Stults

BN- AJ Pierzynski
BN- Alberto Callaspo
BN- Jonny Gomes
BN- Todd Cunningham
BN- Kelly Johnson

BP- Craig Kimbrel
BP- Jason Grilli
BP- James Russell
BP- Mike Foltynewicz
BP- Luis Avilan
BP- Josh Outman
BP- Jose Veras

 

[Mistaken4193]

Its gonna be a rough year. But we have a solid top 3 in our pitching staff in Teheran, Miller, and Wood. So im very optimistic for the future. I think before 2017 we are going to need a new Manager if we are going to be serious WS contenders.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Its gonna be a rough year. But we have a solid top 3 in our pitching staff in Teheran, Miller, and Wood. So im very optimistic for the future. I think before 2017 we are going to need a new Manager if we are going to be serious WS contenders.

A healthy Mike Minor will be a nice addition as well. He was our ace in 2013, he was playing hurt most of last season and his results suffered.

Out pitching should be good enough to keep us out of the cellar, and who knows, maybe this team will buy in and manufacture a bunch of runs and we'll be competitive.

At the moment, 4th place sounds right, we're still better than the Phillies. Hopefully we can overachieve big time, but I won't hold my breath.

With baseball, college football and NASCAR, I'm far from a fairweather fan, so I'll be watching regardless. In the NFL, admittedly, I am a bit of a fairweather fan.

 

[Mistaken4193]

A healthy Mike Minor will be a nice addition as well. He was our ace in 2013, he was playing hurt most of last season and his results suffered.

Out pitching should be good enough to keep us out of the cellar, and who knows, maybe this team will buy in and manufacture a bunch of runs and we'll be competitive.

At the moment, 4th place sounds right, we're still better than the Phillies. Hopefully we can overachieve big time, but I won't hold my breath.

With baseball, college football and NASCAR, I'm far from a fairweather fan, so I'll be watching regardless. In the NFL, admittedly, I am a bit of a fairweather fan.

I usually watch about 95-100 games. Only thing that gives me hope is that our Pitching looks to be better this year and our offense cant be worse than last year. Minor was great in 2013 and hopefully he will be back to form this year. But I will say we finish 73-89 and in 4th place above the Phillies.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I usually watch about 95-100 games. Only thing that gives me hope is that our Pitching looks to be better this year and our offense cant be worse than last year. Minor was great in 2013 and hopefully he will be back to form this year. But I will say we finish 73-89 and in 4th place above the Phillies.

100 games is all a man can reasonably expect to watch. Day games during the week, west coast trips, weekend plans, etc. I like the Braves more than I like NASCAR, but there's a Braves game most every night, only one race a week, so I'll watch the race on Sundays.

Our offense has potential to be worse. Gattis and Upton had instant run production potential. We also have the potential to be better if guys can get on base ahead of Freeman and Chris Johnson can be closer to the the CJ of 2013 than the CJ of 2014. And if someone can get it through the team's head that there is such a thing as a productive out, and a strikeout is never productive. We need to focus big time on putting the ball in play.

I win't wish injury on anyone, but if BJ Upton could just hit .240 and walk every now and then, it would be a huge help.

 

[Mistaken4193]

100 games is all a man can reasonably expect to watch. Day games during the week, west coast trips, weekend plans, etc. I like the Braves more than I like NASCAR, but there's a Braves game most every night, only one race a week, so I'll watch the race on Sundays.

Our offense has potential to be worse. Gattis and Upton had instant run production potential. We also have the potential to be better if guys can get on base ahead of Freeman and Chris Johnson can be closer to the the CJ of 2013 than the CJ of 2014. And if someone can get it through the team's head that there is such a thing as a productive out, and a strikeout is never productive. We need to focus big time on putting the ball in play.

I win't wish injury on anyone, but if BJ Upton could just hit .240 and walk every now and then, it would be a huge help.

Gattis was a good bat on fastballs(he couldn't hit anything else) but he was too big of a defensive liability and I don't like CJ swing it looks like its way too slow. Freeman looks to be the only consistent bat in the lineup but on the bright side we should have a lot more productive outs this year. It got to a point last year where I honestly expected a strikeout on everyone plate appearances except Freddies.

 

[Mistaken4193]

Gattis was a good bat on fastballs( he couldn't hit anything else) but he was too big of a defensive liability and I don't like CJ swing it looks like its way too slow. Freeman looks to be the only consistent bat in the lineup but on the bright side we should have a lot more productive outs this year. It got to a point last year where I honestly expected a strikeout on everyone plate appearances except Freddies.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Gattis was a good bat on fastballs(he couldn't hit anything else) but he was too big of a defensive liability and I don't like CJ swing it looks like its way too slow. Freeman looks to be the only consistent bat in the lineup but on the bright side we should have a lot more productive outs this year. It got to a point last year where I honestly expected a strikeout on everyone plate appearances except Freddies.

