Braves Season Preview...Giants Fan Perspective

I'm sorry I have not written in so long, but I have been terribly busy this week working on revamping AtlantaBravesNation.com  An updated website could come as early as Monday. Anyways I asked my baseball buddy Christian, who is a S.F. Giants fan to share his thoughts about the Braves this year. 

Hey there, Braves nation! My name is Christian, and I'll be your guest writer for the day. First, a bit on me: I'm a die-hard Giants fan (no bias here), and I hate the damn Mets. Chief has asked me to write a piece on the Braves chances, so here goes!

Last year, the Braves finished with a dismal 72 wins, 20 games behind the Phillies. 2009, however, looks significantly better for the Braves. The Mets have improved the bullpen, and I'm going to go ahead and say they are the team to beat, but the Phillies and Marlins have only gone backwards. The Phillies replaced Pat Burrell with an older, slower and significantly worse Raul Ibanez. Their set-up man, Ryan Madsen, has received a 50 game suspension for testing positive to a banned substance, and their star 2B, Chase Utley, is attempting to come off hip surgery. The Marlins have also gotten worse, as they have traded several players in cost cutting and rebuilding measures. The Nationals, I won't talk about, because hey, they're the Nationals.

While most everyone else got worse, the Braves have only gotten better. While Teixeira is gone, Kotchman is a very capable replacement first base man, and I'm sure the Angels will sorely miss him this year. Kawakami projects to be a starter very similar to Hiroki Kuroda, but if the scouting reports are to be believed, he has better stuff. 200 innings with an ERA under 4 are easily attainable. While  I'm sure Braves fan are upset they missed out on Burnett, Lowe has a very similar ERA, and he's much less injury prone. Across the board, the Braves have improved, and the projections agree. PECTOA preseason projections have Braves tied with the Phillies and only 5 game back of the Mets, while the CHONE projections have the Braves one game back of the Phillies and tied with the Mets. While the Braves are no lock, this year they return to contention.

Thanks Chrisitian! If you want to be a guest writer contact aBn via email at AtlantaBravesNation@gmail.com How do ya'll feel about these projections? Do you think he is spot on or is not seeing the picture. I think its always a good idea to get an 'outsiders' perspective. 

Braves add Veteran OF....Chipper Talks about Tommy Hanson

The Braves and 14-year veteran Garrett Anderson reached a one-year agreement today. The deal is believed to be worth $2.5 million. The signing comes only a fews days after the Bravos missed out of Ken Griffey Jr. (in case you missed out on the drama of that saga, the episode will be re-aired on Oxygen Network sometime this week) An official announcement of the Anderson signing could come as early as Monday morning. Anderson is expected to join the Braves in beautiful Lake Buena Vista, Florida for Spring Training this week. Bobby Cox raved about Garret Anderson in an interview earlier this week. Cox said, "He's got one of the sweetest swings baseball. He's a guy you want up with the game on the line, and he uses all field. I hope we get him." As Hank Hill always says "Dangit Bobby!", we'll guess what, you got your man! 

Anderson is a career .296 hitter and has drove in 80+ RBI's eight of the past nine seasons. Anderson may not be the home run threat he once was but is still capable of hitting 15-20 HR's with under 500 AB's. Anderson will platoon at LF with Matt Diaz.  Oh by-the-way, did I mention Anderson is three-time All Star, winner of the 2003 Home Run Derby, two-time Silver Slugger and is a member of the "Top 500 Home-Run hitters of All Time." 

As for 6-6 Tommy Hanson, Chipper Jones absolutely raved about this kid in a interview with AJC.com Braves beat-writer David O'Brien. Chipper said this about Tommy's control, "Very impressive. He's probably got the best stuff of anybody in this clubhouse, he throws 93-94 with good movement. Great slider. You're talking about a kid that young who can command four pitches. To do what he did in the Arizona Fall League, which has never been done... pretty impressive kid." In the A.F.L. league Hanson made five starts. He posted a 5-0 record, 0.63 E.R.A., and struck out  49 hitters in 28.2, yes 28.2 innings. There's no typo there folks this kid is the real-deal. Oh and don't forget about the no-hitter Tommy threw in Class AA for the Mississippi Braves, while striking out 13 batters. 

Folks, Chipper has been around the league for 14-years and has been teammates with future H.O.F. pitchers such as Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine. Those are some pretty strong words coming from a guy of Chipper notoriety. 

Hanson is currently aBn's #2 prospect in the Braves organization and a strong showing in Spring Training could definitely benefit Hanson for an attempt to make the Braves roster mid-season this year. 

What type of numbers do ya'll expect from Anderson this year? What do ya'll think about Tommy Hason? Is a stud is he going to be a bust?

Player Preview: Derek Lowe

Today we bring you another edition of "aBn Player Preview." Derek Lowe signed a 4 yr./$60 million deal with the Braves a few days after Smoltzie signed with the Bo-Sox in 'mid January. Lowe is coming off a strong season serving as the L.A. Dodger's ace. He posted a 14-11 record, 3.24 ERA and struck out 147 batters. Lowe has never been a strikeout pitcher, but more so the type of pitcher who attempts to out-smart his opponent and creates ground balls. Lowe will benefit from the Bravos strong defensive infield and the 'pitcher-friendly' environment at Turner Field. 

Since 2002, only two other pitchers in MLB have tallied more wins than Lowe. 

