Atlanta Braves: Locking Up The Core

In a few short years the Atlanta Braves will be leaving their home lovingly known as 'The Ted' aka Turner Field. Turner Field and was built for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games, it was then transformed into the new home for the Braves the move there from Atlanta Fulton County Stadium aka 'the launching pad'.  Turner Field, named after former owner and a media mogul Ted Turner is owned by the city of Atlanta and is now starting to show its age. By the time the braves moved to their new location it will be roughly 20 years old. Not that old by building standards but the fact that it is not owned by the ball club limits and what they can do in terms of upgrades and what revenue they can generate for themselves. For instance parking and concessions.

It is widely regarded that teams than build their own stadiums will receive and immediate bumping in revenue streams, that higher ticket sales and more people to the park. It stands to reason that if you're making more money you have more money available that can be put toward payroll. With the Braves owning the building in being the primary tenant has seemingly allowed the Braves to open up their wallets this off-season. GM Frank Wren has been given the authority and financial flexibility to identify the young core of the Braves moving forward.  Not only is moving into a new stadium helping their financial commitments, national television money as well as regional TV rights are allowing the braves to up their payroll. It has been a few years, probably not since Ted Turner sold the team to AOL Time Warner that the Braves have been in a position to spend a little more money.

GM Frank Wren and upper management have clearly made in a mandate to lock up their young core of players and haven't already begun that process this off-season. The Braves had three major young arbitration eligible players that they needed to take care of this off-season. In the beginning it and looked like they were going to be a file and a trial team. This basically means the player gave them a number they thought they deserved and the team did the same. A hearing would be held to decide which dumber would be used for the upcoming season. It appear the braves were going to take their chances on one ever the ruling was in each case for a one year deal.

It was then that the report came in that first baseman Freddie Freeman had signed an 8yr $135M contract. Freeman was in the running for NL MVP this past season and is currently only 24 and has now received the richest contract in teams history.  Right now it looks like he used to be tented as the new face of the franchise, ironically enough, taking that title from his good buddy Chipper Jones. After that deal was made and probably realizing that the free agent crop this year was not that deep the Braves came to terms on another in young potential star Jason Heyward on a 2 yr $13M deal.  Heyward is coming off a tough injury plagued season where he was sidelined after an emergency appendectomy for a few weeks, than came back and was inserted at the top the lineup where he and the team thrived during a double digit winning streak. Then an untimely (not that there is ever a good time) pitch to the face that fractured his orbital bone sent him to the DL again.  Because of all the missed time it was hard for the two sides to come up with a good mutual number on a long-term deal. If Heyward is able to stay healthy and produce to the level in which he and the team expects then they can begin to look at a multi-year extension.

At this point the braves surprised many people by turning their focus to one of their young key starters. Braves announced they had signed Julio Teheran to a six-year $32.4 million extension that includes an option for the 2020 season. If the option is exercised, the 23-year-old pitcher will earn $44.4 million over the next seven seasons.  Given the price of any of the top free agent pitchers each year, locking up Teheran now and buying out his arbitration years could potentially be a team friendly contract.  Even though he is young there's still a risk that the team is taking.  One can never predict injuries or drop off in skill when it comes to pitchers.  They're the biggest gamble of all.  Pick correctly and you set yourself up to be a contender for years to come, pick wrong and you have a very expensive player pitching at your AAA affiliate....  Blue Jays and Ricky Romero I am looking in your direction.

It looked like at that point the Braves would be done and have a whole off-season biz is taking care of, except of course the arbitration hearing for young closer Craig Kimbrel. It was thought that Kimbrel would go through the process get a one year deal and then the braves would have to decide how much they were willing to invest in a player who will only pitches one the inning, the ninth.  Sure it is a very important inning, when teams have to decide how important and how much money to allocate to that position.  It is a risky proposition to sign a closer to a big money multi-year deal.  The Braves have decided to take that risk and sign Kimbrel to a four year $42M deal.  Kimbrel has only been in the league for three seasons but has already proven himself to be one of the premier closer's in baseball and has had his name mentioned the last couple of years in both the CY Young and MVP categories.  The Braves are clearly taking your risk on him be able to sustain the level he is currently at.  If he is able to do so he will almost definitely and live up to his once on a  generation player type contract that he signed.  Hopefully for the Braves sake he can do that and not end up like a guy and within an anchor contract that has been given in the past to closer's like Randy Myers, Jonathan Paplebon and perhaps worst of all BJ Ryan.

