Kuzul

Atlanta Braves players are reportedly considering filing a complaint to the MLB Players Association about the infield at Turner Field as a means of forcing their club to improve the current conditions.

Doug Padilla of ESPN.com reported the news Thursday, citing a source with knowledge of the situation. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to Padilla about the lackluster infield after his team played the Braves in two prior games at Turner Field this week.

“This is a tough infield,” Roberts said. “You look at Dodger Stadium versus this field, and this field, the guys talk about it around the league that it is not the best infield as far as playing.”

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal also weighed in on the situation, implying any potential changes aren’t up to him.

“Behind home plate, I felt it was very soft. But then again, it’s not our home field. It all depends on how the infielders like it here,” Grandal said, per Padilla. “We just have to adjust to every playing field we go to and make plays. Obviously it was a little hard for us the last two days, making a couple of errors, but that’s all right.”

Padilla’s source suggested Turner Field’s crew isn’t taking as good of care of the infield as it could since the team is moving to a new stadium next season. Uneven grass and the area where the infield dirt meets the turf were cited as the most troublesome areas.

The threat of filing a complaint may well lead to Atlanta solving the matter internally without the MLBPA getting involved.

But if the current status quo is maintained and the Braves infielders adjust, they may be able to use the adverse conditions to their advantage at their home ballpark.

It may also benefit Atlanta’s need to play small ball. The Braves entered Thursday’s game ranked last in baseball with only three home runs as a team. They were last in that category with 100 dingers last season, too, so perhaps a rough infield would help them manufacture offense in lieu of power in the lineup.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The family of a 60-year-old man who fell 40 feet to his death at Turner Field last year filed a lawsuit against the Atlanta Braves and Major League Baseball Tuesday. 

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the family of Greg Murrey accused the Braves and MLB of knowingly installing and failing to improve upon an inadequate railing, which Murrey tumbled over during an August 2015 game between the Braves and New York Yankees.

Murrey’s family said in the suit that the railing should have been at least one foot higher.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), three falling deaths have occurred at Turner Field since 2008, including one that was ruled a suicide.

Neither the Braves nor MLB have commented on the lawsuit thus far.

The Braves will cease playing at Turner Field following the 2016 season, and they will move to SunTrust Park beginning in 2017.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Atlanta Braves outfielder Hector Olivera was arrested in Arlington, Virginia, early Wednesday morning due to his alleged involvement in a domestic dispute.

According to Jeff Goldberg of ABC7 in Washington, D.C., the 31-year-old native of Cuba was arrested at the Ritz-Carlton after a woman called 911 and said she had been assaulted.

Goldberg reported Olivera has been charged with one count of misdemeanor assault and battery. Goldberg later reported Olivera posted $10,000 bond and left for the airport.

According to Goldberg, police sources said the woman and Olivera know each other and that the woman had bruises upon the arrival of officers. Goldberg reported the victim remains in the hospital and that her condition could have been a factor in determining Olivera‘s charges.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports provided Olivera’s mugshot:

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post spoke to an MLB spokesman, who said Olivera has been placed on administrative leave and that the commissioner’s office has begun an investigation into the incident.

The Braves released a statement on Olivera‘s situation:

The former Los Angeles Dodgers signee was traded to the Braves last season as part of a deal that sent pitchers Alex Wood and Jim Johnson to L.A.

Olivera appeared in 24 games for the Braves in 2015 and is hitting .211 with two RBI in six contests so far this season.

He is the starting left fielder for a Braves team that is off to an 0-7 start and figures to challenge for the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Losing Olivera for any period of time would further test the depth of an already thin Braves team.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When Atlanta Braves rookie John Gant made his major league debut against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, he got to show the world his rather unusual windup.

Every pitcher’s windup is different, as there’s no set way that it must be done. As long as it works for the pitcher and is within the rules, that’s all that matters.

Most pitchers just use different variations of a smooth windup. Gant, on the other hand, doesn’t fire the ball toward home plate until he goes through a series of hitches. It almost appears as though the right-hander “messes up” his delivery, but that’s just a part of his motion.

For a hitter who has never faced Gant or seen him on video, being in the box against him for the first time will be tough. A hitter’s timing can easily be thrown off by the unusual windup.

Why does Gant pitch this way? MLB.com’s Mark Bowman discussed the matter with the 23-year-old pitcher during spring training: “It just happened one day and never stopped. I don’t know if I did it in a bullpen or a game or what. It just felt comfortable and I kept doing it.”

The Braves reliever obviously can’t go through all of his movements when he pitches from the stretch, but when nobody is on base, hitters will have to stay focused throughout the delivery.

Gant threw a scoreless inning against the Nationals in his debut, striking out one batter while allowing a single hit.

[MLB.com]

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Before their 2016 regular season opens on April 4 against the Washington Nationals, the Atlanta Braves have a few questions to answer.

