It seems like Jeff Francoeur has been in the majors longer than three years. And it also seems like he was supposed to find his swing and really break out this year. While the first one is still technically true, there's no guarantee for how long, as apparently the Braves confirmed Wednesday that they have debated sending Frenchy to the minors to work on his swing.
One primary reason that the Braves haven't shipped Francoeur back to the Minors is the potential backlash they might receive from their fans, who have remained faithful to No. 7, despite the fact that he entered Wednesday night's game against the Phillies hitting just .239 with a .294 on-base percentage and .383 slugging percentage.
[...]Even before he homered in his Major League debut on July 7, 2005, Francoeur was a favorite among Braves fans. Growing up in suburban Atlanta, he was named the high school Player of the Year for Georgia in both football and baseball.
"This is really the first time he's ever struggled," said Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann, who has been Francouer's best friend since they were 12 years old.
Francoeur has struggled mightily this season, hitting .234/.291/.379 with only eight homers and 20 walks. But, as Philly proved by sending Brett Myers down to AAA, sometimes the most awkward move is the one necessary to jumpstart a player.
But do I actually think they'll send Frenchy down there? No way. Popularity aside, the guy's confidence won't be helped by a demotion, and the Braves need his gascan arm sitting out in right field. Of course, I might be delusional, since I think the freeswinger will turn it around and have a monster second half too.
Bobby Cox has seen the entire career of John Smoltz up close and personal, and he has seen very many great outings by Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Let's not discount some of the starts that Steve Avery had back in the day either, when we compute just how many amazing pitching performances he has seen over the years.
So when he throws a compliment to a young pitcher -- or any pitcher for that matter - then you would think that compliment has a lot of merit to it. If that's the case, Jair Jurrjens should be beeming after his eight inning win tonight, because Cox dropped all kinds of hyperbole on him.
"I don't think you can pitch better than that," Cox said. "That was one of the best games I've seen pitched, ever."
This success didn't exactly come as a total surprise. Since turning his ankle while leaving Wrigley Field on June 10 and missing his start the next night, Jurrjens has made three starts and worked 21 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
I mean, dang. Ever? That is a stout compliment to the youngster. Of course, he's in the zone right now, as evidenced by above, and he certainly has the pedigree to be a great pitcher.
Fantasy Spin: It's tough to make Jurrjens any sort of sell high/buy low right now, because he's a legit talent. Still, it's hard to see him keeping this up for the rest of the season; if I was in a single season league, I would be looking to move him assuming I got good value back. Keeper league? Hold, please.
Heading into Sunday's game against the Mariners, Mark Teixeira was on pace for a not-so-blistering 21 home runs this year. It was especially auspicious considering the Braves poor start to the season and all their injuries. Oh, and the fact that he'll be a free agent after this year.
But, as we all know, Big Tex likes to turn it on when the weather gets warm, and he did just that Sunday, helping the Braves finish off Seattle.
Note, to your right, that he went three for four against the M's, with all three of those hits being taterjacks. (The ouch thing is just making fun of the respective in game ERAs of Mike Gonzalez and Will Ohman.) In doing so, Tex became the first Brave to hit three bombs in one game at Turner Field.
And it's not shocking that it happened the day after the solstice, when Teix usually begins to heat up.
Now, one would have to imagine that this morning, either Tex saw figured out "Holy Crap! It's Summer!" or Scott Boras called him up and mentioned how many millions he was going to lose for each homer under 40 he hit this year.
Fantasy Spin: Your buy low chance on Teix? Adios, amigo. He should, now that the heat of summer is upon us and the Braves have nearly been eliminated solely through injuries, have a huge rest of the year. But three home run games get you noticed and you can bet his owner is holding tight. Just thought I'd let you know.
I won't go over the dead horse that is the injury-riddled Atlanta Braves bullpen. I will, however, point out that Mike Gonzalez is returning tonight for the first time in over a full calendar year, after a lengthy bbq eating stint, to pitch for the Braves.
It seems pretty, pretty likely, given that John Smoltz and Rafael Soriano are both currently disabled, that Gonzo could be the closer until he gets hurt too for the remainder of the season.
'He's throwing good, they say,' said Cox, who envisions using him in key situations late in games from the get-go. 'Hopefully we can count on him for the very end - eighth and ninth. If he's back to his old form, it's a huge plus.'
The news is finally positive for a Braves team that has endured watching Rafael Soriano return to the disabled list this week with the same elbow problems that kept him out for the first two months and John Smoltz's attempt to return as closer end in season-ending shoulder surgery.
See? Gonzo could close out of the gate. Or simply tear his rotator cuff on the first pitch. The latter is the most likely scenario if you have followed the Braves at all this year.
Fantasy Spin: Grab Gonzalez now -- the Braves are somehow still potent despite dealing with tons of injuries, and he could provide nice saves totals, if he can stay healthy. Soriano might still nab the gig when he comes back, but if Gonzo deals immediately, there's no guarantee.
When you are adding Jorge "Gasoline Soaked Matchbook" Julio to your bullpen, then things have not gone "well" for your team over the course of whatever season it is. At least with regard to the bullpen. And the Braves find themselves in the unenviable spot of having Julio on the roster.
Julio, 29, had a 5.60 ERA in 15 appearances for Cleveland before he was released at the end of May. He has a 13-33 career record and a 4.40 ERA with 99 saves in 131 opportunities, including 83 saves in a three-season span with Baltimore in 2002-04.
'He's got great stuff,' Braves general manager Frank Wren said. 'If a guy like that's a free agent, just makes sense for us to give him a chance. We signed him to give us some additional depth.'
Say what you want about Wren's inability to grasp that the Braves desperately need to trade for another starter, but the guy can flat out spin a boring, lifeless free agent addition/trade to make it sound good.
See, I would say ... well, actually what I would say probably isn't appropriate, so let's just stink with what Wren said.
Fantasy Spin: Yes, there is one. If you're in a deeper league and have a bench spot, taking a flier on Julio isn't that absurd; he could conceivably get save opps for the Braves and that would make him a nice add. High risk, etc.
Apparently the ghosts of deceased Native Americans finally decided to take matters into their own hands in regards to team names like "Braves" and "Indians" this baseball season. I'm not going to get into the whole discussion on the insensitivity of these names because that's neither my inclination nor my job.
Still, it's quite eerie they way these two franchises in particular have been plagued this year.
Both were expected to be contenders for the World Series, chock full of fantasy gems. Instead the disappointments and injuries are plentiful, and sometimes hand-in-hand.
The most recent casualty is Victor Martinez, and he already fit the bill as a bust. He's normally picked in the first five rounds (earlier many times). His owners have been treated with pathetic numbers this year relative to expectations (.277, 0 HR). And now he's on the DL with a bum wing (inflamed right elbow, if you must know ... but "bum wing" is so much more fun). The catcher could be out until the All-Star break, so this is a big blow to both the Tribe and your fantasy squad. Unfortunately, I believe you have to sit on him in fantasy, because he's liable to get hot when he does come back and no one will give you anything valuable for an injured bust in a trade.
It just makes more sense to give any injuries that occur to the Braves their own following tag, no? After all, if one more person gets hurt in some sort of fashion this season, the entire city of Atlanta might just quit showing up at games.
The latest case of a player suffering some sort of physical problem is Tim Hudson, who is suffering from dehydration.
Hudson, who allowed just one earned run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, seemed to be tiring during the seventh inning. When he left the game and went to the clubhouse, many of his body parts began to cramp.
'He couldn't bend his fingers,' Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
When the clubhouse was opened to the media, the Braves said that Hudson was unavailable to talk. He was still in the trainer's room with an IV providing him fluids.
Certainly, everyone hopes Huddy is alright, and he should be, but come on. This is borderline absurd the way that every single Braves pitcher who gets near the rubber ends up being injured in some shape or form.
Oh, next week: Mark Teixeira gets SARS.br /> Fantasy Spin: Huddy's next start is at Texas, so frankly, I'd sit him. Dehydration + Arlington = Bad.