I like with the Braves have done and have identified their core group and lock them up for the foreseeable future.  Sure they have are taking a risk but based on the age of the productivity and grooves that the players have shown thus far in their development, hopefully the moves will pay off in the long run and keep these guys together as perennial contenders.

To help the Braves keep the same winning message, they have just extended 2 more pieces of their core...on the management side. GM Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez have both come to terms with the team. This is a good sign, stability in a good franchise with a winning culture is key. Confidence breeds confidence and winning breeds winning.

Just as I was about to post this blog word came down that the The Braves have just signed Andrelton Simmons to a 7 yr 58M contract extension. Simmons now joins fellow teammates Freeman, Kimbrel, Teheran being locked up in the Atlanta system and putting them in a position to be in the organization when they make the move to their new stadium in 2017. Simmons is widely regarded as one of the best defensive shortstops in the Majors. He also has showed that he has the  ability to impact games with his bat as well. He has very good offensive numbers and can  provide a little bit of pop as well. If he continues to improve as he gains more time this could be a great set up for the Braves over the next 5 years. It is an interesting plan that the Braves have to ensure that this group of guys will get to play and grow together.

The Braves have always been a consistent team but seemingly have constant turn over. With the
majority of their core being so young gives them the unique chance to set their line up as well as give the franchise a good idea of what there payroll will be and what they are able to do with other home grown talent as well as what they can and can not due in terms of  free agency. Sometimes making a big splash with a free agent signing is not nearly as important as the deals you can get done with guys you have drafted and/or developed.

It is interesting to note that former Cleveland Indians executive John Hart, who is now in the front office with the braves was one of the first GM's to utilize the strategy of identifying and wrapping up a core of young players.  Back in the early nineties Hart watched the Pirates lose key players like Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonillia because once they reach to free agency they were too expensive for the small market Pirates to afford. Hart rolled the dice by signing Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carlos Baerga to long-term deals before they were eligible for arbitration. This set the stage for long-term deals that likely kept Omar Vizquel, Jim Thome, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez in Cleveland longer than if all of these players had been allowed to go through the arbitration process.

The Braves hitter knee identified this strategy as one that they would attempt to do even before hart joined the club but his knowledge and insight clearly help get all parties on the same page.

It will be interesting to see how these players perform going forward but if these players pan out and can form the core that the Braves hope they can they should be able to be in a position to contend each year for a division title and it hopefully also a playoff spot.
Welcome to Braves Country!

Thank You Chipper

Today, pitchers and catchers report to spring training along with some position players that are eager to get a jump on the season and put them in a position to come out of the gate as strong as possible. For the first time since the mid 90's there will be no Chipper Jones in the dugout. It is clearly the end of an era. The Braves have done a good job at re-tooling the roster in the absence of their recently departed future Hall of Fame third baseman. In honor of Spring Training opening it seems appropriate to thank Chipper for what he has done for the Braves and all the fans of the Braves over his career. Three Cheers! 

In five years time there will be a ceremony held for Major League Baseball and that of course is the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. At that time, baring something outlandish and crazy, will be when the great Chipper Jones' road to greatness should be complete. Chipper should be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee and there should be no question about that. At least there will not be any controversy on what hat he is going to be wearing when he is enshrined in Cooperstown  As a player who was drafted by Atlanta, moved up through the organization, World Series Champion in 1995, won an MVP in 1999, 8 times All-Star, 2008 batting champion and stayed there right to the end- 19 consecutive seasons, 14 of which resulted in consecutive division titles.

The Braves have seemingly known when to cut bait with players just as they have peaked and then parted ways to get younger or restructure...that didn't happen with Chipper. The Braves knew he was the face of the franchise and his production never warranted them to think otherwise. The only reason for any decline in production was from injury and no one could disagree that when Chipper was on the field that he was going to make the team better, more feared and had a leader out there with them.

Maybe at some point Chipper will make his way back into the game. Maybe in the Braves front office or maybe in some sort of player development role like a hitting coach (sorry Greg Walker). Imagine having Chipper Jones as a batting coach, it would be like talking hitting with Ted Williams. How could a player not get better?

The stats clearly support that honour. A .303 batting average, 468 Home Runs, 1623 RBI, and 2726 hits...as a switch hitter. If that isn't impressive enough he did it all with one team. It pains one to think what kind of numbers he would have had he been able to stay healthy towards the end of his career. Had he been able to play in 1994 as well would have added to his overall stats. The Braves were the team that drafted him, the team he played his entire career with, he is and was the face of the franchise. Jones was an unselfish player in a time that was and is know for players being selfish. He never came that close to becoming a free agent and test the market, remarkable in this day and age. After being an All-Star 3rd baseman whom had already won a World Series a batting title and an MVP made the move to left field so the Braves could add Vinny Castilla. He also unselfishly re-did his contract so that the Braves could free up some $15 million to be able to go after and sign other players that would be able to help the Braves win. Again, not something that you will see from very many athletes is just about any sport.

