ATLANTA BRAVES
| Kurt Abbott (IF, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 OAK-COL 77 194 51 13 1 5 26 24 12 53 254 276 465 2 1 1999 COL 96 286 78 17 2 8 41 41 16 69 273 310 430 3 2 2000 NYM 79 157 34 7 1 6 22 12 14 51 217 283 389 1 1 |
| Abbott is a veteran utility man, can play several infield positions. He's a decent defensive player, and he has more power than the typical middle infielder; last year he didn't hit so well, and was slowed down during the summer by a bad back. But the Mets had enough confidence in him to use him during the playoffs; he has signed to play with Atlanta, and will presumably be an important part of their plans. |
| Paul Bako (CA, 29, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 DET 96 305 83 12 1 3 23 30 23 82 272 319 348 1 1 1999 HOU 73 215 55 14 1 2 16 17 26 57 256 332 358 1 1 2000 3TEAMS 81 221 50 10 1 2 18 20 27 64 226 312 308 0 0 |
| Bako spent time with Houston, Florida and Atlanta last season. He didn't hit well, but he is a left-handed catcher who has proven then he can hit .250, so he will probably get another look in 2001. Tends to strike out a lot. |
| Stan Belinda (35, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CIN 4 8 40 0 0 0 1 61 46 28 57 323 1999 CIN 3 1 29 0 0 0 2 43 42 18 40 527 2000 COL-ATL 1 3 56 0 0 0 1 47 55 22 51 771 |
| Belinda's season was a disaster waiting to happen. He began the year with Colorado, and got hammered in the thin air. He was released in July, and signed with Atlanta, but was even worse with the Braves. There is some hope for the future; Belinda had good control and an impressive strikeout rate. On the other hand, he is 35 years old, hasn't pitched well in two years, and has also been battling Multiple Sclerosis. A comeback would be a nice story, but it is unlikely. |
| Rico Brogna (1B, 31, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 PHI 153 565 150 36 3 20 77 104 49 125 265 319 446 7 7 1999 PHI 157 619 172 29 4 24 90 102 54 132 278 336 454 8 5 2000 PHI-BOS 81 185 43 17 0 2 20 21 10 41 232 278 357 1 0 |
| Brogna didn't hit so well, plus he also fractured his left forearm in May and missed half the season. The thing about Rico is that even when he was "good", he wasn't very good. He has signed to play with the Braves, who have developed a disturbing liking for mediocre players. But hey, they won a pennant with Sid Bream in the lineup, so who am I criticize? |
| John Burkett (36, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TEX 9 13 32 32 0 0 0 195 230 46 131 568 1999 TEX 9 8 30 25 0 0 0 147 184 46 96 562 2000 ATL 10 6 31 22 0 0 0 134 162 51 110 489 |
| Burkett defied all the laws of probability by coming back and having a winning season. I'm only moderately impressed; if any team except Atlanta (or maybe the Yankees) had signed Burkett, I doubt he would have been as successful. He's a smart pitcher with good control, but I doubt that he will reach double figures in wins again. |
| Mark DeRosa (SS, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 125 461 123 26 2 8 67 49 60 57 267 356 384 7 13 1999 AAA 105 364 99 16 2 1 41 40 21 49 272 317 335 7 6 2000 AAA 101 370 108 22 3 3 62 35 38 36 292 359 392 13 4 |
| DeRosa is an infield prospect with the Braves who didn't look like much of a player until last year. His potential is limited, but he appears to have good plate discipline and a little speed, and that may be enough to get him a bench job in the majors. |
| Rafael Furcal (SS, 21, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 R 66 268 88 15 4 0 56 23 36 29 328 412 414 60 15 1999 A 126 519 167 24 4 1 105 41 55 78 322 392 389 96 30 |
| His rise to the majors was meteoric. At age 19, Furcal skipped two levels of ball and ended up winning the Rookie Of The Year Award. He's a good player, and his growth potential is enormous; I doubt that he will ever develop much power, but with any luck will be a consistent .300 hitter and also the best base stealer in the league. |
