Kuzul

I’m a Braves fan.  I’ve been one since the early 90s.  In my lifetime of enjoying Braves baseball, you can’t say much about the team’s success without mentioning Chipper Jones in the same sentence.

At 38 years old, we all know the decline is rapidly picking up speed.  It shows on the injury sheet.  It shows in the stat line.

Chipper is batting .240 this season with 1 HR and 21 RBI.  He’s slugging almost 200 points less than his career average and his OBP is drops year after year.

I’m not saying it’s time to completely pass the torch.  It’s not Chipper’s time just yet.  But shouldn’t the Braves consider resting our aged veteran a little more than usual in preparation for a pennant race at the end of the season and a playoff run?

My proposal consists of a few ideas — nothing off the wall, and nothing that will hurt the team:

Use him in the upcoming inter-league games at AL parks as a DH.  Let him continue to work on his swing there.

Begin platooning him immediately with Omar Infante (Omar would come in to play 2B and Prado will slide to 3B).  Chipper is apparently having trouble seeing right-handed pitchers.  There is a clear line drawn in his splits. 

Infante is batting .346 against right-handers this year. 

Let Omar hit the righties and play Chipper for the lefties.  Have Chipper continue his same batting practice routine.  If a right-handed reliever enters the game, keep Chipper in — use that to gauge his progress.

If the added rest doesn’t help by the all-star break, get desperate.  Put him back in daily. We need him to be successful this year and he’ll serve to rejuvenate our team mid-season.

I’ve mentioned previously that the Braves hot streak is for real right now.  A key reason for that is the backup play of Infante.  This plan utilizes Infante’s strong play more to improve the Braves through June and July while we wait for the inevitable coming of Chipper’s bat.

Other teams aren’t forgetting that the Braves are essentially playing without their best two hitters in McCann and Chipper who are both batting just 30-55 points about the Mendoza Line.  We fans aren’t either.

We can only imagine what happens if one or both of them return to form.

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With the draft on the horizon it is the perfect time to take a look back at some of baseball’s all time best #1 picks. Just because someone is drafted #1 overall doesn’t mean they are going to be the next best thing just look at Brien Taylor. Sometimes, however, teams who did their scouting wind up with future hall of famers.

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On April 30, the Atlanta Braves were sitting at 9-14—fresh off of a nine-game losing streak and five games behind the division-leading New York Mets.

Holding a minus-18 run differential and an offense that could do virtually nothing but draw a walk, the Braves’ outlook on 2010 was bleak to say the best.

Fast forward to Memorial Day (May 31), and the Braves are a half-game up on the Phillies with a plus-45 run differential and appear as if they’ve figured out things on the offensive side of the ball.

Led by Jason Heyward (who holds the fourth highest OPS at 1.019 in BASEBALL and best in the NL) who had a .358/.475/.667 May after taking a more aggressive approach at the advice of Bobby Cox, Martin Prado (the NL hit and OBP leader), and Troy Glaus (the NL RBI leader for the month of May), the Braves capped off the month of May with a six-game winning streak to bring their season’s record to 29-22.

The pitching, as was anticipated heading into 2010, was also spectacular during the Braves’ 20-win month as Tim Hudson (4-0 1.59 ERA in the month of May) and company posted a 3.53 team ERA with 192 total strikeouts.

But, with those impressive stats comes the all important question…is this the REAL Atlanta Braves squad?

Well, I can tell you: I don’t think it is.

The pitching seems to be legit, but it’s going to be hard for Troy Glaus and Jason Heyward to replicate the ridiculous averages they posted and for Glaus and Martin Prado to re-create their 20+ RBI months (especially the latter since he has transitioned to the lead-off role) on a month-in and month-out basis.

But, on the same hand, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann are going to do a little more than, respectively, one home run and 10 RBI they posted in May.

For those reasons, I think it’s fair to postulate that the real identity of the Braves lies somewhere between their identity as the team with multiple sub-.200 hitters, as they were known in April, and the team that was, arguably, the best in the National League for the season’s second month.

My gut tells me it’s closer to the latter, though.

This is a team that should be good-to-go for a divisional/Wild Card fight if the right moves are made (i.e. losing McLouth and shuffling the outfield with some sort of call-up or trade…Ty Wigginton/Luke Scott, anyone?) as long as the staff (which should be bolstered by the return of Jair Jurrjens at some point in June) and bullpen hold up.

Now all they have to do to look “real” is get their fifth starter a W (as Kenshin Kawakami sits at 0-7 on the season)…

And now, a good (albeit unrelated) song.

(This post is also featured on SportsLeak.com)

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At the end of last season, Atlanta Braves 3B Chipper Jones said he would retire from baseball if his play did not improve this season.

“If I back up this year with the same kind of year next year, I don’t want to play the game. The game is not fun to me when I’m not playing up to my standards.”

Jones has definitely seen better days…

He has played in 35 of the Braves’ 42 games this season, and his numbers are nowhere close to what he’s used to.

Jones is batting a career worst .225 (.081 below his career average). He’s on pace to hit fewer than 10 home runs, score fewer than 60 runs, and drive in fewer than 40 base runners.

Even if Jones manages to turn things around, it is going to be hard for him to hit his customary .300, hit 20 or more home runs, score 100 plus runs, and drive in at least 100 runs.

That being the case, I have a feeling this is his last Major League season.

The good news is that the Braves are 8-2 in their last ten games and have won four straight. They are also tied for second in the NL East despite Jones’ early struggles at the plate.

If they can get him going, they have a solid chance of catching the Phillies for the division lead. In the meantime, Troy Glaus has found his swing and rookie outfielder Jason Heyward is putting up monster numbers.

With Jones’ struggles over the past two seasons, it is easy to forget just how good he was.

In his prime, he was as tough an out as there was in the Majors. He recorded eight straight seasons from 1996 to 2003 of at least 100 RBI. In seven of those seasons he also scored at least 100 runs (90 in 2002). He had at least 20 homeruns in each of those seasons as well.

For his career, Jones has 428 homeruns, 2,431 hits, 1,473 runs, 1,372 walks, and a .306 batting average.

By the end of this season, He has a chance to reach 450 homeruns, notch at least 2,500 hits, score 1,500 runs, and draw 1,400 walks.

He’s a two-time Silver Slugger Award Winner, six-time All-Star, and was the 1999 NL MVP. On top of that, he won a World Series Championship with the Braves in 1995.

Chipper Jones’ career has been about more than the numbers. He has done it the right way. He played through the middle of the Steroid Era and name has never been mentioned in connection to steroid use. For 15 seasons, he’s been the face of the Braves franchise, a team player, and the ultimate professional.

If this is Chipper Jones’ final season of his career, it’s one he can be proud of—even if he doesn’t put up Chipper-like numbers this season.

He’s still one of the best third-basemen to ever play the game and is well on his way to Canton.

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If Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox does not start Brooks Conrad at third base for tomorrow’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he may have lost his mind.

Admittedly, I am still heavily under the influence of the euphoria that ensued after Conrad hit an opposite-field, game-winning grand slam in a 10-9 victory over the Cincinnati Reds today, which capped an eight-run Atlanta rally Thursday.

However, it’s not crazy to at least entertain the idea of putting today’s ninth-inning hero in the starting lineup at the hot corner.

Of course, to start Conrad, Cox would have to bench Braves legend Chipper Jones, something that the Atlanta skipper would never even think about doing.

Cox’s loyalty to No. 10 in this case is unfortunate for the Braves, seeing as Conrad now has three homers compared to Chipper’s two, and nine RBI, which is two fewer than the future Hall-of-Famer’s 11.

By the way, just a footnote, Conrad’s stats have come in just 28 at-bats, while Jones has made 111 trips to the plate this season.

Conrad, who sports a .977 career fielding percentage (Jones: .952 at 3B), also offers Atlanta a better option defensively, seeing as Chipper’s hamstring and foot problems limit his flexibility in the field.

Granted, Conrad’s recent surge could just be a fluke and his .204 batting average last season isn’t anything to cheer about, but this recent offensive explosion has earned him a better chance of cracking the starting lineup.

Now, strong arguments will contend that Jones has the track record and the talent to break out of his slump—heck, he knocked in two runs in Wednesday’s 5-4 win over Cincinnati—but sadly, any good day he has offensively should be considered an aberration at this point.

Also, there’s the issue of benching the team leader, which has the potential to demoralize his teammates who look up to said leader for motivation and inspiration.

I would respond to the latter argument with two questions:

“Has Chipper’s veteran presence significantly helped the Braves so far this season?”

“Wouldn’t the fact that Chipper is ‘unbenchable,’ no matter how much he struggles, demoralize bench players (e.g. Omar Infante, Conrad) who are fighting for at-bats?”

In baseball, it’s crucial to play the hot hand, especially when doing the opposite is detrimental to a team’s playoff chances.

Benching Jones in favor of Conrad could possibly serve another purpose, like lighting a fire under the 16-year veteran.

Maybe the challenge of fighting his way back into the lineup will unleash the skills that made him the National League Batting Champion in 2008 with a .364 average.

Additionally, sitting for a few games could give the veteran third baseman a chance to rest from his injuries or work out a few of the kinks in his swing.

Now, I neither intend to disrespect Chipper by my thoughts nor declare that Conrad should become the permanent starting third baseman for the Braves.

I believe Jones will eventually break out of his slump, but until then, you have to go with the better guy, who, in this case, is Conrad.

If you asked for Chipper’s thoughts, he would tell you that he wants what’s best for the Braves—he even offered to give up his No. 3 spot in the lineup to Jason Heyward (a great idea).

And right now, starting Conrad at third base is the best way to go for Atlanta.

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A crazy man once said “Just win, baby.”

It’s short, simple, sweet, and to the point.

It also defines perfectly what any professional team’s mindset should be on a night-in, night-out basis.

But, that simple saying spoken, from the mouth of a deranged lunatic that once called JaMarcus Russell a great quarterback, seems to be just outside of the range of comprehension for the 2010 Atlanta Braves.

Now, don’t take this as a wild rant following a 11-1 shellacking at the hands of the Arizona D-Backs.

It’s not (although that certainly helped to push this out).

This is a product of a month-and-a-half’s worth of frustration and exasperation that this Braves fan has felt and cooped up for far too long.

It has been my understanding that a team is supposed to build on what it has learned.

To rid itself of fundamental lapses that have cost them in the past so as to create a setting both on the field and in their clubhouse conducive to a winning atmosphere.

Apparently, that memo hasn’t reached someone in the Atlanta Braves’ organization.

I mean, how else do you miss a fly ball by 50 feet in outfield when you were once a gold glove recipient?

How else do you look seas in the water following an impressive four-game streak in which your team valiantly overcame deficits when needed in desperate times and flat-out rolled at others?

How else do you find yourselves relying on the same 20-year-old kid in every single pinch?

And how else are you unable to find some sort of motivation during the final season of your skipper’s reign over what used to be the most enviable team in the National League?

For me, it comes down to a few simple things.

No spirit…no fundamentals…no toughness…and no comradery.

(Now, directly at the Braves.)

How do you explain a meteoric rise and fall of what has the potential to be (and has been shown to be) a very dynamic club?

How?

Nothing has frustrated me more than looking like an idiot for supporting various peoples’ causes.

For getting my hopes up.

And for standing up for a team that I called a Wild Card favorite before the season that has amounted to a 17-19 hot mess.

The season’s not done…we still have 126 more games to go through/watch/enjoy/whatever.

If it was a level line of “don’t give a [intercourse],” it’d be one thing.

But the utter lack of enthusiasm and direction following halfway-descent runs is deflating my hopes that I had set to a pretty high level.

I’m sticking by the team ’til the end…I love the Braves too much not to.

But I’m having a harder and harder time adjusting to the turned corners only to meet brick wall after brick wall.

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Talk about a turnaround.

Just six games ago, the Braves were shut-out by the No. 2 man on the all-time homers allowed list.

Now, they find themselves dumping a high-powered Brewers attack out of a dust pan and into the trash after outscoring the Brew Crew by an unbelievable (keep in mind we’re talking about the team ranked next-to-last in runs in the NL coming into this series) 21-run margin over three games. 

The heroes of this series (outside of the usual suspects Jason Heyward, who returned to the line-up for game two of this series and went on to steal two bases, and Martin Prado, who hit a grand slam in game one) may be surprising, though.

Troy Glaus, Brooks Conrad, and Eric Hinske played out of their minds (the latter two in only the two final games).

Glaus went 5-for-13 (.385) with two homers, five RBIs, three runs scored, and also tacked on two walks. 

Hinske, while manning what had been a massive left field hole for the Braves, went 3-for-6 (.500) with three doubles, four RBIs, and only one strikeout to two bases on balls.

Brooks went 4-for-9 (.444) with two homers (both off of Carlos Villanueva to right field), five RBIs, and some pretty slick fielding over at the hot corner.

Wow.

Not bad for two guys that have been riding the pine all year, (though Hinske has shown all season that he has deserved better) and another that for the month of April was being called “washed up” by many in Braves Nation.

But, the question remains: can the Braves keep it up?

After all, they dazzled us with the bats in the opening series and have been putting up eight- nine- and ten-spots at various points over the course of the ’10 campaign–what makes this series of gappers, drives, and lucky bloops any different?

Well, I’ll tell you—it comes down to the personnel.

And with the group that was thrown out for the Milwaukee series, I really, honestly, believe that this is for real (knock on wood).

Add to that the fact that this line-up has been lacking two cogs in Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones that have been vital to the team’s success over the past few years, and this thing looks downright scary come their expected returns this Saturday (I’m referring to them being “in there” together—Chipper will be back sooner).

Just imagine…

R 2B Martin Prado
L RF Jason “Manchild” Heyward
S 3B Chipper Jones
R 1B Troy Glaus
L  C Brian McCann
L LF Eric Hinske
R SS Yunel Escobar (yeah, I believe the ’09 Escobar is the real Escobar) 
L CF Nate McLouth

With the performances in the month of May for those guys, there is plenty to support a Braves starting staff that only gave up three earned runs (Hanson with zero, Hudson with one, and Lowe, typically with the highest, with two) to the Brewers in this past series.

Now, there will be a hitch here and there (after all, this is baseball we’re talking about), no doubt about it (and with Conrad swinging a big bat, I’d almost be willing to give him Jones’ position for a while and stick with the Infante/McLouth-Prado-Heyward set-up…but we all know that’s not going to happen).

But there is no way that this group can be as anemic as the Leche/Diaz-packed order we saw at the start of this most recent road trip (which the Braves managed to finish up 5-4 in spite of those awful orders).

I’m not going to call a 15-game win-streak for the Braves right now—not by a long shot.

But, I am going to call for some good success on the horizon (if that makes sense) since this team finally seems to be coming around.

See all you needed was a little…

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We see it in every sport, a once great player hangs on too long, refusing to accept that his time has passed. It’s hard to watch our heroes become mere mortals right before our eyes, and many fans seem to take it personally.

It’s no great mystery why it happens. All these athletes know is the game they have dedicated their lives to, given their blood, sweat, and tears for.

Could you walk away if you were in their shoes?

Regardless, this article isn’t about the choices that face these players, it’s about shining light on once great ball players who are now, sadly, shells of their former all-star selves.

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