Many people will compare him to other great switch hitters throughout history, Eddie Murray and Micky Mantle. That is a little unfair as he truly is his own man. He holds his own and can stand alone. He has earned that.

On June 13, 2008 Chipper was hitting .419 

and there was talk that maybe he could be 

the first player since Ted Williams to 

end the season over .400

From 1995 on there was a consistency Braves fans from the US and Canada could expect and enjoy. The Braves continuing to tack on division titles, Chipper Jones evolving to become the face of "America's Team" everyday, and on TBS (except during rain delays when we could be re-acquainted with The Andy Griffith Show). In addition, to get the feeling of a family and friendly atmosphere with the announcing team, led by Skip Carry, with Pete Van Wiren, Joe Simpson and Don Sutton. That was the perfect storm and a great time to be not only a Braves fan but also a baseball fan.

Not since Cal Ripken Jr. has a player announced his final year of play and enjoyed a farewell tour to the extent that Chipper enjoyed. Just about every team he visited, his last time into town, honored him and his career and more often then not passed along a nice thoughtful gift on behalf of the opposing franchise. Teams would not do that for a ballplayer that was just a good player, or a great player...but they sure would, and did, for a Hall of Fame player.

There will be a lot missed by Braves fans with a loss of the magnitude that is the loss of the face of your franchise both on the field and off. From a strictly on field view, the loss of a corner infielder. One who, for the majority of his 19 year MLB career, put up good solid defense and contributed offensively as not only the 3rd bat in the lineup but the backbone to the lineup but also the spark plug. Off the field, I am sure that he will still be the community minded guy who is involved in various charities. From a more indirect view, not getting to see Chipper and follow him and being inspired by him and his play will be a loss for the young kids. The average fan can see what impact Chipper has had on the growth of baseball in Georgia and the players that are being produced from those youth systems. Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann are just 2 examples already.
Fans will remember seeing that switch hitter with his Blond Bat from the left side and the Black Bat from the right side, that smooth swing that reminds you of Ted Williams and the bull dog look on the field and in the dugout.

It is an old joke but as many Braves fans have said and will continue to say: Thank You Todd Van Poppel! Van Poppel appeared as a tough player to sign and made it a no brainer for the Braves to take Chipper as the first overall pick in the Free Agent Draft. The rest is history!

There are probably rules that need to be adhered to, but would it not be fitting after whom-ever is selected to provide the introduction speach at the Hall of Fame (maybe his father, maybe Bobby Cox) in 5 years time to announce: "Please welcome this years inductee, Larry Wayne 'Chipper' Jones" and then hear it---

`All aboard! Ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaa! ( dum-dum...dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum)

Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay` -  Crazy Train by Ozzie Osbourn

Would that not just be amazing? Just imagine the goose bumps and chills!!

Thank you Chipper for all that you have meant to The Braves, The Fans, and to Baseball. 
All the best in retirement and a hope to see you back in the game in one way or another.

Spring Is In The Air - Play Ball!

March is here and even though the Madness is yet to start up in terms of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Spring Training is up and running in full force. That’s right, baseball is right around the corner. They have already started playing games. With guys wearing number 67 and 83 trying hard to get noticed and in hopes of planting a seed in managers heads for later in the season when they will become potential call ups. Many teams have a pretty good idea who they will break camp with in regards to already signed players there are always a few jobs that can be won or lost. There is usually the most player movement among the pitchers but occasionally there are some positions open for the highly toughed prospects to step in and instantly make a difference on the team and earn a roster spot.

Spring Training games are for the hard core fans, it is like pre season NFL games except the seats are not $150 a pop minimum. Like football the players in the lineups are that of the unknown for the most part and players looking to make an impression. The regulars will play a couple of innings and pitchers will take the mound for maybe an inning, 3 at the most. If you are looking to see your favorite player either watch for them early or if you happen to be at the stadium you may see them running on the warning track during the game. (Not too many sports allow players not in the game to go out for a tour on the field while play is going on)

Right now every team is in first place and anyone has a chance to make the playoffs and win the World Series. Guys are ready to go and the excitement of games and the summer are right around the corner...Opening day is not that far away now!