Even with the well-known youth movement in place with for the Braves, there is plenty of controversy surrounding their veteran players.

Michael Bourn, Jeff Francoeur, Nick Markakis and Emilio Bonifacio are all embroiled in the team’s vague outfield plans. Likewise, Atlanta will need to make some tough decisions concerning its pitching staff, which could carry more veteran arms than previously expected.

Over the next week, many of these issues will be resolved—for the time being. Until then, let’s take a look at the five most burning questions, and what the most likely resolution appears to be at this point.

Begin Slideshow

The Atlanta Braves reportedly released veteran outfielder Nick Swisher on Monday, per Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi and Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.

Swisher is owed $15 million for the 2016 season, a portion of which will be covered by the Cleveland Indians as part of the trade that sent him and outfielder Michael Bourn to Atlanta. Passan reported last August that Cleveland gave Atlanta $10 million to pay down Bourn’s and Swisher’s salaries.

While the Braves will be eating some money in order to part ways with the 35-year-old, his departure makes sense. Atlanta has spent the last few years selling off almost all of its most prized major league assets, including outfielders Jason Heyward and Justin Upton, closer Craig Kimbrel and starting pitcher Shelby Miller, whom it acquired in the Heyward deal.

The front office is building a team that will be competitive in a few years rather than in the present. Swisher doesn’t fit into those plans.

In addition, Swisher has gone from being one of the more dangerous switch-hitters in the league to an offensive liability. Injuries and the aging curve have done a number on the 2010 All-Star. In the last two years, he played a combined 173 games, and his production cratered as a result, per FanGraphs:

Speaking in February, Swisher was optimistic about this season since his knees are fully healthy for the first time in a few years:

In 42 at-bats this spring, he’s hitting .238 with four runs batted in. Even at 100 percent, Swisher may not have much left in the tank, and teams looking to add a something of a veteran mentor to the roster might hesitate to sign him given the way his time with the Cleveland Indians ended, per Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel:

Not all teammates shed a tear when Swisher packed up his belongings and jetted to Georgia. His relentless enthusiasm wore on members of the clubhouse and the fan base, as they longed for numbers in his stat line worthy of those on his paychecks.

The energy and over-the-top bubbly attitude helped eliminate any lasting effects from a defeated team that amassed a 68-94 mark in 2012. When his performance went south, however, his insistence on being the club’s commander and cheerleader didn’t carry much weight.

With that said, it wouldn’t be a major surprise if a team in win-now mode took a chance on Swisher in the hopes he could provide some benefit—whether tangible in terms of on-field performance or more nebulous with regard to clubhouse chemistry.

The Braves, meanwhile, may not be done with their roster reshuffle. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported on March 24 the team is looking to also move Bourn. Atlanta eventually released Swisher after failing to find a trade partner, and the same may happen to Bourn as well.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Eric O’Flaherty is returning to the Atlanta Braves. 

The veteran left-handed reliever, who spent five seasons in Atlanta, was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday for undisclosed cash considerations, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

The Braves gave their former ace reliever a hearty welcome following the announcement:

The crafty lefty has a five-pitch repertoire, per FanGraphs, that includes a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a slider, an off-the-table curveball and a strong changeup. 

Such an arsenal made him a coveted target for a Braves bunch that has a huge need for southpaw relievers—particularly one who’s had such success against left-handed hitters. 

General manager John Coppolella said O’Flaherty caught his eye during a spring training game against his club just last week.

“When we saw him, [his fastball] was 89-92 [mph] and he had the good hard slider,” Coppolella said, per Bowman. “He struck out [Braves third baseman] Hector Olivera with that slider. We’ve seen how he used to run in against right-handers with that slider. He used to really eat them up.”

O’Flaherty, 31, underwent Tommy John surgery while playing for the Braves in 2013 and hasn’t been quite the same pitcher since. He finished last year with an 8.10 ERA and 2.167 WHIP in 30 innings over 41 games with the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics. 

But during a run from 2009 to 2013, he was arguably the top reliever out of the Braves bullpen outside lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel. O’Flaherty and Kimbrel tallied the best ERAs among qualified relievers from 2010 to 2012 at 1.59 and 1.46, respectively, per Bowman. 

Coppolella said the chance to add a veteran the Braves know and are comfortable with was also a huge sell, per Carl Kotala of the Associated Press:

We’ve been trying to find a left-hander all spring. He’s somebody we know. When our scouts saw him and when our field staff saw him, we felt like he was somebody who could help us out.

Obviously, we know this guy’s great off the field. He was great on it with us. We’re hoping he can fill a need a help us get better.

O’Flaherty’s return to the Braves is a win-win for both parties. 

He’s currently on a minor league contract, per Rotoworld, meaning he’ll be a cost-effective addition for a team that’s firmly in rebuild mode. And for the lefty, it’s a shot at redemption in the latter stages of his career. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s Independence Day?