1. Roy Oswalt, HOU 115
2. Roy HalladaY, TOR 113
3. Derek Lowe, ATL 106 

Lowe has also earned 12+ wins in every season since becoming a full-time SP. In 2002, Lowe notched 21 wins in 32 appearances for the Bo-Sox. In 2004, Lowe was the winner of the deciding game of the ALDS, ALCS and World Series. 

Lowe will serve as the Braves ace this year. Lowe is definitely capable of pitching deep into the game, last year he averaged 6 2/3 innings per game in 34 appearances. During his seven year career as a SP, Lowe has pitched 200+ innings five times. With Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez at the helm, the Braves can expect two SP's to provide the team with 200+ innings. This will definitely benefit the bullpen, which became tiresome near the end of the season due to lack of innings pitched by starters. 

With that in mind, what type of numbers do ya'll think Derek Lowe will have this year? 

Braves Lock Up Glavine and Frenchy too!

300-game winner Tom Glavine and the Atlanta Braves have inked a 1-year contract with a $1 million base-salary. Incentives could stretch the deal to $4.5 million. Glavine is a two-time Cy Younger, has appeared in 10 All-Star Games and the 1995 World Series MVP. 

Glavine had a brief stint for the New York Mets between 2003-2007. Glavine signed as a free-agent last year with the Braves for $8 million. The Braves have slotted Glavine into the 5th spot in the rotation, but look for him to compete for the #4 with Kawakami when Glavine is 100% . 

The Braves and Jeff Francoeur agreed to a $3.375 million contract for 2009. Frenchy can earn up to $25,00 in bonuses. The interesting part of Frenchy deal, it that it comes a day after missing out of Griffey.  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the Braves will most likely look for a "internal option" at outfield. Some players mentioned are: Gregor Blanco, Josh Anderson (who came over last season from the Astros via the Oscar Villrreal trade) and aBn's #3 prospect Jordan Schaffer. Schaffer's probably got the best shot of earning the CF spot for Opening Day but don't count out Anderson who was once regarded as a top prospect by Baseball America. 

aBn: We Know Drama! Ken Griffey signs with M's

Another bad day in Bravo-land this off-season. Ken Griffey Jr. who appeared to be headed to Lake Buena Vista, Florida for Braves Spring Training decided to sign with the Seattle Mariners tonight. The deal is reported to be a 1-year contract, that guarantees Jr. $2 million, and Jr. can earn up to $4.5 million in incentives based on at-bats and M's attendance. The M's are projecting that they will draw an additional 200,000 fans at Safeco Field by having Griffey on their roster. 

Braves beat-writer Mark Bowman says, "Griffey's tide turned shortly after he became upset with the fact that The Atlanta-Journal Constitution was reporting the he'd already decided to play for the Braves." 

Griffey Jr., has always expressed interest in playing for Bobby Cox, with Chipper Jones and for the Braves organization that his father competed for in the 80's. It's somewhat ironic how Griffey has had two chances in his lifetime to sign with the Braves; once in 1999 and this one being the most recent opportunity. Don't forget, Griffey called the Braves campaigning for a job just last week. Looks like Frank Wren may have got "Furcaled!"

Two Deals in the Works....

Ken Griffey Jr. and the Braves have yet to agree to a contract. Rumors have been circulating around the 'sports-world' that Griffey was going to sign a 1-year deal worth $2 million, but is he is hesitate to agree to terms with Atlanta because he does not want to upset M's fans. I am still keen on the Griffey signing and confident that he is capable of hitting 20 HR's, 60-70 RBI's while maintaing a .250 average. The only thing that troubles me about Griffey are the injury risks he brings with him. 

Atlanta Journal Constitution's Braves beat-writer David O'Brien discusses the possibility of Chipper Jones signing an extension with the Bravos. Chipper is like a fine-wine, and is getting better in age. Chipper has hit above .320 the past three seasons and is by far one of the best hitters in baseball. He outsmarts his oppnonets by drivng the ball to the opposite field and can hit for power or average. If Chipper is capable of putting up similar numbers to what he has the past couple of years I would be willing to offer him 3-4 years. 

Player Preview: Chipper Jones

Sorry for the late blog today... Anyways, there's not much going on in Bravos-land today. Older news is new news again. The Braves are moving closer to signing both Ken Griffey Jr. and Tom Glavine, but no official statement has been made by either party. 

To kick off this wonderful Tuesday I have decided to start "aBn's Player Preview." Chipper Jones is today's feature. Chipper Jones was selected by the Braves 1st overall pick in the 1990 amateur draft. Ever since then he has become one of Atlanta's most prestigious sports icons. Chipper hit 100+ RBI's for eight-consecutive season (between 1996-2003), but his streak came to a halt while Chipper was battling injuries in '04. In 1999 Chipper was awarded the league MVP. Chipper hit his 400th HR off Marlins SP Ricky Nolasco June 5, 2008. 

The past three seasons Chipper has had an OPS higher than 1.000 and batting average higher than .320. Chipper has battled injuries throughout his career. If Chipper can stay healthy this year he is capable of hitting 20-25 HR's, 100RBI's while maintaing a .320-.330 avg. and 1.000 OPS. Chipper is key to the Brave's success this year. He is one of the few experienced veteran bats the Braves will have in their lineup and can definitely help mentor young guns like Jordan Schaffer, Yunel Escobar, Brian McCann and Casey Kotchman. A healthy Chipper Jones can be a huge asset to a our defense and offense.