re: The ATL Thread: Offseason

quote:

---

The approach is what’s most worrisome to me. I am not a believer in Riley at all as a first division regular.

---

I think you're gonna be wrong on this.

And poor defense? Are you high?

David O'Brien
@DOBrienATL
Marcell Ozuna: "The experience last year was the best of my life... I'm proud to be an Atlanta Brave."


680 The Fan
@680TheFan
Alex Anthopoulos on Marcell Ozuna: “We wanted him back. He was definitely a priority. Having spoken to him, I knew that Atlanta was his first choice and he was our first choice. We’re glad we were able to get it done” #Braves

Grant McAuley
@grantmcauley
Marcell Ozuna on returning to the #Braves:

"My mind was always with Atlanta... My door was open to them. I was on the market to find a new place, but at that same time I just kept waiting for their decision

quote:

---

I'd be fine w/.260 and 30-35 HR's.

---

That's basically what Donaldson gave us in his year here.

The thing with Riley is that he has yet to play 162 games in his MLB career, but there were stretches in each of the last two seasons where he was our hottest hitter.

With that said, if Ramirez is an option, you make that move.

He is not a butcher but he has very little range over there.

Also, this is a very important point brought up by Broski last night:

quote:

---

The thing with Riley is that he has yet to play 162 games in his MLB career

---

You need to really read that over and over till it sinks in. The fact you already have made up your mind on him and he doesn't even have a full season's worth of games yet is troubling. We need more of a sample size.

Baseball reference and fangraphs both had Riley as a bad defender last year. He looked pretty lost last postseason with 18 strikeouts in 45 at bats and hit .178 with a .489 ops. If this team is trying to win a World Series than we have to upgrade third base. Do you think the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros, and Padres would give Riley another year? We could make the same mistake with Riley as we did with all of the pitching prospects that we should’ve traded when they had value.

The new ball this year is not going to be kind to Duvall.

For the Morton doubters:

Jayson Stark did a write up on Morton...





“I think it’s important to have someone who has that type of experience,” Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos told us this winter. “I still think there’s value in that in this day and age. I still remember, when I was in Toronto, hearing Roy Halladay talk about the impact Pat Hentgen had on him as a young pitcher. I remember Hentgen talking about the impact Jack Morris and Roger Clemens had on him when he pitched. … I just think those lessons that older players can teach younger players is a real thing.”

So the Braves see Morton as an ideal veteran stabilizer who can provide perspective, wisdom, leadership and balance to one of the youngest staffs of any contender — a staff that also has 23-year-old ace Mike Soroka returning from an Achilles tear, by the way. Here’s why they were looking for a guy just like Charlie Morton:

• Of the Braves’ 60 regular-season games last year, 45 were started by pitchers 27 or younger — more than any playoff team except the Marlins (53).

• Overall, 51 of those 60 games were started by pitchers in their 20s — also the most of any playoff team except the Marlins (59).

• But the nine games started by Braves pitchers in their 30s — five by Josh Tomlin, three by Tommy Milone, one by Cole Hamels? Uh, they didn’t go so hot. To the tune of a 5.51 ERA, the third-worst by 30-something starters of any team in baseball and by far the worst of any playoff team.

Morton, on the other hand, has had one of the most remarkable late-career resurgences of any pitcher in this sport. His performance, since he joined the Astros in 2017 at age 33, ranks with this group of aces, all of whom own Cy Young trophies (except him):

Best active starters since age 33*
PITCHER YEARS ERA K/9 IP
Max Scherzer
2018-20
2.85
12.41
Justin Verlander
2016-20
2.87
10.98
Zack Greinke
2017-20
3.2
8.77
Charlie Morton
2017-20
3.34
10.64
(*min. 50 starts)

On the surface, Morton’s 4.74 ERA and declining whiff rate last year in Tampa Bay might seem like a reason for concern. But not for the Braves, who saw a pitcher who was clearly set back by the COVID-19 shutdown and then got better as he went along.

Average four-seam fastball velocity

July: 92.5 mph
August: 93.0 mph
September: 94.1 mph
October: 95.0 mph

(Source: Statcast)

“He’s already defied most of the doubters about his ability to stay healthy,” said one rival exec. “Great (addition), especially with so many young guns on that staff.”