August 1st, 2022
Ya know…when you’re in the thick of things and looking for some serious upgrades at the trade deadline, there’s nothing better than grabbing a dude carrying a sub .600 OPS.
Random Braves Fan on Twitter
The Random Braves Fan wasn’t wrong. At the deadline, switch hitting Robbie Grossman was carrying a sub-.600 OPS overall. However, what the fan didn’t see were the splits, but you bet your ass AA saw them. Grossman was anemic from the left side. Unplayable’s a better word (yet the Tigers kept running him out there), but from the right side, he was hitting and hitting well. He was also a good addition to a lineup that racked up the K’s as Grossman rarely chases and carries a walk-rate right outside the top 10% of the league. When game 162 was over a done, Grossman had some of the most extreme splits I’d ever seen from a switch hitter, OPS’ing .509 against RHP and .879 against LHP, a .370 point difference.
In the field, Grossman wasn’t great, merely average, but Braves were running out Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna, so average was actually a HUGE upgrade. Overall, his impact was minimal. Yes, he did have that walk off walk, and he did hit a dinger that should’ve been the dagger in that Mariners game, but there was no 2021 magic and that likely put a damper on fans’ opinion of him. Still, like Matt Diaz, Grossman is a great RH platoon player in a SH player’s body and that holds value.
If 2022 was his last moment as a Brave, he’ll always have this:
Is he still a free agent? I mean, he wasn’t really worse than Ozuna and obviously much more likable.
The remains of O’Day.
Golf clap.
Braves picked up some of that insurance discussed in my last post.
Stop trying to make Hech happen. It’s not going to happen.
@5 Good work!
Until arrests cause me to take down my three degrees from the wall, I’ll gladly trade a few extra arrests for some NCs here at Auburn.
I will give Adeiny a Hech of a lot of credit for consistency. He is 33 and has played 3 seasons in the Cuban league and has a .647 OPS, 5 seasons in Foreign leagues with a .622 OPS, and 9 seasons in the majors with a .641 OPS. He has an OPS across 5 different levels of .655. His defense used to be good, but at 33, it has definitely peaked. His career WAR over 9 MLB seasons is 5.1. We caught lightning in a bottle in 2019 and Hech produced 1.1 WAR over 70 PAs. This was his highest WAR since 2015.
If given more than 100 at bats, Hech’s batting average will be between .240 and .260 and his OBP will be around .320. I don’t expect him to get more than 50 at bats in the Atlanta system at any level – at least I hope not.
@8 I’m probably as bullish as any on Grissom, but its not impossible that he performs worse than .240 BA/.320 OBP.
He’s more than likely AAA filler. Hech and AA have a history. Let’s not overreact.
@9, 10 – From what I’ve seen of Grissom, I’m expecting about a .270 batting average with a little bit of pop. That will be great if his defense is defensible. I know you are skeptical of defensive metrics Chief, and I mostly agree, but I think shortstop defense, especially with shift restrictions, is extremely important.
I agree that Hech is probably AAA filler at best, but I really don’t expect him to stick. No overreaction, it is just funny that there is very little difference in his high and low ceiling as proved out over 9 mlb seasons and other seasons in multiple leagues.
Re-examining the list above, having a Pillar and a Wall in the outfield would definitely be better defensively than Ozuna playing there.
@12 “Our defenses would be impregnable.” Iron Mike Tyson
Better arm, a pillar, wall, or Marcell?
@13
A strong carom off the wall is better than Ozuna
How do we feel about Tom Hart? He seems to be the top finalist for the play by play job.
I think Hart would be good. He’s worked with the Braves before and apparently lives in Atlanta, so he should have some familiarity with the team. And a lot of southern sports fans should already be somewhat familiar with him. I can’t remember ever yelling at him through my TV like I would, frequently, at Chip.
I was hopeful for Ben Ingram, but it looks like he prefers to stay on radio.
@ 14,
yep.
Maybe put a “pitch back” on the left field wall?
I like Tom Hart. He is knowledgeable about analytics so it will be a refreshing change from Chip.
Do TV announcers get paid much more than radio announcers? It seems like they would in general, though I’m sure individual salaries vary from team to team based on market size & probably seniority.
TV guys are mostly paid based on hair. It’s why Gary Cohen in NY doesn’t make more.
I’m a Tom Hart fan.
That’s why Chip got paid so much. Dude has great hair, and lots of it.
Hair is overrated
Chip says, “Don’t hate me ’cause you ain’t me, Cothran.”
God only made a few perfect heads. The rest He covered with hair.
I love you, coop!
As one of those with a perfect head, I can certainly agree that hair is overrated.
Keith Law ranked Atlanta’s farm system as #29 out of 30, which can’t be too surprising; he also ranked 0 of our prospects in his top 100. (He said Jared Shuster is our top prospect, which seems right; and he also said Shuster wasn’t close to the top 100, which also doesn’t seem too surprising. For what it’s worth, Justyn-Henry Malloy didn’t make the top 100, either.)
https://theathletic.com/4138444/2023/02/02/mlb-farm-system-ranking-prospects/
So, seems harsh but fair. That said, I’m pretty confident in our front office’s ability to restock the farm.
This was a lot of work, but it’s done. New thread.
https://bravesjournal.mystagingwebsite.com/2023/02/02/meet-the-newly-acquired-atlanta-braves/