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AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > January > 30
Monday, January 30, 2006
New era set to begin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maybe it had something to do with the second-half spiral of the Falcons. Or the over-before-it-began Hawks season. Or just the fact that I’m getting older and four months goes by a lot quicker than it once did.
But for whatever reason, it seems like yesterday we were sitting in Minute Maid Park, watching an excruciating (for the Braves) 18-inning loss to Houston in Game 4 of the division series, which ended another division series disappointment for Bobby Cox and the boys.
And now they’re about to crank things up again. A new season — and new era, or sorts — gets off to its unofficial start Wednesday when new pitching coach Roger McDowell greets Atlanta’s arms at Turner Field for a one-week early throwing program that he absolutely doesn’t want us to call Camp Roger (this thing was called Camp Leo under his predecessor, whom you may have heard of, guy by the name of Leo Mazzone).
I just got off the phone with Roger this morning (Monday) and he’s very excited. His first major league pitching coach job, and he’s taking over for the man many believe could become the first pitching coach to enter the Hall of Fame someday. No pressure there, right?
Since being hired at the end of October, McDowell’s talked to every Braves pitcher on the phone and said he’s extremely impressed by their professionalism and eagerness to get to camp and get started. That’s good.
Hopefully, he’ll be just as excited after he sees what he’s got to work with.
It’s tough to project with this Braves staff. If most of them can stay healthy, they’ve got another potential top-tier rotation anchored by Smoltz and Hudson. But both veterans had injuries last season and both need to stay healthy and off the DL this year, particularly with Mike Hampton lost for the season (recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery). Beyoond that, can Jorge Sosa come repeat his performance in a breakthrough 2005 season? (By the way, a tip of the proverbial cap to Sosa, who went out of his way recently to credit Mazzone for his dramatic improvement.)
Can Horacio Ramirez get back on the path his career seemed to be headed when he won 12 games as a rookie in 2003, before injuries and confidence undermined much of his next two seasons?
And John Thomson — will the Braves stick with him and hope he has no further problems with the finger injury that sidelined him for much of 2005? Or will they trade Thomson, who’ll make $4.75 mill this season in an option year the club picked up? Because if everyone else is healthy in the rotation, the Braves might decide they’d be better served getting promising Kyle Davies into the rotation to begin the season and trading Thomson during spring training to fill another need, perhaps in a deal to obtain a closer.
Which brings us to the biggest question that went unresolved this winter: Who’ll close games for the Braves, who went from having one of the game’s most reliable closers (Smoltz) for 3-1/2 seasons to spending last year in a revolving cast of closers, which began miserably with Dan Kolb and ended with Kyle Farnsworth showing dominant form for stretch drive of the regular season, only to give up not one, but two soul-crushing homers that sent that decisive playoff game into extra innings at Houston.
Between Kolb and Farnsworth there was Reitsma in the closer role, going from NL reliever of the month in a near-perfect July to so-bad-he-lost-the-job-in-a-week in August. When he’s healthy and fresh, Reitsma can do the job, no question. But can he stay healthy and fresh for a full season? He’s faded at times each of the past two seasons from heavy workloads and/or nagging injury. That’s problematic for your closer, which is why the Braves would prefer to keep him in a setup role.
But if they can’t come up with a better option between now and opening day, be it from within the organization — an option they’ll consider is the hard-throwing Oscar Villarreal, acquired from Arizona in the Johnny Estrada trade — or by trade, then the Braves may have little choice but to go with Reitsma in the closer role. They won’t thrust Blaine Boyer or Villarreal or Joey Devine into that job unless the Braves feel certain they’re ready, and it might be difficult for, say, Devine, to prove he’s ready just by pitching in spring training games. Most agree Devine could use more minor league seasoning. And Boyer must show that his shoulder is healed and strong after the late-season inflammation that kept him off the playoff roster.
Anyway, it’s early and much can happen between now and April. I have an asterisk here after Thomson’s name, because he seems, to me, like the most likely guy to be traded to create a rotation spot for Kyle Davies, and I think the Braves really want Davies to feel secure and comfortable with a rotation spot going into the season. I also think 1B/OF Scott Thorman could work his way onto the roster, and Langerhans or Kelly Johnson could be traded. But Jurries makes more season as backup 1B because he bats right-handed; Thorman hits left-handed, same as LaRoche.
That said, here’s my projected 25-man roster. Please offer your own takes on what the Braves will and/or should do, but please be realistic and don’t add $10 million to their payroll or put guys on your roster that other teams aren’t going to part with this spring just because it sure would make sense for the Braves:
(You baseball-only folks can skip this paragraph and go to the roster. Those who were getting into last week’s discussion of movies/music and the like before it was interrupted, here’s couple of items: The Alejandro Escovedo show at The Earl on Thursday was sensational. Sold out, appreciative audience, and Alejandro seemed close to tears as he talked about playing again in front of live crowds after battling illness — Hepatitis C, etc. — in recent years. Anyway, if you were there, what’d you think? Also, was anyone else at the Bettye Levette show Friday at The 5 Spot? Wow. Tina Turner’s got nothing on Ms. Levette, who’s more soulful and vibrant at 60 than singers half her age. Hell, one-third her age. Also, saw movie “Match Point” and would highly recommend it. I was as tired of Woody Allen movies as most seemed to be in the past decade, but this one doesn’t feel like any of those tired, Upper-East Side ego trips his recent films felt like. It’s damn good, and Scarlett Johanssen is beyond hot. I mean, she’s smokin’ like never before in this flick.)
OK, hopefully those who weren’t interested in the non-baseball stuff skipped that graph or will simply ignore it and confine themselves to commenting on the makeup of the team or other Braves and baseball matters. Here’s my projected batting order and projected 25-man roster (or close to it). Let us know what you think:
STARTING LINEUP
2B Marcus Giles
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Chipper Jones
CF Andruw Jones
1B Adam LaRoche
RF Jeff Francoeur
LF Ryan Langerhans
C Brian McCann
ROTATION
RHP John Smoltz
RHP Tim Hudson
RHP Jorge Sosa
LHP Horacio Ramirez
RHP John Thomson* (Kyle Davies)
BENCH
3B/SS Wilson Betemit
2B/SS Pete Orr
OF Kelly Johnson
1B/OF James Jurries
C Todd Pratt
BULLPEN Seven pitchers from these nine:
RHP Blaine Boyer
RHP Oscar Villarreal
RHP Brad Baker
RHP Chris Reitsma
RHP Wes Obermueller
RHP Jeff Bennett
LHP Mike Remlinger
LHP John Foster
LHP Macay McBride