| Jesse Garcia (IF, 28, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA-AAA 130 418 120 19 5 2 66 38 41 59 287 354 371 19 8 1999 AAA 62 220 56 10 2 2 25 23 11 21 255 289 345 9 6 2000 AAA 105 369 88 12 2 1 44 23 27 60 238 297 290 9 4 |
| Garcia is an infielder who doesn't hit at all. He's not going to take anyone's job in 2001. |
| Tom Glavine (35, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL 20 6 33 33 4 3 0 229 202 74 157 247 1999 ATL 14 11 35 35 2 0 0 234 259 83 138 412 2000 ATL 21 9 35 35 4 2 0 241 222 65 152 340 |
| Another 20-win season? That gives him five in his career, and it was also the fifth time that Glavine has led the NL in wins. He now has 208 career wins; he's a good bet to win 250, still a longshot to win 300. But you never know... despite his age, I probably like Glavine as much now as I ever have. I expect another big season in 2001. |
| Andruw Jones (CF, 24, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ATL 159 582 158 33 8 31 89 90 40 129 271 321 515 27 4 1999 ATL 162 592 163 35 5 26 97 84 76 103 275 365 483 24 12 2000 ATL 161 656 199 36 6 36 122 104 59 100 303 366 541 21 6 |
| Jones had his best season, and has emerged as the outstanding young player that everyone thought he would be. He offers great defense, impressive speed and power, and has proven that he can hit .300. Funny thing, he's still just a baby, and might still get even better. |
| Chipper Jones (3B, 29, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ATL 160 601 188 29 5 34 123 107 96 93 313 404 547 16 6 1999 ATL 157 567 181 41 1 45 116 110 126 94 319 441 633 25 3 2000 ATL 156 579 180 38 1 36 118 111 95 64 311 404 566 14 7 |
| Jones had another big year at the plate, and has firmly established himself as one of the best offensive third basemen (and switch-hitters) in baseball history. He now has five straight years of 100+ runs scored and RBI... he will be an MVP candidate again in 2001, though his defense at third base has become very questionable. |
| Brian Jordan (RF, 34, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 STL 150 564 178 34 7 25 100 91 40 66 316 368 534 17 5 1999 ATL 153 576 163 28 4 23 100 115 51 81 283 346 465 13 8 2000 ATL 133 489 129 26 0 17 71 77 38 80 264 320 421 10 2 |
| Jordan was on the DL in April with a strained rib cage, and didn't hit much the rest of the season. He has declined badly the past two seasons, to the point where he has more value with the glove than with the bat. He's a good athlete, and he might have a comeback in him... but he also spent a portion of his youth playing in the NFL, and that's not a recipe for longevity. |
| Wally Joyner (1B, 39, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SD 131 439 131 30 1 12 58 80 51 44 298 370 453 1 2 1999 SD 110 323 80 14 2 5 34 43 58 54 248 363 350 0 1 2000 ATL 119 224 63 12 0 5 24 32 31 31 281 365 402 0 0 |
| Joyner did a decent job with Atlanta as a pinch hitter, and backing up Galarraga at first. He was signed by the Angels during the winter, and the injury to Mo Vaughn may give him even more playing time than he had last year. His value rests in his ability to get on base; he doesn't have much power left, and even if he hits .280 he doesn't put many runs on the board. |
| Scott Kamieniecki (34, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 BAL 2 6 12 11 0 0 0 55 67 26 25 675 1999 BAL 2 4 43 3 0 0 2 56 52 29 39 495 2000 CLE-ATL 3 4 52 0 0 0 2 58 64 42 46 559 |
| Kamieniecki had an ugly season. He was released in June by the Indians, a team desperate for starting pitching; he then signed with Atlanta, but pitched poorly. If you can't pitch with the Braves, then you probably can't pitch for anyone. |
| Kerry Ligtenberg (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL 3 2 75 0 0 0 30 73 51 24 79 271 1999 INJURED - DID NOT PITCH 2000 ATL 2 3 59 0 0 0 12 52 43 24 51 361 |