Eh, I thought Gattis was better behind the plate than people gave him credit for. He wasn't great at blocking balls in the dirt, but he was good at framing pitches and had a good arm to catch would be base stealers. Not near a gold glover, but not a liability behind the plate IMO.

Freeman is the only offensive player we can hang our hats on at the moment. Gosselin has potential, as does Perraza when he comes up.

 

[Chewbaccer]

I just read some news that will shake everything you think you know about the 2015 Braves, I mean this could be the move that puts us over the top.


BJ Upton will start going by his given name, Melvin Upton Jr.

I guess when you suck dick at playing baseball, going by BJ probably isn't the best move.

 

[Mistaken4193]

I just read some news that will shake everything you think you know about the 2015 Braves, I mean this could be the move that puts us over the top.


BJ Upton will start going by his given name, Melvin Upton Jr.

I guess when you suck dick at playing baseball, going by BJ probably isn't the best move.

Anything that gives him a fresh start I am all for.

 

[wildturkey]

I just read some news that will shake everything you think you know about the 2015 Braves, I mean this could be the move that puts us over the top.


BJ Upton will start going by his given name, Melvin Upton Jr.

I guess when you suck dick at playing baseball, going by BJ probably isn't the best move.

If he hits, he can call himself "Little Miss Sunshine" for all I care.

 

[Demonjoe93]

Wait, where the Hell did Beachy go?

 

[Hunter Montana]

Wait, where the Hell did Beachy go?

Los Angeles.

http://sportsnewsnow.blog.ajc.com/2015/02/21/brandon-beachy-signs-with-dodgers/

 

[Demonjoe93]

Los Angeles.

http://sportsnewsnow.blog.ajc.com/2015/02/21/brandon-beachy-signs-with-dodgers/

Well, shit, I've really been out of it then. I never saw anything on the Braves feed on ESPN, so I've been under the impression he was still under his minor league contract or something. I wonder who the fifth pitcher will be then.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Well, shit, I've really been out of it then. I never saw anything on the Braves feed on ESPN, so I've been under the impression he was still under his minor league contract or something. I wonder who the fifth pitcher will be then.

Gonna be a competition between Eric Stults(who I think will get the job), Wandy Rodriguez, Chien Ming-Wang and Mike Foltynewitz.

I didn't know Beachy had been signed, but I knew he was released the same time as Medlen.

 

[Chewbaccer]

If he hits, he can call himself "Little Miss Sunshine" for all I care.

If he hits in the first half and adds some value to himself, we should immediately trade him to any team that will take him.

Worst FA signing in Braves history. Uggla was traded for, and while he sucked, we at least got one good season out of him and he had a good attitude until the very end.

 

[Demonjoe93]

If he hits in the first half and adds some value to himself, we should immediately trade him to any team that will take him.

Worst FA signing in Braves history. Uggla was traded for, and while he sucked, we at least got one good season out of him and he had a good attitude until the very end.

Agreed. If he shows any production, we need to drop him like he's hot. He'll never keep decent numbers up, so our only hope is for him to put up all right stats and then trade him to some idiots that think he'll put them over the top.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Agreed. If he shows any production, we need to drop him like he's hot. He'll never keep decent numbers up, so our only hope is for him to put up all right stats and then trade him to some idiots that think he'll put them over the top.

Hell, I don't mind if we eat most of the contract, if the team that takes him pays 1 million, that's 1 million more than we had to spend and we can easily find an upgrade at CF for a million a year.

 

[tabascojet]

this isnt the nfl, he could shit sunshine out his ass the first half of the season and no gm will give anything of value for him...

im so underwhelmed by our offseason, this is a throw away year in the front offices minds IMO. all cards are being stacked for opening day in marietta.

 

[Chewbaccer]

this isnt the nfl, he could shit sunshine out his ass the first half of the season and no gm will give anything of value for him...

im so underwhelmed by our offseason, this is a throw away year in the front offices minds IMO. all cards are being stacked for opening day in marietta.

We don't need anything of value for him, we just need him off our team. A bucket of sunflower seeds and a low rated A level minor leaguer would be plenty.

We made a lot of moves this offseason, and while I tend to agree that 4th places looks likely, you could make an argument that we improved our rotation and bullpen, and it's hard to get worse when your offense was ranked 29th. We won't see near as many homers, but we will probably see more productive outs and manufactured runs.

If a lot of things go right, we could surprise. At any rate, we'll probably get to see a lot of the prospects we acquired in action at some point this season.