saintswhodi

Sorry to heat about Mahler. Don\'t know much about him, but I have heard the name in association with the Braves.

On a lighter note, papz, I am getting excited. Tell me about these prospects: Andy Marte(3b), Jeff Francouer(of), Brian McCann(C), Kyle Davies(rhp), Jake Stevens(lhp), and Anthony Lerew(rhp).

papz

I\'ve told you so much about Marte already, and ya know what??!!! He\'s lighting it up in camp. Too bad there is no DH in the National League because Chipper is at 3rd and Jordan in left. Did you know Jordan homered the other day!?!?! He batted 3 times and hit 3 rockets... that\'s what Bobby Cox said. He\'s look pretty good as well as Langerhans, the guy platooning with him. LF and RF will be fine like I said all along. Both Mondesi and Jordan are healthy and we have very solid depth there in case Jordan does break something he hasn\'t yet.

Same with Francouer, scroll all the way up! That\'s also his ceiling. Marte and Francouer are the two most heralded prospect of this organization since Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones. I can\'t stop smiling.

Brain McCann - sound catcher with outstanding hitting potential. This guy can really rake. A notch down from Daric Barton now with the Althletics in the Mulder trade.

Kyle Davies - Absolutely untouchable. Cannot be had via trade for anyone. This is the guy who Oakland wanted for Tim Hudson but we refused and gave them Dan Meyer instead. Our other top pitching prospect. He throws in the low 90\'s with a devastating change and a above average slider. Needs a little more seasoning in triple A to work on his control. I think once Hampton\'s salary jumps into the 15-16 million dollar range, we\'ll find a way to trade him and Davies will take over his rotation spot. If Horacio isn\'t ready as the 5th starter because of injury, Davies will start out as the 5th starter. VERY HIGH TOUTED prospect who is considered a legit number 2 starter.

Here is something about McCann and Stevens on Baseball America:

Q: randy from atlanta asks:
do mccann and stevens have your vote for the top 100 also you say scouts drool over stevens projection but yet you say his ceiling is only a number 2 ...also can mccann hit 30 hr and bat 280 in the show..thanks alot merry christmas

A: Bill Ballew: Hi, Randy, and Merry Christmas to you, too. Don\'t get too hung up with saying Stevens is a number 2 starter. There aren\'t many true No. 2\'s in the big leagues, and Stevens has that potential. Time will tell, but McCann could be a .280-30-90 if catching doesn\'t take too big a toll on his body. McCann would be a top 100 guy for me, with Stevens getting serious consideration.

Bill Ballew: Davies is a warrior with a nasty repertoire. When he is at the top of his game, he can be unbeatable. After making some adjustments in his mechanics two years ago, Davies has taken off. He could contribute in Atlanta this year if someone goes down in the rotation. Davies is the top pitching prospect in the organization and should get a chance to prove that as a starter in the big leagues by the start of the 2006 slate. I don\'t know who I would compare him to in the big leagues, but I see him as a competitive workhorse with a killer changeup.

TOP TEN PROSPECTS ATLANTA BRAVES
1. Jeff Francoeur, of <~~ Masher;5 tools
2. Andy Marte, 3b <~~ Masher;5 tools
3. Brian McCann, c <~~ Masher
4. Kyle Davies, rhp <~~ Just wait and see
5. Anthony Lerew, rhp <~~ Throws in the high 90\'s 95-97ish
6. Jake Stevens, lhp <~~~ Best control in the organization
7. Luis Hernandez, ss <~~ will take Furcal\'s job next year
8. Kelly Johnson, of <~~ not as good as 2 years ago
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, c <~~ drafted last year
10. Blaine Boyer, rhp <~~ Flamethrower who needs control

There is so much more, but if I keep going on and on, it\'s going to be a novel. All in all, things are always looking bright for our Atlanta Braves Actually they are tied with my Texas Rangers... my two favorites.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.

saintswhodi

Count me as officially excited.

Saints1017

Rick Mahler, Zane Smith, Rick Camp, Paul Zuvella, Rick Cerone :casstet:

papz

Here was Schuerholz on that giddy day: \"We think this pitching staff has the capability of pitching as well as or better than any pitching staff we\'ve ever assembled.\"

:yltype: :heartpump:

papz

Jordan recorded two hits in three at-bats against the Yankees and saw his Grapefruit League batting average drop from .714 to .700 (7-for-10). He\'s also hit two homers, which provides further hope that he\'ll be more productive this season than the past two, when the left knee limited him to a total of 127 games.

saintswhodi

Getting dangerously close to overkill paps. Don\'t they only face starters for two innings or something? :no_no:

saintfan

Indeed Whodi. I\'m excited, but I\'m not ready to rest easy. It was good to see Jordan triple tho. I know he\'s been injured, but I think his presence with the Rangers last year helped \'em, and injured or not I think they\'ll miss him. It\'s good to have him back even if he\'ll be sharing time in left this year.

papz

Hey hey hey! I\'m getting our hopes up for another title run. Who can blame me :P

papz

I forgot to mention Chipper hit a homer off Randy Johnson today and Brain Jordan continues his tear with 2 more hits today. And Hampton shut out the Yanks for 3 innings striking out two. :icon_eyesroll: