Kuzul

Despite being home to the all-time home run king, the Atlanta Braves have never been known for their ability to hit the ball out of the park. They are somewhat better known as the “Anti-Yankees,” if you will. They have country accents, less money, and very little power, but they have still found ways to to win.

However, the recent surge of power from the Atlanta Braves’ offense has proven that this team can hit the long ball just as well as the next squad and, with Atlanta’s dominating pitching staff, sometimes the Braves only need one or two of these home runs to win ball games. 

Braves hitters have combined for 11 homers in their last six games, while the pitching staff has limited opponents to one homer in that same span. All of a sudden, the Braves have found that power that they have been searching for the whole season.

Jason Heyward finally reminded us that he can hit the ball over the fence while veterans Chipper Jones and Brian McCann have finally returned to their true form. Alex Gonzalez has three home runs as an Atlanta Brave and 20 for the the whole season. Meanwhile, Troy Glaus is once again showing signs of life, and hitting-machine Martin Prado will be returning from the DL any day now.

Suddenly, the Braves are looking powerful.

The Braves will be an even harder team to beat if they can continue to successfully combine great pitching and explosive offense. This month of August is a crucial month. The Braves must keep on finding ways to win baseball games and separate themselves from Philadelphia. This will be no easy task, but if Atlanta can continue to hit the ball well and shut down opposing offenses, they will be virtually unstoppable.

The long ball is an aspect of the Braves game that has seemed to be lacking for many years. If the Braves batters can stay healthy, that ball will continue to fly out of the park and the Braves will continue to win series.

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“I don’t know which is more discouraging, [the Braves’ defense] or Chickens.”
—EB White

Okay.

Maybe I took some creative liberties with that EB White quote (he was really talking about literature).

And maybe that wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be when I googled “discouraging quotes.”

And maybe I am just too lazy to get rid of what is becoming an introduction full of incessant rambling.

But one thing that is definitely not a “maybe” is that the Atlanta Braves’ defense has entrenched itself in a deeper rut than their sometimes anemic offense has ever found itself in 2010.

With the boot-fest that was the opening game of a three-game set against the Astros, I decided to take the initiative to check out the box scores of the Braves’ month of August (nine games).

What I found wasn’t pretty.

In those games the Braves have committed no errors only twice and have seen the following totals from the other games: one, two, one, two, two, two, and three errors. Add that up, and it’s 13 errors in nine August contests.

Overall, the boys from Hotlanta are—in newspaper-box-score-style—(5-4) for the month. In games with no errors, they are (2-0)—I’m continuing this theme throughout for the sake of “prettiness.” With one error, they are (0-2). And with two or more, miraculously, the Braves are (3-2).

Now, that might indicate that the Braves are alright with this shoddy, at best, defense.

But, eventually, as with what happened in a 10-to-4 route at the hands of the Astros, the E’s are going to start catching up with the playoff-hopeful Braves.

Those one-run decisions are going to start swaying in favor of opponents more and more (for the record, the Braves are (16-17) in those types of games).

And these now-familiar comeback kids will have fewer and fewer opportunities to work their magic.

There’s no one individual to point at, either. Troy Glaus has made his share of blunders. Alex Gonzalez, despite quite a few spectacular efforts, has booted a grounder here and there. Brian McCann has thrown a ball or two away. And Chipper Jones has mishandled a few hops at the hot corner.

And the other four regulars on the field haven’t exactly been flawless, themselves.

Now, that’s not to say it’s time to leap off the Braves’ bandwagon just yet (even with the surging Phillies lurking).

After all, they have found a way to win a majority of these games—no matter how tiny that majority may be.

But some work has to be done with the leather if the Braves hope to win the “close ones” and surge at least somewhat comfortably into the postseason. 

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Considering that it is August, post-season baseball is just two months away. With the playoffs looming, the way the standings will ultimately shake out could be determined relatively soon. 

Many of these determining factors come down to how teams can mesh, second half track records, and team health.

However, on each contending team, there are certain individuals that hold the key to contention for the remainder of the regular season. Heading into the second week of August, now is the time for the difference-makers to stand up and propel their team to meaningful wins.

Here are 15 game changing difference-makers on different contending teams that will help decide the fate of their respective clubs as the 2010 MLB season heads down to the wire.

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What do Craig Biggio, Pablo Sandoval, and Neil Walker have in common? All three saw a significant amount of time behind the plate in the minors but found new positions in the big leagues.

The trend of moving young catchers to other positions because of their defensive deficiencies behind the plate or to increase longevity has left fantasy owners with a diluted pool of catchers from which to choose. 

The rankings that follow are designed to help you get as much value as possible at the shallowest position in the game. All percentage of ownership numbers are from ESPN Fantasy Baseball leagues. Stats through 7/18/2010.

Tier One

Joe Mauer (100 percent owned)- Mauer owners might have expected a decrease in power numbers this season (28 HR, .587 SLG in 2009 and just 4 HR, .433 SLG in 2010), but few could have expected his on-base percentage (.372) to fall to what it was in his first full season in the majors. 

The power outage can be explained by the fact that about one out of every five Mauer fly balls left the yard last year while only about one out of every 20 is leaving the yard this year.  As for the on-base percentage, Mauer is simply chasing more balls outside of the strike zone. 

All that said, only Miguel Olivo was better than Mauer in the first half, so Mauer must still be considered the top option at catcher. 

Brian McCann (100 percent owned)- McCann provides great value at the catcher position, not only because he produces, but because he produces consistently. His home run totals the last four seasons are 24, 18, 23, 21, and he is on pace to finish this season in that range.  Although McCann is currently hitting .270, he is a career .291 hitter, and it is entirely possible he finishes the season close to that mark.

Buster Posey (96.2 percent owned)- Since his call-up on May 29, all Posey has done in 145 at-bats is hit .352 with 7 HR, 23 R and 26 RBI.  If you scale those numbers out to a full 162-game season, he would be on pace for 28 HR, 93 R, and 105 RBI. Sure, you are likely to see some regression from the young hitter, but to this point, Posey has done nothing but prove that he is the real deal.

Carlos Santana (92 percent owned)- In 125 big league plate appearances, Santana has walked a very impressive 25 times.  Add the fact that he has only swung at 22.1 percent of pitches out of the strike zone, and it looks like the kid who might now be the best athlete in Cleveland has the ability to succeed against big league pitching.

Tier Two 

Miguel Montero (78.8 percent owned)- Chris Snyder is cutting into Montero’s playing time a bit, but Montero is hitting .308 since his return from the DL after hitting .294 with 16 homers last season. 

Kurt Suzuki (50.3 percent owned)- Suzuki is basically a poor man’s Brian McCann. He has just a little less power, will probably end the year 15 to 20 points behind McCann in average, and trails McCann in counting numbers (R, RBI) simply because he hits in a weaker lineup. 

Geovany Soto (59.8 percent owned)- Lately, Soto has been ceding less time to Koyie Hill than he was earlier in the year.  That is probably because he is hitting more like Geovany Soto circa 2008.  In the last 30 days, Soto is hitting .309 with 4 HR, 8 R, and 15 RBI. 

Miguel Olivo (90.4 percent owned)- So many things point to a significant Olivo regression in the second half.  He is currently hitting .325, but he has never hit better than .263 in his career.

He also has a BABIP of .396 (Batting Average on Balls In Play; generally, above .300 means a hitter has been lucky, and below .300 means a hitter has been unlucky). However, no other catcher has been better to this point, so it may be worth it to try and ride the hot bat. 

Tier Three

Matt Wieters (49.9 percent owned)- My Wieters man-love knows no bounds, but he was one of the bigger disappointments of the first half and is likely to miss a week’s worth of games in the second half.  If you still believe, go ahead and stick with him, but you might be wise to temper your expectations.

Victor Martinez (100 percent owned)- If he were healthy, Martinez would undoubtedly be a top-five catcher option the rest of the way.  However, he has only recently become able to squeeze a baseball without feeling soreness in his thumb.

There is just too much uncertainty about how much time V-Mart will miss in the second half for him to be considered the elite fantasy option that he usually is.

Mike Napoli (79 percent owned)- The sub .250 average is not ideal, but at the end of the day, you know Napoli is going to hit for power as he averages a home run every 17 at-bats for his career.

John Buck (42 percent owned)- Buck’s 2010 numbers look great: .272, 13 HR, 27 R, 41 RBI.  The problem is that in the last 30 days Buck has only contributed 1 HR, 3 R, and 6 RBI to those season totals. 

Tier Four

Bengie Molina (35.3 percent owned)– The move to Texas has to make Bengie more valuable.

Jorge Posada (92.4 percent owned)– Yeah, he is healthy now, but how long is that going to last?

Ryan Doumit (59.8 percent owned)– Doumit may lose some playing time because he has been abysmal defensively.  His caught stealing percentage is easily the worst in the league, and he leads the league in passed balls.  However, as long as he keeps hitting while he is back there, Doumit is a viable fantasy option.

A.J. Pierzynski (9.3 percent owned)– To date, Pierzynski’s BABIP is fairly low (.245), and he is striking out less than he has in previous years.  There seems to be some potential for a better second half.

Tier Five

Russell Martin (58.6 percent owned)– Martin has no business even being discussed as ownable in a 10-team league, but in deeper formats, he has value simply because he plays alm ost every day.  Among catchers, he ranks third in at-bats behind Jason Kendall and Mauer.

Jason Kendall (7.4 percent owned)– To reiterate, Jason Kendall leads the league in at-bats with 309. Add his .269 average and six steals, and it is clear that Kendall is a nice option in deeper league and AL-only formats.

Jonathan Lucroy (0.1 percent owned)– Lucroy is likely to receive the majority of the playing time in the second half for the Brewers, and he is hitting a respectable .280 with two homers and two steals so far this season.

Chris Ianetta (2.9 percent owned)– Ianetta could see increased playing time if Miguel Olivo does actually regress. His ISO (Isolated Power measures a hitter’s raw power based on his ability to get extra base hits) indicates that if he does see more ABs, he might be able to do some serious damage with them.

Just missed the cut: John Jaso (1.7 percent owned)

Agree or Disagree with the rankings? Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on Twitter@TheFantasyFix.

Article written by Brett Talley exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com

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The Braves, who settled for a series split against the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend, learned much about thier team in the process.

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At the end of the season, legend Bobby Cox will finally retire and hand the Braves over to another manager. The Braves would love to send him off with another World Series Title.

Last night in the All-Star game, Braves catcher Brian McCann could have helped them in a very crucial way.

As we all know, the game decides home field advantage in the World Series, and that’s what it is: an advantage.

After driving in three runs on a double, not only did he become the first person in All-Star Game history to bring in three runs on a non home run, but he also locked the home field for the National League.

That National League team in the World Series could be the Braves.

Heading into the second half of the season, the Braves are four games ahead of the New York Mets for lead of their division and have their eyes set on a World Series.

The team that won so many division titles in a row has struggled to get deep into the playoffs recently, but have high hopes for this October.

However, it won’t be easy.

With the Phillies and the Mets, both very talented teams, it’s going to be a tough ride to even get to October. If they plan to do so, Jason Heyward needs to come back from his injury and return to the great hitter that he was in the beginning of the season.

Heyward is a key player for the Braves as they plan to make a title run.

As for pitching, Atlanta is led by Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe, who both have nine wins this season.

The Braves do have the core of a team to make it all the way, and with McCann’s double last night, the seventh game would be in Atlanta.

A World Championship to cap off a legendary career by Bobby Cox. Sounds good to me.

Originally Written By Collin O’Connor on ( www.sportshaze.com )

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After a long 14-year drought, the National League finally beat the American League in the All-Star Game, 3-1. The hero of the game for the NL was Brian McCann, who hit a bases-clearing double in the 7th inning.

Now that the NL can finally relax knowing they can actually win this game, it is now time to look at next year to see what they can improve upon, and see what they need to do to win again.

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That statement is not in reference to Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak. For the first time since 1996, the National League won the All-Star Game. I didn’t watch the first half, but David Wright went 2-2. Jose Reyes , as expected, did not play.

Braves catcher Brian McCann hit a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning to give the NL the lead, 3-1, and they never turned back. He, of course, won the MVP award. Who was the MVP in the 1996 All-Star Game? Former Mets (and Dodgers and Marlins) catcher, Mike Piazza.

He was with the Dodgers at the time. So the Mets have home field advantage for the World Series— now they just have to get there.

W-Matt Capps

L-Phil Hughes

S-Jonathan Broxton

It’s sad that Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes loses the All-Star Game on the same day as the Yankees lose George Steinbrenner. Condolences out to him and his family.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to e-mail him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

Related Stories

• July 4, 2010— Mets send 2 players to All Star Game (0)
• July 4, 2010— Mets try to rebound, hope to split against Nats (0)
• July 3, 2010— Strasburg vs Mets, Mets@Nats game 3 preview (0)
• July 2, 2010— Mets@Nats game 2 preview (0)

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Unless you’re new to Major League Baseball, you know the American League has been unbeatable against the National League in the All-Star Game for the last 13 years.

Excluding the 2002 contest that ended in a tie and featured the infamous Bud Selig shrug, the Junior Circuit has won every game since being shutout in 1996.

Obviously, a 12-game winning streak that spans over a decade has a litany of explanations. For example, the AL has been quite a bit stronger at times during the run and Lady Luck has played her role as she always does on the diamond.

However, for at least the last several years, there’s been a blatant and irritating deficiency with the assortment of Senior Circuit talent. It’s opened the Midsummer Classic with a distinct disadvantage.

One that can be traced back to the voters—including the fans, players, and managers.

While the American League has suited up for the early July exhibition with its strongest roster of available athletes (give or take a couple on the fringe), the National League has been taking the field with a mixture of richly deserving stars and guys who rode the coattails of misplaced popularity to the honor.

Either the hometown fans in a large market ignorantly and blindly stuff the ballot box or the players/managers give a pseudo-lifetime achievement nod to a recognizable name. One way or another, glaring omissions are common-place and the team is weaker as a result.

The situation is no different in 2010.

The errors almost jump out at you:

—The San Francisco Giants’ Tim Lincecum hasn’t even been the best pitcher on his own team, yet he’s going to Anaheim and Matt Cain gets a long weekend.

—Or what about the St. Louis Cardinals’ Chris Carpenter getting the call over teammate Jaime Garcia or the San Diego Padres’ Mat Latos?

—The Friars are the Show’s biggest surprise, they’re tied for the NL’s best record with the Atlanta Braves, and have the same number of All Stars (one) as the putrid Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Milwaukee Brewers, who are eight games under .500, have three.

Meanwhile, the Braves have five.

—One of those Bravos is a utility infielder with a painfully empty .311 average in only 164 AB. For some reason, though, Omar Infante beat out the Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto’s .312 BA and league-leading .984 OPS (over 200 points better than Infante’s).

Got that? A decent singles hitter who doesn’t play every day beat out arguably the NL’s Most Valuable Player for the first half.

Of course, the Philadelphia Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel—who’ll skipper the All-Star club for a second consecutive year—sees a ton of Atlanta. Apparently, Infante has played in enough of those games to impress one key set of eyes.