| Ligtenberg made a successful comeback from elbow surgery, and had a good year. He even got to close some games, thanks to John Rocker's antics. Speaking of Rocker, that Braves apparently haven't made up their mind what they want to do with him this year. It's possible that Ligtenberg could open the season as the Braves' closer this year. Or maybe they would share the role, until Rocker proves that he can handle the pressure without self-destructing. |
| Keith Lockhart (IF, 36, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ATL 109 366 94 21 0 9 50 37 29 37 257 311 388 2 2 1999 ATL 108 161 42 3 1 1 20 21 19 21 261 337 311 3 1 2000 ATL 113 275 73 12 3 2 32 32 29 31 265 331 353 4 1 |
| He's just another utility infielder, doesn't have much power or speed, doesn't hit for a high average, draws the occasional walk. He has found a home in Atlanta, but he's a replacable commodity. |
| George Lombard (OF, 26, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 122 422 130 25 4 22 84 65 71 140 308 410 543 35 5 1999 AAA 74 233 48 11 3 7 25 29 35 98 206 317 369 21 6 2000 AAA 112 424 117 25 7 10 72 48 55 130 276 365 439 32 9 |
| Lombard's second season at Richmond was a big improvement on the first, but he still doesn't look like much of a player. He is fast, but his power has disappeared the past two seasons, and he also strikes out an enormous number of times. He's not young; I don't expect much of a career, except maybe as a pinch runner. |
| Javier Lopez (CA, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ATL 133 489 139 21 1 34 73 106 30 85 284 328 540 5 3 1999 ATL 65 246 78 18 1 11 34 45 20 41 317 375 533 0 3 2000 ATL 134 481 138 21 1 24 60 89 35 80 287 337 484 0 0 |
| Lopez returned from a bad knee injury and had a good year. He's a consistent, reliable catcher who hits for both average and power, and he's certainly capable of having another 30-homer season. |
| Greg Maddux (35, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL 18 9 34 34 9 5 0 251 201 45 204 222 1999 ATL 19 9 33 33 4 0 0 219 258 37 136 357 2000 ATL 19 9 35 35 6 3 0 249 225 42 190 300 |
| He is still a marvel, if no longer the best pitcher in the league. Maddux wins 18-19 games every year, is never hurt, and always ranks among the very best in the league. He now has 240 career wins; it is now almost certain that he will win 300 in his career. He also seemed to make some successful adjustments at the end of last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if he copped yet another Cy Young Award. |
| Dave Martinez (OF, 37, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TAM 90 309 79 11 0 3 31 20 35 52 256 334 320 8 7 1999 TAM 143 514 146 25 5 6 79 66 60 76 284 361 387 13 6 2000 4TEAMS 132 457 125 19 5 5 60 47 50 73 274 346 370 8 7 |
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Martinez is the ultimate journeyman; last year he played with four teams. His journey began with Tampa Bay, then he moved on to the Cubs in May, then was dealt to Texas in June, then finally ended up in Toronto in August. As usual, he was OK at the plate; he also had a fantastic year in right field, throwing out 15 baserunners while making only 2 errors. He has signed to play with Atlanta this upcoming season. He won't play every day, unless one of the regulars gets hurt, but he should be a useful fourth outfielder. He also brings added defense to what was already one of the best defensive outfields we'll ever see. |
| Greg McMichael (34, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 NYM-LA 5 4 64 0 0 0 2 68 81 35 55 410 1999 NYM-OAK 1 1 36 0 0 0 0 34 35 20 21 508 2000 ATL 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 16 12 4 14 441 |
| McMichael returned to Atlanta, where he began his career with a spectacular rookie season in 1993. He hadn't pitched so well the past two years, and last year was sidelined with biceps tendinitis. That's a nasty injury, and my guess is that his career will not recover. |