This will be only the second time in his 22 year career that Tom Glavine goes on the DL. It will also be the second time this year. At this point, I could mention "curses" and "demons" inside the Atlanta mound, but obviously, those are fictional. Besides, Tommy Glavine is old as mess.
Braves officials will meet Wednesday to discuss their options regarding who will take his spot on the roster and in the starting rotation.
Glavine, 42, lasted three innings and was charged with six hits, four runs and four walks. Glavine has won twice in his past 15 starts dating to Sept. 20, when he was with the New York Mets. He has a 4.85 ERA in 12 starts this season.
It's not "good" by any means, but it's not horrible either. If anything, it puts the pressure on Frank Wren to make a move for a starter. Assuming he can do so without giving up an integral young player (like a Greg Norton-type) or any other pitchers, then whatever he pulls off is probably a good deal.
And, that, sadly is the state of affair right now. An already too heavy reliance on the minor leagues has the Braves thinking trade early, instead of actually promoting someone. (Note they could promote someone, but making a deal for Greg Maddux makes much more sense.)
Fantasy Spin: Glavine should be DL'd (deep leagues) or dropped (most leagues) if he was owned. His K/9 is way down this season from an already low number and he represents a risky fantasy start/investment.
Well that didn't take long. John Smoltz, after only a few rehab starts, has been activated by the Braves and could close as early as tonight.
Smoltz, who had been on the disabled list since April 28 with a severely inflamed right biceps tendon and inflammation in his right rotator cuff, made three Minor League rehab appearances. He made his final appearance on Saturday, and pitched a scoreless inning for Class A Rome.
It's a testament to his durability that Smoltz was able to come back so quickly. He could close tonight, and although it seems like Bobby Cox would want to warm up him before tossing him to the ninth inning wolves, it's hard to imagine that the veteran gets butterflies in his stomach all too often these days.
Fantasy Spin: Get Smoltz active in all leagues. The Braves have had horrible luck in one run games, but if you just backdoored a closer after thinking you were losing a starter, this could actually work out well for you. He's had some success, I believe, in that role.
Despite the heat check that the Tampa Bay Rays are on right now, they still suffered some bad news yesterday when shockingly efficient closer Troy Percival injured his hamstring in what was described as a nasty little landing. Nasty enough to get him sent out for an MRI.
That begs the question, who's the new save guy in Tampa? Dan Wheeler would be your likely answer, and if he's not owned, and you need saves, he's an immediate add. If he's already taken, pounce on Al Reyes for a backup. Both guys could see save opps, but Wheeler came in for Percival today and he has the better ratios on the season. Plus, he hasn't been tased at all this season, for whatever that's worth.
In Milwaukee, although nothing is ever made really clear, it does appear as if Salomon Torres has gotten a pretty good grip on the closer's job, picking up three saves and a win over the last week. There's no guarantee that Crazy Joe DaVolaNed Yost will actually stick with him, but for now, he should be getting run in your lineup. And certainly shouldn't be a free agent.
The Braves welcomed back Rafael Soriano on Wednesday while putting Matt Diaz on the disabled list. That's decent news for Soriano's fantasy owners -- of course you want to see him back. The bad news is that John Smoltz is going to close as soon as he is healthy, which could be soon. Start Soriano when he's pitching, but obviously look to trade him if you can.
It seems like Jeff Francoeur has been in the majors longer than three years. And it also seems like he was supposed to find his swing and really break out this year. While the first one is still technically true, there's no guarantee for how long, as apparently the Braves confirmed Wednesday that they have debated sending Frenchy to the minors to work on his swing.
Heading into Sunday's game against the Mariners, 
I won't go over the dead horse that is the injury-riddled Atlanta Braves bullpen. I will, however, point out that 
When you are adding 
Apparently the ghosts of deceased Native Americans finally decided to take matters into their own hands in regards to team names like "Braves" and "Indians" this baseball season. I'm not going to get into the whole discussion on the insensitivity of these names because that's neither my inclination nor my job. 
This will be only the second time in his 22 year career that 
Despite the heat check that the Tampa Bay Rays are on right now, they still suffered some bad news yesterday when shockingly efficient closer 