The list of self-inflicted wounds could go on and on—no Ryan Zimmerman, no Aubrey Huff, no Josh Willingham, etc.

But an exhaustive and tedious look at all the snubs isn’t necessary because there’s one in particular that demonstrates the ill-fated phenomenon to a perfect tee.

Athletic injustice, thy name is Miguel Olivo.

The Colorado Rockie hasn’t just been the best catcher in the Senior Circuit, but he’s been the best one in all of baseball. If you don’t believe me, take a quick look (minimum of 200 PA):

—His .308 BA, 5 3B, .540 SLG, .905 OPS, and 3.0 WAR lead all MLB catchers.

—His 39 RBI are tied for second.

—His 11 HR and 37 R are tied for third.

—His 4 SB are fourth.

—His .365 OBP is fifth.

If you narrow the contenders to the relevant field (NL backstops), Olivo leads the way in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base-plus-slugging percentage, runs batted in, home runs (tied with the New York Mets’ Rod Barajas), and triples.

Pump your brakes; there are two sides to the ball, you say?

Fine, Miguel has also been the best defensive catcher in all of baseball and the margin’s even clearer over here.

To give you an idea of exactly how suffocating a weapon the 31-year-old has been, you have to go beyond his .993 fielding percentage. You have to look at his 20 runners caught stealing against only 19 successful swipes, good for a 51.3 percent success rate.

It’s not often you stumble across a rifle arm that nabs more would-be thieves than it suffers, but the more staggering observation is the company it keeps with that lofty caught stealing statistic.

Olivo’s 20 CS is good for second in the Majors behind the 22 belonging to Jason Kendall of the Kansas City Royals.

In stark contrast to Colorado’s sparkler, Kendall has a meager 25.0 percent success rate courtesy of 66 thefts allowed. Only Yadier Molina’s 47.4 percent clip (18 CS against 20 SB) can hang with Olivo and the Redbird will start the All Star Game simply for his defense i.e. it’s his only contribution and it’s still not better than Miguel’s.

That’s really where this charade becomes perversely laughable.

Neither All-Star rep that “earned” the selection over Olivo—neither the Braves’ Brian McCann nor Molina—can beat the rightful starter in anything except doubles and on-base percentage (in McCann’s case).

St. Louis Cardinal fans should be flat-out embarrassed by their counterproductive idiocy, masquerading as bias.

Their team stands a very good chance of actually making the World Series where home-field advantage could be a huge asset. In other words, it ultimately might not be just an exhibition for the Cards and their faithful.

Yet, they voted their guy to start the game despite offensive metrics that rank dead last almost across the board. What is supposed to be an intelligent baseball city just delivered a .231 hitter with a .616 OPS to the All-Star Game, trying to justify it by pointing out he’s a defensive specialist.

Trouble is, he’s the second-best defender at the position and can’t hold a candle to the lumber swung by the real defensive leader.

Sadly, the fanatics under the Gateway Arch are just the latest example of National League stupidity.

Which is why the Senior Circuit is already trailing the American League, for a 14th straight year.

And the All-Star Game hasn’t even started.

**Click hear to learn more about the Paralyzed Veterans of America**

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Voting for the 2010 MLB All-Star Game ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. That means this is our last chance to make a stand against the popular yet inferior big-name players who infiltrate the Midsummer Classic every year.

It’s too late for some of these races. Adrian Gonzalez and Joey Votto have no chance of catching Albert Pujols, for example, and there’s no way Shin-Soo Choo and Alex Rios will gain enough ground on Ichiro Suzuki by end of business today.

But there’s still time for some close races to be won for those who truly deserve them.

Two of the three players listed here were in second place at their respective positions at the last update. The third is already winning his race, but is facing a potential challenge from a clearly inferior rival.

Just remember as you flip through this slideshow that, if you support undeserving players, you’re going to be stuck watching them.

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