The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros had to call their spring training game early on Friday when some pretty daunting storm clouds rolled in during their 1-1 tie.

Bleacher Report’s Barrett Sallee likened the scene to one straight out of the 1996 thriller: 

While one fan had a similar impression, calling it the apocalypse:

In any case, consider Adam Morrison prepared.

[Instagram, Twitter]

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Atlanta Braves have made it clear they are rebuilding this season, and they have also made it clear that during that rebuild, Julio Teheran will need to be the team’s ace.

Atlanta has groomed Teheran for the last three years in hopes that he could be the No. 1 pitcher in the rotation. The deal that sent Shelby Miller to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December guaranteed he would get that chance.

The Braves are trusting Teheran to anchor an inexperienced staff while their young pitchers develop. He needs to justify that trust by getting back to his level of play from a couple of years ago.

The right-hander flashed ace potential during his All-Star season in 2014. That year, he posted a 2.89 ERA while striking out 186 batters and walking just 51 in 33 starts. He regressed last year, finishing with a 4.04 ERA, 171 strikeouts and 73 walks in 33 starts.

The Braves dealt Miller believing Teheran could get back to his 2014 form and shoulder the burden of being the staff’s top starter. Advanced metrics back up that belief.

Teheran’s WAR in 2015 was 1.5, according to Baseball-Reference.com. His WAR of 3.2 as a rookie in 2013 and 3.9 in 2014 make last year look like an aberration.

Baseball-Reference.com also rated him as 15 runs above average (RAA) in 2013, with an 18 RAA in 2014. Again, his performance last year looks like an anomaly instead of the norm. His RAA in 2015 was minus-one.

Julio Teheran Statistics: 2013-15

Looking at his traditional and advanced statistics together, his numbers were worse across the board last year compared to his first two years in the majors. It’s a small sample size, but it’s reasonable to think that 2016 will look less like last year and more like his first two seasons.

Teheran is a strikeout pitcher with good velocity and the ability to overpower hitters when he has command. Last year, he struggled with his command, surrendering 19 more earned runs and 22 more walks than the year before.

He has been in control in limited work this spring. He needed only 35 pitches to get through four scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, allowing just two men on base.

The Braves desperately need him to return to form, because if he struggles, the team’s other options for a No. 1 starter are thin.

After shipping away Miller and Alex Wood last year, Teheran leads a rotation that will feature Matt Wisler, Bud Norris, Manny Banuelos and likely Mike Foltynewicz when he eventually finishes recovering from rib surgery.

Norris is a journeyman. Banuelos underwent Tommy John surgery early in his career, which makes him a health concern.

Wisler and Foltynewicz are both talented young pitchers, but they lack Teheran’s experience.

Young arms litter the Atlanta farm system, but Aaron Blair, Lucas Sims and Tyrell Jenkins aren’t ready to be major league starters yet.

If Teheran can’t handle going against opponents’ top starters on a consistent basis, Atlanta may have to consider dealing for another high-quality arm.

The likelihood a team deals a true ace to the Braves without asking for some of the top talent in the Atlanta farm system is slim. The chances the Braves agree to such a deal are even slimmer.

The Braves’ best combination of talent and experience is Teheran. Their wealth of minor league pitchers may hold a future ace, but the organization won’t know that this season.

So for now, the Braves have placed their hopes on Teheran. They are content to sit near the bottom of the National League East standings again this season, so he doesn’t have to be a 20-win pitcher.

They just need him to prove that giving him the top spot in the rotation was the right choice.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Former Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones and team president John Schuerholz will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame on Aug. 19, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Now that I got the induction, I can officially say that I am retired,” Jones said, per Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan. “[I] will try to focus on helping the youth.”

Jones, 38, spent 12 years with the Braves, hitting .263 with 368 home runs and 1,117 RBI. He spent 17 years in the big leagues in total—including stints with the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox—finishing his career with a .254 batting average, 434 home runs and 1,289 RBI.

He hit 25 or more home runs in 10 straight seasons between 1998 and 2007.

Jones was a five-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glover, supplementing his presence at the plate by being the best fielding center fielder of his generation.

He was the runner-up for the National League MVP in 2005 after ripping 51 home runs and 128 RBI.

Schuerholz, meanwhile, was the team’s general manager during its 14 consecutive NL East titles in the ’90s and 2000s. He became the team’s president in 2007 and has now been in baseball for 51 years and with the Braves for 26 years.

“The organization is thrilled to welcome these two treasured members of our family into the Braves Hall of Fame,” Braves chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk said, per O’Brien. “Both John and Andruw have had an incredible impact on this franchise, though in much different ways, and they are beyond deserving of this honor.”

The Braves will hold a ceremony for the pair on Aug. 19 before their game against the Washington Nationals at Turner Field, the final such ceremony before they move to their new ballpark in 2017.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com