| Kevin Millwood (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL 17 8 31 29 3 1 0 174 175 56 163 408 1999 ATL 18 7 33 33 2 0 0 228 168 59 205 268 2000 ATL 10 13 36 35 0 0 0 213 213 62 168 466 |
| Everyone (including myself) had big expectations for Millwood this season, and he responded with a stinky season. I'm disappointed, but not especially worried; if he's healthy, he'll be great; he could win 20 games this year. |
| Eddie Perez (CA, 33, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ATL 61 149 50 12 0 6 18 32 15 28 336 404 537 1 1 1999 ATL 104 309 77 17 0 7 30 30 17 40 249 299 372 0 1 2000 ATL 7 22 4 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 182 182 227 0 0 |
| Perez has been Atlanta's backup catcher the past few years, and has done a decent job. He got lots of playing time in 1999 after Javier Lopez' injury; but last year he tore his rotator cuff and missed almost the whole season. His future is in doubt; I assume that the Braves will give him his job back, but I don't know if he will be able to throw runners out. |
| Mike Remlinger (35, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CIN 8 15 35 28 1 1 0 164 164 87 144 482 1999 ATL 10 1 73 0 0 0 1 84 66 35 81 237 2000 ATL 5 3 71 0 0 0 12 73 55 37 72 347 |
| Remlinger had another good season, though he couldn't match his spectacular 1999 performance. The disintegration of John Rocker forced him to close games early in the year, and he battled the new duties to a draw. He also had some stiffness in his elbow early in the summer that slowed him down. He's a good pitcher who is well-suited to the setup role; he's also getting old quickly. |
| John Rocker (26, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 ATL 1 3 47 0 0 0 2 38 22 22 42 213 1999 ATL 4 5 74 0 0 0 38 72 47 37 104 249 2000 ATL 1 2 59 0 0 0 24 53 42 48 77 289 |
| Rocker was suspended by the league in spring, was demoted and fined by his own team in June, and completely lost the strike zone for the whole season. Funny thing is, the numbers still weren't too bad: the ERA was good, he blew only 3 saves, and his strikeout rate was phenomenal. There is no doubt that Rocker's capable of being one of the most dominant pitchers in the league... but he's an equally good bet to completely self-destruct. |
| BJ Surhoff (LF, 37, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 BAL 162 573 160 34 1 22 79 92 49 81 279 332 457 9 7 1999 BAL 162 673 207 38 1 28 104 107 43 78 308 347 492 5 1 2000 BAL-ATL 147 539 157 36 2 14 69 68 41 58 291 344 443 10 2 |
| Surhoff played about as well as he usually does, though the public's perception may have been different. The run production was down a little, and he was invisible during Atlanta's short playoff run... but for the most part, he was just being BJ - a solid, dependable player, not a star but a guy who helps you win games. He's getting older, an his best seasons are likely behind him... he's a very fine defensive player. |
| Quilvio Veras (2B, 32, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SD 138 517 138 24 2 6 79 45 84 78 267 373 356 24 9 1999 SD 132 475 133 25 2 6 95 41 65 88 280 368 379 30 17 2000 ATL 84 298 92 15 0 5 56 37 51 50 309 413 409 25 12 |
| Veras was having the best season of his career before he tore up his right ACL in July. He's a decent second baseman who can run and get on base. But he's not young, and his future may be in some doubt; the injury may affect his ability to both run and play the position. |
| Walt Weiss (IF, 37, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 ATL 96 347 97 18 2 0 64 27 59 53 280 386 343 7 1 1999 ATL 110 279 63 13 4 2 38 29 35 48 226 315 323 7 3 2000 ATL 80 192 50 6 2 0 29 18 26 32 260 353 313 1 1 |
| He had a typical Walt Weiss season, then retired. When it was all over, the 1988 AL Rookie Of The Year played for 14 seasons, was a .258 hitter with 1207 lifetime hits, and managed to muscle out 25 home runs, 14 of those with Colorado. |